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Class: Verb

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 6

Verb is the base class for all Verb instances. adventurejs comes with over 100 predefined Verbs, each with logic to support all of the predefined Asset classes. You can get pretty far using the predefined Verbs and Assets. Naturally, you're going to have ideas that don't fit the predefined logic. adventurejs provides several methods to modify Verbs, which range in complexity from making small edits all the way up to writing new Verbs from scratch.

  • patchVerb() lets an author replace only selected properties and methods of any predefined Verb.
  • replaceVerb() lets an author completely replace any of the predefined Verbs.
  • combineVerbs() lets an author consolidate predefined Verbs. Some of the predefined Verbs exist to catch subtle distinctions that may not be necessary for your game. For instance, twist and turn are predefined as distinct Verbs. If you don't need that level of distinction, you can use combineVerbs to consolidate them.
  • disableVerbs() lets an author delete specified Verbs from their game's Dictionary. Useful when you don't want to support certain Verbs.
  • enableVerbs() lets an author re-enable Verbs that have been disabled.
  • disableAllVerbsBut() lets an author disable all but specified Verbs. Useful for creating a game with limited language.
  • createVerb() lets an author create a new Verb from scratch.
  • doVerb() lets an author call a Verb from custom code during runtime.

Examples:

// patchVerb()

MyGame.patchVerb({
  name: "crawl",
  prettyname: "wriggle", // change prettyname
});


//replaceVerb()

MyGame.replaceVerb( "xyzzy", {
  name: "xyzzy",
  prettyname: "xyzzy",
  synonyms: [],
  do: function( params )
  {
    console.log( "verbs.do" );
    var msg = "Clever xyzzy response!";
    if(msg) this.game.print( msg, MyGame.input.output_class );
    return params
  },
});


// combineVerbs()

MyGame.combineVerbs( [ "twist" ], "turn" );


// disableVerbs()

MyGame.disableVerbs( [ "lick", "eat" ] );


// enableVerbs()

MyGame.enableVerbs( [ "lick", "eat" ] );


// disableAllVerbsBut()

MyGame.disableAllVerbsBut( [ "look", "examine" ] );


// createVerb()

MyGame.createVerb({
  name: "blab_about_noun1",
  prettyname: "blab about",
  verb_prep_noun: [ "blab about" ], // blab about thing
  verb_noun_prep_noun: [ "blab about" ], // blab person about thing
  doTry: function( input )
  {
    [insert logic here]
    return true;
  },
  doSuccess: function( input )
  {
    [insert logic here]
    return true;
  },
});


// doVerb() (call during runtime)

this.game.dictionary.doVerb("xyzzy");

For more information about creating Verbs or modifying Verbs, see Verb Subscriptions, Verb Phases, Verb Actions, Verb Anatomy, Verb Process, or Modify Verbs.

Private Constructor:

var foo = new adventurejs.Verb(game)

Parameters:

Inherited Overrides

Methods Collapse all  |  Expand all

canBeIntransitive()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1905

Verb can be intransitive if it doesn't require a noun.
do()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 968

Verb.do is a coordinating method that sequences six other submethods in a series. In the case of Verb instances that can act on a collection of Assets in a single turn, Verb.do only fires once, but it loops through the Asset collection and calls each submethod for every Asset in the collection. The sequence is:

do -> The two key submethods are Verb.doTry and Verb.doSuccess. For most Verb instances, these two methods contain the bulk of the logic particular to this Verb. Verb.doTry determines whether a Verb can act on an Asset, and if it can't, prints an error message to Display. Verb.doSuccess applies the Verb to the Asset: updates the game state, assembles dynamic output, and prints the results to Display.

A Verb instance isn't required to use all of these methods. Some Verbs may bypass Verb.doTry because no special conditions are required to apply the Verb. Some specialized Verbs such as oops and undo override Verb.do entirely and don't use any submethods.

The other four submethods – Verb.doBeforeTry, Verb.doAfterTry, Verb.doBeforeSuccess, and Verb.doAfterSuccess – exist to provide optional hooks for authors to add custom interactions with individual Assets. For more information about Verb Actions and Verb Phases, see Verb Actions and Verb Phases.

And so, the first thing Verb.do does is to verify that each method exists on the Verb instance. If the submethod exists, it is called. Each submethod sends a return to Verb.do.

