FEDERATION 2 WORKBENCH
HOW USEABLE OBJECTS WORK
What Are Commands?
A command is something you can do with an object. It is a one-word command which the player types followed by the name of the object. Here are some examples of object commands:
- Eat catnip
- Wear top hat
- Pull wishbone
- Open umbrella
- Read sign
- Pull lever
You can have different words that do the same thing - synonyms - and they count as one command. Examples of synonyms are:
- Get/take
- Pull/tug
- Smell/sniff
You can have as many different words to make the same thing happen as you like.
Dynamic and Static Objects
There are two types of object in Fed2:
- Dynamic objects are ones that players can carry around with them in their inventories, for example a top hat, a sandwich, a flower, a widget.
- Static objects stay in the same room and cannot be picked up and carried away, for example a notice, a sign, a tree, a lever.
Both types of object can have commands on them.
Creation Commands for Dynamic Objects
Static objects sit in a room all the time and never move. Dynamic objects, however, are not just lying on the ground waiting for a player to pick them up; they are created when the player types in a command. Some of the commands that cause objects to be created are:
- Buy tap shoes
- Pick flower
- Get newspaper
The creation command for a dynamic object is included free with the object and does not count as one of the 5 commands.
An object can also be created automatically when a player enters or leaves a location.
What Are Effects?
The normal result of a command is that the game sends the player who types the command a message, and sometimes also sends a message to other players in the room so they can see what is happening. If anything else happens as well as the message, it is an effect.
Some simple effects are included with the command that produces them, such as the following examples:
- If an object has an EAT command, the player who eats it gets a stamina boost, and the object vanishes.
- If the object is something the player buys from a shop, then groats have to be paid for it, and if the player doesn't have enough money, she doesn't get the object.
Some effects are more complex so will count as two or more of your allowance of commands, such as:
- The player can be moved to a different location on your planet, for example by pushing the button to work an elevator or pulling the lever to open a door.
- The result of the command can be varied depending on the player's gender, so that males, females and neuters get a different result.
- A command can have several possible results and the game will pick one of them at random when a player uses the object.
If you have an idea for an effect but you are not sure if it is possible, then discuss it with us.
Object Messages
A message is the text that the game sends as a result of a player typing the command. Some commands have two different messages: one sent to the player who uses the object, and a different one sent to players in the same room, so they can see what has happened. The message sent to other players includes the name of the player who used the object, so everyone else knows who to blame.
You can provide the messages yourself or you can tell us roughly what you want and we'll write them for you.
The Drop Event
To prevent littering, all dynamic objects will have an event on them so that if the player drops the object, it will vanish. The player will be sent a standard message telling her what has happened. If you want to customize that message you can, at no extra charge.
Invisible Static Objects
You can choose to have your static object visible as an object in the room, displayed on a separate line when players walk into the room or type 'LOOK'. Or you can choose to have the static object invisible so it does not show up separately, and instead you mention the object in the room description.
For example, a visible object shows up like this:
Crossroads
The city's main crossroads has become a gathering place for the locals. From here streets go out to the four points of the compass, but everyone stops on their way, to pass the time of day with each other. To that end, benches have been placed on all four corners.
You can see a tree.
But you could instead change the description so it looked like this:
Crossroads
The city's main crossroads has become a gathering place for the locals. In the center of the crossing, a tall and spindly tree grows. From here streets go out to the four points of the compass, but everyone stops on their way, to pass the time of day with each other. To that end, benches have been placed on all four corners.
Using invisible static objects allows you to add commands to a location without players being able to see the mechanism that makes the commands work.
Invisible static objects can still be examined so need to have a description which tells the player what the commands on the objects are - or at least gives a hint!
What Else Can You Do?
You can use custom objects as part of a puzzle, or you can have a talking or a moving mobile on your planet. If you want to do something that isn't specifically listed here, then ask if it's possible.
Dos and Don'ts of Custom Objects
Custom objects requested for your planet must comply with the Fed2 Rules for planets - see http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/info/fed2rulesexplained.html for details.
Custom objects are intended to entertain you and visitors to your planet, not to hurt them or annoy them. Messages should not "powergame" other players by suggesting that something has happened to them over which they have no control - ie no objects that spray blue paint over everyone in the room, or fire laser beams at them.
Events on objects should not do actual damage to players; it is OK to take off a couple of stamina points if it makes sense in the context of the object command, but no more than 5; it is OK to charge a small amount of groats if a player buys the object from a shop, but no more than 10.
