[crossfire] use_skill change proposal

[Mark Wedel]

Nicolas Weeger wrote:
> Hello.
> 
> Proposed change for 'use_skill' behaviour for alchemy-like skills:
> - remove the item identification part; use_skill only attempts alchemy (or 
> equivalent)
> - add a new 'identify' command, that will identify based on (alchemy-like) 
> skills the player knows

  I'm presuming you are saying that the same skill, like now, has multiple ways 
to be used, and different commands should be used.

  I'm not sure if I like that as much vs adding options to use_skill to denote 
how you want to use it.

  Maybe something like 'use_skill smithery identify'.  An advantage here is that 
if there are yet other ways to use skills, we're not creating new commands to 
use them (which then probably just call the same skill routine with different 
parameters).

  Also, what about skills that don't have an identification component 
(meditation comes to mind, but search is also there) - do you still use 
use_skill for those?  I'd think you would, but it sort of means use_skill has a 
bunch of different functionalities, and it is unclear what the default should 
really be (I'd sort of argue that one is more likely to be identifying items 
than crafting stuff)

  In an ideal world, the players should really never need to know that arcane 
usage - the client should provide some mechanism for them to do that (nothing 
would actually prevent players from using those explicit commands, but probably 
not the best user to have to have players to know that they should do use_skill 
even right now.

  I'm quite sure how to do it, but one could click on the skill name in the 
client and it would to the appropriate action (or if a skill has multiple ways 
to be used, bring up a menu asking them how they want to use it).  The hard part 
for that right now would be communicating to the client what skills have what 
actions (it wouldn't be too hard to hard code in values, but that is sure to 
break down the road).

  If we are going to keep in those commands that players need to issue, I'd 
prefer for them to have some semblance to natural english language.

  For example, 'cast fireball' or 'use_skill smithery' seem, while a bit 
verbose, seem somewhat natural.  'identify smithery' would seem to suggest 
something different from a pure language perspective.