Practical Limits..

After about three weeks of work, I have the initial world mapped out and ready to be coded.

The programming half isn't going nearly as well..

I am STILL trying to decide between DoT and PennMUSH as my code base.

I've looked over help files 'til my eyes bleed but just can't decide.

I have a definite picture in my head of what I want the mud to be like, but I've no clue as to how to make some of the more advanced stuff a reality.

DoT is more advanced, but I would need to customize it.
PennMUSH is like a clean slate but isn't as advanced, and I'm not sure I could add some of the default features of DoT (that I like) into PennMUSH.

I don't have a specific question, mainly because I'm so confused as to where to begin and how to get it off the ground; that I can't articulate a specific quesiton.

Any advice, or any sort of veteran guidance would be most welcome.

Also, is there an offline editor for PennMUSH? I doubt it but figured I'd ask.

Point me in the right direction.

First, I don't believe there is an offline editor for PennMUSH. The nature of PennMUSH is that it uses a single database (file) for players, rooms, objects, everything. Thus it would be hard to have an offline editor without taking the MUSH down, which is impractical once it is running.

However in Diku-based MUDs, including DoT, each area is in its own file, and the file itself doesn't change as players move around in it (information about where they are and what they possess is stored in the player files).

PennMUSH and DoT are quite different, I would advise playing both to get the feel of them. PennMUSH certainly gives you a clean slate, however there is a fair bit of work you need to do to get it useable. For example, typing "west" in PennMUSH out-of-the-box, it just replies "Huh?" as it doesn't recognise that word. At least in DoT and similar MUDs it automatically would say "you can't go that way".