Prefab
A Prefab is a data structure in the Neo World Program. It represents the concept of an item, and is the underlying data structure which gives Items and Inventory Items their properties.
Prefabs are static; once loaded from the spreadsheet, they do not change in any way. Thus, the saver module will never make changes to the Prefabs sheet. As a result, the Prefabs sheet can be freely edited without edit mode being enabled.
Attributes
Due to the versatility of functions that different items can have, Prefabs have many attributes. Note that if an attribute is internal, that means it only exists within the Prefab class. Internal attributes will be given in the “Class attribute” bullet point, preceded by their data type. If an attribute is external, it only exists on the spreadsheet. External attributes will be given in the “Spreadsheet label” bullet point.
ID
- Spreadsheet label: Prefab ID
- Class attribute: String
this.id
This is a unique identifier for the Prefab. All letters should be capitalized, and spaces are allowed. Though different Prefabs can have many attributes in common, no two Prefabs can have the same ID.
Single Name
- Spreadsheet label: Prefab Name
- Class attribute: String
this.name
This is the name used to refer to a singular instance of an Item or Inventory Item using this Prefab. When Players use a command to interact with an Item or Inventory Item using this Prefab, this string is what they will need to enter to refer to it. All letters should be capitalized, and spaces are allowed.
Plural Name
- Spreadsheet label: Prefab Name
- Class attribute: String
this.pluralName
This is the optional name used to refer to plural instances of Items or Inventory Items using this Prefab. Note that this shares the same spreadsheet cell as the Prefab’s single name, with both separated by a comma. If only one instance of a Prefab is intended to exist, it does not need a plural name. Additionally, it does not need a plural name if it would be the same as its single name.
Single Containing Phrase
- Spreadsheet label: Containing Phrase
- Class attribute: String
this.singleContainingPhrase
This is the phrase that will be inserted in/removed from item tags when an Item or Inventory Item using this Prefab is added to/removed from an item list. It is also the phrase that will be used when a non-discreet Item is inspected, taken, or dropped; when a non-discreet Inventory Item is inspected, stashed, unstashed, or carried from one Room to another; and when an Inventory Item (whether discreet or non-discreet) is equipped or unequipped. No restrictions are placed on the content of this string, however it should generally contain the Prefab’s single name.
Plural Containing Phrase
- Spreadsheet label: Containing Phrase
- Class attribute: String
this.pluralContainingPhrase
This is the optional phrase that will be used in an item list when it contains multiple instances of Prefabs with the same single containing phrase. Note that this shares the same spreadsheet cell as the Prefab’s single containing phrase, with both separated by a comma. If only one instance of a Prefab with a given single containing phrase is intended to exist, it does not need a plural containing phrase. However, if multiple instances are intended to exist, even if its plural containing phrase would be the same as its single containing phrase, one does need to be given.
Discreet
- Spreadsheet label: Discreet?
- Class attribute: Boolean
this.discreet
This is a simple Boolean value indicating whether interactions with Items and Inventory Items using this Prefab will
be narrated or not. Specifically, if this is false, then Alter Ego will notify the Room if a Player
inspects, takes, or drops an Item using this Prefab; or inspects, stashes, unstashes, or moves to another Room carrying
an Inventory Item using this Prefab. Additionally, if this is false, then when an Inventory Item using this Prefab is
moved to either of the Player’s hands, it will be added to the “hands” item list in that Player’s description.
Size
- Spreadsheet label: Size
- Class attribute: Number
this.size
This is a whole number representing how large the Prefab is. It is not associated with any particular unit of measurement, but instead represents relative sizes. For example, an ID card may have a size of 1 whereas a gun may have a size of 2 and a ladder may have a size of 10. There are no rules to determine what size a Prefab should have, however it should be non-negative.
Weight
- Spreadsheet label: Weight
- Class attribute: Number
this.weight
This is a whole number representing roughly how much the Prefab weighs in kilograms. This number determines whether a Player is capable of taking an Item using this Prefab with their strength stat. For more details, see the sections about Item and Inventory Item weights.
Usable
- Spreadsheet label: Usable?
- Class attribute: Boolean
this.usable
This is another Boolean value indicating whether Inventory Items using this Prefab can be used to inflict/cure one or
more Status Effects on the Player using it. If this is false, the Player will be told the Inventory Item
has no programmed use. Additionally, if a Player already has all of the Status Effects the Prefab inflicts and doesn’t
have any of the Status Effects it cures, the Player will not be able to use the Inventory Item and will instead be told
that it has no effect.
