New Builders Commands idea.

[Leonardo]

Since 4D has restricted FTP access to Builders zone files these commands can easier your building work a lot. I've checked with Horus and he confirmed these commands can be easily implemented.

The ability to flag multiple rooms (batch of rooms) instantly with a simple command. Useful for big mazes or big parts of a zone that share the same flags as terrain type, room flags, sector type. Avoids the builder from doing repetitive and annoying redit for every room. Automating the repetitive tasks the Builder gains time to invest in creativity and avoids the human error of missing a room flag.

Command example for the Coders:
rflag Start_Vnum End_Vnum flag1 flag2 flag3 flag4 flagN

Command example for Builders:
rflag 1920 1960 !MOB INDOORS PEACEFUL !TRACK PRIVATE Inside

The ability to set repetitive descriptions and room names with a single command without having to redit every room. This task if automated usually by experienced builders that have access to their zone files.

Command example for Coders:
rdesc Start_Vnum End_Vnum Desc_Type Description
Apply a /f format of text at the end of every command execution.

Command example for Builders:
rdesc 3560 3599 Name The Desert
rdesc 3560 3599 north You see sand everywhere.
rdesc 3560 3599 east You see sand everywhere.
rdesc 3560 3599 north You see sand everywhere.
rdesc 3560 3599 Description The desert is a sea of sand, seeming to stretch on indefinitely. Even the best eye protection is useless against the sun's blinding reflection.  Sand swirls
on the wind, whipping in every direction, pouring into shoes, creeping under clothing, and stinging your eyes.  The jackals call to one another and the sound of sand shifting on the wind, although faint at first.
rdesc 3560 3599 smell It's too hot to even breath let alone smell.
rdesc 3560 3599 listen You tend your ear to the wind, but nothing beside dead silence.

You can add same repetitive descs to a batch of rooms then singularly edit the special rooms for added features or description changes for hints.
I believe something like this would Improve, Speed and Ease building a lot. Just consider in case you've just finished editing your 100rooms maze and you figure at the end you mispelled something in the repetitive Smell description, you just have to start back rediting all the 100 rooms and fix that typo. This way in a snap you can automate the process.

Let's see what do you think about it.

[Molly]

First: We already have a command to copy rooms - rclone.
Usage: rclone <target room vnum>

You stand in a room and copy everything in it to a new vnum.

Now we don't really encourage repeated descs in 4D, but there are times when they are useful, for instance with mazes.

What I usually do when building myself, is making a room with the things I want to be generic for several rooms, for instance room name, roomflags, listen and smell descs, and if it's a maze the main desc too. Then I copy that room to as many vnums that I need, and edit the rest manually, usually with individual descs.

But for instance you always have to set the vnums of the exits manually, even though the exit descs can be the same.

What you suggest is a more detailed option, but basically the feature already exists and is in working order.
You'll have to chose whether you want to use buildwalk or rclone, however, personally I'd prefer rclone most of the time, but it depends on circumstances.

 

[Leonardo]

I am sorry, but I have to disagree here. RCLONE works only if the ROOM hasn’t been yet created. If after you’ve RCLONEed 100 rooms you find out there’s a typo you need to fix, you can’t fix it in the default room and RCLONE back the fix. Even then RCLONE is a repetitive command you have to keep typing for every vnum you want the room to be cloned to instead RDESC let’s you specify a batch list of vnums to where apply the changes, and it can be used even if a room already exists.

Imagine you've just finished linking all exits to your maze and find a typo into one of your descriptions, for you it's not a big issue since you can just put the zone file into an editor and use a simple FIND&REPLACE command. But for who doesn't have access to the world files, has got to redit every room in the maze and fix the typo. Here's a situation where RDESC comes very in handy.