"Counterfeit Monkey" by Emily Short. ["The alphabet is a system of interchangeable parts. The word form can be surgically revised, instead of rewritten, to become the word farm or firm or fork or fort or from, or with a little more trouble, to become the word pineapple." -- Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style] [A word about the source release: This source is provided for its interest value. Not all of the extensions necessary to compile the source are available to the public and it is not the author's intention to have others recompile or revise the game. There is no guarantee that any of the included code is suitable for any specific purpose, but the author grants users the right to adapt the code they find as they wish for other projects. The author's release of the source does not constitute a promise to support that code or help other authors in adapting it to their own purposes. Output text remains copyright Emily Short.] The release number is 6. [Change log: Release 6: Updates the version of Ultra Undo. Release 5: *** Gameplay changes: Revises the way Waterstone responds to things he's shown, so that it is more clear that he is behind a glass door, and so that he is more obviously reacting to an item of the player's deliberate selection. Removes old requirements about use of disguises in the presence of others. This was just confusing, really. Removes requirement to be empty-handed before rowing, because this is just holding things up at what is otherwise nearly the end of the game, and because some of the messaging about it was actively confusing to some players. But it wasn't a puzzle really anyway. Removes an incorrect exit listing from the Equipment Archive. Fixes bug whereby APPROACH CAMERA could be misconstrued even though this was clearly hinted as an action during the basement sequence. Allows the player to type RESTORE during the name-recognition sequence at the beginning rather than playing through it. Adds a reverse mode to the vowel rotator bucket, allowing vowels to be rotated in the other direction. This removes the risk that the player will make TUB > TAB and accidentally destroy the only access to restoring gel (since this can be reversed). It also allows the player an alternate way to make a CORD for the power cord puzzle, via CARD > CURD > CORD. This is meant to address complaints about the umlaut punch being necessary, but of course it doesn't work in hard mode, which will still require the more difficult solution. Fixes a bug whereby the reconstructed Atlantida is less proactive than she was intended to be. Adds an afterlife feature to automatically undo accidental deaths. *** Word repository: Adds CURD, CORD, CUD, COD, HURT, CUT, RILL, TRILL, PISA, PUN, PUNS, PUNT, PUNTS, PUS, TEN, TUN, TAN (extras), NET (extras), STENT, TENT, TENTS, BUSES, BUS, FOAL, LOAF, OAF, CLICK, BULL, DIG, and DIVA to support reversal mode on the bucket. Adds AHI, HOD, OZ, OHIO, and ZOO to support hard reversal mode on the bucket. Adds SHUTTLE homonym. Adds STOCK, SOCK, CHERT, CLUCK, CLACK, CACK, and POI products for the vowel-rotating bucket. Adds TORTE, TORT, and ORE (and an additional TOTE) as results of anagramming the OTTER. Adds TNT as a product of TINT. Adds SCREE as a product of SCREEN. Adds RAPE, PIECE, and COUNTER homonyms. Adds MARY anagram for ARMY. Adds PILLS anagram for SPILL, and ILLS and TILLS as derivatives thereof. Adds a singular CRUMB. Adds a BIG REVEL (anagram of BIG LEVER). Adds a WARP (anagram of WRAP), and its derivatives WAR and WART (though as WAR is fatal it is probably not possible to get WART). Adds a TRAVELLER TIP and a TRIPLE VARLET (from the TRAVELLER TIPS which can be anagrammed from SILVER PLATTER). Adds AGA and an additional AA object to be made from SAGAS (added in rev 4). Adds noisy homonyms for SNAP and RING, providing additional solutions to the masking noise puzzle. Adds TIDY PUCE COFFER anagram for the dirty coffee cup. Adds a singular OIL PAINTING for the OIL PAINTINGS in Atlantida's chambers. Also a singular INTAGLIO PIN and the resulting INTAGLIO PINT and TILTING PIANO. Adds a singular PAINTING for the PAINTINGS in the bureau. Adds INAPT SIGN as an anagram for the PAINTINGS, resulting also in INAPT SIN, SATIN PIN, SATIN PINT, SAINT PINT, GIANT PIN, GIANT PINT, PIG TAT INN, PI TAT INN, TITAN PIN, TITAN PINT, and INAPT TINT. Adds special responses to trying to S-remove the UMBRELLAS, the TEENAGERS, the BRINY RIVULETS, the RAILINGS, the SMALL CHILDREN, the YELLOW BUILDINGS or BEIGE BUILDINGS, or the PORTHOLES. Adds a MALL FIGURINE from the SMALL FIGURINES in Higgate's office. Adds a POLLING CHART as a singular of POLLING CHARTS, together with a STROLLING CHAP and a PATCHING ROLL. Adds a WINNER LOGO CHOCOLATE to be the singular of the same object, and a HOOTING OWL CONCEALER as its anagram. Adds BROKEN COMPONENT and CEMENT PORNO KNOB as products of the BROKEN COMPONENTS. Adds singulars LAMB GRANULATE and ANAGRAM BULLET for those objects. Adds FROZEN DINNER, ZEN FROND RINSE, and RED FROZEN INN as products of FROZEN DINNERS. Adds WARM ROD and RAD WORM products of SWORD ARM. (It was previously possible to get as far as WARM RODS, but not to remove the S.) Adds WIRE RACK and PAPER MODEL singulars. Adds TAT as a derivative of STATS. Adds BOCK as a derivative of BROCK. Takes the coward's way out and changes the FIGURES on the fountain to SCULPTED FIGURES so that they can't plausibly be depluralized in a way that would require varying the fountain description to account for both the state of the figures *and* the state of the horses. The whole HOSE transformation is enough, thanks. *** Parsing: Adds USE GUN ON X syntax for shooting. Fixes bug whereby in certain circumstances FIRE GUN AT X would not be recognized as synonymous with SHOOT. Fixes bug whereby the PLATE could not be referred to by name. Improves parsing so PUT BOOK AWAY and SHELVE BOOK would be understood as well as RETURN BOOK or PUT BOOK ON SHELVES. Adds synonym BACKSACK for BACKPACK. Adds synonym EDIFICE for the station building. Adds BOTTLE and GIANT BOTTLE and BOTTLE OF synonyms for the liquor collection. Adds IF as a synonym for WHETHER in many dialogue options. Adds PUNCH X WITH PUNCH or just PUNCH X in the presence of the umlaut punch. Adds PASTE X as a way of applying the origin paste. Makes it easier to refer to the newspaper at the very end as PAPER, and removes a conflict with the clipping (formerly NEWSPAPER CLIPPING) Adds more robust handling of input like SELECT OPTION 3 or SELECT CHOICE 3 or SELECT NUMBER 3 as an alternative for SELECT 3 (and other similar formations) when manipulating a computer with a multiple-choice interface. Improves parsing of some conversation options referring to characters by name or pronoun. Fixes bug whereby UNSCREW SCREWS WITH AS gave misleading feedback. *** Clarified descriptions and instructions: Corrects a piece of misleading output about cars, which suggested it was possible to park one that had not been started. Improves response to trying to gel yourself after you've learned that you are fused. Slightly rephrases the description of the spinner puzzle in order to make it easier to visualize. Rephrases feedback if you try to prop the trapdoor with something inappropriate, to be more specific about why the object is not sufficient. Fixes an instruction that incorrectly directed the player to the university rather than the dead-drop. Fixes a bug that gave a misleading message in response to an instruction to stand on the tarpaulin masses. Revises the phrasing used to describe exactly why a given prop won't work in the trap door. Fixes a bug whereby it is not immediately explained that the pinata is what is blocking you if you use GO TO ROTUNDA while the game is being played. Fixes a bug whereby Brock may appear confused by an abstract created not in the t-inserter, and act as though that counted as solving the puzzle. *** Improved world model: Improves character dialogue responses when the player asks about the current location. Fixes a loophole that allowed the player to get the attention of the men playing darts even though other code had been written to disallow them from having a conversation. Subsequent behavior was visibly buggy. Fixes a bug that misreported the window in the Private Solarium as closed even when it had been opened. Fixes a bug whereby the poster is described as still being attached to the Monumental Staircase wall even after it has been converted to a POSER and led to a new location, then gelled. Fixes a bug whereby it was possible to close the plexiglas even after cutting it open. Adjusts the weight of the puppy to make it easier to pick up. Fixes a bug whereby it was possible to put the ruck in the bucket and get a rack that could neither be taken nor gelled. Fixes bug whereby the boiler could be taken. Fixes bug whereby the coffee cup was described as empty even if the player put something in it. Fixes bug whereby it was possible to change an object that was propping a door without the door closing in response. Fixes bug whereby mother could stare at an object that was inside our closed backpack. Fixes bug by which the department printer could whir even if switched off after the player leaves Waterstone's office. Fixes bug such that if you put the gel on the rock when it’s in the T-insertion machine, Brock won’t leave the machine, preventing the player from being able to put anything else into it (unless they turn him into a rock and remove him). Fixes bug whereby flipping a yam twice with the pedestal turned it back to a yam, but the monocle thought it was still in an altered state. Fixes bug whereby Brown could be described as hunched over his work table even when he was out in the Oval. Fixes bug such that animals in the kayak would spontaneously leap out (to their presumed watery deaths though this was not narrated). Fixes bug to do with reaching objects on the stand in the museum window. This in fact turned out to be the fault of an obscure error in the Inform world model (see http://inform7.com/mantis/view.php?id=1168) but has been hacked around. Revises the crypto-lock bucket so that large objects cannot be put into it and large objects constructed inside it will fall out. Accepts SE as a synonym to E when leaving Monumental Staircase for High Street, since one player felt the map looked more southeasterly than east at that point. Adds a clearer response for why taking the SAND is not a good option. Adds better responses for attempts to wash the funnel in the fountain or near a sink. Adds better responses to trying to pour and fill things (though it generally rejects these attempts, it at least recognizes what the player is attempting). Adds an exception to an overzealous rule that prevented the player from gelling air-like objects (such as a STINK manufactured in the T-inserter). *** Additional content: Addresses the disgraceful fact that Typoland Fun Fair could not be found in the guidebook. Adds "lodgings", public convenience and bus station to the guidebook as well. Adds chap-hop variant to the rap if you're wearing the Britishizing goggles. Adds responses to PLAY DARTS and PLAY ARKHAM HORROR (or other games aboard the yacht). (You're not actually allowed to do either, but at least we can respond better.) Adds response to trying to synthesize ROCK and ROLL. Adds responses for E-removing Brown's goatee with and without an animate-enabled letter remover. Adds a couple of additional features to Brock's laptop, in case you hack in. Adds a special response for looking at your reflection through the monocle. *** Typos and cosmetic output errors: Corrects a typo in text about the winding footpath. Corrects a typo in description of fishing reel. Corrects a typo in the synonyms for the shrine object. Hacks around a mysterious bug in which the apartment key was reported as "an key" rather than "a key". I am not sure why this was happening to start with. Fixes a rare runtime error to do with table rows used to record player goals. Fixes a bug such that the player was described as sitting IN the piano rather than on the piano bench in the Fleur d'Or lobby. Fixes a bug such that the description of the TROPE COUNT object was not set correctly. Fixes a bug whereby looking at Alex's apartment key with the monocle on did not produce any monocle reading. Fixes a bug whereby the footpath was referred to without the article if you looked at it through the monocle. Fixes a bug that made it possible to cut the kudzu with edgeless objects but get no description when one had done so. Fixes bug which misleadingly described the toolkit in the drinks club as empty if you looked at it directly. Fixes response to TOPICS command to avoid mentioning quips that are intended to go unmentioned. Fixes bug such that the first attempt to TAKE CHARD produced output only suitable for the chard garden, even if you'd manipulated it linguistically first and moved it somewhere else. Fixes bug whereby TOES was treated as singular. Fixes bug whereby ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT, GRIT and TERRACING were treated as plural rather than mass nouns. Fixes bug whereby certain joke responses to synthesis occurred only for the synthesizer and not for the workshop dais. Fixes bug whereby the kitchen sink would be described as still present after you'd converted it. Fixes bug whereby objects described as having text would nonetheless appear "blank" in response to READ (rather than examine). Fixes bug whereby a joke about eels and congress was supposed to be attached to the accent flipper but by mistake got attached to the equipment shelves, making it incomprehensible. Maybe it would have been anyway, but now it's at least in the right place. Fixes bug whereby answering Alex's initial questions with ANDRA as early as possible avoided the banner being printed. This failure ever to display the Inform affiliation is technically a violation of Inform's license. Fixes a bug whereby the command PUT POT ON PEDESTAL, referring to the yogurt, could hang the parser for ornate and complicated reasons. Rather than really fix this, we just made the YOGURT be YOGURT, not POT OF YOGURT. Because it wasn't worth it. As penance, added a TOY RUG object for the anagramming gun. Release 4: Adds CORK (ROCK anagrammed), SAGAS (SAG + AS). Documents HARD MODE officially. Adds a description to the patchy grass in the monument green. Corrects a line about going to the university immediately after freeing the teens. Clarifies the dead drop goal so that a player who has left the game for a little while can review where they were supposed to be going. Fixes a bug whereby it was possible to hang the game by referring to "paper" in the presence of the draft document. Fixes a bug whereby typing TAKE ALL while carrying the pill will result in eating the pill (fatally). Fixes a bug where looking through the monocle at the tub didn't mention the tube. Improves responses to attempting to use the tube on the lock. Fixes a bug whereby DIGGING in the sand in the beach still produced a description of finding the funnel, even in hard mode where the funnel is not actually available. Fixes a bug whereby in one circumstance the paper drawer would be described as a paper-drawer, but would not accept the hyphenated form as input. Adds an extra Amy and an extra May to the repository so that they can be simultaneously produced by the army and by the yam, if need be. Fixes an error whereby the player was able to observe the wrong member of the Brock/Dad pair when looking in the surveillance screen. Adds synonyms for attempting to climb on the tarpaulin masses in the Tin Hut. Adds snarky response to trying to make font t-shits, pink t-shits, or various t-shits. (Mournful sigh.) Adds snarky response to trying to remove I from oneself. Release 3: Improves appearance of achievement announcements (line breaks, text styling). Sets the ticket-taker pronoun when you first see him, so GIVE TICKET TO HIM doesn't fail. Fixes bad line breaking when listening in the presence of the protesters. Fixes a typo in the description of turning the cannon. Fixes a bug whereby the cannon was takeable. Fixes buggy text output when putting the fuel in the car. Fixes a bug whereby turning on a car that wasn't properly fueled or oiled gave the wrong indications about its state of readiness. Fixes a buggy response to drinking the ale when the bar game had previously been about producing a pea-sized object. Fixes a bug whereby it's possible to kiss brock during any conversation, even if he's not in the room, if using the correct command format; and to see this possibility by typing TOPICS. Fixes a bug whereby the plexiglas case was portable. Fixes a bug whereby anagramming the accent-flipper and then turning it back was sufficient to crush the player under the bulk of the recreated object. Fixes a bug whereby only two pi objects could be generated though in theory there should have been more. Adds the words bandage, basin, bait, tea, rite, gin, eight, wight, Ross, tart homonym, pot homonym, ant, tan, ten, net, ent, and rattle. Fixes a sequence bug whereby giving the mechanic the oil when the car wasn't around would lead to the mechanic notionally fixing something that wasn't there, while consuming the oil permanently. Adds some dialogue for the mechanic, allowing him to hint a little more clearly about the card state as necessary. Fixes a bug whereby the jigsaw was supposed to be noisy when turned on, but due to a typo in the rules, wasn't counting. This made hard mode significantly more hard. Fixes a bug whereby the modified names of objects in hard mode were not being respected. Fixes a bug whereby M-removing Mark after he'd been identified wasn't working properly because the game still thought of his name as "patron". Fixes a bug whereby having the broken components in inventory messes with parsing of the big lever on the work dais. Revises utilitarian inventory listing to be clearer about what is being worn or carried in the backpack, and whether the backpack is open or closed. Makes X ME give information about what you're wearing. Improves the response to trying to go north in Crumbling Wall Face. Release 2: Fixes letter-tranformation behavior so that the newly constructed object will have its pronouns set properly (so "IT" will apply to the thing just made). Hackily fixes weird bug where, despite the code being evidently correct, "HIGHLIGHT" would activate score notification rather than the highlighting effect. Fixes bad instruction in ABOUT text that misdescribed the LOOK CAREFULLY function, and makes LOOK CLOSELY also work, for good measure. Fixes bug whereby an answer in the first three questions which included punctuation meant that the answer would not be correctly recognized. Fixes a response to cutting things with the sword that says the sword is not edged. Fixes a bug whereby carrying the dove into the Cold Storage room resulted in the player immediately and involuntarily sending the patsy prisoner out to face the rifles. Fixes a bug whereby gelling Brock in Cold Storage wasn't working. Adds a response to attempting to cut the Atlantida pinata. Adds to the repository a countertop, a trope count, a hairband, a pineapple ring and a ripening apple. ] Volume 1 - Model Adjustments Book 1 - Presentation Details Part 1 - Metadata and File Format Chapter 1 - Bibliographical Data Include (- Switches z; -) before "Other Configuration" in "Output.i6t". The story headline is "A Removal". The story description is "Anglophone Atlantis has been an independent nation since an April day in 1822, when a well-aimed shot from their depluralizing cannon reduced the British colonizing fleet to one ship. Since then, Atlantis has been the world's greatest center for linguistic manipulation, designing letter inserters, word synthesizers, the diminutive affixer, and a host of other tools for converting one thing to another. Inventors worldwide pay heavily for that technology, which is where a smuggler and industrial espionage agent such as yourself can really clean up. Unfortunately, the Bureau of Orthography has taken a serious interest in your activities lately. Your face has been recorded and your cover is blown. Your remaining assets: about eight more hours of a national holiday that's spreading the police thin; the most inconvenient damn disguise you've ever worn in your life; and one full-alphabet letter remover. Good luck getting off the island." Release along with a file of "Customs Poster" called "Customs-Poster-Big.png", a file of "DCL Advertisement" called "DCLbig.png", a file of "Atlantida Poster" called "Atlantida.png", cover art, the library card, source text, and a website. [The EPS file is not included in the game, but was used as an underlayer when the game maps were prepared.] Index map with EPS file. Chapter 2 - Size Adjustments Use MAX_STATIC_DATA of 2000000. Use MAX_PROP_TABLE_SIZE of 3000000. Use MAX_OBJECTS of 3000. Use MAX_VERBS of 510. Use ALLOC_CHUNK_SIZE of 32000. Use MAX_DICT_ENTRIES of 4500. Use MAX_ZCODE_SIZE of 400000. Use MAX_LABELS of 40000. Use MAX_OBJ_PROP_COUNT of 128. Use MAX_NUM_STATIC_STRINGS of 40000. Use MAX_SYMBOLS of 60000. Use MAX_ARRAYS of 3000. Use MAX_ACTIONS of 400. Use MAX_LINESPACE of 15000. Chapter 3 - Undo Handling [Some interpreters do not allocate enough memory to allow Counterfeit Monkey to UNDO successfully after a turn has gone wrong. To make matters worse, sometimes UNDO stops working partway through a playthrough when it did work at the beginning. Ultra Undo is an extension kindly written by Dannii Willis to use external file recording to ensure that UNDO remains available.] Include Ultra Undo by Dannii Willis. Part 2 - Multimedia Chapter 1 - Images Section 1 - Compass Rose [The aim of the graphics is to provide the player with visual orientation. We don't ever want the player to feel lost or to feel pressure to take notes. With a large game space, this is a challenge to achieve. Even though Bronze provided GO TO and FIND commands *and* came with a manual with a pre-drawn map, a number of players reported making maps of their own. This was a failure. Note-taking should be completely unnecessary unless the player happens to enjoy map-making for some reason. The map concept borrows from commercial game minimaps that show goal locations as the player progresses. Like the compass rose in Bronze, the compass rose here shows exits in different shades depending on whether the rooms in those directions have already been visited. The compass is also hyperlinked so that the player can click on it as an alternative to typing directions. ] Figure of dim northwest is the file "grey-nw.png". Figure of dim north is the file "grey-n.png". Figure of dim northeast is the file "grey-ne.png". Figure of dim west is the file "grey-w.png". Figure of dim east is the file "grey-e.png". Figure of dim southwest is the file "grey-sw.png". Figure of dim south is the file "grey-s.png". Figure of dim southeast is the file "grey-se.png". Figure of dim up is the file "grey-u.png". Figure of dim down is the file "grey-d.png". Figure of northwest is the file "white-nw.png". Figure of north is the file "white-n.png". Figure of northeast is the file "white-ne.png". Figure of west is the file "white-w.png". Figure of east is the file "white-e.png". Figure of southwest is the file "white-sw.png". Figure of south is the file "white-s.png". Figure of southeast is the file "white-se.png". Figure of up is the file "white-u.png". Figure of down is the file "white-d.png". Figure of new northwest is the file "blue-nw.png". Figure of new north is the file "blue-n.png". Figure of new northeast is the file "blue-ne.png". Figure of new west is the file "blue-w.png". Figure of new east is the file "blue-e.png". Figure of new southwest is the file "blue-sw.png". Figure of new south is the file "blue-s.png". Figure of new southeast is the file "blue-se.png". Figure of new up is the file "blue-u.png". Figure of new down is the file "blue-d.png". Figure of dim fore-port is the file "grey-fp.png". Figure of dim fore is the file "grey-f.png". Figure of dim fore-starboard is the file "grey-fsb.png". Figure of dim port is the file "grey-p.png". Figure of dim starboard is the file "grey-sb.png". Figure of dim aft-port is the file "grey-ap.png". Figure of dim aft is the file "grey-a.png". Figure of dim aft-starboard is the file "grey-asb.png". Figure of fore-port is the file "white-fp.png". Figure of fore is the file "white-f.png". Figure of fore-starboard is the file "white-fsb.png". Figure of port is the file "white-p.png". Figure of starboard is the file "white-sb.png". Figure of aft-port is the file "white-ap.png". Figure of aft is the file "white-a.png". Figure of aft-starboard is the file "white-asb.png". Figure of new fore-port is the file "blue-fp.png". Figure of new fore is the file "blue-f.png". Figure of new fore-starboard is the file "blue-fsb.png". Figure of new port is the file "blue-p.png". Figure of new starboard is the file "blue-sb.png". Figure of new aft-port is the file "blue-ap.png". Figure of new aft is the file "blue-a.png". Figure of new aft-starboard is the file "blue-asb.png". Figure of center-squiggle is the file "center-squiggle.png". [The following is a hack. Originally the figure name associations were all properties of the direction objects, but some sort of memory bug happened when image properties were added to the nautical directions. The result was that the map itself was reconfigured weirdly -- for instance, Slango's Head was declared in source to be aft from Slango's Bunk, but in the game model it would be port of Slango's Bunk instead.] To decide what figure-name is the dim image of (way - a direction): if way is: -- fore-port: decide on figure of dim fore-port; -- fore: decide on figure of dim fore; -- fore-starboard: decide on figure of dim fore-starboard; -- port: decide on figure of dim port; -- starboard: decide on figure of dim starboard; -- aft-port: decide on figure of dim aft-port; -- aft: decide on figure of dim aft; -- aft-starboard: decide on figure of dim aft-starboard; -- northwest: decide on figure of dim northwest; -- north: decide on figure of dim north; -- northeast: decide on figure of dim northeast; -- west: decide on figure of dim west; -- east: decide on figure of dim east; -- southwest: decide on figure of dim southwest; -- south: decide on figure of dim south; -- southeast: decide on figure of dim southeast; -- up: decide on figure of dim up; -- down: decide on figure of dim down. To decide what figure-name is the unvisited image of (way - a direction): if way is: -- fore-port: decide on figure of new fore-port; -- fore: decide on figure of new fore; -- fore-starboard: decide on figure of new fore-starboard; -- port: decide on figure of new port; -- starboard: decide on figure of new starboard; -- aft-port: decide on figure of new aft-port; -- aft: decide on figure of new aft; -- aft-starboard: decide on figure of new aft-starboard; -- northwest: decide on figure of new northwest; -- north: decide on figure of new north; -- northeast: decide on figure of new northeast; -- west: decide on figure of new west; -- east: decide on figure of new east; -- southwest: decide on figure of new southwest; -- south: decide on figure of new south; -- southeast: decide on figure of new southeast; -- up: decide on figure of new up; -- down: decide on figure of new down. To decide what figure-name is the visited image of (way - a direction): if way is: -- fore-port: decide on figure of fore-port; -- fore: decide on figure of fore; -- fore-starboard: decide on figure of fore-starboard; -- port: decide on figure of port; -- starboard: decide on figure of starboard; -- aft-port: decide on figure of aft-port; -- aft: decide on figure of aft; -- aft-starboard: decide on figure of aft-starboard; -- northwest: decide on figure of northwest; -- north: decide on figure of north; -- northeast: decide on figure of northeast; -- west: decide on figure of west; -- east: decide on figure of east; -- southwest: decide on figure of southwest; -- south: decide on figure of south; -- southeast: decide on figure of southeast; -- up: decide on figure of up; -- down: decide on figure of down. A direction has a number called x-coordinate. A direction has a number called y-coordinate. Include Simple Graphical Window by Emily Short. The graphics window proportion is 50. The graphics window position is g-left. The compass width is a number that varies. The compass width is 120. Include Graphic Links by Jeff Sheets. When play begins (this is the setting directional hyperlinks rule): follow the compass-drawing rule. To establish compass graphlinks: let ZE be grid-margin; let D be grid-size; let DD be 2 * D; let DDD be compass width; let top-edge be current graphics window height - (D * 4); let upper-mid be top-edge + D; let lower-mid be top-edge + DD; let bottom-edge be current graphics window height - D; let super-top be current graphics window height - (D * 5); let true-bottom be current graphics window height; increase D by grid-margin; increase DD by grid-margin; increase DDD by grid-margin; if the location is nautical: set a graphlink identified as "goFP" from ZE by top-edge to D by upper-mid as "fore-port"; set a graphlink identified as "goF" from D by top-edge to DD by upper-mid as "fore"; set a graphlink identified as "goFSB" from DD by top-edge to DDD by upper-mid as "fore-starboard"; set a graphlink identified as "goP" from ZE by upper-mid to D by lower-mid as "port"; set a graphlink identified as "lookHere" from D by upper-mid to DD by lower-mid as "look"; set a graphlink identified as "goSB" from DD by upper-mid to DDD by lower-mid as "starboard"; set a graphlink identified as "goAP" from ZE by lower-mid to D by bottom-edge as "aft-port"; set a graphlink identified as "goA" from D by lower-mid to DD by bottom-edge as "aft"; set a graphlink identified as "goASB" from DD by lower-mid to DDD by bottom-edge as "aft-starboard"; set a graphlink identified as "goD" from DD by bottom-edge to DDD by true-bottom as "down"; set a graphlink identified as "goU" from ZE by bottom-edge to D by true-bottom as "up"; otherwise: set a graphlink identified as "goNW" from ZE by top-edge to D by upper-mid as "northwest"; set a graphlink identified as "goN" from D by top-edge to DD by upper-mid as "north"; set a graphlink identified as "goNE" from DD by top-edge to DDD by upper-mid as "northeast"; set a graphlink identified as "goW" from ZE by upper-mid to D by lower-mid as "west"; set a graphlink identified as "lookHere" from D by upper-mid to DD by lower-mid as "look"; set a graphlink identified as "goE" from DD by upper-mid to DDD by lower-mid as "east"; set a graphlink identified as "goSW" from ZE by lower-mid to D by bottom-edge as "southwest"; set a graphlink identified as "goS" from D by lower-mid to DD by bottom-edge as "south"; set a graphlink identified as "goSE" from DD by lower-mid to DDD by bottom-edge as "southeast"; set a graphlink identified as "goD" from DD by bottom-edge to DDD by true-bottom as "down"; set a graphlink identified as "goU" from ZE by bottom-edge to D by true-bottom as "up"; To clear compass graphlinks: [first the nauticals] clear the graphlink identified as "goFP"; clear the graphlink identified as "goF"; clear the graphlink identified as "goFSB"; clear the graphlink identified as "goP"; clear the graphlink identified as "lookHere"; clear the graphlink identified as "goSB"; clear the graphlink identified as "goAP"; clear the graphlink identified as "goA"; clear the graphlink identified as "goASB"; [and now the regular directions] clear the graphlink identified as "goNW"; clear the graphlink identified as "goN"; clear the graphlink identified as "goNE"; clear the graphlink identified as "goW"; clear the graphlink identified as "lookHere"; clear the graphlink identified as "goE"; clear the graphlink identified as "goSW"; clear the graphlink identified as "goS"; clear the graphlink identified as "goSE"; clear the graphlink identified as "goD"; clear the graphlink identified as "goU"; When play begins (this is the setting drawing-rule rule): now current graphics drawing rule is the compass-drawing rule. Carry out going (this is the update compass on movement rule): refresh compass with current directions. Carry out someone going when the actor encloses the player: refresh compass with current directions. [We want the compass to stay down in a corner of the screen and not to scale up too huge if the screen is resized. One of the irritating things about Glulx window management is that it's impossible to force an aspect ratio on the player, so I have no idea whether they're going to go tall-and-skinny or short-and-wide. Testers playing in full-screen mode sometimes found that the compass got way too large and encroached on the upper part of the map if I just set the compass to be one quarter the width of the window.] To decide what number is grid-size: let width-quarter be (current graphics window width / 4); let height-quarter be (current graphics window height / 4); if width-quarter is greater than height-quarter: now compass width is height-quarter; else: now compass width is width-quarter; let D be compass width / 3; decide on D; To decide what number is grid-margin: decide on grid-size / 2. This is the compass-drawing rule: if glulx graphics is supported: clear compass graphlinks; [We need to reset the graphlinks every time the player resizes the window, because if the height of the screen changes, the compass may move vertically.] establish compass graphlinks; refresh compass with current directions. To determine compass coordinates: