Short description
Your short description is the line of text other characters see when they walk into a room and type "look". It is a single line "at a glance" description, such as "a tall man with blue eyes and short sandy blonde hair". On LAbN we call this short description roomdesc because of the command used to set it.
Syntax: roomdesc <text here>
Example: roomdesc a tall man with blue eyes and short sandy blonde hair
Long description
Your long description is the detailed version of your character's appearance. A general guide for do's and don't's when writing a description may be found here. The commands for setting a long description are easy. Below is an example of how to set a long description. By using this format and simply replacing the example description with your own, you have set your character's description! I have borrowed the description below from John.
desc edit
Tall and riddled with a web of scars with a short, shaven haircut common among military men,
a marine corps signet on his hand makes it obvious how this man came to be what he is.
He is bulked out with muscle. His neck is thick and his arms, legs and torso just as wide,
though he lacks the horrifying look of a body-builder. He isn't a monstrosity, but he's spent
most of his adult life keeping "in shape." A maritime tattoo of an anchor appears on his
forearm in faded greenish ink.
.f
@
"Desc edit" is the command which takes you into the text editor, where you can enter your description. ".f" formats the description automatically, and "@" removes you from the editor.
Restringing Clothing
The restring command is a little trickier than the others, at least the first time you use it. New players coming from Hack and Slash MUDs may have had experience with the command, but for the most part newbies seem to have a somewhat difficult time with it. Honestly, it's not as difficult as it pretends to be.
Begin by typing "i", which is a short-cut command for "inventory." The contents of your inventory will appear as follows:
You are carrying:
( 2) a generic bracelet
a generic jacket
a generic held item
a bag
a generic belt
( 2) a generic ring
(Burning) a torch
( 2) a generic necklace
a generic hat
a pair of generic gloves
a generic shirt
a generic pair of pants
a pair of generic boots
The keywords for each of the generic items in your inventory are, for example, "shirt" for the generic shirt, and "hat" for the generic hat. For the purpose of this guide I will provide commands for restringing the generic pants into a wearable item, and an explanation of what each command did.
First you will want to change the item to look like a piece of clothing your character would wear. The short option used with the restring command will change an item's description, so that when you are wearing it and someone types "look <your character>", the item will show up on their clothing list.
The "short" option in action:
Syntax: restring <item keyword> short <description>
Example: restring pants short a pair of khaki slacks with some wear and tear along the hems
The item now looks like: a pair of khaki slacks with some wear and tear along the hems
Second you should change the keyword of the item. We changed the description from generic pants to khaki slacks, so I will alter the keyword of the item by using the name option with the restring command. To change the new khaki slacks into an item called "slacks", type the following:
Syntax: restring <item keyword> name <new keyword(s)>
Example: restring pants name slacks
The item's keyword is now: slacks
Now that you have renamed the object, you can type "wear slacks". This will equip the item to your character, so that when another character types "look <your name>" they will be able to see it. You should type "look me" to examine how the item works with the clothing syntax. With the above example - using the slacks - this is how it appears worn on a character:
He is wearing a pair of khaki slacks with some wear and tear along the hems on his legs.
Final Notes
If you have any more questions please inquire over OOC or request to the Storytellers. Someone will be glad to assist you.
