Builder:Useful Applications
From Wormhole Sci-Fi MUD Homepage
Useful Applications
This section is for listing applications useful in building, feel free to add to it if you think something should be listed here that isn't.
Tips on choosing useful applications:
- Some applications that are actually quite basic can be useful. Avoid fancy word processors that substitute characters as you type, for example if they put in 'special' characters such as long hyphens or smart quotes. These will mess things up when your area is uploaded, and they'll have to be hunted down one by one. So don't do it. Whatever editor(s) you end up using, keep to the basic, common ASCII characters.
- Whatever you decide to use for your typing, begin with a diagram of the room layout. Areas where you begin with room descriptions are a slower build.
- It's still useful to type in long passages of text using an editor that allows you to spell check (maybe grammar check too). The language used for any spell checking should be UK English, since that's the Wormhole standard.
- Anything that works for you, share your experiences here! Thanks.
Apps
Gedit
A small text editor included with most Linux distributions. It supports spell checking and does not do any weird ASCII characters that may cause issues in zone files, like smart quotes.
Dia for Windows
A free, open source Visio equivalent. It is a fairly simple to use program, useful for quickly producing zone room layouts if you do not want to work on paper for one reason or another.
It is available for windows using the link above, is included in the package managers of most Linux distributions, and is available for OS X via the Fink or Darwinports projects.
Example floor creation
Creating the example did not take much time at all, as drawing out a room is simply a case of selecting the box tool, and then clicking and dragging. Text can be placed anywhere on the workspace and dragged around at will.
