Architectural and Landscaping Association of Elanthia
If you think landscaping and interior design are essential components of adventure, then you have come to the right place! The Association is a means by which players collaborate to create new areas within DragonRealms. These areas will range from humble gardens to ancient ruins and beyond! While many of the projects will be given by GMs, members may propose or design their own areas as well.
This article consists of the following sections:
1. Introduction to the ALAE
2. Grey Wind Manor
3. Starting and resuming projects
4. Building a room
5. Naming a room
6. Describing a room
7. Creating props and portals
8. Connecting rooms via portals and directions
9. Environmental Factors
10. Quality Control
1. Introduction to the ALAE
The ALAE is an organization within which players design areas for inclusion within the game. The standard workflow will be that a GM will send a request to the chairman of the ALAE, who will then pass the assignment on to a team of ALAE members or single individual. ALAE members are also allowed and encouraged to create their own areas. While there is no guarantee that personal areas will ultimately be included in the game, they are a great way to practice design and explore your creative side.
2. Grey Wind Manor
Grey Wind Manor is where the majority of the ALAE’s activities take place. Grey Wind Manor is located in Laakvor (RanikMap3). To enter the manor, push your ALAE pin to reach the vestibule.
The vestibule has six exits: five doors and a portal. To exit the manor, go through the portal. Of the five doors, you’ll be using the Sky Door the most often. This takes you to the Crystal Room where you’ll begin and resume your work.
--==* VESTIBULE DIRECTORY *==-- OAKEN DOOR - Landscaper's Lounge AZURE DOOR - Office of the Lord of the Manor (Closed) SILVER DOOR - Office of the Lord's Seneschal (Closed) SKY DOOR - Crystal Room WHITE DOOR - Office of Natural Harmony and Paradox
Those who wish may return to Elanthia through the PORTAL.
3. Starting and Resuming Projects
Projects can be started and resumed in the Sky Room using a few simple commands involving the crystal. To begin or resume a project, get the crystal. To switch between them, turn the crystal. To check which project the crystal is set to, touch the crystal.
[Grey Wind Manor, Sky Room] Painted a stunning sky blue, this room is ominously empty except for the marble pedestal sitting in the exact center. A glowing crystal rests atop it, silently beckoning you to take a closer look. Obvious exits: out.
(> study crystal As you carefully scrutinize the crystal, a haze of swirling mists form out of nothingness and surround you. As they dissipate, you are left with a better understanding of the glowing crystal.
You feel that TURNing the crystal would reveal each of your areas to you, and if you were to GET the crystal, you'd be taken to the attuned area. As your memories fade, a voice imparts, "Should you forget which area I am attuned to, simply TOUCH me and I'll impart the area once more.)
(> turn crystal You feel a subtle shift in your balance then hear your own voice clearly speaking in your head, "I am attuned and centered upon a realm known as Malign's Test Zone.")
> touch crystal You hear your own voice in your head speaking clearly, "I am attuned and centered upon a realm known as Malign's Test Zone." You reach out and touch a glowing crystal.
> get crystal As you start to pick up the glowing crystal, your surroundings blur into a mishmash of fading colors. Just for a moment, you feel a faint touch of dizzyness and then everything becomes grey...
When you get the crystal, you’ll find yourself in the starting room. Note that while you can access the commands here, you cannot change this room.
[The Creation House, Storage Room]
Four brick walls, a green tiled floor and a purple ceiling surround you. Though few would find it tasteful, the room still manages to exude a cozy atmosphere. The room is illuminated, though the source of light is not evident.
Obvious exits: none.)
Now that you're in the building area, you can create your first room. So let’s build one!
4. Building and Moving Between Rooms
The first room can be built using the build room command. This creates a room with the default template for you to begin work on.
From [The Creation House, Storage Room]
> BUILD ROOM
You summon your creative talents and force your will upon your surroundings. A roaring explosion outside rocks the house, and clouds of dust rain down from the rafters above. A sense of accomplishment fills you as the mists impart the knowledge of the successful creation.
[Eldritch Mists]
A sea of eerie grey mists fill the world, twisting and turning before your eyes. Strange tendrils of the smoky grey mists pass before you without any help from weather or wind. The unsettling silence of this weird sojourn seems to call out to you, pleading for attention.
Obvious paths: none.
