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Applying

Becoming a creator

The Discworld is always looking for new creators to code new and interesting content for our players to enjoy; however, becoming a creator is a big step, and there are a few things you should think about carefully first.


No going back

Becoming a creator on the Discworld is a major state change which you should consider carefully before undertaking:

  1. It forever changes the way you see the game, so much so that some creators no longer play!
  2. It is a responsibility. To develop areas creators need god-like powers and are on their honour to behave appropriately.
  3. Finally, it is a commitment to working and actually learning (there's a lot to learn) to develop the game.

That said, for many there is a great sense of achievement and reward in seeing people playing and enjoying something you helped to create.


Requirements

Discworld has certain "entry requirements" for its creators because it is such a responsibility. These are mostly intended to ensure that the prospective creator has broad experience playing the game to begin with.

To that end, their character must be at least five days old and guild level 150. If you are a returning player who has previously clocked up greater experience playing the game (but your character has been deleted or refreshed since) this requirement may be able to be waived - talk to a Liaison or the leader (or a deputy) of the Developers domain if you think this applies to you.

There is no requirement to know LPC (the language used to code) just a willingness to learn. If anything, a good grasp of English and a rich imagination are more important.


Application and first steps

When you apply as a creator you join the Developers domain: this is where all active creators are found. It is the leader and deputies of the Developers domain who are ultimately responsible for the well-being of every creator, although a creator's first port of call will normally be their mentor.

When hired, a new creator will usually be mentored by the person who hired and interviewed them (though this is not necessarily the case). Other creators and mentors are available at need - often the creators who are ultimately responsible for managing your project, who tend to be lords or deputies of subject area domains.

Other members of the Discworld administrative structure - particularly the Trustees, but also Directors and to a lesser extent Independent creators - also have a vested interest in the well-being of creators and are there as formal support when necessary.


Subject area domains and projects

The subject area domains are typically run by a domain leader and sometimes a number of deputies. Together they are responsible for the direction of the domain, for approving projects and the maintenance of the domain's code.

Creators are typically assigned projects in the various subject area domains (AM, Ram, CWC, Klatch, Forn, Guilds, etc) according to what projects are available as well as the developer's own interests.


Liaisons

Some other players see Liaison as being a soft-option or a way to ease themselves into creatorhood. This is not the case. Apply to Liaison if you wish to help players and liaise with players. If you want to code, apply to be a normal creator.

For more information about Liaisons and liaising, please click here.


Further Information

A good place to start if you want to discuss a potential creator application further is a Liaison. They function as the interface between players and coding creators, and will happily talk things over with you, and direct you on to the Right People if you want to discuss things further.


Documentation

The Discworld MUD has a series of four documents that form a creator manual of sorts. It is split into four parts: two parts focussed on coding, one part on game design and one on working with others. If you want a feeling for what being a creator is like, you should have a look at them.

You are not expected to work your way through these documents before applying - it's not really feasible to code from them outside of the Discworld environment - but they should give you some idea of what being a creator is like.