introduction to if

8/6/2019 Introduction to If

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Welcome to Interactive FictionIn interactive ction you control the main character. His challenges, and his choices, are yours.

Interactive ction tells you the beginning of a story. Then it puts you in charge and lets you decide what yourcharacter should do. You type commands for the main character to carry out, and the story replies by telling youwhat happens next. Think of the rooms as your setting, and the objects you nd as the props.

Part of your role is to help the main character overcome obstacles to his progress: solving problems, workingout what is going on in the story, discovering ways to reach new locations and tools. That aspect of interactivection is like a game.

And part of your role is to help him make decisions. Interactive ction may have multiple endings, subject toyour choices. That aspect is like a story but an open-ended one.

If you enjoy interactive ction, youll nd a wide variety of other works available to you, most of them free.These come in many styles, some more like games, some more like stories; some are challenging, some very easy;some are serious, emotionally demanding pieces, while others explore the lighter side of life. And, like books,works of interactive ction come in assortment of genres: fantasy, mystery, horror, and science-ction, romanceand historical, surreal and slice-of-life. At the end of this Guide are some suggestions about where to nd more.


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Communicating with the StoryYou control interactive ction by giving typed commands usually a simple imperative instruction for your avatar within the story.

Interactive ction under-stands many common verbs, aswell as the names of objects thatappear in the story. Most of whatyou type will have the pattern>ACTION OBJECT: an action todo, and an object to which to ap-ply it. Depending on the action, itmay be appropriate to add aphrase with a second object: PUTTHE FISH ON THE PLATTER,

for instance.What follows is an overview

of the kinds of action possible in aconventional work of interactivection. Its worth emphasizingthat not all interactive ction con-forms to the following descrip-tion; you may encounter storyles with a very different way of presenting the world.

Looking and Other Senses

You may want to start by fa-miliarizing yourself with yourenvironment. In many stories,youll receive a description of your surroundings each time youenter a new room.

If youd like to reread thisdescription, you can see it again by typing LOOK. You can also

read moreabout indi-vidual objects bytyping, forinstance,EXAMINETHE MOAT.(Since you will be using it frequently,that EXAMINE com-

mand can also be ab- breviated to just plainX.)

Most items you ndin a story can be exam-ined, including yourself.You may also want to try yourother senses: LISTEN, SMELL,TOUCH, and TASTE.

Moving Around

Soon you may want to ex-plore a bit. Often you can move by typing compass directions: GONORTH, for instance, or just N. Itis common, though not universal,to understand eight compass di-rections as well as IN, OUT, UP,and DOWN. The status bar lineat the top of the screen sometimescontains useful information aboutwhere you are, as well.

Of course, some stories arenot about exploring. In that caseyou may nd that you are re-stricted to a single room; that thestory provides other more generalways of expressing movement; orthat it does not express itself interms of rooms at all.

Using Objects

The items you nd areprops you can use to makethings happen. Many of them work in the way youmight expect, given your

experiences in daily life;others have special

propertiesunique to thestory. Many of these you will be able toTAKE, DROP, or

PUT ON or INother objects.

Once youve ac-quired a few, youcan also TAKE

INVENTORY (or just type I for short) and get a listof things youre carrying. Its of-

ten a good idea to collect the objects you nd: they may be help-ful later.

Theres lots to do with objects besides move them around, of course. Some can also be worn,eaten, opened, unlocked, and soon. Devices can be turned on andturned off. Topics of study can belooked up in books and referenceworks.

The presence of a tool is areasonable indication that thestory will understand attempts touse that tool: if youre given ashovel, it probably means thatsooner or later you will want toDIG.


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with just the name of the objectyou prefer. In this case, >BROWNHORSE would be a good reply.

If You Get Stuck

Some interactive ction iseasy to complete, and some ischallenging. If you nd yourself faced with an obstacle you cantget past, try reviewing what youknow. Look back at your inven-tory of possessions, and about therooms that youre able to see sofar. Sometimes the solution to aproblem in one room will liesomewhere else.

Be thorough. Try looking un-der objects that might conceal

things. Be sure that youveopened all the openable contain-ers you can nd, and gone into allthe rooms you can reach.

Read the text carefully. Doesit seem to be suggesting any ac-tions? The story often containsclues about what you might donext.

Be sure that youve read anyspecic instructions or help mate-

rials that come with the game.Many works of interactive ctioninclude special commands notshared with every story, so itsworth making sure youre notmissing any essential informationfor play. Consider what kind of story it is. Are there rules thatapply in this world that dont ap-ply in ours? How can you use thestorys internal logic?

Compare notes. If you cannd someone to play with, youmay nd that collaborationmakes puzzles easier.

