.. epigraph::
- | *C was a captain, all covered with lace;*
- | *D was a drunkard, and had a red face.*
+ | |CENTER| *C was a captain, all covered with lace;*
+ | |CENTER| *D was a drunkard, and had a red face.*
.. only:: html
.. image:: /images/picC.png
:align: left
-.. raw:: latex
-
- \dropcap{c}
-
-onventional -- static -- fiction can be written using nothing more than
+|C|\onventional -- static -- fiction can be written using nothing more than
pencil and paper, or typewriter, or word-processor; however, the
requirements for producing IF are a little more extensive, and the creative
process slightly more complex.
read -- admittedly after a little tuition, which is what this guide is all
about -- by humans.
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: IBM PC
+ pair: NotePad; text editor
+ pair: SimpleText; text editor
+ pair: TextEdit; text editor
+ pair: Windows; operating system
+
How do you create that source file? Using a third software program: an
:term:`editor`. However, unlike the compiler and interpreter, this program
isn't dedicated to the Inform system -- or even to IF. An editor is an
embedded graphics; it simply enables you to type lines of text, which is
exactly what's needed to create an IF game.
-If you look at the game source on the previous page, or in
-:doc:`/appendices/c`, you'll notice ``Include "Parser";`` and ``Include
-"VerbLib";`` a few lines down from the top of the file. These are
-instructions to the Inform compiler to "include" -- that is, to merge in
-the contents -- of files called ``Parser.h`` and ``VerbLib.h``. These are
-not files which you have to create; they're standard :term:`library files`,
-part of the Inform system. All that you have to do is remember to Include
-them in every game that you write. Until you've a fair understanding of
-how Inform works, you've no need to worry about what they contain (though
-you can look if you want to: they're readable text files, just like the
-ones this guide will teach you to write).
+If you look at the game source above, or in :doc:`/appendices/c`, you'll
+notice ``Include "Parser";`` and ``Include "VerbLib";`` a few lines down
+from the top of the file. These are instructions to the Inform compiler to
+"include" -- that is, to merge in the contents -- of files called
+``Parser.h`` and ``VerbLib.h``. These are not files which you have to
+create; they're standard :term:`library files`, part of the Inform system.
+All that you have to do is remember to Include them in every game that you
+write. Until you've a fair understanding of how Inform works, you've no
+need to worry about what they contain (though you can look if you want to:
+they're readable text files, just like the ones this guide will teach you
+to write).
So, we've now introduced all of the bits and pieces which you need in order to
write an Inform adventure game:
because it's a binary file not meaningful to human eyes, neatly
discourages players from cheating).
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: IF Archive
+
All of those, apart from the editor, can be downloaded for free from the IF
Archive. One approach is to fetch them individually, following the
guidance on Graham's page: visit http://www.inform-fiction.org/ and look
In order to make the download small and fast, these folders include just
enough to get you started as an Inform designer -- the compiler and
interpreter programs, the library files, the ``Ruins.inf`` example file
- from the *Inform Designer's Manual*, and a template for your own first
- game. A few other folders are included as placeholders where you could
- later download additional components, if you wanted them. As soon as
- possible, you should download the *Inform Designer's Manual* into the
- ``Inform\Doc`` folder -- it's an essential document to have, and has
- been omitted from this download only because of its 3MB size.
+ from the |DM4|, and a template for your own first game. A few other
+ folders are included as placeholders where you could later download
+ additional components, if you wanted them. As soon as possible, you
+ should download the |DM4| into the ``Inform\Doc`` folder -- it's an
+ essential document to have, and has been omitted from this download only
+ because of its 3MB size.
3. To verify that the downloaded files work properly, use Windows Explorer
to display the contents of the ``Inform\Games\MyGame1`` folder: you will
double-click the file, it should open in NotePad so that you can see how
it's written, though it probably won't mean much -- yet.
