Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Path: gmd.de!xlink.net!news.belwue.de!news.dfn.de!news.dfn.de!zib-berlin.de!netmbx.de!Germany.EU.net!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com!lynx
From: lynx@netcom.com (Conrad Wong)
Subject: Searching and MUDs (was Re: When should "all" be allowed?)
Message-ID: <lynxCMKwMn.L4B@netcom.com>
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
References: <2lq93q$irt@nexus.uiowa.edu>
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 1994 01:11:10 GMT
Lines: 77

In article <2lq93q$irt@nexus.uiowa.edu> booth@grant.cs.uiowa.edu (Michael Booth) writes:
>I tend to agree with this auto-searching, thinking of it as a kind of
>high-level command to your alter ego, assuming that the results of
>the command were well documented so the player would know what to expect.
> ...
>
>However, the area of IF in which I am interested is network multi-user 
>systems (along the line of MUDs).  The notion of time becomes a problem,
>in that the system is 'real-time', since you are not the only 'player'.
>Hence, typing 'search all' could result in 10 minutes of real time 
>waiting, in order to simulate the action, with descriptions being output
>every now and then, as the player's character 'discovered' them.
>
>This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I wanted to point it out.

Bear in mind that in MUDs, one doesn't necessarily want users to be able to
macro "kill troll with sword" "kill troll with sword" etc. within mere
seconds.  So they might well wind up waiting to get a reply, to make things
more "fair" for others, or the program might prevent their doing another
kill action until a certain amount of time had passed.  Annoying, perhaps,
but more 'fair' to people.

Similarly, a 'search all' might take some time, and you might be described as
searching to others who happened to be in the room.  But you could perform
'non-preemptive' commands such as talking and inventory manipulation while
your character went from one place to another looking at things.

> search room

Peregrine casts his eagle-eyed look about the room for valuables, beginning
with the most promising, the ironworked brazier that sat at the center of
the runes, a flame flickering within.  It billowed forth an eerie green-lit
smoke.

>
[looking in brazier]
Coals burn orange within the brazier's cup.  But surely that could not be
the cause of the green lights...

[looking under brazier]
Complicated runes line the floor.  The brazier itself rests squarely upon
the 'anchor' sigil.

[looking behind brazier]
There's nothing particularly interesting back there.

Sigoro, High Priest of Fractals, bursts into the room!

Peregrine is searching the brazier.

Done with the brazier, at least for the moment, Peregrine begins looting the
jars that stand racked against the far wall of the runes.

Sigoro protests, "Cease, desist, abandon your foolery!"

>say Make my day, pateface.

Peregrine doth utter, "Make my day, pateface."

Sigoro begins casting a complex spell, drawing forth slender bone wands!

>kill sigoro
[with the Elvish longsword of great antiquity]

do you want to stop searching?
>

...

-- Lynx


-- 
   __         ___      ___   _/'     Name:    Conrad "Lynx" Wong
  /  \      _/   \----'   \-' O`-g   Address: 28368 Christopher's Lane
 |    |    / > __/_   / __/_`,  _|            Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
       \__/  \____\`--\____\ ;/'     E-mail:  lynx@netcom.com
 
Lynx is "AL" Go B Y++ L++ C++++ T++ A-- H++ S++ V+ F- Q+ P+ B PA+ PL++
(see rec.pets.cats for code explanation or E-mail me and ask)
