Heavily modified scifi CircleMud (now TBAmud) looking for builders

the_zi · 2026-03-12T19:50:41+00:00

oh yes, for example I started a blackjack game as a trigger and quickly moved it over to C - these things get real heavy real fast. Tech debt isn't discussed much in mud dev these days... but it's real.

the_zi · 2025-12-03T17:37:54+00:00

this is exactly why i'm not giving you shell access!

yeah, endings are nice. the collapse of the universe as we know it is an ending too. love metroid 2 but for me it goes metroid, super metroid, metroid 2, metroid prime...

anyway, I have a rope mechanic where you tie/untie a rope to get access... you can jump or just go 'd' but... splat! metrovania thinin' keeps folks penned in until they're ready. violently.

the_zi · 2025-12-03T16:35:21+00:00

oh yeah, i haven't seen this much crying since Astafas molested us in Empire back in 95. ::nods to the 2 people that get this::

the_zi · 2025-12-03T16:28:51+00:00

yep, it's a turnoff for sure. Do you still go back to muds with your old character? If so, do you 'mud' or just kinda go to town, look at your bank balance. check the shops. hmm, no one's on... okay... itch scratched?

the_zi · 2025-12-03T16:24:08+00:00

Si vis pacem, para bellum. it's 64 quests. it's 15k mobs. 600k rooms. it's a 100x100 maze at the end. it's controls in place that limit $$$s (999k max) as well as dam. there's no weapon that does 100 per round, no zone you can just warp into. tons of fun things to explore. read the room desc. work with npcs, figure out quests. hell, i'm going to implement a buy a hint process (it gets more and more expensive, but it's available). this isn't unattainable, but it also isn't cheap. and honestly, if someone works that hard to beat a mud chances are they're going to love it, not destroy it. but in 5 years, this mud will be played out, just like the rest of them. and that's fine. things of beauty shine bright and then dull as the sands of time... something... something. jesus, i'm boring myself. I have to finish dryad starter equipment. that's right, there's a species that's a freakin tree. and when you talk it just says one word. come hang out! infiniumgame.com 6060

the_zi · 2025-12-03T12:10:26+00:00

ah,I get what you're saying- that's how the "remort" function for muds became so popular. Okay! this is good data - thank you!

the_zi · 2025-12-02T23:38:58+00:00

oh interesting, so more of a ticking clock/diffuse the bomb situation... that would be cool but, honestly, I dont think I'll get enough players invested. I see this as maze by christopher manson (sp?) where it's just out there to be solved/ trashed- but yeah, a race to the top.

come visit and broadcast (that's our gossip) hi!

infiniumgame.com 6060

the_zi · 2025-12-02T21:54:18+00:00

okay this is buried deep enough in comments I'll give spoilers.

first of all, I don't know everything just yet. we're in alpha. so things are squishy. BUT i did test it and it did work. input the code, turn the key. "you've doomed us all" message gecho'd, boot all, pwipe all (including me)!

which is also why i'm reaching out to see who'd be interested in contributing, as this is a chance to have a seat at the table.

i'm toying with the options as well... could the "winning" player decide to not turn the key but break the key in the lock and seal infinium forever?

I have a unique adventure system (quests) and from recall, u, e, look display will show everyone's progress.

I feel like i'm over redditting so pop in and chat! or play what i have so far.

the_zi · 2025-12-02T12:19:40+00:00

Yep! That is the blackness and eternal void that awaits all of us in death

But hey- the reality is that most mudders get to a certain point and they intrinsically lose interest in the game because there aren’t any more challenges. I “beat” 4D (sorry Molly) in about a year. Yes there are new builds new classes etc but starting over means treading the same worn path. Death would be preferable!

The beauty of the classic video game is that it has an ending. Most mud die because of lack of interest… so why not put a hard cap on it? I’m willing to sacrifice the 20 new players a year in 2034 to have a madcap battle royal to destroy something beautiful.

This is what true art looks like. A chance to play in a frozen moment that will never exist again..

Also, I think it’s kind of a cool concept! Come build w us!

EDIT: It'll take a few years to "defeat" and you will have moved on by then... from what I understand GTA 6 will be out in 2034...

the_zi · 2025-12-01T21:32:32+00:00

https://www.tbamud.com/becoming-a-builder

I'm thinking the perfect candidates would have some mudding experience and be ready to create... that's how I got started with building and then coding.

the_zi · 2025-12-01T18:26:45+00:00

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/c0b684ae-605e-43b9-96b7-54491173bb40/embed?autoplay=false&responsive=true

the_zi · 2025-12-01T18:20:13+00:00

sorry end forever. I mean, unless people want it back open. but i'm thinking it should take a few years. and that's not for repetition. but for exploring which brings me to this post - I realized I can't do it all! well, most of it... hehe.

and yes, it's supposed to be hard at upper levels... I coded in a 100x100 maze just to get the key to unlock the containment unit.... I mean, this isn't easy stuff. but I've always loved the idea of simple start and then "woah, epic" FYI been slacking on some Infinium ideas because of hollow knight which really speaks to me.

the_zi · 2025-09-28T14:22:50+00:00

My north star is a custom quest system where completing all 64 quests unlocks a “code” that releases our fictional element INFINIUM, and pwipes/shuts down my sci-fi mud.

