MUD on Urbit

Design Gaps — TODO

backlog
Contents

Identified 2026-03-26. Updated 2026-04-04.

Design Soon (Phase 2 Blockers)

Needed before the game retains players past the first few sessions.

  • State versioning / migration — currently on-load discards state on type change. Need a migration framework: versioned state types (state-0 → state-1 → …), upgrade gates that transform old state to new shape, rollback safety. Without this, every type change wipes the world.
  • Corpse cleanup policy — implemented. Configurable max-age, reaper on regen tick.
  • Admin audit logging — implemented. 1k entries, 7-day expiry, dashboard display.
  • PvP system — implemented. PvP zones + duels, kill counter, 60s immunity, empty corpses.
  • Leaderboards — cut. who command is sufficient. Kill counter visible on inspect. No dedicated leaderboard system needed.

Design Eventually (Phase 3+)

Important for a mature game, not needed to ship.

  • Equipment durability/repair — cut. Maintenance tax that annoys more than it engages.
  • Item rarity tiers — implemented. 6 tiers (common→unique), color-coded tags on all display points, unique tracking, JSON parsed.
  • Enchanting system — cut. Complexity without meaningful choices.
  • Clan system — implemented. Admin-approved creation, clan halls, ranks, clan chat, promote/demote/transfer/disband.
  • Housing customization — cut. Citizens are already admins of their own world with full editor access. Add a “Home” button to client (cross-world recall, blocked in combat).
  • Weather/day-night — implemented. 2hr cycle, 4 phases, night darkness + damage boost, 7 weather types, storm damage, fog flee reduction, weapon type modifiers.
  • Achievements/titles — implemented. 23 achievements, displayable titles via title command, checked on regen tick.
  • Instanced areas — implemented. Solo generated dungeons, branching tree, mob/item placement, boss completion rewards, 5min idle cleanup.
  • Pets/familiars — implemented. 8 pet templates, pet-shop auto-stock, combat damage, room display, pet/pet release commands.
  • Cross-world ban sharing — implemented. One-way subscriptions, manual review, moon blocking, dashboard advisories with import/dismiss.
  • Remort/tier system — implemented. 5 tiers, +1 all stats, 10% XP scaling, prestige titles, preserves race/class bonuses.
  • Crafting system — cut. Game is combat-focused. Enough systems already.
  • Auction house — cut. Needs critical mass of players. Direct player trading via give is sufficient.
  • Faction/reputation system — implemented. 5 tiers (0-2000 scale), opposing factions, affects shops/aggro, faction command, resets on remort.

Out of Scope (By Design Choice)

  • Telnet/GMCP support (web-only client)
  • Permadeath (soft-core design)
  • Pay-to-win / premium currency (zero operating cost model)
  • Blockchain/NFT integration
  • Real-time skill-based PvP (tick-based combat for latency tolerance)