SMAUG checklist for MUDs

Verify the Makefile includes -fcommon if using GCC 10+ to prevent multiple definition errors during linking.

Ensure -lcrypt is present in the linker flags and that the production server has the libcrypt-dev headers installed.

Confirm that all subdirectories (area, player, clans, councils, deities, boards, system) exist and are writeable by the MUD process user.

Run 'strip smaug' after compilation to reduce binary size, provided a debug build is not required for core dump analysis.

Test the 'startup' shell script to ensure it correctly handles log rotation and automatic restarts upon crash.

Run a global check to ensure no loaded areas have overlapping VNUM ranges in their .are files.

Confirm that limbo.are is loaded and that essential objects like VNUM 2 (coin) and VNUM 3 (corpse) are present and functional.

Scan all area files for 'P' (Prototype) flags on mobs and objects to ensure players cannot interact with unfinished assets.

Grep the source code for absolute file paths (e.g., /home/user/smaug/...) and replace them with relative paths or mud.h defines.

Verify area.lst contains all intended areas and that there are no trailing blank lines which can cause load-time hangs.

Delete or change passwords for all stock implementor characters (e.g., Thoric, Circe) inherited from the base distribution.

Review the 'trust' level required for commands like 'shutdown', 'reboot', and 'force' in the command table initialization.

Verify that 'vassign' ranges are correctly set for all builders to prevent unauthorized modification of core game areas.

Ensure the 'sh' or 'system' call command is disabled or restricted to level 65 (Implementor) to prevent shell injection.

Verify that player file passwords are being hashed using crypt() rather than stored in plaintext.

Verify that the 'clans.dat' and 'councils.dat' files load without errors and that stock clan halls have valid VNUM destinations.

Confirm all deities in 'deities.dat' have valid favor requirements and that 'devote' functions as intended.

Check that all .class and .race files in the system directory are readable and that base stats align with the intended difficulty curve.

Clear all stock developer notes from the 'boards' directory to provide a clean slate for the player base.

Check system.dat to ensure the starting time and weather patterns are initialized correctly for the world map.

Verify the MUD is listening on the intended public port (default 4000) and that the firewall allows incoming TCP traffic.

Decide whether to enable DNS lookups in mud.h; disable if the server experiences lag during player login attempts.

Configure a cron job or external script to archive the 'log' directory to prevent disk space exhaustion.

Check the MAX_PLAYERS define or system.dat setting to ensure it matches the server's RAM and CPU capacity.

Test the 'hotboot' command to ensure the MUD can update code without disconnecting current players.