Radio

Radio gives the game a set of frequencies. Tune in to one and you hear everything said on it, wherever you are in the game, and you can speak on it yourself. A frequency keeps what was said, so you can read back the calls you missed. Each frequency has its own admins, who run it, and moderators, who keep order, and it can be locked so only some players hear it.

You are	You want to	Read
A player	find a frequency and tune in	Tuning in
A player	speak, pose and read back what was said	Speaking, Recalling
A player	use a callsign, a title or a colour, or go quiet	Your settings
A moderator	stop someone speaking, or let a player in	Moderating a frequency
A frequency’s admin	create, rename, lock or delete a frequency	Running a frequency
Staff	install it and choose who runs the radio	Setting up the radio

In the game, +help radio has the same commands in short form, and +help radio moderators and +help radio admins the rest.

The examples follow Eli, a player, and Dana, a member of staff, on the frequency Harbour Watch.

Tuning in

+radio on its own lists the frequencies you may tune in to. The You column says on for one you are tuned in to, gagged for one you have gagged, and - for the rest:

> +radio
═══════════════════════════════════╡ Radio ╞══════════════════════════════════
Frequency      Category  You  About
Harbour Watch  Port      -    Calls from the harbour patrol boats.
Tower Ops      Port      -    -
═════════════════════╡ +radio/join <frequency> tunes in ╞═════════════════════

+radio/join <frequency> tunes in, and +radio/leave <frequency> tunes out again. You stay tuned in when you log off, so you are still on the frequency next time:

> +radio/join Harbour Watch
[RADIO] Done: You tune in to Harbour Watch.
> +radio/leave Harbour
[RADIO] Done: You tune out of Harbour Watch.

You only need to type enough of a name to tell it from the others: Harbour or harb is enough here. A frequency you may not tune in to is not in your list, and joining it is refused:

> +radio/join Tower Ops
[RADIO] Error: You may not tune in to Tower Ops.

+radio/examine <frequency> shows one frequency: what it is for, who is listening now, who runs it, and your own settings on it.

> +radio/examine Harbour Watch
═══════════════════════════════╡ Harbour Watch ╞══════════════════════════════
Category:   Port
About:      Calls from the harbour patrol boats.
You:        tuned in
Title:      none
Alterego:   none
Listening:  Dana and Eli
Admins:     Dana
Moderators: none
Members:    none
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Speaking

+radio <frequency>=<message> speaks on a frequency you are tuned in to. Start the message with : to pose, or ; to pose without a space. Everyone tuned in hears it, wherever they are:

> +radio harb=Tower, we have an unlit vessel off the north mole.
<Harbour Watch> Eli says, "Tower, we have an unlit vessel off the north mole."
> +radio harb=:acknowledges. Sending a launch.
<Harbour Watch> Dana acknowledges. Sending a launch.
> +radio harb=;'s launch is already out.
<Harbour Watch> Eli's launch is already out.

The name matches only the frequencies you are tuned in to, so speaking on one you have not joined is refused:

> +radio Tower=Hello?
[RADIO] Warning: You are not tuned in to a frequency called 'Tower'. +radio lists them.

Recalling

+radio/recall <frequency> shows the last 50 lines said on a frequency, and +radio/recall <frequency>=<lines> as many as you ask for, up to 500. You can recall any frequency you may tune in to, without tuning in first.

> +radio/recall Harbour Watch=2
═══════════════════════════╡ Recall: Harbour Watch ╞══════════════════════════
<Harbour Watch> Dana acknowledges. Sending a launch.
<Harbour Watch> Eli's launch is already out.
═══════════════════════════════╡ End of recall ╞══════════════════════════════

A frequency keeps 500 lines unless its admin sets another number; see What a frequency keeps.

Your settings

Each of these is yours alone and applies to one frequency. Leave the part after = empty to clear it: +radio/title Harbour Watch= takes the title away.

