2.DBA

	This program was conceived, and the core written, by Roy Trubshaw during
his final year at Essex University. The remaining three-quarters were written
by Richard Bartle. Aknowledgement is given for the help and encouragement of
the following illustrious personages: Nigel Roberts, Brian Mallett and Ronan
Flood (see graveyard!). VALLEY is MUD run under a different database, so
most of what you read here applies to both of them. There now follows a short
treatise on what MUD accepts as valid command and what not!
	MUD's natural language interface is fairly primitive, to keep down
the code (and because it's hard!). The sort of sentences it can understand are
of the form <verb> <object> WITH <instrmnt> and may be separated by AND, THEN,
a comma, a full stop, or a return. MUD doesn't require that all the fields be
present, and so long as it has a verb it will accept virtually any old rubbish
and re-execute the last verb. This is a feature, ie was put in deliberately, so
don't complain if, for example, SCORE <cr><rubbish><cr> does 2 SCORE's: since
SCORE needs no object, <rubbish> will do! This can annoy if the last thing
you did was a move, but as you play you will find the facility becoming more
and more useful, eg GET AXE, GOAT, TREASURE.
	In its efforts to get a readable sentence, MUD will throw out all
manner of things, eg it will parse OPEN KITCHEN DOOR as OPEN DOOR as it
ignores the 2nd word if it knows the other 2. As a result, error messages
are less frequent, but when they do come they're unhelpful. This will be
rectified 'one day'. Also, MUD will accept nigh on anything instead of
WITH, so OPEN DOOR GYROSCOPE KEYS will work. It also understands some 'inverse'
WITH-words, eg SHOOT CANNON AT DOOR is the same as SHOOT DOOR WITH CANNON.
	In order to help with long words, MUD keeps a set of pronouns
maintained. IT is the last object mentioned, HIM is the last male, HER is
the last female, THEM is the last player; also kept are the default object and
instrument, if there are any (the default is the last anything you typed, rather
than you typed or was mentioned by MUD).
	There are problems if you carry more than 1 of the same object, as
MUD takes the first one every time. So DOUSE BRAND will only get the first one
and you'll have to put it in a container or drop it in another room before
you can douse the other. To light one brand from another is at least a bit
more easy, you just drop the one you want to light and hold the other, if
possible. Also, jumping off the cliff with an opened and a closed parachute
may not have the desired result...
	To help speed things up, many common commands can be abbreviated,
for example G for GET, DR for DROP. Type COMMANDS and the minimum abbreviation
will be in upper case. Also, WI is short for WITH (in fact virtually anything
is!).
	MUD will set up a logical path for you, MUD:, which will last for the
rest of the job. You will also be added to our mailing list, so we can send
messages to all MUD players (and so can you, using MUDMO).
	In the "highly unlikely" event of a crash, MUD will let you out after
200 ^C's. Otherwise, it lets you out after 1 and saves your persona etc as
if you'd typed QUIT.

	Richard Bartle.