The Engine Tutorial

20 Ton Squirrel · 02-01-2002, 05:10 PM

Here's the tutorial you folks requested. It might be easier to follow in HTML format like, but I'm lazy. Post any questions here and I'll get back to ya!

What is it?
Ever play one of those old text-based games like Zork on the Commodore64? Imagine a multi-user version of that online, pile on lots more nifty features, and ya got yerself a MUSH/MOO/MUD/MUCK. All of those little acronyms stand for the same thing: A multi-user text-based environment.

They are games where you connect, create a persona, and play around in a text world. You can talk to other users, explore areas, and in some cases interact with the environment (like manipulating items or fighting monsters). Some of these places can have HUNDREDS of users on at one time (not all in the same room, thankfully). It's like mIRC, for those who are familiar, only there is a world to explore.

One of the more famous sites based on this same engine is called The Eternal City. This site has 500+ users on at any given time and is a re-enactment of Rome's hayday... it supports a real-time economy and political system where your character can rise to power or be a lowly dirt farmer. That game made it into PC Magazine and it's TEXT-BASED! Eat yer heart out, EverCrack... er - EverQuest.

How do I connect?!
You need to establish a telnet connection to the address. While you COULD use Windows' Telnet client I wouldn't suggest it. It's not a friendly program. There are hundreds of Telnet clients out there and yer more than welcome to experiment. They all do the same thing but have different features.

The simplest, easiest client to use I've found is a PC-based program called GMUD. I've configured it and slapped it up on my server for your convenient download. See this thread to swag it, there are brief instructions there. Go get it, follow the directions, then come back here!

I'm connected! Now what?!
When you connect to the engine you will get a splash screen that asks you to log in. If you have never created a character before, you'll need to. Type what you see below (fill in the blanks, of course) and press return. Make certain your name is a single word. Slight drawback, but I can change yer name manually later if it bugs you.

create <name> <password> <valid e-mail>

If you've already created your character, just type in what you see below (again, fill in the blanks... duh) and press return.

connect <name> <password>

I'm IN!!! Now what?!
You should see something like this after you log in:

The Actionscripts.org Lobby
You stand within a pleasant lobby to a vast corporate building. Despite the affluent nature of the place it has a comfortable, bucolic feel to it. Beautiful flora and greenery decorate the place, and the right side of the room has a gorgeous waterfall inset into the wall. A winding flagstone walkway ahead of you leads through the lobby's garden right up to the information booth.
Shindia (zoned) and Red Penguin are here.
You see a colorful koosh ball here.
Visible Exits: walkway

This is the world as you will see it. The first line is the name of the room, following that is a short paragraph that describes the place. A room can be outside or inside, a building or cave... it's all in the description.

After the description you will see who is in the room with you. When they look, they'll see your name in that list. When you are in the same room as a person you can talk to them, but we'll get to that later. See where it says poor Shindia is zoned? That means she's been idle. If a person is zoned, long gone, or asleep then they are probably away from the keyboard or disconnected. They still "hear" and "see" everything, but if the user isn't there to respond they just drool. If you idle too long, the system will boot you and kick your character into a closet until you reconnect.

If there are any objects in the room you will see them listed beneath the people... like that koosh ball. You can pick up objects or look at them. Some are containers that allow you to put objects into other objects. The creators of this engine (and myself) strove for realism here. Some items allow you to do special things... like I'll be coding a command that lets you throw the koosh at someone. Nifty, eh? Mental note: Must code up a Coke Machine!

Lastly you'll see any exits listed. Exits take you from one room to another, much like in real life (duh). To take an exit all you gotta do is type the exit name and hit enter (in this case, walkway would take you into another room).