Type	To
+radio/title <frequency>=<title>	put a title before your name there, up to 40 characters
+radio/alterego <frequency>=<name>	speak there under another name, such as a callsign, up to 30 characters
+radio/color <frequency>=<colour>	see that frequency’s name in a colour of your own
+radio/gag <frequency>	hear nothing from it until +radio/ungag <frequency> or you disconnect
+radio/gag all	gag every frequency you are tuned in to; +radio/ungag all ends it

A title and an alterego together:

> +radio/title Harbour Watch=Bosun
[RADIO] Done: Your title on Harbour Watch is now Bosun.
> +radio Harbour=Launch two is away.
<Harbour Watch> Bosun Eli says, "Launch two is away."
> +radio/alterego Harbour Watch=Watch Two
[RADIO] Done: You speak on Harbour Watch as Watch Two now.
> +radio Harbour=Launch two is away.
<Harbour Watch> Bosun Watch Two says, "Launch two is away."

A line keeps the alterego it was said under, so the recall still shows Watch Two after you clear it. The title is shown as it is when the line is read, so clearing it takes it off the old lines in the recall too.

A colour is a theme colour such as info, primary or success, which follows your own @theme, or ansi() codes such as hg. Without one, a frequency’s name is in the info colour.

A gag lasts until you ungag or disconnect, and while it lasts you are left out of the Listening list. You are still tuned in, and can still speak and recall:

> +radio/gag Harbour Watch
[RADIO] Done: You hear nothing from Harbour Watch until you ungag it or disconnect.
> +radio/ungag Harbour Watch
[RADIO] Done: You hear Harbour Watch again.

Moderating a frequency

A frequency’s moderators keep order on it. Its admins are moderators too, and so are staff with the wizard role or the Radio Admin role, on every frequency.

+radio/restrict <frequency>=<player>/<duration> stops a player speaking there, for a time such as 30m, 2h or 7d. Without a duration it lasts until a moderator lifts it with +radio/unrestrict <frequency>=<player>. A restricted player can still listen and recall, and is told when it starts and when it is lifted:

> +radio/restrict Harbour Watch=Eli/30m
[RADIO] Done: Eli may not speak on Harbour Watch until Fri Oct 16 01:22:53 2026.

Eli hears:

[RADIO] You may not speak on Harbour Watch until Fri Oct 16 01:22:53 2026.
> +radio Harbour=Testing.
[RADIO] Error: You may not speak on Harbour Watch.

> +radio/unrestrict Harbour Watch=Eli
[RADIO] Done: Eli may speak on Harbour Watch again.

+radio/memadd <frequency>=<player> puts a player on the frequency’s members list, and +radio/memrem takes them off. A member can always tune in and speak, whatever the frequency’s lock says, which is how a closed frequency lets its people in (see Locks):

> +radio/memadd Tower Ops=Eli
[RADIO] Done: Eli is one of the members of Tower Ops now.

Anyone who is not a moderator is refused with Only a moderator of <frequency> can do that.

Running a frequency

A frequency’s admins run it. Whoever creates a frequency is its first admin, and staff with the wizard role or the Radio Admin role are admins of every frequency. Only they may create one; anyone else is refused with Only a radio admin can create frequencies.

+radio/create <name>=<category> creates a frequency. The category is optional and only groups the list. A name is up to 30 letters, digits, spaces, dots and dashes.

> +radio/create Harbour Watch=Port
[RADIO] Done: Created Harbour Watch. +radio/join Harbour Watch tunes in.
> +radio/desc Harbour Watch=Calls from the harbour patrol boats.
[RADIO] Done: Set the description of Harbour Watch.

/rename and /category change how it is listed. Renaming keeps everything said on it, and everyone stays tuned in:

> +radio/category Tower Ops=Air
[RADIO] Done: Tower Ops is in Air now.
> +radio/rename Tower Ops=Tower Control
[RADIO] Done: Tower Ops is called Tower Control now.

+radio/modadd and +radio/modrem <frequency>=<player> change who moderates it, and +radio/admadd and +radio/admrem who runs it. A moderator may change the members list but not these:

> +radio/modadd Harbour Watch=Eli
[RADIO] Done: Eli is one of the moderators of Harbour Watch now.

+radio/delete <frequency> asks first. Typing the name again after = deletes it, with everything said on it and everyone’s settings there:

> +radio/delete Pier Gossip
[RADIO] Warning: This deletes Pier Gossip with everything said on it. Type +radio/delete Pier Gossip=Pier Gossip to do it.
> +radio/delete Pier Gossip=Pier Gossip
[RADIO] Done: Deleted Pier Gossip.