You will be transported to your room upon building it. If you wish to move between rooms, use the commands:
COMMANDS: BUILD GO NEXT BUILD GO PREVIOUS
If you want to return to the manor, use the command:
COMMAND: BUILD GO MANOR
Finally, if you want to visit the area of another ALAE member, use:
COMMAND: BUILD GO {PLAYER NAME}
Note that you cannot change an area unless you are a member of its project.
5. Naming a New Room
Now that you have your room, you probably want to name it. Most rooms in Dragonrealms consist of two parts, a name describing the general area that the room is in, and a specific name for the room itself, separated by a comma.
COMMAND: BUILD NAME SET {TEXT}
> BUILD NAME SET Malign’s Project, Malign's Hidey Hole
Bending your will to your surroundings, you make a subtle change to its nature...
[Malign’s Project, Malign's Hidey Hole]
A sea of eerie grey mists fill the world, twisting and turning before your eyes. Strange tendrils of the smoky grey mists pass before you without any help from weather or wind. The unsettling silence of this weird sojourn seems to call out to you, pleading for attention.
Obvious paths: none.
6. Describing Your Room
Now that your first room has been built, it’s time to add descriptions. A more thorough discussion of how to properly describe your room will be in the final section, but for now here are a few key points for making room descriptions:
• If you set a DAYTEXT, you must set a BRIEFDAY • If you set a NIGHTTEXT, you must set a BRIEFNIGHT • Sentences are followed by two spaces, not one. • American English should be used, except for GREY instead of GRAY • Avoid using you/your and other phrases that imply a specific action or emotion from a player. Instead, think of why they would feel or react that way, and describe it as a feature of the room.
Commands:
BUILD NAME SET {Text} - sets the room's name to {text}
BUILD DAYTEXT SET {Text} - sets the room's full day text
BUILD NIGHTTEXT SET {Text} - sets the room's full night text
BUILD BRIEFDAY SET {Text} - sets the room's brief day text
BUILD BRIEFNIGHT SET {Text} - sets the room's brief night text
BUILD DAYTEXT CLEAR - clears the current room's day text
BUILD NIGHTTEXT CLEAR - clears the current room's night text
BUILD BRIEFDAY CLEAR - clears the current brief day text
BUILD BRIEFNIGHT CLEAR - clears the current brief night text
BUILD VIEW - shows you the current settings for all texts
Example (Day):
> BUILD DAYTEXT SET This is a hole. It is dark, damp, and kind of smelly. The only apparent exit is an opening in the lower ceiling, allowing a small amount of light through.
Bending your will to your surroundings, you make a subtle change to its nature...
[Malign’s Project, Malign's Hidey Hole]
This is a hole. It is dark, damp, and kind of smelly. The only apparent exit is an opening in the low ceiling, allowing a small amount of light through.
Obvious paths: none.
Example (Night):
> BUILD NIGHTTEXT SET this is a hole. It is dark, damp, and kind of smelly. The only apparent exit is an opening in the low ceiling, allowing a glimpse at the night sky beyond.
Bending your will to your surroundings, you make a subtle change to its nature...
[Malign’s Project, Malign's Hidey Hole]
This is a hole. It is dark, damp, and kind of smelly. The only apparent exit is an opening in the low ceiling, allowing a small amount of light through.
Obvious paths: none.
7. Creating Props and Portals
PROPS Now that you’ve created descriptions for you room, you probably want to add some specific features. Props are independent features within a room. Usually they’re just something you want to stand out, but in some cases it is possible to interact with them.
Command: BUILD PROP
Commands:
BUILD {OBJECT} ARTICLE {TEXT} - sets the article field to {TEXT} (a/an/the/some/etc)
BUILD {OBJECT} ADJECTIVE {TEXT} - sets the adjective field to {TEXT}
BUILD {OBJECT} NOUN {TEXT} - sets the noun field to {TEXT} - SINGLE WORDS ONLY
BUILD {OBJECT} TAP {TEXT} - sets the appear field to {TEXT} BUILD {OBJECT} LOOK {TEXT} - sets the examine field to {TEXT} BUILD {OBJECT} READ {TEXT} - sets the READ to {TEXT} - automatically addes quotes BUILD {OBJECT} DELETE - permanently deletes an item
BUILD {OBJECT} TYPE - sets In/On/Under/Behind values for containers
POINT {OBJECT} - hides and unhides items from view
Example 1:
> BUILD PROP You bend your will upon your surroundings. With a little coaxing, the mists coalesce into an unfinished object.
> LOOK
[Malign’s Project, Malign's Hidey Hole]
This is a hole. It is dark, damp, and kind of smelly. The only apparent exit is an opening in the low ceiling, allowing a glimpse at the night sky beyond.
