Dark-Space: Smaug Area Checking

=====================
General gags to help:
=====================

// These will remove time messages from cluttering your log
#gag {The hazy sun rises over the horizon.}
#gag {The moon's gentle glow diffuses through the night sky.}
#gag {The sun's radiance dims as it sinks in the sky.}
#gag {The sun's bright rays beat down upon your shoulders.}
#gag {The day has begun.}
#gag {The sky turns a reddish orange as the sun ends its journey.}
#gag {The reddish sun sets past the horizon.}
#gag {Twilight descends around you.}
#gag {It's noon.}
#gag {The night begins.}
#gag {Day breaks as the sun lifts into the sky.}
#gag {The intensity of the sun heralds the noon hour.}

// These will reduce messages in the log that you say
#gag {You say 'checkroom'}
#gag {You say 'getgoing'}

====================
Other useful things:
====================

// Obvious reason, you want as little clutter in your log as possible.
config +brief
config -prompt

==================================
What is the process of area checking?
==================================

    The processes, and overall point of area checking is to remove all those little
defects that seem to escape the building process. We, as builders, should do our
best to not let mistakes slip through that we see, but often it's the sheer size and
amount of text built that requires areas to be worked through with "formal checking".
    "Formal checking" can be as strict a notion as sending an area to immortals that
will mill through each line to find the imperfections, but it can also be as simple as
taking the time to systematically examine one's own area. This process should be
methodical, well thought out, and done in such a manor that it captures as many
errors as possible.
    The triggers and suggestions that follow are part of an overall goal to have builders
attempt this process on their own areas, before expecting someone else to spend
their time doing pretty much the same inspections. The triggers are meant to help the
checking process capture all the text that needs to be spell checked and grammar
checked. These two parts of the area checking inspection are one of the most time
consuming for those responsible for checking other people's areas, and an area
which has few spelling mistakes goes through this process much quicker.
    Besides the aspects of grammar and spelling that are addressed with the trigger
lists provided, there are general notes and checklists that are meant to apply to the
second "level" of area-checking that involves a closer look at the area in the terms of
how the mobs/objects/rooms interact as well as observations made that seem to be
common in new or perhaps relatively new builders and what should be looked for
during your own area inspection that will make it more appealing to whomever is
looking at it to be installed into the mud.
    Because the process of inspecting one's own area or any area should be
methodical, the triggers and inspection notes are broken up into mobs, objects, and
rooms. Though separated, they all follow the same idea, to start from the first vnum in
that particular group, and work through till the last. Because the triggers are meant to
be a spell/grammar checking aid, the output must be saved in some manor. Optimally
it would be stored into log files(simple zMUD feature) and processed with a word
processor. Alternatively, copying and pasting large sections of the output can work
just as well.

================
Using my triggers
================

Over the years I've gone through several phases of trigger use when
building and or checking areas, the ones I've presented here are what work
for me and certainly not for everyone. They work under the mentality that an
area should have everything read and stored into a log file that will be
worked on within an application such as MSword for grammar/spelling
mistakes. Later those mistakes are fixed, once everything has been brought
through a word processor.
    The triggers were developed on zMUD 4.32 and therefore should work
on any zMUD client and perhaps even other clients. At the very least they
should give you inspiration to develop ones that work best for you and your
mudding client. These triggers are very simple, in my opinion, and work only
to streamline the tedious process of spell/grammar checking. They also help
in finding things missing such as forgetting to use an exdesc in rooms.
    For me the greatest benefit of these triggers as that they remove the
task of having to manually create/stat the item and type in the numbers by
hand. Part of the trigger processes for each object/room/mob group is a
"crawler" that steps you through each vnum one at a time with the push of a
button, so you move as fast as you want.
    The triggers are presented in such a way that they can be easily copied
and pasted into a text-file if desired, which is a habit of mine.

The steps I go through:
    1) Clear my current zMUD trigger list
    2) Copy and paste the trigger section I"m working on
                    (or load mud settings with them)
    3) Start an appropriately named text log (ie. Forestobj1.txt)
    4) Step through 40-50 vnums
    5) Save and end log
    6) Repeat steps 4 & 5 until finished that area category (obj/room/mob)
    7) Open log in MSword
    8) Process errors (as I suggest how in the examples)
    9) Gather all errors found together, and correct online

================================
Checking Room (Triggers and Gags)
================================

These are the raw triggers that you would paste into zMUD, how to use them
and what they mean are in the next section.

