Adjustments to the 'alias' command

[Yang]

How about harnessing the power of emote's @ and putting it into aliases as a place holder.

Currently:

Your aliases
------------
1               draw halfsword
2               draw dagger boots
3               throw dagger Amos north
------------

But what if:

Your aliases
------------
1               draw halfsword
2               draw dagger boots
3               throw dagger @ north
------------

Now I can type:

> 3 Amos

And the command line will insert Amos into the placeholder @ to complete the alias and make it a legitimate command!

[ThirdEye]

Just do it with a MUD client?

[John]

You only have 10 alias's with the mud account so rather then waste four on throwing your dagger in each direction just do

Code Select Expand


Your aliases
------------
1 draw halfsword
2 draw dagger boots
3 throw dagger

>3 Amos northIt's good for spells as well with "alias UberDeath cast 'wek un krath petro kral'" so when I use it I do "UberDeath Amos"

[Yang]

You both are missing the point entirely.

[Delirium]

The point being that @ serves as a placeholder in the alias.

Take, for example MUSHclient's alias system:

% serves as a variable placeholder.

You can set up an alias:

The actual command:
change language %

The alias:
speak *

The command you enter:
speak <sirihish/allundean/whateverlanguage>


The % serves as a variable placeholder.

What Yang is suggesting is that @ serve as that variable placeholder so that you could alias commands with differing targets (such as "3 amos" being what you'd type for "throw knife amos north").

I like it.

[Yang]

When I was posting the idea, I thought to myself: 'Delirium will like this idea, therefor it must kick ass.'

Honestly.

The applications are much larger than just a throw alias. It all depends on how complex it would be to put the placeholder into the age old alias system.

And as for this 'use a client' comment, I've always been against clients, even when I played a very effective pkiller on a hack and slash where everyone used them. I believe a mud should be playable from a basic telnet prompt.

[Malifaxis]

Having played on a mud where this was possible, I must say that it definitely makes it *much* easier to play on a base telnet prompt.  I was a hardcore telnet soapboxer for many many years.  "If you can't mud from base telnet, you're a candyass!" and whatnot.  

I support.

[Socko]

I don't understand.

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

Blah, nevermind.

[John]

You both are missing the point entirely.

No I get the point, I just don't think with something as limited as aliases (of which you're only allowed 10), there's much use adding too many functions to it. I'd want more then 10 aliases before I wanted additional functionality.

I've always been against clients...I believe a mud should be playable from a basic telnet prompt.

Adding functionality to alias isn't going to make Arm -that- much more playable on telnet. IMO alias is like brief. Something that should be used sparingly. I figure if you want more functionality on things like alias or color, use a client. Otherwise use telnet.

Me, I don't know why someone would want to limit themself to telnet if they could use a client.

[Yang]

You can feel free to use a client, John. I'm not sure I can catch any constructive criticism from your posts though. You seem to be naysaying the idea for the sake of naysaying it. Plenty of people still use alias, for a great variety of reasons. You don't, you prefer clients. That's fine! But I don't understand the basis for an argument against something which is a simple addition and has very little negative impact in whatever way to anyone's gameplay. I see only positives.

I have seen the 'get a client' argument so much in the past, and it drives me nuts. It's barely even a client issue at all. It's about making an existing system a little more flexible for the playability and enjoyment of people who still prefer to use alias heavily: myself included.

If you can come up with some other reason other than your personal preference for clients why you would be against this, by all means, let's delve into the pros and cons of the proposed adjustment. Otherwise just go use your client! No problem at all, no harm done, and you'll not even notice or care for what is done to alias. Thanks!

[John]

I'm not sure I can catch any constructive criticism from your posts though. You seem to be naysaying the idea for the sake of naysaying it.

I'm nasaying it because I don't feel that the alias function is useful enough to add more functionality to it. Until we can have more then 10 aliases, I'll continue to feel that way.

But I don't understand the basis for an argument against something which is a simple addition and has very little negative impact in whatever way to anyone's gameplay. I see only positives.

