| Examples in Numerical Order | ![]() |
Chapter 1: Welcome to Inform
| Example About the examplesAn explanation of the examples in this documentation, and the asterisks attached to them. Click the heading of the example, or the example number, to reveal the text. |
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Chapter 3: Things
| Example Verbosity 1Making rooms give full descriptions each time we enter, even if we have visited before. |
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| ![]() Example Slightly WrongA room whose description changes slightly after our first visit there. |
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| Example Port Royal 1A partial implementation of Port Royal, Jamaica, set before the earthquake of 1692 demolished large portions of the city. |
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| ![]() Example Up and UpAdding a short message as the player approaches a room, before the room description itself appears. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Starry VoidCreating a booth that can be seen from the outside, opened and closed, and entered as a separate room. |
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| Example Port Royal 2Another part of Port Royal, with less typical map connections. |
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| Example The Unbuttoned Elevator AffairA simple elevator connecting two floors which is operated simply by walking in and out, and has no buttons or fancy doors. |
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| Example Port Royal 3Division of Port Royal into regions. |
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| Example First Name BasisAllowing the player to use different synonyms to refer to something. |
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| Example Midsummer DayA few sentences laying out a garden together with some things which might be found in it. |
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| Example TamedExamples of a container and a supporter that can be entered, as well as nested rooms. |
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| Example Disenchantment Bay 1A running example in this chapter, Disenchantment Bay, involves chartering a boat. This is the first step: creating the cabin. |
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| Example Disenchantment Bay 2Disenchantment Bay: creating some of the objects in the cabin's description. |
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| Example ReplantingChanging the response when the player tries to take something that is scenery. |
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| Example Disenchantment Bay 3Disenchantment Bay: adding a view of the glacier. |
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| Example Disenchantment Bay 4Disenchantment Bay: fleshing out the descriptions of things on the boat. |
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| ![]() Example LauraSome general advice about creating objects with unusual or awkward names, and a discussion of the use of printed names. |
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| Example Disenchantment Bay 5Disenchantment Bay: adding the door and the deck to our charter boat. |
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| ![]() Example EscapeWindow that can be climbed through or looked through. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Garibaldi 1Providing a security readout device by which the player can check on the status of all doors in the game. |
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| Example Disenchantment Bay 6Disenchantment Bay: locking up the charter boat's fishing rods. |
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| ![]() Example Neighborhood WatchA locked door that can be locked or unlocked without a key from one side, but not from the other. |
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| Example Disenchantment Bay 7Disenchantment Bay: making the radar and instruments switch on and off. |
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| ![]() Example Down BelowA light switch which makes the room it is in dark or light. |
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| Example PeugeotA journey from one room to another that requires the player to be on a vehicle. |
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| ![]() Example Disenchantment Bay 8Disenchantment Bay: a pushable chest of ice for the boat. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example HoverLetting the player see a modified room description when he's viewing the place from inside a vehicle. |
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| Example Disenchantment Bay 9Disenchantment Bay: enter the charter boat's Captain. |
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| Example BelfryYou can see a bat, a bell, some woodworm, William Snelson, the sexton's wife, a bellringer and your local vicar here. |
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| ![]() Example Gopher-woodChanging the name of a character in the middle of play, removing the article. |
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| Example Disenchantment Bay 10Disenchantment Bay: things for the player and the characters to wear and carry. |
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| Example Disenchantment Bay 11Disenchantment Bay: making a holdall of the backpack. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example BrownA red sticky label which can be attached to anything in the game, or removed again. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example Disenchantment Bay 12A final trip to Disenchantment Bay: the scenario turned into a somewhat fuller scene, with various features that have not yet been explained. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Search and SeizureA smuggler who has items, some of which are hidden. |
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| ![]() Example Van HelsingA character who approaches the player, then follows him from room to room. |
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| ![]() Example The World of Charles S. RobertsReplacing the ordinary compass bearings with a set of six directions to impose a hexagonal rather than square grid on the landscape. |
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| ![]() Example Prisoner's DilemmaA button that causes a previously non-existent exit to come into being. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example ForeUnderstand "fore", "aft", "port", and "starboard", but only when the player is on a vessel. |
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Chapter 4: Kinds
| ![]() Example VouvrayAdding synonyms to an entire kind of thing. |
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| Example OdinReplacing "You see nothing special..." with a different default message for looking at something nondescript. |
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| Example Something NarstyA staircase always open and never openable. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Get Me to the Church on TimeUsing kinds of clothing to prevent the player from wearing several pairs of trousers at the same time. |
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| ![]() Example Change of BasisImplementing sleeping and wakeful states. |
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| Example Would you...?Adding new properties to objects, and checking for their presence. |
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| ![]() Example Straw BoaterUsing text properties that apply only to some things and are not defined for others. |
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| Example The Undertomb 1A small map of dead ends, in which the sound of an underground river has different strengths in different caves. |
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| ![]() Example The Undertomb 2Flickering lantern-light effects added to the Undertomb. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Signs and PortentsSignpost that points to various destinations, depending on how the player has turned it. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example The Crane's Leg 1A description text that automatically highlights the ways in which the object differs from a standard member of its kind. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Real Adventurers Need No HelpAllowing the player to turn off all access to hints for the duration of a game, in order to avoid the temptation to rely on them overmuch. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Early ChildhoodA child's set of building blocks, which come in three different colours - red, green and blue - but which can be repainted during play. |
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| Example Being PreparedA kind for jackets, which always includes a container called a pocket. |
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| ![]() Example Model ShopAn "on/off button" which controls whatever device it is part of. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example U-Stor-ItA "chest" kind which consists of a container which has a lid as a supporter. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example The Night BeforeInstructing Inform to prefer different interpretations of EXAMINE NOSE, depending on whether the player is alone, in company, or with Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. |
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| Example BicTesting to make sure that all objects have been given descriptions. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Fallout EnclosureAdding an enclosure kind that includes both containers and supporters in order to simplify text that would apply to both. |
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Chapter 5: Text
| ![]() ![]() Example BallparkA new "to say" definition which allows the author to say "[a number in round numbers]" and get verbal descriptions like "a couple of" or "a few" as a result. |
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| Example Control CenterObjects which automatically include a description of their component parts whenever they are examined. |
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| ![]() Example Tiny GardenA lawn made up of several rooms, with part of the description written automatically. |
