How to build
a game world
This guide walks through a first area for Icesus, from the plan to wizard review, using Icesus Creator and the game’s existing systems.
You sign in with your game character and can build once your area plan is approved. First steps.
Player level 25Needed before you start
A browser toolArea map, room editor and playtest
Wizard reviewBefore an area opens to players
What you are building
An area is a set of connected rooms and the things in them that players can act on.
Each room tells the player where they are and offers exits, details and encounters. Together they should give the player a safe arrival, a clue, a choice, a risk and a way home.
Icesus already provides movement, characters, combat and equipment systems. You build content within those rules. For the wider question of running your own server, see how to make a MUD.
Plan the area
Describe the area’s purpose, intended players and place in the world. Then make a small route that proves the idea.
A reason to exist
Choose a location and a connection to existing roads, settlements or lore. Explain who uses the place and what has changed.
Explore the world map →A route players can follow
Plan an entrance, a recognisable landmark and a return path. Let descriptions prepare players for danger before they step into it.
Writing rooms →A plan others can review
Share a small area plan in #creator and agree on its size and place in the world before you build many rooms.
See the review workflow →
Write the rooms
A room description should help someone picture the place and decide what to do. Mention a broken sign, a barred door or a cold hearth, then give those details a response when examined.
In Creator, descriptions and settings sit alongside the source they control. You can inspect how a room works and keep refining its writing as you test it.
Example room description
At the unlit wayhouse
Snow has gathered in the iron basket above the gate. A narrow trail reaches the door; beside it, an empty hook swings against the wall.
Design questions: What was on the hook? Can the gate open? Does examining the basket reveal why it is dark?
Inhabitants
A keeper waiting for a delivery is easier to write than a character whose only purpose is to recite the backstory.
A role in the place
Decide why each inhabitant is here, what they want and how they respond to a visitor. Keep dialogue useful and specific.
Connect a person to a quest →A readable encounter
Introduce danger through the room and creature descriptions. Test the fight with the kind of character the area is intended for.
Plan the playtest →A detail worth noticing
Let curiosity find a clue, a reaction or a small piece of history. Make the nouns in your descriptions worth examining.
Return to the room example →
Objects
Equipment, supplies and keepsakes tell a story too. A repaired lantern, a ledger or a worn shield can suggest who lives here and what they value.
Start from an appropriate existing example. Give each object a clear description and purpose, then review its usefulness and rewards alongside the rest of the area. Avoid making an item valuable only because its numbers are larger.
Quests
For the wayhouse example, the player might learn why the beacon went dark, follow evidence along the road and choose how to help. Work out what happens if they leave halfway through, return later or arrive after another player.
Keep the scope small enough to test every step. A convincing person and a clear consequence can carry a short quest. Read the surrounding lore so the addition belongs to Icesus.
Building in an existing world
Icesus has grown through volunteer contributions since 1995. Its places give you examples to study; its community gives you people to discuss ideas with.
An approved area opens to every player. Getting there means learning the setting, using the existing game systems and responding to review.
Playtest and review
Walk every exit. Examine the details you mentioned. Try conversations, encounters and rewards, including what happens when a player stops or takes an unexpected route.
Save your work, run the available checks and use Playtest to walk through the area. Record the results for reviewers. An area needs review and approval before it opens to players.
First steps
-
Play to level 25
Start playing and reach player level 25. You also need clear written English.
-
Discuss an idea in #creator
Join Discord and find #creator. Discuss a small area, then submit an area plan in Creator for review.
-
Build and submit
Use your workspace to write and playtest. Submit the finished area for wizard review and work through the feedback.
You can join #creator now.
You do not need a finished proposal to introduce yourself.
Questions
Do I need to be a wizard to contribute an area?
No. Players contribute areas through Creator, and wizards review them. Becoming a wizard is a separate path.
Do I need to know how to code?
Not to start. You can begin with writing and Creator’s visual controls. Areas are LPC source underneath, and custom behaviour may need code: learn from existing examples and ask for help as the design grows.
Does saving my area put it in the live game?
No. A saved draft stays in your workspace. A finished area needs playtesting and wizard review before it opens to players.
What should my first project be?
Choose a small place with a clear purpose: a road, wayhouse, shrine or short dungeon. Explain who visits, what they can discover and where it fits before expanding the map.
Related pages
Get started
Sign in to Creator with your game character, or create a character first if you are new to Icesus.