If I could have one staff power...

[Lizzie]

It'd be to fix typos and other text errors. I'd want authority to fix any and all, including typos on PCs, NPCs, fix inconsistencies such as: The green-eyed girl is here. (look girl returns:) She has hair, skin, teeth, nose, mouth, arms, legs, tall, thin, nice feet, but absolutely no reference at all to her eyes. And I'd fix that. I'd change her sdesc, OR I'd add a sentence to her mdesc to include some kind of green eyes.

I would make a wand that when pointed at duplicate npcs it would destroy one.

+1

[Chettaman]

I would drive small - exciting plots.

[Asmoth]

It'd be to fix typos and other text errors. I'd want authority to fix any and all, including typos on PCs, NPCs, fix inconsistencies such as: The green-eyed girl is here. (look girl returns:) She has hair, skin, teeth, nose, mouth, arms, legs, tall, thin, nice feet, but absolutely no reference at all to her eyes. And I'd fix that. I'd change her sdesc, OR I'd add a sentence to her mdesc to include some kind of green eyes.

I would make a wand that when pointed at duplicate npcs it would destroy one.

+1

A long time ago I think Sanvean said to typo dups, so if you look at my typos they are probably 98% duplicate npcs

[Jave]

I'd like to be able to code java script.
Then I could stop asking Nergal to do it for me.

[Hauwke]

Jave you already have staff things to some degree dont you? But I do agree with the sentiment of: I would do it all by myself if I could and be even more productive than the current Jave. (Which is already friggen productive)

[Fujikoma]

Add the Byn latrine poop-splash code, randomly triggered, to the Gaj.

[Armaddict]

This changed from staff powers to random tiny code wants thread that we had that time.

Where did that thread go? It had tons of cool little ideas in it.

[Culinary Critic]

Animate Muk Utep.  Have Tuluk to myself!!!

Animate Tektolnes.  Make spice legal (though heavily taxed, thus very expensive) in the city.  Elevate that damn beggar to Red Robe and put him in charge of...oh, I don't know, My Arm.

[Fujikoma]

Animate Muk Utep.  Have Tuluk to myself!!!

Animate Tektolnes.  Make spice legal (though heavily taxed, thus very expensive) in the city.  Elevate that damn beggar to Red Robe and put him in charge of...oh, I don't know, My Arm.

Bonus points if te beggar keeps his old scripts.

[IAmJacksOpinion]

Where does Arm use JavaScript? I figured it was C / C++.

[Knight of Knives]

It doesn't matter what power it is.

I would revel in it.

[Lizzie]

Animate Muk Utep.  Have Tuluk to myself!!!

Animate Tektolnes.  Make spice legal (though heavily taxed, thus very expensive) in the city.  Elevate that damn beggar to Red Robe and put him in charge of...oh, I don't know, My Arm.

Bonus points if te beggar keeps his old scripts.

I used to travel the world! Isahn the Red once stumbled over me!

[RogueGunslinger]

This changed from staff powers to random tiny code wants thread that we had that time.

Where did that thread go? It had tons of cool little ideas in it.

It was locked and deleted. I don't remember why, but I considered it to be a very dumb reason at the time.

[Eurynomos]

Where does Arm use JavaScript? I figured it was C / C++.

We primarily use Javascript, now.

[Asmoth]

Where does Arm use JavaScript? I figured it was C / C++.

We primarily use Javascript, now.

I would have figured by the way nessalin does the code updates that most of the functions of staff are handled by tools and builder scripts.


What new programming is actually needed?  With the exception of new spells and skills.

[JackGibbons]

I doubt they've re-implemented DIKU in JS run on Node or something, but it may be that the main development push is all the web tool editors. Or they got really ambitions and integrated a JS interpreter into the C/C++ engine. But I'd be surprised.

[nessalin]

Or they got really ambitions and integrated a JS interpreter into the C/C++ engine. But I'd be surprised.

Since the late 90s, actually.

[JackGibbons]

Or they got really ambitions and integrated a JS interpreter into the C/C++ engine. But I'd be surprised.

Since the late 90s, actually.

Well, then. Nice job, guys. SOI was still trundling along on their own built-in language, but with further extensions. It's what the builders are use to. JS would be far more functional.

[Armaddict]

Or they got really ambitions and integrated a JS interpreter into the C/C++ engine. But I'd be surprised.

Since the late 90s, actually.

