action-messages

name	action-messages
description	Understand and write action messages with automatic verb conjugation, pronoun handling, and perspective-based delivery. Covers all $-tokens ($N, $v, $t, $o, $p, $r, $b), all action functions, article handling, reflexives, and common pitfalls.

Action Messages Skill

The action message system (derived from Lima MUD) composes messages that automatically adjust grammar based on who is reading them. A single template like "$N $vswing $p sword." produces "You swing your sword." for the actor and "Bob swings his sword." for everyone else.

Core files:

• adm/daemons/action.lpc — message composition engine (ACTION_D)
• std/ext/action.lpc — module wrapper inherited by living objects
• adm/simul_efun/english.lpc — pronoun functions (subjective, objective, possessive, reflexive)
• adm/simul_efun/grammar.lpc — pluralisation helpers

Action Functions

All are called on the actor object (via EXT_ACTION module). The actor is always previous_object().

Function	Who Sees It	Use For
simple_action(msg, obs...)	Actor + room	Standard actions visible to everyone
my_action(msg, obs...)	Actor only	Private feedback, failure messages
other_action(msg, obs...)	Room only (not actor)	Announcements excluding the doer
targetted_action(msg, target, obs...)	Actor + target + room (3 perspectives)	Actions directed at someone
target_action(msg, target, obs...)	Target only	Private message to target
my_target_action(msg, target, obs...)	Actor only	Actor sees target-aware message

All functions accept mixed msg — either a string template or an array of strings (one is chosen randomly via element_of()).

Token Reference

$N / $n — Actor Name

The doer of the action. Defaults to who[0].

Token	Actor Sees	Others See (first mention)	Others See (subsequent)
$N	"You"	"Bob"	"he"/"she"/"they" (subjective)
$No	"you"	"Bob"	"him"/"her"/"them" (objective)
$Nd	"Bob"	"Bob"	"Bob" (always display name)
$Np	"Bob's"	"Bob's"	"Bob's" (possessive proper noun)

• Uppercase $N capitalises the result; lowercase $n does not
• First mention uses the name; subsequent mentions use pronouns
• Gender-based via query_gender(): returns "male", "female", "other"

$V / $v — Verb Conjugation

Conjugates a verb based on perspective.

Token	Actor Sees	Others See
$vswing	"swing"	"swings"
$vgrab	"grab"	"grabs"
$vtry	"try"	"tries"
$vis	"are"	"is"
$vare	"are"	"is"

Rules:

• Actor always gets the base form: "swing", "grab"
• Others get pluralize(verb): "swings", "grabs" (third-person singular)
• "to be" special case: $vis, $vam, $vare → "are" for actor, "is" for others
• Gender "other" also gets "are" (plural agreement)
• Contraction hack: $vdon't works — the system detects 't after the verb and appends it

Uppercase $V capitalises the conjugated result.

$T / $t — Target Name

The target of the action. Defaults to who[1] with objective suffix.

Token	Actor Sees	Target Sees	Others See
$t	"Bob"	"you"	"Bob" / "him"

Same pronoun logic as $N but defaults to participant 1 (the target) and objective case.

$O / $o — Object

References objects from the obs... arguments.

Token	Resolves To
$o or $o0	obs[0]
$o1	obs[1]
$o2	obs[2]

Article handling: The system detects articles in the text before $o and adjusts:

You Write	Result
"a $o"	"a sword" (indefinite article from a_short())
"the $o"	"the sword" (definite article from the_short())
"$o"	"sword" (bare short description)

• On second mention of the same object: replaced with "it"
• Arrays of objects: handled automatically with pluralisation and simple_list()
  • "a $o" with 3 swords → "3 swords"
  • Mixed arrays → "3 swords and a shield"
  • Second mention of array → "them"

$P / $p — Possessive Pronoun

Token	Actor Sees	Others See (first mention)	Others See (subsequent)
$p	"your"	"Bob's"	"his"/"her"/"their"/"its"

$R / $r — Reflexive Pronoun

Token	Actor Sees	Others See
$r	"yourself"	"himself"/"herself"/"themself"/"itself"

$B / $b — Base Pronoun (Hybrid)

Like $N but uses objective pronouns on subsequent mentions.

Token	Actor Sees	Others See (first mention)	Others See (subsequent)
$b	"you"	"Bob"	"him"/"her"/"them"

Numeric Indices

Tokens can reference specific participants by number:

• $n0 — who[0] (the actor, same as $n)
• $n1 — who[1] (the target in targetted actions)
• $v1swing — conjugate "swing" for who[1]'s perspective
• $p1 — possessive of who[1]

The format is: $[TYPE][PARTICIPANT_NUMBER][SUFFIX]

For two-digit parsing: $[TYPE][SUBJECT_NUMBER][PARTICIPANT_NUMBER][SUFFIX] — subject determines reflexive detection, participant determines which person.