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| Example When?A door whose description says "...leads east" in one place and "...leads west" in the other. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Whence?A kind of door that always automatically describes the direction it opens and what lies on the far side (if that other room has been visited). |
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| ![]() ![]() Example PersephoneSeparate the player's inventory listing into two parts, so that it says "you are carrying..." and then (if the player is wearing anything) "You are also wearing...". |
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| Example Radio DazeA radio that produces a cycle of output using varying text. |
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| ![]() Example Camp BethelCreating characters who change their behavior from turn to turn, and a survey of other common uses for alternative texts. |
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| ![]() Example Beekeeper's ApprenticeMaking the SEARCH command examine all the scenery in the current location. |
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| Example Garibaldi 2Adding coloured text to the example of door-status readouts. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example The Über-complète clavierThis example provides a fairly stringent test of exotic lettering. |
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| Example Fifty Ways to Leave Your LarvaUsing text substitution to make characters reply differently under the same circumstances. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Fifty Times Fifty WaysWriting your own rules for how to carry out substitutions. |
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Chapter 6: Descriptions
| Example Finishing SchoolThe "another" adjective for rules such as "in the presence of another person". |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Only You...Smoke which spreads through the rooms of the map, but only every other turn. |
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| ![]() Example VersaillesA mirror which will reflect some random object in the room. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Lean and HungryA thief who will identify and take any valuable thing lying around that he is able to touch. |
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| Example All Roads Lead to MarsLayout where the player is allowed to wander any direction he likes, and the map will arrange itself in order so that he finds the correct "next" location. |
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| Example Mistress of AnimalsA person who moves randomly between rooms of the map. |
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| ![]() Example Hotel StechelbergSignposts such as those provided on hiking paths in the Swiss Alps, which show the correct direction and hiking time to all other locations. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example UnblinkingFinding a best route through light-filled rooms only, leaving aside any that might be dark. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example A View of Green HillsA LOOK [direction] command which allows the player to see descriptions of the nearby landscape. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example Revenge of the Fussy TableA small game about resentful furniture and inconvenient objects. |
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| ![]() Example Yolk of GoldSet of drawers where the item the player seeks is always in the last drawer he opens, regardless of the order of opening. |
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Chapter 7: Basic Actions
| Example GrillingA grill, from which the player is not allowed to take anything lest he burn himself. |
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| Example Bad Hair DayChange the player's appearance in response to EXAMINE ME. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Democratic ProcessMake PUT and INSERT commands automatically take objects if the player is not holding them. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example SandExtend PUT and INSERT handling to cases where multiple objects are intended at once. |
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| Example HayseedA refinement of our staircase kind which can be climbed. |
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| Example Fine LaidMaking writing that can be separately examined from the paper on which it appears, but which directs all other actions to the paper. |
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| Example Morning AfterWhen the player picks something up which he hasn't already examined, the object is described. |
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| Example Sybil 1Direct all ASK, TELL, and ANSWER commands to ASK, and accept multiple words for certain cases. |
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| Example LucyRedirecting a question about one topic to ask about another. |
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| ![]() Example Sybil 2Making the character understand YES, SAY YES TO CHARACTER, TELL CHARACTER YES, ANSWER YES, and CHARACTER, YES. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Costa Rican OrnithologyA fully-implemented book, answering questions from a table of data, and responding to failed consultation with a custom message such as "You flip through the Guide to Central American Birds, but find no reference to penguins." |
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| ![]() ![]() Example The Art of NoiseThings are all assigned their own noise (or silence). Listening to the room in general reports on all the things that are currently audible. |
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| Example ZodiacSeveral variations on "doing something other than...", demonstrating different degrees of restriction. |
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| Example Ming VaseATTACK or DROP break and remove fragile items from play. |
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| Example BeachfrontAn item that the player can't interact with until he has found it by searching the scenery. |
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| ![]() Example Today TomorrowA few notes on "In the presence of" and how it interacts with concealed objects. |
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| Example VeronicaAn effect that occurs only when the player leaves a region entirely. |
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| ![]() Example A&EUsing regions to block access to an entire area when the player does not carry a pass, regardless of which entrance he uses. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Bumping into WallsOffering the player a list of valid directions if he tries to go in a direction that leads nowhere. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example PolarityA "go back" command that keeps track of the direction from which the player came, and sends him back. |
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| Example No RelationA car which must be turned on before it can be driven, and can only go to roads. |
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| Example Mattress KingAdding extra phrasing to the action to PUSH something in a direction. |
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| ![]() Example One Short PlankA plank bridge which breaks if the player is carrying something when he goes across it. Pushing anything over the bridge is forbidden outright. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example ZorbReplacing the message the player receives when attempting to push something that isn't pushable, and also to remove the restriction that objects cannot be pushed up or down. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Provenance UnknownAllowing something like PUSH TELEVISION EAST to push the cart on which the television rests. |
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| Example Dearth and the MaidenOur heroine, fallen among gentleman highwaymen, is restrained by her own modesty and seemliness. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example MimicryPeople who must be greeted before conversation can begin. |
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| Example Y ask Y?Noticing when the player seems to be at a loss, and recommending the use of hints. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example A Day For Fresh SushiA complete story by Emily Short, called "A Day for Fresh Sushi", rewritten using Inform 7. Noteworthy is the snarky commenter who remarks on everything the player does, but only the first time each action is performed. |
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Chapter 8: Change
| ![]() ![]() Example Don Pedro's RevengeCombat scenario in which the player's footing and position changes from move to move, and the command prompt also changes to reflect that. |
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| Example Politics as UsualHave the status line indicate the current region of the map. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example CenteredReplacing the two-part status line with one that centers only the room name at the top of the screen. |
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| Example VitrineAn electrochromic window that becomes transparent or opaque depending on whether it is currently turned on. |
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| Example ThirstA waterskin that is depleted as the player drinks from it. |
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| Example Thirst 2A campfire added to the camp site, which can be lit using tinder. |
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| ![]() Example Meteoric I and IIA meteor in the night sky which is visible from many rooms, so needs to be a backdrop, but which does not appear until 11:31 PM. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Orange ConesCreating a traffic backdrop that appears in all road rooms except the one in which the player has laid down orange cones. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Terror of the Sierra MadreMultiple player characters who take turns controlling the action. |
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| Example Spring CleaningA character who sulks over objects that the player has broken (and which are now off-stage). |
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| Example Beverage ServiceA potion that the player can drink. |