Use Verb
- Spreadsheet label: Use Verb
- Class attribute: String
this.verb
This is the phrase that will be used in the Narration when a Player uses an Inventory Item with this Prefab. Usage of an Inventory Item will always be narrated, and will use the following format:
[Player displayName] [this.verb] [this.singleContainingPhrase].
See the following table for some examples of the resulting Narration:
| Player displayName | Single Containing Phrase | Use Verb | Narration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veronica | FOOD | eats | Veronica eats FOOD. |
| Faye | a bottle of WATER | drinks | Faye drinks a bottle of WATER. |
| An individual wearing a MASK | a TOWEL | dries off with | An individual wearing a MASK dries off with a TOWEL. |
| Colin | a bottle of PAINKILLERS | swallows a pill from | Colin swallows a pill from a bottle of PAINKILLERS. |
Uses
- Spreadsheet label: Uses
- Class attribute: Number
this.uses
This is a whole number indicating how many times a single instance of this Prefab can be used. For more details, see the sections about Item uses and Inventory Item uses.
Effects Strings
This is a comma-separated list of Status Effects that Inventory Items using this Prefab will inflict the Player with when used.
Effects
- Class
attribute: Array<Status Effect>
this.effects
This is an internal attribute which contains references to each of the Status Effect objects whose names are listed in
this.effectsStrings.
Cures Strings
This is a comma-separated list of Status Effects that Inventory Items using this Prefab will cure the Player of when
used. Status Effects will turn into their cured condition, if applicable. Note that it will
attempt to cure them in the order given. As a consequence, if the next Status Effect in the list is the current Status
Effect’s cured condition, it will immediately be cured after being inflicted, turning into its cured condition, and so
on. For example, imagine the following series of Status Effects, where each one’s cured condition follows the ->
symbol:
starving->famished->hungry->satisfied->full
If a Player with the starving Status Effect uses an Inventory Item whose Prefab has the cures string
starving, famished, hungry, satisfied, then the Player will be cured of starving and inflicted with famished, then
cured of famished and inflicted with hungry, and so on until the Player is eventually inflicted with full.
In order to avoid this behavior, if a Prefab’s cures string is meant to contain a list of Status Effects in a series,
they should be listed in reverse order. In the above example, the cures string should be
satisfied, hungry, famished, starving. That way, the Player will only be cured of starving and inflicted with
famished.
Cures
- Class
attribute: Array<Status Effect>
this.cures
This is an internal attribute which contains references to each of the Status Effect objects whose names are listed in
this.curesStrings.
Next Stage Name
- Spreadsheet label: Turns Into
- Class attribute: String
this.nextStageName
This is the ID of the Prefab Inventory Items using this Prefab will turn into once its number of uses reaches 0. Prefabs with infinite uses will never access this attribute. When an Inventory Item turns into its next stage, all of its attributes will be replaced with that of the new Prefab. Note that if the Prefab has a limited number of uses and this is blank, Inventory Items using it will simply disappear from the Player’s inventory once they run out of uses.
Next Stage
- Class attribute: Prefab
this.nextStage
This is an internal attribute which simply contains a reference to the actual Prefab object whose ID matches
this.nextStageName. If no next stage name is given, this will be null instead.
Equippable
- Spreadsheet label: Equippable?
- Class attribute: Boolean
this.equippable
This is another Boolean value indicating whether Inventory Items using this Prefab can be equipped to one of the
player’s Equipment Slots. If this is true, then Players will be able to equip it to one of the
Equipment Slots that it’s restricted to. If this is false, they will simply be told that the item is unequippable.
Additionally, if this is false, Players will be unable to unequip the Inventory Item if it’s already equipped. Note
that a moderator can forcibly equip and unequip Inventory Items for a Player
regardless of whether this is true or false. Note that when an Inventory Item is equipped or unequipped, a Narration
will always be sent to the Room the Player is in.
Equipment Slots
This is a list of Equipment Slots that Inventory Items using this Prefab can be equipped to. This should be a
comma-separated list. If a Player or a moderator attempts to equip an Inventory Item without specifying an Equipment
Slot to equip it to, Alter Ego will attempt to equip it to the first Equipment Slot listed here. If something is already
equipped to that Equipment Slot, another one will have to be manually specified. Note that if no Equipment Slots are
given here, Players will be unable to equip Inventory Items using this Prefab, even if its equippable attribute is set
to true. However, moderators can forcibly equip Inventory Items to any of a Player’s Equipment Slots, regardless of
whether or not it is listed here.
