Updated the ReST documentation.
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"*A MUD (originally Multi-User Dungeon, with later variants
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Multi-User Dimension and Multi-User Domain), pronounced 'mud', is a
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multiplayer real-time virtual world described primarily in text.
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MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player
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versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat. Players can
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read or view descriptions of rooms, objects, other players,
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non-player characters, and actions performed in the virtual world.
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Players typically interact with each other and the world by typing
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commands that resemble a natural language.*\ " -
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`Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD>`_
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Evennia introduction
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====================
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If you are reading this, it's quite likely you are dreaming of creating
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and running a text-based massively-multiplayer game
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(`MUD/MUX/MUSH <http://tinyurl.com/c5sc4bm>`_ etc) of your very own. You
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might just be starting to think about it, or you might have lugged
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around that *perfect* game in your mind for years ... you know *just*
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how good it would be, if you could only make it come to reality. We know
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how you feel. That is, after all, why Evennia came to be.
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Evennia is in principle a MUD-building system: a bare-bones Python
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codebase and server intended to be highly extendable for any style of
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game. "Bare-bones" in this context means that we try to impose as few
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game-specific things on you as possible. So whereas we for convenience
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offer basic building blocks like objects, characters, rooms, default
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commands for building and administration etc, we don't prescribe any
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combat rules, mob AI, races, skills, character classes or other things
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that will be different from game to game anyway. It is possible that we
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will offer some such systems as contributions in the future, but these
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will in that case all be optional.
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What we *do* however, is to provide a solid foundation for all the
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boring database, networking, and behind-the-scenes administration stuff
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that all online games need whether they like it or not. Evennia is
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*fully persistent*, that means things you drop on the ground somewhere
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will still be there a dozen server reboots later. Through Django we
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support a large variety of different database systems (a database is
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created for you automatically if you use the defaults).
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Using the full power of Python throughout the server offers some
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distinct advantages. All your coding, from object definitions and custom
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commands to AI scripts and economic systems is done in normal Python
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modules rather than some ad-hoc scripting language. The fact that you
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script the game in the same high-level language that you code it in
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allows for very powerful and custom game implementations indeed.
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The server ships with a default set of player commands that are similar
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to the MUX command set. We *do not* aim specifically to be a MUX server,
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but we had to pick some default to go with (see `this <SoftCode.html>`_
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for more about our original motivations). It's easy to remove or add
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commands, or to have the command syntax mimic other systems, like Diku,
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LP, MOO and so on. Or why not create a new and better command system of
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your own design.
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Can I test it somewhere?
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------------------------
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There are Evennia-based muds under development but they are still not
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publicly available. If you do try to install Evennia (it's not hard), it
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comes with its own tutorial though - this shows off some of the
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possibilities *and* gives you a small single-player quest to play. The
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tutorial takes only one single in-game command to install as explained
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`here <TutorialWorldIntroduction.html>`_.
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If you didn't see it before, here is also a
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`screenshot <Screenshot.html>`_ of Evennia running.
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Brief summary of features
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=========================
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Technical
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---------
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- Game development is done by the server importing your normal Python
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modules. Specific server features are implemented by overloading
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hooks that the engine calls appropriately.
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- All game entities are simply Python classes that handles database
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negotiations behind the scenes without you needing to worry.
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- Command sets are stored on individual objects (including characters)
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to offer unique functionality and object-specific commands. Sets can
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be updated and modified on the fly to expand/limit player input
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options during play.
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- Scripts are used to offer asynchronous/timed execution abilities.
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Scripts can also be persistent. There are easy mechanisms to thread
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particularly long-running processes.
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- In-game communication channels are modular and can be modified to any
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functionality, including mailing systems and full logging of all
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messages.
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- Server can be fully rebooted/reloaded without users disconnecting.
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- A session (player) can freely connect/disconnect from game-objects,
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offering an easy way to implement multi-character systems and
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puppeting.
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- All source code is extensively documented.
