[IF Writing Tools] IF Beginner's Writing Program -- is something like this possible, or no? (LONG)
Lelah Conrad
Two of the three raifers (programmers) who have looked at this
suggested I post it to raif. (The other did not respond.) (The two
who did respond thought something like this was probably possible,
though they were working on different, and I think more grapical,
approaches.)
1. This is impressionistic only. I obviously did not work out the
logical or syntactic problems even with the example. I was just
trying to give a general idea of a way that I could more easily work
on IF writing. (The popup menu idea is so that when you say something
is an item, the subclasses then pop up for you to choose between,
etc.)
2. I don't expect you to write it. I just want to know if it would
be possible.
3. This is (I think) less graphical than some other suggestions that
have been suggested on raif. The basic idea is for something that
would work on top of a language like TADS or Inform, the way Windows
works over DOS. The point was to help a writer get over the syntax
hurdle, so they :) could focus on the logical problems.
oh, and
(4. If you are going to chop me into tiny little pieces, could you be
witty about it? It's more fun that way.
5. Ignore the story -- yes yes I know you're not supposed to use
dialect when you write. I was just entertaining myself.)
_________________________________________________
The Interactive Fiction Beginner's Writing Program
Welcome to the IF Beginner's Writing Program. This program has been
designed to let you focus on writing your interactive story or text
adventure, and doesn't require you to learn computer programming. The
only thing you need to think about is how your story is going to
progress, from start to finish. The program will ask you a series of
questions, and you will answer them. You must learn to think
carefully, and in detail, about each situation. Along the way, you
will be asked if you want to see how your story plays so far. You may
stop at any time and play your story, or the program will ask you from
time to time whether you would like to play it.
This program provides both an overlay and an interface between
your English text input and a more complicated Interactive Fiction
authoring programming language called TADS (or Inform or whatever).
You may not be able to do all the things you would like to do in a
text adventure at this point, but you should be able to write a simple
story with characters, objects, and interactions. Maybe once you have
written a few stories with this program, you will want to make a stab
at learning an IF programming language.
This program will ask you many, many questions, which may also
cause various pop-up menus to appear. All you need to do is answer
yes or no, fill in descriptions, and choose among pop-up options. It
may seem to be very slow going at first, but you can always take a
break at any time and play the game you are writing. Once you begin
to play your own story, you can also experiment with changing some of
the answers to questions. Have fun, and keep writing!
_______________________________________________________
How would you like your name to read? Florissa Callahan
What is the title of your story? Connie Takes a Sick Day
What version of the story is this? Version 1
What is the copyright date of the story? 1998
Please enter the opening text of your story:
Old Aunt Katie the Long Talker was rocking Betty Lou to sleep
out on the summer porch, rambling on as she always did about those old
days back in the '50's, when everything seemed so clear and simple:
"In Mergainersville, over off o' the interstate (you know, the
one what goes up from abouts Austin, uppin' ta Ponca City, over
Oklahoma way) -- well anyways they's a little coffee shop downtown
that never saw nuthin' the likes of the excitement that hit on that
ordinery Se'tember day. Seems like Jim Bob's baby sister Connie was
jest working the normal wait shift b'tween the reg'lar truckers and
stray traveller folks, when Annie Mae comes runnin' in with Baby Joey,
needin' to use, you know, the ladies room.. So she sets that little
baby down in one of those baby high chairs, knowin' that Connie'll
keep a tight eye on the little guy while she runs in for a minute.
However," and this last she drawls in the way only Southerners can say
it, "she ended up gettin' herself in a heap o' trouble, startin' in
that moment and carryin' on even down to today..."
Do you want the title, author, and version information to come before
or after the introductory text? After
Who is the player of your game playing as? (Connie)
Are there other names for this player? (Connie Stevens, Constance,
Connee)
What does Connie look like? You are Constance Stevens, a young,
strongly muscled, overworked coffee shop waitress.
Is Connie carrying anything? Yes no
(Yes) What is the first thing the player character is
carrying? Pad
What kind of a thing is the pad? [popup menu pops up, player
chooses ordinary item, or whatever]
What does the pad look like? It's an ordinary
waitress' pad.
What is the second thing the player character is
carrying? Pencil [popup menu again]
What does the pencil look like? On the side of the pencil are written
the words: Coffee, tea, or me. (This reminds you that you need to
keep looking for another job, and quickly.)
What is the third thing the waitress is carrying? [ the 'nothing' key
could be a return, or a zero]
What place does Connie start the game in? Joelly's Coffee Boufait
What does Joelly's Coffee Boufait look like? Vinyl booths line the
walls of this unremarkable small town diner, interspersed with
linoleum topped tables and mismatched chairs. On the wall side of
each booth is a small, tabletop jukebox.
Are there any things in this description that you want to describe for
the reader? Yes no
(Yes) What is the first item? vinyl booths
What does it look like? Shiny red plastic-looking seats, anchored to
the wall and to the faux wood table top.
