I’d then hope there was a tutorial.
In fact, there was a game with 15 verbs… Maniac Mansion. While it was genre defining, a wonderful game and a giant step forward in puzzle design, it wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of interface design, was it?
I don’t understand this question.
If you add binary verbs, the list would increase from 12-15 to about 100, I guess.
A list with 12-15 verbs, to me, does not have the same usabillity of a list with 100 verbs.
Why? Again, (infrequent) verbs in practice are used like objects. It is ok to scan 30 inventory objects (like in monkey2) to find the one you are looking for. But it would not be ok to scan 100 objects. Same for (infrequent) verbs. The procedure is the same : they are scanned visually.
So, if you have 100 verbs, at the very least the mechanics can’t be the same. The player can’t be supposed to scan them any longer. You must type them. Or the game must give you a dynamic set of verbs (like Bob did in Eric – the “moon” verb appears when needed).
But if he types, another problem arises: synonyms. The player must now be guaranteed to find the exact verb as he phrased it. So you can’t have in your game only “put on” ; you also need to have “drop on”, and so on. And so the verbs explode further, from 100 to 1000.
That’s the reason why they stopped doing parser-based adventures when MM introduced the verbs.
There might be a lot of possibilities, but history and practice tell us that one must find balance between freedom of expression and ease of use for the player. Too many verbs, difficult to use. One click interface, too little freedom.
9 verbs? Perfect 
yeah, but “use” is not “a verb” strictly speaking. It is a very different beast. its semantics is very different from other verbs.
that’s why I find it interesting to ask what a scumm without “use” would look like. how many verbs you’d need to introduce (I say only unary verbs, about 12-15), and where to put the new ones (I say in the inventory, some might disagree)
for example, it is difficult to explain what “use” does to a novice. Why does “use door” not work? Why must I do “open door”? Not easy to explain. Why does “use person” not work? Why must I do “push person”?
If you try to explain what “use” does, it’s difficult. You’ll need to say something like “if you do “use X”, it will execute any action that is not open, close, push, pull, give, look, pickup, AND is the obvious/intended usage of X. BUT if you use it with two objects, then it combines the two objects in any way that is not give or show.”. Not simple at all. Hence the question: can “use” be removed, so as to make SCUMM more intuitive?
Sorry to I reopen this old thread. I have a new way to put this. 
Some objects are actually disguised verbs. For example, 1) the can opener is actually a verb: the “open” verb. 2) in Zak, the yellow crystal is actually a verb: “enter the mind of…”.
For this reason, splitting objects and verbs into two separate lists does not make sense. It does not make sense to have “push” on one side and “enter the mind of” on the other side. I maintain there should be a single list.
And what is the advantage of having a single list? that you are no longer limited in the number of verbs you can have in the game. And you can remove the generic verb “use”. (which is confusing because it overlaps with others)
Haven’t we talked about that in another thread? 
Anyway, having only one list would confuse me. And you would end up with a On-click-interface where you just have to drag one object on another.
And if you don’t limit the number of verbs you will come up with something like this:
A long list that the player has to scroll to death. 
(btw: Can you wrap your sentence about the blue und yellow crystal in spoiler tags - I’m not sure if all of us have solves Zak already… 
)
Spoilers! Spoilers everywhere! 
But is it really a spoiler? Doesn’t the game tell you that is the function of the crystal?
(and i don’t remember the exact color of the crystal, sorry. I played that part 25+ years ago)
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but do you at least agree that, if you have TWO lists, one for verbs and one for objects, it is wrong to put the yellow crystal and the can opener in the second list?
Well it’s about time you played it again, then! 
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I am trying but I am hopelessly stuck without money.
No. The crystal and the can opener are lifeless objects. They don’t do anything until I use them in a particular way. I can’t just throw the can opener to the can. I have to open the can with the can opener. So the two lists are making perfect sense to me.
Would you like a hint? (I can post it in the Zak thread.)
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yes, please, I want to know WHERE I need to act to get more money. Only the city. Not how to do it.
and could you please also tell me whether it is possible that I am in the right place but I don’t have something that is necessary to get more money. (I have the yellow crystal)
I get the distinction, but why does this distinction seem important to you?
Also, does it not trouble you that you can open the bottle in two ways, one by clicking a verb and an object, and another by clicking two objects?
Because in real life there is a difference between an action and a lifeless object. Otherwise our language wouldn’t have verbs.
And it’s a difference if I throw the can opener at the can or use the can opener to open the can.
Clicking on two objects? In Zak?