[MUD-Dev] Output Classification Notes, version 061098

[Mike L Kesl]

. o O ( Output Classification ) O o .
(mlkesl 061098)

Problem: The server needs to send different types of output in different ways
Goals: Provide client support beyond the standard 'dumb' telnet client.

In order to be able to provide multiple clients in the most efficient way
I suggest we classify the server's output. In other words different types
of output will be sent in different ways, using the same method names of
course, but that is irrelevant for the non coders.

For example, suppose we have a system with three types of output:

	Environment 	:	eg. Room Descriptions
	Personal    	:	eg. Tells
	Combat 		: 	eg. Combat Messages 

For a player connected with a telnet client these different output types
would be sent to the same place, since the telnet client has but a single
window. This is of course assuming the 'dumb' telnet connection. A smart
ansi capable telnet connection could very well have different output types
sent to different parts of the windows using ansi cursor positioning, this
is another matter. ( As mentioned in the Client Types notes there are two
telnet type connections and two, or more, graphical clients. Read there
for specifics ) In another client, perhaps a tile based graphical client,
we would want to perhaps send the different output to different windows in
the client, sending the tells, combat messages and room descriptions to
different places. This is why we need this classification...

What we need is a definitive list of the different output types

I can think of the following, each line representing a separate type:

Aural	(messages from sentients mostly)	"Johan says 'Greetings'"

Visual	(stuff you see, room desc, items, etc)	"The sun goes down."

Action	(Action you experience in some way)	"You slice the blob."

Server	(out of character info from server)	"SHUTDOWN IN 5 MINUTES"

Prompt	(the player defined prompt)		"32/45hp 20/20ma opp:blob"

Map	(the overhead map, ascii or tilemap)	tile images or ascii block

Format	(color, text formatting)   		ansi color / html stuff
Image	(pictures of course, with text equiv.)	tilemaps / items / people

One system I have been considering is to just use special prefixes before
output to distinguish it and all the client to do the work, parsing the
output's prefix and deciding where it goes from there. This option still
requires a list of the output types however, and that is the main function
of this document. Using this system the dumb telnet connection would
simply have the prefixes stripped. Not sure about this implementation.

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This is what I was talking about, 
Mike Kesl :)