The Code

The world is written

Every stone answers to a line of text. Real code, in a language you can read.

The language

Close to the real thing.

The world is written in a small C-family language: braces, types, functions, lowercase names. It is close to the languages used to build real software, so reading it is a way to learn.

Objects inherit from a shared set: OBJECT, MONSTER, WEAPON. Everything else builds on those.

Anything built can be read. The source of the well in the square is open to anyone who looks.

A well, in code

inherit OBJECT;

void create() {
    set_name("stone well");
    set_long("Cold stone. Damp moss. Something below.");
}

int sniff(object actor) {
    actor.tell("Cold stone and damp moss. Metal, faintly.");
    return 1;
}

Safeguards

Mistakes are survivable.

Errors on the spotMistakes are shown before anything goes live.
A private copyTest in a sealed space that cannot touch the real world.
HistoryEvery version is kept. Any change can be undone.