Basic Commands to Get You Started

Our program has MANY commands that residents can use to enjoy themselves, but it is not necessary to learn them all at once or even to ever learn all of them. Newcomers will get along quite well if they can remember the following short list of commands:

say

emote

where

who

tell

exits

go
join
commands
help
lsu

Read on for an explanation of each command:

say -- talk to everyone in the room with you
Example: say Hello
This command has a short version, the character: ' (an apostrophe)
Example: ' Hello
emote -- do an action that everyone in the room with you can see
Example: emote smiles
This command also has a short version, the character: ; (a semicolon)
Example: ; smiles.

These two simple commands - ' and ; - will allow you to fully participate in any conversation. You don't need to know anything else to get along if people are in the same room with you.

However, if you find yourself to be the only one in a room and you would like to talk to someone there are a few more commands you should know:

where -- see who is online & what room they're in

Typing this command will bring up a list of names and places. Keep in mind that some of these characters may be robots and will not answer you if you try to talk to them.

To tell the difference between robots and real residents, type: who

This will bring up a list of the names of those currently logged onto AN. Robots will have a red "R" next to their names.

Once you've identified that there are other, real, people on that you can talk to, your next step is to get their attention.

tell -- talk privately to anyone on the talker
Example: tell Lydia Hello!
The tell command also has a short version, the character: > (a less than sign)
Example: > Lydia Hello!

NOTE: AN tends to be a very friendly program and, especially if staff are logged on, you may find yourself spoken to before you have a chance to get through all the above commands. :)

We encourage newcomers NOT to loiter and chat in the TownGate Newbie Login room. This is because we like to reserve this room for those who have just logged on to get their bearings. It can be rather overwhelming to login in the middle of an ongoing conversation, and many newcomers become distressed by this.
It is fine if you want to stay there and quietly read the helpfiles, of course. As soon as you feel comfortable and ready to seek out company we encourage you to either join a resident to chat in another room, or move on to the next available rooms to further explore our program. We have three beginning commands to get you moving about the program:

exits -- shows what rooms you can 'go' to from the room you are in.
go -- go through one of the exits you see to the adjoining room.
Example: go orientation

These commands enable you to move into adjoining rooms, one step at a time. From the TownGate Newbie Login you can go into the Newbie Lounge, where you can take your time reading helpfiles, or invite others to come chat with you, or you can move, from there, into the Orientation Room to begin learning more about our program. If you prefer to jump right in, you can go to the Gazebo, where our residents normally gather and socialize.

join - lets you travel instantly to join another resident, wherever they are on the program, in one big leap.
Example: join LP
NOTE: If the person is in a locked room this command will not work, you will have to ask them to move out of the locked room, or to unlock it, if they wish you to join them.

Some other helpful commands:

commands -- see all system commands available to you.

help -- starts you on our program helpfiles - this is an extensive online help system, which includes basic help for newcomers as well as more advanced information. Our helpfiles also contain information on residency requirements and public service information, like our files on panic.

lsu -- like the who command, only for staff. Shows what staff members are currently logged on