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<H1>[MUD-Dev] Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</H1>
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<LI><em>To</em>: Greg Miller <<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A>></LI>
<LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</LI>
<LI><em>From</em>: Travis Casey <<A HREF="mailto:efindel#io,com">efindel#io,com</A>></LI>
<LI><em>Date</em>: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 20:56:52 -0400</LI>
<LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI>
<LI><em>Sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu">mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu</A></LI>
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<PRE>
On Wednesday, June 02, 1999, Greg Miller wrote:
> "Travis S. Casey" wrote:
>> I think that trying to make a full natural language parser is a bit much,
>> but I'd personally prefer to be able to type:
>>
>> get red sword and blue sword
>> n
>>
>> or, if the red and blue swords are the only swords in the room:
>>
>> get all swords
>> n
>>
> I prefer "get red and blue swords" and "get swords" for these cases.
> They're plain english, less typing that anything suggested so far, and
> they're likely among the first things new players will try.
I'd also prefer the "get red and blue swords" -- I used the example I
did because I haven't seen a mud that supports that syntax. I can
see a way to do it, but I've been trying to use examples that my own
parser would accept.
I'm not sure that I like "get swords" -- it's very ambiguous. What if
there are five swords in the room? Does the user want 2, 3, 4, or 5
of them?
I put in support for "get swords" meaning "get all swords" at one
point, but never made a firm decision on whether to keep it or not. I
probably would have wound up making it a switchable thing, so users
could choose whether or not to use it, and turn it on by default.
I suppose I could have "get swords" work if there are only two swords,
and ask "How many?" if there are more than two, but I prefer to avoid
such prompts.
>> Personally, I'm interested in parsing not to make the command language be
>> English, but to make it easier and more flexible to use. That's one
>> reason that I decided to make my own parser under MudOS instead of using
>> the MudOS one -- the Lima people had too much of an emphasis on requiring
>> commands to be grammatically correct for my taste.
> Have you looked at the DiscWorld mudlib? I've found it saves me quite a
> bit of typing, simply by interpreting short english sentences to mean
> what they do in english rather than requiring odd constructs like "all
> swords" or "all.sword"
I wouldn't consider "all swords" an odd construct, myself... it's
perfectly standard English, and is not as ambiguous as "get swords".
I agree on "all.sword", though.
>> (On most LP muds, "get sword 2" is how you'd get the second sword listed
>> in the room. On Lima, it was "get second sword". I recall someone asking
>> if understanding of the "get sword 2" syntax could be added, and Beek
>> replying that he could, but he wouldn't, since "get sword 2" was not
>> English. That's the kind of thing that I think is excessive.)
> Maybe they were roleplayers gone overboard? I've seen the occasional
> complaint that traditional mud commands interfere with roleplaying (then
> again, I've also seen arguments over whether the mud should simulate
> incorrect spelling for npcs to match players, or simple run spell- and
> grammar-checking on player speech in order to improve "role-playing". Go
> figure.)
Yep... I think there are reasonable limits to everything. Making
interfaces "more correct" at a cost to usability seems dumb to me.
--
|\ _,,,---,,_ Travis S. Casey <efindel#io,com>
ZZzz /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ No one agrees with me. Not even me.
|,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-'
'---''(_/--' `-'\_)
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<LI><STRONG><A NAME="00399" HREF="msg00399.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</A></STRONG>
<UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> Greg Miller <gmiller#classic-games,com></LI></UL></LI>
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<ul><li>Thread context:
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<LI><STRONG>Re: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00398" HREF="msg00398.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</A></strong>,
Greg Miller <a href="mailto:gmiller#classic-games,com">gmiller#classic-games,com</a>, Wed 02 Jun 1999, 23:24 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00388" HREF="msg00388.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</A></strong>,
Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Wed 02 Jun 1999, 14:30 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00391" HREF="msg00391.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</A></strong>,
Travis S. Casey <a href="mailto:efindel#io,com">efindel#io,com</a>, Wed 02 Jun 1999, 15:31 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00399" HREF="msg00399.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</A></strong>,
Greg Miller <a href="mailto:gmiller#classic-games,com">gmiller#classic-games,com</a>, Wed 02 Jun 1999, 23:24 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00410" HREF="msg00410.html">[MUD-Dev] Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</A></strong>,
Travis Casey <a href="mailto:efindel#io,com">efindel#io,com</a>, Thu 03 Jun 1999, 00:52 GMT
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00414" HREF="msg00414.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</A></strong>,
David Bennett <a href="mailto:ddt#discworld,imaginary.com">ddt#discworld,imaginary.com</a>, Thu 03 Jun 1999, 01:31 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00401" HREF="msg00401.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</A></strong>,
Greg Miller <a href="mailto:gmiller#classic-games,com">gmiller#classic-games,com</a>, Wed 02 Jun 1999, 23:25 GMT
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00415" HREF="msg00415.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</A></strong>,
Kylotan <a href="mailto:kylotan#kylotan,force9.co.uk">kylotan#kylotan,force9.co.uk</a>, Thu 03 Jun 1999, 01:48 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00383" HREF="msg00383.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Text Parsing</A></strong>,
Travis S. Casey <a href="mailto:efindel#io,com">efindel#io,com</a>, Wed 02 Jun 1999, 12:50 GMT
</LI>
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