# Verb Confusion

brandon@avon.declab.usu.edu (brandon@avon.declab.usu.edu)
Thu, 5 Oct 1995 15:07:53 PDT

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    < >From: Sandra Batista <batista@husc.harvard.edu>
    < >
    < >What is the difference between a verb such as "say hello" and a verb such
    < >as "@move #101 to #102"? What is the difference between how these
    < >commands are parsed? How is  the "@" before the verb parsed?
    < >On which objects are verbs preceded by "@" in a command line defined?
    <
    < Well, this is just a convention.  There's nothing absolute in the
    < language about this.
    <
    < The verbs without @ are the verbs that implement the virtual reality.
    < These are verbs like look, give, drop, take, and movement "verbs"
    < like east, west n
    <
    < The @verbs are informational verbs like @who, @display, @dig and such
    < that are rather like meta-verbs.  They are verbs that display or
    < change information about the MOO itself.
    <
    < This isn't very clear but that's the best I've been able to
    < figure out.

    When I converted over to Cold, we had the chance to make many design
    considerations which were already completed in MOO.  Richeliue and I
    decided that we were going to set down a concrete definition as to why
    @-commands exist.  In the Cold introduction (http://cold.org:8080/)
    Its outlined as:

         To help classify commands, a distinction has been made. This distinction
         is based upon how the command is used, and what it effects. If the
         command is a Non-VR command--i.e. it does not effect your Virtual
         Environment--it begins with an at-sign ('@'). Otherwise, it does not.

         The best way to decide if a command is VR or Non-VR is to ask yourself
         the question: Is it something I could do in real-life?. For instance,
         you do not simply say, "I am wearing pink polka dotted clothes", and
         suddenly you are. However, in the Cold Dark you have the ability to
         change how you look from moment to moment. Therefore this command
         (@describe) is a Non-VR command, and begins with an at-sign.

    I think this explanation can be further extended to the existing MOO's,
    for the most part.  However, there are commands in MOO which don't follow
    this (nor any other attempt at explanation, for that matter).

    -Brandon Gillespie/Lynx-