I'm sorry, I fell asleep... what were you saying?
Wake up! Sheesh! I know I'm boring but the snoring is deafening. Moving along here... let's talk about interacting! Commands! Listed below are some useful commands that you can use to communicate or interact with the environment.

look
Syntax: look {target}
Arguments: The target can be an object, an exit, or another user.
Description: This command gives you the description of the target. You can look at Grimslayde or the koosh, for example, if they were in view. If no target is specified you look at the room you stand in. Looking at an object will often show you how it is used (if it can be used). Try looking at a koosh if you find one... once I code it. *grin*
Example: look grim
get
Syntax: get target
Arguments: The target must be an object.
Description: This command allows you to pick up an object and carry it on your person. There are some objects you can't pick up (like Coke Machines).
Example: get koosh
drop
Syntax: drop target
Arguments: The target must be an object.
Description: This command drops an object from your inventory into the room you are in.
Example: drop koosh
inventory
Syntax: get target
Arguments: No arguing is necessary. Can't we just get along?
Description: This command displays a list of objects you are carrying. Nothing complex here. Note how you can abbreviate some commands?
Example: inv
say
Syntax: say blah blah blah blah blah
Arguments: Whatever you wanna say.
Description: This command allows you to speak! Anyone in the same room as you will "hear" what you have to say.
Example: say Cashews are good for the soul.
whisper
Syntax: whisper text to target
Arguments: text is whatever you wanna say, target should be a user in the same room.
Description: This command will privately whisper whatever you say to the target. No one else will be able to "hear" what you say, though they will "hear" you doing it.
Example: whisper Your cat got caught in your fro. to Vile
emote
Syntax: emote text
Arguments: Whatever you wanna "do".
Description: This command allows you to act. It's just text, of course, you aren't actually DOING something in the environment. Let's say you wanted to run around in circles, you'd just follow the example below. You can use the : (colon) as a shortcut instead of typing emote.
Example: emote runs around in circles. or :runs around in circles.
@who
Syntax: @who
Arguments: No arguments!
Description: This command will output a list of all the users online at the time. Note that they may not be in the same ROOM as you.
Example: @who
@page
Syntax: @page target with text
Arguments: target can be any user currently online, text is whatever you wanna say.
Description: This command allows you to speak to someone who isn't in the same room as you. Only the person(s) you specify will see what you say.
Example: @page grim with Hey, get on with it!
@quit
Syntax: @quit
Arguments: No arguments! Good-bye, cruel VR!
Description: This command will put your character to sleep and disconnect you from the server. Easy enough, right? This is the best way of ending your session with the server. Just closing your client leaves your character standing there without a brain, drooling all over the place. Be nice to your character, use @quit.
Example: @quit

This concludes MUSHing 101!

red penguin · 02-01-2002, 07:10 PM

Great work there squirrel...I think everyone should be comfy with the engine now...So when't the first "meeting"?

vilehelm · 02-01-2002, 08:58 PM

this is great. YOU'DA RODENT!

red penguin · 02-04-2002, 12:27 AM

"shout" doesn't seem to be working...
boo...

20 Ton Squirrel · 02-04-2002, 03:49 PM

Shout works fine... the rooms just weren't attached to the proper realm. Building rooms should automatically attach them to the parent realm. Heheh... oversite in the original code, I suppose. I'm on it.

pixelwit · 02-11-2002, 01:32 AM

Is the Syntax of Inventory really "get target"?

What should be in the Help file other than the "I'm in now what?" part and then all the commands in the "I'm sorry, I fell asleep... " part?

I'm guessing logging in will be done with a screen rather than a text command thereby negating the need for any explanation.

-PiXELWiT
http://www.pixelwit.com

vilehelm · 02-11-2002, 05:03 AM

You might want to try going on gMUD and going through the tutorial there. It'll be a good starting point, obviously there is a lot that you can leave out and a lot of fun stuff you could throw in in flash...but probably a combo of something like that (a linear guide) and a more chapter or book like version would be good.

red penguin · 02-11-2002, 09:54 AM

To see what you are carrying...syntax is "inv"...To get something you see and think you can pick it up to add to your inventory, that is"get target"...I think that was just an oversight...

But remember, this will all be done automatically via buttons or shortcuts from the keyboard from the CLIENT...