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| ![]() Example Extra SuppliesA supply of red pens from which the player can take another pen only if he doesn't already have one somewhere in the game world. |
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| Example Bee ChambersA maze with directions between rooms randomized at the start of play. |
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| ![]() Example HatlessIt's tempting to use "now..." to distribute items randomly at the start of play, but we need to be a little cautious about how we do that. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Technological TerrorA ray gun which destroys objects, leaving their component parts behind. |
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| Example Higher CallingAll doors in the game automatically attempt to open if the player approaches them when they are closed. |
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| Example Lanista 1Very simple randomized combat in which characters hit one another for a randomized amount of damage. |
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| Example Do Pass GoA pair of dice which can be rolled, and are described with their current total when not carried, and have individual scores when examined. |
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| Example WeatheringThe automatic weather station atop Mt. Pisgah shows randomly fluctuating temperature, pressure and cloud cover. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Uptown GirlsA stream of random pedestrians who go by the player. |
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| Example CandyOne of several identical candies chosen at the start of play to be poisonous. |
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| Example Zork IIA "Carousel Room", as in Zork II, where moving in any direction from the room leads (at random) to one of the eight rooms nearby. |
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Chapter 9: Time
| Example CluelessA murderer for the mystery is selected randomly at the beginning of the game. |
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| ![]() Example Mutt's AdventureAwarding points for visiting a room for the first time. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example No Place Like HomeRecording a whole table of scores for specific treasures. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Big Sky CountryAllowing the player to continue play after a fatal accident, but penalizing him by scattering his possessions around the game map. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Witnessed 1A kind of battery which can be put into different devices, and which will lose power after extended use. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example Text FoosballA game of foosball which relies heavily on every-turn rules. |
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| ![]() Example IPAShops which each have opening and closing hours, so that it is impossible to go in at the wrong times, and the player is kicked out if he overstays his welcome. |
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| Example Situation RoomPrinting the time of day in 24-hour time, as in military situations. |
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| Example MREHunger that eventually kills the player, and foodstuffs that can delay the inevitable by different amounts of time. |
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| ![]() Example TotalityTo schedule an eclipse of the sun, which involves a number of related events. |
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| ![]() Example EmpireA train which follows a schedule, stopping at a number of different locations. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Hour of the WrenAllowing the player to make an appointment, which is then kept. |
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| Example Night SkyA room which changes its description depending on whether an object has been examined. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example ZeroA box which called "horribly heavy box" after the player has tried to take it the first time. |
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| Example Tense BoxingAn overview of all the variations of past and present tenses, and how they might be used. |
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| ![]() Example ElsieA door that closes automatically one turn after the player opens it. |
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| ![]() Example Bruneseau's JourneyA candle which reacts to lighting and blowing actions differently depending on whether it has already been lit once. |
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| Example InfiltrationA room whose description changes depending on the number of times the player has visited. |
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| Example Annoyotron JrA child who after a certain period in the car starts asking annoying questions. |
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Chapter 10: Scenes
| Example Pine 1Pine: Using a scene to watch for the solution of a puzzle, however arrived-at by the player. |
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| ![]() Example EntrapmentA scene in which the player is allowed to explore as much as he likes, but another character strolls in as soon as he has gotten himself into an awkward or embarrassing situation. |
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| Example Age of SteamThe railway-station examples so far put together into a short game called "Age of Steam". |
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| Example Full MoonRandom atmospheric events which last the duration of a scene. |
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| ![]() Example Space Patrol - Stranded on Jupiter!We'll be back in just a moment, with more exciting adventures of the... Space Patrol! |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Bowler Hats and Baby GeeseCreating a category of scenes that restrict the player's behavior. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Day OneA scene which plays through a series of events in order, then ends when the list of events is exhausted. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Pine 2Pine: Adding a conversation with the princess, in which a basic set of facts must be covered before the scene is allowed to end. |
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| Example The Prague JobScenes used to provide pacing while the player goes through his possessions. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example EntrevauxOrganizing the game by scenes, where each scene has a location and prop lists so that it can be set up automatically. |
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| Example Night and DayCycling through a sequence of scenes to represent day and night following one another during a game. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Pine 3Pine: Allowing the player to visit aspects of the past in memory and describe these events to the princess, as a break from the marriage-proposal scene. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example PanacheReplacing the score with a plot summary that records the events of the plot, scene by scene. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Pine 4Pine: Adding a flashback scene that, instead of repeating endlessly, repeats only until the Princess has understood the point. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Cheese-makersScenes used to control the way a character reacts to conversation and comments, using a TALK TO command. |
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Chapter 11: Phrases
| Example AhemWriting a phrase, with several variant forms, whose function is to follow a rule several times. |
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| ![]() Example Ferragamo AgainUsing the same phrase to produce different results with different characters. |
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| ![]() Example ProposalAsking the player a yes/no question which he must answer, and another which he may answer or not as he chooses. |
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| Example Princess and the PeaThe player is unable to sleep on a mattress (or stack of mattresses) because the bottom one has something uncomfortable under it. |
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| Example MatreshkaA SEARCH [room] action that will open every container the player can see, stopping only when there don't remain any that are closed, unlocked, and openable. |
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| Example NumberlessA simple exercise in printing the names of random numbers, comparing the use of "otherwise if...", a switch statement, or a table-based alternative. |
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| Example Wonka's RevengeA lottery drum which redistributes the tickets inside whenever the player spins it. |
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| ![]() Example Strictly BallroomPeople who select partners for dance lessons each turn. |
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| ![]() Example Equipment ListOverview of all the phrase options associated with listing, and examples of how to change the inventory list into some other standard formats. |
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| Example M. Melmoth's DuelThree basic ways to inject random or not-so-random variations into text. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Owen's LawOUT always means "move to an outdoors room, or else to a room with more exits than this one has"; IN always means the opposite. |
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| Example Witnessed 2A piece of ghost-hunting equipment that responds depending on whether or not the meter is on and a ghost is visible or touchable from the current location. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example A Haughty SpiritWindows overlooking lower spaces which will prevent the player from climbing through if the lower space is too far below. |
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| Example EntropyAll objects in the game have a heat, but if not kept insulated they will tend toward room temperature (and at a somewhat exaggerated rate). |
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| ![]() ![]() Example The Hang of ThursdaysTurns take a quarter day each, and the game rotates through the days of the week. |
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Chapter 12: Advanced Actions