================
Room check gags:
================

// Just to help remove excess lines from the desc
#gag {Room Weight:}
#gag {Characters:}
#gag {Area:}
#gag {Exits:}
#gag {Programs: (}
#gag {goto}
#gag {Huh?}
#gag {Objects:}
#gag {Room flags:}
#gag {------------------- EXITS}
#gag {Keywords:}

// Just to help remove excess lines from the exdesc
#gag {Exits for room}
#gag {Back link:}
#gag {In Plane:}

// Just to help remove excess lines from the program check
#gag {This room has no programs set.}

====================
Room check triggers:
====================
#trigger {Extra description} {** Pay attention: read ed's **}
#trigger {checkroom} {rstat;rstat ex;rpstat}
#trigger {getgoing} {#IF (@STARTROOM = @ENDROOM) {All Finished
Range} {#VAR TEMP [@STARTROOM + 1];#VAR STARTROOM
@TEMP;goto @startROOM;rstat;rstat ex;rpstat}}

======================
Room check variables:
======================
#VAR TEMP 0
#VAR STARTROOM (-insert start room here-)
#VAR ENDROOM (-insert last room here-)

================================
Checking Room (Using The Triggers)
================================

The triggers and gags should start to make sense once you look over
them, their goal is pretty simple and only one of them gets into any level of
complication. The point of them is to gag out all the information not needed
to be placed into the log and capture everything that should.
While the gags are simple and work on their own, the real usefulness of
them come when you use the "crawler" which steps through the rooms one
at a time.

#trigger {checkroom} {rstat;rstat ex;rpstat}

This trigger creates the basic phrase you say to execute the newly gagged
inspection of the room. If you use the general gags posted earlier, the say
message will also be gagged. The resulting scroll from saying "checkroom"
is virtually everything that needs to be spell/grammar checked in that room
with respect to the room and not objects/mobs yet. I say virtually because to
keep the triggers simple, one thing must be manually checked because it is
dynamic sized/named, the room ed's.

#trigger {Extra description} {** Pay attention: read ed's **}

This trigger will fire if the room has ed's, which makes a very obvious note to
you that you need to... well, pay attention. This is the only item you will have
to watch for during the room inspections. The "checkroom" phrase works on
its own, but is actually called from second phrase which involves the room
crawler. Strictly speaking, you should only have to use the checkroom
phrase in the first room.

#trigger {getgoing} {#IF (@STARTROOM = @ENDROOM) {All Finished
Range} {#VAR TEMP [@STARTROOM + 1];#VAR STARTROOM
@TEMP;goto @startROOM;rstat;rstat ex;rpstat}}

The only real "monster" of a trigger in the room set is the "getgoing" phrase.
It looks a bit more complicated because it does the real work, as it keeps
track of the current room and increments the current as you step through
the area. This is another word phrase that you'll "say" in order to have it fire.
Personally I put both into zButtons so I can just hit F1 and F2 to say the
phrase, which will be gagged by the general gags.

#VAR TEMP 0
#VAR STARTROOM (-insert start room here-)
#VAR ENDROOM (-insert last room here-)

The three variables for the room checking are simply there for the crawler.
Due to some oddities in zMUD4.32 it was needed to use a "temp" variable.
The important ones you'll have to be aware of are the "STARTROOM'
and "ENDROOM" which will need to be set when you put them into zMUD. As
the name would suggest, this is the room range you'll be working on. Such
as, #VAR STARTROOM 32100 and #VAR ENDROOM 32199

If all goes right, you'll only have to say (or press the assigned key)
"getgoing" over and over to let the log record all the text, occasionally
stopping to look at room eds to make sure they get recoreded. The next
section gives you an example of what all this will look like.

===============================
Room RSTAT/RSTAT EX before gags
===============================

Name: A Grass Pathway
Area: {PROTO} Lopuis's area in progress Filename: Lopuis.are
Vnum: 55555   Sector: 1 (City)   Light: 0
Room Weight: 0   Room Max Weight: 0
Room flags: prototype
Description:
An example of just how a pathway should really look grows out over the horizon
and disappears into the fog of distance. Somewhere at the end of the trail is the
holy grail of triggers.
Programs:    (none)
Characters: lopuis
Objects:
------------------- EXITS -------------------
1) nw to 55556. Key: -1 Flags: 0 Keywords: (none).
2) se to 55557. Key: -1 Flags: 0 Keywords: (none).