Take a break. Sometimes theright idea will come to you whileyoure doing something else.

Rephrase. If youre prettysure the action youre trying is the

Meeting People

In addition to objects, youmay encounter other characters.These may have all sorts of roles some of them are there to talk to, and some just get in your way.You can KISS them if youre feel-ing friendly, ATTACK them if youre not, and often GIVE orSHOW them things that yourecarrying.

Methods of communicationwith other characters vary widelyfrom story to story. You may ndthat the story offers instructions if this is an important part of play. If not, it is often possible to ASK aperson ABOUT some topic; TELLa person ABOUT a topic; or TALKTO a person. The latter may pro-duce a menu of conversational

gambits to choose from, or it maycause your character to start apre-scripted conversation basedon what is happening in the story.

Less frequently, a story mayunderstand abstract commands(INSULT a person, GREET a per-son, etc.), instructions directed atother characters (BOB, GO

SOUTH), or even open-endedconversation (BOB, HELLO).

Starting and Stopping

A few other commands allowyou to manage the game. At anytime, you can SAVE your current

game state, like putting a bookmark into your place inthe story. There is no limit tothe number of SAVE les you

can make, so keep as many asyou like. RESTORE will open

up an old SAVE le and let youresume playing.

When youre ready to stop,QUIT will end your game session.

If youd like to keep a recordof your play session, you can alsotype TRANSCRIPT at any timeand begin a text le logging whathappens to you.

Finally, if you try somethingand decide you didnt like theresults, you can usually UNDOany move even if it was onethat ended the game.

Other Useful Words...

ALL refers to all items youcan see, so for instance TAKEALL will get every portable thingin sight.

AGAIN (or G) repeats theaction you just did.

Words that express ways of doing something (like QUICKLYor QUIETLY) are generally notuseful in the game and will not beunderstood.

You do not usually need torefer to specic body parts: so notHIT THE DOOR WITH MY FIST, but just HIT THE DOOR.

If the game asks you a ques-tion, like Which horse do youmean, the white horse or the brown horse?, you may answer


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with a le for the Z-machine: if so, the le itself will have an ex-tension such as .z5, .z8, or .zblorb.At the time of writing, two of the best interpreters for the Z-machine are Andrew HuntersZoom (for Mac OS X or Unix),and David Kinders WindowsFrotz for Windows. Interpretersfor less popular platforms exist aswell; it is even possible to runinteractive ction on a PDA,though the most proceessing-intensive stories may be slow.

When choosing an inter-preter, you may want to look forone that can read a format called

blorb. (BLORB, like FROTZ, is anonsense word from early com-mercial interactive ction.) A blorb le is able to contain notonly the story itself, but alsocover art and other resources,such as sound effects and images.

Not all Z-machine interpret-ers work with Blorb les; choos-ing one that does will give youaccess to the widest range of work.

right one, but the story doesntunderstand, experiment withother ways of phrasing the in-struction.

Try typing HELP or HINTSwithin the story. Some come with built-in advice for the player.

Finally, if you decide youcannot go on without outsidehelp, you can post a request forhints on rec.games.int-ction, agroup for the discussion of inter-active ction reachable athttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.int-ction. There isalso a longer list of interactivection community resources atthe end of this guide.

A Point About Technology

Much interactive ctioncomes in the form of a story le.These les are not like text, ormusic les: since they need tointeract with the player, they areprograms. Rather than runningdirectly on any one computer,they are programs for a virtual

machine adapted for IF. The ad-

vantage of this is that the samestory le can be used on anynumber of very different systems(Macs, PCs, Linux boxes), andthat a story le is so isolated fromthe host computer that it is im-possible for it to alter other lesor do any damage, malicious oraccidental.

The disadvantage is that astory le can only be used with aprogram called an interpreter.All the same, once you have in-stalled an interpreter, you will beable to play a wide range of sto-ries. Some interpreters even helporganize your collection of inter-

active ction and keep track of your saved les.

If you have an interactive c-tion story to play with, you likelyalso received an appropriate in-terpreter, or instructions on whereto get one.

If not, you can nd anddownload one from the internet.Several interactive ction ma-chines exist, but if you have this

guide, you likely received it along

Common Interpreters(These URLs are effective at the time of writing; if the relevant pages have moved,

try a web search for the interpreters by name.)