| Example VirtueDefining certain kinds of behavior as inappropriate, so that other characters will refuse indignantly to do any such thing. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Latris TheonA person who can accept instructions to go to new destinations and move towards them according to the most reasonable path. |
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| Example Police StateSeveral friends who obey you; a policeman who doesn't (but who takes a dim view of certain kinds of antics). |
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| Example The Hypnotist of BloisA hypnotist who can make people obedient and then set them free again. |
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| ![]() Example Generation XA person who goes along with the player's instructions, but reluctantly, and will get annoyed after too many repetitions of the same kind of unsuccessful command. |
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| Example IQ TestIntroducing Ogg, a person who will unlock and open a container when the player tells him to get something inside. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example Boston CreamA fuller implementation of Ogg, giving him a motivation of his own and allowing him to react to the situation created by the player. |
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| Example Red CrossA DIAGNOSE command which allows the player to check on the health of someone. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example FrizzLiquid flows within containers and soaks objects that are not waterproof; any contact with a wet object can dampen our gloves. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example 3 AMA shake command which agitates soda and makes items thump around in boxes. |
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| Example The Dark Ages RevisitedAn electric light kind of device which becomes lit when switched on and dark when switched off. |
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| ![]() Example PaddingtonA CUT [something] WITH [something] command which acts differently on different types of objects. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example NoisemakingCreating a stage after the report stage of an action, during which other characters may observe and react. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Delicious, Delicious RocksAdding a "sanity-check" stage to decide whether an action makes any sense, which occurs before any before rules, implicit taking, or check rules. |
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| Example Further Reasons Why All Poets Are LiarsThe young William Wordsworth, pushing a box about in his room, must struggle to achieve a Romantic point of view. |
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| Example RemovalTAKE expanded to give responses such as "You take the book from the shelf." or "You pick up the toy from the ground." |
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| Example The Second Oldest ProblemAdapting the going action so that something special can happen when going from a dark room to another dark room. |
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| ![]() Example Puff of Orange SmokeA system in which every character has a body, which is left behind when the person dies; attempts to do something to the body are redirected to the person while the person is alive. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example CroftAdding special reporting and handling for objects dropped when the player is on a supporter, and special entering rules for moving from one supporter to another. |
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| ![]() Example The Man of SteelAn escaping action which means "go to any room you can reach from here", and is only useful to non-player characters. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Trying Taking ManhattanReplacing the inventory reporting rule with another which does something slightly different. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example Under ContractCreating a person who accepts most instructions and reacts correctly when a request leads implicitly to inappropriate behavior. |
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| Example Get AxeChanging the check rules to try automatically leaving a container before attempting to take it. (And arranging things so that other people will do likewise.) |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Barter BarterAllowing characters other than the player to give objects to one another, accounting for the possibility that some items may not be desired by the intended recipients. |
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| Example Reporting rules for other characters' behaviorElaborating the report rules to be more interesting than "Clark goes west." |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Fate Steps InFate entity which attempts to make things happen, by hook or by crook, including taking preliminary actions to set the player up a bit. |
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| Example SpellbreakerP. David Lebling's classic "Spellbreaker" (1986) includes a room where the game cannot be saved: here is an Inform implementation. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example A point for never saving the gameIn some of the late 1970s "cave crawl" adventure games, an elaborate scoring system might still leave the player perplexed as to why an apparently perfect play-through resulted in a score which was still one point short of the supposed maximum. Why only 349 out of 350? The answer varied, but sometimes the last point was earned by never saving the game - in other words by playing it right through with nothing to guard against mistakes (except perhaps UNDO for the last command), and in one long session. |
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| ![]() Example CarnivaleAn alternative to backdrops when we want something to be visible from a distance but only touchable from one room. |
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| ![]() Example EddystoneCreating new commands involving the standard compass directions. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Slogar's RevengeCreating an amulet of tumblers that can be used to lock and unlock things even when it is worn, overriding the usual requirement that keys be carried. |
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| Example WaterworldA backdrop which the player can examine, but cannot interact with in any other way. |
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| Example Magneto's RevengeKitty Pryde of the X-Men is able to reach through solid objects, so we might implement her with special powers that the player does not have... |
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| ![]() Example Dinner is ServedA window between two locations. When the window is open, the player can reach through into the other location; when it isn't, access is barred. |
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| Example FlashlightVisibility set so that looking under objects produces no result unless the player has a light source to shine there (regardless of the light level of the room). |
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| Example Cactus Will Outlive Us AllFor every character besides the player, there is an action that will cause that character to wither right up and die. |
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| Example BoschCreating a list of actions that will earn the player points, and using this both to change the score and to give FULL SCORE reports. |
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| ![]() Example Actor's StudioA video camera that records actions performed in its presence, and plays them back with time-stamps. |
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| ![]() Example AnteatersThe player carries a gizmo that is able to record actions performed by the player, then force him to repeat them when the gizmo is dropped. This includes storing actions that apply to topics, as in "look up anteater colonies in the guide". |
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Chapter 13: Relations
| ![]() ![]() Example Formal syntax of sentencesA more formal description of the sentence grammar used by Inform for both assertions and conditions. |
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| Example InterrogationA wand which, when waved, reveals the concealed items carried by people the player can see. |
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| Example CeladonUsing the enclosure relation to let the player drop things which he only indirectly carries. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Four CheesesA system of telephones on which the player can call distant persons and have conversations. |
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| Example TransmutationsA machine that turns objects into other, similar objects. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example OtrantoA kind of rope which can be tied to objects and used to anchor the player or drag items from room to room. |
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| Example Unthinkable AlliancesPeople are to be grouped into alliances. To kiss someone is to join his or her faction, which may make a grand alliance; to strike them is to give notice of quitting, and to become a lone wolf. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example The Unexamined LifeAn adaptive hint system that tracks what the player needs to have seen or to possess in order to solve a given puzzle, and doles out suggestions accordingly. Handles changes in the game state with remarkable flexibility, and allows the player to decide how explicit a nudge he wants at any given moment. |
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| Example Beneath the SurfaceAn "underlying" relation which adds to the world model the idea of objects hidden under other objects. |
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| Example The Abolition of LoveA thorough exploration of all the kinds of relations established so far, with the syntax to set and unset them. |
