Elanthe
@avendar.net
Developer and storyteller for Avendar: The Crucible of Legends, a completely free RP+/PK+ MUD still going strong in tyool 2025. Check us out: https://www.avendar.net
we should bring forums back
January 6, 2026 at 10:48 AM
we should bring forums back
refactors of char_update, move_char, and modify_damage are all done or nearly done. together with the boot sequence refactor the entire game is faster and more responsive by an order of magnitude. indirectly this removes a ton of limiters on everything from skill and prog complexity to area size.
January 5, 2026 at 10:45 PM
refactors of char_update, move_char, and modify_damage are all done or nearly done. together with the boot sequence refactor the entire game is faster and more responsive by an order of magnitude. indirectly this removes a ton of limiters on everything from skill and prog complexity to area size.
I am eating some of these words folks. there was, in fact, a lot to be done there. at least to get it to where I like it.
Think I'll do Arisuth next. Not a lot to be done there: Ruripar and Jennae boss fights, moving some mobs, and rewriting the cell blocks and some of the prisoners. Trying to lean into the void research facility parts, so freaky but not "dude in a cell with his eyelids cut off for some reason" freaky.
December 30, 2025 at 5:02 AM
I am eating some of these words folks. there was, in fact, a lot to be done there. at least to get it to where I like it.
something you may know if you're familiar with Avendar or MUDs in general is that this codebase is old and decrepit as shit. it has been touched by dozens of people with wildly different competencies and styles of coding. used to be you couldn't even compile it with optimization on! it was baaad.
December 30, 2025 at 4:41 AM
something you may know if you're familiar with Avendar or MUDs in general is that this codebase is old and decrepit as shit. it has been touched by dozens of people with wildly different competencies and styles of coding. used to be you couldn't even compile it with optimization on! it was baaad.
Reposted by Elanthe
all my game design ideas are "wouldn't it be cool if you put in a load of extra effort for a relatively small but very cool payoff"
December 29, 2025 at 4:30 PM
all my game design ideas are "wouldn't it be cool if you put in a load of extra effort for a relatively small but very cool payoff"
Oh shit I can actually start working on the School of Heroes additions. Yeah! Hell yeah!!
December 16, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Oh shit I can actually start working on the School of Heroes additions. Yeah! Hell yeah!!
Arisuth revamp about halfway to completion at this point! Alil meanwhile has been working on refining sasem technique, expanding watchers, and improving earth templar. A full review of ET is really needed, but it's something that will wait for post-patch as the current version is still pretty good.
December 16, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Arisuth revamp about halfway to completion at this point! Alil meanwhile has been working on refining sasem technique, expanding watchers, and improving earth templar. A full review of ET is really needed, but it's something that will wait for post-patch as the current version is still pretty good.
Think I'll do Arisuth next. Not a lot to be done there: Ruripar and Jennae boss fights, moving some mobs, and rewriting the cell blocks and some of the prisoners. Trying to lean into the void research facility parts, so freaky but not "dude in a cell with his eyelids cut off for some reason" freaky.
December 8, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Think I'll do Arisuth next. Not a lot to be done there: Ruripar and Jennae boss fights, moving some mobs, and rewriting the cell blocks and some of the prisoners. Trying to lean into the void research facility parts, so freaky but not "dude in a cell with his eyelids cut off for some reason" freaky.
in this house we are NOT letting perfect be the enemy of good
December 8, 2025 at 7:48 PM
in this house we are NOT letting perfect be the enemy of good
finished the Var Bandor updates. technically needs more polish but I'll have to see if I can get to it before patch. but hey at least the flesh basement is partially contained now
December 8, 2025 at 7:48 PM
finished the Var Bandor updates. technically needs more polish but I'll have to see if I can get to it before patch. but hey at least the flesh basement is partially contained now
Yithoul is finally done (for now). New Flesh Quarter replacing the chaja den, consolidating all prisoner/slave mobs there, and swapping a lot of the patrolling chaja mobs to demons.
Lots to go but it can wait for a future expansion.
Lots to go but it can wait for a future expansion.
December 7, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Yithoul is finally done (for now). New Flesh Quarter replacing the chaja den, consolidating all prisoner/slave mobs there, and swapping a lot of the patrolling chaja mobs to demons.
Lots to go but it can wait for a future expansion.
Lots to go but it can wait for a future expansion.
perhaps once I do a little more building today I'll pick one of my new NPCs to play tonight
December 1, 2025 at 7:29 PM
perhaps once I do a little more building today I'll pick one of my new NPCs to play tonight
On the bright side this phase of the Var Bandor revamp is almost done.
I've got a few (6?) more rooms. New GMs with updated items, and Alil is modernizing some of the prog because it was made by a teenager 20 years ago.
Next part will be finishing the wiki article for it.
I've got a few (6?) more rooms. New GMs with updated items, and Alil is modernizing some of the prog because it was made by a teenager 20 years ago.
Next part will be finishing the wiki article for it.
December 1, 2025 at 6:27 PM
On the bright side this phase of the Var Bandor revamp is almost done.