Purely out of curiosity as an up-and-coming programmer...what prompted the change over from C to JS?  Was it due to code knowledge, or was there a specific utilitarian reason?

[hopeandsorrow]

Or they got really ambitions and integrated a JS interpreter into the C/C++ engine. But I'd be surprised.

Since the late 90s, actually.

Purely out of curiosity as an up-and-coming programmer...what prompted the change over from C to JS?  Was it due to code knowledge, or was there a specific utilitarian reason?

If I were to take a stab, C is structured programming while JS is Object Oriented.  Especially 80's/90's era C.

But I'm not a programmer, I'm an EDI analyst.

[Armaddict]

Huh.  I did not know that, I'd used it in very limited doses and thought it was still procedural.  Thanks!

/derail

[Desertman]

I would just shit on everyone.

Just absolutely shit on them.

I would make their mounts shit on them. (Happened to me more than a few times. I would be in good company in staff land.)
I would make other people's mounts shit on them. (See above. Also happened to me more than once. Not even my mount. Twice.)
I would make shit randomly fall from above and land on them. (Also happened to me. Not even joking.)
I would hit them with storms made out of shit...yes..literal shitstorms. (More than a few people were there for this.)
I would make random people puke on them too, which isn't shit, but is kind of on par. (Also happened to me twice.)

All of this with the same PC.

When I say staff shit on me. I don't mean they intentionally knocked me down. I mean they literally took multiple shits on me in multiple situations.

Shit....shit everywhere....shit all the fuck over me...

Get shit on Desertman. Literally. Dookie in your hair motherfucker.

Look at your inventory.

A coil of slimy fucking shit.

That's right. They didn't just do the echoe. They actually gave you pieces of shit to deal with on a coded level.

GET FUCKING SHIT ON



tldr: I would use my staff powers to poo on people and add it to the thread I'm sure they have in staff land devoted specifically to recording their poo related antics.

[JackGibbons]

derail/

Or they got really ambitions and integrated a JS interpreter into the C/C++ engine. But I'd be surprised.

Since the late 90s, actually.

Purely out of curiosity as an up-and-coming programmer...what prompted the change over from C to JS?  Was it due to code knowledge, or was there a specific utilitarian reason?

I think the most useful feature is that it's interpreted, so you can just have the game re-load the scripts from file when you want to make changes, instead of having to force everyone to endure a reboot.

/derail

[nessalin]

To be clear, the game engine is in C.

In the late 90s Tenebrius put hooks into the C code to allow javascripts to run.  This involved giving javascript knowledge of game structures (characters, rooms, objects) and their properties, as well as creating functions in javascript that could pass instructions off to the game (move this object here, send this message to that character, load this object up, decrease this character's hit points by 20, etc...).

At the time we had had two home-brew programming languages, already.  DMPL (Dan's Mud Programming Language) which, to the author's credit, still runs parts of the game.  The other was HASL, Hal's Armageddon Scripting Language, which didn't hit critical mass, but was used briefly.

Later Xygax joined staff and made improvements to the JS implementation.  Better error handling, memory management, and giving feedback to people on their scripts which improved their quality and the ability of the people contributing.

For the most part if you can program in javascript, you can write code for (preferably smallish) things on Armageddon.  We try to limit it from getting out of hand.  Generally if a javascript is getting a lot of action (say, getting attached to every NPC in the game), we'll move that over to the C code for reasons like speed and so every NPC created doesn't need the script attached.  In this area javascript is great for working out the logic, details, gotchas without requiring reboot after reboot.

The other reason we try to limit it's use for things that are 'too large' is that control of how the game operates can quickly escape the grasp of the majority of staff.  A script could, easily, simulate a bank, or two banks, or 15 banks.  At which point you end up with 15 banks, each having their own command syntax, methods of storing your balance, with all of them pissing in each other's jello. A script could be written to simulate a new guild, without there actually being a new guild, controlling skills and branching - but working at odds with the game code, which would be trying to adjust skills in a different way.

While Javascript does run a large portion of the game, it is not the game's core engine, which is what handles combat, magick (although plenty of spells rely on javascripts that make the objects, rooms, and characters affected by the spell do this or that), shops, movement and other things that are universal behavior.  In places where these act differently (such as a door that seems different from all other doors in the game), chances are a javascript is running it.

[LauraMars]

^^ Really interesting post. Thanks!