WanderWrld.txt

WANDER .WRLD SYNTAX            4/80           WANDER .WRLD SYNTAX



SYNTAX OF THE .WRLD FILE FOR WANDER


     The  _._w_r_l_d  file  contains all the location‐specific information to
     describe a particular "world".

     The file consists of a series of entries separated by blank  lines,
     each  describing  one  location  in  a  particular  state or in all
     states.

     The description of a location for a particular state consists of  a
     location  number  followed  by  a period and a state number, (state |
     numbers start at 0), an optional  short  description,  an  optional
     long description, and a series of actions possible in that state of
     the location.

     The description of a location for all states consists of a location
     number  with no state number, an optional short description, an op‐
     tional long description, and a series of actions  possible  in  all
     states of the location.



LOCATION NUMBER & SHORT‐DESCRIPTION

     The format of the location number & short‐description is:
     (a sequence of spaces or tabs is represented by <SEP> here)

     _#_l_n_u_m_b_e_r <SEP> _s_h_o_r_t_‐_d_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n

     or

_#_l_n_u_m_b_e_r_._s_n_u_m_b_e_r <SEP> _s_h_o_r_t_‐_d_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n

     _L_n_u_m_b_e_r_,  (location  number), is a decimal number in the range 1 to |
     ???, (this limit, commonly 256 or 512, is defined by MAXLOCS in the
     file "wanddef.h"), preceded by ’#’.

     _S_n_u_m_b_e_r_, (state number), is a decimal number in the range 0 to 127.

     If the first form is used, (#lnumber), the follwing lines  describe
     the  "base state", i.e. characteristics shared by ALL states of the
     given location.  If the second form  is  used,  (#lnumber.snumber),
     the following lines are only active when the specified state is ac‐
     tive.

     _S_h_o_r_t_‐_d_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n is a one‐line description used  to  identify  the
     location after its full description has already been given.

     Wander  initially  places  the user in state 0 of location 1 unless |
     the user specifies differently by setting the variable "CUR_LOC" in |
     the  _._m_i_s_c  file,  (see  ".misc" documentation).  The assignment of |
     numbers to locations is entirely up to the user and they  need  not
     be in any particular order in the _._w_r_l_d file.

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LONG‐DESCRIPTION

     _L_o_n_g_‐_d_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n  may  be  up  to 4096 characters in length (set by
     BUFSIZE in wanddef.h), and may contain any number of lines, but may
     not  contain a line starting with a <HT> (horizontal tab character)
     or ’#’ unless the whole thing is in quotes because the  first  such
     line indicates the beginning of the next section, (actions or a new
     location/state).  It’s common to enclose the entire  long  descrip‐
     tion  in  quotes  in which case lines may begin with a <HT> or ’#’.
     If the long description is not quoted but you need  spaces  at  the
     beginning  of  a line, a line starting with an escaped space, "\ ",
     will work.


ACTIONS

     The format of actions is as follows:

<SEP>_m_a_t_c_h<SEP>_d_e_s_t<SEP>_c_o_n_t<SEP>_f_i_e_l_d<SEP>_f_i_e_l_d<SEP> . . .  _m_=_t_e_x_t _m_s_g

     All of these fields, with the exception of _m_a_t_c_h_, are optional.     |

     _M_a_t_c_h is either one or several words, often thought of as  verb  or
     verb & object.  If it is more than one word the words are separated
     by escaped spaces or are enclosed in quotes.  This word (or  words)
     is  matched  against  the  user’s  input by a minimal match process
     which facilitates abbreviation.  _M_a_t_c_h  patterns  can  be  combined
     with logical OR as _m_a_t_c_h | _m_a_t_c_h | . . .
     For example,
light\ up|smoke  t?cigarettes  m="Eeech! These butts taste awful!"
     Which is equivalent to:
"light up"  t?cigarettes  m="Eeech!  These butts taste awful!"
smoke  t?cigarettes  m="Eeech!  These butts taste awful!"

