Client-side filter on all chat lines starting with /

I propose that the client automatically filter out all chat lines that begin with the / character by default, with the option in preferences to see this traffic (as it is now).

This would have two big benefits:

1) Those who choose to, can set their script listeners to look for prefixes starting with /<keyword>, which would allow thier owners to quietly command their scripts without having to bother everyone in the area with the spam.

2) People who mis-type gestures will not look so silly since most people won't see their error =D

If we could implement this filter to default on for all users (with the option to turn it off and make things the way they've always been), and coordinate with scripters to start a *tradition* of using /<keyword> to command scripts, it would go a long way toward better quieter object interaction, since less noise will pollute the local chat.

This doesn't really restrict anyone either, since people who still desire their object interactions to be public could just avoid using the / to start their listener phrase, and those who choose to continue to see the chat lines that start with / could re-enable that option in the preferences.

Please follow up with feedback if you like or dislike this idea =D I don't know how complicated the client software is, but this seems like a feature that could be implemented with very little logical complexity, but would add quite a bit to the flexibility of the SL environment...

I endorse this product and/or service.

Want! Add emote support too and I'll be a happy bunny.

Ooh, I second this. It's a simple and elegant solution to two problems at once. Nice idea.

I was trying to think if there was some way for this to be abused, maybe something along the lines of veterans talking behind a newbie's back with it, but that's nothing that can't happen today with IMs. And I can't see a way that someone could accidentally get harmed by this. (I would be against the idea if / filtering could not be shut off.)

Certainly if this took effect, scripters would start using / as a command prefix. I'd probably also turn off / filtering, though, out of curiosity to see what people were telling their scripts.

I would love this. It's embarassing when I type "/gc who" thinking I am playing DAoC

Oh yea, the script thing is nice also.

I've been following the IRC convention of using ! as a prefix for bot commands, but if / becomes filtered by clients, then I'd switch my command prefix over to that.

I love this idea. It's my new best friend.

Yeah, do this.

I dunno - lines beginning with / are useful at the moment, as they don't cause your av to do the typing movements. I've used it for photos, when you want to stay still but still be able to talk..

yes... it's true that there are circumstances where this might not be desirable, especially relating to certain poses or sets of poses, and as Cailyn said, you dont do the air-keyboard thing.

But... I do like the idea in general, because there can be a lot of spam generated this way.

I think the solution maybe to have two prefix types for filtering general gesture stuff in public chat - one that echoes to screen, one that doesn't (maybe just the difference between '/wave' and '\wave' or something)

And then the non echoing prefix should be automatically filtered for use with scripts and stuff too ... yes, we could script the filter, but for general reduction of spam it might be better as a hard coded filter to the client

We absolutly need a way to communicate with scripts and objects that doesn't fill up the chat window.

Ever see this in a busy place?

Newbie Dude: anim sit ground
Newbie Dude: anim sit_groung
Experienced Guy: /laser defense system off
Experienced Guy: /hovercraft disarm
Newbie Dude: anim sit_ground

I'd prefer something filtered on the server end myself, but either would be fine.

To expand on this.. we really need some better chat functionality. It's pretty bad for such an amazing graphical game to have a chat system that resembles an 80's BBS.

Take a page from the 15 or so year old MUD.

Type Hi there, Mr Linden! and get...

Drathor Kothari says, "Hi there, Mr Linden!"

Type :waves at Mr. Linden. and get...

Drathor Kothari waves at Mr. Linden.

I tell you.. the diffrence is truly worth it.. it feels far more like you are talking to somone instead of AIMing them or in some clunky chat room. I like the feel of systems where it's more liek reading a novel than looking at a list of phone IM's. SL is a great way to communicate with people.. but the chat system is really too primitive.

Make a SAY and POSE button too for newbies.

Please... seeing tons of "Some Person: *clap happily*" instead of "Some person claps happily!" makes my eyes burn! I want english sentences...

And if some people want to just use teh default, thats fine.. but let people who want to have a more creative atmosphere do it.

Put it in 1.2. Now!

Drathor Kothari threatens with a burninating!

Great point Drathor! I catch myself doing these all the time:

*waves goodbye*
*chuckles*
*smiles*

I know these can be done with AV animations, but often people will not SEE the animation, and thereby miss the social cues.

I'd like to see it be something like:

I type: /me waves goodbye
Result: Kex Godel waves goodbye
I type: /me chuckles
Result: Kex Godel chuckles
I type: /me smiles
Result: Kex Godel smiles

Obviously, I don't want the "/me waves goodbye" line that I type to show up in chat, only the "Kex Godel waves goodbye" part.

Heh, I guess I could make an object, name it "Action", and have it respond to "/me" with a listener on myself, then it will llSay my message in context, but this would only work if my original suggestion that started this thread were implemented otherwise everyone would see both what I typed and what the object translaes it to.

llSay(0,llKey2Name(llGetOwner()) + llGetSubstring(msg,3,len));

That way, it would look like this:

I type: /me waves goodbye
Result: Action: Kex Godel waves goodbye

Kex, you might want to play around with the Gestures window because I think you can get some of this with the current system. For example, I have "/wave" set up to make me do the wave animation. If I type this:

"Ok, guys, I'll see you tomorrow. /wave"

Everyone sees me say, "Ok, guys, I'll see you tomorrow." while waving.

Now I haven't tested this yet (I'm at work) but I imagine if I typed, "/wave *waves goodbye*" People would see me wave and get the text, "Julian Fate: *waves goodbye*".

You can make your gestures pass chat triggers or not or even pass something completely unrelated. I don't know yet if your triggered chat output from a gesture can trigger another gesture. I haven't needed anything like that. Also, you can have multiple instances of gestures each with different triggers and output. Give it a look if you haven't already; the Gestures window is pretty powerful.

I've played with the gestures a little bit in this regard, but my real goal here is to make script communication invisible to other people. If I've got a lot to say to one or more scripts, I don't want to be spamming the channel with my commands.

I find as I equip myself with more and more scripts, that I'm regularly creating unnecessary chatter that's visible to everyone, just to set a few things in order in my scripts.

I'm also a very keyboard-oriented person. I like to try to do as much as possible by typing in commands rather than reaching over for the mouse.

There are some scripts that I'd really like to make which would be useful to me, but I'm putting them off because I know they'd involve a lot of public typing which would clutter up the conversations people may be having around me.

Unfortunately, the chat bar cannot parse multiple gestures.

For example, I had "" set to make my av smile wide (and output "" to chat), and "/wave" to make it wave (but no chat output)

So if say "Bye. /wave" it will actually put "Bye. /wave" into the chat history. My av will smile but not wave.

It doesn't have to smile and wave simultaneously, but smiling then waving would be fine.