If the Verb is acting on a collection, a false return means that the Asset currently being acted on has responded in a way that blocks further parsing, and brings this turn to a halt. A null return means that the Asset currently being acted on has concluded its own parsing, but not in such a way as to block further parsing, and Verb.do moves on to the next Asset.
doSuccess()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1233

doSuccess typically contains all the code needed to apply this Verb to the specified Asset once it has successfully passed through all of our conditional logic. doBeforeSuccess and doAfterSuccess are provided so that authors can apply custom success code on an item-by-item basis, but it is also possible to globally modify doSuccess. For information about modifying verbs, see Modify Verbs.
doTry()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1138

doTry typically contains all the specific logic needed to determine if this Verb can act on the specified Asset. (We already applied some general logic supplied by NounMustBe before arriving here.) For information about modifying verbs, see Modify Verbs.
enqueueCollection()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1582

enqueueCollection takes a collection of Assets and enqueues them to game.parser for sequential handling.
getState()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1923

Get this verb's state or unstate.
handleActions()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1153

handleActions attempts to call any verb actions that match the current assets and sentence structure.
handleFailure()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1620

handleFailure prints either a given fail message or a generic fail msg if one is specified.
handleSuccess()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1718

handleSuccess prints the provided success message or a generic one that has been defined by author. It also checks direct and indirect objects for custom verb subscription on_success results and tryDestroy results.
hasState()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1914

Does this verb have state or unstate?
hasVerbSubscriptionConnection()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 2064

Test whether two assets are connected by this verb, for example a rope tied to a tree, or a computer plugged into a socket.
initialize()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1547

Todos: How does patchVerb handle initialization?

If Verb is a direction, initialize adds it to game.dictionary.directionLookup.
set(props) → {adventurejs.Verb}

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1608

Parameters:

  • props Object
    A generic object containing properties to copy to the DisplayObject instance.
Provides a chainable shortcut method for setting a number of properties on the instance.

Returns:

adventurejs.Verb Returns the instance the method is called on (useful for chaining calls.)
setState()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1932

Apply this verb's state or unstate to an asset.
setVerbSubscriptionConnection()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1941

Connect two assets that share a connection when acted upon by this verb. For example, in the case of 'plug computer into socket', each asset has the other asset's ID saved to its verb subscription like this:

computer.dov.plugIn.with_params.connections = ['socket']
socket.iov.plugIn.with_params.connections = ['computer']

This is one of two verb subscription properties that are related and very similar, and it's important to understand the distinction between them. ...with_assets defines which assets CAN BE connected. ...with_params.connections stores which assets ARE connected.

with_assets: computer.dov.plugIn.with_assets = ['socket']
connections: computer.dov.plugIn.with_params.connections = ['socket']
tryDestroyAfterUsing(object_of, asset) → {Object}

Defined in: adventure/asset/tryDestroyAfterUsing.js, line 7

Parameters:

  • object_of String
  • asset Object
tryDestroyAfterUsing is the underlying function for tryDestroyDirectObjectAfterUsing and tryDestroyIndirectObjectAfterUsing.

Returns:

Object
tryDestroyDirectObjectAfterUsing(asset) → {Boolean|string}

Defined in: adventure/asset/tryDestroyDirectObjectAfterUsing.js, line 7

Parameters:

  • asset Object
tryDestroyDirectObjectAfterUsing checks to see if the specified asset can only be used directly once with this verb by checking for asset.dov[this.name].then_destroy. This is intended to provide a hook for authors to easily destroy an object after a single use, such as a key that only works once and then breaks or disappears.

Returns:

Boolean | string
tryDestroyIndirectObjectAfterUsing(asset) → {Boolean|string}

Defined in: adventure/asset/tryDestroyIndirectObjectAfterUsing.js, line 7

Parameters:

  • asset Object
tryDestroyIndirectObjectAfterUsing checks to see if the specified asset can only be used indirectly once with this verb by checking for asset.iov[this.name].then_destroy. This is intended to provide a hook for authors to easily destroy an object after a single use, such as a key that only works once and then breaks or disappears.

Returns:

Boolean | string
tryToInferIndirectObject(direct_object, handle_input) → {Object}

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1292

Parameters:

  • direct_object Object
  • handle_input Boolean
    If true, updates the global input object per standard specs used by most (but not all) of the verb instances that call this method.
tryToInferIndirectObject is called by some verbs when they receive a direct object with no indirect object, to test whether an indirect object can be inferred. In order to be inferred, indirect object must be in player inventory. If player hasn't already interacted with direct object and game.settings.infer_indirect_objects_only_after_interaction is true, tryToInferIndirectObject will fail regardless of other circumstances.

Returns:

Object
tryToPutThisInThatAspect(direct_object, preposition, indirect_object) → {Object}

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1369

Parameters:

  • direct_object Object
  • preposition String
  • indirect_object Object
tryToPutThisInThatAspect checks to see if a asset can be placed within the specified aspect of another specified asset. For example, "put sword in stone" and "push stone into depression" would both be tested with this function.