     The  verb  "*" is a special case that matches anything typed by the
     user.

     _D_e_s_t is the number of the location to which the user will be  moved
     if  all  tests succeed and is optional.  A value of 0, (or omission
     of the dest field), provides no movement  while  a  negative  value
     ends  the  game  (‐1  is  a  verbose exit, ‐2 is a silent exit like
     "quit").  A variable value like "%4%" will be replaced by the  con‐
     tents of of the appropriate variable, (variable 4 in this example),
     evaluated at the time the user types the command.

     The optional _c_o_n_t argument is either "..." or ",,,".   Either  form
     indicates  that even if this action passes all tests and is carried
     out the search should continue for any further actions that  match,
     thus allowing multiple actions to be triggered by a single command.
     The ",,," form requires that another match be found for the command
     to  be  "satisfied" and the program will complain if none is found,
     while the "..." form does not; (it is common to use ",,,"  for  ac‐
     tions that are "transparent" or hidden from the user).



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     The _m_=_t_e_x_t _m_s_g argument may contain an arbitrary text message of up
     to 512 characters.  This message is output as the last step in car‐ |
     rying out the results of an action.  "\b", "\n", "\r", and "\t" are
     interpreted as backspace, return‐line‐feed, return and tab  respec‐
     tively.   The  construction "%3%" is replaced by the value of vari‐
     able 3.  The constructions "%INP_W1%", "%INP_W2%", ..., "%INP_W5%",
     are  replaced by the words used in the last input command that were
     recognized by the parser.  The replacement of "\" and  "%"  symbols
     is done at output time.

     The  _f_i_e_l_d arguments contain test/result specifications.  There may
     be up to eight, _f_i_e_l_d_s in any action, (this number can  be  changed |
     by  redefining  MAXFIELDS in "wanddef.h"), and there may be several
     of a single type.  The result fields are carried  out  in  left‐to‐
     right order.

     The possible test fields are:

     _t_e_s_t _f_i_e_l_d      _s_u_c_c_e_e_d_s _i_f
     t?obj          User has obj ("tool")
     t?obj@lval     User has obj ("tool") and is at loc #val
     t~obj          User does not have obj ("tool")
     t~obj@lval     User does not have obj or is not at loc #val
     o?obj          Obj is here (either being carried or in location)
     o?obj@lval     Obj is at loc #val (includes carrying)
     o~obj          Obj is not here
     o~obj@lval     Obj is not at loc #val
     c?val          Random chance of success, (val% in this case)
     s?lval.sval    Location lval is in state sval
     s~lval.sval    Location lval is not in state sval
     v?sval.bval    Variable lval is equal to bval
     v~sval.bval    Variable lval is not equal to bval
     v<sval.bval    Variable lval is less than bval
     v>sval.bval    Variable lval is greater than bval
     b?lval.sval    The "been" count for loc lval == sval                |
     b~lval.sval    The "been" count for loc lval != sval                |
     b<lval.sval    The "been" count for loc lval < sval                 |
     b>lval.sval    The "been" count for loc lval > sval                 |

     The possible result fields are:

     _f_i_e_l_d           _r_e_s_u_l_t
     s=lval.sval    Set state of location lval to sval
     s+lval.sval    Add sval to state of location lval
     s‐lval.sval    Subtract sval from state of location lval
     v=sval.bval    Set variable sval to bval
     v+sval.bval    Add bval to var sval (16 bits, 2’s comp)
     v‐sval.bval    Sub bval from var sval1 (0 if result is neg)
     v*sval.bval    Multiply var sval by bval (16 bits, 2’s comp)
     v/sval.bval    Divide var sval by bval (16 bits, 2’s comp)
     o‐obj          Object "obj" disappears from this loc (if here)
     o‐obj@lval     "obj" disappears from loc val (if there)
     o+obj          Object "obj" appears at this location
     o+obj@lval     Object "obj" appears at loc lval
     t‐obj          If object "obj" was being carried it disappears
     t‐obj@lval     If "obj" was being carried at loc lval it disappears

