[MUD-Dev] Clients

[JC Lawrence]

On Sun, 11 Jan 1998 21:48:43 PST8PDT 
Matt Chatterley<root at mpc.dyn.ml.org> wrote:

> I think the most popular client features which people have described
> to me are an easy to view command line for entering commands (with
> no limit on length of lines), and a command history as well as a
> 'scroll back' of sorts (aka tf's /recall).

Take a good look aththe command line abilities of JP Softwares
4DOS/4OS2/4NT: <URL:http://www.jpsoft.com>.  Their handling of history
recall, history searching, and history paging is particularly intuitive.

> The ability to make log files of events, connect to multiple worlds
> simultaneously and macros are also popular.

<chortle>

> I'm interesting in hearing not only which software you folks use,
> but also *why you use it* - what does the software have that you
> like? What is missing? Personally I use tf since it is
> straightforward to use and has a nice, uncluttered display
> (something I will strive to recreate!).

Per George Reese I am a craven dinosaur.  I use raw telnet.

> On the protocol side, one thing in my mind is to allow my mud to
> communicate its menus (currently done using the input_to() features
> of MudOS/LPC) to the client so that they appear in 'pop-up' windows
> which are clickable, and easy control of features, such as a 'spell
> selection window' for using special skills and magic, but again,
> considering this in a general fashion is harder:

Idea:

  Have a generically configurable feature in your client that allows
commands to be constructed and entered in the MUD via GUI selections.

  Now allow that same construction to be user configurable.  

Whazzat?

Imagine RMB clicking on your client window to have a menu of various
preset command that you have selected appear in a GUI menu.  Selecting
an entry sends that command to the MUD (configurable if it hits ENTER
or not to allow subsequent editing).  

Now extend that concept such that menu entries change dynamically
based on parsing of the current world context.  ie you can pick
objects from your local environ to add to the current command under
construction.

Next allow certain entries to pop-up basic dialog boxes with simple
radio buttons and selection lists (keyed off the environment again) to
construct more tailored commands.

Make the entire thing based of a user-written text file ala the .rc
for your root window menu under X (just done right instead).

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
                                           Internet: coder at ibm.net
----------(*)                        Internet: jc.lawrence at sun.com
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...