let ZE be 0; increase ZE by grid-margin; let D be grid-size; let DD be 2 * D; let DDD be compass width; let TE be current graphics window height - (D * 4); let UM be TE + D; let LM be TE + DD; let BEE be current graphics window height - D; increase D by grid-margin; increase DD by grid-margin; increase DDD by grid-margin; change x-coordinate of up to ZE; change y-coordinate of up to BEE; change x-coordinate of down to DD; change y-coordinate of down to BEE; change x-coordinate of fore-port to ZE; change y-coordinate of fore-port to TE; change x-coordinate of fore to D; change y-coordinate of fore to TE; change x-coordinate of fore-starboard to DD; change y-coordinate of fore-starboard to TE; change x-coordinate of port to ZE; change y-coordinate of port to UM; change x-coordinate of starboard to DD; change y-coordinate of starboard to UM; change x-coordinate of aft-port to ZE; change y-coordinate of aft-port to LM; change x-coordinate of aft to D; change y-coordinate of aft to LM; change x-coordinate of aft-starboard to DD; change y-coordinate of aft-starboard to LM; change x-coordinate of northwest to ZE; change y-coordinate of northwest to TE; change x-coordinate of north to D; change y-coordinate of north to TE; change x-coordinate of northeast to DD; change y-coordinate of northeast to TE; change x-coordinate of west to ZE; change y-coordinate of west to UM; change x-coordinate of east to DD; change y-coordinate of east to UM; change x-coordinate of southwest to ZE; change y-coordinate of southwest to LM; change x-coordinate of south to D; change y-coordinate of south to LM; change x-coordinate of southeast to DD; change y-coordinate of southeast to LM. [Layer the image: black in the background to fill in the top of the screen; a blue and black mix of the right height across the whole width of the screen so that if the map is too small, it will still look blue at the edges; then the map itself, proportionally scaled as large as it can reasonably be given the window dimensions; then the compass, built from the current circumstances. In theory, it would have been possible to make the map images carry the compass directions as well. In practice, that presented several problems: more difficult to cope with minor map changes during final revisions, inability to indicate which directions have already been explored.] To refresh compass with current directions: if glulx graphics is supported: blank window to graphics background color; change currently shown picture to the figure of background; follow the bottom wide drawing rule; change currently shown picture to the local map of the location; follow the bottom scaled drawing rule; draw Figure of center-squiggle from the x-coordinate of north by y-coordinate of west to grid-size by grid-size; determine compass coordinates; repeat with way running through directions: if the way is a listable exit: let X be the x-coordinate of way; let Y be the y-coordinate of way; if the room way from the location is visited: draw the visited image of the way from X by Y to grid-size by grid-size; otherwise: draw the unvisited image of the way from X by Y to grid-size by grid-size; Section 2 - Local Maps A room has a figure-name called the local map. [Actual file names and assignments are made later, after all the rooms have been defined.] [Simple Graphical Window provides instructions for scaling an image and putting it in the middle of the screen if the aspect ratio of the window it needs to fill is slightly wrong. In this case, though, we want to put the map at the bottom of the screen and fill the background above it with black, so there is no apparent top and bottom margin at all.] This is the bottom wide drawing rule: draw wide image in graphics window; To draw wide image in graphics window: (- ScaleToBottomWide(); -) This is the bottom scaled drawing rule: draw bottom scaled image in graphics window. To draw bottom scaled image in graphics window: (- ScaleToBottom(); -) Include (- [ ScaleToBottom cur_pic result graph_width graph_height img_width img_height w_offset h_offset w_total h_total; if (FollowRulebook( (+glulx picture selection rules+) ) ) { cur_pic = ResourceIDsOfFigures-->(+ internally selected picture +); } if (cur_pic == 0) rtrue; if (gg_picwin) { result = glk_window_get_size(gg_picwin, gg_arguments, gg_arguments+WORDSIZE); graph_width = gg_arguments-->0; graph_height = gg_arguments-->1; result = glk_image_get_info( cur_pic, gg_arguments, gg_arguments+WORDSIZE); img_width = gg_arguments-->0; img_height = gg_arguments-->1; w_total = img_width; h_total = img_height; if (graph_height - h_total < 0) ! if the image won't fit, find the scaling factor { w_total = (graph_height * w_total)/h_total; h_total = graph_height; } if (graph_width - w_total < 0) { h_total = (graph_width * h_total)/w_total; w_total = graph_width; } w_offset = (graph_width - w_total)/2; if (w_offset < 0) w_offset = 0; h_offset = graph_height - h_total; if (h_offset < 0) h_offset = 0; glk_image_draw_scaled(gg_picwin, cur_pic, w_offset, h_offset, w_total, h_total); } ]; [ ScaleToBottomWide cur_pic result graph_width graph_height img_width img_height w_offset h_offset w_total h_total; if (FollowRulebook( (+glulx picture selection rules+) ) ) { cur_pic = ResourceIDsOfFigures-->(+ internally selected picture +); } if (cur_pic == 0) rtrue; if (gg_picwin) { result = glk_window_get_size(gg_picwin, gg_arguments, gg_arguments+WORDSIZE); graph_width = gg_arguments-->0; graph_height = gg_arguments-->1; result = glk_image_get_info( cur_pic, gg_arguments, gg_arguments+WORDSIZE); img_width = gg_arguments-->0; img_height = gg_arguments-->1; w_total = img_width; h_total = img_height; if (graph_height - h_total < 0) ! if the image won't fit, find the scaling factor { w_total = (graph_height * w_total)/h_total; h_total = graph_height; } if (graph_width - w_total < 0) { h_total = (graph_width * h_total)/w_total; w_total = graph_width; } w_offset = (graph_width - w_total)/2; if (w_offset < 0) w_offset = 0; h_offset = graph_height - h_total; if (h_offset < 0) h_offset = 0; glk_image_draw_scaled(gg_picwin, cur_pic, 0, h_offset, graph_width, h_total); } ]; -) Chapter 2 - Sounds [Once upon a time, when this was a much smaller and more comedic game, I was going to have sound effects communicating successes and failures with the various letter-manipulating instruments. But then the tone of the game changed and the game itself got a lot longer, and it felt like the cuteness of this would wear off long before hour eight or so of play. Also, not all interpreters support Glulx sound, so I would have had to commit to a lot of extra testing work in order to get anything done in this line. Ultimately it didn't seem worth it and the sounds were scrapped from the gameplay. I did have a fun afternoon once picking royalty-free sounds from a special effects database, though.] [Sound of record scratch is the file "scratch14.aif". Sound of sudden growth is the file "maximize04.aif". Sound of scope success is the file "organic_nav_16.aif". Sound of scope failure is the file "hi-tech_05.aif". Sound of gel splort is the file "pop_15.aif". ] Chapter 3 - Typographical Conveniences Section 1 - Output Shorthand [For changes of style and certain unicode elements that we might want to invoke in the middle of other output, we define a few say phrases to make them easier to type. ] Use American dialect and the serial comma. To say i -- beginning say_i -- running on: (- style underline; -). To say /i -- ending say_i -- running on: (- style roman; -). To say b -- beginning say_b -- running on: (- style bold; -). To say /b -- ending say_b -- running on: (- style roman; -). en dash translates into Unicode as 8211. em dash translates into Unicode as 8212. ballot x translates into Unicode as 10007. To say --: say Unicode em dash. To say -: say Unicode en dash. To say -x-: say Unicode ballot x. Rule for deciding whether all includes fixed in place things: it does not. Rule for deciding whether all includes scenery: it does not. Rule for deciding whether all includes people while taking: it does not. Rule for clarifying the parser's choice of something: do nothing instead. To say set prior to (item - a thing): now prior named noun is item. Section 2 - Input Editing [There are a number of situations -- when typing a question with a ? at the end, in a command like TYPE "BROWN" ON COMPUTER, etc. -- where we want to throw away any punctuation that the player has added to the input, and no situations in which we want to keep it (except for full stops, which might indicate the beginning of another command). So we edit those out.] Include Punctuation Removal by Emily Short. First after reading a command: remove stray punctuation. Section 3 - Styles [Borrowed from Alabaster's version of the same thing.] Table of User Styles (continued) style name justification obliquity indentation first-line indentation boldness fixed width relative size glulx color special-style-1 left-justified -- 0 0 -- -- 0 g-medium-grey special-style-2 left-justified italic-obliquity 0 0 light-weight proportional-font 0 g-dark-grey Before listing plausible quips [when dialogue tinting is true]: say "[second custom style][run paragraph on]". After listing plausible quips [when dialogue tinting is true]: if a paragraph break is pending: say "[roman type]"; otherwise: say "[roman type][run paragraph on]". Before listing matched quips: say "[second custom style][run paragraph on]". After listing matched quips: if a paragraph break is pending: say "[roman type]"; otherwise: say "[roman type][run paragraph on]". Section 4 - Bolding Help [The names of manipulable objects are especially important in this game, and it's possible for the reader to miss clues through careless reading or misunderstanding. So, as with Bronze and several of Aaron Reed's games, we bracket objects in descriptions and provide a facility to mark the names of implemented items in bold.] Boldening is a truth state that varies. Boldening is false. Before printing the name of a direction when boldening is true: say "[bold type]" After printing the name of a direction when boldening is true: say "[roman type]" Before printing the name of something which is not a quip when boldening is true: say "[bold type]" After printing the name of something which is not a quip when boldening is true: say "[roman type]" [This is a hack to get around a bug that I find wholly inexplicable and may be happening at the interpreter level, whereby "HIGHLIGHT" is assigned to the score notification action though it should not be, and appears correctly in the phrasebook.] After reading a command: if the player's command includes "highlight": replace the matched text with "hilight". Understand "highlighting on" or "hilighting on" or "hilight on" as turning on highlighting. Turning on highlighting is an action out of world. Understand "highlighting off" or "hilighting off" or "hilight off" as turning off highlighting. Turning off highlighting is an action out of world. Understand "highlighting" or "hilighting" or "hilight" or "highlight" as turning on highlighting when boldening is false. Understand "highlighting" or "hilighting" or "hilight" or "highlight" as turning off highlighting when boldening is true. Carry out turning on highlighting: now boldening is true. Carry out turning off highlighting: now boldening is false. Report turning on highlighting: say "Highlighting of object names is now on." Report turning off highlighting: say "Highlighting of object names is now off." [And suppose we want this to be functional for just a single turn and then turn off again:] Understand "look carefully" or "look closely" as bold looking. Bold looking is an action applying to nothing. Carry out bold looking: let already-bold-flag be false; if boldening is true: let already-bold-flag be true; now boldening is true; try looking; unless already-bold-flag is true: now boldening is false. Part 3 - Status Section 1 - The Status Line To fill the/-- status bar/line with (selected table - Table of Fancy Status): repeat through selected table: move cursor to 1; say "[left entry]"; right align cursor to 1; say "[right entry]"; When play begins: change right alignment depth to 20. Table of Fancy Status left central right " [location], [current daytime]" "" "Goals: [count of pending tasks] Score: [score]" Rule for constructing the status line: fill status bar with Table of Fancy Status; rule succeeds. Section 2 - Score [Score is pretty old-school here: it marks progress towards the end game and provides the player with a review of significant achievements so far, as well as encouraging the player that he did the right thing at certain junctures. Optional accomplishments are not included -- those are reserved for the achievement system -- so there are no Last Lousy Points. A player who gets to the end of the game should have the full hundred.] The new notify score changes rule is listed instead of the notify score changes rule in the turn sequence rulebook. This is the new notify score changes rule: if the score is not the last notified score: say "[first custom style]"; let diff be the score minus the last notified score; if diff is less than 0: let diff be 0 minus diff; say "[bracket]Your score has gone down by [diff in words] point[s][if score is greater than diff] and is now [score in words][end if].[close bracket]"; otherwise: say "[bracket]Your score has gone up by [diff in words] point[s][if score is greater than diff] and is now [score in words][end if].[close bracket]"; say "[roman type][paragraph break]"; now the last notified score is the score; Table of Tasks Achieved Points Citation Time 1 "using the letter-remover" a time 1 "using the gel" 1 "using the spinner" 1 "using the origin paste" 1 "using the synthesizer" 1 "getting a product of the homonym paddle" 1 "using the T-inserter" 1 "using the anagramming gun" 1 "using the umlaut punch" 1 "using the vowel rotator" 2 "returning a library book to its proper home" 3 "passing through the temporary barrier" 3 "winning the gel" 3 "opening the locker" 3 "retrieving the backpack" 3 "fueling our car" 3 "repairing our car" 3 "winning a barroom bet" 3 "arranging contact with Slango through his lady friend" 3 "visiting the dead drop" 3 "reading a legend" 3 "lifting abstraction limits on the letter-remover" 3 "lifting animate limits on the letter-remover" 3 "gaining access to the synthesizer" 3 "acquiring a keycard" 3 "breaking the Spirit of Atlantis (in cardboard form)" 3 "profiling the T-inserter" 5 "traveling by car" 5 "meeting Slango" 5 "passing the secretarial test" 10 "acquiring a sought-after invitation" 15 "returning to the yacht" To record (T - text) as achieved: choose row with a citation of T in the Table of Tasks Achieved; if there is no time entry begin; change time entry to the time of day; award (points entry) points; end if. The announce the score rule is not listed in any rulebook. Carry out requesting the score: if the score is 0: say "So far you are without points."; otherwise: say "You have earned [score] point[s]:"; repeat through the Table of Tasks Achieved in time order: say "[line break] [points entry] point[s] for [citation entry]"; say paragraph break. Report requesting the score: if the number of entries in the list of remaining letters is 26: say "You have not yet removed any letters from anything."; otherwise if the number of entries in the list of remaining letters is 0: say "You have at some time removed every letter from something."; otherwise: say "You have not yet removed [disjoint list of remaining letters] from anything."; follow the list achievements rule. To say disjoint (L - a list of indexed texts): let N be the number of entries in L; repeat with I running from 1 to N: say entry I in L; if I is N - 1: say ", or "; otherwise unless I is N: say ", ". Table of Rankings Score Rank 0 "Graduate Student" 10 "Escapee" 20 "Petty Criminal" 30 "Smuggler" 40 "Industrial Spy" 50 "Corporate Espionage Expert" 60 "Subversive Element" 75 "Enemy of the State" 100 "Successful Revolutionary" Section 3 - Assigning and completing tasks Table of Tasks Pending Citation Time Goal "Get my backpack from the cinema" a time Screening Room "Retrieve your remaining possessions from locker at hostel" a time Dormitory Room "Meet your colleague Slango at Counterfeit Monkey" -- Counterfeit Monkey with 40 blank rows. Table of Prefinished Tasks Citation Time Goal some text a time a room with 40 blank rows. Table of Tasks Complete Citation Time Goal some text a time a room with 40 blank rows. To assign (job - text) at (place - a room): unless job is under way or job is completed: if there is a citation of job in the Table of Prefinished Tasks: choose row with a citation of job in the Table of Prefinished Tasks; mark job done at (time entry); blank out the whole row; otherwise: if the number of blank rows in the Table of Tasks Pending is greater than 0: choose a blank row in the Table of Tasks Pending; change (Citation entry) to job; change (goal entry) to place. To decide whether (job - text) is under way: if there is a citation of job in the Table of Tasks Pending: yes. To decide whether (job - text) is completed: if there is a citation of job in the Table of Tasks Complete: yes. To complete (job - text): if there is a citation of job in the Table of Tasks Pending: choose row with Citation of job in the Table of Tasks Pending; blank out the whole row; mark job done at time of day; otherwise: mark job pending; To mark (job - text) pending: unless there is a citation of job in the Table of Tasks Complete: if the number of blank rows in the Table of Prefinished Tasks is greater than 0: choose a blank row in the Table of Prefinished Tasks; change (citation entry) to job; change (goal entry) to the location; change (time entry) to the time of day; To mark (job - text) done at (T - a time): unless there is a citation of job in the Table of Tasks Complete: if the number of blank rows in the Table of Tasks Complete is greater than 0: choose a blank row in the Table of Tasks Complete; change (citation entry) to job; change (goal entry) to the location; change (time entry) to T; [To reverse (job - text): if there is a citation of job in the Table of Tasks Complete: choose row with Citation of job in the Table of Tasks Complete; blank out the whole row; unless there is a citation of job in the Table of Tasks Pending: choose a blank row in the Table of Tasks Pending; change (citation entry) to job. ] To replace (job - text) with (new job - text): if there is a citation of job in the Table of Tasks Pending: choose row with Citation of job in the Table of Tasks Pending; blank out the whole row; change (citation entry) to new job; if there is a citation of job in the Table of Prefinished Tasks: choose row with Citation of job in the Table of Prefinished Tasks; blank out the whole row; change (citation entry) to new job; if there is a citation of job in the Table of Tasks Complete: choose row with Citation of job in the Table of Tasks Complete; blank out the whole row; change (citation entry) to new job; Understand the command "think" as something new. Understand "think" or "plan" or "plans" or "journal" or "missions" or "goals" or "goal" as planning. Planning is an action out of world. Check planning: if the Table of Tasks Pending is empty: say "[You] [are] out of goals." instead; Carry out planning: say "Here's what [you] think [you] need to do: "; repeat through the Table of Tasks Pending: say "[line break] [citation entry]"; say "[line break]". Report planning for the second time: say "[first custom style][bracket]Remember that you can move towards your goal locations with GO TO...[close bracket][roman type][paragraph break]"; To decide what number is the count of pending tasks: let N be the number of filled rows in the Table of Tasks Pending; decide on N. After going to Fair for the first time: say "I'm glad to see you're feeling ready to face the wider world. [run paragraph on]"; try planning; say "[first custom style][bracket]To go over our current goals, type GOALS at any time.[close bracket][roman type][paragraph break]"; continue the action. [Understand "schedule" or "summary" or "history" or "review" or "chapters" as scheduling. Scheduling is an action out of world. Report scheduling: say "We've managed the following: "; repeat through the Table of Tasks Complete: say "[line break] [citation entry]"; say "[paragraph break]"; say "That leaves: "; repeat through the Table of Tasks Pending: say "[line break] [citation entry]"; say "[paragraph break]"; ] [We don't need this because we have score.] To show to-do list: say "[line break]So now [you] should probably "; repeat through the Table of Tasks Pending: say "[citation entry]; "; say "and, most of all, not get noticed by anyone who shouldn't notice us." Section 4 - Achievements [Achievement file handling is adapted from the Recorded Endings extension used in Alabaster.] The File of Conclusions is called "monkeyac". When play begins (this is the load conclusions when starting rule): read the achievements. Last carry out restoring the game (this is the load conclusions when restoring rule): read the achievements. To read the achievements: if the File of Conclusions exists: read File of Conclusions into the Table of Possible Achievements. To record (slug - some text) as an achievement: read the achievements; let N be indexed text; let N be "[slug]"; unless N is a used achievement: choose a blank row in the Table of Possible Achievements; now the achievement entry is N; unless the location is nautical: say "[first custom style][line break]Achievement accomplished: [N]![line break][roman type]"; write File of Conclusions from the Table of Possible Achievements. Table of Possible Achievements achievement (indexed text) indexed text with 40 blank rows. Table of Final Question Options (continued) final question wording only if victorious topic final response rule final response activity "review the ACHIEVEMENTS you've reached so far" false "review/achievements" list achievements rule -- "learn about some of the SOURCES used in creating this game" true "sources/source/learn" list sources rule -- This is the list achievements rule: read the achievements; unless the number of filled rows in the Table of Possible Achievements is 0: sort the table of Possible Achievements in achievement order; say "The achievements you have accomplished so far include: [paragraph break]"; repeat through the Table of Possible Achievements: say " [achievement entry][line break]". To decide whether (chosen ending - indexed text) is a used achievement: let N be indexed text; let N be "[chosen ending]"; repeat through the Table of Possible Achievements: if N is achievement entry: yes; no. This is the list sources rule: say "I started working in earnest on this game in 2008. Since that time, the US has undergone two presidential elections; for months, the Occupy Seattle protests filled a city block just a short stroll from my apartment; and the successes and failures of the Arab Spring were constantly in the news. These experiences introduced more serious themes into what was initially a purely silly game. Gene Sharp's [i]From Dictatorship to Democracy[/i] and the documentary [i]How to Start a Revolution[/i] helped me think about peaceful revolutions and the communication of dissent within totalitarian regimes. The history of Atlantis['] colon[ization] mirrors that of nearby Gibraltar, on the theory that the same powers would have been likely to take an interest. Wikipedia supplied most of the potted history I used for this. Arika Okrent's [i]In the Land of Invented Languages[/i] and Mark Rosenfelder's [i]Language Construction Kit[/i] (first a website, subsequently a book) taught me a lot about existing constructed languages and helped me imagine what might interest Atlantean academics. [i]Poor Economics[/i] (Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo) provided some general background about different attempts to address global poverty, contributing to the Atlantean concept of utopian linguistics (and why it hadn't yet saved the world). The Scrabble dictionary and the internet anagram server, among others, helped me map out the puzzle space systematically. Hundreds of other small details came out of YouTube or Wikipedia, from the composition of classic cocktails to the mating behavior of pigs. Background for specific elements may be found in the game's source text." Section 5 - Inventory Options Inventory listing style is a kind of value. The inventory listing styles are tall, wide, and utilitarian. Current inventory listing style is an inventory listing style that varies. Current inventory listing style is utilitarian. Understand "inventory [inventory listing style]" as requesting styled inventory. Requesting styled inventory is an action applying to an inventory listing style, out of world. Carry out requesting styled inventory: now current inventory listing style is the inventory listing style understood. Report requesting styled inventory: say "Inventory listing is now set to [current inventory listing style]." [We begin by emulating the standard inventory listing style:] Instead of taking inventory when current inventory listing style is tall: if the number of things enclosed by the player is 0, say "[You] [are] empty-handed." instead; say "[You] [are] carrying: [line break]"; list the contents of the player, with newlines, indented, giving inventory information, including contents, with extra indentation. Instead of taking inventory when the current inventory listing style is wide: if the number of things enclosed by the player is 0, say "[You] [are] empty-handed." instead; say "[You] [are] wearing "; now all things enclosed by the player are unmarked for listing; now all things worn by the player are marked for listing; if no things worn by the player are marked for listing, say "nothing special"; otherwise list the contents of the player, as a sentence, listing marked items only; say ".[paragraph break]"; say "[You] [are] carrying "; now all things carried by the player are marked for listing; now all things worn by the player are unmarked for listing; if no things carried by the player are marked for listing, say "nothing"; otherwise list the contents of the player, as a sentence, tersely, giving brief inventory information, including contents, listing marked items only; say ".[paragraph break]". Instead of taking inventory when the current inventory listing style is utilitarian: now everything is not marked for listing; let packed count be 0; let unpacked count be 0; if the number of things enclosed by the player is 0, say "[You] [are] empty-handed." instead; now all essential things enclosed by the player are marked for listing; unless the number of marked for listing things is 0:: if exactly one thing is marked for listing: say "[You] [are] equipped with [a list of marked for listing thing] [--] an essential [you] mustn't part with.[paragraph break]"; otherwise: say "[You] [are] equipped with the following essentials: [a list of marked for listing things].[paragraph break]"; now packed count is the number of marked for listing things which are packed; now unpacked count is the number of marked for listing things which are unpacked; now everything is not marked for listing; now every not essential thing enclosed by the player is marked for listing; now everything that is part of something is not marked for listing; now the restoration gel is not marked for listing; [because the tub will already be a mentioned essential] unless no things are marked for listing: say "[You] [are] also carrying "; repeat with item running through marked for listing things: choose a blank row in the Table of Inventory Ordering; let N be indexed text; let N be "[item]"; let N be "[N in lower case]"; now the name appearance entry is N; now the referent entry is the item; if item is packed, increase packed count by 1; else increase unpacked count by 1; sort the Table of Inventory Ordering in name appearance order; let count be 0; let max be the number of filled rows in the Table of Inventory Ordering; let near-max be max minus 1; repeat through the Table of Inventory Ordering: say "[a referent entry]"; increase count by 1; if count is max: say "."; otherwise if count is near-max: say ", and "; otherwise: say ", "; blank out the whole row; if the player carries the backpack: say line break; if packed count is greater than unpacked count: if the unpacked count is 0: say "Everything [you] carry is in the backpack, which is [if backpack is closed]closed for greater concealment[else]gaping wide open so everyone can see what's inside[end if]. [no line break]"; else: say "Everything [you] carry is in the backpack except [the list of unpacked things which are enclosed by the player]. The backpack is [if backpack is closed]closed for greater concealment[else]gaping wide open so everyone can see what's inside[end if]. [no line break]"; else: if packed count is 0: say "None of that is in the backpack. [no line break]"; else: say "Of that collection, [the list of packed things] [is-are] packed away in the backpack, which is [if backpack is closed]closed for greater concealment[else]gaping wide open so everyone can see what's inside[end if]. [no line break]"; if the player wears something: if packed count is 0: say line break; say "We're wearing [the list of things worn by the player]."; else if the packed count is greater than 0: say paragraph break. Test newutility with "tutorial off / i / put all in backpack / i / wave l-remover at plans / put pans in backpack / i / put all in backpack / i / close backpack / i / x backpack / open backpack / x backpack / i / wear wig / i / wear monocle / i / drop backpack / i / x me" holding the backpack and the secret-plans and the lime and the cate and the wig. Definition: a thing is packed if it is enclosed by the backpack and it is not part of something. Definition: a thing is unpacked if it is not packed and it is not part of something and it is not the backpack. Table of Inventory Ordering name appearance referent indexed text a thing with 100 blank rows. After printing the name of something (called target) which is proffered by the secret-plans while taking inventory: if the current inventory listing style is utilitarian and the target is not secret-plans: say " (really the smuggled plans in disguise)". After printing the name of the tub while taking inventory: if the current inventory listing style is utilitarian: say " of restoration gel". Part 4 - Extras Section 1 - Footnotes [Once there were footnotes, using Stephen Granade's Footnotes extension. But I took them out. Most of what I wanted to explain seemed much better placed as comments in the source, where it wouldn't spoil anything that wasn't being spoiled anyway.] Section 2 - Hard Mode [ Counterfeit Monkey is designed to be fairly accessible -- this is a primary design concern for the puzzles and user interface. The implication of that, though, is that the game is likely to be easier than some hard-core puzzle aficionadoes are likely to prefer; and, of course, there are a lot of possible solutions that are substantially more obscure than others, which players are unlikely to find unless forced. So we also provide a hard mode, to offer a more focused puzzle experience for the people, one that will hopefully still be fun if the player chooses to revisit it after having already finished easy mode. To that end, there are a few mild jokes that riff on easy-mode gameplay, and a few puzzles are swapped entirely for something new and harder.] Understand "hard" or "hard mode" or "expert" or "harder" or "difficult" or "expert mode" or "harder mode" or "difficult mode" as selecting hard mode. Selecting hard mode is an action out of world. Check selecting hard mode when the Fair is visited: say "It is now too late in the game to change modes. If you wish, you may restart the game and choose HARD any time before reaching the Fair." instead. Hardness is a truth state that varies. Check selecting hard mode when the Fair is not visited: if hardness is true: say "Hard mode is already on." instead; say "Once you've selected hard mode, you can't go back: certain puzzles with multiple solutions will be made more difficult and some puzzles will be altered entirely. Are you sure? >>"; unless the player consents: say "Hard mode selection canceled." instead. [Implementing hard mode is largely a matter of deleting a number of the most obviously useful items from the game, forcing the player to look for alternative options that may be more difficult to find. In a couple of cases, we replace the useful item with something else as a bit of a tease. The list of things we take out of play: FUNNEL (FUEL) STICKY (STICK) BANANA (BANDANA) WRAP (RAP) SCREWDRIVER PEAR (PEARL etc.) WHEEL TOMES TWIG FOSSIL (OIL) GUM CLOCK (still included, but it gains the adjective BROKEN after its first gelling, and is not useful for the Waterstone puzzle, forcing the player to work with ASS or MEMBER instead.) Hard mode also changes the functionality of the vowel rotator in the late game, replacing it with a somewhat more challenging encryptor.] Carry out selecting hard mode: now hardness is true; remove the gum from play; remove the funnel from play; now the funnel is not buried; now the printed name of the twig is "bent twig"; now the printed name of the fossil is "twisty fossil"; now the printed name of the tomes is "dusty tomes"; remove the sticky from play; remove the banana from play; move the pineapple to the large carton; remove the wrap from play; remove the screwdriver from play; remove the screwdrivers from