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: batch file
+
4. ``MyGame1.bat`` is an MS-DOS batch file (an old kind of text-only
computer program, from the days before point-and-click interfaces) which
runs the Inform compiler. Double-click it; a DOS window opens as the
9. Using the same techniques, you can compile and play ``Ruins.inf``, which
is held in the ``Inform\Games\Download`` folder. RUINS is the game used
- as an example throughout the *Inform Designer's Manual*.
+ as an example throughout the |DM4|.
.. rubric:: Setting file associations
off the top of the MS-DOS window. Press the space bar to continue the
compilation.
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ pair: Windows; operating system
+
The second line -- ``pause "at end of compilation"`` -- just prevents the
window from closing before you can read its contents, as it otherwise would
on Windows NT, 2000 and XP.
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: batch file
+
You'll need to have a new batch file like this to match each new source
file which you create. The only item which will differ in the new file is
the name of the Inform source file -- ``MyGame1`` in this example. You
.. rubric:: Getting a better editor
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ pair: NotePad; text editor
+ pair: TextPad; text editor
+
Although NotePad is adequate when you're getting started, you'll find life
much easier if you obtain a more powerful editor program. We recommend
TextPad, available as shareware from http://www.textpad.com/; in addition,
interpreter with similar ease. The convenience of doing this far outweighs
the small amount of time needed to obtain and configure TextPad.
+.. index::
+ single: Apple Macintosh
+
.. _inform-apple:
Inform on an Apple Macintosh (running OS X)
===========================================
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ pair: Mac OS X; operating system
+
Whereas our instructions for using Inform on a PC apply to just about all
versions of Windows, on the Macintosh we need to be more precise. Our
guidance here is specifically for Mac OS X, rather than for its predecessor
run in the Classic environment of OS X; roughly speaking, Classic is an
emulation of the older Mac systems.
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ pair: Linux; operating system
+
* X11: based on a windowing system designed for the UNIX/Linux world. They
need an X-Windows server to run, and their appearance and functionality
may seem a lot different to what the Aqua user expects.
In order to make the download small and fast, these folders include just
enough to get you started as an Inform designer -- the compiler and
interpreter programs, the library files, the ``Ruins.inf`` example from
- the *Inform Designer's Manual*, and a template for your own first game,
- which you may copy and rename each time you begin a new Inform project.
- A few other folders are included as placeholders where you could later
- download additional components, if you wanted them. As soon as
- possible, you should download the *Inform Designer's Manual* into the
- ``Inform/Doc`` folder -- it's an essential document to have, and has
- been omitted from this download only because of its 3MB size.
+ the |DM4|, and a template for your own first game, which you may copy
+ and rename each time you begin a new Inform project. A few other
+ folders are included as placeholders where you could later download
+ additional components, if you wanted them. As soon as possible, you
+ should download the |DM4| into the ``Inform/Doc`` folder -- it's an
+ essential document to have, and has been omitted from this download only
+ because of its 3MB size.
3. To verify that the downloaded files work properly, use the Finder to
display the contents of the ``Inform/Games/MyGame1`` folder: you will see
* select ``Open with`` and choose ``Other...``
+ .. Generated by autoindex
+ .. index::
+ pair: TextEdit; text editor
+
* in the ``Open with`` dialog, go to the ``Applications`` folder and
select TextEdit.
.. rubric:: Setting file associations
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: Infocom
+
The business of first starting the interpreter, and then locating the story
file that you want to play, is clumsy and inconvenient. Fortunately, when
the system first "sees" the Zoom interpreter (which is a nice Aqua
.. rubric:: More about the editor
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: syntax colouring
+
As well as the ones that we recommend, other good text editors are listed
at http://www.firthworks.com/roger/editors/. One feature that's well worth
looking out for is "hotkey compilation" -- being able to run the compiler
.. rubric:: More about the interpreter
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: Infocom
+
One of the big advantages of the way Inform works is that a compiled game
-- the Z-code story file -- is portable between different computers.
That's not just from one PC to another: exactly the same story file will
projects / ibg.git / blobdiff