Combine Examine/Look Actions

[DavidRieman]

The Examine and Look actions do almost the same thing. Compare the strengths of each one (such as usage of Sensory system, target searching, argument handling, and guards), and combine them into one command with both their strengths and a combined set of ActionAliases, then delete the extra file.

@duaneking adds:

I think the issue equates to the strength in the perception being used. Glancing at something and investigating it intently are the same action with different levels of effort.

Although I can see some specific game system wanting there to be some difference (like one costing more stamina cost or something for a chance to find hidden stuff or something), I think the default Core version would be sufficient to assume that players just want the best possible result between the two. Although there is indeed a difference in meaning, it seems they do show up as "similar" on synonym lists. I do see a use case though for "glancing at something" as a way to ask "just give me a high level overview I can read quicker, with key notes like exit directions" and for that I have seen "glance" used as a command. WheeMUD does also have a glance command that I think is intended to work that way, but probably needs work to use the same Renderer system as other similar commands. (Filed https://github.com/DavidRieman/WheelMUD/issues/45 for that.)

Ultimately, I think by default we don't want to impose on builders to provide a short, medium, and long description for everything they build. But I think a short and long description should cover us pretty well for a Core experience, and might be pretty obvious when each of the two would get used. Thoughts?

[duaneking]

So yes a pedantic English speaker would consider these all to be different actions with different expected results, with different effort or resources required for each action as you hinted, so these words mean different things that amount to the level of effort required. That's an astute observation on the stamina thing, but not just that, because what about spell effects? Yes, the attributes of the actor character should be included in that.. but I can't imagine that if somebody's blinded then they can't really glance anywhere.. unless they also have some other form of enchantment that mitigates that or kicks in to change things.

Maybe I'm enchanted with a truesight that gives me the results of a full nat 20 investigate at a glance as part of the power I would normally have from an enchanted item I wear, if I was not also magically blinded by a lesser curse that mitigated a persons enchantments by simply giving me normal sight a d nothing better until its removed?

I guess in that case the real item is effort, but it wouldn't just be one metric you would have to worry about, it would have to be about enchanted effects (and you're getting that from what? How?) and not just the current actors stamina or other metric. Not to mention enchantments and spells might only trigger or change stats based on the character surroundings or other factors. So the enchantment stuff also applies. I guess for this version, the simpler would work.

[DavidRieman]

Ah, yes, we definitely want the Sensory Perception systems to tie into all these commands, and for spell effects and the like to definitely influence the sensory perception results. (Indeed if you're blinded or deafened you might either get "someone" or "something" or entire lines omitted, as appropriate for the command response building approach.) I think the main question at hand for this issue is whether it makes sense to combine Look/Examine for now. To assume the user is aiming for the same results when typing "look" as when typing "examine". Of course a given MUD will be free to override these Core commands to give them separate meaning with separate custom handling that ties directly into their own special game mechanics, etc.

I agree that yes, maybe the simpler combine is appropriate for now. As-is, their differences are not seeming intentional/important. We can always revisit later. :)

EDIT: While combing through the old retired WheelMUD forums posts for bits to preserve, I ran into a small discussion around confusion between look/examine - apparently some MUD users might be used to using one with args, and other users used to using the other with args. Just additional reason that both should work (the same, as in, the same command) whether with or without arguments, as this will serve both camps correctly with no usability drawbacks.