Tutorial 2: Communication (as a single page)
From FiranMUX
| This page includes all the text of the "Communication" Basic Firan Survival Guide tutorial. It's on one page for ease of searching, reading, or printing. |
There are many commands that can be used for communicating in the game. Some of them are intended as In Character (IC) Commands. These commands are used when you are assuming the role of your character, acting or speaking to others as they would during the course of roleplay. There are also Out Of Character (OOC) Commands. These commands aren't representative of your character, and are meant to allow the players behind the keyboards to chat with one another or otherwise coordinate things out-of-game.
| IC Command | Description |
| Talking to other characters. | |
| Describing actions that you're doing. | |
| Talking very quietly. | |
| Talking very LOUDLY. | |
| Sending and receiving deliveries. | |
| Reading and writing on scrolls. |
| OOC Command | Description |
| Communicate with those in the room. | |
| Chatting publicly with people who are online. | |
| Chatting privately with people who are online. | |
| Sending mail to people to read. | |
| The online bulletin board system. | |
| Advertise needs and find other players to help. |
Talking Out Loud
ADVANCED TIPS: There is language system in place that determines what languages you can speak, and which you are currently speaking in. See help language system for details on how to speak in other language you may know.
You can talk out loud by using the say command. This is an IC Command in that it is your character doing the talking as part of their roleplay. Others in the room will then see what it is you're saying, if they speak the same language. The say command can be abbreviated as " as well.
Examples
> say I thought I would go for a walk in the market this morning.
> say Were you leaving now?
> "A griffon hasn't smashed my house for six months now!
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: say
Advanced Help Topics: " (quotation mark), ' (apostrophe), speak, language system
Posing and @emit
ADVANCED TIPS: Sometimes you might hear people talk about 'pose order'. What this means is that everyone in the room takes turns posing, and you don't pose again until it's your turn. Some people like pose order, because it lets everyone react before events change. Some people hate it, because it can grind everything to a halt with one slow person and instills an artificial order on things. Really it's a matter of personal preference.
Posing is a more sophisticated way to express both character actions and speech. You pose in the third person, as your charcter, and generally in the present tense. If you use the pose command whatever you type is prefaced by your name. If you use the @emit command only what you type is displayed. You can mix actions and speech in your poses. The pose command can be abbreviated as either : (which puts a space after your prefaced name) or as ; (which omits the space).
Common courtesy should be observed in posing. Do not pose others' reactions in your poses. Do not pose things that other characters might not agree to without working it out in advance, unless you know the other player very well. For example, you shouldn't pose slapping someone across the face because they may duck to the side, or put their hand up to block yours. You'd have to OOCly discuss your intentions with the other player first, via either the page or ooc commands and then pose based on what the two of you agree to. Also, give people time to react to your poses before pressing on. It can be very frustrating to see another character pose a dozen things before you get a chance to react.
Examples
> pose looks up toward the sky, and sighs. "Why me?"
> ;'s mouth twists into an amused grin with the news.
> @emit The sheep bleats wearily, looking up at Rafi.
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: pose, @emit
Advanced Help Topics: : (colon), ; (semicolon)
Whispering and Muttering
ADVANCED TIPS: You can force certain words to be overheard by all in mutters by enclosing the word in angle brackets (<word>).
Whispers are made to a single character only, and cannot be overheard. Mutters are made either to a single character or simply to oneself, and bits and pieces of what's said can be heard. Different people in a room will hear different parts of what's said, based on their perception attribute.
Examples
> mutter That has to be the biggest lie I've ever heard.
> whisper leonus=Yes, but where will we find a sheep at this hour?
> mutter kinto=Did you see how hot Jazayeri looked in that stola?
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: whisper, mutter
Advanced Help Topics: none
Shouting
ADVANCED TIPS: Because the size of rooms isn't taken into account by the code, you can sometimes shout across the length of entire cities -- so long as they're only two rooms apart. It's best to be realistic about such oddities when they occur.