02-01-2002, 05:10 PM	#1
20 Ton Squirrel Risu Oyabun! Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 1,460	The Engine Tutorial Here's the tutorial you folks requested. It might be easier to follow in HTML format like, but I'm lazy. Post any questions here and I'll get back to ya! What is it? Ever play one of those old text-based games like Zork on the Commodore64? Imagine a multi-user version of that online, pile on lots more nifty features, and ya got yerself a MUSH/MOO/MUD/MUCK. All of those little acronyms stand for the same thing: A multi-user text-based environment. They are games where you connect, create a persona, and play around in a text world. You can talk to other users, explore areas, and in some cases interact with the environment (like manipulating items or fighting monsters). Some of these places can have HUNDREDS of users on at one time (not all in the same room, thankfully). It's like mIRC, for those who are familiar, only there is a world to explore. One of the more famous sites based on this same engine is called The Eternal City. This site has 500+ users on at any given time and is a re-enactment of Rome's hayday... it supports a real-time economy and political system where your character can rise to power or be a lowly dirt farmer. That game made it into PC Magazine and it's TEXT-BASED! Eat yer heart out, EverCrack... er - EverQuest. How do I connect?! You need to establish a telnet connection to the address. While you COULD use Windows' Telnet client I wouldn't suggest it. It's not a friendly program. There are hundreds of Telnet clients out there and yer more than welcome to experiment. They all do the same thing but have different features. The simplest, easiest client to use I've found is a PC-based program called GMUD. I've configured it and slapped it up on my server for your convenient download. See this thread to swag it, there are brief instructions there. Go get it, follow the directions, then come back here! I'm connected! Now what?! When you connect to the engine you will get a splash screen that asks you to log in. If you have never created a character before, you'll need to. Type what you see below (fill in the blanks, of course) and press return. Make certain your name is a single word. Slight drawback, but I can change yer name manually later if it bugs you. create <name> <password> <valid e-mail> If you've already created your character, just type in what you see below (again, fill in the blanks... duh) and press return. connect <name> <password> I'm IN!!! Now what?! You should see something like this after you log in: The Actionscripts.org Lobby You stand within a pleasant lobby to a vast corporate building. Despite the affluent nature of the place it has a comfortable, bucolic feel to it. Beautiful flora and greenery decorate the place, and the right side of the room has a gorgeous waterfall inset into the wall. A winding flagstone walkway ahead of you leads through the lobby's garden right up to the information booth. Shindia (zoned) and Red Penguin are here. You see a colorful koosh ball here. Visible Exits: walkway This is the world as you will see it. The first line is the name of the room, following that is a short paragraph that describes the place. A room can be outside or inside, a building or cave... it's all in the description. After the description you will see who is in the room with you. When they look, they'll see your name in that list. When you are in the same room as a person you can talk to them, but we'll get to that later. See where it says poor Shindia is zoned? That means she's been idle. If a person is zoned, long gone, or asleep then they are probably away from the keyboard or disconnected. They still "hear" and "see" everything, but if the user isn't there to respond they just drool. If you idle too long, the system will boot you and kick your character into a closet until you reconnect. If there are any objects in the room you will see them listed beneath the people... like that koosh ball. You can pick up objects or look at them. Some are containers that allow you to put objects into other objects. The creators of this engine (and myself) strove for realism here. Some items allow you to do special things... like I'll be coding a command that lets you throw the koosh at someone. Nifty, eh? Mental note: Must code up a Coke Machine! Lastly you'll see any exits listed. Exits take you from one room to another, much like in real life (duh). To take an exit all you gotta do is type the exit name and hit enter (in this case, walkway would take you into another room). I'm sorry, I fell asleep... what were you saying? Wake up! Sheesh! I know I'm boring but the snoring is deafening. Moving along here... let's talk about interacting! Commands! Listed below are some useful commands that you can use to communicate or interact with the environment. look Syntax: look {target} Arguments: The target can be an object, an exit, or another user. Description: This command gives you the description of the target. You can look at Grimslayde or the koosh, for example, if they were in view. If no target is specified you look at the room you stand in. Looking at an object will often show you how it is used (if it can be used). Try looking at a koosh if you find one... once I code it. grin Example: look grim get Syntax: get target Arguments: The target must be an object. Description: This command allows you to pick up an object and carry it on your person. There are some objects you can't pick up (like Coke Machines). Example: get koosh drop Syntax: drop target Arguments: The target must be an object. Description: This command drops an object from your inventory into the room you are in. Example: drop koosh inventory Syntax: get target Arguments: No arguing is necessary. Can't we just get along? Description: This command displays a list of objects you are carrying. Nothing complex here. Note how you can abbreviate some commands? Example: inv say Syntax: say blah blah blah blah blah Arguments: Whatever you wanna say. Description: This command allows you to speak! Anyone in the same room as you will "hear" what you have to say. Example: say Cashews are good for the soul. whisper Syntax: whisper text to target Arguments: text is whatever you wanna say, target should be a user in the same room. Description: This command will privately whisper whatever you say to the target. No one else will be able to "hear" what you say, though they will "hear" you doing it. Example: whisper Your cat got caught in your fro. to Vile emote Syntax: emote text Arguments: Whatever you wanna "do". Description: This command allows you to act. It's just text, of course, you aren't actually DOING something in the environment. Let's say you wanted to run around in circles, you'd just follow the example below. You can use the : (colon) as a shortcut instead of typing emote. Example: emote runs around in circles. or :runs around in circles. @who Syntax: @who Arguments: No arguments! Description: This command will output a list of all the users online at the time. Note that they may not be in the same ROOM as you. Example: @who @page Syntax: @page target with text Arguments: target can be any user currently online, text is whatever you wanna say. Description: This command allows you to speak to someone who isn't in the same room as you. Only the person(s) you specify will see what you say. Example: @page grim with Hey, get on with it! @quit Syntax: @quit Arguments: No arguments! Good-bye, cruel VR! Description: This command will put your character to sleep and disconnect you from the server. Easy enough, right? This is the best way of ending your session with the server. Just closing your client leaves your character standing there without a brain, drooling all over the place. Be nice to your character, use @quit. Example: @quit This concludes MUSHing 101!

