General Advice

Stolen Advice

* Do it on paper first. Do it big. Areas always seem to shrink while you're building it, from a cross of aggravation and editing. Having a map to work from helps a LOT when doing exits, and provides a visual impetus to getting all those tedious bits done.
   
* For random mob distribution, use this method: (this was contributed by Locke of CthulhuMUD) Make a room, with exits to all the places that you would like mobs to come out of, in all 6 directions. Load all mobs to be randomly distributed in this room, and they'll choose and walk out themselves! (if they're not sentinel). For a big area, several of these 'mob chutes' can be connected for a bubble-sort effect.

* An area will take twice as long as you think it will to build. A certain boredom sets in sometimes. just set it aside for awhile if this happens; it is better to build when you want to then turn out something uninspired.

* Be fair with the items. Good items should be hard to get. Lousy items should require much less effort. Equip the most powerful items actually on a mob; thieves and mages can often steal stuff a mob is holding.

* Decide what players you want playing in your area. Keep in mind what levels and player types your area is geared for and follow through with that in mind. Make it fun and challenging for the players.  Small zones with a couple of mobs each of a wide variety of levels are generally not as often played as zones that target a smaller range of levels.

* Have fun building it. Try to make a well-rounded area that you both enjoy building and looking over afterwards. If you don't like what you see when you are done, don't delete your creations, go through and find out what you don't like, then try to change those things until you like them.  Another good reason for not deleting them is that you can get them out a year later and give them to someone else as an example ofwhat an area looks like on 'paper' 

* Do the .wld file first. The .wld file almost always takes the longest. Once past that long fight, the .mob and the rest will come easier.

* Remember the job is not done when the zone goes to the main site.  It will take a while before players begin to really play your zone for experience.  Once they do, you may need to make some changes in mob attributes, object attributes and/or repop rates, etc.