Returns:

Object
unsetVerbSubscriptionConnection()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 2009

Disconnect two assets that share a connection when acted upon by this verb. For example, in the case of 'plug computer into socket', each asset has the other asset's ID saved to its verb subscription like this:

computer.dov.plugIn.with_params.connections = ['socket']
socket.iov.plugIn.with_params.connections = ['computer']
validate()

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 1540

Unused.

Properties  | 

accepts_direction :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Phrase.js, line 27

Currently unused.
accepts_number :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Phrase.js, line 41

Currently unused.
accepts_string :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Phrase.js, line 20

Currently unused.
adjectives :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 251

Verb.adjectives are for direction verbs so that, for example, 'south' can be associated with 'southern' and 'southernly'.
article :Boolean

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 328

Default value: false

Set whether a direction can be referred to with an article, as in "there is a door to the north" vs "there is a door to starboard". This is a bit of mixed purpose because this property doesn't apply to the verb, but is stored in directionLookup for reference with directions.
dictionary :Object

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 144

Default value: {}

A shortcut to the main Game Dictionary.
direction_preposition :Boolean

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 340

Default value: ""

When player travels, this string may be prepended before the verb name, such as "you walk to the north"
doVerb :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 487

Returns "do[Verb]This" for consistency with callAction()
doVerbFromThis :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 503

Returns "do[Verb]FromThis" for consistency with callAction()
doVerbThatFromThis :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 543

Returns "do[Verb]ThatFromThis" for consistency with callAction()
doVerbThatWithThis :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 527

Returns "do[Verb]ThatWithThis" for consistency with callAction()
doVerbThis :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 495

Returns "do[Verb]This" for consistency with callAction()
doVerbThisFromThat :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 535

Returns "do[Verb]ThisFromThat" for consistency with callAction()
doVerbThisWithThat :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 519

Returns "do[Verb]ThisWithThat" for consistency with callAction()
doVerbWithThis :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 511

Returns "do[Verb]WithThis" for consistency with callAction()
enqueue_collections :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 406

Default value: false

enqueue_collections if true allows a verb to unbundle the members of a collection in order to queue up separate actions for each. For example, "gems" is a collection that refers to three unique assets; "diamond", "emerald" and "ruby". If take.enqueue_collections is true, "take gems" will act individually on the diamond, the emerald and the ruby. Only applies to direct object.
extends :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 165

Default value: ""

Extension verbs may perform some contextual logic before forwarding to another verb for the bulk of logic, such as "crawl" -> "go".
game :Object

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 137

Default value: {}

A reference back to the main Game object.
in_can_mean_on :Boolean

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 295

Default value: false

Some types of objects can accept 'in' for 'on' interchangeably, such as 'sit in chair' / 'sit on chair', or 'lie in bed' / 'lie on bed'.
input_substitutions :Object

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 357

Default value: {}

To simplify identifying verbs in input, specifically with regards to adverbs & prepositions, we can provide a list of synonyms for the verb. The parser will look for these synonyms in the input and replace them with the verb name. Then, the verb can handle the adverb/preposition as it sees fit.
is_compass_direction :Boolean

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 311

Default value: false

Set whether direction verb is a compass direction, meaning, it can be found on a compass rose.
is_direction :Boolean

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 304

Default value: false

Set whether verb is a direction verb.
is_spatial_direction :Boolean

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 319

Default value: false

Set whether direction verb is a relative direction such as those used on ships: port, starboard, etc. Also applies to left, right, forward, back, etc.
let_verb_handle_disambiguation :Boolean

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 275

Default value: false

Setting this to true allows you to write your own disambiguation script. Warning: going off road! Recommended for experienced Javascript users.
let_verb_handle_remaining_input :Boolean

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 284

Default value: false

When input is parsed, parse the verb and then pass the remainder of the input to the verb as a string, for the verb to act on. Chief example is: "oops xxx" where we don't want to parse xxx, we just want to let oops use it as a substitute for last turn's unknown input.
name :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 174

Default value: ""

String provided in Verb definition file (aka preverb).
Name :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 422

Default value: []

Return uppercase name of the verb.
override_verb_failure_msg :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 369

Default value: undefined

Provides a simple method for an author to override all failure messages for a verb with one generic string.
override_verb_success_msg :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 378

Default value: undefined

Provides a simple method for an author to override success messages for a verb with one generic string.
past_tense :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 191

The past tense of the verb. May be used in output strings.
player_must_be :Object

