HRPT - How to deal alot of text

[Vynestra]

Alright,
I am definately new to this kind of HRPT thing (that stands for Huge Roplaying time, right?). Anyway, so I was kind of dragged into the action and was amazed at the amount of incredible work that the staff went into to set this up! Thank you!

My second and subsequent reactions were"Darn, there is a lot of text flying over my screen. I hope I am not being killed at the moment....Oh wait there I am mentioned....Oh wait someone is contacting me with the way! ....Uh oh, that big meanie is threatening me! ....Oh I better answer that way message from that important person.....Oh there is someone contacting me that isnt a VIP but is important to me I better respond.....That big meanie is threatening me again....You know I better emote an action here or they are going to think I am link dead....Wow there are a lot of people showing up. Do I dare start looking at them to see if they are noble? They kind of look noble. At least they appear important....Darn that one guy really can eat! More text keeps rolling by on the screen!"

So my question is...How in the heck do you deal with all of that text?! I was getting dizzy trying to keep up. On top of that I seriously thought I was going to be killed so I had that to worry about. I would suggest a little color in the game but I know that is tabboo and I might be strung up in RL for suggesting it. Or worse that one mean templar is going to knock on my door in RL. Maybe there could be a switch in which you decide whether you want to get the mundane text or not? Like when someone is eating you can choose NOT to receive those emotes? Or mudane text that really doesnt do anything or give you anything to react to? I dont know but I have found you get 5 strong-willed people in the room trying to make a point and you can absolutely be crazy with trying to read the text fly by! I am not joking either! The text was scrolling so fast!

Anyway, it was totally a lot of fun last night! Thanks everyone! Especially you mean people!

[marko]

There can be a lot of spam when dealing with large numbers of PCs and NPCs - some people find it advantageous to use triggers in their MUD client to highlight certain things with... colour.

I don't use a client that is capable of doing that so don't ask me how.  

[moab]

When there is a lot of spammy text I often allow myself to be confused and unclear of just what is going on.  

This, to me, simulates what happens in RL in those really busy circumstances.

(is the mud's self-elected Luddite)

[Marauder Moe]

Also, don't be compelled to emote just for the sake of not appearing idle/linkdead.  As you said, there's a LOT of stuff going across your screen, as well as everyone else's screen.  The whole army doesn't need to see that you're scratching your nose.

EDIT: use thinks or hemotes instead.

[Vynestra]

Also, don't be compelled to emote just for the sake of not appearing idle/linkdead.  As you said, there's a LOT of stuff going across your screen, as well as everyone else's screen.  The whole army doesn't need to see that you're scratching your nose.

EDIT: use thinks or hemotes instead.

Oh I use the think command a lot Just about everything I had in my reactions were "thinks" That helps me react in someway and help me be in character.

I will have to type in Help Hemotes when I get a chance to get back in the game.

[Gaare]

HRPT usually stands for Highly Recommanded Playing Time, but I suppose Huge Roleplaying Time sounds good as well.

Actually, the answer to your question is shortly...: time and experience in front of mud screen. Though, here are a few tips I usually use:

i) Marko's suggestion is really useful, hopefully you are using a client that can highlight certain words. Especially that's important to know when you are disarmed. And, it is good not to miss psionic messages.

ii) If you are not playing an officer and/or leading some N/PCs keep your eyes mostly on your HP. Most probably officers would give pre-commands about what your PC should do if gets really hurt.

iii) "Help Brief". With new addition to brief (brief combat) should make mass-combat a bit more clear.

iv) You probably know, but unless your PC is not a leader, always depend on "assist" command. That really helps to keep your mind clear.

v) There is nothing, I can think of about using psionic way. Maybe, when your PC have some free time, s/he should practice to imporve abilities on that.

vi) If there is a lot of conversation going on you can not keep up.. Well, in those situations I play as Moab suggested.

[moab]

alright, Gaare brings up good points.

I have (due to lack of color on my side) found myself fighting several rounds without a weapon or on my backside without realizing it.  

Or even being dismounted and not realizing it.


These are bad events and things your character should know about.  Color is really a must for intense combat.

That said,  I still think it's a client-side thing. :-D

[UnderSeven]

If I'm not mistaken, I've recently read that the staff had made some changes to commands allowing you to gag what output you get on your screen.  That can be a wonderful to manage huge scrolling text.

Bigger screens can help too.

Another thing I've always liked doing is if you feel script savy, many mud clients will allow you to add color and highlight certain key words and phrases.  In the past I've had it highlight psionic messages, usually I'll highlight certain numbres on my prompt if they get too low.  I find the addition of color to be kind of nice.

*note: I don't THINK scripting your client to highlight text is against any rules, but if I'm wrong someone please point that out so I can stop doing it*

[Dalmeth]

alright, Gaare brings up good points.

