Forgive me if this isn't the time or place, but now that we've had Places for awhile, and people are getting used to doing more advanced programming...well, is it time to request new C&C's?

(winces in preparation for the firing squad)

(opens one eye, then the other. Firing is delayed but may still come. Ok suggest Rose Suggest!!!)


Just in case it's alright, here's some stuff I'd like to second from the first thread:

Even if it was just a little ping email that said something like, Memory 35: Distract Me has sent you a red flag, that'd be AWESOME. Say for instance you've programmed a huge dungeon crawl that's hard to get through, and someone made it through, finished your story and got the FIRST MEMENTO from the trophy memento dispenser. Well I for one would like to know that without obsessively checking that Memory or Room.


I voted for this recently in another thread without realizing swede had already called for it. Seconded!


Again useful for exactly what Teague suggests. Would use.



Newish suggestions:

Warp to room trigger?
I know we have programs stop when someone is warped to a room to prevent auto looping...but is there a possibility that we could have SOMETHING trigger when someone is warped to a room? Just something small maybe? It would be nice to show someone a bit of flavour text that is not just a room description for when they're deposited somewhere new (I know the workaround is simple. All I have to do is deposit the player in a special room with flavour text, then let them leave to the main room. I'm just requesting this anyway).

Description heavy movable Place Specific inventory items?
Simple version:
Essentially I suppose I'm asking for a place specific inventory item that allows access to rooms or pages or both from ANYWHERE in the dwelling...erm Place.

Long version:
I want my players to be able to find a book in an abandoned house. I've figured out the best way to deal with them reading the book is to add a hide door, then a show door in that room. It will be titled 'Read the Green Book'. So now they can go into that room, see something odd, find the book under the chair, activate the book by using a partial commentary, and sit and read the book.

(Currently it means they will 'no longer be in the room' when they 'read the book' but I'm alright with that).

It's easy for me to figure out how to make that book accessible later whenever they visit that room, but is there a clean way for something like my 'book' to be able to be 'carried around' and 'read' anywhere in my place? I think this is related to the 'map' idea someone mentioned earlier. Maps, books, etc. I can see this being useful. We have this with mementoes, and arguably I could just write a HUGE description for my memento, or even, gods forbid, just have my memento show a link to an outside website (I tried it once and it was weird and off-putting and I'm not doing it anymore now that we have 'pages'). Currently I can't think of any way to do this that is simple.

I COULD add a program to every room in my place that checks a memory or memento and shows a link back to 'read the green book', but I'd love a simpler way.



(crosses fingers that it was alright to start a new version of this thread and hopes for more suggestions)

-Rose

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moooooooooo Visit and help me finish the monster list: goo.gl/rpBGe (Ya'll mostly know me as CLOG, fyi)

Rose: for the last idea. I mentioned before the idea of having a "Universal Program". One program that's hidden somewhere, and then a Run Program pointing to it in every room. If there's something that you want to happen everywhere, then write a program for it, and have a Run Program pointing to it in your Universal Program.

So for the above idea, have the book on a page rather than a room, and then have a program which checks the memory and shows a link to the page as appropriate.

I think that I mentioned this in the thread on 'Random Events' elsewhere, which would be another universally run program.

Another use; I've got a Master Room which the casual public will never see. Amongst other things it allows me to quickly move across my Place, there're hidden doors leading out to various parts of the Moonshine Mansions. I've put another program in which looks for a specific (rather short) commentary command and if it finds it, then it warps you to my Master Room. So I can get there from anywhere in the Mansions.

I'm playing with this idea a bit at the moment, but it's taking a while as the Mansions already has well over 100 rooms, and probably more like 200. That's a lot of Run Programs - I'm fast becoming a well known character up at the scrapyard.

It's a bit of a pain to set up, but once you have I suspect that it will be really useful. You have a new idea for something that you'd like everywhere and you can easily do it.


Also, that particular set of C&Cs would be rather useful. The Set Memory Place in particular I would very much like. As for the 'Message Everywhere' idea, well that's a combination of the "affect the Place for everybody" thing as talked about on a different thread, together with the "Universal Program" above really, isn't it?

I think I didn't really parse what you were saying the first time. Now that I look at what you're saying, it makes genius sense. I...you're so darned smart HM it kills me.

If I wasn't already married I might have to marry you.

-Rose

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moooooooooo Visit and help me finish the monster list: goo.gl/rpBGe (Ya'll mostly know me as CLOG, fyi)

Here's a couple of ideas I have:

Show Animation/Image
Basically, allows you to show an animation or image in your place. The uses for this one are pretty obvious.

