Tyrant of the Dark Skies

A modern, web-based multiplayer text adventure (MUD) built with Python and WebSockets. Explore a persistent fantasy world, battle creatures, complete quests, and interact with other players in real-time.

✨ Features

• 🌐 Web-Based: Play directly in your browser - no installation required
• 👥 Multiplayer: Real-time interaction with other players
• ⚔️ Combat System: Turn-based combat with maneuvers and special abilities
• 📦 Inventory System: Collect, use, and manage items
• 🗺️ Exploration: Navigate through interconnected rooms and areas
• 💬 Real-time Chat: Communicate with players in the same room
• 📊 Character Progression: Deep leveling system with skills, attributes, and tiers
• 🎭 Character Creation: Choose race, planet, starsign, and starting abilities
• 🏪 Shop System: Buy, sell, and repair items with NPCs
• ⏰ Time System: Dynamic world time affecting NPCs and shops
• 🔥 Firebase Integration: Secure authentication and cloud data storage
• 📝 Community Contributions: Easy-to-contribute JSON-based content system

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• Firebase project (for authentication and data storage)
• firebase-service-account.json file (see Firebase Setup)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/tyrantofthedarkskies.git
   cd tyrantofthedarkskies

2. Create virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Set up Firebase:

   • Follow the Firebase Setup Guide
   • Place your firebase-service-account.json in the project root
   • Set environment variable: export FIREBASE_WEB_API_KEY=your_key_here

5. Start the server:

   python3 mud_server.py

6. Connect:

   • Open web_client.html in your browser
   • Enter WebSocket URL: ws://localhost:5557
   • Click "Connect" and start playing!

For detailed setup instructions, see QUICK_START.md.

🎮 Gameplay

Character Creation

1. Choose Your Race: Affects starting attributes and cultural traits
2. Choose Your Planet: Grants cosmic bonuses and a starting maneuver
3. Choose Your Starsign: Provides fate-based abilities
4. Select Starting Maneuvers: Pick from race, planet, and one additional maneuver
5. Begin Your Adventure: Start in New Cove and explore the world!

Core Commands

• look or l - Look around the current room
• move <direction> or go <direction> - Move north/south/east/west
• stats - View your character sheet
• skills - View all your skills
• inventory or i - Check your inventory
• attack <target> - Attack a hostile creature
• talk <npc> <keyword> - Talk to NPCs
• help - Show all available commands

See the in-game help command for a complete list.

📁 Project Structure

tyrantofthedarkskies/
├── mud_server.py          # Main server file (5,108 lines - see STRUCTURE.md for refactoring plan)
├── player.py              # Player class
├── combat_system.py       # Combat mechanics
├── time_system.py         # World time system
├── character_creation.py  # Character creation flow
├── quest_system.py        # Quest management
├── web_client.html        # Web-based client
│
├── utils/                 # Utility modules
│   ├── formatter.py      # Text formatting utilities
│   └── logger.py         # Security logging
│
├── firebase/              # Firebase integration
│   ├── auth.py           # Authentication
│   ├── data_layer.py     # Data persistence
│   └── client.py         # Firebase client
│
├── contributions/         # Community-contributed content
│   ├── rooms/            # Room definitions
│   ├── npcs/             # NPC definitions
│   ├── items/            # Item definitions (weapons/armor/objects)
│   ├── races/            # Race definitions
│   ├── planets/          # Planet definitions
│   ├── starsigns/        # Starsign definitions
│   ├── maneuvers/        # Maneuver definitions
│   ├── weapons/          # Weapon templates
│   └── weapon_modifiers/ # Weapon modifiers
│
├── docs/                 # Game design documentation
├── scripts/              # Utility scripts (migration, data splitting)
└── mud_data/             # Runtime data (gitignored)

Note: See STRUCTURE.md for detailed analysis and refactoring recommendations.

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

• MUD_WEBSOCKET_PORT - WebSocket server port (default: 5557)
• MUD_BIND_ADDRESS - Bind address (default: localhost, use 0.0.0.0 for public)
• FIREBASE_WEB_API_KEY - Firebase Web API key (required)

Firebase Setup

1. Create a Firebase project at Firebase Console
2. Enable Authentication (Email/Password)
3. Create a service account and download firebase-service-account.json
4. Get your Web API Key from Project Settings
5. See FIREBASE_AUTH_SETUP.md for detailed instructions

🚢 Deployment

Free Deployment Options

• Fly.io (Recommended): Free tier with WebSocket support
• Render: Free tier (spins down after inactivity)
• Railway: Free tier with $5 credit/month

See FREE_DEPLOYMENT.md for zero-cost deployment options.

Paid Deployment Options

• Railway: $5/month for always-on
• Render: $7/month for always-on
• VPS: $5-12/month (DigitalOcean, Linode, etc.)

See DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md for detailed deployment instructions.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! The game uses a JSON-based contribution system:

1. Add Content: Create JSON files in contributions/ subdirectories
2. Follow Format: See README.md files in each contribution folder
3. Submit PR: Open a pull request with your additions
4. Auto-Sync: Contributions are automatically synced to Firebase when merged! 🚀

Contribution Areas

• Rooms: Add new areas to explore
• NPCs: Create new characters and creatures
• Items: Design weapons, armor, and objects
• Maneuvers: Add new combat abilities
• Races/Planets/Starsigns: Expand character options

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

📚 Documentation

• Quick Start Guide - Get up and running quickly
• WebSocket Setup - Web client configuration
• Firebase Setup - Authentication setup
• Deployment Guide - Deploy to production
• Free Deployment - Zero-cost hosting options
• Contributions Sync - Automatic Firebase sync setup
• Game Design Docs - Core game mechanics and systems

🛠️ Development

Running Tests

# Run server in development mode
python3 mud_server.py

Adding New Features

• Game logic: mud_server.py
• Player class: player.py
• Combat system: combat_system.py
• Time system: time_system.py
• Quest system: quest_system.py

Room Editor

Use the built-in room editor:

python3 room_editor.py interactive

Or use in-game admin commands (if you're an admin).

📝 License

This project is open source. See LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with Python and WebSockets
• Uses Firebase for authentication and data storage
• Inspired by classic MUDs and text adventures

📞 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

🎯 Roadmap

• Mobile-responsive web client
• More quests and storylines
• Additional races and planets
• Guild system
• Trading system
• Player housing

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Ready to play? Follow the Quick Start Guide and begin your adventure!