I have (due to lack of color on my side) found myself fighting several rounds without a weapon or on my backside without realizing it.  

Or even being dismounted and not realizing it.


These are bad events and things your character should know about.  Color is really a must for intense combat.

That said,  I still think it's a client-side thing. :-D

Most of that is easily solved with the "prompt" command, but anyway, if you do get a client, one of the first color triggers or highlights I suggest you make is the five spaces,then the parenthesis, and the entire line after that.  Every bit of communication starts out with that, so every spoken or psionic message will be colored all the time, since the game sends all such communications as one line.

Oh, and by the way, input processing is against no rule set by the staff.  It's silly to think they would make such rules.  Also, there's no way to enforce it.

[Bogre]

*shrug*

Bright green is the default color for damage in Zmud on Arm, so it works well for me.

[Nao]

That said,  I still think it's a client-side thing. :-D

clients can't do all the spliffy nice things though, like coloring all PCs and NPCs in one color different than rooms, items another.

[moab]

Why not?

[Nao]

Cause items and shrot descriptions don't have specific trigger words - One word the all items have in common? doesn't exist, or it's so common that it will turn your entire screen blue (a/an)...?

Same goes for short descriptions - you could make them green on the word man_/woman, but that would also color emotes for the rest of the line, or one word only (how should your client know where the short description ends?) - and then there's all those characters that don't have man or woman in their short description - see the noun thread. Also, man or woman, like a or an show up way too often in things outside of short descriptions.

[Malken]

It just takes practice, really.. After a while, you know how to visually block what's important and what's not.. Your eyes will learn to catch the 'you' in emotes and speeches that tells you that they are directed toward your character, and you can focus on those for a start..

Another trick, if you're under attack or you know you'll be attacking, -always- make sure that you know that the keyword you will target is the character you wish to attack.. I'd recommend using assess, first, to make sure.. Quick deaths often happen because you have targetted the wrong 'dark' or the wrong 'blue'.. Try to explain ICly afterward why you've killed your Sergeant

Another thing.. Like someone said, if you're under attack and it gets -really- spammy, forget everything and just keep an eye on your health.. If you see your health starting to go down quickly, hit flee like a maniac. Forget flashy emotes on how your character is dodging a-la Matrix if you're under attack by 3-4 PCs and NPCs. Emote after.

[Morgenes]

You should avoid using assess to check keywords, instead use the OOC command 'keywords' as it gives you everything in the room that matches the keyword you suggest.

Code Select Expand

> keyword blue
  In the room:
     1.blue - the blue-haired freakazoid
     2.blue - the blue-maned sergeant


[Malken]

Wow, that's awesome.. I didn't even know you could do that

[Vynestra]

Wow! I am really glad now that I posted this question. I didnt know about 'keyword' or some of those other things. I am wondering now if there is a hand-holding document on how to set up your client to color certain things? I have played in other games that have all the objects in the room one color, the PCs and NPCs a color, and something else colored that I am not remember at the moment. But it makes it VERY readable. If I could do something like that on the client level it would greatly aide in what is going on. Right now it is like a mass of spammy text and I am feverishly trying to pick out the 'you' in it.

On the bright side it is amazing I am having the most fun in a while I have had. Apart from the spammy text it is really a neat experience.

[Dalmeth]

If you look at "help keyword" you'll also see a reference to the "count" command.  You can use both of these commands on what's inside containers too.  Very useful stuff.

By the way, I don't think you've informed us on what client you use, if you use one at all.  Once you do that, we can better help you to set up some kind of system.

[Vynestra]

I use something called SimpleMU. There are features in there that I know would help me if I set them up. I just havent gotten around to setting them up. People talked about scripting and all of that and it made my neck tense. I dont know much about any of that so I need something simple

[Cegar]

w00t. I love SimpleMU

[amoeba]

I use something called SimpleMU. There are features in there that I know would help me if I set them up. I just havent gotten around to setting them up. People talked about scripting and all of that and it made my neck tense. I dont know much about any of that so I need something simple

I may be wrong in this, but I don't think you can client side script color in SimpleMU, at least I couldn't find any place to do it in the unregistered version.   You may want to try asking in this thread: http://www.zalanthas.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20039

[Dalmeth]

I do remember something about scripting highlights from reading the features on the website.

Anyway, there will be a few components to a highlighting script.  First, whatever command it is you use to set it up.  Secondly, the line that you want to highlight.  You'll want to make this consist of a few "marker" words and fill in the rest with variables so your highlight is more flexible.  Then you have your color.  You may have to choose both a text and background color.

For instance, on my client, my highlight for my prompt is, "/highlight {^H:%0>} {green, back black}."  The "^" is a feature that my client uses to denote that the string I'm looking for is at the beginning of a line.  The "%0" is another client feature and conceptually represents the string of characters in between "H:" and ">"