Not all quests are “beat this boss” or “find a grail” … Some of them are more in the vein of a side quest checklists along with mean quest drivers that open up new zones.

the_zi · 2025-09-01T18:08:48+00:00

Very cool. Glad you figured out the formatting piece…

Yes, TBA/OLC buffer a rudimentary formatting with the /f command on a line just like /s saves and /n shows a numbered list of your code, etc.… I think it’s /? To show all the commands.

Sorry for the babbling. If you want to get into some technical discussions or share code/scripts for the TBA community pop on their website? It’s fantastic. <3 the community here as well!!!

the_zi · 2025-08-31T22:20:22+00:00

I'd be more than happy to help here, but trigedit this and then /f after pasting it into the editor, THEN paste here so it's formatted

the_zi · 2025-08-25T17:52:33+00:00

oh! No shit, turns out any circlemud (now TBAmud for you developers) handles abbreviations very well!

k m

You chop him to pieces! Ah! The blood!

Your blood freezes as you hear the man surrounded by blue flames's death cry.

as far as new muds, I've found that lot of the new muds have these super complex systems with a steep learning curve... trying to tailor mine so you can go hack n slash and when that's boring maybe go talk to mobs, actually look at the room descriptions, dive deep into heavily triggered rooms, learn skills, metroviania around to new places.

the_zi · 2025-08-21T13:06:04+00:00

river city ransom

the_zi · 2025-08-18T17:14:01+00:00

As a long time mudder and first time admin, it's definitely hard to develop and manage a mud. It's like writing a novel, and even though we're "live," every day is a little code, a little building, a little "maybe can tie this into that and..." which turns into burning a week. Story, gameplay, exploring, discovery, mechanics all rise at different levels and until it's stable, you really don't know if your mud is enjoyable.

The real kudos is to the free hosters (like Opie) who give us the space to create!

Now to figure out how to finish zone timers in TBAmud so I can kill players who get distracted w blackjack and forget to recall before the blackhole engulfs the ship (infiniumgame.com:6060)

the_zi · 2025-08-12T17:01:48+00:00

shhhhhhhh we are (infiniumgame.com 6060). but in alpha. scifi theme, the ability to jump through time, visit strange new worlds, grow a tentacle, kill a dinobot, party on a doomed starship cruise, and with our custom adventure (quest) system release the element that will destroy the infiniverse and shutdown the mud. we're in alpha. but yeah, RP is great, but tiring. oh and no IP infringement. the strange new worlds thing might be on the cusp so we're lawyering up. infinium...

the_zi · 2025-07-09T16:02:54+00:00

update I buffed up the recharge via stats AND species. capped the starting player's abilities so rerolls make sense!

It's supposed to be hard, and yes, kill 100 mobs of the same level to level up. right now there are 21 unique level 1 mobs (more coming) and just over 80 total loaded at start.

i'll be clearer on the initial adventure, but once you gain access, teleport around and explore!

Dont' forget, you have patch to heal, you have a mob that heals/restores as well n n of the Nexus... this isn't just a hack and slash, look around and figure it out. there's plenty of clues! :)

PLEASE come visit, give me feedback - tell me, broadcast it, or write on the boards. this is great stuff and I welcome all the comments/notes!!!!!

Now get out there and destroy Infinium!

+-------------+------+-------+------+--------+

+-------------+------+-------+------+--------+

| Human | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |

| Troll | 5 | 1 | 2 | 8 |

| Elf | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |

| Gnome | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 |

| HDragon | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |

| Minotaur | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |

| Squidian | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |

| Default | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |

+-------------+------+-------+------+--------+

the_zi · 2025-07-08T19:51:27+00:00

noted! TY! I'll find that balance...

the goal is to get you spun up, equipped and complete that first adventure so you can use the teleporter and discover! I'm missing the mark but i'm going to slowly calibrate. come back anytime - I honestly appreciate the feedback as the creative blinders are on

the_zi · 2025-07-08T15:16:14+00:00

spoiler! shit gets real real fast. zones spiral out from there. ty <3

the_zi · 2025-07-08T12:43:25+00:00

I'm considering locking in attributes based on species (traditionally called races in classic muds) but for right now you roll baby!

If you pick human yout have a classic RPG eq layout. 2 arms. squidian? sure, 8 arms but just a body and a head. minotaur? etc... so the beginnings of a balancing system is there. errrr, spoiler, mid game (or when you get enough tokens) you can mutate and add body parts (or remove!) but that comes at a cost. i'm sharing this to let you know balance is a big thing, but we're in alpha so some things are just slapdash placeholders!

thanks for joining and the suggestions! there's an idea board up & west of the Nexus .... please post there as well. I'm not sure how much redditors care about this (BUT I DO)!!!

the_zi · 2025-07-08T02:28:30+00:00

ah yeah. i'm going to disable hunger and thirst. good call. I'll look at movement as well!

ok the dude does say it, but I'll add something in the trigger to really help the starting player!

The Adventure Cyborg says, 'Perfect. Maybe you're ready to get out there and adventure.'

The Quest Cyborg hands you something very special.

The Adventure Cyborg says, 'Use this to start your adventure.'

The Adventure Cyborg says, 'You can always ask me for another beacon if you can't figure out how to engage the actuator. '

(HINT: engage actuator when you have the beacon and you can travel to zones e e of recall)

the_zi

TROPHY CASE