What is the second item? linoleum tables
What does it look like? [Etc.]
What directions can you go to leave this room? north, south, east, up
Where does north go? Fry Counter
Where does south go? Main Street
Where does east go? Hallway
Where does up go? Manager's Office
Are there any story characters in Joelly's Coffee Shop? Yes no
(Yes) Who is the first character? Baby Joey.
What does Baby Joey look like? Baby Joey looks like a normal, sticky
little tyke of about one, wearing slightly damp diapers and a white
T-shirt.
What is Baby Joey doing? Baby Joey is sitting in a high chair
squirming and trying to push his ice cream spork off the top of the
tray.
Does Baby Joey ever do anything different? Yes no
(Yes) How many turns go by before Baby Joey does something different?
3
What does Baby Joey do after 3 turns? Baby Joey waves and throws the
spork wildly, but it flops over behind the booth next to where he is
sitting.
Are there any other characters in Joelly's Coffee Shop? no
Are there any objects in Joelly's Coffee Shop? (yes, no)
What is the first object here? cardboard box
What kind of a thing is the cardboard box? [a list of thing types
could pop up, eg container, or whatever, which would then
automatically call the prompts below when we get to more detail about
the box.]
Are there any other objects in Joelly's Coffee Shop? Yes
What is the second object? A glass of water.
What kind of a thing is the glass of water? [pop-up list again, this
time choose something like a liquid :) in a container]
Are there any other objects in Joelly's Coffee Shop? No
What is the description of the box? It's an ordinary, cardboard box, a
little tattered.
Can the player see the box? Yes no
(no) Does the player have light to see by? Yes [so no visibility
prompt string needed, which would run along the lines of "What does
the player need to have in order to see the box?" a torch. Does the
player have the torch? yes no etc.]
Is the box hidden? yes
(Yes) Is the box hidden behind something? yes [if the response were
no, the program would prompt, "Is the box hidden under something?"
etc.]
(Yes) What is the box hidden behind? (A booth)
What will Connie see when she finds the box? You look behind the
booth where baby Joey threw his spork and see an old cardboard box you
hadn't noticed before.
Is there something inside the box? [this is prompted by the
category of thing (container) you chose earlier] Yes
What will Connie see when she looks inside the box? There is a stick
of dynamite in the box.
Describe the stick of dynamite. The stick of dynamite is
bright red, with a wick on the end which is 1) lit 2) not lit. [If the
author enters a one or a two, the program looks for the following:]
1) Does something happen to Connie when the stick of dynamite 1) is
lit? yes no
(Yes) You gasp, and lean over for a closer look -- this can't be a
real stick of dynamite, can it?
Can Connie take the stick of dynamite? Yes no
(Yes) What happens when Connie takes the stick of dynamite? As you
pick up the stick of dynamite, it explodes with a fearsome blast and
destroys everything in the coffee shop.
What happens to Connie now? You have died.
What happens to the game? Game over.
What options does Connie have now? Restore, restart, undo last move.
What is the second object in Joelly's Coffee Boufait? A glass
of water.
[etc etc ad nearly infinitum, basically repeating with pop-ups and yes
no options the various options and qualities of objects characters and
actions]
[periodically, or when the author chooses to]
Would you like to play the game so far? Yes no
(Yes)
[So the author sees the following]:
________________________________________
(Developed with TADS, the Text Adventure Development System
Using IF Beginner's Writing Program as interface overlay)
Old Aunt Katie the Long Talker was rocking Betty Lou to sleep
out on the summer porch, rambling on as she always did about those old
days back in the '50's, when everything seemed so clear and simple:
"In Mergainersville, over off o' the interstate (you know, the
one what goes up from about Austin, uppin' ta Ponca City, over
Oklahoma way) -- well anyways, they's a little coffee shop downtown
that never saw nuthin' the likes of the excitement what hit on that
ordinery Se'tember day. Seems like Jim Bob's baby sister Connie was
jest working the normal wait shift b'tween the reg'lar truckers and
stray traveller folks, when Annie Mae comes runnin' in with Baby Joey,
needin' to use, you know, the ladies room.. So she sets that little
baby down in one of those baby high chairs, knowin' that Connie'll
keep a tight eye on the little guy while she runs in for a minute.
However," and this last she drawls in the way only Southerners can say
it, "she ended up gettin' herself in a heap o' trouble, startin' in
that moment and carryin' on even down to today..."
Connie Takes a Sick Day
by Florissa Callahan
Version 1, copyright (c) 1998
Joelly's Coffee Boufait
Vinyl booths line the walls of this unremarkable small town diner,
and are interspersed with linoleum topped tables and mismatched
chairs. On the wall side of each booth is a small, tabletop jukebox.
The exits are north, south, east, and up.
Baby Joey is sitting in a high chair squirming and trying to
throw his ice cream spork off the top of the tray.
There is a glass of water here.
