Gary,
I found this,
Escape from the Starship Zenon,
by Andrew Gawthorpe
How It Begins
You are someone sentenced for life for "multi-planaterial murder" and are
now imprisoned in a dusty and dirty brig cell on the federal starship Zenon,
carrying
nothing. You see a door, a bed, a pressure guage [sic], and a light switch
here. You want to escape.
http://ifwiki.org/index.php/Escape_from_the_Starship_Zenon#How_It_Begins
Interactive Fiction by Dennis G. Jerz,
Interactive Fiction: Instructions
What, no graphics?
In
interactive fiction,
the story unfolds -- via text -- in response to short commands that you
type.
list of 4 items
. The Basics
. Partial list of commands
. Interacting with other characters
. Options (saving and loading; display)
list end
02 Feb 2001; by
Dennis G. Jerz
The Basics
Type simple imperative statements (commands) to tell the program what you
want to do.
block quote
look (describe area)
examine lantern
n (go north)
go in
exit
take apple
i (for inventory -- list all the things you are carrying)
put lime in coconut
show flower to Ariel
tell Othello about handkerchief
Juliet, drop the dagger
block quote end
You will not be allowed to do everything you ask, but the author/programmer
has tried to predict what you will try to do. If you are stuck, just ask
yourself
what you would do if you were really in the situation the text describes.
list of 4 items
. Take everything that isn't nailed down.
. Examine things that are mentioned in the room description. (If the
computer says it doesn't know an object, you might try a synonym, or you
might conclude
the object is unimportant.)
. Open, search, or enter objects.
. Type "long" to instruct the computer to print out room descriptions each
time you enter a room (this saves you from having to type "look").
list end
Partial list of commands:
list of 4 items
1. Using your Senses
2. Moving Around
3. Manipulating Objects
4. Interacting with NPCs
list end
Using your Senses
block quote
The following commands are among the most important found in IF.
look (redisplays a full description of your surroundings)
examine [object]
Games will frequently embed important clues in the text that results from
the above commands. Some sneaky authors may hide important information until
you try something like the following:
search [object]
look under [object]
Other, less frequently implemented commands include:
listen
listen to [object]
smell
smell [object]
taste [object]
touch [object]
rub [object]
Tip:
Use shortcuts such as "l" for "look", "x [object]" for "examine [object]",
and "g" for "repeat last command".
block quote end
Moving Around
block quote
Typically, one moves by referring to compass directions.
go north
southwest
e
up
You can also go in and out of things...
get into bed
enter chasm
out
exit
...or move in other, special ways:
jump
swim
climb ladder
push teacart north
block quote end
Manipulating Objects
block quote
Tips:
* Try to take and/or examine every object you encounter.
* If you encounter an object such as a "wide-brimmed cowboy hat," you can
usually just refer to it as "hat".
Try interacting with objects:
take rod
drop cube
inventory (or just "i") (lists what you're carrying)
open door
turn on light
set dial to 10
push red button
drink strawberry phosphate
put two red disks in upper slot
take all vegetables but the carrot
block quote end
Interacting with NPCs
block quote
NPCs (non-player characters) are computer-controlled supporting actors. In
most IF, the NPCs are pretty passive -- they tend to do their own thing
until
you trigger them to action. Watch what they do and pay attention to what
they say -- the author wants you to be able to figure out what you're
supposed
to do, so there will be clues somewhere.
kiss baby
throw axe at dwarf
give book to librarian
Conversation in IF is quite crude. Few NPCs will be able to understand
natural-language questions such as "Ask Claudius what happened to my
father." or
"Macbeth, I think the trees are moving." You will have much better luck with
the following, simplified syntax:
ask Claudius about father
tell Macbeth about trees
show handkerchief to Othello
give coin to apothecary
You can also issue simple commands, asking the NPCs to do some of the same
things that you yourself can do.
Kate, kiss me
Falstaff, give me the bottle
nurse, tell me about Romeo
Ariel, sing
block quote end
Options: Saving and Restoring; Display
To save a game, type "save".
To restore a previously saved game, type "restore". (Note: don't type
"load" by accident, even though "load" is the common phrasing today, the
interface
for the game was written before that term was common.)
To show room descriptions every time you enter a room, type "long". To show
only the descriptions of new rooms, type "brief".
* * * End * * *
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/if/gallery/help.html
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