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     t+obj          Object "obj" is now being carried
     t+obj@lval     "obj" is now being carried if its in loc lval
     c=command      "command" replaces the users input command
     w=foo          "foo.misc" & "foo.wrld" become the new environment
     b=lval.sval    Set the "been" count for loc lval to sval            |
     b+lval.sval    Add sval to the "been" count for loc lval            |
     b‐lval.sval    Sub sval from the "been" count for loc lval          |

     In  the above, "sval" must be in the range 0 to 127, "lval" must be
     in the range 0 to 255, (or whatever the maximum location is,  check |
     the  "~version"  command  or  the  definition  of MAXLOCS in "wand‐ |
     def.h"), and "bval" must be in the range ‐32768 to  32767,  Any  of
     these  may  be  expressions  of the form "%sval%" where sval is the
     number of a variable (in the range 0 to 127).  In the  %sval%  case
     the value of the variable is substituted at the time of the action.
     For instance "v=1.%3%" will save the current value of variable 3 in
     variable  1.   The  special  variables described in the main _W_a_n_d_e_r
     documentation file may also be used, (CUR_LOC, MAX_CARRY, etc).

     The "been to" counter for each location is an 8‐bit counter associ‐ |
     ated  with  that  location;  it is zero until the location has been |
     seen; after that it is incremented each time a description is given |
     and then reset to 1 each time a long description is given.


EXAMPLES

     A few examples may help: (lines beginning with ":" are comments and
     describe the line or lines preceding them.)

#12            Spaceport Bar
:  short description used for all states of location 12
You are in the Spaceport Bar on Aldebaran III, which is now deserted
except for you and the burly bartender whose eyestalks keep twitching
in your direction.  A large sign hangs over the bar.
:  long description for all states of location 12
     read\ sign  t~dictionary  m="The sign is in some local dialect."
:  if the user has no dictionary and asks to read the sign then this
:  message is output and Wander awaits further input.  (Note no dest)
     read  m="The sign says \"All humans MUST show papers before leaving!\""
:  if the user asks to read the sign and gets this far he/she must have
:  the dictionary; the message is output and Wander awaits further input.
:  note the escaped quotes.
     buy\ drink  v>6.4  v‐6.5  m="It cost 5 credits but it’s good!"
:  if the user types "buy drink" and variable 6 (which, in this case,
:  represents how many credits she/he has) is greater than 4 (i.e.
:  5 or more) then the user gets a drink and loses 5 credits.  Note
:  that if the user types "buy" there will only be a partial match
:  and Wander will ask "buy what?"  If, on the other hand, the user
:  types "buy peanuts" Wander will answer "You can’t buy peanuts here".
     buy\ drink  m="A drink costs 5 credits and you ain’t got it."
:  this catches the paupers
     buy   o?%INP_W2%  m="The %INP_W2%’s not for sale."
     buy   m="I’m all out of %INP_W2%, buddy."
:  if the user asks to buy something else, e.g. drugs, a reasonable
:  answer is given, depending on whether it’s there or not.

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#12.0
:  Header for state 0 of loc 12.  Since no short description or long
:  description are provided they default to the all‐state ones above.
:  the following are state 1 actions
     leave  ‐1  m="With an amazingly graceful movement for someone\
his size, the bartender leaps\nover the bar and clubs you to death\
while pointing at the sign!"
:  if the user types "leave" or "out" without first showing papers
:  the bartender kills him/her and the dest of ‐1 ends the game.
:  Note that the message has escaped line‐feeds in it for readability
:  which are ignored by Wander.  When real line‐feeds are needed,
:  "\n" is used instead.
     show\ papers  s=12.1  m="He checks you papers and grunts happily."
:  to match this the user must have typed "show papers".  Wander
:  prints the happy grunting bartender message and the state of
:  this location (12) is changed to 1, (it was zero), all further
:  input will be interpreted according to the state 1 actions below

