Looking for tips on exploring the SoI world.

[jimhabegger]

I've learned to look and scan, to find out more about what's around me, and where I can go. I've learned to use "tables" to find out where I can sit. I know where to find information about interacting with objects. Now I'd like to know more about exploring the possibilities of whatever space I'm in, for example what kinds of interactions are possible with the objects, PCs and NPCs around me.

I'm posting from a borrowed cell phone. I still don't if or when I'll be able to play, while we're on this trip.

[Hazgarn]

"Exits" lists all the exits to the room, including the names of adjoining rooms, giving you an idea of the area around you. "scan <direction>" scans several rooms in the used direction, and "watch <direction>" automatically echoes the movements of characters and mobs in the rooms down the direction you're watching.

"Look objects" lists all the objects that are in the room, but not the room's description. This is essential when there are enough items to be shortened to a single "this area is strewn with objects". "Look corpses" does the same thing for all the corpses in a room when they are similarly shortened to "there are several corpses".

"Look", "examine" and "evaluate" give different information when used on an item. "Examine" will give you a list of crafts known to you that the item can be used for. "Evaluate" will give you an idea of the item's weight and its wear locations if it can be worn.

And most of the good roleplaying commands can be found here.

[tehkory]

look crowd lets you see the people in the room, look person group lets you see everyone following a certain person. check list red lets you see everything with the keyword red in the room, person or object. check list x in container for inside containers.

Qscan is a neat case. Gives you 3 rooms in each cardinal direction.

[EltanimRas]

"Look", "examine" and "evaluate" give different information when used on an item.

"Origins" will tell you something about its craftibility. I forget whether or not it matters if your PC actually has the relevant skill, though.

[Hazgarn]

"Origins" will tell you something about its craftibility. I forget whether or not it matters if your PC actually has the relevant skill, though.

I knew there was a command for that. I'd forgotten that one. Thanks.

[jimhabegger]

Hazgarn, tehkory, Eltanim, thank you for that information.

What kinds of possibilities are there with NPCs? For example, are there NPCs that can give directions, or answer questions about some people and places?

I'm still traveling, and posting from a borrowed phone.

I was picturing myself the next time I play, experimenting with every object and NPC in a space before going to the next room, but then I realized that doing that would break the RP, not only fot me but possibly for everyone around me.

Even trying to see which characters are NPCs would break the RP for me, and maybe for others too. Even trying to practice the commands has the same effect. I might go back to the Guest Lounge for any practicing and experimenting I want to do.

When it comes to exploring the possibilities in each space of the SoI world, I might try to approach it strictly from the point of view of my character. For example as my character, do I want to ask that person walking by how to get to the Inn? As my character, do I want to examine that object more closely? Then just emote whatever I might want to do as my character, without worrying about commands.

I might try that, just emoting everything for a while, as much as possible without worrying about commands.

It looks to me like often, if I don't know the commands for what I want to do, I can emote what I want to do, as my character, then get clues from my emotes about what the commands might be.

[jdidds]

Hi again Jim,

Npc's cannot speak unless an admin animates them for you, so they won't help you very much at all. I have seen this on other muds though, and it's pretty cool. You can almost have entire conversations with NPC's. Discworld MUD is one example.

A few commands and their syntax that should help you during your first days:

emote
(with emotes you can also tag players and objects, and talk.) To tag a player use ~<character keyword without the brackets> and to tag an object use *<keyword>. To talk, simply enclose what you're saying in "".

An example of an emote using all the above extras would be

emote runs down the street from the north, accidently tripping and falling in to ~brown 's cart sending *apples flying everywhere.

In the game world this would then look something like this:'

Jim runs down the street from the north, accidently tripping and falling in to a brown haired, dusky maiden with large boobs' cart sending a box of rosey red apples everywhere.

With emotes, you can also use yourself in the emote at any point you wish, not just at the begining. This is done by adding @.

So, using the above example.

emote Running down the street from the north, @ accidently trips and falls in to ~brown 's cart sending *apples flying everywhere.

This would then echo like this in the game world:

Running down the street from the north, Jim accidently trips and falls in to a brown haired, dusky maiden with large boobs' cart sending a box of rosey red apples everywhere.

open door <insert direction>

This will open the specific door. This works in all cases except for guarded and locked doors. If the door is locked, try knock door/gate or nod guard <direction>.

get <keyword>

This always you to pick this up. Don't use the brackets!

drop <keyword>

Opposite of get You can also add an emote and an omote in this command.