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| Example Swerve left? Swerve right? Or think about it and die?Building a marble chute track in which a dropped marble will automatically roll downhill. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example BogartClothing for the player that layers, so that items cannot be taken off in the wrong order, and the player's inventory lists only the clothing that is currently visible. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example The Problem of EdithA conversation in which the main character tries to build logical connections between what the player is saying now and what went immediately before. |
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| Example Wainwright ActsA technical note about checking the location of door objects when characters other than the player are interacting with them. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example A Humble Wayside FlowerRelations track the relationships between one character and another. Whenever the player meets a relative of someone he already knows, he receives a brief introduction. |
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| Example Meet MarketA case in which relations give characters multiple values of the same kind. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example For Demonstration PurposesA character who learns new actions by watching the player performing them. |
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| Example Number StudyThe parity and joint magnitude relations explored. |
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| ![]() Example Murder on the Orient ExpressA number of sleuths (the player among them) find themselves aboard the Orient Express, where a murder has taken place, and one of them is apparently the culprit. Naturally they do not agree on whom, but there is physical evidence which may change their minds... |
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| ![]() Example What Not To WearA general-purpose clothing system that handles a variety of different clothing items layered in different combinations over different areas of the body. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Graph-theory view of relationsSome notes on relations from the point of view of graph theory. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Mathematical view of relationsSome notes on relations from a mathematical point of view, provided only to clarify some technicalities for those who are interested. |
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Chapter 14: Numbers and Equations
| Example rBGHThe player character's height is selected randomly at the start of play. |
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| ![]() Example WonderlandHiking Mount Rainier, with attention to which locations are higher and which lower than the present location. |
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| ![]() Example DimensionsThis example draws together the previous snippets into a working implementation of the weighbridge. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Lead Cuts PaperTo give every container a breaking strain, that is, a maximum weight of contents which it can bear - so that to put the lead pig into a paper bag invites disaster. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Zqlran Era 8Creating an alternative system of time for our game, using new units. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example SnipA string which can be cut into arbitrary lengths, and then tied back together. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Nickel and DimedA more intricate system of money, this time keeping track of the individual denominations of coins and bills, specifying what gets spent at each transaction, and calculating appropriate change. |
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| Example Widget EnterprisesAllowing the player to set a price for a widget on sale, then determining the resulting sales based on consumer demand, and the resulting profit and loss. |
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| Example Frozen AssetsA treatment of money which keeps track of how much the player has on him, and a BUY command which lets him go shopping. |
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| ![]() Example Money for NothingAn OFFER price FOR command, allowing the player to bargain with a flexible seller. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example SavannahUsing the liquid implementation demonstrated in Lemonade for putting out fires. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example LemonadeContainers for liquid which keep track of how much liquid they are holding and of what kind, and allow quantities to be moved from one container to another. |
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| Example DepthReceptacles that calculate internal volume and the amount of room available, and cannot be overfilled. |
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| ![]() Example FabricationA system of assembling clothing from a pattern and materials; both the pattern and the different fabrics have associated prices. |
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| ![]() Example The Speed of ThoughtDescribing scientifically-measured objects in units more familiar to the casual audience. |
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Chapter 15: Tables
| ![]() ![]() Example DubaiAn elevator which connects any of 27 floors in a luxury hotel. |
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| ![]() Example Port Royal 4A cell window through which the player can see people who were in Port Royal in the current year of game-time. |
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| Example If It Hadn't Been For...A sound recording device that records the noises made by player and non-player actions, then plays them back on demand. |
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| ![]() Example OdysseyA person who follows a path predetermined and stored in a table, and who can be delayed if the player tries to interact with her. |
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| ![]() Example Jokers WildA deck of cards which can be shuffled and dealt from. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Noisy CricketImplementing liquids that can be mixed, and the components automatically recognized as matching one recipe or another. |
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| Example MerlinA REMEMBER command which accepts any text and looks up a response in a table of recollections. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example The Queen of ShebaAllowing the player to use question words, and using that information to modify the response given by the other character. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Questionable RevolutionsAn expansion on the previous idea, only this time we store information and let characters answer depending on their expertise in a given area. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Goat-Cheese and Sage ChickenImplementing a FULL SCORE command which lists more information than the regular SCORE command, adding times and rankings, as an extension of the example given in this chapter. |
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| ![]() Example FarewellPeople who respond to conversational gambits, summarize what they said before if asked again, and provide recap of conversation that is past. |
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| ![]() Example SweeneyA conversation where each topic may have multiple questions and answers associated with it, and where a given exchange can lead to new additions to the list. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Introduction to JugglingAssortment of equipment defined with price and description, in a table. |
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| Example Food Network InteractiveUsing a menu system from an extension, but adding our own material to it for this game. |
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| ![]() Example TriesteTable amendment to adjust HELP commands provided for the player. |
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Chapter 16: Understanding
| Example XYZZYBasics of adding a new command reviewed, for the case of the simple magic word XYZZY. |
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| Example IndirectionRenaming the directions of the compass so that "white" corresponds to north, "red" to east, "yellow" to south, and "black" to west. |
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| ![]() Example XylanCreating a new command that does require an object to be named; and some comments about the choice of vocabulary, in general. |
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| Example AnchoriteBy default, Inform understands GET OFF, GET UP, or GET OUT when the player is sitting or standing on an enterable object. We might also want to add GET DOWN and DOWN as exit commands, though: |
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| Example Alpaca FarmA generic USE action which behaves sensibly with a range of different objects. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example Cloak of DarknessImplementation of "Cloak of Darkness", a simple example game that for years has been used to demonstrate the features of IF languages. |
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| Example The Trouble with PrintingMaking a READ command, distinct from EXAMINE, for legible objects. |
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| ![]() Example Lanista 2Randomized combat in which the damage done depends on what weapons the characters are wielding, and in which an ATTACK IT WITH action is created to replace regular attacking. Also folds a new DIAGNOSE command into the system. |
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| Example Shawn's Bad DayAllowing the player to EXAMINE ALL. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example The Left Hand of AutumnThe possibility of using a [things] token opens up some interesting complications, because we may want actions on multiple items to be reported differently from actions on just one. Here we look at how to make a multiple examination command that describes groups in special ways. |
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| Example Ish.A (very) simple HELP command, using tokens to accept and interpret the player's text whatever it might be. |
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| ![]() Example NamelessASKing someone about an object rather than about a topic. |
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| Example SafetyA safe whose dial can be turned with SPIN SAFE TO 1131, and which will open only with the correct combination. |