play; move the prickly-pear to the holder of the pear; remove the pear from play; remove the wheel from play; now the introduction of the clock is "It's stopped working sometime in the recent past, possibly thanks to its fall when we gelled it."; follow the initialize hash codes rule; now tutorial mode is false; Report selecting hard mode: say "[story title] is now in 'hard' mode. Tutorials are off. The world is reconfigured against you. Good luck." Test hardnames with "tutorial off / hard / y / drop all / look / look carefully / x bent twig / x broken clock / wave t-remover at twig / wave l-remover at clock / wave m-remover at tomes / wave s-remover at members / wave y-remover at army" holding the twig and the clock and the tomes and the members and the army. Test hard2 with "tutorial off / hard / y / autoupgrade / wave p-remover at patron / wave m-remover at patron / z / wave m-remover at patron" in the drinks club. Understand "model" as the members when hardness is true. Understand "model" as the army when hardness is true. Understand "bent" as the twig when hardness is true. Understand "dusty" as the tomes when hardness is true. Understand "twisty" as the fossil when hardness is true. Before printing the name of the clock when hardness is true and printed name of the clock is not "broken clock": if the clock is in the repository: make no decision; otherwise: now the printed name of the clock is "broken clock"; reset hash code of the clock; Understand "broken" as the clock when hardness is true. [We can't actually go back to easy mode once we're in hard mode, but we should react to the player's attempts to do so.] Understand "easy" or "easy mode" or "mode" as selecting easy mode. Selecting easy mode is an action out of world. Check selecting easy mode: if hardness is false: say "Easy mode is the default mode for [story title], and is already active." instead; otherwise: say "Once hard mode is selected, it cannot be turned off. Please restart if you would prefer to play the game in easy mode." instead. Section 3 - About Menu Include Basic Help Menu by Emily Short. When play begins: choose row 1 in Table of Basic Help Options; change description entry to "[story title] is a puzzle game about word manipulation, with moderate plot complexity. It will probably take a seasoned IF player at least eight hours to complete. This game is fairly gentle: it should not be possible to get stuck or make the game unexpectedly unwinnable; if an object you thought was useful goes away, odds are that you can live without it or that you'll have an opportunity to get it back. There are a handful of timed situations in the story. When these occur, you will probably be well aware of the fact. If you feel threatened, save the game." Table of Basic Help Options (continued) title subtable description "Commands specific to this game" -- "[story title] mostly uses commands standard in interactive fiction, so someone familiar with these should be at ease. The chief exceptions have to do with navigation and communicating with other characters. INVENTORY TALL, INVENTORY WIDE and INVENTORY UTILITARIAN change the way inventory listing is presented. By default, the inventory list is set to utilitarian, presenting your possessions in two groups (tools and other things), and alphabetizing the output. In a location, LOOK CAREFULLY will print the room description with object names in bold. If you would like to experience the whole game this way, try HIGHLIGHTING ON. GO TO a location will take us to the place named, even if that's some distance away. EXITS will list the currently available exits as text. You should also be able to see these in the compass rose of the graphical window, assuming you are using one. Sometimes you will recollect things. MEMORIES will list currently available memories, and REMEMBER will play the results. TALK TO GIRL or GIRL, HELLO will start a conversation with a person who isn't already talking to us. ASK ABOUT or TELL ABOUT let us talk about subjects that interest us, once the conversation has started. ASK GIRL ABOUT CHECKERS or TELL GIRL ABOUT ME will work, as will the more abbreviated forms ASK ABOUT CHECKERS, TELL ABOUT ME, or even just A CHECKERS and T ME. There will sometimes be prompts, like 'You could ask about whether margarine is better than butter.', in which case ASK WHETHER MARGARINE IS BETTER THAN BUTTER will work, but so will a shorter subset like ASK ABOUT BUTTER, as long as it uniquely identifies the question you want to ask. The topics listed during a conversation are not the complete list of available things to say, just the list of things that seem most relevant at the moment. If you'd like to play in hard mode, with some alternate puzzle solutions removed and other puzzles changed entirely, type HARD during the first few rooms of the game. After that point, it is too late to qualify for hard mode, and you'll need to restart if you wish to activate it." "Testing Credits" -- "I had a great team of testers to work over the gameplay: Sam Kabo Ashwell, Richard Evans, John Ferguson, Admiral Jota, Jacqueline A. Lott, Kate McKee, Jim Munroe, Mark Musante, Chris Nelson, Graham Nelson, Peter Nelson, Toby Nelson, Zach Samuels, and David Welbourn. As well as catching many errors, the team suggested additional responses and easter eggs, provided valuable help with puzzle design and story development, and offered moral support. I am indebted to the following players for suggestions and bug reports that affected subsequent releases: Draconis, dydt, Guy, Joe, Josh, Matthias, Malor, Weeble, Bruce Addison, Lea Albaugh, Sam Barlow, Sasha Beker, Josiah Boning, Taus Brock-Nannestad, Matthew Carson, Liza Daly, Justin de Vesine, Jason Dyer, Dan Fabulich, Jeremy Freese, Stephen Granade, Admiral Jota, Jacqueline A. Lott, Chris Martens, Jason McIntosh, Megazver, Adam Milecki, Carl Muckenhoupt, Jim Munroe, William O'Neill, Greg Pallis, Karl Parakenings, Q. Pheevr, Sam Piip, Dan Q, Matthew Rees, Sean M. Shore, David Simon, Lucian P. Smith, Michael Sokolov, David Steltzer, Adam Thornton, Matt Weiner, David Welbourn, Matthias Wenigweiser. Any remaining flaws are my fault alone." "Other Credits" -- "Counterfeit Monkey uses Inform extensions by Graham Nelson, David Fisher, Aaron Reed, Jim Aikin, Gavin Lambert, Jon Ingold, and Jeff Sheets. To read a complete list of these extensions and their version information, type VERSION at the command line. A number of other IF community members helped me trouble-shoot specific issues. Jason Dyer worked over one specific easter egg for me. Andrew Hunter and Andrew Plotkin diagnosed a problem running the game under Git. Dannii Willis and Ben Cressey helped with figuring out why UNDO wasn't working on Gargoyle. Graham Nelson provided a hashing solution that made object name comparisons run a great deal faster as the number of objects in the game climbed over 1500. Their assistance is much appreciated. The in-game maps use a variety of readily available fonts. Some of the more esoteric of these came from the HP Lovecraft Historical Society Font Pack. My sister created the Atlantida poster. There are three cameo appearances by IF community members (or their alter egos). These people bid for the opportunity to appear, as part of a fundraiser for a heart surgery patient who was without medical insurance. They are Mark Musante, John Ferguson, and Kate McKee, and I wish to thank them again for their generosity." "Contacting the author" -- "Emily Short can be reached at emshort@mindspring.com. Her website, at http://emshort.wordpress.com, contains more information about this and other interactive fiction." Section 4 - Resurrection [In versions 1-4 of the game, it was possible to die instantly in assorted ways. On an interpreter with working UNDO, it was possible to take this turn back, but a) some novice players may not realize this and b) some interpreters choked on trying to undo things given how very large the game state is.] When play ends when the story has not ended finally: wait for any key; say "That is, that's what would have happened if [you] had done something so foolish. Shall we suppose [you] didn't? >"; if the player consents: resume the story; try looking. Book 2 - Character Models Section 1 - Some activities on Oneself When play begins: change the library message person to first person; change the library message grammatical number to plural. [Instead of waving the letter-remover at yourself when the current setting of the letter-remover is "y": say "Arguably [you] already count as 'ourself.'"] The printed name of yourself is "Alexandra". Understand "you" or "body" as yourself. Instead of examining the player: say "[one of]This body is more you than me [--] well, it would be, since [you] came out a girl. Still, I feel a bit odd inspecting us too closely. It feels like invading your privacy.[or]I don't think anything about us looks out of place. [You] [are] female, though a little taller and leaner than average, and with slightly boyish facial features. It's nothing that would attract attention, though.[stopping]"; if the player wears something: say "[line break][You] [are] wearing [the list of things worn by the player]."; rule succeeds. Instead of touching the player: say "[You] seem to be all in one piece." Instead of kissing the player: say "[one of]That would have worked better if you'd asked three days ago.[or]I wouldn't have, of course.[or]It's not that I'm not interested. I'm just... not interested.[or]It's like this: you're attractive, but you're also scary. I'm not a big risk-taker, which is why I needed you in the first place.[or]Could [you] stop talking about this?[stopping]". Instead of tasting the player: say "I don't know about you, but I try not to be seen licking myself. And I count your presence as company." Instead of attacking the player: say "Not while I'm in here too." Instead of taking the player: say "I don't see how [you] could do that." [Understand "sorry" as a mistake ("Don't worry about it. I'm not even sure why you're apologizing.").] [Understand "thank you" as a mistake ("Think nothing of it. We're in this together.") when the current interlocutor is not a person. ] Understand "lick [something]" as tasting. Include Facial Expressions by Emily Short. Section 2 - Conversation, including Subjects [ The Counterfeit Monkey uses the same conversation library as Alabaster, though with some different refinements. ] Include Threaded Conversation by Emily Short. Include Threaded Actions by Emily Short. A quip can be listed or unlisted. A quip is usually listed. Plausibility rule for an unlisted quip: it is dubious. After reading a command: let N be indexed text; let N be "[player's command]"; replace the regular expression "(hi|hello|hey), (.*)" in N with "\2, \1"; change the text of the player's command to N. Bureau is a subject. Understand "bureau of orthography" or "orthography" as the bureau. Celebration is a subject. Understand "fair" or "party" or "hoopla" or "shindig" or "hootenanny" or "festival" or "serial comma day" as celebration. Constructed language is a subject. Understand "conlang" as constructed language. Crime is a subject. Understand "criminal" or "criminal activities" or "criminal activity" or "smuggling" or "fraud" as crime. Education is a subject. Understand "school" or "schooling" or "teaching" or "university" or "college" or "teacher" or "teachers" or "professor" or "professors" as education. Employment is a subject. Understand "job" or "work" as Employment. Understand "bureau" as employment when the current interlocutor is the secretary. Entertainment is a subject. Understand "show" or "film" or "films" or "shows" or "show time" or "movie time" or "show times" or "movie times" or "movie" or "movies" or "books" or "book" or "amusement" or "presentation" or "display" as entertainment. Family is a subject. Understand "brother" or "sister" or "son" or "daughter" or "children" or "child" or "mother" or "father" or "parents" or "parent" or "sons" or "daughters" or "brothers" or "sisters" or "sibling" or "siblings" or "aunts" or "uncles" or "uncle" or "aunt" or "grandparent" or "grandmother" or "grandfather" or "grandma" or "grandpa" as family. Fashion is a subject. Understand "clothing" or "clothes" or "attire" or "outfit" as fashion. Food is a subject. Understand "eating" or "dining" or "meal" or "meals" or "foodstuff" or "grocery" or "groceries" as food. Geography is a subject. Understand "surroundings" or "directions" as geography. Religion is a subject. Understand "religion" or "faith" or "belief" or "beliefs" or "dogma" or "religious" as Religion. Immigration is a subject. Understand "customs house" or "custom house" or "customs" or "custom" or "tariff" or "import" or "aliens" or "alien" or "citizens" or "citizen" or "naturalization" or "entry visa" as immigration. Industry is a subject. Understand "industrial" or "espionage" as industry. Internet is a subject. Understand "email" or "e-mail" or "wifi" or "network" or "computer" or "computers" or "web" or "wikipedia" as the internet. Legislation is a subject. Understand "law" or "legalities" or "legal" or "government" as legislation. Some plans is a subject. Understand "scheme" or "intention" or "intentions" or "conspiracy" or "plan" as plans. Porson is a subject. Research is a subject. Understand "experiment" or "experiments" or "study" or "studies" as research. Romance is a subject. Understand "love" or "smoochies" or "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" or "partner" or "spouse" or "husband" or "wife" as romance. Security is a subject. Understand "men" or "law enforcement" or "police" as security. Transportation is a subject. Understand "transport" or "bus" or "buses" or "bus system" or "transit" or "transit system" or "car" or "rental car" or "auto" or "automobile" or "cars" or "autos" or "vehicles" or "automobiles" or "vehicle" as "[transit]". Understand "[transit]" as transportation. The environment is a subject. Understand "planet" as the environment. A quip can be background-information. A plausibility rule for a background-information quip: it is dubious. Definition: a quip is personal: if it mentions romance: yes; if it mentions religion: yes; if it mentions family: yes; no. Definition: a quip is civic: if it mentions geography: no; if it mentions legislation: yes; if it mentions bureau: yes; if it mentions immigration: yes; if it mentions security: yes; no. Section 3 - Conversational Greetings [ The player encounters characters under three basic circumstances (though there can be some overlap between these): 1) The character is manufactured by the player as the result of a letter transformation. (See "Manufactured People".) Manufactured people are not expected to do terribly much, as a rule, though one or two do have a function (the mechanic especially). 2) The character hangs out in a particular room almost all the time. (See "Open Access Characters".) 3) The character is moved on-stage by a scene event and then removed again when the scene is over. A small handful of characters are one and then the other -- for instance, you can visit Higgate in her office as much as you like until you've triggered off certain essential events with her, after which she reappears only for scene reasons. In this section we create some actions for saying hello to new characters, and then promptly try to ensure that the player doesn't have to use them much. Characters who are "alert" will notice and greet the player when he comes into the area, and as this makes them seem more lively and reduces the amount of player effort, it's almost always desirable. We also add a text property so that people can have their own characteristic greetings.] A person can be alert. Definition: a person is alarmed if he is alert and he is not the current interlocutor. Every turn when an alarmed person (called the prospective interlocutor) is enclosed by the location: try the prospective interlocutor saying hello to the player. The new default greeting rule is listed instead of the default greeting rule in the report saying hello to rules. Report saying hello to someone when the greeting type is explicit (this is the new default greeting rule): say "[You] [one of]say [one of]hello[or]hi[or]hey[at random] to[or]wave at[or]nod to[or]greet[purely at random] [the noun].[paragraph break][greeting of the noun][paragraph break]"; Report someone saying hello to the player: say "[greeting of the actor][paragraph break]" instead; A person has some text called the greeting. The greeting of a person is usually "'[one of]Hi[or]Hello[or]Hi there[at random],' [the actor] say[s].". The greeting of the player is "'Hi,' [you] say." The report someone saying hello rule is not listed in any rulebook. The can't greet current interlocutor rule is not listed in any rulebook. The check hailing rule is not listed in any rulebook. Check hailing (this is the new check hailing rule): if the current interlocutor is a visible person: if the current quip is generic-quip: now the current quip is the greet-quip; say "[You] [one of]nod[or]wave[or]smile and acknowledge [the current interlocutor][or]say hi[or]return the greeting[at random]." instead; say already-have instead; change the noun to a random visible person who is not the player; if the noun is a person then say "(addressing [the noun])"; otherwise say "There's no one here but you." instead. Check saying hello to someone who is not the current interlocutor when the current interlocutor is alert: say "[The noun] [is-are] already included in the conversation." instead. Check starting a conversation with clientele about something: say "They're... busy. At best interrupting them would interrupt their code, and at worst it would make them think [you] [are] a Bureau agent." instead. Test clientele-bug with "ask parker about slango / ask men about slango" in the Counterfeit Monkey. Carry out starting a conversation with an eavesdropping person about when the current interlocutor is a person: say "[You] give [the noun] a look to say [its-their] input would be welcome as well."; now the reborn command is "ask about [topic understood]"; now sp reparse flag is true instead. [We do want it to be possible for the player to say "hi" back to a character who has just greeted him if the conversation has just started.] Check saying hello to a person when the noun is the current interlocutor (this is the new can't greet current interlocutor rule): if the current quip is generic-quip: now the current quip is the greet-quip; say "[You] [one of]nod[or]wave[or]smile[or]say hi[or]return the greeting[at random]." instead; say already-have instead. To say already-have: say "[You] already have the attention of [the current interlocutor][if a person is eavesdropping], not to mention the curiosity of [the list of eavesdropping people][end if]." Definition: a person is eavesdropping if it is not the player and it is not the current interlocutor and it is enclosed by the location. The greet-quip is a privately-named quip. The greet-quip is unlisted. The printed name of the greet-quip is "greetings". Understand "wave to/at [something]" as waving to. Waving to is an action applying to one visible thing. Sanity-check waving to a person: try saying hello to the noun instead. Sanity-check waving to something: say "[The noun] appear[s] very unlikely to respond." instead. Test secondaries with "tutorial off / z / say hello / g / ask about paddle / say hello to mark / ask mark about mark / ask mark about the paddle / test customer" in the Drinks Club. Test customer with "z / ask about maps / say hello to customer / ask customer about maps / say hello to papas / ask papas about maps" holding the map-customer and the papas in Arbot. Test all-greetings with "all-greet". Section 4 - Facts and Motives [For many of the scattered characters, they're going to try to work out what you want from them and behave according to that script, whatever it turns out to be. Shop sellers will assume that you're a possible customer and use that script until you defy it; that kind of thing.] To decide what fact is the ostensible motive: if the current interlocutor knows a motivational fact (called the probable motive): decide on the probable motive; otherwise: decide on generic-truth. [The guy wants to know why we're talking to him like this] Table of All Known Facts (continued) fact summary you-hit-on "That you want to date this person." you-are-dangerous "That you have dangerous questions." you-are-religious "That you are proselytizing." you-are-tourist "That you're a lost tourist." you-are-past-customer "That you're a past customer." you-are-possible-customer "That you're a potential customer." you-take-survey "That you're taking a survey." you-are-feckless "That you're a confused nitwit." you-are-student "That you're a student." things-close-today "That a lot of places close for Serial Comma Day." canada-girl "That the girl has a Canadian flag on her pack." fake-canada "That the Canadian flag is a lie." allowed-in-movie "We've been admitted to the movie theater." lena-needed "That Slango left a message for you with Lena at the Aquarium." slango-friendship "You and Slango truly are friends." waterstone-invited "Waterstone is invited to a demonstration at the Fleur d'Or." carpets-shampooed "Waterstone's wife is shampooing the carpets." plan-making-inanimate "That you're thinking of making Brock inanimate." inanimate-safe "That it's safe being inanimate." plan-riding-roc "That you're considering riding a roc." roc-chances "That you're willing to take your chances." gel-needed "That you'll need gel." have-gel "That you have gel." upgrades-needed "That you'll need upgrades on your letter remover." have-upgrades "That you have upgrades on your letter remover." trust-me "That Lena can trust you." lena-distrusts "That Lena does not trust us at the moment." mark-known "That the patron's name is Mark." brock-found "That the rock is really Brock." crime-bg "That one of you is criminal." atlantean-bg "That one of you is Atlantean." A fact can be motivational or purposeless. A fact is usually purposeless. you-are-student, you-hit-on, you-are-tourist, you-are-possible-customer, you-are-past-customer, you-take-survey, you-are-feckless, you-are-dangerous are motivational. Assumption relates various quips to various facts. The verb to assume (it assumes, they assume, it assumed, it is assumed) implies the assumption relation. An availability rule for a quip (called the target): if the target assumes a fact which is not known by the player, it is off-limits. Section 5 - Generic Response Types A person has some text called the generic negative. The generic negative of a person is usually "[one of]no[or]not really[at random]". A person has some text called the generic positive. The generic positive of a person is usually "[one of]yes[or]sure[at random]". A person has some text called the generic adversative. The generic adversative of a person is usually "well". A person has some text called the secondary apology. The secondary apology of a person is usually "". A person has some text called the generic confrontational. The generic confrontational of a person is usually "look". To say Well: let N be indexed text; let N be "[generic adversative of the current interlocutor]"; let N be "[N in sentence case]"; say "[N]". To say personal no: let N be indexed text; let N be "[generic negative of the current interlocutor]"; let N be "[N in sentence case]"; say "[N]". To say personal yes: let N be indexed text; let N be "[generic positive of the current interlocutor]"; let N be "[N in sentence case]"; say "[N]". To say awkward no: let N be indexed text; let N be "[generic adversative of the current interlocutor], [generic negative of the current interlocutor]"; let N be "[N in sentence case]"; say "[N][apologetic]"; To say awkward yes: let N be indexed text; let N be "[generic adversative of the current interlocutor], [generic positive of the current interlocutor]"; let N be "[N in sentence case]"; say "[N][apologetic]"; To say apologetic: if the secondary apology of the current interlocutor is not "": say ", [secondary apology of the current interlocutor]"; To say awkward confrontation: let N be indexed text; let N be "[generic confrontational of the current interlocutor]"; let N be "[N in sentence case]"; say "[N]"; To say ignorance: carry out the expressing ignorance for activity with the current interlocutor; say "[run paragraph on]" Section 6 - Varieties of Person [Most of the characters in the game fall into one of four categories: native, tourist, criminal, police. These categories allow us to define appropriate behavior for the "universal reactions" where there aren't individual separately-coded responses for every character.] A person can be native, tourist, criminal, or police. A person is usually native. Rule for expressing ignorance for a tourist person: say "[one of]'You might be better off asking someone else[or]'I really don't know a lot about that[or]'I'm pretty new around here myself[at random],' says [the current interlocutor].[run paragraph on]" Rule for expressing ignorance for a police person: say "[one of]'That's official information[or]'There are security reasons why I can't discuss that[or]'I'd have to ask my manager[or]'We aren't supposed to answer questions of that sort[at random],' says [the current interlocutor].[run paragraph on]" When play begins: [now every person in the zoo is tourist; now every person in the Customs House is police;] now every person in Official Grounds is police. [Characters also have certain traits, which may occur in combination or alone and are not mutually exclusive, and which govern reactions to common questions.] A conversation trait is a kind of value. The conversation traits are unhelpfulness, privacy, courtesy, caution, and vanity. Exhibition relates various people to various conversation traits. The verb to exhibit (it exhibits, they exhibit, it exhibited, it is exhibited) implies the exhibition relation. [Unhelpfulness means that they're less willing to listen to a lot of questions and assist you if you're a tourist. Privacy means they're less willing to answer questions about themselves or their personal beliefs. Courtesy means they're more likely to be apologetic, etc., when making dispreferred conversational choices. Caution means that they're likely to avoid situations leading to demands on themselves. Vanity means they're more likely to assume that you're hitting on them (in the ostensible motives line).] Section 7 - Moods Include Mood Variations by Emily Short. The moods are neutral, distrustful, sexy, worried, sexy-worried, and sexy-distrustful. The current mood of a person is usually neutral. Section 8 - Refusals for threaded actions Rule for refusing to buy something when the location is the gift shop: if library message person is second person: say "You consider it briefly, but conclude there's nothing you really need."; otherwise: say "I just can't stand to buy anything here." Rule for refusing to kiss a man: if library message person is second person: say "You run a series of possible ploys and distractions and minor cons through your mind and discard them all: too risky, too slow to perform, etc."; otherwise: say "[one of][The noun] [is-are] not my type[or]I'm really not attracted to [the noun], personally[or]Yet another man who does nothing for me[or]Unlike you, I don't make an attempt on everything that moves. And I still don't want to kiss random men [you] meet[stopping]." Rule for refusing to kiss a woman: if library message person is second person: say "You run a series of possible ploys and distractions and minor cons through your mind and discard them all: too risky, too slow to perform, etc."; otherwise: say "Tempting, but no." Rule for refusing to attack someone: if library message person is second person: say "You consider your strength and combat skill and decide that that might not be the most reliable approach."; otherwise if the player's command includes "kill" or the player's command includes "murder": say "[one of]What? No! Wow. What kind of person are you that that is even something that you think of trying? Nah, don't answer.[or][you][']ve covered that: it's no.[stopping]"; otherwise: say "I don't solve my problems with violence. You can do what you like when we're separated again." instead. Book 3 - Viewpoint and Narrative Voice Include Locksmith by Emily Short. Include Plurality by Emily Short. Use sequential action. Use full-length room descriptions. Understand the command "latch" as "lock". The passkey description rule is not listed in any rulebook. After examining an identified passkey (this is the new passkey description rule): say "[The noun] unlocks [the list of things unbolted by the noun]."; continue the action. Test keybug with "tutorial off / x key / wear monocle / x key" holding the key and the monocle. Section 1 - Overriding to First Plural Include Custom Library Messages by David Fisher. Include Tailored Room Description by Emily Short. [This sets us up so that we can print object descriptions when taking items if the command was of the form TAKE FISH, but not if it was TAKE ALL and the result would be a screendump of different descriptions. See its use in the "report player taking" response below.] To decide whether the action is singular: let L be the multiple object list; if the number of entries in L is less than 2: yes; no. A thing can be examined or unexamined. To say (item - a thing) description: say "[description of the item]"; now the item is examined. Carry out examining something: now the noun is examined. Table of custom library messages (continued) Message Id Message Text LibMsg "[You] [one of]take[or]get[or]pick up[or]acquire[as decreasingly likely outcomes] [the noun][if the noun is unexamined and the action is singular]. [run paragraph on][noun description][no line break][otherwise].[end if]" LibMsg "[You] put down [the noun]." LibMsg " ([if the player is in the car]jammed into the car[otherwise]in [the % dobj][end if])" LibMsg "[if location is Customs House]The line is moving enough that even things that were just here move out of sight quickly[otherwise][one of]I don't know what you think you're talking about, because we can't see any such thing here[or]Maybe that means something different to you, but I can't see any such thing[or]I can't see what you're talking about[stopping][end if]." LibMsg "Hey, calm down." LibMsg "No kidding." LibMsg "[one of]Is that how you solve all problems?[or]Could you refrain while I'm trapped in the same body here?[at random]" LibMsg "[one of]I'm pulling my weight here! How about [i]you[/i] think us up a way out of this, hm?[or]Sorry, no bright ideas at the moment.[at random]" LibMsg "[one of]I don't like destructive behavi[our].[or]I just don't think attacking things or people is going to help.[or]Jeez, wait until you're sole proprietor of your own body to [if the noun is a person]pick fights[otherwise]commit pointless acts of vandalism[end if].[cycling]" LibMsg "But [i]why?