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2 1: Just what is interactive fiction?
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7 | *A was an archer, who shot at a frog;*
8 | *B was a butcher, who had a great dog.*
10 Before we start learning to use the Inform system, it's probably sensible
11 to consider briefly how IF, which has many narrative elements, differs from
12 regular storytelling. Before we do *that*, though, let's look at an example
13 of a familiar folk tale.
15 "There was once a man called Wilhelm Tell, from high in the he lived by
16 his skills Swiss Alps near the town Altdorf. A hunter and a guide,
17 proud mountaineer, in tracking and archery. It happened one day that
18 Wilhelm visited the town to buy provisions, and he took his son Walter
21 The region was at the time governed by Hermann Gessler (a vain and
22 petty man appointed as vogt by the Austrian emperor), who attempted a
23 show of power over his subjects by placing his hat on a pole in the
24 town square, for everyone to salute. Reluctant citizens were
25 "encouraged" by a troop of the vogt's soldiers, who made sure that
26 their bows were sufficiently respectful.
28 Wilhelm knew of the hat, and of the humiliating exercise in obeisance.
29 So far he had managed to avoid the town's square, sure that -- given
30 his open dislike for the vogt -- his refusal to bend the knee would
31 cause trouble. Today, however, he needed to pass near the pole to
32 reach Johansson's tannery.
34 If Wilhelm had hoped for a lucky break, we'll never know. The square
35 was filled with market-day crowds; the soldiers were especially keen in
36 their salute- enforcing duties, challenging everyone with loud shouts
37 and the occasional coarse expletive. Wilhelm threw a protective arm
38 over his son's shoulder and walked determinedly without looking at the
41 A soldier called to him; Wilhelm took no notice. Other guards focused
42 their attention on the archer. "Salute the vogt's hat," he was told.
43 A tense silence followed. Wilhelm tried to keep going, but by now he
44 was surrounded. The men knew of him; one counselled Wilhelm to give a
45 cursory nod towards the hat and be done. Everybody in the vicinity was
46 watching, so the disrespect could not be ignored. There was a long
47 pause. Wilhelm refused.
49 Word was sent to Gessler, who rushed to the square with reinforcements.
50 The little man was delighted at the chance of making an example of the
51 trouble-maker. He mockingly recounted the many skills of Herr Tell,
52 speculating that such mastery maybe accounted for the pride that
53 prevented acknowledgement of the Emperor's authority. The vogt
54 understood all that, and would give him a fair chance. If Wilhelm were
55 able to shoot true at an apple from fifty paces, Gessler would be
56 inclined to show mercy; however, to make things interesting, the apple
57 was to be balanced on Walter's head.
59 Everything was set up. Wilhelm selected and mounted an arrow and
60 slowly raised the bow, conscious of the motionless and brave stance
61 that Walter was displaying. He pulled, feeling the tension mount on
62 the string and his fingers, through his hands, into his arms. He'd
63 made much more difficult shots in the past, at fleeting deer, at
64 soaring birds; but this was the life of his son... he could not fail,
67 Wilhelm let loose. The arrow flew straight and true, violently pinning
68 the apple to the tree behind the boy. The crowd exploded in a roar of
69 relief and admiration, and Gessler, disappointed, had no option but to
72 Years later, Wilhelm led an uprising against the vogt... but that's
75 And now an extract from the same tale, this time in the form of a tiny text
76 adventure game. If you're new to interaction with text adventures you'll
77 find some general instructions in "How to play an IF game" on page 209, and
78 you can see a complete transcript of the game in the "William Tell" story
82 The narrow street runs north towards the town square. Local folk are
83 pouring into the town through the gate to the south, shouting
84 greetings, offering produce for sale, exchanging news, enquiring with
85 exaggerated disbelief about the prices of the goods displayed by
86 merchants whose stalls make progress even more difficult.
88 "Stay close to me, son," you say, "or you'll get lost among all these
93 Further along the street
94 People are still pushing and shoving their way from the southern gate
95 towards the town square, just a little further north. You recognise
96 the owner of a fruit and vegetable stall.
98 Helga pauses from sorting potatoes to give you a cheery wave.
100 "Hello, Wilhelm, it's a fine day for trade! Is this young Walter?