Shouts are both seen by people in the current room, and by those up to two rooms away. Those in your room will see who's shouting by name. Those in other rooms will only see if it's a male or female voice. You can't pose in shouts, only shout words.
Example
> shout Help, help, I'm being oppressed!
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: shout
Advanced Help Topics: guardyell
The Messenger System
ADVANCED TIPS: If you want to send money to someone through the messenger service, you must first create a steni object. To do this, use the put down command (i.e., put down 3000 stenis). Assuming you have enough stenis in your inventory, this will after a short delay create an object in your inventory called '3000 stenis'. You may then deliver it with the deliver command. If you receive stenis in this manner, to move them from an object into your steni inventory, simply drop the steni object and then pick it back up again. The object will disappear, and the stenis will be credited to your inventory (seen through the inventory command).
Messengers deliver both messages and packages to other players. The system is a bit unrealistic in that a messenger can always find the person they're looking for (as long as they're in the city and are receiving messages), items are never stolen, messages are quoted accurately word for word, and message delivery is near instantaneous. Nevertheless it's quite a convenient system that facilitates communication greatly, especially when people aren't online at the same time.
The cheapest way to send in a message is to go to a messenger shop. Each of the districts typically have their own and anyone can use them. You can also send messages from any public room on the grid. If you're a noble, the cost is the same as if you were in a messenger shop. If you're a commoner, however, the price for the convenience is considerably more. You can receive messages in any public room on the grid, or in your home (according to what @home indicates).
Sending a message typically costs 10 stenis, and uses the send command. However, if you are a commoner sending a message outside a messenger shop, unless there is a messenger already in the area (i.e., you or someone else received a message in that same room within the past 5 minutes) you will be charged 200 stenis. Delivering an item costs a minimum of 10 stenis, and is determined by weight. Item delivery uses the deliver command. An item must be held in your inventory to be delivered in this manner. Deliveries must be made either from within a messenger shop, or from a room which a messenger has recently visited.
Messages and deliveries can be made anonymously, though at a greater expense. Anonymous messages cost 70 stenis. This is also the starting price for anonymous deliveries. The other person will simply see that it came from 'a person wishing to conceal their identity'. Be aware that sometimes NPCs will find out that you sent something anonymously, and gossip about it. In this case such information may be made available through the gossip or @witness commands.
Examples
> send Meet me in the Forum in ten minutes. message to Jalil
> deliver 10 fish cakes to Urtenia
> receive messages
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: send command, receive command, deliver command
Advanced Help Topics: ignore messages, message system index
Reading and Writing
ADVANCED TIPS: The Great Library (at grid coordinate 2.1 in the Palace District) has a large number of scrolls that can be read.
Characters with the literacy skill can both read and write scrolls. At present, even a literacy skill of 1 gives you a pretty good chance to read and write. Writings can be done in a number of languages, and some scrolls may have a mixture of languages on them.
To read something, use the read command. You must have literacy skill in the appropriate language to read something. How well you can read it is determined by: a) how literate the writer was; and, b) how literate you as a reader are. Each written line has a certain percentage at which it can be understood. Anything less than 100% has a chance of having garbled words show up.
To write something, you must have a papyrus scroll in hand. The ink and writing implement are assumed to exist. How well you can write is determined by your literacy skill in the chosen language. There's a certain limit to how much you can write on a scroll. More than a few screens is probably too much, though there's no real good way to judge this. You can either write everything all on one line, or split it up between multiple lines. One advantage to using multiple lines is that even if some of your message ends up garbled (due to a low literacy score) some of it can still be read. Use a '~' to put in a blank line. Use a '.' to stop writing.
Examples
> write on scroll
> This is my first line of written text.
> This is my second line of written text.
> ~
> I put a blank line before this last line.
> .