You also see an unfinished object.
Obvious paths: none.
> BUILD OBJECT NOUN bone
Bending your will upon the unfinished object, you make a subtle change to its nature.
> LOOK
[Malign’s Project, Malign's Hidey Hole]
This is a hole. It is dark, damp, and kind of smelly. The only apparent exit is an opening in the low ceiling, allowing a glimpse at the night sky beyond.
You also see an unfinished bone.
Obvious paths: none.
(Containers have a few additional commands)
PORTALS
Portals are a specific kind of prop that players can go through. The set of descriptive commands are identical to props, but there are additional commands related to movement that will be covered in the next section.
Command: BUILD PORTAL
> BUILD PORTAL You bend your will upon your surroundings. With a little coaxing, the mists coalesce into an unfinished opening.
> LOOK
[Malign’s Project, Malign's Hidey Hole]
This is a hole. It is dark, damp, and kind of smelly. The only apparent exit is an opening in the low ceiling, allowing a small amount of light through.
You also see an unfinished opening and an old bone.
Obvious paths: none.
8. Connecting Rooms Via Portals and Directions
There are three distinct ways to connect rooms in the ALAE interface: 1. Linking two portals together. 2. Establishing a one way link between a portal and a room. 3. Linking rooms via the drill command.
While each method has its own syntax, the methodologies are similar. Go to the first room you want to link, use an initial link command, then move to the next room via the BUILD GO NEXT or BUILD GO PREVIOUS command and use the second link command to complete the link. We will cover the two methodologies that rely on portals first.
LINKING PORTALS
As mentioned in the previous section, there are an additional set of commands that are specific to portals.
Commands (in addition to previous prop commands):
BUILD {OBJECT} PHRASE LIST - lists movement phrases for portals
BUILD {OBJECT} PHRASE LEAVE # - sets a portal's messaging for leaving via it
BUILD {OBJECT} PHRASE ARRIVE # - sets a portal's messaging for arriving via it
BUILD {OBJECT} DESTINATION START - starts tracking for where a portal leads
BUILD DESTINATION SET - Links a portal to the room you're in
LINK {OBJECT} - starts tracking to link the portal to another portal
---Repeat the command on the destination portal to complete the action.
CLEAN {OBJECT} - clears any previous LINK that was made.
All of these commands are involved in movement in some way.
COMMANDS:
BUILD {OBJECT} PHRASE LIST
BUILD {OBJECT} PHRASE LEAVE
BUILD {OBJECT} PHRASE ARRIVE
These three commands are used to set what movement messages people see when someone utilizes the portal. Select the one appropriate to the portal. Seeing someone crawl through a door, after all, might be a bit strange!
The rest of the commands are involved in the linking of rooms. The first method for connecting rooms using props is using the link command to link two portals. To do this, you use
Command: LINK {OBJECT}
Next, you use the BUILD GO NEXT or BUILD GO PREVIOUS to move to the target room. There, you repeat LINK {OBJECT} on the second portal to complete the link between rooms. Be sure to test it!
Example:
[Malign’s Project, Malign's Hidey Hole] This is a hole. It is dark, damp, and kind of smelly. The only apparent exit is an opening in the low ceiling, allowing a small amount of light through. You also see an unfinished opening and an old bone. Obvious paths: south.)
> link opening Starting tracking for linking the opening to another portal. Repeat the command with another unlinked portal to complete the process.)
DESTINATION START/SET
The destination start/set method is used to generate one way paths that use portals. It is very similar to the link method, only there is no portal in the second room.
COMMANDS:
BUILD {OBJECT} DESTINATION START
BUILD DESTINATION SET
Select the origin room and use BUILD {OBJECT} DESTINATION START, where object is the origin portal. Then use BUILD GO NEXT or BUILD GO PREVIOUS to move to the second room. Finally, use BUILD DESTINATION SET to set the destination of the portal in the first room to this room. Note that this makes it into a one way street. Be sure to have a way out!
[A Decrepit Bedroom, Abandoned Tenement] The smell of mildew and decay is stronger here. Water trickles down from a chimney into a small open hearth opposite the entrance. In corner a pile of scavenged cloth and rags form what might be a nest or a crude bed. Strange, scrawling writing is sliced upon the far wall. You also see an open hearth and a slightly-ajar door. Obvious exits: none.