[/i] [--] no, don't answer that. I'm sure you have some crazy explanation." LibMsg "I don't think that would help." LibMsg "[You] wave our hand regally." LibMsg "[You] achiev[e-s] nothing by this." LibMsg "[You] seriously doubt that will help." LibMsg "[You] open[-s] [the % dobj][if the noun is a container and the number of things in the noun is 0], which turns out to be empty[end if]." LibMsg "I prefer not to exercise my singing voice in company. (That includes you.)" LibMsg "At some point we'll split into our two proper selves, but our unnatural synthesis is no dream." LibMsg " We have won " LibMsg "[You][']d rather not try it." LibMsg "[You][']d rather not try it." LibMsg "[You][']d rather not try it." LibMsg "[if the current interlocutor is a visible person][The current interlocutor] [is-are]n't in a position to sell us [the noun][otherwise]There's no one about to sell us [the noun][end if]." LibMsg "[nerve-damage]." LibMsg "[nerve-damage]." LibMsg "[You] don't have a flame source, and if [you] did I wouldn't want to set things on fire with it." To say nerve-damage: say "[one of]I don't see that being a big help[or]I'd rather not, thanks[or]You're a strikingly tactile person, you know? But I don't see any purpose in it[or]Hm. Don't take this the wrong way, but do you think your need for haptic feedback is a sign of nerve damage during our synthesis? No? Okay, just checking[cycling]". Section 2 - Making TRD first plural [ Tailored Room Description assumes a second-person narrator. We use TRD's abilities heavily throughout the game to control the order and manner in which items are described, but we need to do a couple of tweaks to get the output to conform properly to requirements here.] When play begins: now the current-topic-sentences-table is the Table of NBS; now the current-room-content-table is the Table of NRCD. Rule for writing a topic sentence about an introduceable as-yet-unknown thing (called special-target) which is not in the location: if the special-target is initially-described, make no decision; if the special-target is flexibly-described, make no decision; change the current-subject to special-target; let special-exterior be the holder of the special-target; if the special-exterior is a chair and the special-target is a person: make no decision; [this we want to describe explicitly as sitting] say "[You] can see [a special-target] [in-on special-exterior as a possibly-known item]. [run paragraph on]". Table of NBS disclosure "[if the current-subject is a person][The current-subject] [is-are] here. [otherwise][You] can see [a current-subject] here. [end if]". Table of NRCD disclosure "[You] can [optional also]see [a list of mentionable things in the current-subject] [if current-subject is the location]here[otherwise]in [the current-subject][end if]. ". A ranking rule for a person (called special-target): increase the description-rank of the special-target by 10. Section 3 - Making Locksmith first plural [Locksmith doesn't have a great deal of its own text, but we can add some.] To say key-refusal for (key-object - the small door): say "It looks as though [you] need a keycard to unlock [the small door], and [you] don't have one." Section 4 - Making Threaded Conversation first plural [Threaded Conversation also refers to 'you' only in one place, which can be overridden by redefining a variable text: ] When play begins: now quip-suggestion-phrase is "[one of][You] could [or]I'd like to [or][You] want to [or]I'm inclined to [or]My response would be to [as decreasingly likely outcomes]". The no quip worth saying default rule is not listed in any rulebook. Rule for expressing ignorance for the player (this is the new no-quip rule): say "[one of][You] can't think of anything appropriate to say[or]I'm not sure what you're trying to express, there[at random]." Section 5 - Introductions [Introductions are special text printed when we see a room or object for the first time, and are part of the dynamic description system which helps ground us in Alex's thoughts especially. ] A thing has some text called the introduction. The introduction of a thing is usually "". A room has some text called the introduction. The introduction of a room is usually "". Rule for writing a paragraph about an as-yet-unknown introduceable thing (called special-target): carry out the writing a topic sentence about activity with the special-target; introduce the special-target; say paragraph break. After examining an as-yet-unknown introduceable thing (called special-target): introduce the special-target; say paragraph break. To introduce (special-target - an object): now the special-target is introduced; say "[introduction of the special-target]". Definition: a thing is introduceable if its introduction is not "". Definition: a room is introduceable if its introduction is not "". A thing can be as-yet-unknown or introduced. A thing is usually as-yet-unknown. A room can be as-yet-unknown or introduced. A room is usually as-yet-unknown. The first time looking rule is listed after new object description rule in the carry out looking rules. This is the first time looking rule: if location is introduceable and the location is as-yet-unknown: introduce the location; say paragraph break. A description-concealing rule: now every thing which is held by an as-yet-unknown introduceable person is not marked for listing. [This is so that preliminary descriptions of characters will not be followed by 'so and so is holding such and such and wearing so-and-that.'] Section 6 - The THINK verb Understand "think about [any introduceable introduced thing]" or "remember [any introduceable introduced thing]" as thinking about. Understand the commands "recall" or "consider" or "recollect" or "ponder" or "contemplate" as "remember". Thinking about is an action applying to one visible thing. Carry out thinking about: introduce the noun; say paragraph break. Book 4 - Default World Model Tweaks Part 1 - Parsing and Verb Handling Section 1 - Smarter Parser [These libraries by Aaron Reed are designed to make life a little easier on the novice player, and sometimes even on the advanced player, by looking for common errors when there's a parser failure, and by giving the player a greater range of control when disambiguating items with related names.] Include Smarter Parser by Aaron Reed. Include Numbered Disambiguation Choices by Aaron Reed. [Use empty Smarter Parser rulebook.] To announce the reparsed command: say "[first custom style]([unless saved Smarter Parser error is empty][saved Smarter Parser error] Retrying that as '[reborn command]'.)[roman type][command clarification break]". To explain the reborn command: say "[first custom style][saved Smarter Parser error][roman type][line break]". The unnecessary movement rule is not listed in any rulebook. The too many words rule is not listed in any rulebook. [conversation commands can be quite long.] [And we want to make sure that we're not listing tutorial prompts in the middle of command reparses:] The offer new prompt rule is not listed in any rulebook. Before reading a command when tutorial mode is true (this is the alternate new prompt rule): if sp reparse flag is false and identification is not happening: follow the instructional rules. The stripping failed with rule is not listed in any rulebook. [There are too many actions in the game where "with" IS fruitful, so this often gives a misleading response.] [A smarter parser rule when sp_normal (this is the new stripping failed with rule): unless propping something with or attacking something with or blindfolding something with or selecting something with or shooting something with: if stripping "(with|using|by) (the|a|some|my)? ?\w*" is fruitful: identify error as stripping failed with rule; reparse the command. ] When play begins: choose row with SP rule of asking unparseable questions rule in the Table of Smarter Parser Messages; now the message entry is "If you're trying to converse with other characters, the suggestions in the text provide possible phrasings; so if you read 'I might ask about lentils.', you might phrase your command ASK ABOUT LENTILS. Introducing other words or variant phrasings that weren't part of the suggestion may confuse the game. Alternatively, if you just want to take an action in the game world, try giving a direct command, such as EXAMINE THE ASP or WAVE THE P-REMOVER AT THE PHONEY." Section 2 - Additional Parsing Lines for USE [Wherever possible, we want USE THING to fall through to a plausible default behavior, which we do with a bunch of additional grammar lines:] Understand "use [an edible thing]" as eating. Understand "use [a wearable thing]" as wearing. Understand "use [a closed openable container]" as opening. Understand "use [an open openable container]" as closing. Understand "use [something preferably held] on [a locked lockable thing]" as unlocking it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "use [something preferably held] on [an unlocked lockable thing]" as locking it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "use [a locked lockable thing]" as unlocking keylessly. Understand "use [an unlocked lockable thing]" as locking keylessly. Understand "use [a switched off device]" as switching on. Understand "use [something]" as using. Using is an action applying to one thing. Carry out using: say "You will have to be more specific about your intentions." Understand "use [paste] on/with [something]" as putting it on. Understand "use [gel] on/with [something]" as putting it on. Understand "use [tub] on/with [something]" as putting it on. Understand "use [pistol] on [something ungunlike]" as shooting it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "use [pistol] on [something]" as shooting it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "use [a door]" as opening. Understand "use [an open door]" as entering. Understand "use [something] on/with [something]" as using it on. Using it on is an action applying to two things. Carry out using it on: say "I'm not sure what you mean; maybe you could pick a more specific verb." instead. Section 3 - Miscellaneous Verbs [And by a similar token, these create preferences in the parser so that the game will try the most obvious items first:] Understand the commands "revive" or "resuscitate" as "wake". Understand the command "kick" as "attack". Understand the command "ransack" as "search". Understand the command "brush" as "clean". Understand "brush off [something]" as rubbing. Understand "eat [an edible thing]" as eating. Understand "wear [a wearable thing]" as wearing. Understand "open [something closed]" as opening. Understand "close [something open]" as closing. Understand "enter [something enterable]" as entering. Understand "enter [a door]" as entering. Understand the command "chew" as "eat". [to cover the gum situation] Understand "climb on/onto [something]" as climbing. [Before eating something which is not carried by the player: try taking the noun; if the player does not have the noun, stop the action. ] Before wearing something which is not carried by the player: if the noun is worn, continue the action; try taking the noun; if the player does not have the noun, stop the action. Understand "plugh" or "xyzzy" or "frotz" or "plover" as a mistake ("What [you] do isn't magic. It's science."). Understand "vomit" or "throw up" or "puke" or "barf" as a mistake ("[You] may feel a bit ill, but I don't think that's necessary."). Section 4 - Miscellaneous Class Vocabulary Understand "man" or "gentleman" or "guy" or "dude" or "boy" as a man. Understand "girl" or "gal" or "woman" or "lady" as a woman. Section 5 - Sanity and Accessibility The sanity-check rules are a rulebook. This is the sanity-check stage rule: abide by the sanity-check rules. The sanity-check stage rule is listed before the before stage rule in the action-processing rules. To decide whether (item - a thing) must be touched: if the item is the noun and the action requires a touchable noun, yes; if the item is the second noun and the action requires a touchable second noun, yes; no. An accessibility rule (this is the no touching NPC stuff rule): if the touch-goal is enclosed by someone (called the owner) who is not the actor and the touch-goal must be touched: if the person reaching is the player: say "I don't dare invade the personal space of [the owner]."; rule fails; make no decision. A first accessibility rule (this is the go to location rule): if the location of the touch-goal is not the location of the person reaching: let the target room be the location of the touch-goal; if the number of moves from the location to the target room is 1: try approaching target room; if the location is not target room: rule fails; make no decision. To decide what object is the touch-goal: (- (untouchable_object) -). Sanity-check eating an inedible thing: say "[The noun] wouldn't agree with us even if [you] were feeling better." instead. Sanity-check wearing something which is not wearable: say "[one of]I don't see how you plan to do that, short of tying [the noun] to our head. (Hint: no.)[or][The noun] [is-are]n't wearable.[at random]" instead. Sanity-check pushing someone to a direction: say "Only very small children are so easily steered." instead. Sanity-check pushing a bird to a direction: say "[The noun] would just flutter out of shoving range." instead. Instead of switching on or switching off or entering a person: say "Depending on what you mean by that, I either don't understand or else wish you wouldn't make those suggestions while we're sharing this body." Sanity-check throwing a heavy thing at someone: if the second noun is attackable: say "That would certainly be a mighty blow if [you] could heft [the noun] in the first place." instead; else: say "Even if I were keen to throw things, [the second noun] is too heavy for flinging." instead. Sanity-check throwing something at someone who is not attackable: if the second noun is an animal: say "I am not going to throw things at animals. I also don't like bb guns or slingshots." instead; say "I generally avoid flinging things at people." instead. Sanity-check swinging a person: say "[one of]What, by the feet or something?[or]If you're thinking dance moves, I have two left feet. And so do you now, I suspect.[at random]" instead. Sanity-check rubbing a person: if the noun is an animal: continue the action; say "[You] should keep our hands to ourselves." instead. Instead of burning a person: try attacking the noun. Sanity-check rebooting a person: say "[The noun] [is-are] not obviously a cyborg, so I'm not clear on how that would work." instead. Sanity-check eating a person: say "You're just messing about with what I'll let our body do, aren't you?" instead. Instead of smelling a person: if the scent-description of the noun is "": say "No particular od[our] is coming our way, which is fine by me." instead; otherwise: continue the action. Sanity-check tying a person to something fixed in place: if the noun is an animal: say "I doubt whether it will help to hitch [the noun] to [the second noun]." instead; say "Maybe you're big on tying people up in your line of work, but I try to avoid the kidnapping, assault, and bondage charges." instead. Sanity-check tying something fixed in place to a person: if the noun is an animal: say "I doubt whether it will help to hitch [the second noun] to [the noun]." instead; say "Maybe you're big on tying people up in your line of work, but I try to avoid the kidnapping, assault, and bondage charges." instead. Sanity-check tying a person to something portable: say "I don't see the point of that suggestion." instead. Sanity-check tying something portable to a person: say "I don't see the point of that suggestion." instead. Sanity-check waving a person: say "That doesn't even make sense." instead. Sanity-check buying a person: if the noun is an animal: say "This isn't a livestock sale." instead; otherwise: say "Slavery has never been legal on the island." instead. Sanity-check searching a person: say "That might well be resented." instead. Sanity-check opening a person: say "I'm not sure what you're imagining, but I at least am no surgeon." instead. Sanity-check closing a person: say "I don't understand how that could be a meaningful action." instead. Sanity-check wearing a person: say "Did we watch a little too much Silence of the Lambs at some point? I don't fancy wearing a suit made of [noun], thanks." instead. Sanity-check searching the player: try taking inventory instead. Sanity-check mounting a person which is not an animal: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't a ride-giving animal." instead. Sanity-check climbing a person: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't [one of]a ladder[or]a tree[or]a staircase[or]a wall[at random]." instead. Instead of searching or looking under or touching or rubbing or squeezing something which is worn by a person (called the proprietor): if the proprietor is the player: continue the action; otherwise: say "[The proprietor] might object." Instead of searching or looking under or pushing or turning or pulling or touching or rubbing or waving or squeezing a floppy wearable thing which is not worn by a person: say "Nothing interesting turns up [--] no hidden pockets or unnoticed scraps of paper or the like." instead. Instead of looking under a person: if the noun is in the location: try facing down; otherwise: carry out the disclosing exterior activity with the noun; say paragraph break. Instead of drinking something which is not fluid: if the noun is edible: say "I could see eating [it-them of the noun], but no more."; otherwise: say "[one of]Even if [the noun] were liquid, [it-they] would still not be nice to drink[or]I don't fancy [noun] smoothie[at random]." Understand "apply pressure to [something]" as pushing. Understand "lean on [something]" as pushing. Part 2 - Senses Section 1 - Smell and Taste A thing has some text called the scent-description. The scent-description of a person is usually "deod[our]ant". A thing has some text called the flavor-description. Instead of tasting something: if the flavor-description of the noun is "": if the noun is r-abstract: say "There's not enough there to provide much flav[our]."; else: say "[Cap It-they of noun] taste[s] as I would have expected."; otherwise: say "[flavor-description of the noun].[paragraph break]". Instead of smelling something: if the scent-description of the noun is "": if the noun is r-abstract: say "There's hardly any od[our] to [the noun]."; else: say "[Cap It-they of noun] smell[s] as I would have expected."; otherwise: say "[Cap It-they of noun] smell[s] like [scent-description of the noun].[paragraph break]". Instead of tasting something which is not edible: if the noun is a person: say "That would be unpleasantly intimate."; otherwise: say "[one of]I have an aversion to licking things that aren't meant for human consumption.[or]Doesn't that seem kind of germy?[or]Ew.[at random]". Understand "bite [someone]" as attacking. Understand "bite [something]" as tasting. Instead of eating something: say "[one of]I don't think our nausea makes eating such a great idea.[or]I really couldn't.[or]I'm still feeling pretty sick to our stomach.[or]Let's not tempt fate.[cycling]" Section 2 - Loudness A thing can be noisy or quiet. A thing is usually quiet. Every turn when the player is not in the car: if listening: make no decision; call the swift rule on everything in scope; let noisemaker be a random noisy marked for listing thing; now everything is not marked for listing; if the noisemaker is something and the noisemaker is not in a closed container: try listening to the noisemaker. Report listening to a quiet thing: say "[The noun] [one of]do[es]n't make much noise[or][is-are] naturally silent[or]make[s] no notable noises[at random]." instead. Report listening to a person: if the noun is the current interlocutor: say "I'm paying attention, don't worry." instead; otherwise: say "[You] hear some breathing, I guess. Nothing extraordinary." instead. Part 3 - Travel and the Map Chapter 1 - Moving Between Places Section 1 - Listing Exits Include Exit Lister by Gavin Lambert. Instead of going nowhere: carry out the listing exits activity. Rule for listing exits when looking in a dead-end room: do nothing. Definition: a room is dead-end if the number of exit-listable directions is 1. The generate exit list rule is not listed in any rulebook. The last for listing exits rule (this is the new generate exit list rule): let exits be the number of exit-listable directions; if exits is 0, say "[no obvious exits]"; otherwise say "[You] can go [list of exit-listable directions] from here.". Section 2 - Finding Understand "find [any seen thing]" as finding. Understand the command "seek" or "approach" as find. Understand "look for [any seen thing]" as finding. Understand "go to [any seen thing]" as finding. Finding is an action applying to one visible thing. Check finding something that is in the repository: say "Who knows where [the noun] went?" instead. Check finding something that is enclosed by the player: say "[You][']re carrying [the noun]." instead. Check finding a backdrop: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't in one specific location." instead. Check finding something that is enclosed by the location: say "[The noun] should be close by." instead; Carry out finding: let place be the location of the noun; if place is not a room and the noun is a door: let place be the front side of the noun; if place is not visited: let place be the back side of the noun; if place is a room and place is not the location: try approaching place; otherwise: say "I'm a little confused about how to find [the noun]." Sanity-check finding a door which is in the location: try entering the noun instead. Section 3 - Approaches and Describing Distance Travel Include Approaches by Emily Short. Use slow route-finding. A room can be nonsecret or forbidden. A room is usually nonsecret. Carry out going to a forbidden room (called target): now the target is nonsecret. Understand "go to [any nonsecret room]" or "goto [any nonsecret room]" or "go back to [any nonsecret room]" or "return to [any nonsecret room]" or "revisit [any nonsecret room]" as approaching. The new approach refusal rule is listed instead of the refusing bad headings rule in the approach-finding rules. This is the new approach refusal rule: if approach-heading is not a direction: say "Neither of us can think how to get there from here."; rule fails. The new approach heading finding rule is listed instead of the approach-heading selection rule in the approach-finding rules. This is the new approach heading finding rule: change approach-heading to the best route from the location to the noun, using doors; if approach-heading is not a direction: change approach-heading to the best route from the location to the noun, using even locked doors; Path description count is a number that varies. [let's count how many times we've invoked this activity this turn!] Every turn: now path description count is 0. Rule for describing path of the player: let N be the number of entries in the described motion of the player; if N is greater than 0: let C be indexed text; if path description count is greater than 0: let C be "[one of]Then[or]Next[or]From there[or]After that[as decreasingly likely outcomes] "; let C be "[C][one of][You] [or][You] have a [walk-length for N][or][You] make the [optional walk-length for N][or]It's a [walk-length for N][at random]"; say "[C in sentence case]"; say "[walk-drive]"; if the intervening regions of the player is not empty: say "[through the intervening regions]"; if the location is not the final destination: say " [one of]to[or]over to[or]as far as[at random] [the location]. [run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say ". [run paragraph on]"; increase path description count by 1; clear path-walked for player. To say optional walk-length for (N - a number): if the player is in the car: let N be N divided by 2; [distances should be adjusted to mode of transport] if N is less than 5: say "[one of][one of]short[or]brief[or]quick[at random] [or][cycling]"; otherwise if N is less than 8: say "[one of][one of]fair[or]healthy[at random] [or][cycling]"; otherwise: say "[one of][one of]long[or]lengthy[or]rather tiring[at random] [or][cycling]"; To say walk-length for (N - a number): if the player is in the car: let N be N divided by 2; [distances should be adjusted to mode of transport] if N is less than 5: say "[one of]short[or]brief[or]quick[at random] "; otherwise if N is less than 8: say "[one of]fair[or]healthy[at random] "; otherwise: say "[one of]long[or]lengthy[or]rather tiring[at random] "; [The rather odd cycling guarantees that we don't repeat a word.] To say walk-drive: if the player is enclosed by a vehicle: say "drive"; otherwise: say "[one of]walk[or]hike[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". To say through the intervening regions: repeat through the Table of Region Descriptions: if the intervening regions of the player is the intervening entry: say " [description entry]"; Table of Region Descriptions intervening description {Marina} "through the marina district" {Walltop} "along the top of the walls" {Open-Air} "[one of]pushing through the dense crowds[or]among the crowds[or]among the booths of the fair[at random]" {Open-Air, Walltop} "away from the crowds and the fair and over the top of the old walls" {Open-Air, Walltop, Wealthy District} "from the kitschy splend[our] of the fair along the old walls and into the placid sunlight among the villas of the rich" {Walltop, Open-Air} "back into the crowded area of the fair" {Walltop, Wealthy District} "down from the walls and through the wide peaceful streets where the rich live" {Wealthy District, Walltop} "through the residential streets and up onto the old wall" {Wealthy District, Walltop, Open-Air} "out of the cocooning silence of the wealthy streets and back among the fair booths" {Marina, Busy Streets} "[one of]through the heart of the city[or][--] only [i]almost[/i] dying at the roundabout when you didn't yield at the right moment [--][or]up the steep switchback of Deep Street[if the location is not the roundabout] and through the perilous traffic of the roundabout[end if][at random]" {Marina, Busy Streets, Official Grounds} "away from the smugglers['] territory by the docks, into the shadow of officialdom" {Marina, Busy Streets, Campus} "up through the shadowy corridor of Deep Street, around the roundabout, and then down the palm-lined avenue that is Long Street" {Official Grounds, Busy Streets} "away from the Bureau and back into the streets" {Official Grounds, Busy Streets, Campus} "out of the Bureau building, around the roundabout [--] always a menace to drivers and pedestrians alike [--] and down Long Street" {Official Grounds, Busy Streets, Marina} "out of the Bureau and down into the shadows of Deep Street" {Campus, Busy Streets} "out from under the sycamores in the Oval and up Long Street" {Campus, Busy Streets, Marina} "from my native territory through yours" {Campus, Busy Streets, Official Grounds} "[one of][--]the trip gets more uncomfortable as [you] go, leaving my own neighb[our]hood, fighting the inevitable snarl of traffic at the roundabout, and then heading down Tall Street, which always feels menacingly silent to me. But [you] do get[or]away from the familiar bustle of campus, up Long Street, around the roundabout, along Tall Street[stopping]" A person has a list of regions called the intervening regions. Carry out going while hurrying (this is the new creating a path history rule): if the map region of the location is a region: add the map region of the location to the intervening regions of the player, if absent. To clear all/the/-- path-walked for (worker - yourself): truncate the intervening regions of the worker to 0 entries; truncate the described motion of the worker to 0 entries; truncate the path so far of the worker to 0 entries. [Rule for describing path of the player: if the number of entries in the path so far of the player is greater than 0: if the location is not the noun: let N be the number of entries in the described motion of the player; let last movement be entry N in the described motion of the player; truncate the described motion of the player to (N - 1) entries; if N is 1: say "We [if the player is enclosed by a vehicle]drive[otherwise]go[end if]"; otherwise: say "We [if the player is enclosed by a vehicle]drive[otherwise]go[end if] [described motion of the player]"; if N is greater than 2: say ", before heading"; otherwise: say ", then head"; say " [the last movement]. [run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say "We go [described motion of the player]. [run paragraph on]"; clear path-walked for player. ] [There are some places that are inappropriate to enter at certain times. We want to block both going and approaching these rooms; otherwise the parser will might let us walk halfway there before blocking progress, which is unclassy.] Sanity-check going to a room (called target): abide by the room-restriction rules for the target. Sanity-check approaching a room (called target): abide by the room-restriction rules for the target. The room-restriction rules are an object-based rulebook. Definition: a room is southern: let way be the best route from the roundabout to it, using even locked doors; if way is south: yes; if way is east: yes; no. A room-restriction rule for a southern room: if the Counterfeit Monkey is unvisited: say "Don't [you] have an appointment at the Counterfeit Monkey? [You] should be heading northeast up Deep Street."; rule fails; if Slango is not seen and Counterfeit Monkey is visited: say "That would take us more towards my part of the world, not help us find Slango."; rule fails. A room-restriction rule for Tall Street when Counterfeit Monkey is unvisited: say "Don't [you] have an appointment at the Counterfeit Monkey? [You] should be heading northeast up Deep Street."; rule fails; A room-restriction rule for Wonderland when Brock-argument has not happened: say "Best to start looking for Brock where we know he went: the equipment testing room."; rule fails. A room-restriction rule for Cold Storage when Brock-argument has not happened: say "Best to start looking for Brock where we know he went: the equipment testing room."; rule fails. [A room-restriction rule for the Customs House: say "Isn't our purpose exactly to avoid the attention of immigration officials, customs officers, and the like?"; rule fails. ] After going a direction for the third turn: if the location is visited: say "[first custom style][bracket]If you're traveling far, you can always type GO TO (location name) to get there automatically.[close bracket][roman type][paragraph break]"; continue the action. Section 4 - Going Back and Going Vaguely Understand "go back" as retreating. Understand "back" or "return" or "retreat" as retreating. The former direction is a direction that varies. Carry out going: change the former direction to the noun. Retreating is an action applying to nothing. Carry out retreating: let new direction be the opposite of the former direction; say "(heading [new direction])[line break]"; try going the new direction. Understand "leave [any room]" or "go outside [any room]" as departing. Departing is an action applying to one thing. Check departing: if the noun is not the location, say "You aren't in [the noun]." instead. Carry out departing: let chosen way be the logical exit; if chosen way is a direction begin; say "(heading [chosen way], since that is the only direction available)[line break]"; try going chosen way; otherwise; say "Any particular direction? "; carry out the listing exits activity; end if. To decide what direction is the logical exit: let N be 0; let chosen way be north; repeat with way running through directions begin; let place be the room way from the location; if place is a room begin; increase N by 1; let chosen way be the way; end if; end repeat; if N is 1, decide on the chosen way. Chapter 2 - Looking Towards Other Areas Section 1 - Far Away Things and Facades Include Far away by Jon Ingold. Instead of throwing something at something far-off: say "Our aim isn't nearly good enough." A facade is a kind of thing. A facade is usually fixed in place. A facade has some text called the closure notice. The closure notice of a facade is usually "[The item described] [is-are] [one of]closed[or]shut[or]not open[or]locked up[purely at random] [one of]for[or]during[or]on[purely at random] [one of]the holiday[or]Serial Comma Day[purely at random]. ". Instead of pushing or pulling or turning or taking a facade, say "[You] aren't super-powered." Instead of looking under a facade, say "[The noun] will not just peel back like a stage curtain, you know.". Instead of searching a facade, say "[You] would have to go to [a random direction fronted by the noun] in order to see what is there." Fronting relates various facades to one direction. The verb to front (it fronts, they front, it fronted, it is fronted) implies the fronting relation. Before an actor entering a facade: let chosen way be a random direction which is fronted by the noun; try the actor going the chosen way instead. Instead of going nowhere when the noun is fronted by a facade (called blockage) in the location: say "[closure notice of the blockage][run paragraph on]"; carry out the listing exits activity. Instead of going nowhere when the noun is not fronted by a facade in the location: try facing the noun; carry out the listing exits activity. A down-staircase is a kind of facade. Understand "step" or "steps" or "stairs" or "stairwell" or "staircase" as a down-staircase. A down-staircase is usually scenery. An up-staircase is a kind of facade. Understand "step" or "steps" or "stairs" or "stairwell" or "staircase" as an up-staircase. An up-staircase is usually scenery. Instead of climbing an up-staircase, try going up. Instead of climbing a down-staircase, try going down. When play begins: now every down-staircase fronts down; now every up-staircase fronts up. Section 2 - LOOK AT LOCATION as LOOK Definition: a room is locally-present if it is the location. Understand "here" or "surroundings" as a room when the item described is the location. Understand "examine [any locally-present room]" or "look at [any locally-present room]" or "look [any locally-present room]" as local looking. Understand "look around" as looking. Local looking is an action applying to one thing. Carry out local looking: try looking. Section 3 - Facing Include Facing by Emily Short. Instead of examining a direction: try facing the noun. Rule for distantly describing a proper-named room (called target) (this is the new distant description rule): say "[You] make out [the target] that way." The default distant description rule is not listed in any rulebook. Rule for distantly describing a room (called target): let N be indexed text; let N be "[the target]"; say "[You] can make out [N in lower case] that way." Rule for distantly describing a room (called target) which encloses someone when the location is indoors: let N be indexed text; let N be "[the target]"; say "That way [you] can see [unless the target is proper-named][N in lower case][otherwise][the target][end if], in which [is-are a list of people enclosed by the target]." When play begins: change nothing-to-see-that-way to "[You] can't see anything interesting in that direction." Screening relates various backdrops to various directions. The verb to screen (it screens, they screen, it screened, it is screened) implies the screening relation. Check facing when the location contains a backdrop: repeat with the item running through backdrops in the location: if the item screens the noun: if the noun is not up and the noun is not down: say "To the [noun] [is-are of the item] [an item]. [run paragraph on]"; try examining the item instead. [We want to be able to fill in what's that way.] Check facing when the location contains a facade: repeat with item running through facades in the location: if the item fronts the noun: if the noun is not up and the noun is not down: say "To the [noun] [is-are of the item] [an