Show/Load Minigame
Not sure of how this would work exactly, but here's the premise of the idea:

This contraption/contrivance/special gadget will display one of several minigames that have been preprogrammed with variables already preprogrammed into the minigames. It will allow you to pick which minigame, and configure the various settings for that particular minigame. (For example, for a target practice minigame, these would include the gun's accuracy, the rate of fire, recoil, number of targets, distance away from targets, number of shots required to win, etc.) Each minigame would be different, whether it's matching, card game, joker game, etc, in part due to the categories, and in part due to how they're configured. Once the minigame concludes, data will be sent (Not sure whether it'd be to a program or a memory) allowing the minigame to actually affect the normal text-based version of Improbable Island. Custom Programs can be uploaded (for those programming savvy enough to actually program one of these) after they've been tested, for a set amount of supporter points. There will probably be a data cap on how big the program can be, to prevent server load. In additionally, there can be an option to forgo time restrictions and winning conditions, for "practice" minigames.

Why is this useful? Well, if done well, this could easily increase the immersion places have. If you have a shooting range at your place somewhere, now you can actually shoot targets! If you have a card game being played, you can actually play through that card game! If you have a slot machine, you can actually use that slot machine! And what's even better is that the minigames could affect the normal text-based Improbable Island.

For example: Let's say you challenge a sniper to a shootout. The page (or room) where it takes place at, you simply give the sniper some flavor text on his performance, showing how well he did, and then you can click on Play to start the shootout minigame whenever (Properly configured, of course) and see if you can beat the sniper! Naturally, this can be more exciting and dramatic than a text-based version, if done well, and provokes a lot more conversation--and requires a lot less work on the builder's part--about what happened there. And you'll be able to configure various responses to the player's actual performance that just make the competition seem a lot more real.

For example, if you were to get no hits at all, you might be linked to a page where the Sniper tells you that sniping is just not your thing. If you tied, or almost tied, the Sniper might comment about how you were so close, and tell you that it was still a pretty good job you did. If you won, then you could be shown a page where the Sniper is amazed at how well you did. And if you manage to make every shot, you could be brought to a page showing the sniper being completely shocked and confused at how you could get every one of those shots.

Okay, that just gave me a funny idea. Challenging the Moose to a sniping competition.

But anyways, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Spending supporter points to get it might be a good idea, but I can see this adding a bunch of interactivity to Improbable Island, providing the minigames can be programmed. And I'm sure others could come up with other uses for this idea too.

The ability to subtract a positive thought from a memory.

Why?

well I have a program that I want to show a positive number to the player for the value of a thought... but at the same time I want to have a memory subtract that thought and show the adjusted value as well

Right now I have the thought as negative numbers, it looks odd but it works.. it would be awesome if I could have it be positive and still subtract it from the memory.. unless a smart programer can think up a different work around?

Won't Things cover that? Whenever they get made, that is.
Things? Knick-knacks? Bric-a-brac? Trinkets? I can't decide what the best name would be.

Hopefully? Maybe? To be honest I'd forgotten about them.


Ooooh another Contraption suggestion:

The ability to run a universal program without actually doing what HM says we have to do which is put a run program in EVERY ROOM.

Maybe that's a lodge item actually?

-Rose

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moooooooooo Visit and help me finish the monster list: goo.gl/rpBGe (Ya'll mostly know me as CLOG, fyi)

I don't say you have to do it, just that it's an idea which will have all sorts of uses.

Bear in mind that you will sometimes want to set a thought (or on occasion even a memory) before it gets run. An example being the old Random Events doodah where you can set a thought to give you different chances of a something strange happening.

And a new idea:

Contraption: Start Newday Search
Contrivance: Check Newday Search

What do these contraptions do, you may ask? Well, they work together. The contraption of Start Newday Search basically tells the game, "Okay, from the time that this contraption has fired, check to see if a Newday has passed since then." The contrivance of Check Newday Search basically tells the game, "Okay, you know that time I told you to start checking to see if a Newday passed from it? Well, now I want to know if it has."

Naturally, you need to Start a Newday Search before you Check a Newday Search, or else the game will tell you, "What time you told me to check for a Newday? I don't remember you telling me that! What the heck are you even talking about anyways?"

And here's where this could be useful:
For making events that you want to progress with multiple visits.

Let me give an example: Say you have a medical instructor, and you want her to be able to show visitors how to do first aid. But you don't want to have them just progress through all the courses in one go. You can have a Start Newday Search contraption fire up when you reach the first page of her teaching you how to do First Aid, and have the room the page happens to be in check to see if a Newday has passed, and the current progress on the teaching quest. (IE: A memory check or memory part check contraption.) When the room detects that a newday has passed, and that you're on the appropriate part of the quest, you can move onto the next part. And so on and so forth until you get to the end.

