Does anyone know of a way to layout a zone completely, mobs and all, that is not notepad, or my own port? I have a few ideas I think are ready to be submitted for imm approval. But I, for the life of me, cannot force myself to design an overview of the zone on frickin notepad. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Building program
There's a mapping program called ASCII Mapmaker that you may or may not find useful. I did for a few things but at the end of the day, when I build, it's with a pencil and graph paper before using my own port to test things out.
Thats about the only way I could think, was to just make the area, tweak it completely, the give imms imp access to take the area file.
If you have your own port, just build the area and email the *.are file. Assuming no major changes were made to how the area files are read in, (added room flags, added another entry to the area files, etc.) They can basically transfer the *.are file to the area directory and have a working area. Now this is assuming there are no vnum conflicts, cuz if there are it would mean a lot of replacing to be done to be rid of the conflicts. (Such is the same case as porting over the stock areas to the port because of the additions viri made to the areas, there a lot of changes to make to every stock area before porting).
If you need help with the building aspect, Emp, shoot me some pm's and I can help you work it all out!
Read the "interested builders thread". Submit your idea to the immortals. If Malchaeius approves, you'll be given access to the FL test port, and YOU will build your area.
If you have your own port, just build the area and email the *.are file. Assuming no major changes were made to how the area files are read in, (added room flags, added another entry to the area files, etc.) They can basically transfer the *.are file to the area directory and have a working area. Now this is assuming there are no vnum conflicts, cuz if there are it would mean a lot of replacing to be done to be rid of the conflicts. (Such is the same case as porting over the stock areas to the port because of the additions viri made to the areas, there a lot of changes to make to every stock area before porting).
If you need help with the building aspect, Emp, shoot me some pm's and I can help you work it all out!
I appreciate the offer, but I am a rather experienced builder and can plug out zones extremely fast. I did a completely progged, mobbed, shopped area 100ish rooms 20+ mobs, 3 shops, and I think 30ish items, in under an hour.
Sweet! Just thought I'd throw it out there! Look forward to seeing what you've put together then! 
Not so sound like a jerk but speed is not necessarily a positive thing when building areas. In fact I would say it is a negative.
Spend time on the area. Flesh it out completely. Provide excellent descriptions for everything.
Areas are one of the most important aspects of the MUD, to just dish out an area in 3 hours is to sacrifice a lot of quality.
Quality over quantity in this case, always.
you get me wrong completely. Im not saying I completely make up the zone in an hour. Each room has it's own desc, I was meaning the physical building itself. I take time to design the mob etc etc. Just the physical implementing is what I meant.
Chill Mudder, worked with emp, builds almost as quick as I do 
his stuff is ussually pretty good.
I'd build you all into a hole, but I'm way too lazy. Aulian, are you married?