item]. [run paragraph on]"; try examining the item instead. [We want to be able to fill in what's that way.] A direction has a direction called left-alt. A direction has a direction called right-alt. The left-alt of north is northwest. The right-alt of north is northeast. The left-alt of northwest is west. The right-alt of northwest is north. The left-alt of west is southwest. The right-alt of west is northwest. The left-alt of southwest is south. The right-alt of southwest is west. The left-alt of south is southeast. The right-alt of south is southwest. The left-alt of southeast is east. The right-alt of southeast is south. The left-alt of east is northeast. The right-alt of east is southeast. The left-alt of northeast is north. The right-alt of northeast is east. To say is-are of (item - a room): say "is" Last check facing: if the noun is up or the noun is down: make no decision; let leftway be left-alt of the noun; let rightway be right-alt of the noun; let leftward thing be the thing seen facing leftway; let rightward thing be the thing seen facing rightway; if leftward thing is nothing and rightward thing is nothing: make no decision; if leftward thing is nothing: say "There is nothing of note to [the leftway], but to [the rightway] [is-are of rightward thing] [the rightward thing]." instead; if rightward thing is nothing: say "There is nothing of note to [the rightway], but to [the leftway] [is-are of leftward thing] [the leftward thing]." instead; if the location is indoors: say "That way is just a corner of the room, though [you] could go [leftway] to [the leftward thing] or [rightway] to [the rightward thing]." instead; otherwise if leftward thing is a road and rightward thing is a road: say "That way is the corner of [the leftward thing] and [the rightward thing]." instead; otherwise if leftward thing is a facade and rightward thing is a facade: say "In that direction [one of][the leftward thing] abut[s] [the rightward thing], and there's no good way between them[or][the leftward thing] meet[s] the edge of [the rightward thing][or]lies the corner between [the leftward thing] and [the rightward thing][at random]." instead; otherwise if leftward thing is a road: say "That way is the corner of [the rightward thing] and the beginning of [leftward thing] running [leftway]." instead; otherwise if rightward thing is a road: say "That way is the corner of [the leftward thing] and the beginning of [rightward thing] running [rightway]." instead; otherwise: say "To [the noun] [the leftward thing] meet[s] [the rightward thing]." instead. To decide what object is the thing seen facing (dir - a direction): if a backdrop (called target) in the location screens dir: decide on the target; otherwise if a facade (called second target) in the location fronts dir: decide on the second target; otherwise if the door dir of the location is a door: decide on the door dir of the location; otherwise if the room dir of the location is a room: decide on the room dir of the location. Understand "look behind [something]" or "search behind/under [something]" as looking under. A room can be indoors or outdoors. A room is usually outdoors. Report facing when the location is indoors: if the viewed location is not a room: if the noun is up or the noun is down: say "There's nothing remarkable [noun] there." instead; say "There's no door in that direction." instead. The sky is a distant backdrop. It screens up. The sun is part of the sky. The description of the sky is "[sky-description]". The description of the sun is "[sun-description]". When play begins: move the sky backdrop to all outdoors rooms. Chapter 3 - Vehicles and Transport Animals Section 1 - Animals Include Rideable Vehicles by Graham Nelson. [In addition to providing a bunch of generic synonyms in a hurry, these kinds allow us to design in some specialized behavior for how animals act when moving and so on. There are a huge number of creatable animals in the game, so it's best to categorize as much as possible.] A bird is a kind of animal. Understand "wing" or "wings" or "bird" or "feather" or "feathers" as a bird. An insect is a kind of animal. Understand "bug" or "insect" as an insect. Sanity-check touching or rubbing or squeezing an insect: say "[You][']d rather not. All those legs." instead. The scent-description of an animal is usually "sweaty animal". The scent-description of a bird is "fresh air". The scent-description of an insect is "summer heat". Section 2 - Roads A road is a kind of room. Definition: a room is offroad if it is not a road. Instead of going from a road to a road: if the player is in the car: continue the action; if a car (called target) is visible: if more than one car is visible: now the target is a random visible fueled car; [there will only ever be enough fuel for one car] try entering the target; if the player is in the target: try going the noun instead; if the protesters are visible: if the number of entries in the path so far of the player is greater than 0: say "[path-walked so far][paragraph break]"; say "Unfortunately the sidewalks, which were never very wide to start with, are so blocked by the mass of protesters that it's impossible to get by. Besides, if we associate with them, we might wind up getting arrested on minor charges anyway. We need some kind of automotive transport."; assign "Find transport for getting past the traffic on High Street" at High Street; otherwise if the room gone to is the Roundabout and the protesters are not off-stage: say "That whole area is so jammed that our only hope is to go by car."; otherwise: continue the action. Section 3 - Cars [The aim of the car code is to create a car that -- navigates roads the player otherwise wouldn't be able to cross -- responds sensibly to a wide range of commands, both standard GO commands and commands about driving -- performs as transparently as possible after initial use, automating everything to do with opening, entering, turning on, driving, turning off, exiting, and closing the car so that the player is not conscious of these steps. Once acquired and repaired, the car should become as nearly transparent as walking across those areas on foot, except that it provides some additional boundaries when in the Roundabout area, where the player can't get out except under special circumstances. Because any vanilla chair can be converted to a car, there are multiple cars; in practice, the player is unlikely to create more than one, and the first available one must always come from the chard.] Understand "start [something]" as switching on. Understand "drive [a direction]" as going when the player is in a vehicle. Understand "drive [car] [a direction]" as car-driving when the player is in the car. Car-driving is an action applying to one thing and one visible thing. Carry out car-driving: try going the second noun. Understand "drive to [any nonsecret room]" as approaching. Understand "drive [car] to [any nonsecret room]" as car-approaching. Car-approaching is an action applying to one thing and one visible thing. Carry out car-approaching: try approaching the second noun. Understand "honk" or "honk at [text]" as a mistake ("[if the player is not in the car]We aren't a goose[otherwise if the protesters are visible]One of the protesters turns and waves, taking this as a gesture of support[otherwise]We receive an insulting gesture from the person in the car ahead[end if]."). Understand "protest" or "join protest" or "picket" as a mistake ("If I thought you could change Atlantis that way, I'd be on board. But I've given up on social action long since."). A car is a kind of vehicle. A car is usually transparent. The heft of a car is 7. The flexible appearance of a car is "Our car[one of] [--] a sub-sub-compact that looks like it might be outraced by a kid on a scooter [--][or] [--] which might better be described as a covered bicycle [--][or][at random] is parked [if the location is offroad]illegally [end if]nearby." The description of a car is "It is little larger than a toy, but that is what you want when driving on the streets around here. Any substantial vehicle wouldn't fit down the winding drives." The introduction is "Here is how my mother gets around. She takes a 300 Euro Hermès scarf with an orange border and a pattern of prancing horses. She tosses it in the air. As it falls, she shoots it twice, like a clay pigeon: once to take out the F, the second time for the S. And such a car: buttery leather seats, jaguar lines. If someone asks how she gets such good results, she jokes that it's because of her quality materials. Suffice it to say that we are not similarly blessed." Understand "toy" or "sub-subcompact" as a car. The scent-description of a car is "metal parts and oil". A car can be fueled or unfueled. A car is usually unfueled. Definition: a thing is fuel-like if it is the fuel or it is the gas. Sanity-check inserting a fuel-like thing into a car: try fueling the second noun with the noun instead. Understand "fuel [something] with [something preferably held]" as fueling it with. Understand "fuel [something]" as fueling it with. Fueling it with is an action applying to one thing and one carried thing. Rule for supplying a missing second noun while fueling something with: if the player can see the fuel: now the second noun is the fuel; otherwise if the player can see the gas: now the second noun is the gas; otherwise: say "[You] don't have any plausible fuel to hand." Check fueling something with a vegetable: say "I've heard of biodiesel, but that carries the point too far." instead. Check fueling something with something which is not fuel-like: say "[The second noun] do[es]n't make much of a fuel." instead. Check fueling something which is not a car with something: say "[The noun] [one of]do[es]n't take fuel[or][is-are]n't fuel-powered[at random]." instead. Carry out fueling something with something: remove the second noun from play; now the noun is fueled; complete "Fuel the car"; record "fueling our car" as achieved; say "I deeply fear automotive maintenance, but I can (just) manage to pour in the fuel... and I think that's done it." instead. Rule for printing the name of a car while opening or closing the car: say "car door". Understand "fix [something]" or "mend [something]" or "tune [something]" or "tune up [something]" or "tune [something] up" or "repair [something]" as tuning. Tuning is an action applying to one thing. Sanity-check tuning something which is not a car: if the noun is an instrument: say "Tuning [the noun] would have to be left to an expert; I have no idea how." instead; if the noun is a person: say "Psychiatry is not my field of expertise." instead; say "I am not quite sure what you have in mind, there." instead. Check tuning: if the noun is not damaged: say "The car has already been repaired and is now in working order." instead; otherwise: say "I'm not good at this sort of thing. I mostly leave repairs to the garage." instead. Instead of inserting oil into a car: say "In my limited interactions with motor vehicles, I've always taken the machine to a garage for any corrective work. This includes topping up the oil." Report opening a car: say "[one of][You] open the car door: perhaps unsurprisingly, it comes without an effective lock system.[or][You] swing the car door open.[or][You] open the door of the car.[stopping]" instead. A description-concealing rule: now every thing which encloses the player is not marked for listing. Understand "park" as exiting when the player is in a car. Understand "park [car]" as car-parking when the player is in a car. Car-parking is an action applying to one thing. Carry out car-parking: try exiting instead. A car is usually openable. A car is usually closed. Check entering a closed container (this is the attempt opening on enter rule): try opening the noun; if the noun is closed, stop the action. Check exiting when the player is in a closed container (called the current-container) (this is the attempt opening on exit rule): try opening the current-container; if the current-container is closed, stop the action. Check exiting when the player is in a noisy car: try switching off a random ignition which is incorporated by a car which contains the player; Check going somewhere by a car which is not noisy: try switching on a random ignition (called target) which is incorporated by a car which contains the player; if the target is switched off, stop the action. Check going somewhere by an open car (called target): try closing the target; if the target is open, stop the action. Rule for describing the interior of a car: say "[You] [are] jammed into the car with our knees almost at our chin, looking out through the bulbous little [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]windscreen[otherwise]windshield[end if][if the ignition is switched on]. The motor is growling like a housecat with pneumonia[end if]." The ignition is a kind of device. One ignition is part of every car. Understand "motor" as the ignition. Instead of listening to the ignition, try listening to a random car which incorporates the noun. The gas-gauge is a kind of thing. One gas-gauge is part of every car. The description is "[if the car is fueled]It points over at the right, which must be Full[otherwise]It points all the way around at the left, or Empty[end if]." THe printed name of the gas-gauge is "gas gauge". Understand "gauge" or "gas gauge" as the gas-gauge. Check switching on an ignition which is part of an unfueled car: say "There's no gas in the car; without fuel, it's not going far." instead. Check switching on an ignition which is part of a damaged car: say "Though the engine does briefly turn on, there's clearly something wrong with it, from the unpleasant noises and the flashing lights on the dash. Perhaps it needs oil." instead. Report switching on an ignition for the first time: say "We switch on the ignition and the car comes to life. Smelly, trembling, putt-putting life, but still, not bad for something we conjured out of a vegetable picked outside my parents['] place." instead. [Instead of going by the car when the ignition is switched off: say "The ignition is off at the moment." ] Carry out going somewhere by car: complete "Find transport for getting past the traffic on High Street"; record "traveling by car" as achieved. The car can be operational or damaged. A car is usually damaged. Instead of going by unfueled car: assign "Fuel the car" at High Street; say "The extremely primitive dial in front of us is pointing all the way to the left. I think that's its way of saying it's out of fuel. At any rate, the engine won't start." Instead of going by damaged car: say "The car refuses to run properly: evidently you got us a lemon. It's going to take some tuning up before it will go." Sanity-check switching on a car: try switching on a random ignition which is part of the noun instead. Sanity-check switching off a car: try switching off a random ignition which is part of the noun. Carry out switching on the ignition: now a random car which incorporates the noun is noisy. Carry out switching off the ignition: now a random car which incorporates the noun is quiet. Instead of listening to a noisy car: say "The car is making an unpleasant raspy growl." Instead of going by car (called used car) to somewhere offroad: if the player is hurrying: if the car is noisy: say "[one of][path-walked so far]Then[or][path-walked so far]There[or]Once [you] get to [location][or]At [location][at random] [you] [find a parking spot].[paragraph break]"; otherwise: say "[path-walked so far]"; clear path-walked for player; increase path description count by 1; otherwise if the car is noisy: say "Since there's no way by road, we'll have to leave [the used car] here. It is a moment's work to find a parking spot. [run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say "That involves some off-road travel. We'll have to leave [the used car] here and walk. [run paragraph on]"; try exiting; if the player is in a car, stop the action; otherwise try going the noun. Report exiting when the container exited from is a car: say "We climb out of the car." instead. To say find a parking spot: if the current daytime is: -- noon: say "struggle to find a parking spot"; -- early afternoon: say "[one of]drive around a bit trying to get a parking spot[or]try to nab several parking spots before finally managing to be more assertive than the other drivers[or]try unsuccessfully to fit into a spot even smaller than the car, before lucking into a freshly-vacated place[at random]"; -- mid afternoon: say "[one of]find a place to park without too much trouble[or]park deftly in the shadow of a much larger vehicle[or]have a bit of a chore finding a parking spot[at random]"; -- late afternoon: say "pull easily into one of the available parking spots, since many people have now gone home"; -- sunset: say "park in the most convenient spot"; -- evening: say "park" [shouldn't happen because it shouldn't be evening while we're still in driving mode. But we'll see.] Instead of going by car when the location is offroad: say "This isn't exactly an area in which driving is encouraged. In fact, I'm not sure [you] can get the car anywhere." [Include Conditional Backdrops by John Clemens.] When play begins: move protesters backdrop to all roads in Busy Streets; move traffic backdrop to all roads in Busy Streets; Some protesters are a backdrop. Understand "student" or "students" as the protesters. The description is "Hundreds of people pack the sidewalk, wearing slogans and carrying angry signs." A description-concealing rule when the location is High Street: now everything which is enclosed by the protesters is not marked for listing. Instead of examining the hundreds of people: try examining the protesters. Some hundreds of people are a person. They are part of the protesters. They wear slogans. They carry angry signs. The description of the angry signs is "They say things like 'No Referendum = No Responsibility,' 'NOT GUILTY,' and, more daringly, 'The citizens of Atlantis have never voted for human rights violations.' Some are just photos of Bureau officials wearing Hitler mustaches. The protesters can't say this directly, of course, but what they are protesting is the use of inanimation as a punishment by the Bureau of Orthography. Making someone into an inanimate object, or enclosing him in an inanimate object, is not technically murder, but it is considered a massive human rights violation by just about every other country in the world." The description of the slogans is "On every shirt and coat, sometimes screen-printed, sometimes just written on with a Sharpie, is the same message: NOT GUILTY. You know better than I do how the international media looks at Atlantis. How it presents us as a fat, wealthy plutocracy whose citizens happily engage in atrocities in order to keep hold of our unique advantages. But on most of those human rights issues, it's not as though we were ever asked. We never voted to do those things. The Bureau simply enacted them as 'non-referrable procedures.'" Instead of listening to the protesters: say "'Referendum Now!' they're shouting. And 'Not guilty.'" Instead of listening to the location in the presence of the protesters: say "There are standard traffic noises and then the protesters. [no line break]"; try listening to the protesters. The traffic is a backdrop. It is distant. The indefinite article is "some". Understand "cars" or "vehicles" or "tail-lights" or "lights" or "drivers" or "congestion" as the traffic. The description of the traffic is "Nearly bumper-to-bumper despite the tiny size of the individual vehicles[one of]. In fact, I've never understood why people drive here at all: the city is almost small enough to make do with pedestrian routes and bicycles[or][stopping].". Instead of entering traffic: say "No one in these vehicles is likely to want to drive us anywhere." [The scaffolding is a backdrop. Understand "construction" or "scaffold" as the scaffolding. The description is "Lately they've been doing a lot of construction and reconstruction around the center of town. They say it's renovation of dangerous old buildings. There are also other theories." Instead of climbing the scaffolding: say "I wasn't a construction worker in previous life, and I'm pretty sure you weren't either." ] Understand "cross [traffic]" or "ignore [traffic]" as a mistake ("You may have the nerve, but I don't.") when the player can see the traffic. Test car-behavior with "tutorial off / car-acquire / cross traffic / ignore traffic / drive to roundabout / park / get out of car / go to deep street / nw / e / climb masses / look through window / out / out / se / get in car / drive to tall street / go to roundabout / drive to monkey" in high street. Test roundaboutation with "tutorial off / car-acquire / drive to roundabout / z / z / z" in high street. Section 4 - The View From Inside [This lets us add a special line to descriptions when we're inside the car.] The container interior rule is listed before the room description body text rule in the carry out looking rules. This is the container interior rule: if the actor is the player and the player is in an enterable thing (called current cage), carry out the describing the interior activity with the current cage. Describing the interior of something is an activity. Chapter 4 - Special Doors and Barriers Section 1 - Door Descriptions and Knocking The description of a door is usually "[if open][The item described] stand[s] open[otherwise if locked]Closed and locked[otherwise][Cap it-they of the item described] [is-are] closed[end if]." Understand "knock on [door]" as knocking on. Knocking on is an action applying to one thing. Understand "knock on [something]" as attacking. Check knocking on an open door: say "It's open: [you] could just go in." instead. Check knocking on a door: let far side be the other side of the noun; if the far side does not enclose someone: say "No one answers. It must be empty." instead. Report knocking on a door: if the noun is unlocked: say "'It's unlocked,' says a voice from inside."; otherwise: say "No one answers." Section 2 - Propping Doors Wedging relates one thing to one door. The verb to wedge (it wedges, they wedge, it wedged, it is wedged) implies the wedging relation. Propping it with is an action applying to one thing and one carried thing. Understand "prop [something] with [something preferably held]" or "prop up/open [something] with [something preferably held]" or "prop [something] up/open with [something preferably held]" as propping it with. Understand the commands "wedge" or "jam" or "block" or "support" as "prop". Understand "put [something long] in/into/under/beneath [a door]" or "insert [something long] in/into/under/beneath [a door]" or "prop [something long] in/into/under/beneath [a door]" as propping it with (with nouns reversed). Check propping something which is not a door with something: say "Propping is something best done to doors." instead. Definition: a thing is bendy: if it is strong: no; if it is long: yes; no. Check propping something with a bendy thing: say "[The second noun] [is-are] long enough, but too flexible to provide much support against the springs of [the noun]." instead. Check propping something with something which is not long: say "[The second noun] [is-are] not long enough to prop [the noun] very effectively"; if the second noun is strong: say ", though at least [it-they of second noun] [is-are] fairly stout." instead; else: say ", and even if [it-they of second noun] were, [it-they of second noun] wouldn't hold up against the pressure of the springs." instead. Check propping something which is wedged by something (called the existing impediment) with something: say "[The noun] [is-are] already propped open by [the existing impediment]." instead. Carry out propping a door with something: now the noun is open; move the second noun to the location; now the second noun wedges the noun; Report propping a door with something: say "[You] prop [the noun] open with [the second noun]." Carry out taking something which wedges something: now the noun does not wedge anything. A dangerous destruction rule for something which wedges something (called item): now the item is not wedged by anything. Test propping with "open tub / d / u / open door / prop door with twig / prop door with wig / prop door with plans / prop door with fish / look / prop door with stick / d / u / wave t-remover at stick / gel sick / prop door with stick / d / wave t-remover at stick" holding the tub and the stick and the twig and the wig and the secret-plans in the tin hut. Section 3 - Approaching doors (like the security door) Understand "approach [a door]" as entering. Chapter 5 - Special Kinds of Rooms Section 1 - Essentials and Non-Drop Zones [For the player's protection, there are certain rooms where we want him not to leave any objects, because those rooms will become unavailable and he'll be unable to retrieve anything he left there. So we create the concept of the privately-controlled rooms for rooms where it is unsafe to leave anything behind.] A thing can be essential. A thing is usually not essential. Definition: a thing is unleavable: if it is not essential, no; if it is not seen, no; if it is the origin paste and it is unwon, no; if it is the tube and it is carried by the barker, no; [we still have to win it] if it is enclosed by the player, no; if it is enclosed by a vehicle which contains the player, no; yes. Before going when [the player is staid and] the location encloses an unleavable thing: while the location encloses an unleavable thing (called needed-thing): try taking the needed-thing; if the needed-thing is the iron-pans: reduce iron-pans; if the i-pan is visible: now the needed-thing is the i-pan; if the player does not carry the needed-thing: say "I don't think [you] should leave without [the needed-thing]."; stop the action. A room can be publicly-available or privately-controlled. A room is usually publicly-available. Sanity-check dropping something which is not heavy in a privately-controlled room (this is the no-dropping rule): say "[non-drop-zone]" instead. Sanity-check inserting something into something which is not enclosed by the player in a privately-controlled room: say "[non-drop-zone]" instead. Sanity-check putting something on something which is not enclosed by the player in a privately-controlled room: if the noun is the gel: continue the action; if the noun is the origin paste: continue the action; say "[non-drop-zone]" instead. To say non-drop-zone: say "[one of]I wouldn't. [You] might never get [the noun] back.[or]I'm inclined to keep all our things with us, under the circumstances.[or]I'm not ready to part with [the noun] here. After all, can [you] be sure [you][']d be able to get back?[at random]". Sanity-check putting gel on something which is proffered by a heavy thing (called resultant) when the location is a privately-controlled room: say "It might be difficult to do that here without attracting notice." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at something when the location is a privately-controlled room: if the location is Aquarium Bookstore or the location is Traffic Circle: make no decision; otherwise: say "It might be difficult to do that here without attracting notice." instead. Sanity-check going a direction when the player carries a heavy thing (called the target): say "[You] can't really travel far with [the target] in our arms."; if the target is iron-pans: reduce the iron-pans; if the player carries the target: stop the action. Sanity-check approaching a room when the player carries a heavy thing (called the target): say "[You] can't really travel far with [the target] in our arms."; if the target is iron-pans: reduce the iron-pans; if the player carries the target: stop the action. To reduce the/-- iron-pans: let N be indexed text; change N to "s"; change the current setting of the letter-remover to "[N]"; say "In the interest of compactness, [you] S-remove the pans. [run paragraph on]"; try waving the letter-remover at the iron-pans. Section 2 - Kitchens and Bathrooms [There are quite a few of these location types, so we'll implement them consistently throughout the game using assemblies.] Include Modern Conveniences by Emily Short. Include Postures by Emily Short. Check going to a room when the player is not in the location: while the player is not in the location: let context be the holder of the player; if context is a vehicle: continue the action; try exiting; if context is the holder of the player: stop the action instead; A toilet is usually seated. When play begins: now every toilet allows seated; now every toilet allows standing. Understand "wash hands" or "wash up" as a mistake ("[if a sink is in the location][You] briskly wash up[otherwise]There's no sink here[end if]."). Sanity-check washing a person who is not the player: if the noun is an animal: say "[The noun] could probably use a wash, but on the whole I don't see the point." instead; say "Bathing people other than myself is kind of over-intimate." instead. A public restroom is a kind of room. A toilet-stall is a kind of container. The printed name of a toilet-stall is always "toilet stall". Rule for printing the plural name of a toilet-stall: say "toilet stalls". Understand "stall" as a toilet-stall. Understand "stalls" as the plural of a toilet-stall. A toilet-stall is always fixed in place and enterable and openable. The description of a toilet-stall is usually "It is the usual beige metal dividers, the usual topical graffiti." Some graffiti is a kind of thing. It is usually scenery. Some graffiti is in every toilet-stall. The description of graffiti is usually "[You] glance over the range of messages from past occupants and notice...