I'd rather see the staff spend their time on something else, as I feel that whilever we're only limited to 10 aliases, the usefulness of it is extremely limited to such a degree that adding more functionality to it while keeping the 10 alias limit would be fairly pointless. Would the usefulness to alias be increased with this? Yes. But nowhere near enough to warrant implementing it when we're limited to a mere 10 aliases.

I did make this point in my very first post (saying that it would be pointless with the throwing dagger example as four tenths of the aliases would be used up on it) and clarified in my second post (saying that I don't see the point to making the alias system more complex until the amount of aliases we can have is increased). Sorry I wasn't clear enough.

[Yang]

Adding more than 10 aliases would be great too, but I actually believe that having a placeholder command to the existing 10 would allow a certain flexibility to make those 10 go as far as 20 or 30 might in some circumstances.

[ThirdEye]

I didn't miss the point. It is very possible with a MUD client.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I like the idea. But as John says, it wouldn't serve much now, not until we have access to more aliases. And there a ton of other things I'd rather se coded first.

That's all beyond the point.

I like the idea.

[mansa]

I wish it was longer and more advanced.  I use alias all the time for everything, even little notes to remind myself.

However, I've been using the Bio command to add notes, now.  bio add kill this dude; oh yeah, templar said to kill this dude, he's pretty stupid;~;save

[Xygax]

The alias system is a convenience for new players, really.  If you want to create sophisticated aliases, learn to use the aliases/substitutions/etc. within your MUDclient.

The same goes for modifications to infobar.  I have a tinyfugue macro that parses my prompt and updates the visual-bar in TF with my hits, mana, stun, etc.

(this is just my opinion, btw, one of the other coders may be interested in improving those systems, just not me)

-- X

[Dalmeth]

Why anyone would want to suffer through basic telnet is beyond me.  It's been years since you had to.  Evolve already.  I can point you to the absolutely free one I currently use for all sorts of extremely useful, non-gimpy things.

[diealot2l2l]

Why anyone would want to suffer through permadeath is beyond me. It's been years since you had to. Evolve already. I can point you to the absolutely ressurrecting MUD I currently use for all sorts of extremely useful, non-gimpy mudding.

Not to be rude.  But if the guy wants to put out an idea to make -his- game more enjoyable...  Stop trying to force the guy to get a client.  If there is no IMM willing to code it, he's out of luck anyway.  It doesn't affect you ICly, and it really doesn't even affect you OOCly.  I'm not flaming, I'm just saying chill.  If he doesn't want to use a client, because he feels he has more fun..  Then more power to him.

[Delirium]

However, I've been using the Bio command to add notes, now.  bio add kill this dude; oh yeah, templar said to kill this dude, he's pretty stupid;~;save

Not to pick on the mansa, but wasn't it specified that the Bio command isn't supposed to be used for notes?

[Dalmeth]

Not to be rude.

You are being rude.  Deal.

But if the guy wants to put out an idea to make -his- game more enjoyable...  Stop trying to force the guy to get a client.  If there is no IMM willing to code it, he's out of luck anyway.  It doesn't affect you ICly, and it really doesn't even affect you OOCly.  I'm not flaming, I'm just saying chill.  If he doesn't want to use a client, because he feels he has more fun..  Then more power to him.

So, the coders are supposed to change the MUD to make it more like a MUD client because some players won't get one?  The logic escapes me.

[diealot2l2l]

I was not being rude.  Being rude requires intent.  It was my intention to ask people to back off, and make a point, not to injure feelings.  Especially since I get nothing out of this exchange, whatesoever.

And, like I said, if a coder picks it up as a fun idea?  Awesome!

If not?  Oh well.

The coders aren't required to do it.  It was just an idea.  Like the several hundred other ideas that float around the gdb at any one time.  Don't tell him how to enjoy his game.  Thats all there is to it.

[chang]

Being rude requires intent.

This changes everything.  :shock:
Behold.

[Sir Diealot]

Stop derailing the thread.

That is, in reality, rude.  

I used the wrong word, since rudeness is typified by uncouth or uncivilized behavior, and I was making a point, without meaning to injure feelings.  I do not know what to call that, and I apologize for being unclear enough to allow you to grief over such a small thing.

[Morgenes]

This thread had degenerated to name calling and flaming.  I think everyone has said their peace so I'm locking this one.