Ferry synchronization

Olympia: The Age of Gods PBEM (Oct 4 2000)

### 4.3.6: Ferry synchronization

Suppose now that the captain has a ship, has set a fee, announced his service in the Game Newsletter and with `post`, and is now ready to ferry passengers. What should he tell them? How will the synchronization work?

Passengers should travel to the port the ferry will be arriving at and issue ```wait ferry` ship`'.

When the ship arrives at port, the captain should order `unload` to eject his current load of passengers, then `ferry` to signal any passengers waiting in port that they may now board.

Note that passengers should not use `wait ship` to wait for the ferry. Otherwise, they will attempt to `board` as soon as the ship reaches the port. The captain's `unload` order may not have executed at this point. In this case, `board` orders might fail because there won't be any room to enter the ship until the existing load of passengers has disembarked.

Example:

      Posted by Captain McCook [3402]:
      "Captain McCook's ferry to Drassa departs each
       Sunsear on the 15th.  The fee is 1 gold/wt.
       Issue WAIT FERRY ht34 then BOARD ht34 for
       ferry service.   Arrr!"

Captain McCook's orders:

      > fee wieght 1000                 # 1 gold/wt. is our fee
      > sail ...                # arrival at port
      > unload                  # unload current passengers
      > wait day 15             # wait until stated time of departure
      > ferry                   # sound our horn
      > sail ...                # on to the next port

Passengers wishing to travel on McCook's ferry:

      > wait ferry ht34             # [ht34] is McCook's ship
      > board ht34                  # pay our gold and embark
      > wait loc destination          # Captain McCook will unload us at the
                                    # end of the journey, so wait until we
                                    # find ourselves in the destination city.