Server: Add explanatory comment.

[plomrogue] / SERVER_COMMANDS

Command reading and writing
===========================

Normal mode
-----------

In normal mode, the server on start up checks for the existence of ./savefile
and, on success, reads all commands from it. If no savefile exists, commands
from ./confserver/world are read instead – and written to the file ./record.
Afterwards, the command "MAKE_WORLD" with the current Unix time as argument is
interpreted (and also written to ./record).

In any case, from then on, further commands are read in from ./server/in. New
commands must be appended to the file – which is what the client does. All
commands from ./server/in except meta commands are also written to ./record.

At the end of each turn, ./savefile is written – with a list of all god commands
necessary to recreate the current world state.

Replay mode
-----------

In replay mode, commands from ./record are read. If a turn number is given as an
argument, the file is read until the given turn is reached, or, if the turn
number is higher than the last turn of the recorded play, the last turn. If no
turn number is given as argument, the record file is replayed until turn 1 is
reached. Meta commands in ./record are not understood.

From then on, ./server/in is also read. Meta commands sent by the client are
interpreted normally, but any player and god command merely furthers reading of
./record by one line and is otherwise ignored.

Command list
============

Each command is of a single line. It consists at least of one command stringe,
in some cases followed by an obligatory argument. Argument fields are described
below in square brackets. Number ranges are described by the first legal number,
followed by " to ", followed by the last legal number. "[string]" means any text
string is expected, which must be enclosed in single quotes if it contains
whitespaces. "[char]" means a single ASCII character is expected. If one of a
set of pre-defined strings is expected, the legal strings are divided by pipe
symbols ("|").

Meta commands
-------------

PING
Write "PONG" line to ./server/out file.

QUIT
Shut down server.

STACK
Write line-by-line list of items the player stands on into ./server/out file,
enclosed by two lines "THINGS_BELOW_PLAYER START" and "THINGS_BELOW_PLAYER END".

Player commands
---------------

ai
Do what the AI would do.

wait
Make player character wait one turn.

move [east|south-east|south-west|west|north-west|north-east]
Make player character move into direction described by argument, or attack into
that direction if there is an enemy.

pick_up
Make player character pick up topmost thing it is standing on.

drop [0 to 255]
Make player character drop to the ground item of argument's position in the
player character's inventory.

use [0 to 255]
Make player character use item of argument's position in player character's
inventory.

God commands
------------

TURN [0 to 65535]
Set world turn to argument. (Initial value: 0.)

PLAYER_TYPE [0 to 255]
Set to argument ID of thing type into which a new world's player character will
be generated. (Initial value: 0.)

SEED_RANDOMNESS [0 to 4294967296]
Set randomness seed to argument. (Initial value: 0.)

SEED_MAP [0 to 4294967296]
(Re-)generate map to seed of argument and map size.

MAKE_WORLD [0 to 4294967296]
Set map seed and randomness seed to argument. Remove all things. (Re-)generate
map. Add to map things specified in thing types table in quantity defined there
by START_NUMBER command, with first thing (of thing ID of 0) of type defined as
player type by PLAYER_TYPE command. Set world turn to 1. Activate world. Answer
with 'NEW_WORLD' message in ./server/out file.

MAP_LENGTH [1 to 256]
Deactivate world. Remove ./server/worldstate file. Remove all things. Remove
map. Set map edge length to argument. (Initial value: 64.)

WORLD_ACTIVE [0 to 255]
Set world activity state to argument. If 0, remove ./server/worldstate file.
Else, if world was so far inactive, a map exists, at least one "wait" thing
action is defined, and a thing of ID 0 (= a player character) that is not part
of any other thing's inventory, (re-)build all animate things' fields of view and
activate world. (Initial value: 0.)

TA_ID [0 to 255]
Select thing action to manipulate by argument as ID. If argument is 0, change it
to the lowest unused thing action ID greater than 0. If action of ID does not
exist yet, create it with default name "wait" and default effort 1.

TA_EFFORT [0 to 255]
Set to argument the number of turns finishing the selected thing action takes.

TA_NAME [wait|move|use|drop|pick_up]
Set selected thing action's name (and thereby function, equal to player
command). Legal worlds need at least one action of name "wait", so if this
unsets the world's only "wait" action, the world is deactivated, and the
./server/worldstate file removed.

T_ID [-32768 to 32767]
Select thing to manipulate by argument as ID. If argument is <0 or >255, change
it to the lowest unused thing ID. If thing of ID does not exist yet, create it
with default position of y=0/x=0, the first thing type's ID, and that type's
lifepoints value; if world is active and the thing is animate, build its field
of view.

T_TYPE [0 to 255]
Set selected thing's type ID to argument.

T_POSY [0 to 255]
Set selected thing's map row position to argument. Delete thing's field of view
and, if world is active, rebuild it.

T_POSX [0 to 255]
Set selected thing's map column position to argument. Delete thing's field of
view and, if world is active, rebuild it.

T_COMMAND [0 to 255]
Set to argument the action thing is currently performing, as identified by its
thing action ID, if a thing action of that ID is defined. If argument is 0, the
thing's command ID is set to that, implying that it is not performing any
action.

T_ARGUMENT [0 to 255]
Set selected thing's action argument value to argument.

T_PROGRESS [0 to 255]
Set selected thing's action progress (number of turns already invested in
performing the action) value to argument.

T_LIFEPOINTS [0 to 255]
Set selected thing's lifepoints to argument.

T_CARRIES [0 to 255]
Add thing of ID in argument to inventory of selected thing, if said thing is
available for carrying and not the selected thing.

T_MEMMAP [0 to 255] [string]
Set part of selected thing's memory of the game map to string argument: the line
of the argument's number.

T_MEMTHING [0 to 255] [0 to 255] [0 to 255]
Add to selected thing's memory of things on map thing of ID of first argument,
y position of second argument and x position of third argument.

TT_ID [-32768 to 32767]
Select thing type to manipulate by argument as ID. If argument is <0 or <255,
change it to the lowest unused thing type ID. If thing type of ID does not exist
yet, create it with default name "(none)", corpse ID equal to the new thing
type's ID, and remaining thing type attributes to 0.

TT_CONSUMABLE [0-255]
Set selected thing type's consumability value to argument – the number of
lifepoints earned by consuming/using things of that type.

TT_START_NUMBER [0-255]
Set selected thing type's number of things of type to spawn on successful
MAKE_WORLD command to argument.

TT_LIFEPOINTS [0-255]
Set selected thing type's initial lifepoints value to argument. Things of 0
lifepoints are considered inanimate, otherwise animate.

TT_SYMBOL [char]
Set to argument symbol by which things of the selected type are represented on
the map.

TT_NAME [string]
Set selected thing type's name to argument. This name identifies things in the
game log and the inventory.

TT_CORPSE_ID [0-255]
Set to argument the ID of the thing type that things of the selected type
transform into when their state changes from animate to inanimate.

TT_PROLIFERATE [0-255]
If non-zero, there is a chance of 1 divided by the given value each turn for any
thing of the selected type to emit an offspring to a random neighbor cell if one
is available that is passable and not inhabited by a thing of the same same type
or, if the proliferating thing is animate, any other animate thing.