[paragraph break][one of]Some wag has drawn an arrow pointing to the toilet and written beside it: P-REMOVER[or][i]There was a young lady from France[line break]Who was wearing a plain pair of pants[line break][']Til a linguistical gent[line break]With indecent intent[line break]Left the girl crawling with ants[/i][at random].". A toilet-stall is always lit. A toilet-stall is usually scenery. Understand "toilet stall" as a toilet-stall. Rule for printing the name of a toilet-stall when the player is in the toilet-stall and the toilet-stall is closed: say "Toilet Stall". One toilet is in every toilet-stall. Two toilet-stalls are in every public restroom. Two sinks are in every public restroom. Instead of tasting a toilet: say "Not while I'm sharing your tongue, thanks." Instead of tasting a sink: say "Let's cling to a higher standard of hygiene, shall we?" A mirror is a kind of thing. A mirror is in every bathroom. A mirror is in every public restroom. A mirror is usually scenery. Understand "glass" or "reflection" as a mirror. The description of a mirror is "It's gleaming and shiny and very clean and I don't want to look in it." Instead of searching a mirror when the player wears a wig and the player wears the monocle: say "The wig and the monocle together suggest some sort of steampunk fancy dress party." Instead of searching a mirror when the player wears a wig: say "The wig looks surprisingly natural[if the pass is seen], and [you] resemble the image on the pass much better than [you] do without[end if]." Instead of searching a mirror when the player wears a hairpiece and the player wears the monocle: say "The hairpiece/monocle combination makes us look like some sort of funky steampunk engineer, which might not be the most inconspicuous way to go." Instead of searching a mirror when the player wears a hairpiece: say "The hairpiece looks surprisingly natural[if the pass is seen], and [you] resemble the image on the pass much better than [you] do without[end if]." Instead of searching a mirror when the player wears a monocle: say "The monocle makes our right eye look deep green, and it has a sinister quality as well." Instead of searching a mirror: say "I have not gotten used to what we look like since we were synthes[ize]d into a single female body. The face that looks back is deeply scary. It's not me. And it's not you either. It's more like one of those computer composites you can have done to envision future offspring: if you and I were to have a somewhat androgynous daughter she might look like this[one of]. But I am uncomfortable sharing a body, and uncomfortable looking into a mirror and seeing something other than my own face looking out. You seem calmer about it: perhaps you've just had more time to reflect, or perhaps somehow you're filtering those emotions out for me. But I think we'll both be happier when we're split back into our own respective bodies[or][stopping]." Instead of attacking a mirror: say "You know what they say about bad luck. I'm not superstitious, but I don't think having a roomful of sharp glass shards bodes well for the immediate future." Instead of burning something in the presence of a stove: if the noun is edible: say "You are about right about my cooking abilities, I suppose, but [the noun] [is-are] better off as [it-they] [is-are]."; otherwise: say "It's true there's a handy stove here, but I don't see the point." [And fix posture reporting to reflect person...] The standard position report rule is not listed in any rulebook. Report taking position (this is the new standard position report rule): say "[You] [are] now [the posture of the player][if the holder of the player is not the location] [in-on the holder of the player][end if]." [And this is provided entirely as a way to redirect attempts to sit at the piano or a desk or table] Understand "sit at [something]" as sitting at. Sitting at is an action applying to one thing. Check sitting at: say "There's no obvious place to sit." instead. Section 3 - Bedrooms A bed is a kind of supporter. A bed is always enterable. A bed is usually reclining. When play begins: now every bed allows seated; now every bed allows reclining; now every bed which is not a dorm bed allows standing. A clothed bed is a kind of bed. A blanket is a kind of thing. Some sheets are a kind of thing. A pillow is a kind of thing. Some sheets, a blanket, and a pillow are part of every clothed bed. Instead of taking something which is part of a clothed bed: say "Stripping down beds is boring, and none of the bedclothes are likely to be especially useful." The description of a pillow is usually "Fluffy, harmless, mostly useless." The description of sheets is usually "They're the usual sort of thing." The description of a blanket is usually "Blankets in this part of the world, at this time of year, tend to be lightweight; and this is no exception." A dorm bed is a kind of bed. Section 4 - Desks, Drawers, Offices Include Automated Drawers by Emily Short. Definition: a container is empty if the number of things in it is 0. Definition: a supporter is empty if the number of things on it is 0. [After writing a paragraph about the nightstand: if something is on the nightstand and at least one surprising drawer is part of the nightstand, say "[paragraph break]"; say "[if prior named noun is the nightstand and the nightstand is empty]It[otherwise]The nightstand[end if] has [the number of drawers which are part of the nightstand in words] drawer[s]"; if at least one open drawer is part of the nightstand begin; say "; [selection of drawers which are part of the nightstand conforming to the description open drawers which are part of the nightstand is-are] open"; if every open drawer which is part of the nightstand is empty, say " but empty"; end if; say ". "; now the current-subject is the nightstand; now every drawer which is part of the nightstand is mentioned; now every drawer which is part of the nightstand is referenced by the current-paragraph; while a surprising thing (called second special-target) is referenced by the current-paragraph begin; carry out the disclosing contents activity with the second special-target; now every thing contained by the second special-target is mentioned; now every thing supported by the second special-target is mentioned; now every thing held by the second special-target is mentioned; now every thing which is part of the second special-target is mentioned; end while; now held-break is true; say "[run paragraph on]"; ] Rule for disclosing exterior of something which is in a drawer: say "[The current-subject] is in [the holder of the current-subject]. "; Rule for disclosing contents of a drawer (called special-target): say "[if the prior named noun is the special-target]Inside[otherwise]In [the special-target][end if] [is-are a list of things in the special-target]. [run paragraph on]". A desk is a kind of supporter. [Every desk incorporates two vertical drawers.] A desk is usually scenery. The description of a desk is usually "It's fakely veneered in dark wood and shows signs of years of abuse." A desk is usually seated. A chair is a kind of supporter. A chair is usually scenery. A chair is always enterable. Understand "seat" as a chair. Understand "take [chair]" as entering. The description of a chair is usually "It is an ordinary inexpensive variety of chair, made locally and found around the island in great numbers." A chair is usually seated. When play begins: now every chair allows seated; now every chair allows standing; now every desk allows seated; now every desk allows standing. Before entering a chair which supports something (called the impediment): if the noun supports a person: say "[The noun] [is-are] plainly occupied." instead; otherwise: try taking the impediment; if the impediment is on the noun: stop the action. Rule for writing a topic sentence about an as-yet-unknown introduceable person (called special-target) who is on a chair (called secondary-target): now the secondary-target is mentioned; say "[The special-target] [is-are] sitting here. [run paragraph on]"; now the current-paragraph references the special-target. Rule for writing a paragraph about someone (called special-target) who is on a chair (called secondary-target): if the special-target is initially-described, make no decision; if the special-target is flexibly-described, make no decision; if the special-target is introduceable and the special-target is as-yet-unknown, make no decision; change the current-subject to special-target; if the location is an office: now the secondary-target is mentioned; let N be a random desk which is in the location; say "[The special-target] [is-are] seated at [its-their] [N]. [run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say "[The special-target] [is-are] sitting on [a secondary-target]. [run paragraph on]"; Rule for disclosing contents of a desk (called special-target): if someone (called desk-user) who is not the player is on a chair in the location: say "[if special-target is not mentioned]On [the special-target] in front of[otherwise]In front of[end if] [the desk-user] [is-are a list of mentionable things on the special-target]. [run paragraph on]"; otherwise: make no decision; An office is a kind of room. One desk and one chair are in every office. An office is usually indoors. Sanity-check sitting at a desk: if the player can see a chair (called target chair) which does not support a person: try entering the target chair instead. Section 5 - Outdoor Rooms and Digging A thing can be diggable. A thing is usually not diggable. Understand "hole in" or "in" or "up" or "a hole in" as "[hole in]". Understand "dig [hole in] [something diggable]" or "dig [something diggable]" as digging in. Understand "dig [hole in] [something]" or "dig [something]" as digging in. Digging in is an action applying to one thing. Understand the command "scoop" as "dig". Sanity-check digging in a person: say "[The noun] do[es]n't have much in common with a mound of dirt." instead. Sanity-check digging in a floppy wearable thing which is not diggable: say "...what, like looking through for pockets or something? No sign of anything interesting, I'm afraid." instead. Check digging in: if the noun is not diggable: say "That seems pointless." instead. Report digging in the soil: say "[You] try scooping away a few handfuls of the soil, but find nothing interesting in the process. [You][']re also getting dirt under our fingernails." instead. Report digging in something diggable: say "Excavating a bit of [the noun] turns up nothing of interest." Instead of looking under a diggable thing: try digging in the noun. Part 4 - Special Prop Types Chapter 1 - Information Sources Section 1 - Books A book is a kind of thing. Understand "book" as a book. A book has a table-name called the contents. Before printing the name of a proper-named book: say "[italic type]". After printing the name of a book: say "[roman type]". After consulting a book about a topic listed in the contents of the noun: say "[reply entry][paragraph break]". After consulting a book about: say "[You] flip through [the noun], but find no reference to [the topic understood]." instead. Understand "look up [text] in [a book]" as consulting it about (with nouns reversed). Understand "read about [text] in [a book]" as consulting it about (with nouns reversed). Understand "look up [text]" as guidebook-consulting. Understand "read about [text]" as guidebook-consulting. Understand "look [text] up" as guidebook-consulting. Understand "look [text] up in [a book]" as consulting it about (with nouns reversed). Understand "look [text] up in [something]" as consulting it about (with nouns reversed). Check consulting a book about something (this is the take books to read them rule): if the player does not carry the noun: try taking the noun; if the player does not carry the noun: stop the action. Guidebook-consulting is an action applying to one topic. The guidebook-consulting action has an object called the implied textbook. Setting action variables for guidebook-consulting: change the implied textbook to the player; if the player's command includes "[number]" and the filing cabinet is visible: change the implied textbook to the filing cabinet; otherwise if the player can see the guidebook: change the implied textbook to the guidebook; otherwise if the player carries a book: change the implied textbook to a random book carried by the player; otherwise if the player can see a book (called the target): change the implied textbook to the target. Check guidebook-consulting: if the implied textbook is the player: say "[You] don't have any suitable book in which to look that up." instead. Carry out guidebook-consulting: try consulting the implied textbook about the topic understood. Section 2 - Computers [The computer code handles the idea of computers that are on and off, running multiple programs, password protection, email delivery (though we don't actually use that in this game), search engines, and multiple-choice engines. These support Waterstone's laptop (which we never interact with), the secretary's computer (which we can break into if we want, but it's just an easter egg), and the machinery that converts the letter-remover device to remove its legal limitations, as well as Atlantida's ebook reader in the endgame. The code was originally written for Counterfeit Monkey, but I took it out, polished it up, and published it some years ahead of the game as an extension. This was useful to do: authors of other games pointed out a few flaws in that code that allowed me to improve the behavior for this game.] Include Computers by Emily Short. The description of a keyboard is usually "Arranged in the Dvorak layout preferred in Anglophone Atlantis." When play begins: repeat with item running through search engines: now the results-found response of item is "The search turns up the following results:"; now the description of the item is "[You] can type search terms to look for data records." Chapter 2 - Substances Section 1 - Liquids [We could have used a full-bore liquid extension, but there's really no reason to do so: the player is not going to be allowed to mix liquids or have partial liquid quantities, and in fact we want to encourage him to think of all objects in the game universe as atomic rather than partial and divisible. So our minimal approach to fluids just disallows a few kinds of manipulation that apply to solids, and leaves it at that.] A thing can be solid or fluid. A thing is usually solid. Instead of waving or squeezing or pulling or pushing or rubbing or turning a fluid thing: say "[The noun] do[es]n't really respond to that kind of manipulation." Sanity-check drinking a solid thing: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't liquid." instead. Check drinking a fluid thing: try eating the noun instead. Sanity-check burning a fluid thing: say "Only the rare fluid is able to burn." instead. Sanity-check burning the fuel: say "Let's keep your arsonist tendencies under wraps. I think they might attract attention." instead. Sanity-check burning oil: say "Let's keep your arsonist tendencies under wraps. I think they might attract attention." instead. Rule for deciding whether all includes a fluid thing while taking: it does not. Sanity-check tying a fluid to something: say "[The noun] do[es]n't make much of an anchor point." instead. Sanity-check tying something to a fluid: say "[The second noun] do[es]n't make much of an anchor point." instead. Sanity-check climbing a fluid thing: say "A prominent feature of fluids is that they don't provide much support." instead. A thing can be contained or uncontained. A thing is usually uncontained. Every turn when the player carries a fluid thing (called the puddle): unless the puddle is contained: move the puddle to the location; say "[The puddle][one of], true to its nature, leaks out onto the ground[or] drips through our fingers onto the ground[or] drips out of our hands[at random]." Understand "fill [a container] with [a fluid thing]" as filling it with. Understand "fill [a container] with [something]" as filling it with. Understand "fill [something] with [a fluid thing]" as filling it with. Understand "fill [something] with [something]" as filling it with. Understand "pour [something] into [something]" as filling it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "pour [a fluid thing] into [something]" as filling it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "pour [something] into [a container]" as filling it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "pour [a fluid thing] into [a container]" as filling it with (with nouns reversed). Filling it with is an action applying to two things. Sanity-check filling a container with something which is not a fluid thing: try inserting the second noun into the noun instead. Check filling a contained fluid with a fluid thing: say "There's no restoration gel that will separate mixed liquids, you know. I'd rather stay away from the chemistry experiments." instead. Check filling the funnel with a fluid thing: say "That would have about the same effect as pouring [the second noun] on our feet." instead. Check filling it with: say "[one of]I'd rather leave [the second noun] where [it-they] [is-are].[or]I don't see much point to filling containers with things.[at random]" instead. Section 2 - Vegetables A vegetable is a kind of thing. The description of a vegetable is usually "Some leafy greens that might make an okay side salad, if [you] were feeling hungry." A vegetable is usually edible. The scent-description of a vegetable is usually "vegetable matter". [These two items are reserved for use in place of the pear and the banana during hard mode.] The prickly-pear is a vegetable. The printed name is "prickly pear". The description of the prickly-pear is "It's a hostile red fruit covered with spines." Understand "prickly" and "pear" as the prickly-pear. The pineapple is a vegetable. The description is "It is thick-skinned and spiky all over. I've never learned how to serve one of these things without getting juice over everything in a ten-foot radius." Chapter 3 - Useful Items Section 1 - Holdall [For most of the time this game was in development, it used the backpack as a holdall and juggled the player's belongings in and out of it. Which worked fine, but it caused occasional irritations when one of the NPCs needed to give the player something, thereby exceeding his carrying capacity. But more than that, it started to feel like all this obsession about how you were carrying what was just not very interesting: not fun, not related to the main substance of the puzzles, and just distracting from the main text of the game. I removed most of the puzzles that had to do with inventory management, toned down the one that remained (dealing with the Authenticator), revised the inventory listing to de-emphasize containment, and got rid of the carrying capacity constraint. So, yeah, it's not remotely realistic that we can carry around all the stuff we carry in the game -- but it wouldn't be realistic stuffed into a backpack *either*. And not worrying about this gets the game *out of the way* of a lot of the core puzzle interactions, which are what the player should be focused on instead.] [Include Considerate Holdall by Jon Ingold. When play begins: now every long thing is unstashable; now the iron-pans are unstashable; now every fluid thing is unstashable. The carrying capacity of the player is 10. ] [And now for the cases where the player explicitly tries to stash something inappropriate, e.g. with PUT ALE IN BACKPACK: ] Instead of inserting a long thing into the backpack: say "[The noun] [one of]couldn't possibly fit[or]would be much too long[or]would just stick out[at random]." Instead of inserting a fluid thing into the backpack: say "[The noun] [one of]would make a real mess[or]would just spill[at random]." Instead of inserting the pans into the backpack: say "There's nowhere near enough room." Section 2 - Clothing [Our clothing simulation is as lightweight as we can make it. The aim is -- to avoid breaking immersion by having the player simultaneously wear things that ought to overlap, like the monocle and the goggles -- to juggle clothing automatically so that the player never has to worry about explicitly taking off one piece of clothing to wear another Though there are provisions in the manual for clothing systems that handle layering, describing outfits based on what's uppermost, and specifying body parts, we want to avoid all of that. Naming body parts would clash with the "arm", "toe", and other severed body bits that appear elsewhere in the game, while layering would draw our attention to the fact that the protagonist's original outfit is never clearly described. We want to focus player attention as much as possible away from those points. Any article of clothing which can be stacked freely -- rings, wraps, jewelry, etc -- is not said to cover anything. We also do not bother to specify a coverage area for items of clothing that the player will never get his hands on -- those worn by NPCs.] Body-area is a kind of value. The body-areas are face-area, head-area, torso-area, legs-area. Covering relates various things to one body-area. The verb to cover (it covers, they cover, it is covering, it is covered) implies the covering relation. [Strip off anything else that's in the way -- which should be only one thing, really, but we write it as a loop just in case.] Check wearing something which covers a body-area (called affected region): if the affected region is not the face-area and the affected region is not the head-area and the affected region is not the torso-area and the affected region is not the legs-area: [* you would think this was covered already, but for some reason there's a bug at time of writing that allows "which covers a body area" to match "illegal body-area" -- that is to say, no part of the body at all.] make no decision; while the player wears a non-noun thing (called blockage) which covers the affected region: try taking off the blockage; if the player wears the blockage: stop the action. Definition: a thing is non-noun if it is not the noun. [...and to deal with the special case of objects worn as blindfolds:] Check wearing something which covers face-area when the player wears something blinding: while the player wears a blinding thing (called blockage): try taking off the blockage; if the player wears the blockage: stop the action. Report taking off something which covers face-area: say "[You] gently remove [the noun]." instead. Report taking off something which covers head-area: say "[You] pull off [the noun] and smoothe down our hair." instead. Report wearing something which covers head-area: say "[You] settle [the noun] on our head and adjust our hair underneath." instead. Test wardrobe with "tutorial off / cycle wardrobe / wear ben wig / wear monocle / blindfold me with swatch / wear monocle". Section 3 - Signs A sign is a kind of thing. Section 4 - Writing Surfaces [This is a pretty unimportant feature, but at some point during the design I realized that it was possible to make pens, a nib, and various types of paper and notepad. Given that, it seemed fair to let the player write stuff down — he was likely to try, anyhow — and maybe I could tie in an achievement or two. I didn't really greatly want to develop that from scratch, but happily an extension by Jim Aikin provided the functionality: writeable surfaces that would remember what you'd jotted on them, work only with certain writing implements, etc. I plugged it in, tested it out (worked perfectly), and moved on.] Include Notepad by Jim Aikin. Understand "write on [something]" as a mistake ("You'll need to say what you want to write down, as in 'write Alice on [the noun]'."). Understand "write with [something]" as a mistake ("You'll need to say what you want to write down, as in 'write Alice on [the random notepad]'."). Understand "write on [something] with [something]" as a mistake ("You'll need to say what you want to write down, as in 'write Alice on [the noun]'."). Understand "write with [something] on [something]" as a mistake ("You'll need to say what you want to write down, as in 'write Alice on [the second noun]'."). Sanity-check an actor writing on something: if the actor carries the inked pen: make no decision; if the actor carries the uninked pen: say "[The pen] is out of ink at the moment." instead; if the actor carries the pens: say "[The pens] are only nominally writing implements at all." instead. Section 5 - Instruments and Performance [I am not great at music — that is, I really enjoy listening to it, but theory, analysis, and most musical performance is beyond my ability, and I have the sort of singing voice I would only dare exercise when hiking alone in a wilderness preserve. So there was no initial plan to feature anything about instruments; it just turned out that several introduced themselves into the game, either as scenery (the piano in the Fleur d'Or) or as makeable objects (the oboe). Once enough of them turned up, I figured I should handle them in some systematic fashion.] An instrument is a kind of thing. Understand "instrument" as an instrument. After reading a command: if the player's command includes "play darts" and the location is the Counterfeit Monkey: replace the matched text with "playdarts"; if the player's command includes "play" and the location is not the Counterfeit Monkey: replace the matched text with "perform". [This is a hack because we have to get around "play" also turning up in dialogue for the game at the Counterfeit Monkey.] Understand "perform [something] on [something]" as performing it on. Understand "perform [piece] on [instrument]" as performing it on. Understand "perform [something] on [instrument]" as performing it on. Understand "perform on [instrument]" or "perform [instrument]" as performing vaguely on. Understand "perform [piece]" or "perform [something]" as performing it on. Performing it on is an action applying to one visible thing and one thing. Performing vaguely on is an action applying to one thing. Sanity-check performing vaguely on something: try performing the player on the noun instead. Rule for supplying a missing second noun while performing something on: if an instrument (called target instrument) is visible: now the second noun is the target instrument; otherwise: if game-selection is visible: now the second noun is the game-selection; else: say "There's no instrument handy." instead. Rule for supplying a missing noun while performing something on: now the noun is the player. [as a safe generically-present thing] Sanity-check performing something on game-selection: say "It's not really a game-playing occasion." instead. Sanity-check performing something on a person: say "If [the second noun] wish[es] to sing something, that is up to [it-them]." instead. Sanity-check performing something on something which is not an instrument: say "[The second noun] [is-are]n't much of an instrument." instead. Understand "perform [text] on [something]" as improvising it on. Understand "perform [text] on [instrument]" as improvising it on. Improvising it on is an action applying to one topic and one thing. Understand "perform [text]" as improvising it on. Rule for supplying a missing second noun while improvising the topic understood on: if an instrument (called target instrument) is visible: now the second noun is the target instrument; otherwise: say "There's no instrument handy." instead. Check improvising the topic understood on something which is not an instrument: say "[The second noun] [is-are]n't much of an instrument." instead. Part 5 - Extra Actions Section 1 - Swimming and other Seaside Activities Swimming is an action applying to one visible thing. Understand "swim [a direction]" as swimming. Understand "swim" or "float" as swimming. Rule for supplying a missing noun while swimming: if the location is not swimmable: say "[You][']d need to be closer to the shore."; rule fails; otherwise: now the noun is north. Check swimming: if the location is not swimmable: say "[You][']d need to be closer to the shore." instead. Check swimming (this is the block swimming off the boat rule): if the location is nautical: say "Safest to stay on the yacht; it was hard enough getting here." instead. Check swimming (this is the always block swimming rule): say "Considering the delicacy of our possessions and the distance [you] need to travel, swimming is not a viable solution." instead. Instead of swimming something when the location is the Customs Hallway or the location is the precarious perch: say "From up here? Unlikely. And even from the water's edge, it would be better to have a boat." Instead of swimming something when [the Holding Chamber is not visited and] the location is the Docks: say "Going swimming in these murky waters isn't an appealing thought, and anyway [you] don't have time for a pleasure dip just now." Definition: a room is swimmable: if it is the Docks: yes; if it is nautical: yes; if the player can see the sea-view: yes; no. Understand "surf" or "go surfing" or "windsurf" or "wind surf" as surfing. Surfing is an action applying to nothing. Check surfing in a swimmable room: say "The waves around here are nothing like big enough, even if [you] had a board." instead. Check surfing: say "Even if [you] were down by the water, the waves on this island aren't really surfable." instead. Understand "body surf" or "bodysurf" as bodysurfing. Bodysurfing is an action applying to nothing. Check bodysurfing in a swimmable room: say "The waves around here are nothing like big enough, even if [you] had the skill and wanted to get our things all wet." instead. Check bodysurfing: say "Even if [you] were down by the water, the ocean around here isn't very surfable." instead. Understand "dive in/into [sea-view]" or "jump in/into [sea-view]" as diving into. Understand "dive in/into [distant-sea-view]" or "jump in/into [distant-sea-view]" as diving into. Understand "dive in/into [something fluid]" or "jump in/into [something fluid]" as diving into. Understand "dive in/into [something]" or "jump in/into [something]" as diving into. Diving into is an action applying to one thing. Instead of entering a fluid: try diving into the noun. Before diving into distant-sea-view: say "[You][']d never make it from here." instead. [Need to get past the accessibility issues.] Sanity-check diving into a person: say "I've heard of sinking into someone's eyes before, but..." instead. Sanity-check diving into a toilet: say "Unhygienic even if possible." instead. Sanity-check diving into something which is not a fluid: say "It generally works best to dive into liquids." instead. Sanity-check diving into a fluid thing which is not a backdrop: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't exactly deep enough to [one of]bathe in[or]swim in[or]dive into[at random]." instead. Check diving into sea-view: say "The shore here slopes gradually, with very shallow water at the beginning." instead. Test watersports with "test liquid-jump / test near-jump / test high-jump". Test high-jump with "dive / jump into the sea / surf / bodysurf / wind surf / swim / jump" in the Precarious Perch. Test liquid-jump with "jump / dive / jump into the spill / dive in the spill / dive into the spill / surf / bodysurf / wind surf / swim" in the Outdoor Cafe. Test near-jump with "jump / dive / jump into the ocean / surf / bodysurf / wind surf / swim" in the Private Beach. Section 2 - Attacking it with [This is here primarily for the pinata puzzle, but also to give sensible responses to a number of other things, including attempts at combat with Atlantida.] Understand the commands "attack" and "punch" and "destroy" and "kill" and "murder" and "hit" and "thump" and "break" and "smash" and "torture" and "wreck" as something new. Attacking it with is an action applying to one visible thing and one carried thing. Understand "attack [something] with [something preferably held]" as attacking it with. Understand the commands "punch" and "destroy" and "kill" and "murder" and "hit" and "thump" and "break" and "smash" and "torture" and "wreck" as "attack". Does the player mean attacking the hanging figure with a long strong thing: it is very likely. Sanity-check attacking something with something: if the second noun is not long: say "[The second noun] [is-are] too short to hit with effectively." instead; if the second noun is floppy: say "[The second noun] [is-are] too floppy to do much damage." instead. A thing can be attackable. Sanity-check attacking something which is not attackable with something: try attacking the noun instead. Sanity-check attacking someone who is not attackable with something: follow the block attacking rule instead. Sanity-check attacking someone who is not attackable: follow the block attacking rule instead. Sanity-check attacking something which is not attackable with an edged thing: try cutting the noun with the second noun instead. Understand "swing [something preferably held] at [something]" as attacking it with (with nouns reversed). Book 4 - Features of Created Objects Section 1 - Legality [Legality reflects whether something can be carried safely in the presence of the authorities and whether it should be noticed by them. ] A thing can be legal or illegal. A thing is usually legal. Before going to a room that encloses a police person when the player has a backpack: if the room gone to is the fish Market: do nothing instead; stow gear. Before approaching a room that encloses a police person when the player has a backpack: if the room gone to is the fish Market: do nothing instead; stow gear. To stow gear: repeat with item running through illegal things which are enclosed by the player: if the item is visible and the item is not in the backpack: try inserting the item into the backpack; if the backpack is open: try closing the backpack. Before taking something which is in a closed container (called the source): try opening the source. Before inserting something into a closed container (called the goal): try opening the goal. Before inserting something which is worn into a container: try taking off the noun. Every turn: if a police person (called suspicious official) can see an illegal thing (called the evidence) which is not in a closed backpack: say "The attention of [the suspicious official] lights on [the evidence]. 