> read scroll
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: read, write
Advanced Help Topics: draw, mark, sign, shred, forge, date, literacy system
OOC Command
ADVANCED TIPS: If you type 'ooc' and leave off a message, you'll be transported to one of the OOC rooms of the game!
The ooc command communicates to other players in your same room in an out-of-character fashion. Whatever you say or pose OOCly is not assumed to be done by your character. In general you should try to use the OOC command infrequently, especially in large crowds. Either use the page command to contact individuals, or join the public channel to chat.
Examples
> ooc I need to idle for a quick phone call.
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: ooc talking
Advanced Help Topics: none
The Comsystem
ADVANCED TIPS: Use the @comtitle command to set your channel alias rather than the comtitle command. The latter doesn't accept ansi substitutions.
FiranMUX has an extensive comsystem, which function like little miniature chat rooms. You can use the comsystem from anywhere in the game. All the channels are considered to be strictly OOC.
There are a number of channels available. You can see a partial list of all publicly accessible channels by typing @clist. Other channels exist that are restricted to certain clan members only, or other groups of people. The following is a list of some common channels and what they're used for:
- Guest: Offer help to new potential players
- Public: General public chatter
- Help: Help questions only. No general chatter.
- Television: Watch RP during large MUSH events
- OldCity: For OldCity characters only
- Kids: For kids only
- Military: For military personnel only
- Guards: For Republic guards only
- Clan Channels: These consist of Cockatrice, Hydra, Griffon, GoldDragon, Eagle, Ticanee, Chimera, and Bear (and Bonduin and Vrelander as well)
To join a channel, use the addcom command. Make sure the channel name is spelled and capitalized properly. To find out who is on the channel with you, type <channel alias> who. To talk on the channel, type <channel alias> <message>.
Examples
> @clist
> addcom pub=Public
> pub who
> @comtitle pub=The Great
> pub :waves to his adoring fans.
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: comsys
Advanced Help Topics: @comtitle, addcom, allcom, alias, comlist, clearcom, delcom
Paging
ADVANCED TIPS: If you want to set a message that will warn players when you are more than 10 minutes idle, type this bit of code: @idle me=[ifelse(lte(idle(me),600),,I am %ch[div(idle(me),60)] minutes%cn idle and may not get back to you right away. @mail or message and I'll get back to you.)]
The page command sends an OOC message to one or more currently connected players. These players need not be in the same room as you. You can format your page as a long-distance pose through the use of a : (semicolon). To page the last person (or group of persons) you paged, simply omit the name(s).
If you set @idle message, that message is displayed whenever anyone pages you. This is especially good if you have stepped away from your keyboard or are especially busy. You can block players from paging you with the @ignore command. Whenever they page you they'll see your @reject message.
Examples
> page chloe ikshu=:waves. Hello there.
> page How are you two doing?
> @idle me=Running to the store, be back in 30 minutes.
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: page
Advanced Help Topics: @ignore, @unignore, @reject, @idle, @away
The Mail System
ADVANCED TIPS: For a custom-coded command line interface to the standard mail system, check out 'help @po'.
FiranMUX uses the standard MUX @mail system. If you already know it, you're in luck! If you don't, be warned that it's a fairly complicated system. Fortunately only a small subset of commands are really needed for most day to day operations. Also, the staff at FiranMUX have rewritten the (somewhat confusing) standard help files. The new files are available under help mail system index.
To check for mail messages, simply type @mail. Any messages you have will appear in a numbered list. To read one, type @mail <#>, using the appropriate message number. If you wish to mark a message for deletion, type @mail/clear <#>. You can mark all messages for deletion by simply typing @mail/clear, and then optionally unmark selected messages by typing @mail/unclear <#>. This is useful if you have a large number of messages and only want to save a few. Finally, use the @mail/purge command to delete all marked messages.
To start a message to send type @mail <recipients>=<subject>. To add lines, preface the text by a - (single dash). If you want to review the message you can type @mail/proof. See help mail/editing for information on how to edit it. When you're done, type -- (two dashes) to send.