#12.1
:  because no short description is provided here the all‐state one
:  (above) is used.
You are in the Spaceport Bar on Aldebaran III, which is now deserted
except for you and the burly bartender who has brought you a drink,
(on the house), after learning that you are a user of UNIX software.
:  the long description for state 1 (followed by state 1 actions)
     leave  13  m="The bartender wriggles a pseudopod in farewell."
:  now it’s okay to leave.  The user is moved to location 13.
     ask  o+map  m=\
"The barkeep feigns ignorance, but leaves something lying on the bar."
:  if the user types anything beginning with "ask", the bartender
:  plays innocent but the "o+map" leaves the map to be taken.
     read map  o?map  m="It’s too dark in here to decipher it."
:  we expect the user to try this, but we want to put it off a little.

:  the preceding blank line ends location 12.
#13            Outside Bar
You’re just outside a large door with a peeling sign that reads
"      Ladies and Frelks welcome"
To the north an alley winds between this building and another one to
the west while to the east lies a large spaceport.
:  the long description for state 0 (the only one we’ve used) of loc 13
:  note the " was used to begin a line with spaces.
     *   t?map  ...  m=\
"The map in your hand glows briefly and  you read the words:
Find Ignarp in Crystal City and tell him ’Axolotyl’.
Then the map turns into sooty ash."
:  If the user has the map, no matter what’s been typed, this one
:  is invoked.  The long message is output and then Wander contimues
:  to try to match the user’s input (because of the "...").
     north  14  v>6.15  v‐6.127  m="As you step into the alley two\
 ruffians bump into you\nand make profuse apologies."
:  if the user enters the alley and has more than 15 units of credit the
:  ruffians pick his pocket and the "v‐6.127" leaves him with 0 credits.
     north  14
:  this matches "north" when the previous one doesn’t

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     east   20
     west   18
:  simple movement to other locations


     These few examples can’t demonstrate  all  the  possibilities,  but
     they should provide a beginning understanding of the mechanisms in‐
     volved.

     One last example ‐‐ Let’s assume that, rather  than  express  money
     simply  as  Cosmic  Credits,  we’d  like to also have a Credit Card
     which you must use to establish your identity.  We’d like the  ruf‐
     fians  to  lift  the  card itself and then use up 20 credits in the
     bar...  In location 13 the ruffian line would be replaced  by  this
     one:

     north  v>6.30  t?card  o+card@12  v‐6.20  s+12.2  m=\
"As you step into the alley two ruffians bump into you & make profuse apologies
(better check your pockets)."
:  if you have more than 30 credits (v>6.30)
:  and you’re carrying the credit card (t?card)
:  the card is moved to loc 12 (the Bar), and left there (o+card@12),
:  twenty credits are spent from your account (v‐6.20),
:  the state of the bar is increased by 2, (s+12.2)
:  loc/state 12.2 will contain two ruffians and an unfriendly barkeep,
:  loc/state 13.2 will contain two ruffians and a friendly barkeep,
:  finally, the message is printed.

     After  this  line has been executed the user can go back to the bar
     and retrieve his credit card  from  the  now‐drunk  ruffians.   You
     might want to allow pocket checking with something like:

     check\ pockets  t?watch ...  m="You’re carrying a watch."
:  if you have a watch mention it and continue
     check\ pockets  t?ring  ...  m="You’re carrying a ring."
:  if you have a ring mention it and continue
     check\ pockets  t~watch t~ring  ...  m="You’re empty‐pocketed."
:  if none of the expected items are there mention that and continue
:  (note that the program has a similar built‐in response for "inventory"
     check\ pockets  v=6.1  m="Your account now holds one measly credit."
:  being careful about singular/plural
     check\ pockets  m="Your account now holds %6% credits."
:  if it gets here then plural is safe



BUGS

     You  see,  I found the last bug; but when I killed it ... Well, the
     funeral procession reached three times around the computer room.







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SEE ALSO

     WanderMisc.txt, Wander.txt

                   Copyright (c) by Peter Langston, N.Y.C.
                            All rights reserved.



















































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