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.

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

• Implementing a rope object (Jun 1998)
• Implementing a sack object (TADS) (Dec 1996)
• Sack object in TADS + IF language design (Apr 1996)
• Implementing doors & locks (Inform) (Sep 1996)
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)

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)
• 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

• Combat (Feb 2004)
• 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

• 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)

Restricting PC movement

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

Required PC activities

• 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

• 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...conversation interfaces...

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

Special commands

• Running vs walking (Jan 2002)
• "Use" command (Jun 2001)
• "Use" & listing verbs (Jun 1998)
• "Use" command & simplified parsers (Apr 2000)
• 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 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)

Game responses

• Default messages + why IF language was chosen (poll) (Oct 1998)
• 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)
• Default messages + signs of an amateur author (Jan 2002)
• Preventing vs allowing stupid / fatal actions (Mar 1999)
• "Cannot go that way" vs letting PC wander (Jan 2002)
• Dealing with irrelevant items / "that's not important" message (Dec 1995)
• Responding to vulgar input (Jun 2002)

Text generation

See also => Past raif topics: IF Theory#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

• Uses for transcripts (Dec 1998)
• 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)

Spelling correction etc.

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

User interface

See also => Past raif topics: IF Theory#Graphical games / graphics & sound in IF

• 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)
• Purpose of prompts + overview of IF (Feb 1994)
• Parser & story separation in the User Interface (Dec 1997)
• What's wrong with menu driven interfaces ? (Jun 2001)
• Where to put menus on the screen (Nov 2001)
• 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)