02-01-2002, 07:10 PM	#2
red penguin [^\d\D] Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 3,254	Great work there squirrel...I think everyone should be comfy with the engine now...So when't the first "meeting"? __________________ komielan.com

02-01-2002, 08:58 PM	#3
vilehelm recovering nicely Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: The Deep South, USA Posts: 1,028	this is great. YOU'DA RODENT! __________________ You can now find me at www.booneoakley.com. Huzzah!

02-04-2002, 12:27 AM	#4
red penguin [^\d\D] Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 3,254	"shout" doesn't seem to be working... boo... __________________ komielan.com

02-11-2002, 05:03 AM	#7
vilehelm recovering nicely Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: The Deep South, USA Posts: 1,028	You might want to try going on gMUD and going through the tutorial there. It'll be a good starting point, obviously there is a lot that you can leave out and a lot of fun stuff you could throw in in flash...but probably a combo of something like that (a linear guide) and a more chapter or book like version would be good. __________________ You can now find me at www.booneoakley.com. Huzzah!


<a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=ac86e9f0&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=36053&source=_blank&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=ac86e9f0' border='0' alt='' /></a>

02-04-2002, 03:49 PM	#5
20 Ton Squirrel Risu Oyabun! Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 1,460	Shout works fine... the rooms just weren't attached to the proper realm. Building rooms should automatically attach them to the parent realm. Heheh... oversite in the original code, I suppose. I'm on it.

02-11-2002, 01:32 AM	#6
pixelwit village halfwit Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA, PA Posts: 3,196	Is the Syntax of Inventory really "get target"? What should be in the Help file other than the "I'm in now what?" part and then all the commands in the "I'm sorry, I fell asleep... " part? I'm guessing logging in will be done with a screen rather than a text command thereby negating the need for any explanation. -PiXELWiT http://www.pixelwit.com

02-11-2002, 09:54 AM	#8
red penguin [^\d\D] Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 3,254	To see what you are carrying...syntax is "inv"...To get something you see and think you can pick it up to add to your inventory, that is"get target"...I think that was just an oversight... But remember, this will all be done automatically via buttons or shortcuts from the keyboard from the CLIENT... __________________ komielan.com

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