Locks

Each frequency has three locks:

Lock	Decides who else may	Unless set
talk	tune in, recall and speak	everyone
moderate	moderate it	the wizard role and radio admins
admin	run it	the wizard role and radio admins

Being on a list always passes its lock: a member passes talk, a moderator moderate, an admin admin. +radio/lock <frequency>/<lock>=<lock> sets one, and +radio/unlock <frequency>/<lock> puts back the default. Any lock works, such as role^harbourmaster for holders of a role, or #false for nobody but the lists.

To close Tower Ops to everyone but its members:

> +radio/lock Tower Ops/talk=#false
[RADIO] Done: The talk lock of Tower Ops is #false now.
> +radio/memadd Tower Ops=Eli
[RADIO] Done: Eli is one of the members of Tower Ops now.

Admins see the locks at the foot of +radio/examine, with how many lines it keeps:

> +radio/examine Tower Ops
═════════════════════════════════╡ Tower Ops ╞════════════════════════════════
Category:   Port
About:      none
You:        not tuned in
Title:      none
Alterego:   none
Listening:  Eli
Admins:     Dana
Moderators: none
Members:    Eli
Talk lock:     #false
Moderate lock: role^wizard|perm^softcode.radio.admin
Admin lock:    role^wizard|perm^softcode.radio.admin
Keeps:         500 lines
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

A frequency closed to someone is left out of their +radio list.

What a frequency keeps

+radio/options <frequency>/<option>=<value> sets what a frequency keeps. Leave the part after = empty to put back the default.

Option	Sets	Unless set
keep	how many lines it keeps for recall	500
age	drop lines older than this, such as 30d	the server’s default
length	the longest message, in characters	the server’s default

> +radio/options Harbour Watch/keep=200
[RADIO] Done: Harbour Watch: keep is 200.
> +radio/options Harbour Watch/length=20
[RADIO] Done: Harbour Watch: length is 20.

A longer message is refused:

> +radio Harbour=This message is far too long for the limit.
[RADIO] Warning: Harbour Watch takes messages of up to 20 characters.

Setting up the radio

Installing

Radio ships with the server but is not installed on a new game. An administrator installs it from the portal: open Packages in the admin area, choose Browse, and install radio. It needs plus-help, which a new game already has. See Softcode Packages for how installing, upgrading and rolling back work.

It adds the Radio object to the master room and the command +radio for everyone. +radio is a game command, matched before softcode $-commands, so a +radio your game already has in softcode stops running once the package is in. A new game has no frequencies: create the first ones as staff with +radio/create.

The radio-scene package, also in the catalogue and not installed on a new game, adds +radio/log, which puts what a player hears on a frequency into the scene they are in, as radio poses.

Who runs the radio

The package adds the Radio Admin role (radio-admin), in a category of its own called Radio. A radio admin creates frequencies, and moderates and runs every one of them, as the wizard role does. Give it with @role/assign:

> @role/assign *Eli=radio-admin
Eli now holds radio-admin.
> +radio/create Pier Gossip=Social
[RADIO] Done: Created Pier Gossip. +radio/join Pier Gossip tunes in.

To let one player do the same without the role, allow them the permission instead: @permission/allow *Eli=softcode.radio.admin. To run only one frequency, make them its admin with +radio/admadd; to keep order on one, its moderator with +radio/modadd.

Settings

Radio has no +config settings. Each frequency’s limits are its options, and who runs it is its lists and locks. A few game-wide defaults are attributes on the Radio object, changed with &:

Attribute	What it is	Default
DATA`RECALL	How many lines +radio/recall shows when no number is given.	50
DATA`RECALL`MAX	The most lines one recall shows.	500
DATA`COLOR	The colour of a frequency’s name for a listener who chose none.	info
DATA`LOCK`MODERATE	The moderate lock of a frequency that sets none.	role^wizard|perm^softcode.radio.admin
DATA`LOCK`ADMIN	The admin lock of a frequency that sets none, and who may create frequencies.	role^wizard|perm^softcode.radio.admin

Note

Each frequency is a feed, radio/<number>, which the server keeps with its lines and its listeners; help @feed in the game covers feeds. Softcode can read a frequency’s lines with feedrecall(), and another package can act on every line with a feed tap, the way radio-scene does.