Tutorials

Step-by-step guides that teach you to build scripts in Sentience, from your first line of code to advanced patterns.

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Who Are These Tutorials For?

These tutorials are for builders who have never written a script before. No programming experience is required. Each tutorial builds on the previous one, introducing new concepts gradually with hands-on examples you can follow in-game.

If you already have scripting experience and want a reference instead, see Scripting Basics or the entity-specific reference pages like Mobile Programs.

Work through the tutorials in order. Each one assumes you have completed the ones before it.

# Tutorial What You’ll Learn
1 Getting Started What scripts are, the 9 entity types, how to open an editor, create a script, write code, and compile it
2 Your First Script Greet and speech triggers, quick codes, ifchecks, and attaching scripts to mobs
3 Working with Variables Variables, tokens, persistence, and the token system for tracking state
4 Building a Quest Multi-stage quests with objectives, quest triggers, rewards, and testing
5 Combat Scripting Combat triggers, HP thresholds, phase transitions, and boss fight patterns
6 Advanced Patterns Delays, sub-scripts, cross-entity communication, and complex systems

Before You Begin

Before starting these tutorials, you should be comfortable with:

  • Basic building — Creating areas, rooms, mobiles, and objects with the OLC editors (aedit, redit, medit, oedit)
  • Widevnums — The area_uid#vnum format used to reference game entities (e.g., 5#200)
  • Navigation — Moving around the game world and using goto

If you have not built an area before, work through the Builder Tutorial first — particularly Parts 1 through 4.

How Tutorials Are Structured

Each tutorial follows the same pattern:

  1. Concept introduction — A brief explanation of what you are learning and why it matters
  2. Step-by-step walkthrough — Numbered instructions showing exactly what to type and what the game responds
  3. Try it yourself — A practice exercise to reinforce what you learned
  4. Key takeaways — A summary of the important points

Code blocks show what you type at the game prompt:

mpedit create

When the game responds, the response is shown separately and labeled:

Game responds:

MobProgram Code Created.
Resource Description
Scripting Basics Language reference — commands, variables, control flow
Quick Codes Short codes like $n, $i, $t that reference entities
Variables & Tokens Storing and retrieving data across script runs
Shared Commands Commands available to all entity types
Mobile Programs Mob-specific triggers, commands, and examples
Object Programs Object-specific triggers, commands, and examples
Room Programs Room-specific triggers, commands, and examples

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