MadROM Socials Writing Guide

Quick overview

• Every social can send up to nine unique messages covering no-argument, directed, and failure cases.
• Placeholders like $n, $N, and $h expand to dynamic text at runtime.
• Each message line should stay within 70 characters.
• Terminate optional sections with #, and use $ to skip individual lines.

Message order

1. Social name
2. Character message when no argument is given
3. Room message when no argument is given
4. Character message with a valid victim
5. Room message with a valid victim
6. Victim message when targeted
7. Character message when the victim is absent
8. Character message when targeting self
9. Room message when the character targets self

Helpful tokens

Original text (archival)

This document shows you to write socials for Rom 2.2 or 2.3 muds.  
Whether or not the socials are funny is up to you. :)

MadROM muds at: telnet madrom.net 1536

- Etaine

First of all: an example of a social which has every case covered:

shwing
ShhhhwiinG!
$n$h thrusts $s pelvis out and SHWINGS!
You tuck in your butt$h and thrust your pelvis out at $N.
$n$h SHWINGS $N! HooBoy!
$n thrusts $s pelvis at you$h and SHWINGS!
Who?
You$h thrust your pelvis at yourself and uh...
$n$h thrusts $s pelvis at $mself and SHWINGS!  Some people need a life!


Some definitions:
Character - the player who types out the social
Victim - the player who is the victim/target of the social
Room - all other players in the room, who are not 'Character or Victim'

No argument - means the Character typed the social name by itself..eg
'grin'.

There are 9 messages that can potentially go to the players. In order, 
these are:

Name of social
Message to Character when no argument is given.
Message to Room when Character types social with no argument.
Message to Character when Victim is specified and found.
Message to Room when Victim is specified and found.
Message to Victim when Victim is specified and found.
Message to Character when Victim is not found in room.
Message to Character when Victim is self.
Message to Room when Victim is Character himself.



The messages should be no longer than 70 characters each (one line each).
Dont capitalize any letters in social NAME line..eg, use 'grin' not 'Grin'

Usually Socials include ALL 9 possiblities.  However, if you only want a 
social to give some of the messages, here is the format:

1. If you make messages for the first 2 or 3 messages, then want no more, 
simply end the social with a #.  Here is an example:

amiga
You're gonna stay in school forever!  Ack!!
$n is a perpetual student!
#

The above gives social name (MUST have social name always) and Message to 
Character when no argument is given, then the Message to Room when no 
argument is given...no other messages are sent.  If, for example, a 
player typed 'amiga self' nothing would happen.


2. If you make messags for say 4 of the 9 different messages, but want to 
skip messages...eg send message 1, 3 and 5 only, you must put a $ in the 
empty lines you wish to skip.  Here is an example:

crash
You feel compelled to CRASH in on a quest.
$n desperately wants in on the DragonLord's next quest.
$
You Crash all over $N!
$
$n Crashes into you!
#


Finally, you can add these in your socials wherever appropriate:

$n character name
$N victim name
$e he/she (character)
$E he/she (victim)
$m him/her (character)
$M him/her (victim)
$s his/hers (character)
$S his/hers (victim)

and for MadROM's autohappy and autogrumpy social options, add in:

$h (for both autogrumpy and autohappy adverbs eg grumpily/happily)


To add socials to your Rom:

In your areas directory, you should have an area called social.are.  The 
file's first line MUST be :

#SOCIALS

The file's last two lines MUST be:

#0
#$

And just add in your socials in between.


Thats it.