'Let's see [that-those of the evidence],' [it-they of the suspicious official] say[s]. [paragraph break]Of course, a minute's inspection doesn't make [it-them] any happier, and soon [you] find ourselves explaining things to the police."; end the game saying "That was careless". Section 2 - Proffering and thing relations A thing can be useful or useless. A thing is usually useless. Proffering relates various things to various things. The verb to proffer (it proffers, they proffer, it proffered, it is proffered) implies the Proffering relation. [This relation indicates which objects have been derived verbally from which others.] When play begins: repeat with item running through things: now the item proffers the item; now the rock is not proffered by anything; now Brock proffers the rock; now the banana is not proffered by anything; now the bandana proffers the banana; now the shed is not proffered by anything; now the shred proffers the shed; now the as is not proffered by anything; now the pastis proffers the as; now the ash is not proffered by anything; now the trash proffers the ash; now the pear is not proffered by anything; now the pearl proffers the pear; now the lock is not proffered by anything; now the lock is proffered by the clock; now the watch is not proffered by anything; now the watch is proffered by the swatch; now the mechanic is not proffered by anything; now the garbage proffers the mechanic; now the pocket-bread is not proffered by anything; now the pocket-bread is proffered by the pita; now the honey triangle is not proffered by anything; now the honey triangle is proffered by the baklava; now the crossword is not proffered by anything; now the crossword is proffered by the cross; now the crossword is proffered by the word; now the word is not proffered by anything; now the word is proffered by the sword; now atlantida-woman is not proffered by anything; now atlantida-shellfish proffers atlantida-woman; now the paperweight is not proffered by anything; now the paperweight is proffered by the paper; now the paperweight is proffered by the weight; now the lamb-granulates are not proffered by anything; now the lamb-granulates are proffered by the anagram bullets; now the inciting fable is not proffered by anything; now the filing cabinet proffers the inciting fable. [now the bead is not proffered by anything; now the bead is proffered by the fancy bed;] [now the vest is not proffered by anything; now the vet proffers the vest. ] A thing can be seen or unseen. A thing is usually unseen. After printing the name of something (called special-target): if the special-target is a quip or the special-target is a subject: do nothing; otherwise if the special-target is not in the repository: now the special-target is seen. A thing can be fake or real. A thing is usually real. When play begins: now every thing enclosed by the repository is fake; now patsy-woman is real; now Brock is real. Definition: a thing is discovered if it is fake and it is seen. Section 3 - Concreteness A thing can be r-concrete or r-abstract. A thing is usually r-concrete. Sanity-check rubbing or squeezing or touching or waving or pulling or pushing or turning or climbing an r-abstract thing: say "[The noun] [is-are] not really solid enough to treat that way. Might as well be [one of]dandelion fluff[or]pipe smoke[or]a hologram[or]a 3D image[or]mist[or]a cloud of vapor[at random]." instead. Sanity-check eating or drinking or tasting an r-abstract thing: say "[The noun] [is-are] too abstract to offer sustenance." instead. Sanity-check pushing an r-abstract thing to a direction: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't solid enough for that kind of treatment." instead. Sanity-check switching on or switching off an r-abstract thing: if the noun is a device: make no decision; say "[The noun] [is-are]n't literally a projection; [it-they] [is-are] more of a concept created by the group mind of this language community. Sort of. [You] think. At any rate, [it-they] do[es]n't switch on and off." instead. Section 4 - Heft A thing has a number called heft. The heft of a thing is usually 2. The heft of an animal is usually 4. The heft of an insect is usually 1. The heft of a bird is usually 2. The heft of a person is usually 4. The heft of a vehicle is usually 5. The heft of a supporter is usually 5. The verb to weigh (it weighs, they weigh, it is weighing) implies the heft property. Definition: a thing is heavy if its heft is greater than 3. Every turn when the player carries a heavy thing (called burden): try involuntarily-dropping the burden. Sanity-check waving a heavy thing: say "Unlikely, unless we suddenly become a good deal stronger." instead. Involuntarily-dropping is an action applying to one thing. Carry out involuntarily-dropping something which is not a person: now the noun is handled. Carry out involuntarily-dropping: try silently dropping the noun; [this is better than just moving to the location because it copes with cases where the thing needs to land in a vehicle or supporter.] if the player carries the noun: stop the action. Report involuntarily-dropping: say "[The noun] [is-are] [if the heft of the noun is greater than 4]far too large[otherwise]too awkward[end if] for us to carry, and fall[s] onto the ground." instead. Report involuntarily-dropping an animal: say "[The noun] [is-are] [if the heft of the noun is greater than 4]far too large[otherwise]too awkward[end if] for us to carry, and half-fall[s], half-jump[s] to the ground." instead. Report involuntarily-dropping the boar: now the boar is in the location; say "[You] more or less throw the boar as far away as possible. It seems the wisest course." instead. Report involuntarily-dropping a person: say "[The noun] look[s] rather awkward, and clamber[s] out of our ineffective hold onto solid ground." instead. Report involuntarily-dropping a cat: say "[The noun] get[s] tired of being carried and leap[s] delicately to the ground." instead. Section 5 - Length and Strength A thing can be short or long. A thing is usually short. A thing can be strong or floppy. A thing is usually strong. Sanity-check swinging a long thing: if the noun is strong: say "[You] might hit something with [the noun]." instead. Instead of swinging a long thing: if the noun is wearable: say "[You] swing [the noun] dashingly over a shoulder. I feel foolish now."; otherwise: say "[You] swing [the noun] from one hand, to no special effect." Sanity-check swinging a short thing: if the noun is not a person: say "There's not really a lot of extent to [the noun] to make [it-them] satisfying to swing." instead. Section 6 - Politeness A thing can be crude or polite. A thing is usually polite. A thing can be naughty-sounding or innocent-sounding. Section 7 - Edges and Cutting [We could in theory use an object property for these, but there are nearly 2000 objects in the game and that would be a bit of storage overkill when we want only two or three objects to correspond to the definition.] Definition: a thing is edged if it is the jigsaw or it is the sword. Definition: a thing is cuttable if it is the kudzu or it is the plexiglas. Understand the command "cut" as something new. Understand "cut [something] with [something preferably held]" as cutting it with. Understand "cut [something] with [an edged thing]" as cutting it with. Cutting it with is an action applying to one thing and one carried thing. Sanity-check cutting something which is not cuttable with something: if the second noun is edged: if the noun is a person: say "Sometimes I find your sense of hum[our] grotesque." instead; otherwise: say "I think that would only make a mess." instead; else: say "[The second noun] do[es]n't offer much of an edge, but that's probably just as well really." instead. Sanity-check cutting something cuttable with something which is not edged: say "[The second noun] do[es]n't offer much of an edge." instead. Check cutting something with the jigsaw when the jigsaw is not switched on: try switching on the jigsaw; if the jigsaw is not switched on: say "It's impossible to use a jigsaw that is not turned on." instead. Book 5 - Schedule and Time Chapter 1 - Time Model Section 1 - Speed of Action [This game is going to entail taking inventory constantly, as the player reviews what he has available to solve a particular problem. Similarly, looking and examining things in order to check the environment for dangerous or interesting content. Consequently, we want these actions to be timeless so that they don't pose too much of a challenge in timed portions. Besides, during a conversation or otherwise wordy scene, it tends to be unattractive to have a whole inventory list followed by the section of dialogue. This code is yanked directly from the "Timeless" example in the manual.] Examining something is acting fast. Looking is acting fast. Taking inventory is acting fast. [Starting a conversation with someone about is acting fast. ] The take visual actions out of world rule is listed before the every turn stage rule in the turn sequence rules. This is the take visual actions out of world rule: if acting fast: rule succeeds. Section 2 - Times of Day Daytime is a kind of value. The daytimes are noon, early afternoon, mid afternoon, late afternoon, sunset, and evening. The current daytime is a daytime that varies. The current daytime is noon. To say sky-description: if the current daytime is: -- noon: say "The sun is so bright that it's hard to look straight up for long.[no line break]"; -- early afternoon: say "The sun is no longer directly overhead, perhaps, but it's close.[no line break]"; -- mid afternoon: say "It is still extremely bright overhead, though we're reaching the middle of the afternoon.[no line break]"; -- late afternoon: say "The glare is decreasing as the sun falls toward the horizon, and the sky overhead is a darker shade of blue.[no line break]"; -- sunset: say "There are no clouds to complicate the sunset, just a pure gradient of yellow to deepening blue.[no line break]"; -- evening: say "The sky has cooled to a darkening blue, though [you] can't see any stars yet.[no line break]" To say sun-description: if the current daytime is: -- sunset: say "It has dulled to a mere ruddy ball.[no line break]"; -- otherwise: say "It's horribly bright and glaring just at the moment.[no line break]" To say time-elsewhere: let hours be 12; if the current daytime is: -- noon: let hours be 12; -- early afternoon: let hours be 13; -- mid afternoon: let hours be 14; -- late afternoon: let hours be 16; -- sunset: let hours be 18; -- evening: let hours be 20; choose a random row in the Table of Time Differences; increase hours by difference entry; let am-pm be "[one of]in the morning[or]AM[or]o'clock[at random]"; if hours is greater than 24: decrease hours by 24; otherwise if hours is 24: decrease hours by 12; now am-pm is "midnight"; otherwise if hours is greater than 12: decrease hours by 12; if hours is less than 6: now am-pm is "[one of]in the afternoon[or]PM[or]o'clock[at random]"; otherwise if hours is less than 10: now am-pm is "[one of]in the evening[or]PM[or]o'clock[at random]"; otherwise if hours is less than 10: now am-pm is "[one of]at night[or]PM[or]o'clock[at random]"; otherwise if hours is 12: now am-pm is "noon"; if difference entry is less than 0: say "[one of]just [or]only [or]still only [or]roughly [or]around [or]about [at random]"; if difference entry is greater than 0: say "[one of]already [or]nearly [or]around [or]about [at random]"; if hours is: -- 12: if am-pm is "noon": say "[one of]noon[or]twelve noon[or]12[or]lunch time[or]midday[at random]"; otherwise: say "[one of]twelve midnight[or]midnight[or]the middle of the night[at random]"; -- otherwise: say "[one of][hours in words] [am-pm][or][hours in words][at random]"; say " in [locale entry]". To say random-spot: choose a random row in the Table of Time Differences; say "[locale entry]". Table of Time Differences difference locale 11 "[one of]Sydney[or]Melbourne[or]Canberra[or]Vladivostok[at random]" 9 "[one of]Seoul[or]Tokyo[at random]" 8 "[one of]Perth[or]Hong Kong[or]Manila[or]Beijing[or]Taipei[or]Shanghai[at random]" 7 "[one of]Bangkok[or]Hanoi[or]Jakarta[at random]" 5 "[one of]Tashkent[or]Islamabad[or]Lahore[at random]" 4 "[one of]Moscow[or]Dubai[at random]" 3 "[one of]Minsk[or]Khartoum[or]Nairobi[or]Baghdad[at random]" 2 "[one of]Cape Town[or]Athens[or]Johannesburg[or]Helsinki[or]Bucharest[or]Cairo[or]Jerusalem[at random]" 1 "[one of]Budapest[or]Berlin[or]Paris[or]Algiers[or]Brussels[or]Kinshasa[or]Zagreb[at random]" -3 "[one of]Santiago[or]Buenos Aires[at random]" -4 "[one of]Halifax[or]La Paz[at random]" -5 "[one of]Philadelphia[or]Atlanta[or]Indianapolis[or]Detroit[or]Columbus[or]Havana[or]Miami[or]Toronto[or]Ottawa[or]Kingston[or]DC[or]New York[or]Boston[at random]" -6 "[one of]Winnepeg[or]Houston[or]Minneapolis[or]Chicago[or]New Orleans[or]San Salvador[at random]" -7 "[one of]Denver[or]Edmonton[or]Phoenix[or]Salt Lake City[at random]" -8 "[one of]San Francisco[or]San Fran[or]Portland[or]Seattle[or]Vancouver[or]LA[or]San Diego[at random]" -9 "Anchorage" -10 "[one of]Kiritimati[or]Honolulu[at random]" -11 "[one of]Suva[or]Auckland[at random]" Section 3 - Time Tests - Not for release Test time-settings with "tempus / clock advance / tempus / clock advance / tempus / clock advance / tempus / clock advance / tempus / clock advance / tempus / clock advance". Understand "Tempus" as time-testing. Time-testing is an action out of world. Carry out time-testing: say "It's [time-elsewhere]." Understand "clock advance" as advancing-clock. Advancing-clock is an action out of world. Carry out advancing-clock: now the current daytime is the daytime after the current daytime. Report advancing-clock: say "It is now [current daytime]." Chapter 2 - Scenes Section 1 - Recovering Stowed Objects Playing to plan is a scene. Playing to plan begins when play begins. Playing to plan ends when High Street is visited. When playing to plan ends: now the current daytime is early afternoon; record "Finished tutorial mode" as an achievement; say "From a loudspeaker nearby comes the electronic sound of simulated bells ringing the hour after noon. It's later than I thought. [You][']d better get a move on." Section 2 - Looking for Transport Seeking transport is a scene. Seeking transport begins when playing to plan ends. Seeking transport ends when the Counterfeit Monkey is visited. When seeking transport ends: remove the farmer from play; remove the farmer's stall from play; [We want to give the sense of change here, and also get the farmer out of the way before he can be transformed into a FAME abstraction.] now the current daytime is mid afternoon; assign "Ask people around here if they've seen Slango" at Counterfeit Monkey; say "...and... Slango is not here. This is bad. Even I can see this is bad. What happened to your confidence in your team? Where are the guys who are supposed to get us out of here? Something must have gone wrong."; Section 3 - Missing Slango Seeking Slango is a scene. Seeking Slango begins when Seeking transport ends. Seeking Slango ends when Slango is seen. When seeking Slango ends: [remove the protesters from play;] now the current daytime is late afternoon. Section 4 - Academia Seeking invite is a scene. Seeking invite begins when Seeking Slango ends. Seeking invite ends when the player carries the invitation. When seeking invite ends: record "acquiring a sought-after invitation" as achieved; [ say "[command prompt]"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]I'm not sure I can handle this. The university stuff is one thing. I know my way around here. But [you] could be about to get into some real trouble. And I can tell you don't believe my plan has a chance of doing much good. You don't, do you? >>"; if the player consents: say "[line break]Heh. I don't think you mean that, but it's kind of you to humor me."; otherwise: say "[line break]No. But you're right: for good or ill, [you][']ll be out."] Before going to University Oval: if "Trace Brock's movements at the antique shop" is completed: make no decision; if hurrying: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far][paragraph break]"; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; now approach-destination is Samuel Johnson Hall; say "There are a couple of All-Purpose Officers standing not-that-inconspicuously around campus. I still think we could walk around in there if we wanted to, but you aren't all that keen. And I guess it is possible that they're looking for students associated with the protests today." instead. Section 5 - Higgate's Arrest [Because we need to stop you so so that you see the scene if you're just passing through:] After going to University Oval when seeking invite has ended and higgate-arrested has not happened : let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far][paragraph break]"; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; now approach-destination is Samuel Johnson Hall. [Tricks the approaching verb into stopping here even if you're trying to reach someplace really far away.] [pause the game. ] Higgate-arrested is a scene. Higgate-arrested begins when the location is University Oval and seeking invite has ended. When Higgate-arrested begins: now officers are in the location; now Professor Higgate is not alert; now Professor Brown is not alert; move Professor Brown to the location; move Professor Higgate to the location; say "There are a couple of officers lounging by the university gate. We won't be able to go by without being seen. As I'm taking this in, you notice hubbub behind us. We move out of the way as more officers escort Professor Higgate from the building."; Some officers are a man. The description of the officers is "I don't see anyone I recognize. There are two escorting Higgate and two more at the oval gate, as backup [--] presumably in case she decided to make a run for it." A dangerous destruction rule for the officers: say "The moment the officers change, two more come running through the gate. Might have known they wouldn't be operating without backup. One of them fires a restoration gel rifle into the group, restoring the officers to their original form. The other has an authentication scope and sweeps the grounds for signs of anything suspicious. We're noticed and arrested almost at once. 'What is going on?' Higgate demands. Her glance skates over us. There's a look in her eyes that says she has a guess who we are and she's not at all eager to have that guess confirmed."; end the story saying "That was not the best moment to intervene" Instead of saying hello to Higgate during Higgate-arrested: if we are forewarned: say "We approach Higgate, heart hammering. 'Professor Higgate, is everything all right?' The officer nearest us turns on us, looking more startled than anything else [--] startled that anyone would be fool enough to intervene in a Bureau matter. 'She's a student,' Higgate says. 'I was just speaking with her earlier. I don't think she's close with Alex. I've never seen you two together, have I?' she concludes, looking at us. This well-meant speech doesn't seem to clear suspicion as effectively as Higgate might have hoped, however, and soon we find ourselves being scooped up for questioning in the same van they sent for Higgate. It doesn't go well."; end the story saying "Perhaps silence would've been better" Instead of saying hello to officers during Higgate-arrested: if we are forewarned: say "'Sir,' we begin. 'Back off, lady,' says the officer. [getting-caught]"; end the story saying "That was not the most successful approach" To say getting-caught: say "'Unless you know where to find Alex Rosehip. You a friend of his?' We shake our head, but something about our appearance and demean[our] has the officer's attention. 'I see a little bit of a family resemblance, come to think of it,' he remarks. 'Everyone's related to everyone,' Higgate says. 'If you check into DNA studies of the island you'll find that it's extremely inbr[--]' 'Thank you, Professor Higgate, you can save the rest of your lecture for inside the van,' says the escorting officer. 'And you come too,' he adds, to us."; higgate-arrest-warning is a truth state that varies. To decide whether we are forewarned: if higgate-arrest-warning is true: decide yes; say "We might not want to attract attention if we can help it."; now higgate-arrest-warning is true; decide no. Instead of approaching somewhere during Higgate-arrested: if we are forewarned: say "We start to stroll off. The officer nearest us notices. 'I'm going to have to ask you to stay where you are until we've completed our sweep of the area,' he says. [getting-caught]"; end the story saying "Maybe standing still would have been better". Instead of going somewhere during Higgate-arrested: if we are forewarned: say "We start to stroll off. The officer nearest us notices. 'I'm going to have to ask you to stay where you are until we've completed our sweep of the area,' he says. [getting-caught]"; end the story saying "Maybe standing still would have been better". Instead of examining Professor Brown during Higgate-arrested: say "He's standing some feet away but not actually walking off. It's not clear whether he expects the officers to ask him other questions, or whether he's lurking [--] guiltily? gleefully? [--] to discover the outcome of his little tip. When we try to meet his eye, he stares away at a tree." Instead of examining Professor Higgate during Higgate-arrested: if the number of filled rows in the Table of Arrest Events is 1: say "There's an empty look in her eyes, as though she'd just been diagnosed with an inoperable cancer. She's thinking about Cold Storage. Anyone would be."; otherwise: say "She mostly looks irritated, as though she thinks the Bureau has made an awkward mistake that will soon be set right. There's a bit of a flush in her cheeks." Every turn during Higgate-arrested: repeat through the Table of Arrest Events: if there is a description entry: say "[description entry][paragraph break]"; blank out the whole row; break; Table of Arrest Events description "'There's been a mistake,' Higgate is saying coolly. 'That conversation was conducted under a special lic[ense] for research in constructed languages. I can produce a copy [--]' The officer leading her says, 'We're acting on information.' He gives a quick, revealing glance in the direction of Professor Brown, who is also coming out of the building." "'Alex Rosehip,' says the officer with Higgate. The back of my neck prickles. 'What can you tell me about his constructed language?' Higgate stops moving forward and the officers stop with her. 'It really is a masterpiece [--] the root words are all based on resources common in the tropics. Dirt and mud are highly productive terms, as are many common pests. The syllables are consonant-dense but still relatively easy to pronounce. In my view, it's the most credible proposal ever put forward in utopian linguistics.' The officer smiles faintly. 'Isn't that a bit like [']the world's most credible proposal for a perpetual motion engine[']?'" "'Whether it works or not, I [i]am[/i] sure it's not intended as an attack on the Anglophone efficacy,' Higgate says. 'Alex has a fine mind but very little gumption. And he loves Atlantis.' 'As far as you're aware,' the officer replies. 'Obviously,' Higgate snaps. 'I can only tell you what I know of Alex from five years of close supervision.' The officers look at one another, then back at her. 'We're going to need to continue this conversation in depth.' A stricken expression crosses Higgate's face." "'I'd like to make a call,' Higgate says. 'Not possible,' says the man at her elbow. 'I assert my right to a friendly witness,' she says firmly. They ignore her." Instead of waiting during Higgate-arrested: say "Time crawls by[one of]. We're looking as harmless and inattentive as humanly possible[or][stopping]." Higgate-arrested ends when the number of filled rows in the Table of Arrest Events is 0. When Higgate-arrested ends: remove the officers from play; remove Professor Higgate from play; remove Professor Brown from play; say "The officers sweep Higgate away into a windowless van. 'Mobile Conversation Unit,' says the side of the van in bright cheery letters. 'The Bureau Is Listening to YOU!' The van pulls away into traffic. Brown strolls away in the other direction, not meeting anyone's eye. It's not easy getting tenure around here." Section 6 - Pinata Celebration Pinata Celebration is a scene. Pinata Celebration begins when the player encloses the invitation. Pinata Celebration ends when the hanging Atlantida figure is not in Tall Street. Rule for distantly describing Tall Street when Pinata Celebration is happening: say "The whole of Tall Street is crowded with families." Instead of listening to Tall Street during Pinata Celebration: try listening to the assembled families. Instead of listening to assembled families: say "[one of]'Mommmmmy,' whines one of the children. 'When does the candy come out?'[or]They are muttering about how solid the Atlantida figure seems to be this year.[or]'It just goes to show,' one of the bureau officials says to another. 'The spirit of the Atlantean people cannot be broken!'[at random]" Instead of going south from Tall Street during Pinata Celebration: say "[path-walked so far][if hurrying]We get as far as Tall Street, but no further. [end if]The Bureau entrance is temporarily blocked by all the excited families on the stairs, trying to destroy the cardboard figure of Atlantida." When Pinata Celebration begins: move the hanging Atlantida figure to Tall Street; move the assembled families to Tall Street; now the current daytime is sunset; now the description of Tall Street is "Tall Street is full of families, some reaching as far as the old park at the east end of the street. They're gathered around a hanging cardboard figure in front of the Bureau of Orthography. The children, and a few of the adults, are taking turns hitting it with sticks, hoping for a shower of comma-shaped candy. This is a common holiday activity, but from the disgruntled comments and the petulant expressions of the children, it has already been going on longer than is strictly fun." When Pinata Celebration ends: if the player is in Tall Street: say "The children gather their heaps of candy and a few scoops of glittery confetti as well, but eventually trickle away again with their parents, returning through the park or down side streets or to their cars."; remove the assembled families from play; record "breaking the Spirit of Atlantis (in cardboard form)" as achieved; now the description of Tall Street is "Tall Street has a distinctive post-party look, with confetti and glitter on the ground, and shreds of destroyed cardboard everywhere. It is quiet now, however."; move confetti mess to Tall Street. A confetti mess is scenery. Understand "glitter" as the confetti mess. The description is "Blue, white, and silver glittery confetti is all over the place. The individual bits look like punctuation marks, commas and periods and the odd hash sign or ampersand." The hanging Atlantida figure is an attackable closed container. It is scenery. The description is "The figure is made of cardboard and papier-mâché, designed for children to hit with sticks until candy and treats fall out: it's what would be called a piñata, if that weren't a dangerous loan word. This particular one is made in the shape of Atlantida. She wears Bureau blue and a surreal smile and her eyes have been painted on wrong." Some assembled families are a plural-named man. They are scenery. The description is "There are children of all ages carrying sticks and blindfolds they brought from home, as well as bags to scoop up the candy when everything is over. Parents, looking variously indulgent or bored. A couple of bureau officials, come out from the Rotunda to make sure that everything goes well." Understand "family" or "parents" or "parent" or "child" or "children" or "officials" or "bureau officials" or "bored" or "crowd" or "people" or "person" as the assembled families. Every turn during Pinata Celebration: if the location is Tall Street: if a random chance of 2 in 3 succeeds: say "[one of]Another child takes a whack at the hanging figure. She bounces away from the blow, but does not break[or]The latest child's attack swings wide of the figure[or]The next child doesn't seem to have been properly blindfolded and connects with surprising dexterity and sureness, but the thing doesn't break[or]Among a general rumble of assent, one of the fathers gives Atlantida a hard smack with a baseball bat. She doesn't crack[cycling]."; if the location is Abandoned Park: if a random chance of 2 in 3 succeeds: say "[one of]From the west comes a sound of cheering and shouting[or]The crowd to the west boos as one[at random]." Sanity-check cutting the hanging Atlantida figure with an edged thing: say "I believe that would be considered very poor sportsmanship; one should at least try to play along in the spirit of the game." instead. Instead of listening to Abandoned Park during Pinata Celebration: say "The crowd to the west is noisy and getting noisier." Instead of taking the hanging Atlantida figure: say "Stealing the figure would certainly go over badly with the assembled families." Understand "blindfold" as a thing when the item described is blinding. Definition: a thing is a blindfold: if it is not wearable: no; if it is not floppy: no; if the heft of it is 1: yes; no. Instead of wearing a blindfold thing when the player can see the Atlantida figure: try blindfolding the player with the noun instead. After printing the name of something blinding while taking inventory: say " (worn as a blindfold)"; omit contents in listing. Understand "blindfold [something] with [something preferably held]" as blindfolding it with. Blindfolding it with is an action applying to one thing and one carried thing. Does the player mean blindfolding the player with a blindfold thing: it is very likely. A thing can be blinding. A thing is usually not blinding. Sanity-check blindfolding something which is not a person with something: say "[You] can only blindfold people." instead. Sanity-check blindfolding someone with something which is not wearable: say "[The second noun] cannot be worn at all." instead. Sanity-check blindfolding someone with something which is not floppy: say "[The second noun] [is-are] too stiff to wrap around one's face." instead. Sanity-check blindfolding someone with something when the heft of the second noun is greater than 1: if the second noun is not wearable or the second noun is not floppy: make no decision; say "[The second noun] [is-are] too substantial to tie neatly around the eyes." instead. Sanity-check blindfolding someone who is not the player with something: say "Better let people apply their own blindfolds, if they're so inclined." instead. Sanity-check blindfolding the player with something when the player wears a blinding thing (called other strip): say "[You][']ve already got [the other strip] tied over our eyes." instead. Check blindfolding the player with something when the player wears something which covers the face-area: while the player wears something (called blockage) which covers the face-area: try taking off the blockage; if the player wears the blockage: stop the action. Check blindfolding the player with something when the player wears something which covers the head-area: while the player wears something (called blockage) which covers the head-area: try taking off the blockage; if the player wears the blockage: stop the action. Carry out blindfolding the player with something: now the player wears the second noun; now the second noun is blinding. Report blindfolding the player with something: say "[You] tie [the second noun] over our eyes. To be honest, it only partially obscures our vision; [you] still have a pretty good idea where everything is." instead. Instead of going somewhere when the player wears a blinding thing: say "I'd prefer [you] didn't try to navigate in this half-sighted way. It's enough of a trick sharing the steering when we can both see." Instead of looking when the player wears a blinding thing: let item be a random scenery thing in the location; say "[You] can only make out a little of our surroundings. I think the thing in front of us might be [an item]"; if the hanging figure is visible and the hanging figure is not the item: say ". And the hanging figure is just in striking range."; otherwise: say "." A first smarter parser rule when sp_normal: if input starts with "(attack|punch|destroy|kill|murder|hit|thump|break|smash|torture|wreck)" and the latest parser error is the can't see any such thing error: rule succeeds; if input starts with "blindfold" and the latest parser error is the can't see any such thing error: rule succeeds; if input starts with "wear" and input contains "blindfold" and the latest parser error is the can't see any such thing error: rule succeeds. Carry out taking off something which is blinding: now the noun is not blinding. Understand "wear [something] as a blindfold" or "wear [something] as blindfold" as blindfold-wearing. Blindfold-wearing is an action applying to one carried thing. Check blindfold-wearing: try blindfolding the player with the noun instead. Instead of attacking the Atlantida figure with something when the player does not wear a blinding thing: say "It's not sporting to strike the figure unless [you] [are] blindfolded; it's part of the rules. If no official blindfold is forthcoming, [you] might be able to make do by wearing some appropriate strip of cloth." Carry out attacking the hanging Atlantida figure with something: remove the hanging Atlantida figure from play; Report attacking the hanging Atlantida figure with something: say "[You] take a good swing with [the second noun] and connect, finally, with [the noun]. There is a resounding crack! The crowd roars with approval, and dozens of small bodies surge around us so that I almost lose our balance. [You] push our [random blinding thing] up out of our way. The ground is covered with glitter and candy and confetti; the Atlantida has broken open at the torso."; now every blinding thing is not blinding; stop the action. Section 7 - Fireworks Fireworks is a scene. Fireworks begins when Pinata Celebration has ended and the time since Pinata Celebration ended is 2 minutes. Fireworks ends when the number of filled rows in the Table of Pyrotechnics is 0. [Instead of going to a room during Fireworks: say "[You] [are] relishing the not moving for a moment."] When Fireworks begins: now the firework display is part of the sky; [if the player can see the sky: say "The sky cracks with a tremendous boom, and you register a flash of golden fire overhead."; otherwise: say "There is a huge distant noise. Something is happening to the sky."; say "Slango tooks one look at us and wraps us in a blanket. 'Stay here,' he says firmly. "; if the player encloses the rock or the roc is visible: now Brock is in Brock's Stateroom; now the rock is in the repository; now the roc is in the repository; say "He gels Brock back into existence and the two of them walk away."; otherwise: say "He walks away. A moment later, the ship engines start up."; now Slango is in the command chair; now Slango is seated.] Every turn during Fireworks: repeat through the Table of Pyrotechnics: if the player can see the sky: say "[description entry][paragraph break]"; otherwise: say "[noise entry][paragraph break]"; blank out the whole row; make no decision; Table of Pyrotechnics description noise "A silver rocket shoots up into the sky and bursts into a dozen tiny pinwheels like floating silver asterisks." "There is a long whistle, a peppery burst. The fireworks must have started outside." "Four red jets of fire appear over the old city turret. They shape into a cloud of red smoke, curling into very plausible quotation marks before dissipating." "There is a distant roar like a hissing dragon." "A thousand tiny golden double-dagger symbols material[ize] like stars and wink out." "It sounds as though the sky is making popcorn." "A delicate green flame leaps into the darkness and [--] elegant as a swimming fish [--] chases its own tail to form an @ overhead." "The sky is temporarily very quiet." "Something booms in the old city turret [--] something shot out of the deplural[izing] cannon! But it is not deplural[izing] shot. It is a ball of fire that arcs out over the harbor. At the height of its parabola it fragments and forms a gorgeous blue seriffed A over the water. The symbol and flag of Anglophone Atlantis." "There is a deep boom of cannon fire." Instead of examining the sky when firework display is part of the sky: say "Over the island, the fireworks are shooting off from the old city walls, in hon[our] of Serial Comma Day." The firework display is a distant thing. The description is "The end of the last burst is fizzing into nothingness." Understand "fireworks" or "rockets" or "rocket" or "fire" or "flame" or "symbols" as the firework display. Section 8 - Tracking Down Brock Seeking Brock is a scene. Seeking Brock begins when Seeking invite ends. Seeking Brock ends when cold dilemma ends. When Seeking Brock ends: now the current daytime is evening; remove the sun from play; Section 9 - Escape Landing is a scene. Landing begins when Seeking Brock ends. Landing ends when the location is nautical. Definition: a thing is unoriginal if it is not original. When Landing ends: if Brock is in the repository and something (called b-target) is proffered by Brock: say "Slango gels [the b-target] easily enough. Then he and Brock turn the restoration gel on us. Slango "; move b-target to the repository; otherwise: say "Before we can really start a conversation, Slango has a rough go at us with a washcloth and a tub of restoration gel. He "; say "is determined to separate you from me before he has a real talk with either of us; and it's not until a number of swipes in that he realizes how wrong things are. 