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
I will say the agent-assisted process as a whole works a lot better for formulaic writing. fortunately that is what a lot of RPG/game writing needs to be.
I think I could still use it for other kinds but it would demand some more work from me due to the departure from that kind of structure
I think I could still use it for other kinds but it would demand some more work from me due to the departure from that kind of structure
February 12, 2026 at 1:24 AM
I will say the agent-assisted process as a whole works a lot better for formulaic writing. fortunately that is what a lot of RPG/game writing needs to be.
I think I could still use it for other kinds but it would demand some more work from me due to the departure from that kind of structure
I think I could still use it for other kinds but it would demand some more work from me due to the departure from that kind of structure
Any hype asserting entire fields would simply be replaced was wrong IMO including coding agents.
LLMs are also useful in creative fields but not in the sense that they replace the artists. I think there is simply less discussion about this because it is a very, very hostile place to be right now.
LLMs are also useful in creative fields but not in the sense that they replace the artists. I think there is simply less discussion about this because it is a very, very hostile place to be right now.
a lot of "AI hype" discourse makes more sense when you realize that a lot of initial LLM/GenAI hype envisioned replacing artists and PhDs, and its actual impacts have been much greater on coders and other tech workers
creatives/experts see "AI" as underperforming hype, techies see it overperforming
creatives/experts see "AI" as underperforming hype, techies see it overperforming
February 12, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Any hype asserting entire fields would simply be replaced was wrong IMO including coding agents.
LLMs are also useful in creative fields but not in the sense that they replace the artists. I think there is simply less discussion about this because it is a very, very hostile place to be right now.
LLMs are also useful in creative fields but not in the sense that they replace the artists. I think there is simply less discussion about this because it is a very, very hostile place to be right now.
Spinning up some new interaction NPCs lately. We have a very shuddeni/void-heavy userbase atm so I'm wondering how that'll all play out.
February 12, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Spinning up some new interaction NPCs lately. We have a very shuddeni/void-heavy userbase atm so I'm wondering how that'll all play out.
I mean that's just what MUDs are on their own yeah, when you get down to it.
Hey fam can we create a new alternative to Discord but it's a text-based MUD where you have to navigate the channels on foot by walking to the different rooms and chatting with the other players. Level up your character. learn some new spells. Make friends. Have fun.
February 10, 2026 at 6:29 PM
I mean that's just what MUDs are on their own yeah, when you get down to it.
We started setting up Matrix spaces when Discord started in on the age verification stuff. Unfortunately all the Matrix clients and bridges are still pretty mid and missing a lot of features.
February 9, 2026 at 8:21 PM
We started setting up Matrix spaces when Discord started in on the age verification stuff. Unfortunately all the Matrix clients and bridges are still pretty mid and missing a lot of features.
I am thinking of revamping both our rules page and our roleplay page. needs refinement after all this time, and there are much better ways to describe both our approach and our limits.
I also think I need to start committing the metaplot to the wiki more thoroughly but I am kind of blocked on how
I also think I need to start committing the metaplot to the wiki more thoroughly but I am kind of blocked on how
February 9, 2026 at 6:54 AM
I am thinking of revamping both our rules page and our roleplay page. needs refinement after all this time, and there are much better ways to describe both our approach and our limits.
I also think I need to start committing the metaplot to the wiki more thoroughly but I am kind of blocked on how
I also think I need to start committing the metaplot to the wiki more thoroughly but I am kind of blocked on how
fondly remembering when we owned avendar.com before some stupid asshole let the registration lapse
January 31, 2026 at 1:13 AM
fondly remembering when we owned avendar.com before some stupid asshole let the registration lapse
I found our 2010s website aesthetic extremely charming when I put it together but now I am wondering if we need something a little more polished-looking lol
January 29, 2026 at 11:55 PM
I found our 2010s website aesthetic extremely charming when I put it together but now I am wondering if we need something a little more polished-looking lol
very difficult to figure out how to structure event summaries in a way that is useful and readable. I'd like to start on that stuff but format is something I need to nail down before we begin if it's to be useful, e.g. interesting and accessible to players
January 29, 2026 at 10:18 PM
very difficult to figure out how to structure event summaries in a way that is useful and readable. I'd like to start on that stuff but format is something I need to nail down before we begin if it's to be useful, e.g. interesting and accessible to players
you can pry the mdash and semicolon out of my dead gay hands tbh
January 28, 2026 at 8:17 PM
you can pry the mdash and semicolon out of my dead gay hands tbh
you see my vision!!!
also does everyone else feel like those movies are the cinematic equivalent of those deadly stick figure obstacle courses you doodled in your notebook as a kid
other people did that too right
also does everyone else feel like those movies are the cinematic equivalent of those deadly stick figure obstacle courses you doodled in your notebook as a kid
other people did that too right
CUBE (1997)!!!!!!!!!!
