New User, Got a few questions.

Hey everyone,
Well, I find myself at my limit, and want to create my own mud.
I want it to have a slower combat style, like discworld or achaea, and [have] it skill based. Was also wanting to add a second class specific skill modifier that can be leveled up. I also wanted it to have a separate system [from the experience points] somewhat similar to quests except the player could use the points from this to advance only that second class skill modifier I mentioned. [I] Want to give only some player [classes different] abilities to cast something like magic using a set number of skills, and I want the ability to have [the land] be absolutely massive, [while some of these lands can only be reached by classes that belong to them, or for other classes on missions]. And that should pretty much get me started. The time constraints do not bother me.
Now heres my questions,
What should I get as far as something to run all this on?
How difficult do you think it would be to get all this started?
And what code base should I use or should I make my own?
[sorry was randomly reading posts when I re-read mine and decided to reword a few things, if the continous [ ] bother anyone I apologize again, but those are my additions or changes to clearify what I was getting at.]

1) To run this all, all you really need is a computer. I would obviously recommend linux to host it and compile it. You can get a host, or use your own computer.

2) It depends how much you know. If you already have a team, you shouldn't have too much trouble. If you don't have a team, and you don't know how to code, it may end up being difficult.

3) Often times it can be hard to find a codebase that meets your needs, but starting from scratch is even more time consuming. If time constraints don't bother you, I would recommend starting from scratch. Then you would know the insides and out of the code, and work it up the way you want.

Take a look at this:

http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/?id=5959

Also that entire section of this forum:

http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/bbshowpost.php?bbtopic_id=116

I applaud your plan to make a new, exciting MUD. That sounds like great fun.

However you have two major problems:

• If you take an existing codebase (in itself probably the simpler approach) it will take a while to learn exactly how it works, and modify it to your requirements.
  
• Writing one from scratch is really a massive exercise, as I try to make clear in the thread mentioned above.

If you plan to continue I would at least get the design ideas well and truly bedded down first. For example, do you want to have "positional knowledge" (eg. is a player in front of a mob or not, or is it 10 or 20 yards away?). Such knowledge is essential for things like implementing ranged attacks, or backstabbing.

If you plan to use that (and not just "is in the same room as something") then you need a way of depicting that, so the player can see somehow where s/he is.

Thank you Zeno, and Nick,
Btw, I like your mud Zeno, great concept.
Also, Nick, MUSH is by far my most favorite client, thank you so much for making it.
And Nick thank you for elaborating on the subject, the two threads pin-pointed my ideas, and quite frankly have about everything I wanted in the mud. ATM, I am working on the base, and have been for about a week now, I don't actually plan do any coding for quite a while. So I wouldn't be expecting any beta for a least a year, possibly longer.

Also, the ideas I have stirred up in my head, and frantically trying to put in a more stable form are large in concept and lengthy in detail.

For what I have in mind, I have never seen before expect to a small form in Achaea, hopefully everything that I want can all be put in one mud, and to be brief, most everything listed in the first thread you listed will be in-game in one form or another.

I will keep ya'll posted and whats happening tho, but for now its time for me to return to concept developement.
~ReadOrDie