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| Example Tom's Midnight GardenA clock kind that can be set to any time using "the time understood"; may be turned on and off; and will advance itself only when running. Time on the face is also reported differently depending on whether the clock is analog or digital. |
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| ![]() Example Ibid.A system which allows the author to assign footnotes to descriptions, and permits the player to retrieve them again by number, using "the number understood". Footnotes will automatically number themselves, according to the order in which the player discovers them. |
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| Example One of Those MorningsA FIND command that allows the player to find a lost object anywhere |
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| ![]() Example ActaeonA FOLLOW command allowing the player to pursue a person who has just left the room. |
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| Example PagesA book with pages that can be read by number (as in "read page 3 in...") and which accepts relative page references as well (such as "read the last page of...", "read the next page", and so on). |
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| ![]() Example Down in OodvilleOffering the player a choice of numbered options at certain times, without otherwise interfering with his ability to give regular commands. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Straw Into GoldCreating a Rumpelstiltskin character who is always referred to as "dwarf", "guy", "dude", or "man" -- depending on which the player last used -- until the first time the player refers to him as "Rumpelstiltskin". |
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| Example MisadventureA going by name command which does respect movement rules, and accepts names of rooms as commands. |
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| ![]() Example Safari GuideThe same functionality, but making the player continue to move until he reaches his destination or a barrier, handling all openable doors on the way. |
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| Example PaletteAn artist's workshop in which the canvas can be painted in any colour, and where painterly names for pigments ("cerulean") are accepted alongside everyday ones ("blue"). |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Baritone, BassLetting the player pick a gender (or perhaps other characteristics) before starting play. |
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| Example LiesCommands to allow the player to lie down in three different ways. |
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| Example HymenaeusUnderstanding "flaming torch" and "extinguished torch" to refer to torches when lit and unlit. |
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| Example AspectUnderstanding aspect ratios (a unit) in the names of televisions. |
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| ![]() Example Channel 1Understanding channels (a number) in the names of televisions. |
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| ![]() Example PeersThe peers of the English realm come in six flavours - Baron, Viscount, Earl, Marquess, Duke and Prince - and must always be addressed properly. While a peerage is for life, it may at the royal pleasure be promoted. |
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| ![]() Example TerracottissimaThe flowerpots once again, but this time arranged so that after the first breakage all undamaged pots are said to be "unbroken", to distinguish them from the others. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Channel 2Understanding channels (a number) in the names of televisions, with more sophisticated parsing of the change channel action. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Tilt 1A deck of cards with fully implemented individual cards, which can be separately drawn and discarded, and referred to by name. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Terracottissima MaximaFlowerpots with textual names that might change during play. |
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| Example Whither?A door whose description says where it leads; and which automatically understands references such as "the west door" and "the east door" depending on which direction it leads from the location. |
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| Example CincoA taco shell that can be referred to (when it contains things) in terms of its contents. |
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| Example Puncak JayaWhen a character is not visible, responding to such commands as EXAMINE PETER and PETER, HELLO with a short note that the person in question is no longer visible. |
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| ![]() Example Claims AdjustmentAn instant camera that spits out photographs of anything the player chooses to take a picture of. |
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| Example Quiz ShowIn this example by Mike Tarbert, the player can occasionally be quizzed on random data from a table; the potential answers will only be understood if a question has just been asked. |
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| ![]() Example BibliophiliaA bookshelf with a number of books, where the player's command to examine something will be interpreted as an attempt to look up titles if the bookshelf is present, but otherwise given the usual response. |
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| Example Pot of PetuniasResponding sensibly to a pot of petunias falling from the sky. |
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| Example Masochism DeliMultiple potatoes, with rules to make the player drop the hot potato first and pick it up last. |
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| Example QueryCatching all questions that begin with WHO, WHAT, WHERE, and similar question words, and responding with the instruction to use commands, instead. |
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| Example The Gorge at GeorgeIf the player tries to TALK TO a character, suggest alternative modes of conversation. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Hot Glass Looks Like Cold GlassResponding to references to a property that the player isn't yet allowed to mention (or when not to use "understand as a mistake"). |
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| Example Some Assembly RequiredBuilding different styles of shirt from component sleeves and collars. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Lakeside LivingSimilar to "Lemonade", but with bodies of liquid that can never be depleted, and some adjustments to the "fill" command so that it will automatically attempt to fill from a large liquid source if possible. |
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Chapter 17: Activities
| Example Ant-Sensitive SunglassesWhat are activities good for? Controlling output when we want the same action to be able to produce very flexible text depending on the state of the world -- in this case, making highly variable room description and object description text. |
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| ![]() Example AARP-GnosisAn Encyclopedia set which treats volumes in the same place as a single object, but can also be split up. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example CrusoeAdding a "printing the description of something" activity. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example AftershockModifying the rules for examining a device so that all devices have some specific behavior when switched on, which is described at various times. |
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| Example Hays CodeClark Gable in a pin-striped suit and a pink thong. |
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| Example Shipping TrunkA box of baking soda whose name changes to "completely ineffective baking soda" when it is in a container with something that smells funny. |
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| ![]() Example Trachypachidae Maturin 1803Bottles with removable stoppers: when the stopper is in the bottle, the bottle is functionally closed, but the stopper can also be removed and used elsewhere. Descriptions of the bottle reflect its state intelligently. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example Chronic Hinting SyndromeUsing name-printing rules to keep track of whether the player knows about objects, and also to highlight things he might want to follow up. |
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| ![]() Example Hudsucker IndustriesLetters which are described differently as a group, depending on whether the player has read none, some, or all of them, and on whether they are alike or unlike. |
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| Example ProlegomenaReplacing precise numbers with "some" or other quantifiers when too many objects are clustered together for the player to count at a glance. |
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| Example UnpeeledCalling an onion "a single yellow onion" when (and only when) it is being listed as the sole content of a room or container. |
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| Example Rules of AttractionA magnet which picks up nearby metal objects, and describes itself appropriately in room descriptions and inventory listings, but otherwise goes by its ordinary name. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Zorn of ZornaLight levels vary depending on the number of candles the player has lit, and this determines whether or not he is able to examine detailed objects successfully. |
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| ![]() Example Hohmann TransferChanging the way dark rooms are described to avoid the standard Inform phrasing. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Four Stars 1An elaboration of the idea that when light is absent, the player should be given a description of what he can smell and hear, instead. |
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| Example Ways OutA status line that lists the available exits from the current location. |
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| ![]() Example Guided TourA status line that lists the available exits from the current location, changing the names of these exits depending on whether the room has been visited or not. |
