🛠️ Builder Guide

Help Expand the Game World

What is a Builder?

Builders are trusted players who can create and design new rooms to expand the game world. As a builder, you help create immersive locations, design interesting areas, and contribute to the shared adventure.

✨ Builder Benefits

  • Create your own custom rooms and locations
  • Design unique areas for other players to explore
  • Contribute to the game's lore and world-building
  • See your creations come to life
  • Special recognition for your contributions

Getting Builder Status

Builder permissions are granted by game administrators to trusted, active players who demonstrate:

How to Request: Message an admin in-game or demonstrate your interest by suggesting room ideas. Admins may grant builder status to promising players.

Builder Commands

📐 buildroom [id] [name]

Create a new room with a unique ID and name.

buildroom my-cottage My Cozy Cottage
  • ID Rules: Lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens only
  • Must be unique: No duplicate room IDs
  • Good IDs: dark-forest, elven-temple, mystic-shop
  • Bad IDs: Room1, MyRoom, AWESOME_PLACE
Note: Newly created rooms are marked as "pending" and require admin approval before becoming accessible.

📝 editdesc [description]

Edit the description of the current room (must be a room you created).

editdesc A warm and inviting cottage with wooden beams overhead and a crackling fireplace. Sunlight streams through the windows.
  • Write 2-4 sentences for best effect
  • Include sensory details (sight, sound, smell)
  • Set the mood and atmosphere
  • Mention notable features players can examine

🚪 addexit [direction] [room-id]

Add an exit connecting to another room.

addexit north forest-clearing
addexit south city-square

Valid Directions:

  • Cardinal: north, south, east, west
  • Vertical: up, down
  • Diagonal: northeast (ne), northwest (nw), southeast (se), southwest (sw)
Tip: Create two-way connections! If you go north from room A to room B, add a south exit in room B back to room A.

🔒 removeexit [direction]

Remove an exit from the current room.

removeexit north

🔍 adddetail [keyword] [description]

Add an examinable detail that players can look at closely.

adddetail fireplace A warm fire crackles invitingly in the stone hearth, casting dancing shadows on the walls.
adddetail window Through the glass you can see the forest outside, peaceful and serene.
  • Add 3-5 details per room
  • Mention details in your main description
  • Reward player curiosity
  • Good keywords: fireplace, window, painting, statue, altar

📋 builderrooms

List all rooms you've created and their approval status.

builderrooms

Shows:

  • [PENDING] - Waiting for admin approval
  • [APPROVED] - Live and accessible to players

Building Workflow

Step 1: Create the Room

buildroom mystic-grove Mystic Grove

Room is created and marked as pending approval.

Step 2: Write the Description

editdesc Ancient trees tower overhead, their branches forming a natural cathedral. Soft, ethereal light filters through the canopy, and the air hums with magical energy. A circle of standing stones marks the center of the grove.

Step 3: Add Details

adddetail trees These ancient oaks are centuries old, their bark covered in glowing runes.
adddetail stones The standing stones are arranged in a perfect circle, each carved with mystical symbols.
adddetail light The light seems to come from everywhere and nowhere, neither sun nor moon.

Step 4: Wait for Approval

An admin will review your room using the reviewrooms command. If approved, you'll receive an in-game notification!

Step 5: Connect to the World

Once approved, navigate to a connected location and add an exit:

go forest-path
addexit west mystic-grove

Don't forget the reverse exit!

go west
addexit east forest-path

Writing Great Descriptions

The Formula

  1. Opening: Overall impression and dominant feature
  2. Details: Sensory information and atmosphere
  3. Atmosphere: Mood and feeling of the location
  4. Notable Features: Things players can interact with

Example: Dark Forest

❌ Bad Description:

This is a dark forest. There are trees here. It's scary.

✅ Good Description:

The trees grow so close together here that barely any light reaches the forest floor. Strange sounds echo through the darkness - rustling leaves, snapping twigs, and distant howls. The air is cold and damp, heavy with the scent of moss and decay. Ancient oaks loom overhead like silent sentinels.

Tips for Descriptions

Room Types & Examples

🏰 City/Town Rooms

Example: Market Square

The bustling market square is alive with activity. Vendors hawk their wares from colorful stalls, shouting prices and promises. The smell of fresh bread mingles with exotic spices, and the cobblestones are worn smooth by countless feet. A fountain burbles in the center, providing a meeting point for locals.

Details to add: fountain, stalls, cobblestones, vendors

🌲 Wilderness Rooms

Example: Mountain Pass

A narrow path winds along the mountainside, with sheer cliffs rising on one side and a dizzying drop on the other. The wind howls through the pass, carrying snow even in summer. Far below, you can see the valley floor, tiny and distant. The air is thin and cold here.

Details to add: cliff, valley, path, wind

🏛️ Dungeon/Interior Rooms

Example: Ancient Crypt

Dust thick as snow covers every surface in this burial chamber. Stone sarcophagi line the walls, their lids carved with forgotten kings and queens. The air is stale and cold, untouched for centuries. A single beam of light from a crack above illuminates the center of the room.

Details to add: sarcophagi, carvings, light, dust

🏪 Shop/Service Rooms

Example: Blacksmith's Forge

The heat from the forge hits you like a physical force. A burly smith hammers away at glowing metal, sparks flying with each strike. Weapons and armor hang on the walls, ranging from simple daggers to ornate full plate. The smell of hot metal and coal fills the air.

Details to add: forge, weapons, smith, anvil

Best Practices

✅ DO

  • Create coherent areas (group related rooms)
  • Think about logical geography
  • Make two-way connections
  • Write vivid, immersive descriptions
  • Add interesting examinable details
  • Consider the player experience
  • Match the game's tone and lore
  • Proofread before submitting

❌ DON'T

  • Create disconnected random rooms
  • Make one-way exits without good reason
  • Copy descriptions from other sources
  • Use modern references or anachronisms
  • Create maze-like confusing layouts
  • Add offensive or inappropriate content
  • Make rooms just to increase room count
  • Rush - take time to craft quality

Permissions & Restrictions

What Builders CAN Do:

What Builders CANNOT Do:

Need More? If you need to add NPCs, monsters, or items to your rooms, or make other advanced changes, ask an admin for help!

Approval Process

What Admins Review:

Timeline:

If Rejected:

Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

Q: "You need builder permissions"

A: Ask an admin to run makebuilder YourName

Q: "Room ID already exists"

A: Choose a different, unique ID. Try adding numbers: cottage-1, cottage-2

Q: "Cannot add exits to pending rooms"

A: Wait for admin approval first. Once approved, you can add exits.

Q: "You can only edit rooms you created"

A: This is by design. You can only modify your own rooms. Ask an admin to edit others.

Q: "Target room doesn't exist"

A: Check the room ID spelling. Use builderrooms to see your room IDs.

Builder Etiquette

Quick Reference

Command What It Does
buildroom [id] [name] Create new room
editdesc [text] Change room description
addexit [dir] [room] Connect to another room
removeexit [dir] Delete an exit
adddetail [word] [text] Add examinable detail
builderrooms List your rooms