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2.2 Installing Argo

This page covers the steps necessary in order to install Argo on your MUCK. All the steps necessary to install Argo completely `by hand' are covered here. Note, though, that you can also use several scripts to automate some of the repetitive steps, as discussed below.

In overview, installing Argo requires the following steps:

  1. Upload and compile the Argo library.
  2. Install the library.
  3. Upload and compile the remaining Argo programs.
  4. Install the programs.
  5. Upload ascr-base, a script which loads standard database and manual entries that will be used on most Argo MUCKs.

Installation must be performed by a wizard.

The first step is to upload and compile the Argo program library, lib-argo. The program needs to be set Wizard. A program file downloaded from the Argo web site will automatically compile the program and set the flag. If you are working with a copy of lib-argo that was captured from @list output on an established MUCK, you will need to perform these steps manually. (This is true for all the Argo programs, not just lib-argo). See The MUCK Manual for information on working with programs.

Once lib-argo is loaded onto the server, you need to install it. Quite a bit happens during installation, but the process is simple to do: create an action, with any name, linked to the program, and then type the action name:

====================================
@act argo=me
@link argo=lib-argo
argo
>> Installing...
>> Searching dbase for old commands linked to library, recycling...
>> Registering library...
>> Creating +install action...
>> Creating +uninstall action...
>> Setting version number...
>> Setting default system parameters...
>> Setting function call definitions...
>> Setting miscellaneous bits...
>> Installation complete.
====================================

At this point, you can upload and compile any of the remaining programs you want. A complete base installation of Argo includes the following programs in addition to lib-argo:

    asys-active
    asys-approve
    asys-approved
    asys-award
    asys-background
    asys-become
    asys-cgroom
    asys-check
    asys-combat*
    asys-control
    asys-defrem
    asys-disads
    asys-docs
    asys-finished*
    asys-group
    asys-guard*
    asys-icroom
    asys-info
    asys-list
    asys-magic*
    asys-make
    asys-medics*
    asys-money
    asys-notes
    asys-psiabs*
    asys-psionics*
    asys-puppets
    asys-realms
    asys-rename
    asys-reset
    asys-roll
    asys-rumors
    asys-security
    asys-sheet
    asys-shift*
    asys-skills
    asys-source
    asys-spells*
    asys-staff
    asys-stats
    asys-stdpsiabs*
    asys-stdspells*
    asys-stop*
    asys-suspend
    asys-sysscan
    asys-thieves*
    asys-tplates
    asys-tune
    asys-verify
    asys-vote
    asys-wimpout

If you are using the TinyFugue client, you can upload all of the programs with the ascr-programs script:

====================================
/load ascr-programs
====================================

On most MUCKs ascr-programs takes an age to load (30 minutes or so), because the server limits how much a single player can upload at one time. Patience.

Do not upload any other Argo scripts — files with names beginning with `ascr-' — at this time.

The programs marked with an asterix can be regarded as optional. Asys-magic, asys-spells, and asys-stdspells pertain to the magic system; asys-psiabs, asys-psionics, and asys-stdpsiabs pertain to the psionics system. If these subsystems are not appropriate to your world's theme, there is no harm in leaving them out. Asys-finished is used by the +finished command: if you know you will be requiring character approval, you can omit this. Asys-shift is a special-purpose program that handles the Shapeshifting advantage: if you don't have this advantage, you don't need the program. The remaining optional programs are required by the combat and events system: if you know you will not be using coded combat and skill effects, you can omit these as well. When deciding whether or not to upload the optional programs, keep in mind that Argo is quite modular and configurable: the combat, magic, and psionics systems can all be independently enabled or disabled, and all individual commands have an #enable and #disable option, so — other than the expenditure of a few kilobytes of disk space — there is no real downside to uploading all the programs.

Once the programs are uploaded, set them Wizard if they are not already set so:

====================================
@set asys-active=W
Flag set.
@set asys-approve=W
Flag set.
@set asys-approved=W
Flag set.
@set asys-award=W
Flag set.

(etc.)

====================================

(On GlowMuck, use W3 rather than W.)

You can use the +install command (created when you installed lib-argo) to install the programs:

====================================
+install asys-active
>> Installing...
>> Installed.
+install asys-approve
>> Installing...
>> Installed.
+install asys-approved
>> Installing...
>> Installed.
+install asys-award
>> Installing...
>> Installed.

(etc.)

====================================

Then, upload ascr-base, a configuration script that loads database and manual entries for the basic system.

You can perform these post-upload installation tasks automatically by uploading the ascr-install script (you don't have to be using TinyFugue for this script).

A final, optional step: create and configure an Argo NPC player object. This is a player, which you will not log onto, used by the system. With a standard installation of Argo, it's not strictly required: it is used as the temporary owner of objects that leave a player's ownership because of death. If you do not have a player object configured, the owner of lib-argo is used as the temporary owner. Other Argo components and modules, under development (including the vehicle system and SF modules) make more extensive use of the player object. To configure the player object, first create a player, named something like `argo_pobj', with a random password, and manually set the @a/argo_pobj property on room #0 to its dbref:

====================================
@pcreate argo_pobj=<whatever>
Player argo_pobj create as object #619.

@propset #0=dbref:@a/argo_pobj:#619
Property set.
====================================

Congratulations, you now have Argo installed on your MUCK. But, there is still quite a bit to do in order to develop a complete RP environment.

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