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| Example ReflectionsEmphasizing the reflective quality of shiny objects whenever they are described in the presence of the torch. |
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| ![]() Example EmmaSocial dynamics in which groups of people form and circulate during a party. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example Air Conditioning is StandardUses "writing a paragraph about" to make person and object descriptions that vary considerably depending on what else is going on in the room, including some randomized NPC interactions with objects or with each other. |
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| Example Rip Van WinkleA simple way to allow objects in certain places to be described in the room description body text rather than in paragraphs following the room description. |
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| ![]() Example The Eye of the IdolA systematic way to allow objects in certain places to be described in the room description body text rather than in paragraphs following the room description, and to control whether supporters list their contents or not. |
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| ![]() Example Happy HourListing visible characters as a group, then giving some followup details in the same paragraph about specific ones. |
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| Example Priority LabA debugging rule useful for checking the priorities of objects about to be listed. |
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| Example Low LightAn object that is only visible and manipulable when a bright light fixture is on. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Casino BanaleCreating room descriptions and object descriptions that change as the player learns new facts and pieces things together. |
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| Example KiwiCreating a raised supporter kind whose contents the player can't see or take from the ground. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Copper RiverManipulating room descriptions so that only interesting items are mentioned, while objects that are present but not currently useful to the player are ignored. |
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| Example PeeledTwo different approaches to adjusting what the player can interact with, compared. |
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| Example Four Stars 2Using "deciding the scope" to change the content of lists such as "the list of audible things which can be touched by the player". |
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| ![]() Example Rock GardenA simple open landscape where the player can see between rooms and will automatically move to touch things in distant rooms. |
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| ![]() Example Ginger BeerA portable magic telescope which allows the player to view items in another room of his choice. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Stately GardensAn open landscape where the player can see landmarks in nearby areas, with somewhat more complex room descriptions than the previous example, and in which we also account for size differences between things seen at a distance. |
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| Example OriginalsAllowing the player to create models of anything in the game world; parsing the name "model [thing]" or even just "[thing]" to refer to these newly-created models; asking "which do you mean, the model [thing] or the actual [thing]" when there is ambiguity. |
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| Example ApplesPrompting the player on how to disambiguate otherwise similar objects. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Walls and NosesResponding to "EXAMINE WALL" with "In which direction?", and to "EXAMINE NOSE" with "Whose nose do you mean, Frederica's, Betty's, Wilma's or your own?" |
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| Example Latin LessonsSupplying missing nouns and second nouns for other characters besides the player. |
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| Example Minimal MovementSupplying a default direction for "go", so that "leave", "go", etc., are always interpreted as "out". |
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| ![]() Example Fragment of a Greek TragedyResponding to the player's input based on keywords only, and overriding the original parser entirely. |
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| ![]() Example North by NorthwestCreating additional compass directions between those that already exist (for instance, NNW) -- and dealing with an awkwardness that arises when the player tries to type "north-northwest". The example demonstrates a way around the nine-character limit on parsed words. |
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| ![]() Example ClovesAccepting adverbs anywhere in a command, registering what the player typed but then cutting them out before interpreting the command. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Complimentary PeanutsA character who responds to keywords in the player's instructions and remarks, even if there are other words included. |
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| Example The Big Sainsbury'sMaking implicit takes add a minute to the clock, just as though the player had typed TAKE THING explicitly. |
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| Example Pizza PrinceProviding a pizza buffet from which the player can take as many pieces as he wants. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Lollipop GuildOverriding the rules to allow the player to eat something without first taking it. |
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| Example WXPQCreating a more sensible parser error than "that noun did not make sense in this context". |
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| ![]() ![]() Example XotStoring an invalid command to be repeated as text later in the game. |
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| Example Bikini AtollDelaying the banner for later. |
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| Example Battle of RidgefieldCompletely replacing the endgame text and stopping the game without giving the player a chance to restart or restore. |
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| Example Jamaica 1688Adding a feature to the final question after victory, so that the player can choose to reveal notes about items in the game. |
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| Example FinalityNot mentioning UNDO in the final set of options. |
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| ![]() Example XerxesOffering the player a menu of things to read after winning the game. |
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| Example BlanknessEmptying the status line during the first screen of the game. |
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Chapter 18: Rulebooks
| Example Nine AM AppointmentA WAIT [number] MINUTES command which advances through an arbitrary number of turns. |
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| ![]() Example Delayed GratificationA WAIT UNTIL [time] command which advances until the game clock reaches the correct hour. |
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| Example The Crane's Leg 2A description text generated based on the propensities of the player-character, following different rulebooks for different characters. |
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| Example StoneA soup to which the player can add ingredients, which will have different effects when the player eats. |
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| ![]() Example BriberyA GIVE command that gets rid of Inform's default refusal message in favor of something a bit more sophisticated. |
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| Example Verbosity 2Making rooms give full descriptions each time we enter, even if we have visited before, and disallowing player use of BRIEF and SUPERBRIEF. |
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| Example Saint EligiusAdding a first look rule that comments on locations when we visit them for the first time, inserting text after objects are listed but before any "every turn" rules might occur. |
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| ![]() Example SlouchingA system of postures allowing the player and other characters to sit, stand, or lie down explicitly or implicitly on a variety of enterable supporters or containers, or in location. |
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| Example WeReplacing the standard action report rules to reflect our own design. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Backus-Naur form for rulesThe full grammar Inform uses to parse rule definitions, in a standard computer-science notation. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example In Fire or in FloodA BURN command; flammable objects which light other items in their vicinity and can burn for different periods of time; the possibility of having parts or contents of a flaming item which survive being burnt. |
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| Example FlotationObjects that can sink or float in a well, depending on their own properties and the state of the surrounding environment. |
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| Example Feline BehaviorA cat which reacts to whatever items it has handy, returning the result of a rulebook for further processing. |
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| ![]() Example KyotoExpanding the effects of the THROW something AT something command so that objects do make contact with one another. |
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| Example Being PeterA set of rules determining the attitude a character will take when asked about certain topics. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Tilt 2A deck of cards with fully implemented individual cards; when the player has a full poker hand, the inventory listing describes the resulting hand accordingly. |
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| Example Access All AreasThe Pointy Hat of Liminal Transgression allows its wearer to walk clean through closed doors. |
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| Example UptempoAdjust time advancement so the game clock moves fifteen minutes each turn. |
