Communication Functions

say(message)

Make the mob say something to everyone in the room.

Arguments:

• message (string): The message to say

Returns: Nothing

Example:

say("Hello, adventurer!")
say("The weather is quite nice today.")

tell(target, message)

Make the mob tell something privately to a specific character.

Arguments:

• target (character): The character to tell
• message (string): The message to tell

Returns: Nothing

Example:

local actor = get_actor()
if actor then
    tell(actor, "I have a secret quest for you.")
end

emo(action)

Make the mob perform an emote (third-person action).

Arguments:

• action (string): The action to perform (should include the mob's name)

Returns: Nothing

Example:

emo("The sage nods thoughtfully.")
emo("The sage strokes his long beard.")

yell(message)

Make the mob yell something to the entire area.

Arguments:

• message (string): The message to yell

Returns: Nothing

Example:

yell("Help! Raiders are attacking the village!")

gtell(target, message)

Send a group tell to a character's group.

Arguments:

• target (character): A member of the group to send to
• message (string): The message to send

Returns: Nothing

Example:

local actor = get_actor()
if actor then
    gtell(actor, "Your group has completed the quest!")
end

gossip(message)

Make the mob send a gossip message to all players.

Arguments:

• message (string): The message to gossip

Returns: Nothing

Example:

gossip("The sage has appeared in the village!")

Echo and Area Functions

echo_around(character, message)

Echo a message to everyone in the room except the specified character.

Arguments:

• character (character): The character to exclude from the echo
• message (string): The message to echo

Returns: Nothing

Example:

local actor = get_actor()
if actor then
    echo_around(actor, "The sage whispers something to " .. get_name(actor) .. ".")
    tell(actor, "This is our secret.")
end

echo_area(message)

Echo a message to the entire area except the current room.

Arguments:

• message (string): The message to echo

Returns: Nothing

Example:

echo_area("A thunderous roar echoes from the dragon's lair!")
wait(2)
say("Did you hear that? The dragon stirs...")

echo_adjacent(message)

Echo a message to all rooms adjacent to the current room.

Arguments:

• message (string): The message to echo

Returns: Nothing

Example:

echo_adjacent("You hear the sound of chanting from nearby.")
say("My ritual begins...")

echo_at(room_vnum, message)

Echo a message to a specific room.

Arguments:

• room_vnum (number): Virtual number of the room to echo to
• message (string): The message to echo

Returns: Nothing

Example:

-- Alert another room
echo_at(1234, "A messenger bird arrives with urgent news!")
say("I've sent word to the other location.")

Conversation Helper Functions

show_options(options_table)

Display numbered conversation options to the player.

Arguments:

• options_table (table): Lua table containing option strings

Returns:

• boolean: true if successful, false if failed

Example:

local actor = get_actor()
if actor then
    local options = {
        "Tell me about the ancient prophecy",
        "What quests do you have available?",
        "I'd like to buy something",
        "Goodbye"
    }
 
    show_options(options)
    -- Player will see:
    -- The sage shows you the following options:
    --   1. Tell me about the ancient prophecy
    --   2. What quests do you have available?
    --   3. I'd like to buy something
    --   4. Goodbye
    -- Please say the number of your choice.
end

show_speech_options()

Show the mob's available speech options (integrates with existing talk system).

Arguments: None

Returns:

• boolean: true if successful, false if failed

Example:

local actor = get_actor()
if actor then
    say("What would you like to discuss?")
    show_speech_options()
end

wait_for_response(timeout_seconds)

Wait for player input (placeholder function for future development).

Arguments:

• timeout_seconds (number, optional): Timeout in seconds (default: 30)

Returns:

• string: Player's response (placeholder implementation)

Example:

-- Note: This is a placeholder function
local actor = get_actor()
if actor then
    say("What is your name?")
    local response = wait_for_response(10)
    say("Nice to meet you, " .. response .. "!")
end

get_last_input()

Get the last thing the player said or typed (placeholder function).

Arguments: None

Returns:

• string: Last input (placeholder implementation)

Example:

-- Note: This is a placeholder function
local input = get_last_input()
if input then
    say("You said: " .. input)
end