Past raif topics: Game Mechanics: part 2

This is part two of a collection of Past raif topics to do with the mechanics of IF games, such as puzzles, game world physics and navigation.

The first part may be found at Past raif topics: Game Mechanics: part 1.

If you add or change any of the sections on this page, remember to update the entry on the Past raif topics page as well.

Tricky objects

See also => Category:Examples of code

• Difficult-things-to-implement minicomp idea (humor) (Jan 2007)
• Tricky things to implement + what should go in the library (Sep 2006)
• Implementing a rope object (Jun 1998) (see Rope topic)
• Implementing a sack object (TADS) (Dec 1996)
• Sack object in TADS + IF language design (Apr 1996)
• Implementing doors & locks (Inform) (Sep 1996) (see Doors, locked topic)
• Telephone objects (Feb 1999)
• Telephones (Oct 1999)
• Implementing a telephone (Nov 1999)
• Implementing a two way radio (Apr 1998)
• Implementing a tape recorder (Jan 1998)
• Implementing a camera (Sep 1997)
• Cameras and recording (Apr 2001)
• Implementing an elevator in Inform (Aug 1999) (see Elevator topic)
• Implementing an elevator (Inform) (Aug 1995)
• Implementing a computer object (Oct 1998)
• Implementing clock objects (Oct 1998)
• Implementing a microwave (Oct 1998)
• Implementing a keyring (Inform) (Feb 1998)
• Objects which are containers as well as surfaces (Jun 1999)
• In defence of Enterables (May 1999)
• Avoiding weapons & tools with too many uses (disintegrator gun, etc) (Feb 1997) (see Weapons topic)
• Takable actors (Inform) (Jan 1997)

Tricky events / situations

• Tough things to code + writing vs coding (Jul 1996)
• Looking through a peep hole (Inform) (Nov 1996)
• Digging in the ground (TADS / WorldClass) (May 1995) (see Digging topic)
• IF game within another IF game (Nov 1999)
• Implementing a card game (Pontoon / Blackjack / Twenty One) (Inform) (Jun 2005)
• Implementing mixed drinks (Feb 1998)
• Handling effects of alcohol in IF (Feb 1998)
• Speaking a different language within an IF game (Feb 1994)
• Including an alien / invented language in an IF game (Feb 1997)
• Shrinking PCs (handling an ant sized character) (Sep 2005)

Indistinguishable & groupable objects

• Groupable objects (sometimes distinguishable, sometimes not) (Aug 2002)
• Indistinguishable object handling (Aug 2002)

Hidden objects & searching

• Searching for objects / a particular object (Jul 2002)
• Look vs examine vs search (Oct 1996, RGIF)
• Examine vs search (Aug 1998)
• Getting rid of "examine" (Feb 1994)
• Overusing hidden objects ("Curses" game) (Jul 1995)
• Hidden objects / having to "look" / having to "look" twice (Apr 1996)
• Fair to hide things several levels deep ? (May 1996)

Combat

See also => Past raif topics: Miscellaneous#Relatives of IF ("RPG elements in IF")

• Combat (Feb 2004)
• Combat in IF (Nov 2005)
• Combat in IF (Jun 2001)
• Combat in IF (Nov 1997)
• Combat in IF games (May 1998)
• Combat: yea or nay ? (Feb 2005)

Magic

• Magic system + plot in IF (Oct 1994)==
• Magic system (belt with stones) (May 1997)
• Spell casting syntax / scope (Feb 2000)
• Spell systems in Inform / TADS (Feb 1998)

Vehicles

• Implementing a car (Inform) (Aug 1995)
• Driving a car in IF (Jan 2001)
• Containers as rooms (eg. vehicles) (Jan 1997)
• Realistic vehicles & containers (Apr 1990)

Body parts & clothing

• Implementing body parts (Mar 1999)
• Body parts (Inform) (Feb 1998)
• Body parts in scope or not (Feb 1998)
• Clothing & referring to body parts (Jul 1999)
• PC with pockets (Apr 1999)
• Implementing pockets (Inform) (Feb 1997)
• Dealing with layered clothing (May 2000)

Actors / PCs and NPCs

See also => Past raif topics: NPCs and AI
See also => Game character .. Player-character .. Non-player character (IFWiki articles)

• Treating PC & NPCs same way (Dec 1998)
• NPCs with common knowledge (Sep 1998)
• Multiple versions of an NPC (for different moods, etc) (Nov 1998)
• Pets / companions in IF games (Nov 1993)
• NPC movement / movement modes (Jan 2002)
• PC & multiple NPCs taking turns (Jun 2005)

Restricting PC movement

• Limiting actions when PC is bound, etc (Jan 2001)

Required PC activities

See also => Hunger in the IF Gems review quotes collection (also in the IF Archive)
See also => Hunger_puzzle (IFWiki article)

• Needing to eat / sleep in IF (Nov 1995)
• Fun vs full simulation (need to eat, sleep, etc) (Oct 1994)
• Forcing PC to sleep (Aug 2001)
• Requiring food, water, etc in a game (Dec 2000)
• Starvation + instant death (Mar 1995)

Flashbacks & cut scenes

See also => Text Dumps and Cut Scenes in the IF Gems review quotes collection (also in the IF Archive)
See also => Cutscene (IFWiki article)

• Flashbacks in IF (Mar 2003)
• Dying during a flashback in an IF game (Sep 2002)
• Making cut scenes interactive (Mar 2002)

Presenting choices

See also => NPCs and AI: Conversation interfaces

• Suggesting actions (Sep 2004)
• Menu of possible actions (Sep 1994)

Special commands

• Abbreviated commands (Oct 2006)
• Running vs walking (Jan 2002)
• "Use" command (Jun 2001)
• "Use" & listing verbs (Jun 1998)
• "Use" command & simplified parsers (Apr 2000)
• "Use" command + parser responses + world model / walls (Apr 2003, RGIF)
• Why not use "use" ? (Jan 2000)
• "Think" command / thought inventory (Dec 1997)
• "Follow" when in same room as PC (Jun 2004)
• "Follow" without getting caught (Jan 1999)
• "Go to" command (Mar 2004)
• "Go to" command + realistic world models (Jan 2000)
• "Go to" command / path finding (Nov 2000)
• Go to <location> command (TADS) (Nov 1993)
• Go to <location> command (TADS) - documentation (Nov 1993)
• "Places" verb (list of places visited) (Apr 1997)
• "Exits" command (Feb 2000)
• "Recall" command (PC knowledge) (Apr 1996)
• "Review" command (Feb 2003)
• "Again" command (Jun 2000)
• "Replay" command in non-debug mode (Sep 2000)
• "Solve" command / skipping puzzles / the Jones "Anti Puzzle Device" (Oct 1994)
• "Diagnose" command (Jan 2002)
• "Who is" / "What is" command (Nov 1999)
• "While" command / simultaneous actions (Aug 1997)

Meta commands (undo, save, restore, restart, quit)

• Meta-commands & free actions (Mar 1997)
• Meta-commands and free actions #2 (Mar 1997)
• Multiple Undo on the Z machine / save_undo & restore_undo (Nov 1996)
• How important is Undo ? (Jun 1998)
• Is Undo cheating ? (Sep 1995)
• Disabling Undo / savepoints in IF (Feb 2006)
• Disabling undo + RPG elements in IF (Reqliques of Tolti-Aph) (Apr 2006)
• Disabling Undo temporarily (Apr 1997)
• Disabling Undo during a puzzle (Apr 1999)
• Disabling Undo + puzzles which cannot be spoiled by Undo (Aug 1996)
• Disabling Undo + multiple Undo + Bill of Author's Rights (Jun 1998)
• "Save" prevention + parser / story separation (Dec 1997)
• Puzzles requiring save / restore (Feb 1999)
• Modelling player knowledge across restarts (Nov 1997)
• Brief, Superbrief & Verbose commands (Mar 2000)
• Prefer Verbose on by default ? (Jul 2005, RGIF)

Game responses

See also => Default Messages in the IF Gems review quotes collection (also in the IF Archive)
See also => Default response (IFWiki article)

• Effect of default responses on game experience & authoring (Jan 2002, RGIF)
• Default messages + why IF language was chosen (poll) (Oct 1998)
• "You can't see any such thing" parser response (Nov 2006)
• Parser responses + "use" command (Apr 2003, RGIF)
• Objections to "you can't see any such thing" (Sep 1996)
• Effect of default responses on IF experience (Jan 2002)
• Problem of default library messages (Dec 1997)
• Murders of mimesis (inappropriate parser responses) (May 2005, RGIF)
• Default messages + signs of an amateur author (Jan 2002)
• Dealing with irrelevant items / "that's not important" message (Dec 1995)
• Responding to vulgar input (Jun 2002)

Disallowed actions

See also => Disallowed Actions in the IF Gems review quotes collection (also in the IF Archive)
See also => Refusal message (IFWiki article)

• Disallowing PC actions convincingly (May 2007)
• Preventing vs allowing stupid / fatal actions (Mar 1999)
• "Cannot go that way" vs letting PC wander (Jan 2002)

Text generation

See also => Writing: Computer generated story lines

• Text generation in simulations (May 1994)
• Text generation ("text morphing") (Jan 2000)
• Minor text generation in "platypus" (Mar 2004)
• Smart commas (in inventory listings, etc) (Feb 1998)
• Inventory listing / grouping objects in inventory (Sep 1998)
• Lots of similar inventory items (Mar 1997)
• NPC name generation (Sep 1998)
• Text generation / Oz project (Oct 1992)
• Text generation + world models + parsing (May 1991)

Transcripts

See also => Sample Infocom transcripts .. Lucian Smith's game transcripts (archive)
See also => Mark Musante's transcripts & reviews for IF Comp 1998 .. 1999

• Uses for transcripts (Dec 1998)
• Using transcripts to help new players (Jan 2006)
• Transcripts as game save files (Apr 2005)
• Playing your own game vs reading transcript (Mar 2001)
• Creating code by parsing a transcript (Jan 2001)
• Bank of transcripts (May 2002)
• Analysis of 72 newbie transcripts + IF library design (Feb 2006)

Spelling correction etc.

• mistype.h for Inform (May 2003)
• Autocompletion in IF (Oct 2002)

User interface

See also => IF Theory: Graphical games / graphics & sound in IF
See also => User Interface in the IF Gems review quotes collection (also in the IF Archive)

• Speech recognition / sound generation for IF (May 1998)
• Speech recognition / synthesis (Jul 2001)
• IF for the visually impaired (Jun 2001)
• IF and the deaf / blind (Sep 2000)
• Showing exit directions (compass rose / prompt) (Nov 2006, RGIF)
• Purpose of prompts + overview of IF (Feb 1994)
• Parser & story separation in the User Interface (Dec 1997)
• Non standard presentation of text (Sep 2006)
• Alternative user interfaces for IF (Dec 2006)
• What's wrong with menu driven interfaces ? (Jun 2001)
• Where to put menus on the screen (Nov 2001)
• Interface design / status line + Walkthrough comp (May 2001, RGIF)
• Screen layout / frames (Oct 2000, RGIF)
• Good graphical interfaces / point & click games ("Multidimensional Thief" game) (Sep 1994)
• Colored text in IF games (Feb 2002)
• Visual effects in IF (Mar 1998)
• Animating text (Oct 2001)
• Timed input (Feb 1997)
• Timed pauses in games (Mar 2000, RGIF)
• Multimedia support in IF languages (Oct 2006)