Reflexive Handling

When the subject and participant are the same person and the subject has already been mentioned, reflexive pronouns are used automatically:

"$N $vkick $No"
// Actor: "You kick yourself."     (not "You kick you.")
// Others: "Bob kicks himself."    (not "Bob kicks Bob.")

This only triggers when both reference the same who[] entry and the subject has been previously mentioned in the message.

Message Routing Detail

simple_action

Actor ← compose_message(actor, msg, who, obs)
Actor's inventory ← compose_message(null, msg, who, obs)
Room (excluding actor) ← compose_message(null, msg, who, obs)

targetted_action

Actor ← compose_message(actor, msg, who, obs)
Target ← compose_message(target, msg, who, obs)
Actor's inventory ← compose_message(null, msg, who, obs)
Target's inventory ← compose_message(null, msg, who, obs)
Room (excluding actor and target) ← compose_message(null, msg, who, obs)

When forwhom is null (the "others" perspective), no participant matches, so all names are used with third-person conjugation.

Practical Examples

Basic action

tp->simple_action("$N $vdrop $p $o.", item);
// Actor: "You drop your sword."
// Others: "Bob drops his sword."

Failure message (actor only)

tp->my_action("$N $vcannot drop $p $o.", item);
// Actor: "You cannot drop your sword."

Action with target

tp->targetted_action("$N $vgive $p $o to $t.", target, item);
// Actor:  "You give your sword to Alice."
// Target: "Bob gives his sword to you."
// Others: "Bob gives his sword to Alice."

Multiple objects

tp->simple_action("$N $vtake a $o from a $o1.", item, container);
// Actor: "You take a sword from a chest."
// Others: "Bob takes a sword from a chest."

To be

tp->simple_action("$N $vis ready to fight.");
// Actor: "You are ready to fight."
// Others: "Bob is ready to fight."

Contraction

tp->simple_action("$N $vdon't see that here.");
// Actor: "You don't see that here."
// Others: "Bob doesn't see that here."

Announcement to room

tp->other_action("$N $venter from the north.");
// Actor: (nothing)
// Others: "Bob enters from the north."

Reflexive

tp->simple_action("$N $vhurt $No.");
// Actor: "You hurt yourself."
// Others: "Bob hurts himself."

Random message

tp->simple_action(({
    "$N $vswing $p sword wildly.",
    "$N $vslash at the air with $p sword.",
    "$N $vbrandish $p sword menacingly.",
}), sword);
// Randomly picks one template each time

Common Pitfalls & Troubleshooting

Wrong verb form

Problem: "Bob swing the sword" instead of "Bob swings the sword" Cause: Missing $v prefix on the verb. Write $vswing not just swing.

"you" where a name should be

Problem: Actor sees "you" but you wanted the name Fix: Use $Nd (display name suffix) to force the name instead of pronoun.

Premature pronoun

Problem: "he drops his sword" on first mention instead of "Bob drops his sword" Cause: The has tracking thinks the object was already mentioned. This can happen if the same living appears in multiple token positions. The system tracks mentions per-composition — each viewer gets fresh tracking.

"is" vs "are" wrong

Problem: "You is ready" or "Bob are ready" Fix: Use $vis (not $vare or $vam). The system handles conjugation — all three forms (is/am/are) trigger the same "to be" logic.

Object shows as "it" too early

Problem: First mention of an object shows "it" instead of the name Cause: The object or its short description was already in the has tracking — possibly mentioned via a different token. Each $o use with the same object increments the tracking.

Possessive on wrong person

Problem: "Bob's" shows up where "your" should Cause: Check which participant $p refers to. By default it's participant 0 (the actor). Use $p1 for the target's possessive.

Articles doubling or missing

Problem: "a a sword" or missing article Cause: The system strips and re-applies articles when a or the precedes $o. If your object's query_short() already includes an article ("a sword"), the system will strip and reapply. Don't include articles in both the template and the short description.

Gender "other" and verb conjugation

Note: Gender "other" uses plural agreement — $vis → "are", $vswing → "swing" (not "swings"). This is intentional for they/them pronouns.

Grammar Support Functions

Available as simul_efuns for manual use:

Function	Returns
subjective(ob)	"he", "she", "they", "it"
objective(ob)	"him", "her", "them", "it"
possessive(ob)	"his", "her", "their", "its"
possessive_proper_noun(ob)	"Bob's", "Alice's"
reflexive(ob)	"himself", "herself", "themself", "itself"
pluralize(str)	Third-person singular: "swing" → "swings"
simple_list(arr)	"sword, shield, and mace"
add_article(str, definite)	Add "a"/"an" or "the"
remove_article(str)	Strip leading article