>x booths
Shiny red plastic-looking seats, anchored to the wall and to the faux
wood table top.
>x Baby Joey
Baby Joey looks like a normal, sticky little tyke of about one,
wearing slightly damp diapers and a white T-shirt.
>x me
You are Constance Stevens, a young, strongly muscled, overworked
coffee shop waitress.
Baby Joey waves and throws the spork wildly, but it flops
over behind the booth next to where he is sitting.
>get spork
You look behind the booth where baby Joey threw his spork and see an
old cardboard box you hadn't noticed before.
>x box
There is a stick of dynamite in the box.
>x dynamite
The stick of dynamite is bright red, with a wick on the end which is
lit.
>grab glass of water
(Well, I'm sure you get the idea. Everything is written as the
writier goes along, more or less from the game player's point of
view.)
Darin Johnson
wo...@one.net writes:
> And that makes it a very *large* beast, IMO. But the basic idea is
> certainly sound and feasible. I suspect though that what you want to
> do is going to require a re-write of the TADS runtime system to:
>
First step - play around with a tinyMUD system, or MONSTER if you can
find it. If you can't get tinyMUD, look at MUSH or MOO. Those did
essentially that idea - start with a blank world, and start creating
rooms and objects. You could create simple puzzles and go from there.
But you quickly run into problems with that approach. First is that
puzzles beyond the simple ones are difficult to do, and complex
behavior is impossible (ie, creating a rug you can hide things under
is hard). That's why such systems kept evolving, adding more and more
flags and special purpose variables, and wacky incomprehensible
languages (MUSH). Or a good language may be created but it's hindered
by that basic database system and build-on-the-fly model.
But at the least, experiment with such a system before you build yet
another one.
--
Darin Johnson
da...@usa.net.delete_me
Allen Garvin
In article <tvy90m6...@cn1.connectnet.com>,
Darin Johnson <da...@usa.net.removethis> wrote:
But you quickly run into problems with that approach. First is
that puzzles beyond the simple ones are difficult to do, and complex
behavior is impossible (ie, creating a rug you can hide things under
is hard). That's why such systems kept evolving, adding more and
more flags and special purpose variables, and wacky incomprehensible
languages (MUSH). Or a good language may be created but it's hindered
by that basic database system and build-on-the-fly model.
LP Muds on the other hand (of which there are several types), have a very
sophisticated underlying virtual machine and language. The language is
at least as suitable to complex IF as Tads or Inform. It is not built on
a database world model like mushes and stuff. I do a lot of my programming
these days in Pike, a general-purpose language that evolved from the language
of LPmuds. (http://pike.idonex.se if anyone is interested--it's a high-level
object-oriented language with a C-like syntax. It's much better than Perl
when you need to do real OO stuff, or you need to create complex data types.)
--
Allen Garvin kisses are a better fate
--------------------------------------------- than wisdom
eare...@faeryland.tamu-commerce.edu
http://faeryland.tamu-commerce.edu/~earendil e e cummings
Darin Johnson
> LP Muds on the other hand (of which there are several types), have a very
> sophisticated underlying virtual machine and language. The language is
> at least as suitable to complex IF as Tads or Inform.
But it's not a "build as you explore", which the original idea given
here was. Plus, it's pretty plainly a "programming language", which
scares newbies no end (it's vastly simpler than programming on a MUSH,
but I've seen newbies falling in love with MUSH because they think
it's not programming).
--
Darin Johnson
da...@usa.net.delete_me
Julian Fleetwood
>Cool. :)
It certainly would be!
>You're also going to have to consider the "reentry" potential of such
>a beast. Obviously, for a game of any size you won't be able to finish
>it in one sitting. This implies persistance of objects, which in turn
>implies a database of some sort.
Perhaps a menu system that you could access at any time?
>And that makes it a very *large* beast, IMO. But the basic idea is
>certainly sound and feasible. I suspect though that what you want to
>do is going to require a re-write of the TADS runtime system to:
>
>A) output TADS source code (for persistance)
Definitely, you should make the code accessible afterwoods - for direct
editing.
>So yes it's possible--but it certainly wouldn't be easy! :)
It's a good idea, but since TADS/Inform work on many platforms you would
need to be careful picking the platform for this creation utility.
Julian Fleetwood
--
Keen supporter of the 'Train Spotting as an Olympic sport' campaign
Home Page: http://www.tip.net.au/~mfleetwo/index.htm
Interactive Fiction Dimension: http://www.tip.net.au/~mfleetwo/if/if.htm
Comic Book Guy Page: http://www.tip.net.au/~mfleetwo/cbg/comic.htm
David Rush
> Two of the three raifers (programmers) who have looked at this
> suggested I post it to raif. (The other did not respond.)
Lelah, as the guilty party in this oversight, I can only plead my
seventy-hour workweeks for the last month (from which I am briefly
playing hooky this evening). Reading your document is still definitely
on my "round tuit" list...
david rush
--
Who really needs to go home now.