X-Git-Url: https://jxself.org/git/?p=ibg.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=about.rst;h=0a95ff3145b21b863530d70aa4a3e0f82b85d50b;hp=13b4b0b4fe44b69ec0d2495d0b0b287045232191;hb=8b760e0550fa8a1636f2462b310ce7c2b1636dc7;hpb=056d415c5a40209963cb26f45458ca8c73d02f5e diff --git a/about.rst b/about.rst index 13b4b0b..0a95ff3 100644 --- a/about.rst +++ b/about.rst @@ -2,22 +2,34 @@ About this guide ================== +.. highlight:: inform6 + .. epigraph:: - | *If they asked me, I could write a book;* - | *About the way you TALK, and LISTEN; And LOOK.* + | |CENTER| *If they asked me, I could write a book;* + | |CENTER| *About the way you TALK, and LISTEN; And LOOK.* -- with apologies to Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. -Text adventures, otherwise known collectively as interactive fiction (IF), -were highly popular computer games during the 1980s. As technology evolved -they faded from the market, unable to compete with increasingly -sophisticated graphical games; however, IF was far from dead. The Internet -grew, and Usenet discussion forums offered a focal point for fans of the -genre. By developing IF programming tools and systems, organising contests -and writing tutorials and reviews, these enthusiasts have led a revival -responsible for many notable works, including some whose quality arguably -surpasses that of the best commercial titles of the 1980s. +.. only:: html + + .. image:: /images/picT.png + :align: left + +|T|\ext adventures, otherwise known collectively as interactive fiction +(IF), were highly popular computer games during the 1980s. As +technology evolved they faded from the market, unable to compete with +increasingly sophisticated graphical games; however, IF was far from +dead. The Internet grew, and Usenet discussion forums offered a focal +point for fans of the genre. By developing IF programming tools and +systems, organising contests and writing tutorials and reviews, these +enthusiasts have led a revival responsible for many notable works, +including some whose quality arguably surpasses that of the best +commercial titles of the 1980s. + +.. Generated by autoindex +.. index:: + single: TADS Nowadays, IF is a hobby; almost everything that you need to begin writing your own text adventures is available, for free, on the Internet. While @@ -47,13 +59,13 @@ Scope and approach Because this is only an introduction to Inform, many features are treated rather superficially, or ignored altogether. The definitive text is Graham -Nelson's Inform *Designer's Manual* (Fourth Edition, July 2001), commonly -known as the DM4; you cannot hope to use Inform successfully without having -this splendid book by your side. Our guide should be seen merely as a -supplement to the DM4, offering step-by-step descriptions of those aspects -of Inform which are most important on first acquaintance. In any matter -where we seem at odds with what Graham has written, you should assume that -he is right and that we are, well, confused. +Nelson's |DM4| (Fourth Edition, July 2001), commonly known as the DM4; you +cannot hope to use Inform successfully without having this splendid book by +your side. Our guide should be seen merely as a supplement to the DM4, +offering step-by-step descriptions of those aspects of Inform which are +most important on first acquaintance. In any matter where we seem at odds +with what Graham has written, you should assume that he is right and that +we are, well, confused. As a tutorial, this guide is intended to be printed out and then read sequentially; it isn't meant for online usage or designed as a reference @@ -81,17 +93,30 @@ Presentation and style Most of the guide's text appears in this typeface, except where we're using words which are part of the Inform system (like ``print``, ``Include``, ``VerbLib``) or are extracted from one of our games (like ``bird``, -``nest``, ``top_of_tree``). Terms in **bold type** are included in the -glossary -- Appendix G on page 273. We switch to italic type for a -placeholder: for example you should read the Inform statement: +``nest``, ``top_of_tree``). + +.. only:: html -.. parsed-literal:: + Terms that are included in the :doc:`Glossary ` appear as + links to that glossary entry. - print "*string*"; +.. only:: latex + + Terms that are included in the :doc:`Glossary ` appear in + blue italic. In the PDF version, these are links to the glossary entry. + +We switch to italic type for a placeholder: for example you should read the +Inform statement: + + :samp:`print "{string}";` as meaning "display on the player's screen the arbitrary character or characters which are represented here by the placeholder *string*". -Examples might include:: +Examples might include: + +.. include:: /config/typethis.rst + +:: print "Hello world!"; print "Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on @@ -99,14 +124,7 @@ Examples might include:: the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."; -We place the "TYPE" symbol alongside game fragments which you can type in -as a part of our working examples. This differentiates them from other -code snippets whose only purpose is to illustrate some particular feature. - -.. todo:: - - The "TYPE" symbol doesn't really work here. Think of a better way to - indicate typed-in fragments. +.. include:: /config/typeinfo.rst Useful Internet resources ========================= @@ -121,11 +139,15 @@ locations: * http://www.inform-fiction.org/ The Inform home page, maintained by Graham Nelson and a small team of - helpers. Most important, this is where you can find the *Inform - Designer's Manual* in PDF format. + helpers. Most important, this is where you can find the |DM4| in PDF + format. * http://mirror.ifarchive.org/ + .. Generated by autoindex + .. index:: + single: IF Archive + The IF Archive (or actually a high-speed mirror copy of it), from which you can download almost anything that's free and in the public domain. For a clickable map of Inform-related parts of the Archive, see @@ -148,7 +170,11 @@ locations: A more general list of FAQs about IF authorship, covering both Inform and the other main systems. -* news:rec.arts.int-fiction +* :newsgroup:`rec.arts.int-fiction` + + .. Generated by autoindex + .. index:: + single: RAIF The Usenet newsgroup for authors of IF, commonly known by the abbreviation RAIF. Here you'll find discussion on IF technology, @@ -156,7 +182,11 @@ locations: assistance with your own "how do I..." questions (but please, look in the manual first). -* news:rec.games.int-fiction +* :newsgroup:`rec.games.int-fiction` + + .. Generated by autoindex + .. index:: + single: RGIF The complementary newsgroup for IF *players*, often known as RGIF. @@ -194,11 +224,6 @@ The drop capitals, and their associated poem, are from "A Picture Alphabet", digitised from a collection of public domain woodcuts, circa 1834, by Steven J. Lundeen of emerald city fontwerks. -.. todo:: - - Reference to the drop-caps should only apply to those places they're - used (just the PDF?). - All credit to the generosity of http://briefcase.yahoo.com/ for making international file-sharing such a breeze. @@ -207,19 +232,18 @@ for devising it all, thereby giving us the opportunity -- first independently and later in enjoyable collaboration -- of using, and eventually of presenting, the Inform text adventure development system. -| *Roger Firth* -| *Wallingford, England* +| |FILL| *Roger Firth* +| |FILL| *Wallingford, England* -| *Sonja Kesserich* -| *Madrid, Spain* +| |FILL| *Sonja Kesserich* +| |FILL| *Madrid, Spain* -| *August 2004* +| |FILL| *August 2004* .. rubric:: Footnotes .. [#play] If you feel confused about IF in general or about this distinction - between writing and playing in particular, try glancing ahead at "Just - what is interactive fiction?" on page 13 and at "How to play an IF game" - on page 209; also, you may find the Ifaq at - http://www.plover.net/~textfire/raiffaq/ifaq/ helpful. + between writing and playing in particular, try glancing ahead at + :doc:`chapters/01` and at :doc:`appendices/a`; also, you may find the + Ifaq at http://www.plover.net/~textfire/raiffaq/ifaq/ helpful.