> BUILD HEARTH DESTINATION START Starting tracking for the open hearth. Go to the room you wish to connect it to and use BUILD DESTINATION SET.
>BUILD GO NEXT
[Eldritch Mists] A sea of eerie grey mists fill the world, twisting and turning before your eyes. Strange tendrils of the smoky grey mists pass before you without any help from weather or wind. The unsettling silence of this weird sojourn seems to call out to you, pleading for attention. Obvious paths: none.
>BUILD DESTINATION SET You send your will out into the mists and are rewarded with a sense of acceptance to your changes.
[A Decrepit Bedroom, Abandoned Tenement] The smell of mildew and decay is stronger here. Water trickles down from a chimney into a small open hearth opposite the entrance. In corner a pile of scavenged cloth and rags form what might be a nest or a crude bed. Strange, scrawling writing is sliced upon the far wall. You also see an open hearth and a slightly-ajar door. Obvious exits: none.
> ENTER HEARTH
[Eldritch Mists] A sea of eerie grey mists fill the world, twisting and turning before your eyes. Strange tendrils of the smoky grey mists pass before you without any help from weather or wind. The unsettling silence of this weird sojourn seems to call out to you, pleading for attention. Obvious paths: none.
LINKING ROOMS VIA DIRECTIONS
The third way to link rooms does not rely on portals at all. It is instead just the simple directions that are present in most rooms. The method is very similar to the link portal approach.
Commands:
BUILD DRILL {direction} - starts tracking for moving {direction} from your current room
BUILD DRILL SET - completes the process and will connect the first room to this one
BUILD DRILL CLEAR {direction} - removes the directional exit from current room only
BUILD DESTINATION SET - connects a portal to the room you're in. STUDY a portal for more information.
Use the BUILD DRILL {DIRECTION} command to begin the connection. Use the BUILD GO NEXT or BUILD GO PREVIOUS commands to move to the room you want to connect to, and finally use BUILD DRILL SET to complete the link. Note that the opposite direction will appear in the room you connect to. For instance, if the connection in the first room goes west to the second, the connection in the second room will be east to the first.
Example:
> BUILD DRILL north You set your will upon your surroundings, urging the mists to open new pathways to areas within their domain. A soothing voice whispers, "Very well, Malign. I shall open a pathway leading north from this region. Go now to your destination and SET things as you wish, and the path will be opened."
You can then either utilize the portal you just created or BUILD GO PREVIOUS to return to your first room.
> BUILD GO PREVIOUS
You send your thoughts out into the mists. In a dizzying flash, you find yourself someplace new...
[Malign’s Project, Malign's Hidey Hole] This is a hole. It is dark, damp, and kind of smelly. The only apparent exit is an opening in the low ceiling, allowing a small amount of light through. You also see an unfinished opening and an old bone. Obvious paths: none.
> BUILD DRILL SET A soothing voice whispers, "So was it asked, so shall it be. Your pathway is made."
[Malign’s Project, Malign's Hidey Hole] This is a hole. It is dark, damp, and kind of smelly. The only apparent exit is an opening in the low ceiling, allowing a small amount of light through. You also see an unfinished opening and an old bone. Obvious paths: south.
9. Environmental Factors
Discussion on most environmental factors will be added at a later date, but there are a few that can be discussed now.
COMMANDS:
BUILD ENVIRO UNDERGROUND SET - Makes a room underground
BUILD ENVIRO UNDERGROUND CLEAR - Makes a room above ground
BUILD ENVIRO INTERIOR - Toggles a room as being inside or not
BUILD ENVIRO NOFORAGE SET - Makes a room non-forageable
BUILD ENVIRO NOFORAGE CLEAR - Makes a room forageable
BUILD ENVIRO WATER SET - Makes a room a water-based area
BUILD ENVIRO WATER CLEAR - Makes a room a ground-based area
BUILD ENVIRO LUSH (1-10) - Sets the lushness of the area for foraging.
BUILD ENVIRO CURRENT {1-60} - Sets the water speed for a water room.
BUILD ENVIRO DIRECTION {DIRECTION} - Sets the direction of moving water.
