Discord Server Setup Guide¶

This guide documents how to set up a Discord server for a MAID project community. It provides a recommended structure, roles, permissions, and best practices for building an engaged and welcoming community.

Introduction¶

Purpose¶

A Discord server for MAID serves multiple purposes:

Real-time Communication: Quick questions, discussions, and collaboration
Community Building: Connect developers, game creators, and players
Support: Help users with installation, development, and gameplay
Announcements: Share project updates, releases, and events
Showcasing: Highlight community creations and content packs

Target Audience¶

Your Discord server should accommodate:

Developers: Contributing to MAID core or building content packs
Game Creators: Using MAID to build their own MUD games
Players: Playing games built with MAID
Newcomers: Learning about MUDs and MAID

Channel Structure¶

Overview¶

Organize channels into categories for easy navigation. Below is the recommended structure:

INFORMATION
├── #welcome
├── #announcements
├── #rules
└── #showcase

HELP
├── #general-help
├── #installation
└── #code-help

DEVELOPMENT
├── #dev-discussion
├── #pull-requests
├── #testing
└── #content-packs

COMMUNITY
├── #general
├── #game-dev
├── #introductions
└── #off-topic

VOICE
├── Dev Chat
├── General Voice
└── AFK

Category: INFORMATION¶

#welcome

The first channel new members see. Include:

Brief introduction to MAID
Server navigation guide
Links to key resources
How to get roles (if using role selection)

#announcements

Official project updates only (read-only for most members):

Version releases
Breaking changes
Security advisories
Community events

#rules

Server rules and guidelines (read-only):

Code of conduct
Channel-specific guidelines
Moderation policies
Consequences for violations

#showcase

Community creations and achievements:

Content packs
Games built with MAID
Tutorials and blog posts
Screenshots and demos

Category: HELP¶

#general-help

General questions about MAID:

Feature questions
Best practices
Architecture guidance
Recommendations

#installation

Setup and configuration help:

Installation issues
Environment setup
Dependency problems
Platform-specific questions

#code-help

Technical assistance:

Debugging help
Code review requests
Error messages
Implementation questions

Category: DEVELOPMENT¶

#dev-discussion

Core development conversations:

Design discussions
RFC feedback
Architecture decisions
Roadmap discussions

#pull-requests

PR-related discussions:

PR announcements
Review requests
CI/CD issues
Merge conflicts

#testing

Testing coordination:

Test coverage discussions
Bug reports
Release testing
Performance testing

#content-packs

Content pack development:

Plugin development help
Sharing work-in-progress
Content pack ideas
maid-contrib submissions

Category: COMMUNITY¶

#general

Main community chat:

General conversation
MUD nostalgia
Game recommendations
Random chat

#game-dev

Game development topics:

Game design discussions
Narrative design
World building
Industry news

#introductions

New member introductions:

Welcome new members
Share backgrounds
Interests and goals
Connection opportunities

#off-topic

Non-MAID discussions:

Other projects
Life updates
Hobbies
Fun stuff

Category: VOICE¶

Dev Chat

Voice discussions for development:

Pair programming sessions
Design discussions
Code reviews
Planning meetings

General Voice

Casual voice chat:

Community hangouts
Gaming together
General conversations

AFK

Away from keyboard channel:

Idle members
Automatic move for inactive users

Roles and Permissions¶

Role Hierarchy¶

Create roles in this order (highest to lowest):

Role	Color	Description
Admin	Red	Full server management
Moderator	Orange	Community moderation
Maintainer	Purple	MAID core maintainers
Contributor	Blue	Active code contributors
Content Creator	Green	Published content pack authors
Member	Gray	Verified community members
@everyone	None	Unverified users

Role Permissions¶

Admin

Administrator: Yes
(All permissions enabled)

Responsibilities:

Server configuration
Bot management
Role management
Channel management
Handling escalated issues

Moderator

Manage Messages: Yes
Kick Members: Yes
Ban Members: Yes
Timeout Members: Yes
Manage Nicknames: Yes
View Audit Log: Yes

Responsibilities:

Enforce rules
Handle reports
Remove spam/inappropriate content
Welcome new members
Assist with questions

Maintainer

Mention @everyone: Yes (for announcements)
Manage Messages: Yes
Pin Messages: Yes
Create Polls: Yes

Responsibilities:

Post announcements
Coordinate releases
Lead discussions
Mentor contributors

Contributor

Attach Files: Yes
Embed Links: Yes
Add Reactions: Yes
Use External Emojis: Yes
Create Public Threads: Yes

Benefits:

Recognition for contributions
Access to contributor-only channels (optional)
Ability to help others

Content Creator

Same as Contributor

Benefits:

Recognition for published content
Showcase channel posting
Content pack support priority

Member

Send Messages: Yes
Read Message History: Yes
Connect to Voice: Yes
Speak: Yes
Use Voice Activity: Yes

Basic permissions for verified members.

@everyone

View Channels: Limited (see channel-specific permissions)
Send Messages: No (until verified)

Limited access until verification complete.