Exits for room 'A Grass Pathway' Vnum 55555
1) nw to 55556 Key: -1 Flags: 0 Keywords: ''
Exdesc: A path that leads towards the horizon.
Back link: 55555 Vnum: 55555 Distance: 0 Pulltype: undefined Pull: 0
In Plane: (all) To Plane: (default)
2) se to 55557 Key: -1 Flags: 0 Keywords: ''
Exdesc: Along a trail that opens into a clearing.
Back link: 55555 Vnum: 55555 Distance: 0 Pulltype: undefined Pull: 0
In Plane: (all) To Plane: (default)

===============================
Room RSTAT/RSTAT EX AFTER gags
===============================

Name: A Grass Pathway
Vnum: 55555 Sector: 1 (City) Light: 0
Description:
An example of just how a pathway should really look grows out over the horizon
and disappears into the fog of distance. Somewhere at the end of the trail is the
holy grail of triggers..

Exdesc: A path that leads towards the horizon.
Exdesc: Along a trail that opens into a clearing.

---------------

** As you can see, this is a radical difference, which makes a big difference
when you go to spell/grammar check this with MSword. It removes all the things
you don't need to worry about.
The trigger also grabs if the room programs if they exist and does remove
excess lines as well. If there had been any ed's in the room, the obvious
statement "** Pay attention: read ed's **" would have poped up and you would
have had to look at them before hitting the button or saying the phrase
"getgoing" to proceed to the next room.

=================================
What to actually do for room triggers!
=================================

    I bet you're thinking "finally.. just tell me what to do already?!", well, all that detail had a
purpose because this can be a very useful thing, as long as it works.

    1) Clear your current zMUD triggers
    2) Enter the triggers and gags provided above into your client
    3) Make sure to put the first and last room into the variables, such as:
                                            #VAR STARTROOM 450
                                            #VAR ENDROOM 499
    4) Go to the first room you want to check, in this case, 450
    5) Set your keys to say "getgoing" and "checkroom" if you like
    6) Start a new log, name it something that reflects the current process
    7) In the first room to check, say "checkroom", this will stat the first room. The "getgoing"
                     phrase won't do the first room properly.
    8) Make sure there aren't any prompt to check room eds, if there are, look at them.
    9) Press or say "getgoing". This begins the crawler and takes you to the next room, and
                     does the whole inspection.
    10) For all the rooms except the first room, the "getgoing" phrase is the one you'll want,
                     as it uses the crawler to move you to the next room. Anyone who has had to
                     type it out by hands will find this quite the savior.
    11) Do this for about 40-50 rooms, end the log, and start a new one. Continuing this
                     process until.. well.. you finish.

Final Notes:
    -You can always skip rooms or start over by re-entering the "STARTROOM" variable with
the one you want, it doubles as the "currentroom" as it get incremented.

    -If the "getgoing" phrase doesn't work right, make sure you copied and pasted it correctly
as it is so long, textfiles can wordwrap it and it'll enter a return statement when you tried to
paste it into zMUD.

    -Make sure your separation character is ";" in zMUD. It is set that way as default but
some people change it to something their prefer.

    -Because the "getgoing" phrase contains the ";" characters as part of it's inner workings,
you'll have to turn off your "parsing" icon next to your typing buffer and trigger icon, just for
when you copy and paste it in.

These triggers and notes make sense for me because I use them, please email if
something is unclear so I can re-write it to make it sense to everyone else.

================================
Checking Mobs (Triggers and Gags)
================================

These are the raw triggers that you would paste into zMUD, how to use them
and what they mean are in the next section.

===============
Mob check gags:
===============
#gag {Fighting:}
#gag {Hating :}
#gag {Searching :}
#gag {Plane Span :}
#gag {Plane :}
#gag {Sector Limits:}
#gag {Height:}
#gag {MentalState:}
#gag {Mobile name:}
#gag {Path :}
#gag {Languages :}

====================
Room check triggers:
====================
#trigger {Extra description} {** Pay attention: read ed's **}
#trigger {checkroom} {rstat;rstat ex;rpstat}
#trigger {getgoing} {#IF (@STARTROOM = @ENDROOM) {All Finished
Range} {#VAR TEMP [@STARTROOM + 1];#VAR STARTROOM
@TEMP;goto @startROOM;rstat;rstat ex;rpstat}}

======================
Room check variables:
======================
#VAR TEMP 0
#VAR STARTROOM (-insert start room here-)
#VAR ENDROOM (-insert last room here-)