101 My, how he's grown. Here's an apple for him -- tell him to mind that
102 scabby part, but the rest's good enough. How's Frau Tell? Give her
108 a quiver (being worn)
113 You warmly thank Helga for the apple.
115 >GIVE THE APPLE TO WALTER
120 South side of the square
121 The narrow street to the south has opened onto the town square, and
122 resumes at the far side of this cobbled meeting place. To continue
123 along the street towards your destination -- Johansson's tannery --
124 you must walk north across the square, in the middle of which you see
125 Gessler's hat set on that loathsome pole. If you go on, there's no
126 way you can avoid passing it. Imperial soldiers jostle rudely through
127 the throng, pushing, kicking and swearing loudly.
131 Some of the more obvious differences are highlighted by these questions:
133 * Who is the protagonist?
135 Our example of narrative prose is written in the third person; it
136 refers to the hero as "Wilhelm" and "he" and "him", watching and
137 reporting on his activities from afar. In this sample IF game, you are
138 the hero, seeing everything through Wilhelm's eyes.
142 The regular narrative is intended to be read once, straight through
143 from beginning to end. Unless you didn't pay attention the first time,
144 or you're planning to critique the story, there's generally no need to
145 go back and read a sentence twice; if you do, you'll find exactly the
146 same text. The author leads the way and sets the pace; you, as the
147 reader, just go along for the ride. In IF, that's usually much less
148 true. The author has created a landscape and populated it with
149 characters, but you choose how and when to explore it. The game
150 evolves, at least superficially, under your control; perhaps you
151 explore the street first and then the square, perhaps the other way
152 round. There usually are multiple paths to be found and followed --
153 and you can be pretty certain that you won't discover them all, at
154 least on first acquaintance.
156 * How does it all turn out?
158 You can tell when you've come to the end of a regular narrative -- you
159 read the last sentence, and you know there's no more. In IF, it's
160 clear enough when you reach an end; what's much less apparent is
161 whether that's the only conclusion. In the transcript from the example
162 game, you win by shooting the apple from Walter's head. But what if
163 you miss? What if you hit him by mistake? Or fire instead at the
164 hated vogt? Or even stand the tale on its head by bowing obsequiously
165 to the governor's hat and then going about your business? All of these
166 are possible ways in which the game could come to an end. The phrase
167 "what if" is the key to writing successfully, and should always be in
168 the forefront of an IF designer's mind.
170 * Where did Helga come from?
172 You'll notice that Helga and her stall don't appear in the regular
173 narrative; she's a distraction from the tale's momentum. But in the IF
174 game, she fulfils a number of useful functions: mentioning the names
175 "Wilhelm", "Walter" and "Frau Tell" (so that you know who the tale's
176 about), introducing the all-important apple in a natural manner and,
177 above all, providing an opportunity for the "I" in IF -- some
178 interactivity. Without that -- the chance to interact with the tale's
179 environment -- the game is little different from a conventional piece
182 * That item looks interesting; can you tell me more about it?
184 In the regular narrative, what you see is what you get; if you want to
185 know more about alpine life in the fourteenth century, you'll need to
186 consult another source. IF, on the other hand, offers at least the
187 possibility of delving deeper, of investigating in greater detail an
188 item which has been casually mentioned. For example, you could have
189 explored Helga's stall::
191 " ... How's Frau Tell? Give her my best wishes."
194 It's really only a small table, with a big heap of potatoes,
195 some carrots and turnips, and a few apples.
198 Fine locally grown produce.
200 You see those descriptions only if you seek them; nothing you find
201 there is unexpected, and if you don't examine the stall, you've not
202 missed anything important. Nevertheless, you've enhanced the illusion
203 that you're visiting a real place. Such details would rapidly grow
204 tedious if the stall and its contents were described in full each time
207 * How do I work this thing?
209 Whereas the presence of Helga is an elaboration of the folk tale, the
210 shooting of the arrow (it's in the transcript in "William Tell" story
211 on page 219, not in the extract above) illustrates the opposite
212 principle: simplification. The tale builds dramatic tension by
213 describing each step as Wilhelm prepares to shoot the apple. That's
214 OK; he's been an archer all his life, and knows how to do it. You, on
215 the other hand, probably know little about archery, and shouldn't be
216 expected to guess at the process and vocabulary. Let's hope you know
217 that you need to shoot at the apple -- and that's all it takes. The
218 game explains what was involved, but doesn't force you through each
221 Of course, all of these are generalisations, not universal truths; you
222 could find fine works of IF which contradict each observation. However,
223 for our purposes as beginners in the craft of IF design, they represent
224 useful distinctions between IF and conventional fiction.
226 We'll come back to the "William Tell" tale in a later chapter, but before
227 then we'll work through an even simpler example. And before either of
228 those, we need to download the necessary files which will enable us to