Now here's where having a contraption and contrivance for this comes in handy: Let's say that there's a Check Newday Search and Has Momento contrivance in the first row of a program. You don't have the medical kit the medic asked you for (the momento) so you can't move on to the next part of the course. But if that contraption and contrivance didn't work together, right about now is when the check would be erased. (Or it'd be very unreliable. Take your pick.) But because they are separate, the Check Newday Search can check the time when the Start Newday Search contraption first activated, as many times as it needs to until it passes. When it does, the value of the search is now 0 again, exactly like it was at the start.

Also, on a related note: Enable Newday Menu. Does exactly what it says on the tin, allows you to access the Newday Menu in a place.

And for those situations where you don't need the contrivance and the contraption, (For example, having a mock-up version of the Failboat, where you'd want to allow contestants off it when a Newday is triggered) there should be a On Newday contrivance.

And then there's the Enable Newday contraption. Basically, lets the effects of a Newday take place in a certain room in your place.

I'd imagine somebody find a use for some of these.

Could we have a "Hide Page" (as opposed to hide room description) Contraption? Even better something so you can change which page your guest is on, so it finishes the page/room programs as per normal, but then switches your guest to the new page (and shows that instead.)

What if...

What if we could have things post into story?

The door creaks open ominously...

You know, that sorta thing? NIFTY CONTRIVANCE. erm...CONTRAPTION...dang I keep mixing them up. One of those.

-Rose

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moooooooooo Visit and help me finish the monster list: goo.gl/rpBGe (Ya'll mostly know me as CLOG, fyi)

Wouldn't Global Memory and Pages do whatever you wanted to do with that?

FML: no, that would change the room/page's description. Rose is asking for something that makes a comment in chat, as if it was a character typing in the text box, so that it appears in the story. Like if the owner was lurking there, watching that one room 24/7, ready to spend a Special into chat whenever somebody happens to hit the right link/command.

... come to think of it, if it's like Specials, then, should it be a Lodge gadget?



(Btw, ContrIVances are the IFs, ContrAPTIONS are the ACTIONS. That's how I remember it. Anyone got better mnemonics?)

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Improbable Reference Links - goo.gl/MRBnb -------------- Land Registry (map of Places) ---- goo.gl/bpkRR

What's the difference in application, if it's on the page?

(Contrivances derive, Contraptions spring the trap.)

The difference is, one appears (and disappears) as part of the flavour text, the other appears (and stays) in chat. So if somebody wanted to try programming ELIZA say*, then it would work a lot better if gave responses in chat. You could also use the same Contraption to put the player's input command into chat as well.


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*Yes, but it's low down on my "Want to do list", due to the vast amount of work involved.

Well, all right then. Would certainly make some things easier.It's not really that you made a convincing statement, it's that multiple people have spoken in the idea's defense.

How about a memory that affects multiples? Such as Show Multiple Page Links? So I could be able to say, with only one contraption, that with a memory at X these links will be shown, at Y these other links will be shown, and at Z this other set of links can be shown (And these page links would otherwise be hidden). And this could expand to hiding or showing door links and other whatnots, or perhaps unlocking multiple doors with one memory number and only one unlock contraption? Thoughts?

I think it'd be useful, but to keep a demand for the single-show contraptions, I think there should probably be at least two pages that need to be shown for that. Or convert the single-show contraptions to be able to show multiple pages. Either way works.

Also, here's a contrivance idea: Check Custom Race.

Basically, what it does is check your race, and sees if it's custom or not, provided the input box for the race is left blank. This will allow you to check to see if that person that has the race of a Midget is really roleplaying as a midget. Alternatively, you can type a custom race into the input box, and look for either a partial or complete match. (Rather like the Partial Commentary Command and Complete Commentary Command Contraptions, with a choice.) This could be useful if you want to allow an RP alt access to places, (Just use a Cunning Disguise from the Hunter's Lodge and give them a very specific race that will likely not be copied,) or if you want to check if that person with a race of a Robot is really roleplaying as a human.

Naturally, this has its flaws, but it's interesting enough to where it may prove very useful. Also, if this is done, I'd like to see a code for displaying one's race be available for use in places.

'Nother idea. Perhaps a contraption to show alternative description? Or at least simply to "show a page description"?

It would give the ability for the following effect to work. When entering room A from B, the description of page A-B shows (with the normal room description under it), so that Room A says you just came from an area that can matches Room B's description. However, when entering Room A from C, the previous room = B contrivance would not fire, and "show page description" in the escape hatch could show page A-C's description above the Room A's text.

Page A-B and A-C would be pages off of Room A, and would have hidden links. The only way to see their descriptions would be to enter Room A from either room B or C. This way Room A could have its description below a short bit of Room entrance text. I was more interested in using it for Rooms that have a description much more based on which way a player is coming through it.

Or, am I missing a way to actually do this in a place?

Well, I lied. I figured out my problems. Show Page is show page description. Add Page Access does what I thought Show page did. This explains things, and helps!