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| ![]() Example Lethal Concentration 1A poisonous gas that spreads from room to room, incapacitating or killing the player when it reaches sufficient levels. |
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| ![]() Example Swigmore U.Adding a new kind of supporter called a perch, where everything dropped lands on the floor. |
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| ![]() Example SolitudeNovice mode that prefaces every prompt with a list of possible commands the player could try, and highlights every important word used, to alert players to interactive items in the scenery. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Lethal Concentration 2Poisonous gas again, only this time it sinks. |
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| ![]() ![]() ![]() Example Patient ZeroPeople who wander around the map performing various errands, and in the process spread a disease which only the player can eradicate. |
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| Example TimelessA set of actions which do not take any game time at all. |
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| Example ElectrifiedAdding a rule before the basic accessibility rule that will prevent the player from touching electrified objects under the wrong circumstances. |
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| ![]() Example Escape from the SeraglioReplacing the usual response to TAKE ALL so that instead of output such as "grapes: Taken. orange: Taken.", Inform produces variable responses in place of "grapes:". |
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| ![]() Example EnduranceGiving different actions a range of durations using a time allotment rulebook. |
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Chapter 19: Advanced Text
| Example Rocket ManUsing case changes on any text produced by a "to say..." phrase. |
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| Example Capital CityTo arrange that the location information normally given on the left-hand side of the status line appears in block capitals. |
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| Example About Inform's regular expression supportSome footnotes on Inform's regular expressions, and how they compare to those of other programming languages. |
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| Example AlphaCreating a beta-testing command that matches any line starting with punctuation. |
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| Example Mirror, MirrorThe sorcerer's mirror can, when held up high, form an impression of its surroundings which it then preserves. |
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| Example Identity TheftAllowing the player to enter a name to be used for the player character during the game. |
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| ![]() Example The Cow ExoneratedCreating a class of matches that burn for a time and then go out, with elegant reporting when several matches go out at once. |
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| Example BlackoutFiltering the names of rooms printed while in darkness. |
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| Example Igpay AtinlayA pig Latin filter for the player's commands. |
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| Example FidoA dog the player can name and un-name at will. |
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| ![]() Example NorthstarMaking Inform understand ASK JOSH TO TAKE INVENTORY as JOSH, TAKE INVENTORY. This requires us to use a regular expression on the player's command, replacing some of the content. |
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| ![]() Example Mr. Burns' RepastLetting the player guess types for an unidentifiable fish. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Cave-trollDetermining that the command the player typed is invalid, editing it, and re-examining it to see whether it now reads correctly. |
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Chapter 20: Lists
| Example Oyster Wide ShutReplacing Inform's default printing of properties such as "(closed)", "(open and providing light)", etc., with our own, more flexible variation. |
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| Example Robo 1A robot which watches and records the player's actions, then tries to repeat them back in the same order when he is switched into play-back mode. |
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| Example What Makes You TickBuilding a fishing pole from several component parts that the player might put together in any order. |
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| ![]() Example FormicidaeManipulating the order in which items are handled after TAKE ALL. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Robo 2A robot which watches and records the player's actions, then tries to repeat them back in the same order when he is switched into play-back mode. |
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| Example Leopard-skinA maze that the player can escape if he performs an exact sequence of actions. |
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| ![]() Example The Facts Were TheseCreating a variant GIVE action that lets the player give multiple objects simultaneously with commands like GIVE ALL TO ATTENDANT or GIVE THREE DOLLARS TO ATTENDANT or GIVE PIE AND HAT TO ATTENDANT. The attendant accepts the gifts only if their total combined value matches some minimum amount. |
|
| Example I Didn't Come All The Way From Great Portland StreetIn this fiendishly difficult puzzle, which may perhaps owe some inspiration to a certain BBC Radio panel game (1967-), a list is used as a set of actions to help enforce the rule that the player must keep going for ten turns without hesitation, repetition, or deviating from the subject on the card. |
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| Example Circle of MiseryRetrieving items from an airport luggage carousel is such fun, how can we resist simulating it, using a list as a ring buffer? |
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| Example Sieve of EratosthenesThe haughty Eratosthenes of Cyrene will nevertheless consent to sieve prime numbers on request. |
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| Example The Fibonacci SequenceThe modest Leonardo Fibonacci of Pisa will be only too happy to construct his sequence on request, using an array. |
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| Example Eyes, Fingers, ToesA safe with a multi-number combination, meant to be dialed over multiple turns, is implemented using a log of the last three numbers dialed. The log can then be compared to the safe's correct combination. |
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| Example Lugubrious Pete's DelicatessenIn this evocation of supermarket deli counter life, a list is used as a queue to keep track of who is waiting to be served. |
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| Example Your Mother Doesn't Work HereYour hard-working mother uses a list as a stack: urgent tasks are added to the end of the list, interrupting longer-term plans. |
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Chapter 21: Advanced Phrases
| Example CurareA phrase that chooses and names the least-recently selected item from the collection given, allowing the text to cycle semi-randomly through a group of objects. |
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Chapter 22: Figures, Sounds and Files
| Example Alien Invasion Part 23Keeping a preference file that could be loaded by any game in a series. |
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| ![]() Example Labyrinth of GhostsRemembering the fates of all previous explorers of the labyrinth. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example RubiesA scoreboard that keeps track of the ten highest-scoring players from one playthrough to the next, adding the player's name if he has done well enough. |
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| Example The Fourth BodyNotebooks in which the player can record assorted notes throughout play. |
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| ![]() Example The Fifth BodyAn expansion on the notebook, allowing the player somewhat more room in which to type his recorded remark. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Flathead News NetworkUsing external files, together with a simple Unix script running in the background, to provide live news headlines inside a story file. |
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Chapter 23: Releasing
| Example Port Royal 5Port Royal scenario given instructions for an EPS map. |
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| Example BaedekerCreating a floorplan of the cathedral using the locations from previous examples. |
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| Example Bay Leaves and Honey WineCreating a map of Greece using the locations from previous examples. |
|
Chapter 25: Extensions
| ![]() Example Modern ConveniencesExemplifying the kind of source we might use in writing extensions for kitchen and bathroom appliances. |
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| ![]() Example Tilt 3Displaying the card suits from our deck of cards with red and black colored unicode symbols. |
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| Example OdinsMaking [is-are] and [it-they] say tokens that will choose appropriately based on the last object mentioned. |
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| ![]() ![]() Example Pink or BlueAsking the player to select a gender to begin play. |
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| Example Status line with centered text, the hard wayA status line which has only the name of the location, centered. |
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| Example Chanel Version 1Making paired italic and boldface tags like those used by HTML for web pages. |
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| Example BlinkMaking a "by atmosphere" token, allowing us to design our own text variations such as "[one of]normal[or]gloomy[or]scary[by atmosphere]". |
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| ![]() Example Uncommon GroundMaking a "by viewpoint" token, allowing us to design our own text variations such as "[show to yourself]quaint[to Lolita]thrilling[to everyone else]squalid[end show]" depending on the identity of the player at the moment. |
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