chapter 2 "Command Syntax: Doing Stuff"
Section 1: Manipulating Objects
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You've already noticed that Dead Souls, like most modern LP muds,
uses natural-like command syntax, like:
%^GREEN%^read first handbook%^RESET%^
rather than:
%^GREEN%^read handbook 1%^RESET%^
This is because Dead Souls uses a natural language parser. It isn't
perfect, of course. If you try to "put all apples from box in my bag after
opening them" you won't see much success, but this will work:
%^GREEN%^open box%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^open bag%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^get apples from box%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^put apples in bag%^RESET%^
The parser will understand "the first box" or "my second bag",
assuming those objects exist in your inventory or in your environment.
If you want to know what is in the box, the command is:
%^GREEN%^look in box%^RESET%^
The command "look at box" or "examine box" will usually *not* show
you the contents of that box. This is because normally, boxes are
opaque, and in the real world, just looking at a box is rarely enough
to see what it contains as well.
An exception to this rule are transparent containers (a glass
trophy case, perhaps) whose interior is always visible from the
outside.
Sometimes looking at an object reveals its contents because of
the nature of the object. A table, for example, can have things on it,
and typing:
%^GREEN%^look at table %^RESET%^
...will usually let you know what is on it. It is also possible to
see what other players are carrying by just looking at them,
unless what they have is inside a container.
You'll want to remember that while you can "put apple in bag",
if you want to put that apple on a surface like a table, you'll
need to:
%^GREEN%^put apple on table%^RESET%^
You can give things to people, and they will automatically
accept them. However, you may not "take" or "get" things from living
beings. It's theirs, and it's up to them if they want to share.
You can try to "steal sword from fighter" if you dare, but unless
you have trained a lot, this is unlikely to succeed. We'll talk
more about training and skills in a later chapter.
Naturally you may also drop things you no longer need, though
it's nicer to your fellow mudders (and the mud's memory) to put
them in recycling bins so the bits can be reused.
Some other common object manipulation commands are:
close, donate, attack, eat, drink, listen, smell, search,
shoot, touch, turn.
There are many others you may find useful, but these will be
the ones you use most often to handle simple objects.
* A note about articles:
Dead Souls understands both definite and indefinite articles.
This means that you can refer to a specific apple, like so:
%^GREEN%^get the apple%^RESET%^
But you can also be unspecific. If there are a dozen
apples in a crate and you don't care which one you pick up:
%^GREEN%^get an apple from the crate%^RESET%^
Section 2: Navigation
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Moving around here is probably much like any other mud. You
can expect to move mostly in cardinal directions (like north and
northwest), but you may sometimes need to go up, down, or out.
Strictly speaking, the way to do this is:
%^GREEN%^go south%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^go out%^RESET%^
...and so on, but this can get tedious after a while. Instead
of having to type in "go" plus the entire direction, the mud allows
you to enter shortcuts like "sw" for "go southwest" or "u" for
"go up".
When you enter a room, very often you will see letters in
brackets above the room description, like this: [n, u, out]
These are the "obvious exits" of that room, and help you
quickly find your way around without having to go through each
description. But remember! Just because a room has obvious exits
doesn't mean those are the only exits. Sometimes a room must
be searched to discover an exit, or there may be an exit available
that just doesn't happen to be very obvious.
If a room is dark, obvious exits may not be visible at all.
Aside from those ordinary means of travel, there are situations
that require more specific locomotion than just "go". These are
examples of the use of some other commands to get around:
%^GREEN%^jump onto road%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^enter window%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^climb ladder%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^crawl east%^RESET%^ (if you are lying down and can't get up)
%^GREEN%^fly up%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^follow thief%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^evade hunter%^RESET%^
Section 3: Armor
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Now that you can manipulate objects and move around, you'll want
to be able to defend yourself, should the need arise. The special
object categories of "weapons" and "armor" should help.
Armor is an item that can be worn. That means that a pair of
blue jeans is considered armor, and a suit of chainmail is considered
armor as well. Basically, if you can wear it, it's "armor", because
whether it's a lot or a little, it protects you.
Assuming you are humanoid, you have the following limbs:
head, neck, torso, right arm, right hand, left arm,
left hand, right leg, right foot, left leg, left foot.
Properly coded armor must be worn on the corect limbs. Usually
a command like:
%^GREEN%^wear chainmail%^RESET%^
or
%^GREEN%^wear all%^RESET%^
...will cause you to automatically wear armor where it makes
most sense. However, it is possible to find armor that,
for example, can be worn either on your neck or your torso, like
an amulet. If this is so, you'll need to specify where you want it.
There are various types of armor, like cloak, pants, glove,
etc. Many of them overlap. You can wear a shirt on your torso as
well as a cloak and combat armor, but you may not wear two of
the same type. If you have a robe and a cape that are both cloaks,
you'll have to decide which one is going on.
You will find that shoes and gloves are often for one of your
hands but not the other. Sometimes you will find shoes, or gloves
that don't care which appendage they occupy, but usually these
are simply incorrectly coded.
If you are of some exotic or non-humanoid race, you may have
additional limbs to consider, and humanoid armor may not work for you.
Section 4: Weapons
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You may be surprised to learn that almost any manipulable object
can be wielded as a weapon, or thrown as a missile. You can wield
a can of Spam and try to kill an orc with it...and you may even succeed,
if you are strong and tough enough. Don't count on it, though,
and instead go for items that are made specifically with personal
security in mind.
There are four main types of weapons:
knife: knives, daggers
blade: like swords, and spears
blunt: like clubs, staves, and shillelaghs
projectile: things designed to be thrown, like darts or grenades
Unless it is a special device or magical item, weapons
must be wielded in order to be of use in combat. Some weapons,
like staves or pikes, may require the use of both hands. If this
is the case, wearing a shield may not be possible at the same time.
Like armor, weapons differ in quality and effectiveness. A
"well-crafted sword" is probably a better choice than a "small
rusty knife", but then again, you never know. Maybe rusty knives
are exactly what some monster is most vulnerable to.
Note also that, like armor, weapons wear down with use.
Examples of commands that involve weapons or fighting:
%^GREEN%^wield sword%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^wield hammer in left hand%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^wield staff in left hand and right hand%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^unwield dagger%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^shoot gun at otik%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^throw dart at beggar%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^kill all%^RESET%^ (this makes an enemy of everyone in the room)
%^GREEN%^ignore first orc%^RESET%^ (lets you concentrate on the other orcs)
%^GREEN%^ignore all%^RESET%^ (don't fight anyone in the room, even if they are attacking you)
%^GREEN%^target boss orc%^RESET%^ (this makes you ignore attacks from anyone else)
%^GREEN%^wimpy 30%^RESET%^ (this makes you run away if your health points drop below 30%)
Section 5: Miscellaneous Things to to with Things
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%^GREEN%^turn on flashlight%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^turn off flashlight%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^strike match%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^light torch with match%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^extinguish match%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^dig hole with shovel%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^move bed%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^search %^RESET%^ (by default searches the room)
%^GREEN%^search rocks%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^unlock east door with silver key%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^bait pole with worm%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^fish with pole%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^stop fishing%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^drop all%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^donate 2 silver%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^get all%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^get all from corpse%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^sell first right glove to otik%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^sell all to otik%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^buy sword from otik%^RESET%^
%^GREEN%^buy 8 from otik%^RESET%^ (get Otik to sell you item number 8)
