Question about color

I just downloaded ROM24.zip + OLC - after searching for a long time to find a ROM or MERC that I could actually get started on my computer. I have XP Pro.

Although I have Visual C++, I have no clue of how to use it, and carefully following the instructions for other MUD codes has not worked. There's always a missing file, or some such.

Anyway ... I was immensely relieved to make the ROM24 work, but when I got into there, there were no colors. I need a version that has color.

I'm not going to open the mud up publicly. I just need it for building, but I really do need the color.

Is there anyone who can tell me where to get a version that has color ... or explain to me in "ROMColor for Dummies" language how to make what I've got color-enabled?

I'm an older person, chronically ill, and I don't work. Being able to build to my heart's content on my own computer would mean the world to me. I would be more grateful than I can express - unless you're ready to be very embarrassed.

Thank you.
Doris "Moof" Ballard

I am presuming from your question that you are not fixated on ROM precisely, but a "ROM-like" MUD that you can get to work under Windows, have colour and online building?

I strongly recommend using FUSS SMAUG (FUSS stands for Fixed Up Smaug Source).

Unlike ROM 2.4 SmaugFUSS is being actively maintained, improved, and has many bug fixes applied.

Also it has colour and OLC built-in, whereas to add those to ROM you need a compiler, various patches, and some coding skill. Even then, if you are not used to working with C compilers there will always be frustrating moments when things go wrong, and you don't understand why, or how to fix them.

To make things easier for you, and anyone else in a similar situation, I have pre-compiled the source for SmaugFUSS 1.9 for Windows, so you can just install and run it.

First, grab this file (1.53 Mb):

http://www.gammon.com.au/files/smaug/smaugfuss1.9.tgz

That is the full SmaugFUSS 1.9 distribution. I downloaded that from The SMAUG FUSS project (http://www.fussproject.org).

You should be able to unzip that using WinZip - make sure you "use folder names" when doing so, in order to keep each file in its correct folder.

This gives you the area files, command files, empty player directories, and so on.

Next, grab this which is the precompiled executable (1.99 Mb):

http://www.gammon.com.au/files/smaug/smaugfuss1.9_executable.zip

Inside are 4 files:

• cygwin1.dll - needed to run things compiled under Cygwin
  
• cygz.dll - also needed - I suspect for the compression stuff
  
• smaug.exe - the SMAUG server, compiled
  
• resolver.exe - the domain name resolver

Use Winzip to unzip these 4 files into the "area" folder which appeared in the earlier step (that is, smaugfuss\area).


Now you should be able to simply double-click (open) smaug.exe to start the server up. It is important that you have smaug.exe in the "area" folder or you will get an error message about the "area.lst" file being missing.

Log into port 4000, using player Admin, password "admin".

This is an immortal which you can use to build with - or you can make other characters and promote them (or simply rename "Admin").

Here are some tips for playing with SMAUG as an admin:

http://www.gammon.com.au/scripts/showfaq.php?faqid=64&productid=6

There are various building commands, search the Web for SMAUG building hints, there are some good tutorials out there.

Start by typing "wizhelp" - it shows the admin commands.

Actually, I really did mean ROM or MERC. I found a copy of Smaug 2 days ago that I was able to run (1.4a) ... and I never was able to save an area in it and have it load back in. I finally gave up on it and kept looking.

In the hopes that this FUSS Smaug is a **LOT** different from Smaug 1.4a, I'll give it a try. I once gave up a spot as head builder on a Smaug mud because I honestly don't like the OLC. I would even take Circle over Smaug, I'm afraid, and Circle isn't nearly as nice as ROM.

The only Smaug instructions I was able to find didn't spell things out very carefully for setting up a new area. The files were mostly intended for people who were builders on someone else's mud. I noticed that although the info you sent me to is the best I've seen anywhere so far (after a LOAD of searching), it doesn't explain how to handle starting a new area from scratch. I can't find anything to make the savearea foldarea and weird assign/unassign, etc., clear. Could you aim me at a place that spells it out, one step at a time?

I thank you for your reply. You went through a lot of work to answer me, and I appreciate it.

If you do ... now or in the future ... run across ROM code that has color, OLC, and is executable in XP, I would sell my birthright for it ... *blink* ... ;o)

(I used to have all of that in Ember MUD, but I can't make it load anymore, much to my extreme chagrin.)

Thanks again.

I would look at my wiki here, that sorts things into a reasonable order:

http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/?wiki=index

If you have trouble creating areas, I would post the specific questions here. This is a post that might help:

http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/bbshowpost.php?id=3660

Also this:

http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/bbshowpost.php?id=7942

And this:

http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/bbshowpost.php?id=5914

Try this building guide:

http://www.realmsofdespair.com/smaug/herne/smaug.html

Thank you! I already have it up and running, and have renamed the Admin player. I'm looking at the links you've sent me for info, and am relieved to think that if I get in trouble, someone here could toss me a bit of advice.

Following the info I gather from your latest links, I'm going to try to create a small area to see if it saves.

Thanks a whole lot!

Yeah. Documentation of Smaug has never been the greatest. Probably a good subject to bring up over at SmaugMuds.org at some point, especially while the activity levels are up.

For now, creating a new area involves very little if you're using FUSS. Recent versions have the vassign command in them which makes getting a new zone started much easier.

vassign [person] [low_vnum] [high_vnum]

That's about all there is to it. This command assigns them a range of vnums, generates initial rooms, objects, and mobs as placeholders for the low and high vnums, assigns the zone to the builder, and then saves both the builder and the initial zone to disk. The old way of doing this was rather cumbersome and led to mistakes.

Vassign also does some safety checking on the range to make sure you're not about to blow up someone else's area. The stock 1.4a assignment commands had no such verification.

Hmm, is it just me or does that first zipfile, the 1.9 source (not compiled exe), not work? (the home site doesn't work either.. fussproject.org)

I get errors with winace (and later with winzip) about not being about to read from the source file or disk when i try to unzip it.

I also read from the post that led me here that using the compiled ROM 2.4b6 .exe w/OLC that you supplied doesn't actually allow use of the OLC. I had this problem and i didn't see it being addressed.

- D

You are probably better off using SmaugFUSS - that is being actively maintained.

Ok, I've downloaded the required files, unzipped them in the required places. But I still can't get the smaugFUSS to run on my local system. Everything works fine up to this point:

Tue Aug 25 22:45:36 2009 :: Initializing socket
Tue Aug 25 22:45:36 2009 :: IMC: Loading IMC2 command table...
Tue Aug 25 22:45:36 2009 :: IMC: Loading IMC2 network data...
Tue Aug 25 22:45:36 2009 :: IMC: Loading IMC2 help file...
Tue Aug 25 22:45:36 2009 :: IMC: Loading IMC2 color table...
Tue Aug 25 22:45:36 2009 :: IMC: Loading IMC2 who template...
Tue Aug 25 22:45:36 2009 :: IMC: imcfread_word: EOF encountered on read.
Tue Aug 25 22:45:36 2009 :: IMC: IMC2 network data loaded. Autoconnect not set. IMC2 will need to be connected manually.
Tue Aug 25 22:45:36 2009 :: (Name Not Set) ready on port 4000.

At which time it stops. After that I can't even type in the CMD window that it opens in. Any suggestions?

If you are trying to type in the window that booted the MUD, that won't work. You need to telnet to the MUD.

Yeah, figured that out probably as you were typing your reply. Thanks!!!