[MUD-Dev] string parsing

[Chris Gray]

[Ola F:]

:Or even better, but much more advanced, give the user feedback of the
:parsing during entering of input:
:
:types:  kill<tab>
:output: 'kill' (myself|green troll|blue troll) with (fist|knife|hammer)
:
:types:  kill gre<tab>
:output: 'kill green troll with' (fist|knife|hammer)
:
:etc.
:
:By adding contextsensitivity it should also be able to narrow down the
:choices of weapons by considering the monster at hand.

I think we've discussed this sort of thing here before, but as usual,
I only remember my opinion, and not any general concensus!

My problem with doing the above is that time passes between when the
system produces the expansion, and when the user makes a choice and
presses return. During that time, the choices present can become invalid.
As an implementer, I also have a problem with this - its quite expensive
to do. As a world designer, I consider it a bit of a misfeature - you
are in some sense misleading the player by presenting a list of
alternatives. Those won't be the only acceptable alternatives (I hope, else
its much harder to have puzzles and "hidden" objects, etc.). Also the
set of alternatives can be *very* context sensitive - how will any
generic parsing code determine the set? (Consider the recent discussion
on the difficulty of identifying what is an attack and what is just an
"accident".)

--
Chris Gray   cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA