View source for The Inform Beginner's Guide

'''''The Inform Beginner's Guide''''', by [[Roger Firth]] and [[Sonja Kesserich]], is a tutorial manual aimed directly at [[Inform 6]] novices, especially those with little or no programming experience. This manual, often known as the '''IBG''', is intended to complement the definitive source of information &mdash; ''[[The Inform Designer's Manual]]'' by [[Graham Nelson]].

Note that both books describe Release 6 of Inform; they do not cover [[Inform 7]], which pioneers a radically new approach to IF authorship based on natural language definitions.

==Contents==
The information is structured as seventeen chapters, and focuses on three games: all short, all playable to completion.
* Chapters 1 and 2: introducing interactive fiction, and downloading the necessary files.
* Chapters 3 to 6: "Heidi" &mdash; just about as simple as an IF game can be, but still manages to introduce a range of important concepts.
* Chapters 7 to 10: "William Tell" &mdash; a retelling of the famous folk tale, is nearly as brief but roams more widely in its use of Inform 6's capabilities.
* Chapters 11 to 13: "Captain Fate" &mdash; the final game presents a comic-book hero in urgent need of a change.
* Chapters 14 to 17: some formal summaries, plus help with compiling and debugging your games.

In addition, a series of appendices summarise the features of the Inform 6 language and library, and provide a glossary of terms.

Known errors in the manual are listed [http://www.firthworks.com/roger/IBG.html#errata here].

==Availability==
The manual is available as a [http://www.inform-fiction.org/manual/download_ibg.html free PDF download]. It is also available for purchase in paperback from [http://www.lulu.com/content/168554 Lulu.com].

The original publisher of the printed edition of the IBG, in July 2003, was [[David Cornelson]]. After a period when the manual was out of print, in March 2006 the role of publisher was taken over by [[Dan Sanderson]].

==Revision History==
* Edition 1: April 2002 (describes Inform 6 release 6.21, using library release 6/10)
* Edition 2: August 2002 (describes Inform 6 release 6.21, using library release 6/10)
* Edition 3: August 2004 (describes Inform 6 release 6.30, using library release 6/11)


[[Category:Inform 6|Inform Beginner's Guide]] [[Category:Publications|Inform Beginner's Guide]]