As a hobby project I am trying to create a ROM (Diku-Merc based) derivative. (Now defunct) I would appreciate it if anybody has done something similar and has some useful resources to share or tips to offer. I'm finding that a lot the resources such as mailing lists are no longer active and many links are dead.
I've picked ROM because that is what I am familiar as a player, but the source is more complicated than anything I have come across and I wouldn't mind picking a code base that was easier to understand. Any recommendations before I dive in in earnest would also be appreciated.
As for mudding communities in general I don't know of much beyond the mud connector because I've always been in more of a user/player role than developer. A forgiving and active place where I can get answers to my questions is what I value most.
After extensive research I've decided to go with a tba code base. I may elaborate later but very broadly
Anyways muds are truly a labour of love and you have to have a few screws loose if you plan to run one. Moreover the glory days have passed (it seems like there many muds shut down en masse around 2000) and in my opinion the community is largely inactive and fragmented. An exerpt from from some of the tba docs sums this up nicely:
So, you're sure you want to run your own MUD? If you're already an old hand at playing MUDs and you've decided you want to start one of your own, here is our advice: sleep on it, try several other MUDs first. Work your way up to an admin position and see what running a MUD is really about. It is not all fun and games. You actually have to deal with people, you have to babysit the players, and be constantly nagged about things you need to do or change. Running a MUD is extremely time consuming if you do it well, if you are not going to do it well then don't bother. Just playing MUDs is masochistic enough, isn't it? Or are you trying to shave that extra point off your GPA, jump down that one last notch on your next job evaluation, or get rid of that pesky Significant Other for good? If you think silly distractions like having friends and seeing daylight are preventing you from realizing your full potential in the MUD world, being a MUD Administrator is the job for you.
Anyways I don't have any high hopes for success, but this is something I will find interesting, improve my code-fu and will keep me busy for many years to come :D