<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposal (with apologies to J. Swift) --> <!--X-From-R13: Quevf Uenl <ptNnzv-pt.UenlEntr.Sqzbagba.OP.QO> --> <!--X-Date: Tue, 7 Jul 1998 19:02:00 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199807080159.TAA02465@ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, [MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposal (wi</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg00068.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00070.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00803.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00081.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00069">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00069">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00069">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposal (with apologies to J. Swift)</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposal (with apologies to J. Swift)</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Chris Gray <<A HREF="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Tue, 7 Jul 1998 19:59:15 -0600</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> [Richard Bartle writes, via Chris Lawrence:] [Lots of good stuff on parsing.] I found myself nodding through most of Dr. Bartle's description. What he describes has lots of similarities to what I do, and some interesting differences, too. I don't actually build lists of matching nouns and then restrict based on adjectives - I do my searching with the adjectives in effect. Consequence: I don't currently support notions like "all but". Another is the choice of what to do when you end up with multiple matches. In "drop rock", it seems MUD2 would drop all rocks. In my system you'd get a complaint about ambiguity. What are the choices here: - drop all of them - complain about ambiguity - drop some "random" rock - allow the user to choose Is any choice bad? I suspect most preferences by players would come from familiarity - what they are used to happening. I'll admit that it had never occurred to me that "drop rock" would drop more than one rock, and I would have been surprised by that behaviour. Actually, I think I don't like that particular choice. Dr. Bartle speaks of "compiling", which suggests that his entire system is a single compiled binary. Are there in fact possibilities of adding to the vocabulary at run time? If so, then abbreviations for things becomes a lot tricker. Either you avoid more abbreviations because they *might* conflict, or you have to do a lot of searching and checking at runtime, to see what an abbreviation should refer to. I find the latter distasteful for a couple of reasons. One, it puts quite a bit of load on the server for little gain; and two, you have the potential for doing something dangerous that the user hasn't requested, just as Dr. Bartle mentions. -- Chris Gray cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00068.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00070.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Ubiquity Scope & Requirements</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00803.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: An Introduction</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00081.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposal (with apologies to J. Swift)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00069"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00069"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><STRONG>[MUD-Dev] Re: An Introduction</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00327" HREF="msg00327.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: An Introduction</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Fri 24 Jul 1998, 01:09 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00328" HREF="msg00328.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: An Introduction</A></strong>, Adam J. Thornton <a href="mailto:adam#phoenix,Princeton.EDU">adam#phoenix,Princeton.EDU</a>, Fri 24 Jul 1998, 02:16 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00800" HREF="msg00800.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: An Introduction</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Sat 22 Aug 1998, 01:52 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00803" HREF="msg00803.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: An Introduction</A></strong>, Adam J. Thornton <a href="mailto:adam#phoenix,princeton.edu">adam#phoenix,princeton.edu</a>, Sat 22 Aug 1998, 02:53 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00069" HREF="msg00069.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposal (with apologies to J. Swift)</A></strong>, Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Wed 08 Jul 1998, 02:02 GMT <UL> <li><Possible follow-up(s)><br> <LI><strong><A NAME="00081" HREF="msg00081.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposal (with apologies to J. Swift)</A></strong>, Richard Bartle <a href="mailto:76703.3042#compuserve,com">76703.3042#compuserve,com</a>, Wed 08 Jul 1998, 15:17 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00085" HREF="msg00085.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposal(with apologies to J. Swift)</A></strong>, Ross Nicoll <a href="mailto:rnicoll#calmar-mud,com">rnicoll#calmar-mud,com</a>, Wed 08 Jul 1998, 17:35 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00087" HREF="msg00087.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposal (with apologies to J. Swift)</A></strong>, Richard Woolcock <a href="mailto:KaVir#dial,pipex.com">KaVir#dial,pipex.com</a>, Wed 08 Jul 1998, 18:19 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00091" HREF="msg00091.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: (fwd) Re: command parsers: a modest proposal (with apologies to J. Swift)</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:adam#angel,com">adam#angel,com</a>, Wed 08 Jul 1998, 18:43 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>