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- Unit-testing suite, including tests of default commands and plugins
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Default content
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---------------
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- Basic classes for Objects, Characers, Rooms and Exits
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- Basic login system, using the Player's login name as their in-game
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Character's name for simplicity
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- "MUX-like" command set with administration, building, puppeting,
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channels and social commands
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- In-game Tutorial
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- Contributions folder with working, but optional, code such as
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alternative login, menus, character generation and more
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Standards/Protocols supported
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-----------------------------
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- Telnet with mud-specific extensions (MCCP, MSSP, TTYPE)
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- SSH
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- SSL
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- TCP/Comet, JavaScript browser webclient included
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- HTTP - Website served by in-built webserver and connected to same
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database as game.
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- IRC/IMC2 - external IRC and/or IMC2 channels can be connected to
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in-game chat channels
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- RSS feeds can be echoed to in-game channels
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- ANSI, xterm256 colours
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- Several different databases supported (SQLite3, MySQL, ...)
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For more extensive feature information, see
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`here <http://code.google.com/p/evennia/wiki/DeveloperCentral>`_.
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What you need to know to work with Evennia
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==========================================
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Assuming you have Evennia working (see the `quick start
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instructions <GettingStarted.html>`_) and have gotten as far as to start
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the server and connect to it with the client of your choice, here's what
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you need to know depending on your skills and needs.
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I don't know (or don't want to do) any programming - I just want to run a game!
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Evennia comes with a default set of commands for the Python newbies and
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for those who need to get a game running *now*. Stock Evennia is enough
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for running a simple 'Talker'-type game - you can build and describe
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rooms and basic objects, have chat channels, do emotes and other things
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suitable for a social or free-form MU\ ``*``. Combat, mobs and other
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game elements are not included, so you'll have a very basic game indeed
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if you are not willing to do at least *some* coding.
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I know basic Python, or am willing to learn
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-------------------------------------------
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Evennia's source code is extensively documented and `viewable
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online <http://code.google.com/p/evennia/source/browse/>`_. We also have
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a comprehensive `online
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manual <http://code.google.com/p/evennia/wiki/Index>`_ with lots of
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examples. But while Python is a relatively easy programming language, it
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still represents a learning curve if you are new to programming. You
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should probably sit down with a Python beginner's
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`tutorial <http://docs.python.org/tutorial/>`_ (there are plenty of them
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on the web if you look around) so you at least know what you are seeing.
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To efficiently code your dream game in Evennia you don't need to be a
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Python guru, but you do need to be able to read example code containing
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at least these basic Python features:
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- Importing python modules
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- Using variables, `conditional
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statements <http://docs.python.org/tutorial/controlflow.html#if-statements>`_,
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`loops <http://docs.python.org/tutorial/controlflow.html#for-statements>`_
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and
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`functions <http://docs.python.org/tutorial/controlflow.html#defining-functions>`_
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- Using `lists, dictionaries and list
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comprehensions <http://docs.python.org/tutorial/datastructures.html>`_
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- Doing `string handling and
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formatting <http://docs.python.org/tutorial/introduction.html#strings>`_
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- Using `Classes <http://docs.python.org/tutorial/classes.html>`_,
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their methods and properties
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Obviously, the more things you feel comfortable with, the easier time
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you'll have to find your way. With just basic knowledge you should be
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able to define your own `Commands <Commands.html>`_, create custom
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`Objects <Objects.html>`_ as well as make your world come alive with
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basic `Scripts <Scripts.html>`_. You can definitely build a whole
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advanced and customized game from extending Evennia's examples only.
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I know my Python stuff and am willing to use it!
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------------------------------------------------
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Even if you started out as a Python beginner, you will likely get to
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this point after working on your game for a while. With more general
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knowledge in Python the full power of Evennia opens up for you. Apart
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from modifying commands, objects and scripts, you can develop everything
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from advanced mob AI and economic systems, through sophisticated combat
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and social minigames, to redefining how commands, players, rooms or
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channels themselves work. Since you code your game by importing normal
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Python modules, there are few limits to what you can accomplish.
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If you *also* happen to know some web programming (HTML, CSS,
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Javascript) there is also a web presence (a website and an mud web
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client) to play around with ...
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From here you can continue to the `Index <Index.html>`_ to find more
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info about Evennia.
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