January 28, 2026 at 12:41 PM
you see my vision!!!
also does everyone else feel like those movies are the cinematic equivalent of those deadly stick figure obstacle courses you doodled in your notebook as a kid
other people did that too right
also does everyone else feel like those movies are the cinematic equivalent of those deadly stick figure obstacle courses you doodled in your notebook as a kid
other people did that too right
can't emphasize enough how advanced Avendar's scripting engine is compared to literally any other modern MUD and we have been absolutely fucking stymied by how long it takes to build cool things and the entire time/effort:product calculus we have to do for everything
January 28, 2026 at 1:48 AM
can't emphasize enough how advanced Avendar's scripting engine is compared to literally any other modern MUD and we have been absolutely fucking stymied by how long it takes to build cool things and the entire time/effort:product calculus we have to do for everything
ohhh I could make my 3D rotating dungeon now hell yeah
January 28, 2026 at 1:29 AM
ohhh I could make my 3D rotating dungeon now hell yeah
Avendar's internal scripting is based on MERC's OLC, expanded into a fully modular scripting language that can be used in rooms and objects as well as mobs.
It is *very powerful*. Avendar's scripting is what makes Avendar really work and play the way it does.
It is *very powerful*. Avendar's scripting is what makes Avendar really work and play the way it does.
January 28, 2026 at 1:14 AM
Avendar's internal scripting is based on MERC's OLC, expanded into a fully modular scripting language that can be used in rooms and objects as well as mobs.
It is *very powerful*. Avendar's scripting is what makes Avendar really work and play the way it does.
It is *very powerful*. Avendar's scripting is what makes Avendar really work and play the way it does.
if we can get this thing working the way we want I think we can get it to procedurally generate new areas. far from being able to do live production but being able to spin something up in a few hours rather than days/weeks would be a game changer
January 26, 2026 at 7:16 PM
if we can get this thing working the way we want I think we can get it to procedurally generate new areas. far from being able to do live production but being able to spin something up in a few hours rather than days/weeks would be a game changer
alchemy.c done and that means all compiler warnings (except the one segfault) are fixed! wheee
Worth saying this would not have been possible without Claude Code. This was legacy spaghetti code written by dozens of devs with wildly varying skill levels across ~40 years.
Worth saying this would not have been possible without Claude Code. This was legacy spaghetti code written by dozens of devs with wildly varying skill levels across ~40 years.
January 24, 2026 at 8:09 PM
alchemy.c done and that means all compiler warnings (except the one segfault) are fixed! wheee
Worth saying this would not have been possible without Claude Code. This was legacy spaghetti code written by dozens of devs with wildly varying skill levels across ~40 years.
Worth saying this would not have been possible without Claude Code. This was legacy spaghetti code written by dozens of devs with wildly varying skill levels across ~40 years.
Despite everything, Claude continues to be a little too heterosexual.
January 20, 2026 at 10:54 PM
Despite everything, Claude continues to be a little too heterosexual.
all compiler warnings except alchemy.c and a single unfixable function in act_wiz.c are now fixed!
why is it unfixable you might ask? because it's a function designed to intentionally segfault the game. probably an Ashur original intended for debugging. we'll just leave that alone.
why is it unfixable you might ask? because it's a function designed to intentionally segfault the game. probably an Ashur original intended for debugging. we'll just leave that alone.
January 18, 2026 at 9:22 PM
all compiler warnings except alchemy.c and a single unfixable function in act_wiz.c are now fixed!
why is it unfixable you might ask? because it's a function designed to intentionally segfault the game. probably an Ashur original intended for debugging. we'll just leave that alone.
why is it unfixable you might ask? because it's a function designed to intentionally segfault the game. probably an Ashur original intended for debugging. we'll just leave that alone.
Halfway done and 148 compiler warnings left to address. More than half are in alchemy.c, which is... telling.
January 17, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Halfway done and 148 compiler warnings left to address. More than half are in alchemy.c, which is... telling.
Internet issues tonight!! aaaaAAAA
I still have way fewer issues with Linux than I did with Windows but when I do have problems they are infuriatingly idiosyncratic. I can usually fix it with tedious but doable research but I have yet to figure out why anything has broken in the damn first place.
I still have way fewer issues with Linux than I did with Windows but when I do have problems they are infuriatingly idiosyncratic. I can usually fix it with tedious but doable research but I have yet to figure out why anything has broken in the damn first place.
January 15, 2026 at 10:45 AM
Internet issues tonight!! aaaaAAAA
I still have way fewer issues with Linux than I did with Windows but when I do have problems they are infuriatingly idiosyncratic. I can usually fix it with tedious but doable research but I have yet to figure out why anything has broken in the damn first place.
I still have way fewer issues with Linux than I did with Windows but when I do have problems they are infuriatingly idiosyncratic. I can usually fix it with tedious but doable research but I have yet to figure out why anything has broken in the damn first place.
New class updates this week, we hope. Will have a little event to herald it, as this has been a long time coming both dev-wise and plot-wise.
January 13, 2026 at 9:51 PM
New class updates this week, we hope. Will have a little event to herald it, as this has been a long time coming both dev-wise and plot-wise.
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.