Hi,
I've been experimenting with both ADRIFT and TADS for a few years. The
source code for TADS games reminds me of C source code, but it's actually
fairly easy to use. There's an Author's kit that you can download from the
IF Archive at www.ifarchive.org which includes various programming tools
like a compiler, interpreter, etc. You'll need to type the source code in a
program like Notepad or WordPad. The thing I like about this package is
that it can generate a basic game for you, complete with comments. This
way, you can go through the source code and build on it if you want. There
are also various libraries for adding features to a game, such as one for
creating choose your own adventure-style games.
As for ADRIFT, I prefer version 3.9. I find version 4 to be less
accessible, but have it installed on my system as well for games that
support it. Anyway, both versions come with a generator program that you
can use to create a game using a fill in the blanks approach.
There are menu choices for creating rooms, characters, tasks, etc.
I've also recently been playing with the new Inform 7. I've tried on
numerous occasions to write a game in Inform 6, but gave up because of the
source code. With Inform 7, the process of writing a game has been modified
significantly. Instead of entering source code, you now can write a game in
"natural language" format, using a program similar to ADRIFT, except you
don't fill in the blanks this time. From what I've seen of it so far, it's
actually not bad in terms of accessibility. The documentation is built into
the program, in a web page format. There are also numerous examples that
can be pasted into the editor portion of the program just by clicking on a
link in the documentation window. To give you an idea of what the syntax
looks like for this system, here's an example I found. The only change I
made was to modify the game's title:
"My First Game" by Kelly Sapergia
East of the Garden is the Gazebo. Above is the Treehouse. A billiards table
is in the Gazebo. On it is a trophy cup. A starting pistol is in the cup.
In the Treehouse is a container called a cardboard box.
From what I can figure out, the above example just sets up the
locations and objects. I haven't figured out yet how to include things like
a description for a room or object, but I haven't completely gone through
the manual either. If anyone's interested in Inform 7, you can get it from
www.inform-fiction.org
Hope this helps.
Yours Sincerely,
Kelly John Sapergia
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