Example: drop sword (laying it down carefully on the ground, his eyes upon his aggressor) lies on the ground before @

World Echo would look like this:

Jim drops a longsword laying it down carefully on the ground, his eyes upon his aggressor

If you where to "look" in that room, you would see your omote'd sword lying on the ground (see helpfile on omote, pmote,dmote, voice, travel etc):

A longsword lies on the ground before Jim.

Say / Tell / Whisper / Talk / Shout

Say (doesn't target anyone, though you can still target them by entering an emote with the say)

Syntax: say (insert emote here. You can still target ~characters and *objects).

Tell blond (This directs the say to a specific character. Again you can use an emote)

Whisper blond (You whisper to the person, making it hard to hear for others)

Talk (used when you are following someone in a group or they are following you. Again you can still use emotes)

Shout (Your shout can be heard in all adjacent rooms).

Examine board (lets you look at the list of posts made IG by other players)

There are board in most common rooms and clan HQ's. Though, the only one accesible to you at the start will be the one at the inn. It's description is a group of patrons sit around discussing or something like that. Just enter exam board and you'll be fine.

Read Board 1 (will let you read the first post on that board).

Examine <object> Will let you examine an object

Examine / Look <character keyword>

Examine gives you a quick once over without the desc of the character.

Look gives you the desc of the character too.

There, should get you through a few days I hope Send me a PM if you need any help, or if you want someone to practice with in the guest lounge. Though, we're on opposite sides of the world, so it may be difficult.

I'm sure my fellow players will chime in here with other important commands

ETA:

List (lists all items available to buy from an NPC shopkeeper)

buy 1 (lets you buy the first item) You need to also enter the command ACCEPT to confirm your order.

eat (lets you eat. You can also add an emote like in a say command)

drink (same as eat)

jdidds out.

[EltanimRas]

The Imaginary Inn
Exits: north (closed door) west

This is an inn. It's filled with people and things that you almost certainly can't codedly interact with, but can emote about more or less to your heart's content, assuming due respect for realism. Self-aggrandizing silliness like 'emote The patrons cheer loudly as @ enters, lifting him up on their shoulders and carrying him to the bar' isn't going to go over well, obviously.

There are several furnishings here. 'Look furnishings' or just 'tables', as you mentioned, will tell you more about them, and they can all be individually looked at or sat at via, for example, 'sit bar'. Just like in real life, the bar is the best place for friendly interaction with strangers, if you want to share someone else's table you should ask first, and if you choose to sit alone at a table, others may assume you either want to be left alone or are waiting for someone specific.
Various patrons sit here gossiping and chatting. They're colored as if they were people (because ICly, of course, they are), but they're codedly a message board. As jdidds says, 'look board' will show you a list of posts and 'read <#>' will display an individual post. These posts should represent generally circulating gossip and common knowledge in the area. You can also make your own posts -- see 'help board' and the various additional files it points to ('help write', 'help erase', etc.) for more details.
A red brick fireplace sits here, cold and unlit. It's a coded object, and, while it's obviously too large to run off with, it can be codedly interacted with. 'Examine fireplace', as mentioned by Hazgarn, will tell you how to light it, for example.
A busty barmaid is here, bustling around with her busty bust.* She's a shopkeeper NPC, so unlike most NPCs, who exist purely for flavor [or combat, in the case of wild beasts], she may respond to limited commands. 'List' and 'buy' will work on almost all shopkeepers, while 'value' and 'sell' will work for those who buy from PCs. She the relevant helpfiles for more information.


*Riv made me put this in.

When it comes to exploring the possibilities in each space of the SoI world, I might try to approach it strictly from the point of view of my character. For example as my character, do I want to ask that person walking by how to get to the Inn? As my character, do I want to examine that object more closely? Then just emote whatever I might want to do as my character, without worrying about commands.

Nine times out of ten, this will work marvelously. Asking NPCs on the street for directions or attempting to initiate conversation with a barmaid are the exceptions -- but so long as you pretend they're busy and/or distracted rather than exceptionally rude or oblivious, everything should work out fine.

[Hazgarn]

The "nod" and "knock" commands are important for interacting with doorkeeping NPCs. The gates of Utterby are locked. To open them you need to "nod <npc>", and the guards are scripted to unlock and open the door for you so you can leave. To get back in, simply "knock <door>", and the guard will open it for you from the other side.