Zoom for the Macintosh: http://www.logicalshift.demon.co.uk/mac/zoom.htmlZoom for Unix: http://www.logicalshift.demon.co.uk/unix/zoom/

Windows Frotz for Windows: http://www.d.kinder.btinternet.co.uk/frotz.html
http://www.logicalshift.demon.co.uk/unix/zoom/http://www.logicalshift.demon.co.uk/unix/zoom/http://www.logicalshift.demon.co.uk/mac/zoom.htmlhttp://www.logicalshift.demon.co.uk/mac/zoom.html


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Common Commands Not all these commands are important in every story: as different stories are about different subjects, they oftenuse different vocabulary. A story le may come with special instructions, or offer hints about new commands inthe course of play. All the same, there is a basic vocabulary that much interactive ction will understand, andknowing these commands will get you started playing many works.

answer [text] to [someone]

ask [someone] for [something]

ask [someone] about [something]

attack [something]

blow [something held]

burn [something]

buy [something]

climb [something]

close [something]

cut [something]

dig [something]

drink [something]

drop [things held]

eat [something held]

enter [something]

examine [something] (or X)

exitll [something]

get off [something]

give [something] to [someone]

go [direction -- N, S, E, W, NW,NE, SW, SE, up, down, in, out]

go to [any room]

help

inventory (or I)

jump

jump over [something]

kiss [someone]

listen

listen to [something]

lock [something] with [something]

look

look inside [something]look under [something]

look up [text] in [something]

no

open [something]

pull [something]

push [something]

push [something] [direction]

put [things] in [something]

put [things] on [something]pray

quit (or Q)

restart

restore

rub [something]

save

score

search [something]

set [something] to [something]

show [something] to [someone]

sing

sit on [something]

sleep

smell [something]

sorry

squeeze [something]

swim

swing [something]

switch [something] [on/off]

talk to [someone]

take [things]

take off [something]

taste [something]tell [someone] about [something]

think

touch [something]

transcript [on/off]

turn [something]

unlock [something] with [some-thing]

wait (or Z)

wake up

wake [someone]

wave

wave [something held]

wear [something held]

yes


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Sample Transcript Here is an example of play with an interactive ction story. The commands in bold are the players instructions;the regular type shows the replies. This transcript does not demonstrate all possible commands, but it does showhow the most common ones behave, and how a player might solve a problem within the story.

Cheese Vault, Artisanal RestaurantThe light is dim and blue. On three sides of you areglass-fronted refrigeration cases, containing cheesesof all kinds. The locks on the doors protect them fromyour depredation, however.

To the west is the cheese counter.

A fondue fork lies on the ground.

>LOOK IN CASE

The cases contain cheeses of many sorts -- too manyfor your brain to comprehend.

>TAKE FORKTaken.

>WESTCheese Counter, Artisanal RestaurantYou are standing before a dis-play counter full of assortedcheeses: Colston Bassett Stil-ton; both Keens andMontgomery Cheddar;

Petit Basque; Sonoma Dry Jack; Drunken Goat... Itis a cheese-loversdream.

A clerk, dressed in a white uniform, presides behindthe counter.

To the east is the cheese vault; the rest of the restau-rant is to the south.

>TAKE ALLColston Bassett Stilton: That seems to belong to theclerk.Keens Cheddar: That seems to belong to the clerk.Montgomery Cheddar: That seems to belong to theclerk.Petit Basque: That seems to belong to the clerk.Sonoma Dry Jack: That seems to belong to the clerk.Drunken Goat: That seems to belong to the clerk.

clerk: The clerk probably wouldnt like that.display counter: Thats xed in place!

>X CHEDDARWhich Cheddar do you mean, theKeens or the Montgomery?

>KEENSThe Keens Cheddar is well-aged,

rm and golden.

>ASK CLERK FOR KEENSCHEDDARThe clerk cuts you a piece of theKeens Cheddar and wraps it inwax paper. Thatll be $20, hesays, looking expectant.

>IYou are carrying:

a wallet (which is closed)a fondue fork


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>OPEN WALLETYou open the wallet, revealing two twenty-dollar billsand a drivers license.

>GIVE TWENTY TO CLERKYou need to be holding the twenty-dollar bill rst.

>TAKE TWENTY

Taken.>IYou are carrying: a twenty-dollar bill a wallet (which is open)

a twenty-dollar billa drivers license

a fondue fork

>GIVE TWENTY TO CLERKThe clerk accepts your money and hands you a trian-gular package wrapped in wax paper.

>X PACKAGEThe package is wrapped and bears a label indicatingthat it contains over a pound of Keens FarmhouseCheddar.

>SMELL PACKAGEThe scent is subtle and delicious: this is not an aggres-sively scented cheese.

>LCheese Counter, Artisanal RestaurantYou are standing before a display counter full of as-sorted cheeses: Colston Bassett Stilton; both Keensand Montgomery Cheddar; Petit Basque; Sonoma Dry Jack; Drunken Goat... It is a cheese-lovers dream.

A clerk, dressed in a white uniform, presides behindthe counter.

To the east is the cheese vault; the rest of the restau-rant is to the south.

