Re: Help with Inform character interactions
14 Aug 95 10:44:13 BST
In article <40ig6s$o6i@holly.csv.warwick.ac.uk>, mauer@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Ralf) writes:
> In article <1995Aug12.025450.36157@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu>,
> ceforma@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Christopher E. Forman) writes:
>>I could use some assistance getting the "Ask" verb in Inform to work.
>>
>>Here's the basic scenario: One of the earliest actions the player can take
>>is obtaining a handful of nuts from the town baker. The nuts are on the
>>counter in the bakery, and attempting to take them without permission gives
>>the standard error message. If the player chooses to "ASK ABOUT" or
>>"ASK FOR" the nuts, however, the baker will give permission to take them.
>
> [...]
>
>> life [;
>> Ask: if ((noun == 'nuts') && (self hasnt general)) {
>
> As I discovered by experimentation (my game has a virtually identical
> puzzle at the start of the game), you must use second, not noun. This is
> contary to what is in the manual, and what appears in the demonstration games,
> but does appear to work. I have mailed Graham about this bug, but I haven't
> heard back from him yet.
>
>>Similar problems occur when I try to compile the "sullen snake" example from
>>the Inform manual -- some of the text Graham has programmed simply will not
>>appear.
>
> And the kid in ToyShop, too. Anyway, hope this kludge will help.
Mea maxima culpa. It is all my fault, yes. The mistake is in the manual
and I would correct it now except that a new manual is coming anyway.
second=='nuts', as several people have observed.
The historical excuse is that "ask" used to work differently in the old
days, and was brought more into line with usual library practice only
later on - leaving some of the older example code fragments slightly
wrong. I apologise for the misunderstanding.
Graham Nelson