• More immune to crashes
  
• Faster startup and shutdown, as it isn't having to load and save all rooms
  
• Less memory, as if you have thousands of explored rooms, it only will keep in memory the ones you are currently near
  
• I have experimented with the "full text search" feature of SQLite3. This lets you do something like "map search baker*" and get a list of all rooms with the word "baker" in it, and then compute the speedwalk to take you there.
  
• Other helpful things would be to find all rooms which are shops (for example).
  
• Another useful feature would be to save in the database what items you have found in a shop. So for example, if you found a shop that sold nice swords, then later on you could do a search for "shops that sell swords" and get a list to refresh your memory.
  

• Grab version 4.50 (or above) of MUSHclient:
  
  http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/?id=10107
  
  
• Go to GitHub and choose the "status_messages" branch of the smaugfuss project:
  
  http://github.com/nickgammon/smaugfuss/tree/status_messages
  
  
• Click on the "download source" button to grab the source
  
  
• Extract the source to your Cygwin or Linux directory, renaming it as appropriate.
  
  
• Change to the "src" directory.
  
  
• Mkdir the "o" directory if it isn't there
  
  
• If using Cygwin edit the Makefile file and at about line 5 remove the "#" where it says "uncomment to compile under Cygwin".
  
  
• Type "make" to build the SmaugFuss server
  
  
• Run the server:
  
  

  
  cd ../area
  ../src/smaug 4020
  

  
  
  
• Start up MUSHclient
  
  
• Make a world file pointing to your server
  
  
• Add in these plugins (File -> Plugins)
  
  
  
  • Experience_Bar_Telnet.xml
    
  • Health_Bar_Miniwindow_Telnet.xml
    
  • Mapper_Telnet.xml
    
  • Omit_Blank_Lines.xml
    
  • Room_Contents_Telnet.xml
    
  
  
  Get those plugins from:
  
  http://github.com/nickgammon/plugins
  
  
• Connect to the server and make a new character.
  
  
• Once you are connected you should see the map, status bars etc.
  
  
• Turn off prompts:
  
  

  
  config -prompt
  

  
  
  
• If you get some error messages about "dark_message" edit the Mapper_Telnet.xml plugin and at around line 541 add a few extra lines:
  
  

  
    -- let them move it around                 
    movewindow.add_drag_handler (win, 0, 0, 0, 0)
      
    --> add these
    local dark_message = "It is too dark to see."
    local blind_message = "You are blind!"
    local exits_message = "Exits:"
  

  
  
  Then reinstall the plugin.
  
  Note, the latest versions of the plugins will be here:
  
  http://github.com/nickgammon/plugins
  
  
  
• It should be working now.
  
  

<aliases>
  <alias
   match="makerect"
   enabled="y"
   send_to="12"
   sequence="100"
  >
  <send>TextRectangle(350,   -- left
              400,  -- top
              350 + GetInfo (213) * 80, -- 310 + width for 80 characters
              -15,  -- 13 pixels from the bottom
              5,  -- BorderOffset, 
              ColourNameToRGB ("gray"),    -- BorderColour, 
              2,  -- BorderWidth, 
              ColourNameToRGB ("silver"),  -- OutsideFillColour, 
              8) -- OutsideFillStyle (fine hatch)
</send>
  </alias>
</aliases>

For advice on how to copy the above, and paste it into MUSHclient, please see Pasting XML.

I have made a YouTube video showing in action some of the telnet negotiation ideas I have been discussing in another thread:

Demonstrated in the video are:

• Mapper with zoom-in and zoom-out added
• Box at the top which shows the room name, exits, description, npcs, players, and objects
• Health bar windows for three players (grouped) - the leader is shown with a small crown symbol
• Health bar window of mob currently being attacked
• Experience bar
• Chat and combat log (ie. normal text window) in a smaller size on the bottom-right

What the video makes clear is that it all works quickly and smoothly. It is fun and engaging to play.

You can visit the video on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSAmAa_VN6k

The video has closed captioning in case you have trouble hearing (or can't understand my mumbling). Also YouTube can automatically translate the closed captions to other languages.