Vari verbs - ThePix/QuestJS GitHub Wiki

A vari-verb is a command that covers a set of verbs; the verbs are so similar that usually you do not care which the user typed, but occasionally you do.

An example may make that clearer. The "Hit" command handles ATTACK GOBLIN, PUNCH GOBLIN, KICK GOBLIN and MURDER GOBLIN (and others). In most games, killing NPCs is not allowed, and a simple response can handle that, so there is one command to cover all that. But perhaps you want a different response to each.

The vari-verbs all use the standard command script, which passes the work to the item, invoking an attribute function with the same name; in this case, a function called "hit". It is passed a dictionary, and the dictionary has various attributes:

  • item: This item
  • secondItem: Another item involved; usually undefined
  • char: The character doing the action; normally the player but not always
  • multiple: true if the command is for more than one item; eg EAT CAKE AND BUN
  • verb: The verb the player typed (converted to lower case)

This is the same as most of the other simple command verb-noun commands, by the way, except "verb" is usually not set.

Here is a simple example.

  eat:function(options) {
    msg("You think about whether you should " + options.verb + " the sandwich, but decide to save it for later.")
    return false    
  },

It has some issues. The command will accept PARTAKE OF SANDWICH or PARTAKE SANDWICH, but "... you should partake the sandwich..." is not great English. I would suggest you are better detecting what the verb is, and responding to it. For example:

  drink:function(options) {
    if (["quaff", "guzzle", "knock back", "swig", "swill", "down", "chug"].includes(options.verb) {
      msg("You knock back the beer in one!")
    }
    else {
      msg("You taste the beer... Not great, but not bad. You drink a couple more mouthfuls.")
    }
    return true    
  },

You would want code in there that somehow disposes of the drink too in the first case, and allows taking another drink in the second case, but it illustrates the technique here. You might also want to code it so it can handle NPCs too.

Alternatives

You could give a vari-verb its own custom script. If you do, be aware that the objects list contains the item(s) first, then the verb.

Or you could just disable the vari-verb command altogether, and implement each verb variant as its own command. This is what the RPG library does with the various attack verbs.

Applicable Verbs

  • Eat:eat|feed on|feed|partake of|partake|dine on|dine|nibble|consume|swallow|ingest
  • Drink:drink|imbibe|quaff|guzzle|knock back|swig|swill|sip|down|chug|consume|swallow|ingest
  • Hit:attack|strike|hit|kick|hurt|fight|punch|murder|kill|slaughter
  • Clean:clean|rub|dust|polish|shine

Note that the "Ingest" command handles verbs common to EAT and DRINK, passing the responsibility to drink or eat as it deems appropriate.

Custom Vari-Verbs

Creating your own vari-verb is just a case of setting up the regular expression and "objects" list for you command in the right way.

  new Cmd('Clean', {
    regexes:[{regex:/^(clean|rub|dust|polish|shine) (.+)$/, mod:{reverse:true}}],
    objects:[
      {scope:parser.isPresent},
      {special:'text'},
    ],
    // ...