>SOUTHAmong the TablesThe restaurant is a large, open room with white wallsand high ceilings. Nonetheless, the number of patronsmakes it close going among the tables, especiallywhen you must avoid waiters bearing pots of hotfondue.

North is the cheese counter. To the south is the doorto the street.

>OPEN PACKAGENot here: itd probably get mixed up with someonesorder.

One of the patrons jostles you on his way to the bath-room.

>X PATRONSAt the closest table, an older gentleman is consumingcheese puffs at a truly alarming rate.

>S

You take a step towards the doors, but are blocked bya tall man with broad shoulders.

>GYou take a step towards the doors, but are blocked bya tall man with broad shoulders.

>TALL MAN, SOUTHThe tall man ignores your request.

>ASK TALL MAN ABOUT EXITHe appears indifferent to your plight.

>ATTACK TALL MANYou haul off and punch the tall man in the nose,which really gets his attention.

This soon turns out to be a mistake, however: notonly is he about twice your size, hes also a lawyer.

*** You have been arrested for assault. ***

>UNDOAmong the Tables

[Previous move undone.]

>ATTACK TALL MAN WITH FORKYou stab the tall man with the fondue fork. He yelpsand looks around; you feign innocence, gazing in an-other direction entirely.

His search for the culprit has left your path clear.

>SStreet Outside ArtisanalYou stand out on the sidewalk, jostled by passers-by.The street is full of taxis.

>OPEN PACKAGEYou open the package, exposing a wedge of goldenCheddar.

>EAT CHEDDARYou lift the Cheddar to your lips and nibble off a bit.Mmm paradise!

*** You have ascended to dairy-related bliss! ***


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Most interactive ction currentlyreleased is free, which means that you are allowed to download and play it without charge on anycomputer you like. If youd like totry other works, here are someresources.

Finding More Story FilesThe Interactive Fiction Ar-

chive is an immense repositorycontaining interpreters, pro-gramming languages, documen-tation, and over two thousandstory les, some of them dating back to the 1970s and some of them brand new.

Sifting the riches for some-thing youd enjoy can be pretty

daunting, so the best way to ap-proach it is to consult Bafs Guideto the Interactive Fiction Archive.Bafs Guide records stories andauthors, provides reviews of many works, and lists the recipi-ents of awards and winners of competitions.

The Interactive Fiction Rat-ings site is another source for in-formation about quality andgenre. The Ratings site collectsopinions from players and keepsa running scoreboard of stories of many types. It also contains in-formation about how long a givenstory might take to complete.

For fuller reviews and discus-sions of stories, and an introduc-tion to the community of interac-tive ction players and authors,take a look at the online maga-zines SPAG and IF-Review, andthe Brass Lantern website.

Finally, many players enjoycollecting commercial interactivection from the 1980s, which isnot on the Archive because it isprotected by copyright. Trackingdown these old games can be a

challenge, but a search for Info-com products on eB ay or otherauction sites may turn up oldtreasures.

Reaching the Co mmunity

Brass Lantern is a good placeto start if you would like to ndout more about the community of

interactive ction authors andplayers, and learn about upcom-ing events. Enthusiasts run yearlyinteractive ction contests andaward ceremonies, in which any-one is eligible to vote. Participat-ing in these events is an excellentway to nd out about interestingnew work that has not yet beenreviewed.

You may also like to join indiscussion fora where playerscritique and recommend storiesand exchange hints. Brass Lanternwill point you to these resources.

Writing Your Own InteractiveFiction

Brass Lantern inc ludes in-formation for people interested inwriting their own interactive c-tion, including a guide to tools

and some introductory essays ondesign.

The programming languageused to produce this s tory iscalled Inform. You can downloadthe tools f or authorship, and readabout how these works are cre-ated, at the Inform website.

ResourcesBafs Guide to the Interactive Fiction Archive:http://www.wurb.com/if/

Interactive Fiction Ratings:http://www.carouselchain.com/if/

SPAG Review Magazine online:http://www.sparkynet.com/spag/

IF-Review:http://www.ministryofpeace.com/if-review/

Brass Lantern, IF news and resources:http://www.brasslantern.org/

Inform, a language for writing IF:http://www.inform-ction.org/
http://www.brasslantern.org/http://www.sparkynet.com/spaghttp://www.wurb.com/if/http://www.brasslantern.org/http://www.sparkynet.com/spaghttp://www.carouselchain.com/if/http://www.wurb.com/if/http://www.brasslantern.org/http://www.brasslantern.org/http://www.sparkynet.com/spaghttp://www.sparkynet.com/spaghttp://www.carouselchain.com/if/http://www.carouselchain.com/if/http://www.wurb.com/if/http://www.wurb.com/if/

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