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 259

Default value: {}

player_must_be sets conditions that the Player Character must meet in order for the Verb to act.
prettyname :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 182

String provided in verb definition file. The prettyname is used for printing, and can include spaces, ie ask prints as "ask about".
related :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 390

related is an array of related verbs, intended for use with tryToInferIndirectObject. Depending on a game's settings, some verbs may be applied automatically, but only when a user has already applied the verb themselves. For example, an author might not want a door to be opened automatically because the player should bring intention to the action of opening it, in order to appreciate the consequences. tryToInferIndirectObject considers whether a verb has previously been applied to an asset. In some cases, the verb's opposing verb may also be considered. For example, whether the player unlocked a door, or picked it, or locked it themselves, we consider them to have interacted with it.
requires_number :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Phrase.js, line 48

Currently unused.
requires_string :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Phrase.js, line 34

Currently unused.
state :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 198

state is an optional property for verbs that apply state to assets, such as close and lock. For example, "close door" will set door.is.closed to true. When used, state will contain the state to be set true on an asset. In the case of close, its state would be "closed".
state_strings :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 218

state_strings is an optional property for verbs that is used to provide string substitutions for authors using the string substitution form of $(sink drain is| plugged or| unplugged). Because "unplugged" isn't a proper verb state, we'll use this as a reverse lookup to test whether the asset, sink_drain in this case, is subscribed to the relevant verb and has the specified state. state_strings only apply to direct objects.
synonyms :Getter/Setter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 551

Default value: []

synonyms provide alternate words for verbs, such as "get" for "take".
tryVerbFromThis :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 447

Returns "try[Verb]FromThis" for consistency with callAction()
tryVerbThatFromThis :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 479

Returns "try[Verb]ThatFromThis" for consistency with callAction()
tryVerbThatWithThis :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 463

Returns "try[Verb]ThatWithThis" for consistency with callAction()
tryVerbThis :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 431

Returns "try[Verb]This" for consistency with callAction()
tryVerbThisFromThat :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 471

Returns "try[Verb]ThisFromThat" for consistency with callAction()
tryVerbThisWithThat :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 455

Returns "try[Verb]ThisWithThat" for consistency with callAction()
tryVerbWithThis :Getter

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 439

Returns "try[Verb]WithThis" for consistency with callAction()
type :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 152

Default value: ""

May be used to help narrow verb selections in ambiguous situations.
unstate :String

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 208

unstate is an optional property for verbs that unset state from assets, such as open and unlock. For example, "open door" will set door.is.closed to false. When used, unstate will contain the state to be set false on an asset. In the case of open, its unstate would be "closed".
verb_noun_prep :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 617

Default value: []

For verb/noun pairs with a trailing preposition, or more likely a direction, such as "push bed north". When player input is parsed, they'll be concatenated, eg to "pushnorth bed".
verb_noun_prep_noun :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 781

Default value: []

For verb/preposition pairs separated by another word, usually a noun, such as "lock door with key" or "take sword from stone". When player input is parsed, they'll be concatenated, eg to "lockwith door key" or "takefrom sword stone".

Though verb_prep_noun and verb_noun_prep_noun look similar, the reason they are separate fields is because we have to use different regex patterns to find each type in user input.
verb_noun_prep_noun_prep_noun :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 870

Default value: []

For a verb phrase with three nouns and two prepositions. For example, in the phrase "tie boat to pier with rope", we're looking for "tie" and "to" and "with", and we would parse the phrase as "tietowith boat pier rope"
verb_noun_prep_prep_noun :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 828

Default value: []

For a verb phrase with two nouns and two prepositions. For example, in the phrase "take skateboard from under bed", we're looking for "take" and "from" and "under", and we would parse the phrase as "takefromunder skateboard bed"
verb_prep_noun :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 658

Default value: []

For verb/preposition pairs separated by a space, such as "go to" or "look at". When player input is parsed, they'll be concatenated, eg "go to" to "goTo".
verb_prep_noun_prep_noun :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 575

Default value: []

For phrases like "jump from branch to vine" or "look at sun with glasses", where we have a verb + preposition followed by a noun and then another preposition
verb_prep_noun_prep_noun_prep_noun :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 916

Default value: []

For a verb phrase with three nouns and three prepositions. For example, in the phrase "swing from branch to tree on vine", we're looking for "swing from with on".
verb_prep_prep_noun :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 699

Default value: []

For compound preps separated by spaces, verb/prep/prep, such as "get out of"
verb_prep_prep_prep_noun :Array

Defined in: adventure/dictionary/Verb.js, line 740

Default value: []

For three part compound preps, verb/prep/prep/prep, such as "get out from behind"