Covered Equipment Slots
This is a list of Equipment Slots that this Prefab will cover when it is equipped. When an Equipment Slot is covered by another equipped Inventory Item, the single containing phrase of whatever Inventory Item is equipped to it will be removed from the equipment item list in the Player’s description. Only when the Player unequips all Inventory Items whose Prefabs cover that Equipment Slot will the single containing phrase of that Inventory Item be added to the Player description’s equipment item list again.
Equipped Commands
This is a comma-separated list of bot commands that will be executed when an Inventory
Item using this Prefab is equipped. Note that this shares the same spreadsheet cell as the Prefab’s unequipped commands,
with both sets of commands separated by a forward slash (/). If no unequipped commands are desired, the forward slash
can be omitted from the cell.
Unequipped Commands
This is a comma-separated list of bot commands that will be executed when an Inventory Item using this Prefab is
unequipped. Note that this shares the same spreadsheet cell as the Prefab’s equipped commands, with both sets of
commands separated by a forward slash (/). If no equipped commands are desired, the forward slash should be the first
character in the cell, with the unequipped commands following it.
Inventory
This is a list of inventory slot objects that instances of this Prefab will have. Items and Inventory Items with inventory slots are capable of containing other Items/Inventory Items. Inventory slot objects have the following structure:
{ String name, Number capacity, Number takenSpace, Number weight, Array item }
In order to define an inventory slot for a Prefab, the name of the inventory slot and its capacity should be given,
separated by a colon (:). For example, a Prefab with the ID “PANTS” might have two inventory slots, named “LEFT
POCKET” and “RIGHT POCKET”, each with a capacity of 3. In this case, the cell for the “PANTS” Prefab’s inventory slots
would be LEFT POCKET: 3, RIGHT POCKET: 3. There is no theoretical limit to the amount of inventory slots a single item
can have.
The size of every Item/Inventory Item placed into a single inventory slot is added to that inventory slot’s takenSpace value. If the quantity of that Item/Inventory Item is higher than 1, its size will be multiplied by its quantity before being added. If inserting an Item/Inventory Item would cause the inventory slot’s takenSpace value to exceed its capacity, it cannot be inserted into that inventory slot. Additionally, every Item/Inventory Item inserted adds its own weight to the inventory slot’s weight. Lastly, the Item/Inventory Item itself will be inserted into the inventory slot’s item array.
When inventory slots are initialized, their takenSpace and weight attributes are set to 0. Their item arrays are initially empty. Prefab inventory slots will always retain this initialized state. That is, even if an Item/Inventory Item contains other Items/Inventory Items in one of its inventory slots, the corresponding inventory slots of its associated Prefab will remain in its initialized, empty state. Prefabs cannot contain Items/Inventory Items. The inventory attribute of Prefabs is merely a template for instances of those Prefabs to use so that they can contain Items/Inventory Items.
Preposition
- Spreadsheet label: Preposition
- Class attribute: String
this.preposition
This attribute is similar to the preposition attribute in the Object class. However, it does not determine whether instances of this Prefab can contain Items/Inventory Items. That function is taken care of by the inventory attribute of the Prefab. Otherwise, it functions the same. When a Player drops/stashes a non-discreet Item/Inventory Item into an instance of this Prefab, Alter Ego will narrate them doing so using this preposition. For example, if the player Seamus stashes an Inventory Item named MALLET into another Inventory Item named GUITAR CASE whose Prefab has the preposition “in”, Alter Ego will send “Seamus stashes a MALLET in his GUITAR CASE.” to the Room channel Seamus is currently in. If, however, Seamus drops the MALLET Inventory Item into a GUITAR CASE Item in the room, Alter Ego will send “Seamus puts a MALLET in the GUITAR CASE.”
Description
- Spreadsheet label: Description
- Class attribute: String
this.description
This is the description of the Prefab. When a Player inspects an instance of this Prefab, they will receive a parsed version of this string. Any item lists in a Prefab’s description must be blank. Note that when a Player inspects an Inventory Item that is equipped to one of another Player’s Equipment Slots, all sentences containing item lists will be removed from the description before it is parsed, effectively making it so that Players cannot see what is stashed in that Inventory Item. See the article on writing descriptions for more information.
Row
- Class attribute: Number
this.row
This is an internal attribute, but it can also be found on the spreadsheet. This is the row number of the Prefab.