Welcome Message Template¶

Use this template for your welcome channel or welcome bot:

# Welcome to the MAID Community!

**MAID** (Multi AI Dungeon) is a modern MUD engine combining classic text-based gameplay with AI integration.

---

## Quick Links

- [Documentation](https://maid-mud.org/docs)
- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/Qworg/MAID)
- [Getting Started Guide](https://maid-mud.org/docs/getting-started/quickstart)
- [Contributing Guide](https://maid-mud.org/docs/contributing/)

---

## Server Rules

1. **Be Respectful** - Treat everyone with kindness
2. **Stay On Topic** - Use appropriate channels
3. **No Spam** - Avoid excessive messages or self-promotion
4. **No NSFW Content** - Keep it family-friendly
5. **Follow Discord TOS** - Adhere to Discord's guidelines
6. **Ask Before DMing** - Respect privacy

Read full rules in #rules

---

## Getting Help

- **General Questions:** #general-help
- **Installation Issues:** #installation
- **Code Problems:** #code-help

Search before asking - your question may already be answered!

---

## Getting Started

1. Read the rules in #rules
2. Introduce yourself in #introductions
3. Check out #announcements for latest updates
4. Explore channels and join conversations!

---

## Useful Commands

If using a bot for role selection:
- `!roles` - View available roles
- `!role <name>` - Assign yourself a role

---

Welcome aboard! We're glad you're here!

Bot Integration¶

Recommended Bots¶

GitHub Notifications

Connect GitHub to receive notifications about:

New releases
Pull request activity
Issue creation and updates
Commit activity

Setup:

Go to Server Settings > Integrations
Click "Webhooks" > "New Webhook"
Name it "GitHub" and select a channel (#pull-requests or #announcements)
Copy the webhook URL
In your GitHub repo: Settings > Webhooks > Add webhook
Paste the Discord webhook URL with /github appended
Select events to notify about

Moderation Bots

Consider bots like MEE6, Carl-bot, or Dyno for:

Auto-moderation (spam, bad words)
Warning/timeout systems
Logging (message edits/deletes)
Reaction roles

Utility Bots

Bot for Code Snippets: Allow syntax-highlighted code sharing
Poll Bot: Create polls for community decisions
FAQ Bot: Answer common questions automatically

Custom Bot Ideas¶

For MAID-specific functionality, consider building a custom bot:

# Example: Bot command to check MAID version
@bot.command()
async def version(ctx):
    """Show the latest MAID release version."""
    # Fetch from GitHub API
    response = await fetch_latest_release()
    await ctx.send(f"Latest MAID version: {response['tag_name']}")

@bot.command()
async def docs(ctx, topic: str):
    """Link to documentation for a topic."""
    docs_base = "https://maid-mud.org/docs"
    topics = {
        "quickstart": f"{docs_base}/getting-started/quickstart",
        "ecs": f"{docs_base}/guides/ecs/overview",
        "commands": f"{docs_base}/guides/commands/overview",
        "content-packs": f"{docs_base}/guides/content-packs/overview",
    }
    if topic.lower() in topics:
        await ctx.send(topics[topic.lower()])
    else:
        await ctx.send(f"Documentation: {docs_base}")

Best Practices¶

Moderation Guidelines¶

Be Consistent

Apply rules equally to everyone
Document moderation actions
Use a graduated response system:
Warning
Timeout (1 hour)
Timeout (24 hours)
Temporary ban
Permanent ban

Be Transparent

Explain why actions are taken
Keep public moderation logs (optional)
Allow appeals for serious actions

Be Proactive

Welcome new members personally
Monitor channels regularly
Address issues before they escalate

Community Engagement¶

Regular Activities

Weekly Q&A sessions
Monthly community meetings
Content pack showcases
Code review streams

Recognition Programs

Highlight helpful members
Showcase community projects
Celebrate milestones (releases, contributions)

Onboarding

Greet new members promptly
Point them to resources
Pair newcomers with mentors

Channel Management¶

Keep It Clean

Archive inactive channels
Consolidate similar discussions
Use threads for detailed conversations

Clear Guidelines

Pin important messages
Use channel topics/descriptions
Create FAQ sections

Balanced Permissions

Start restrictive, loosen as needed
Use slowmode in active channels if needed
Enable thread creation for detailed discussions

Server Settings Checklist¶

Security Settings¶

[ ] Enable 2FA requirement for moderators
[ ] Set verification level to "Medium" or higher
[ ] Enable explicit media content filter
[ ] Configure auto-mod rules
[ ] Set up server backup (via bot)

Onboarding Settings¶

[ ] Enable Community Server features
[ ] Set up Server Rules Screening
[ ] Configure welcome messages
[ ] Create role selection (if using reaction roles)
[ ] Set up verification system

Channel Settings¶

[ ] Create all categories and channels
[ ] Set appropriate permissions per channel
[ ] Configure slowmode where needed
[ ] Set up webhooks for integrations
[ ] Pin important messages

Bot Setup¶

[ ] Add moderation bot
[ ] Configure GitHub webhooks
[ ] Set up welcome messages
[ ] Configure auto-roles
[ ] Test all bot commands

Maintenance Tasks¶

Daily¶

Check moderation queue
Respond to member questions
Review new introductions

Weekly¶

Review server insights
Archive inactive threads
Update pinned messages if needed
Check bot functionality

Monthly¶

Review and update roles
Analyze engagement metrics
Gather community feedback
Plan events and activities

Quarterly¶

Review channel structure
Update welcome messages
Refresh bots and integrations
Conduct moderation team review

Additional Resources¶

Discord Documentation¶

MAID Documentation¶

Summary¶

A well-organized Discord server enhances community engagement and makes MAID more accessible. Focus on:

Clear Structure: Logical channel organization
Defined Roles: Clear permissions and responsibilities
Welcoming Environment: Friendly onboarding experience
Consistent Moderation: Fair and transparent rules enforcement
Regular Engagement: Active participation from maintainers

Remember: The goal is to build a welcoming, helpful community where everyone can learn, contribute, and create together.