BUILD ENVIRO POPULATION {#} - Sets the population for the area to #
BUILD ENVIRO POPULATION LIST - See valid #s for population settings
BUILD ENVIRO DEVELOPMENT {#} - Sets the development for the area to #
BUILD ENVIRO DEVELOPMENT LIST - See valid #s for development settings
BUILD ENVIRO TERRAIN {#} - Sets the terrain for the area to #
BUILD ENVIRO TERRAIN LIST - See valid #s for terrain settings
BUILD ENVIRO GROUND {#} - Sets the ground condition for the area to #
BUILD ENVIRO GROUND LIST - See valid #s for ground settings
BUILD ENVIRO TEMP {#} - Sets the temperature settings for the area to #
BUILD ENVIRO TEMP LIST - See valid #s for temperature settings
BUILD ENVIRO BIOME {#} - Sets the biome settings for the area to #
BUILD ENVIRO BIOME LIST - See valid #s for biome settings
BUILD ENVIRO COPY - Track enviro settings for your current room to copy to another.
BUILD ENVIRO SET - Places the enviro from COPY into your current room.
BUILD ENVIRO RESET - Completely wipes an area's enviro settings
The obvious commands are BUILD ENVIRO INTERIOR, which switches whether a room is indoors or outdoors, BUILD ENVIRO NOFORAGE SET/CLEAR, which determines whether foraging can take place, and BUILD ENVIRO WATER SET/CLEAR which determines whether your room has water or not.
10. Quality Control
Building an area is only the beginning. Once your area is constructed, it needs to undergo quality control before it can be submitted and accepted. The first part of quality control begins with you. When you are ready, request your quality control manual.
COMMAND: BUILD QC
With this tool, you can go from room to room and look for common errors. It also provides a nice, straightforward summary of all elements of your room.
> READ MANUAL
+----------------------------------------+
|-------------A Quality Book-------------|
+----------------------------------------+
| |
|Page: Contents: |
| |
| 1) Table of contents & region info.|
| 2) Area descriptions. |
| 3) Area environmental information. |
| 4) Items of interest. |
| |
+----------------------------------------+
| |
|Each TURN of a page will reveal more of |
|an area's nature to you. Examine it |
|with a critical eye becoming of one |
|entrusted with such information. |
| |
|Careful READing of the information given|
|will ensure the finer details of an area|
|are noticeable, rather than any glaring |
|mistakes from the creation. |
| |
+----------------------------------------+
This area is located in region 3, which also contains: Crossing, Stone Clan, Kaerna, Arthe Dale, Siergeld Meek (favor area), Rock Trolls, Caravansary, Hodierna's Solace, Trevellyn's, Oeblicher, Eluned's Shrine.
>TURN MANUAL
>READ MANUAL
As you glance over the page for "Foyer, Abandoned Tenement", it begins to fill with information on the area's nature...
Day Text: "Faint light comes through the entrance and a hole in the ceiling to reveal the ruins of a once elegant foyer. The remnants of once elegant carvings on rotting woodwork suggest lost wealth, but the debris of makeshift furniture suggest more recent tenants of a poorer sort. The ruins of a staircase leading to the second floor rest on one wall, while a hallway leading deeper inside opens on the other." ---There are no commonly seen errors.
BriefDay Text: "The tenement's foyer was once elegant, but is now in ruins. The stairway to the second floor has collapsed, but an open hallway leads deeper inside." ---There are no commonly seen errors.
Night Text: "Moonlight slips through a hole in the ceiling to reveal the shattered remains of cheap furniture on what was once an ornate wooden floor. Faintly visible in the shadows along one wall are the remains of a stairway leading up to a second floor, and the mouth of an open hallway yawns into darkness on the other. The smell of mildew and something far worse seeps through the night air." ---There are no commonly seen errors.
BriefNight Text: "Moonlight reveals the remains of the tenement's entrance. A collapsed stairway sits in the shadows along one wall." ---There are no commonly seen errors.
>TURN MANUAL
>READ MANUAL
Inside or Outside: Inside Above Ground or Below: Above ground Forageable: Yes. Lushness: 0 Land- or Water-based: Land Current: 0 Direction: Still Population: 1 Development: 10 Terrain: Urban Ground: Floor Temp: 0) Interior (no climate factors) Biome: Barren
>TURN MANUAL
>READ MANUAL
The text on the page shifts and wavers for a few moments before settling into a detailed accounting of items created from the mists...
Items In This Area:
1) a,shadowy,hallway: (hidden)
Destination: [A Dark Hallway, Abandoned Tenement]
Phrase Seen When Exiting: "went through"
Phrase Seen When Arriving: "came through"
2) an,open,entrance: (hidden)
Destination: [A Forgotten Alley, The Crossing]
Phrase Seen When Exiting: "entered"
Phrase Seen When Arriving: "came through"
Found 2 items created from the mists.