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definition language

  • noun The language in which the database is written. There are a number of discrete levels of complexity which this can take. Primitive MUAs are hard-coded in a normal programming language such as C or assembler; others have some information kept externally in files, eg. room descriptions; more sophisticated ones (like MUD1) have some command information in these files; others allow all commands to be defined externally; a few (like MUD2) store the entire definition of every aspect of the game in these files - this puts them back in the same position as the hard-coded games, except that the definition language they use is specific to MUAs, rather than to programming in general.

    Strictly speaking, a definition language is the language in which the basic set of rooms, objects and so on are written such that substantially different game worlds can be modelled; it therefore can include aspects of creation which are present in the game itself. See MUDDL, MUDDLE.


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23rd September 1999: definition_language.htm