[MUD-Dev] Re: Verb binding

[Adam Wiggins]

> [Adam W:]
> 
> [Flamethrower example]
> 
> [Suggestion that the base system should have specific, perhaps harder
> to type, commands for most things, and a decent aliasing facility with
> which the player can make their own simpler forms.]
> 
> I think I like this concept. It also ties in with the discussion going
> on about handling ambiguity. As a user I think I prefer to not have
> the computer make assumptions for me. I will admit that I'm biased by
> being a fairly fast typist! So, my job here will be to make a more
> powerful aliasing system, and get rid of a few special-case commands,
> and ...

Well, I type 100 wpm but I'm lazy as hell.  Anything that I have to
regularly type on a mud that's more than about 10 characters quickly
gets aliased.  Of course, I've used a client for most of the ~3 years I've
been mudding, so there are certain commands I *always* use going from
mud to mud, and I just alias them to match up with whatever the actual
command is on that mud.
I think one important thing is to make aliasing a fundamental part of
playing the game, so that players get used to it straight off.  LP, Nightmare
etc are this way.  One "problem" with diku is that, even though built-in
aliases have been part of stock for a long time, most people don't seem to
use them if they don't have a client.  Part of the reason, I think, is the
command completion...I substitute "pfe" to be "cast 'protection from evil'"
but most people just type "c 'p f e'".