There's many more commands that are available, to include reviewing previously sent messages and organizing your mailbox by folders. See the extensive help text for full information.
Examples
> @mail
> @mail 2
> @mail/clear 2
> @mail quonasi=Question about Ticanee
> -Why do they have tattos?
> @mail/proof
> @mail/edit tattos=tattoos
> @mail/proof
> --
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: mail system index
Advanced Help Topics: @po
Bulletin Boards
ADVANCED TIPS: The web based bulletin boards can be found on the Firan Web Site. You will need to register for an account before you can read or post. See help forums for details.
The bulletin board system is another highly complicated yet highly useful means of communication. It is partially in the process of being phased out, in parts, by a bulletin board. The in-game bulletin board is a MUX standard bulleting board system created by Myrddin, so if you understand that system, you're in luck! As with the mail system the help files have been rewritten for greater clarity.
To see what boards are available type @bb/list. Some boards, like the clan-specific boards, are restricted to certain classes of characters only. Major boards of interest consist of the following:
- 10 - General Updates: Status messages from the game administrators
- 13 - Classifieds: People buying and selling goods or services
- 19 - IC Events!: Upcoming or past events
- 22 - Roleplaying: What people are roleplaying, along with new character alerts
- 27 - Speeches: Publicly heard speeches being talked about
- Clan Boards: Each clan has its own private board
- Faction Boards: Factions like the military, guards, and the Old City have their own private boards
The boards will keep track of which boards you are subscribed to, and which posts you have read. To subscribe to a board type @bb/join <board #>. To leave a board type @bb/leave <board #>.
To review a list of unread messages, type @bb/read <board #>. To review all unread messages across boards, type @bb/scan. To read a particular message type @bb/read <board #>/<message #>. To simply read the next unread message on any board type @bb/new.
To post to a board, you must be subscribed to it. Then type @bb/post <board #>/<subject>=<message>.
Other commands exist, but these are the basics. See the help file for full details.
Examples
> @bb/join 10
> @bb/scan
> @bb/new
> @bb/post 22/New to character=Hello, I am new to this character and...
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: @bb
Advanced Help Topics: none
@republic
ADVANCED TIPS: Completed @republic requests are posted about on bulletin board 51 (Republic).
The @republic series of commands is an OOC tool to help players advertise needs and find other players who can help them. Essentially this is a time-ordered queue of requests made by players concerning things like items sought to buy, sponsors needed, job openings, roleplay requests, and the like. In this, it is similar to the Classifieds bulletin board. However, where the Classifieds bulletin board eventually "times out" posts, the @republic queue remains until a request is either completed or discarded.
The @republic commands are not meant to replace other IC means of fulfilling needs. For example, if you're seeking roleplay with a particular clan leader you should send an IC message as well; simply posting to the @republic queue is not sufficient. Also, you certainly don't need to post every RP request or desired item on the list. You can simply stick to IC means, or use the Classifieds bulletin board. Basically, the @republic command exists to keep track of things to make sure nothing slips between the cracks, so to speak. It can also serve as a reminder for busy characters such as clan leaders as to people waiting to speak with them, or as a searchable means of finding items needed or items sought.
There are a large number of somewhat complicated commands used to manipulate the @republic queue. See @republic/help for information on how to use them. Some of the more common commands are:
- @republic/available - List all available @republic requests.
- @republic/add - Adds a new @republic request.
- @republic/claim - Claim a @republic requeuest to indicate that you wish to work on it, or are accepting it as yours.
- @republic/completed - Indicates that you have completed a claimed request.
- @republic/search - Search for @republic requests based on keyword.
- @republic/cancel - Cancels a request you made.
Examples
> @republic/types
> @republic/add seeking/Arrows Needed/5=I am looking for 50 iron arrows to purchase.
> @republic/search armor
Help Text Reference
Basic Help Topics: @republic
Advanced Help Topics: none