I've got a few (6?) more rooms. New GMs with updated items, and Alil is modernizing some of the prog because it was made by a teenager 20 years ago.
Next part will be finishing the wiki article for it.
I've got a few (6?) more rooms. New GMs with updated items, and Alil is modernizing some of the prog because it was made by a teenager 20 years ago.
Next part will be finishing the wiki article for it.
once again I have roleplayed myself into a corner that I now have to build myself out of
December 1, 2025 at 6:25 PM
once again I have roleplayed myself into a corner that I now have to build myself out of
the problem with trying to make a unified timeline of the past few years of events is that so much has happened across so many different player cohorts I'm not actually sure where to begin
November 29, 2025 at 5:47 PM
the problem with trying to make a unified timeline of the past few years of events is that so much has happened across so many different player cohorts I'm not actually sure where to begin
Last night we did a little re-intro for Olenka the Apotechta, who is now a new group challenge encounter somewhere in the Ngahe Wastes.
She has some very nice stuff. Curious to see how people approach the encounter, assuming they can find it.
She has some very nice stuff. Curious to see how people approach the encounter, assuming they can find it.
November 29, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Last night we did a little re-intro for Olenka the Apotechta, who is now a new group challenge encounter somewhere in the Ngahe Wastes.
She has some very nice stuff. Curious to see how people approach the encounter, assuming they can find it.
She has some very nice stuff. Curious to see how people approach the encounter, assuming they can find it.
We had some server issues the past couple of days, but everything is good now!
We have released Swordmaster 2.5! The patch will bring more changes but the core mechanics are implemented, including switching between one two-handed sword or two one-handed sword styles and the new sasem technique.
We have released Swordmaster 2.5! The patch will bring more changes but the core mechanics are implemented, including switching between one two-handed sword or two one-handed sword styles and the new sasem technique.
November 24, 2025 at 2:05 AM
We had some server issues the past couple of days, but everything is good now!
We have released Swordmaster 2.5! The patch will bring more changes but the core mechanics are implemented, including switching between one two-handed sword or two one-handed sword styles and the new sasem technique.
We have released Swordmaster 2.5! The patch will bring more changes but the core mechanics are implemented, including switching between one two-handed sword or two one-handed sword styles and the new sasem technique.
someone named our in-game prompt function bust_a_prompt
November 23, 2025 at 4:17 AM
someone named our in-game prompt function bust_a_prompt
why did it have to be databases.
November 22, 2025 at 10:02 PM
why did it have to be databases.
damn I did a lot more work on Lajaan Ilka than I thought
November 20, 2025 at 2:40 AM
damn I did a lot more work on Lajaan Ilka than I thought
Reflecting again on just how much the politics of Avendar's creators influenced its setting, usually seemingly without its creators realizing it. This comes up a lot when we're doing resonance/alignment work especially but the fingerprints are on more or less everything.
November 19, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Reflecting again on just how much the politics of Avendar's creators influenced its setting, usually seemingly without its creators realizing it. This comes up a lot when we're doing resonance/alignment work especially but the fingerprints are on more or less everything.
debated the aesthetic and architectural sensibilities of Var Bandor with other staff and landed on Moorish, which is not what I was expecting but let's go
November 19, 2025 at 10:19 PM
debated the aesthetic and architectural sensibilities of Var Bandor with other staff and landed on Moorish, which is not what I was expecting but let's go
we've found this to be extremely true when experimenting LLMs in our workflows, esp. for coding. none of these things will replace expertise even if some of them try to gas you up into thinking otherwise. but if you do have that expertise they can be a tremendous force multiplier and teacher.
this is a recurring theme I've seen. people think LLMs reduce the need for understanding of things and act like it. but every successful use I've seen has as a prerequisite a demonstrable and generally deeper understanding of the topic and objective
or, if you don't, you hit the wall at speed
or, if you don't, you hit the wall at speed
November 19, 2025 at 10:16 PM
we've found this to be extremely true when experimenting LLMs in our workflows, esp. for coding. none of these things will replace expertise even if some of them try to gas you up into thinking otherwise. but if you do have that expertise they can be a tremendous force multiplier and teacher.
game sure boots a lot faster when it doesn't have to repeat a for loop over 2 billion times
November 18, 2025 at 4:36 AM
game sure boots a lot faster when it doesn't have to repeat a for loop over 2 billion times
post-Gnamisek I'll be moving on to work on Var Bandor.
we had a plot forever ago that included the void guild wanting to move their operation to the space above the flesh tunnels. I can roll that into the north VB revitalization. soon it will no longer look like a war zone!
we had a plot forever ago that included the void guild wanting to move their operation to the space above the flesh tunnels. I can roll that into the north VB revitalization. soon it will no longer look like a war zone!
November 17, 2025 at 11:11 PM
post-Gnamisek I'll be moving on to work on Var Bandor.
we had a plot forever ago that included the void guild wanting to move their operation to the space above the flesh tunnels. I can roll that into the north VB revitalization. soon it will no longer look like a war zone!
we had a plot forever ago that included the void guild wanting to move their operation to the space above the flesh tunnels. I can roll that into the north VB revitalization. soon it will no longer look like a war zone!