'This isn't working,' he remarks, tossing the gel and washcloth aside. 'We're fused,' [you] explain, not very coherently. 'Something happened. I don't know if it can be fixed.'[line break]"; if Brock is in the repository: say "Brock looks at us for a long moment and then turns away. He vanishes into the galley. 'I'm sure he's just gone to get you a cup of tea,' Slango says. He takes a deep breath, stands. 'The T-inserter specs better be worth what Brock says they are.'[line break]"; otherwise: say "'And Brock?' Slango demands. 'Have you got him?' [You] shake our head. 'But he'll be released soon,' [you] say. 'I'm pretty sure I've seen to that.' 'Pretty sure,' Slango repeats. [You] just look at him. 'Okay,' he says, though it isn't. 'Okay.' And he goes to the cockpit and fires up the engine, while we watch the lights of Atlantis get farther away and finally dim."; now Slango is not alert; now Brock is not alert; [we don't want them both asking questions constantly] change the initial appearance of Brock to "Brock is leaning against the railing, looking up at the town."; record "returning to the yacht" as achieved; complete "Return to yacht"; now everything enclosed by the player is marked for listing; repeat with item running through marked for listing things: if the item is part of something: next; otherwise if the item is the restoration gel: next; otherwise if the item is edible: now the item is in galley cabinet; otherwise if the item is wearable: now the item is in wardrobe; otherwise if the item is freaky: now the item is in the galley refrigerator; otherwise if the item is the roll of bills or the item is the flash drive: let the target be a random drawer which is part of your bed; now the item is in the target; otherwise if the item is long: now the item is in Sunning Deck; otherwise if the secret-plans proffer the item: now the item is on the built-in table; otherwise if the item is essential: now the item is in Brock's Stateroom; otherwise if the item is the pots or the item is the pot: now the item is on the galley stove; otherwise: let the target be a random drawer which is part of your bed; now the item is in the target; now every thing is not marked for listing; now every thing is not essential; remove island from play; remove the oar from play; now the sun is part of the sky; now the current daytime is early afternoon; move cathedral-view backdrop to all outdoors nautical rooms; [change the scenery; we've gone to Mallorca] pause the game; complete "Escape the Bureau"; say "[dreams]"; pause the game; say "[i]72 hours later[/i][paragraph break]"; now the player is in your bed; now the player is reclining; move Brock to the Sunning Deck; assign "Check out the paper and see what's going on" at the Galley; move the newspaper to the built-in table; remove Slango from play; follow the compass-drawing rule; Rule for writing a topic sentence about the newspaper when the newspaper is on the built-in table: say "Today's [newspaper] is laid out prominently on [the built-in table]. [no line break]"; Understand "paper" as the newspaper. The description of the newspaper is "It's the Chard-Farmer's Daily from Atlantis. A huge headline is splashed across the front: 'REFERENDUM ANNOUNCED!' The picture on the front shows the Atlantida statue decked out with lights like a Christmas tree and people posing next to her for pictures. My father has been promoted, apparently, to something called the Provisional Committee for Orthographic Reform. He is quoted as saying that the amnesty for Cold Storage prisoners is an important step forward. 'Of course, government by citizen referendum brings its own problems, and further constitutional work may be needed if we mean to bring Atlantis in line with the European Union.'" [Before reading a command when Landing has happened: if Brock is enclosed by the location and Slango is enclosed by the location: now addressing everyone is true; otherwise: now addressing everyone is false; ] To say dreams: say "In the rocking boat, with the sound of the motor beneath us, you dream[paragraph break]"; say "of a ceremony on a clifftop with our two families seated looking on, and us in a long white dress, carrying a bouquet of scrabble tiles, walking down an aisle alone to be formally unified with ourself[paragraph break]"; if Brock recollects Brock-smoochies: say "of Brock painting the letter A between your breasts while you alternately laugh and tell him off for not using a seriffed letter form[paragraph break]"; say "of wearing a suit and meeting with some very rich men to talk about how to bring my language to Africa, and Brock giving us advice about how to handle them[paragraph break]"; say "of gathering all the indigenous languages, all the little dying languages, all the languages shoved aside because they lack linguistic efficacy, into a firefly bottle, where their letterforms flicker desperately[paragraph break]". Section 10 - Goodbye [Writing the end of this game was insanely hard and went through many revisions and even arguments. Originally the game was quite a bit shorter, didn't include the Atlantida confrontation, and did end with the characters returning to the yacht and successfully gelling themselves into two people. But that felt wrong and disappointing, because it meant that the characters winning the game were neither of them the person you'd played. Then I tried a variation where you only realize Alexandra is fused at the very end, when trying to put on the gel and having it not work. That solved one problem, but introduced another. There was no fictive explanation for what had happened; and it felt like a cliff-hanger, like it was setting up for one or more sequels in which Alexandra runs around the Mediterranean stealing stuff and looking for a tool that can de-synthesize her. Very briefly I was even delusional enough to think such sequels could happen. Then I considered the fate of every series ever, and discarded that idea. I needed this game to work on its own. Next up I added the choice where the player had to gel Brock or betray Alex's father, and that provided a fictive explanation for the fusion, but it was still weird having the results of the fusion explained only in the last move of the game. When the Atlantida scene came in, though, I realized I could incorporate that discovery into the action of her scene. Much better. But we were not home free even when the endgame took on its current form. Graham argued that it should have an essentially happy ending: this is mostly an upbeat game, and the player has come through a lot and deserves a reward. I mostly agreed with this, especially when replaying it after some period away from the game. And Sam thought the rest of the game didn't really provide enough Alex v. Andra conflict to make that a major point of the ending. One of my testers, and I fear I can't remember who, said, 'look, this whole thing is basically a superhero origin story.' And at the end of a superhero origin story, the superhero is supposed to fire up her jet boots and fly off to the next world-saving adventure, right? So that made a lot of votes for putting a big smily face on the epilogue. And yet. And yet. There are so many things that I felt were emotional loose ends, and it would be untruthful to just pretend they were fine. Alex and Andra are stuck with one another now, and while they may eventually work that out, it's got to be incredibly confusing and traumatic, especially given that they have different goals in life and that Alex, having been a straight cis-gendered male all his life, is not going to feel sexually at home in Alexandra's body. There's some possibility that they might be able to use linguistic tools to alter their gender back and forth if need be, but they're still going to be time-sharing in different bodies, rather than each having the one he or she would prefer. What about Brock? Can he and Andra continue their relationship in some format, or is it just too weird now? Isn't any sexual experience involving Alexandra going to be effectively a threesome, and are all three of them okay with that? Then there's the question of what's just happened. Brock and Andra successfully pulled off a big heist; do we morally approve? And Alex's utopian linguistic plans are very optimistic but full of issues when it comes to real-world application. Finally what about Atlantida's replacement (assuming the player went that way)? Even if there's a new system that allows more frequent referenda, direct democracy of that kind tends to be pretty conservative. Most likely more major change is still needed. So that's all a lot to worry about, some of it far too complex to wrap in a single scene. And then on top of that I wanted to do something that honored the choices that the player had made in the last portion of the game: it should matter to the ending whether we did or did not leave Brock behind, did or did not kiss him in the room with the T-inserter, did or did not replace Atlantida. Finally, I knew that I did *not* want this to be an epilogue with puzzles. The puzzles should be over when the player finally reaches the yacht. So then we had several drafts where the epilogue is that Brock effectively breaks up with Andra and Alex and Andra muse on how they're stuck with each other. These were gloomy! Then there was a try where Brock and Alexandra have a fairly enigmatic, truce-forming sort of conversation and then drive off into the waves. This was not very satisfying either. Ultimately, I decided to back-load as ruthlessly as I could. Wherever possible, I took hints of future ambiguities or problems (how workable is Alex's plan? can it be afforded? would it wipe out or replace local cultures? would it be remotely welcomed by the people there? etc.) and moved them back into the main body of the game somewhere. Likewise, I dealt more extensively with Andra's sexual memories of Brock in order to set up that Alex is a bit uncomfortable with them, while trying to establish that Brock is a fairly patient guy who has already stuck with Andra through some sexual weirdness and might be willing to do so again, under the right circumstances.] Farewell is a scene. Farewell begins when Landing ends. Sanity-check going to the galley during Farewell: unless the player is wearing something which covers the legs-area: say "How about we put on some pants first?" instead; unless the player is wearing something which covers the torso-area: say "We should really be wearing something on top, don't you think?" instead. Sanity-check taking off something which covers the legs-area during Farewell: unless the player is in your bunk or the player is in your head: say "I'd rather not disrobe in public. And this may not be public to you, but it is to me." instead. Sanity-check taking off something which covers the torso-area during Farewell: unless the player is in your bunk or the player is in your head: say "I'd rather not disrobe in public. And this may not be public to you, but it is to me." instead. When Farewell begins: remove Brock from play. A ranking rule for Brock when Farewell is happening: decrease the description-rank of Brock by 100. Farewell ends when the newspaper is examined. When Farewell ends: if atlantida-refreshed is seen: if library message person is first person: say "[betrayed-outcome]"; otherwise: say "[unbetrayed-outcome]"; else: say "[no-atlantida-outcome]"; if the new church is not visited: record "Priscilla Parsons award for winning the game without ever entering the church" as an achievement; if hardness is true: record "Andra award for completing the game in hard mode" as an achievement; else: record "Alex Rosehip award for completing the game in easy mode" as an achievement; end the story finally saying "The End"; To say no-atlantida-outcome: say "Brock comes down and hands us a coffee. You look like you could use this. We've hit Mallorca,' he says. 'Slango's in town resupplying.' [You] nod. 'And the payment for our exploit is still coming through to the Swiss accounts, but we'll be millionaires.' 'All of us?' 'Well. Each of us, individually and severally.' He tips his head back and considers us. 'That may well be one of the most valuable technical heists in history, and you got a grand tour of the secret Atlantean bunker while you were at it. I'm only sorry I wasn't awake for that part.' I know, me, that we could have done something more. That we could have left Atlantis with a new leader, one who'd open things up again. This way, there'll just be a bunch of infighting but the Bureau will remain how it always was. I wish— You've pretty much stopped listening to me entirely, haven't you? And so I'm stuck here, just watching, while you pitch my flash drive and my monocle in a corner, and plot the fastest course to Portofino. Still. I don't feel as homesick as I thought I would, because the one thing you can give me is this: you know how to put something behind you.". To say unbetrayed-outcome: say "Brock comes down and hands us a coffee. 'You look like you could use this. We've hit Mallorca,' he says. 'Slango's in town resupplying. I guess you saw the paper?' [You] nod. 'One for the history books,' he says, with a crooked smile. 'They're showing satellite clips. Big olive garland on the depluralizing tank. People dancing on cars. Some old guy belting out La Marseillaise in the Bureau Rotunda.' Brock sits down opposite us. 'In other news,' he remarks, 'it looks like your cut of the T-remover plans, with all the tests we ran, is going to come out to this.' He writes a number. The number has six zeroes. He leans back and looks at us. 'So. Where do we go from here?'" To say betrayed-outcome: say "Slango comes in, with Brock behind him. 'Bad news,' he says. 'We're going to have to split that payout three ways instead of two. The new Atlantida has a perverse sense of humor. She express-mailed Brock to Mallorca for us. In rock form.' Brock bends down to massage his right thigh. 'Turns out it's not comfortable having spent the night in a cardboard box, even if you were petrified at the time. Things to know and learn.' [You] study his face. It's the face he wears when he's reserving judgment about whether or not to be incredibly pissed off. You're the one who knows how to read that face, but I'm a little relieved to see it too. 'My father might've been inanimated instead,' I say. 'Slango mentioned,' Brock says. 'He's a lot older. I thought he might have some heart trouble or... or not deal with it well.' Brock studies us for a moment more. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a huge gummy candy shaped like a squid. 'Want one? They used them as packing material in my shipping box. We've got lots.'" Volume 2 - The World Book 1 - Act I Among Sightseers Part 1 - Tutorial Chapter 1 - Barriers and Spaces [Because the temporary barrier is the first real puzzle the player faces, it is especially important to handle all attempts at interaction as clearly as possible. In addition, the point of the puzzle is to figure out how to get the code, not to make the player do fiddly things -- so anything that could reasonably be construed as an attempt to use the code once it's been discovered should be redirected towards opening.] The temporary barrier is south of Fair. The temporary barrier is a door. It is transparent, closed and locked. "[A temporary barrier] blocks [if the location is the Fair]this noisy fair from the empty street to the south[otherwise]this empty street from the busy fair to the north[end if][if the temporary barrier is locked], though there is a door that could be opened with the correct code[otherwise], though it is currently unlocked and anyone could go through[end if][if the location is Ampersand Bend]. From here the gaiety and excitement of the holiday are fairly loud[end if]." The description of the temporary barrier is "It's a high metal fence, supported by sturdy poles. It's designed to contain the chaos a little, and keep people who have come in for the Fair from wandering off down the side streets and causing trouble in unpoliced areas of town. It has [a code-lock] that opens the inset door." Instead of looking under the temporary barrier: say "[The temporary barrier] is set flush with the ground. There is certainly not enough room to crawl underneath." Instead of climbing the temporary barrier: say "The links of the fence are too close to offer easy purchase for feet, and the fence is high and barbed on top. They really don't want anyone coming through uninvited." Instead of pulling or pushing or turning or attacking the temporary barrier: say "It rattles a little, but is basically far too sturdy for us to take down." Instead of touching the temporary barrier: say "It's sturdy [--] though not electrified, if that's what you were thinking." A description-concealing rule when the temporary barrier is marked for listing: if the location is the Fair and the temporary barrier is open, now the temporary barrier is not marked for listing. Sanity-check unlocking the temporary barrier with something: if the code is visible: try setting the code-lock to "code" instead; say "[The temporary barrier] is locked. [You][']d need to set the code-lock to the right number." instead. Sanity-check unlocking keylessly the temporary barrier: if the code is visible: try setting the code-lock to "code" instead; say "[The temporary barrier] is locked. [You][']d need to set the code-lock to the right number." instead. Sanity-check locking the temporary barrier with something: if the code is visible: try setting the code-lock to "333" instead; say "[You][']d need to set [the code-lock] to some random number." instead. Sanity-check locking keylessly the temporary barrier: if the code is visible: try setting the code-lock to "333" instead; say "[You][']d need to set [the code-lock] to some random number." instead. Understand "door" as the temporary barrier. Sanity-check locking keylessly the code-lock: try setting the code-lock to "333" instead. Sanity-check locking the code-lock with something: try setting the code-lock to "333" instead. Sanity-check closing the code-lock: try setting the code-lock to "333" instead. Sanity-check unlocking keylessly the code-lock: try setting the code-lock to "code" instead. Sanity-check unlocking the code-lock with something: try setting the code-lock to "code" instead. Sanity-check opening the code-lock: try setting the code-lock to "code" instead. A code-lock is part of temporary barrier. Understand "code lock" or "lock" as the code-lock. Understand "code" as the code-lock when the code is not visible. The description is "The kind of lock that can be set to a three-digit code, assuming one knows what the code is." Before typing the topic understood on the code-lock: try setting the code-lock to the topic understood instead. Before typing the topic understood on the temporary barrier: try setting the code-lock to the topic understood instead. Setting action variables for setting the temporary barrier to: change the noun to code-lock. Understand "use code" as code-entering. Understand "enter code" as code-entering. Understand "use code on [code-lock]" as code-entering on. Code-entering is an action applying to nothing. Check code-entering: unless the player can see the code-lock: say "There's nothing here on which to enter a code." instead. Carry out code-entering: try setting the code-lock to "code" instead. Code-entering on is an action applying to one visible thing. Carry out code-entering on the code-lock: try setting the code-lock to "code" instead. Test code-lock with "tutorial off / n / e / use code / use code on lock / type code / type code on code-lock / type code on barrier / set lock to code / set barrier to code / enter code / enter code on lock / enter code on barrier / enter code in lock / wave x-remover at codex / use code / use code on lock / type code / type code on lock / type code on lock / set lock to code / set barrier to code / set lock to 305 / set barrier to 305 / enter code on lock / enter code in lock / enter code on barrier / enter code / enter code in barrier". Instead of setting the code-lock to "305": if the temporary barrier is locked: say "We set the wheels of the code-lock to [the topic understood].[paragraph break]Click! The barrier door unlocks."; now the temporary barrier is unlocked; have the parser notice the temporary barrier; otherwise: say "[The temporary barrier] door was already unlocked."; have the parser notice the temporary barrier; Understand "the right number/code" or "the number/code" or "number/code" or "right number/code" as "[code]". Instead of setting the code-lock to "[code]": if the code is not visible: say "If only the code were written down somewhere nearby." instead; try setting the code-lock to "305" instead. Instead of setting the code-lock to something: if the temporary barrier is unlocked: say "We set the wheels of [the code-lock] to [the topic understood].[paragraph break]Click! The barrier door locks."; now the temporary barrier is locked; otherwise: let N be indexed text; let N be "[the topic understood]"; if N exactly matches the regular expression "\d*": say "The barrier door was already locked, but this just seems to have made it more certain of the fact."; otherwise: say "The code lock accepts only numbers." Instead of listening to the code-lock: say "Even with our ear pressed to the code-lock, we're not able to distinguish any tell-tale clicks of the tumbler that would give away the correct combination." Carry out going through the temporary barrier: record "passing through the temporary barrier" as achieved. Ampersand Bend is south of the temporary barrier. It is a road. "A bend in the street, which runs west and north. This district combines the old and the new: a small [museum] in an ancient stone building to the east, a shiny [real estate office] south. The window of the museum is currently displaying one of its exhibits, [a list of things on the display stand][if the code is on the display stand]. Well, not to worry: they'll be able to restore the codex easily enough when the museum reopens[end if]." Understand "district" as Ampersand Bend. Instead of listening to Ampersand Bend: say "The sounds from the north suggest a holiday fair in full swing: children laughing and shouting, people selling food and drinks, various fairground machinery, tinny music." Instead of listening to the temporary barrier: try listening to Ampersand Bend. Instead of smelling Ampersand Bend: say "Scents of distant popcorn and candy waft this way." Instead of smelling the temporary barrier: try smelling Ampersand Bend. The museum exterior is a facade in Ampersand Bend. It fronts east. It is scenery. Understand "old" or "medieval" or "city" or "wall" as the museum exterior. The printed name of the museum exterior is "museum". The description is "One of several small museums around the older part of the island, celebrating the discovery of Atlantean language tools and the development of its modern society. This particular museum is housed in a stone building. Parts of the old [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]mediaeval[otherwise]medieval[end if] city wall are still visible in the foundations. All that can be seen of the exhibits is the external [display window]. On the other side of the protective tinted glass [is-are a list of things on the display stand]." The display window is a transparent closed container. It is part of the museum exterior. The display stand is scenery. Understand "protective" or "tinted" or "glass" or "external" as the display window. In the display window is a display stand. Instead of searching the display window: say "In the window is [a display stand], on which [is-are a list of things on the display stand]." Rule for reaching inside the display stand: say "The display window is, unsurprisingly, not open to reach into."; deny access. On the display stand is a codex. The codex is scenery. The description of the codex is "A manuscript of Atlantean origin from the 16th century. It records a series of slightly mad visions of what the world would be like if the 'composition of letters' could be systematically exchanged. At that time, the name-driven nature of the universe was not yet understood, but some consciousness of it wiggled towards the surface like a breaking tooth. The lunatics were first to notice. I've visited this museum before and seen the inside, by the way. Many of the pages are filled with what [you] would now consider rather elementary rebus puzzles." Instead of taking the codex: say "Even if [you] could reach, there's not much point in such a theft." Instead of taking the code: say "Like the codex it replaced, [the code] is inside the museum display window. It doesn't much matter, though, as [you] can read the numbers." The real estate office is a facade in Ampersand Bend. It fronts south. It is scenery. Understand "new" or "realty" or "real estate" or "estate agent" or "real" or "estate" or "office" or "window" or "advertisements" as the real estate office. The description is "Advertisements in the window describe the offerings around town, from a studio apartment (looks like a fixer-upper) in Deep Street for $823,000 to a house near the university for $2.5M. Prices for villas in the northwestern part of town are all listed just as 'Available on Inquiry.'[one of] I can tell you find all that shockingly overpriced, but trust me: land is scarce on this island and there are a lot of people who want to own it, not just locals but international corporations.[or][stopping]". Instead of going south in Ampersand Bend: say "That way lies a real estate office closed for Serial Comma Day. [run paragraph on]"; carry out the listing exits activity. Rule for listing exits while looking in Ampersand Bend: do nothing instead. Sigil Street is west of Ampersand Bend. It is a road. "The buildings here are two and three [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]storeys[otherwise]stories[end if], with shops at ground level and [apartments] above. The shops are closed for the holiday: [a typographer's office], [clothing shop] of col[our]ful skirts and ethnic bodices (rarely if ever worn by natives) and t-shirts covered with font designs[if the reflective window is in Sigil Street]. [one of]Passing by [the reflective window] [you] catch the sight of our single blended body, and it creeps me out[or][The reflective window] of the closed shops reflect our synthes[ize]d self[stopping][end if]." Some elderly apartments are scenery in Sigil Street. The description is "From down here [you] can only see the shuttered windows and the occasional balcony or awning, but you can guess what they're probably like from the environment: old-fashioned inside, kitchens and bathrooms awkwardly fitted into niches and closets of buildings that weren't designed for plumbing. But they're also probably rather [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]cosy[otherwise]cozy[end if] and handsome, with exposed beams under the ceiling." Understand "flat" or "apartment" or "apartment" or "building" or "buildings" as the elderly apartments. The reflective window is a fixed in place mirror in Sigil Street. Understand "shop window/windows" or "windows" as the reflective window. Rule for listing exits while looking in Sigil Street: say "[An alleyway] runs between buildings to the south, while the street continues east." instead. The alleyway is a scenery facade in sigil street. It fronts south. Understand "alley" or "narrow" as the alleyway. The printed name is "narrow alley". The description is "It looks forbidding and a bit unsanitary." Instead of examining the reflective window: try searching the noun. The clothing shop is a facade in Sigil Street. It is scenery. The clothing shop fronts west. Understand "store" or "shops" or "stores" or "boutique" or "boutiques" or "tourist boutique" or "tourist Boutiques" as the clothing shop. The printed name is "tourist boutiques". The description is "[You] peruse the offerings: [list of things which are part of the clothing shop]." The introduction of the clothing shop is "I gather from your thoughts that you actually like some of the skirts, but I'd prefer that [you] skip the cross-dressing for now. Our synthes[ize]d body may be female but I'm still getting used to that." Some colorful skirts are part of the clothing shop. They are floppy and wearable. The description is "Suitable for wearing while doing the local traditional dances, which are slightly Spanish." They cover the legs-area. Some font t-shirts are part of the clothing shop. Understand "t-shirt" or "shirt" or "shirts" as the font t-shirts. They are floppy and wearable. The description is "They feature more 'serif' puns than anyone needs in a lifetime." They cover the torso-area. Some ethnic bodices are part of the clothing shop. Understand "bodice" as the bodices. They are floppy and wearable. The description is "Closed with ribbons and laces, to be worn over frilly white shirts." Understand "ribbons" or "laces" or "ribbon" or "lace" as the ethnic bodices. They cover the torso-area. A mourning dress is part of the clothing shop. It is floppy and wearable. The description is a "A black vintage gown trimmed with much lace and dripping with jet beads." Understand "beads" or "jet" or "bead" or "black" or "vintage" or "gown" as the mourning dress. It covers the torso-area. Check waving the letter-remover at font t-shirts when the current setting of the letter-remover is "r": say "No doubt this would be a cogent statement about the commercial[ization] of the body, if it weren't for the fact that T-SHIT doesn't describe anything anyone with a functional colon has ever heard of." instead. Instead of taking something which is part of the clothing shop: say "Though [the noun] [is-are] theoretically for sale, there's no one in at the moment to sell [it-them] to us." Instead of buying something which is part of the clothing shop: say "Though [the noun] [is-are] theoretically for sale, there's no one in at the moment to sell [it-them] to us." The typographer's office is a facade in Sigil Street. It is scenery. Understand "sign" or "display" or "poster" or "typographer" or "font" or "fonts" or "comma" or "commas" or "punctuation" as the typographer's office. It fronts north. The description of the typographer's office is "The office advertises custom fonts and symbols, though it is very unlikely that anyone decides to have a custom font made simply because they happened to catch a notice in a shop window. In hon[our] of the holiday, there is also a display poster showing the form of the humble comma as it manifests itself in a variety of popular fonts." Instead of looking toward Back Alley: say "It doesn't look like there's anything interesting back that way." Back Alley is south of Sigil Street. It is a road. "[one of]This isn't much, is it? Just[or]There is nothing here but[stopping] the back sides of a couple of [yellow buildings], some peeling yellow paint[one of], and[or];[stopping] not even much by way of windows to look in through. [if unvisited]I think the place where [you] had the procedure done is just a block or two away, but I've already lost the door. I imagine they change it. [end if] This alley runs north to the open street, towards the town square[if unvisited]. That's the way [you][']ll want to go first[end if]." The dull house-back is a facade in Back Alley. It fronts south. It is scenery. The description is "The owners of the house obviously didn't want a view in this direction, as there aren't any windows to see through, just a wall scarred by decades of occasional remodeling." The closure notice is "There are no doors in [the item described]. ". Some yellow buildings are a facade in Back Alley. They front east. They are scenery. Understand "windows" or "window" or "building" or "back" or "backs" or "sides" or "walls" as the yellow buildings. The printed name is "[if looking]buildings[otherwise]yellow buildings[end if]". The description is "The buildings are no doubt due for renovation, but haven't received it yet. There are no windows facing this way." The closure notice is "There are no doors in [the item described]. ". Some beige buildings are a facade in Back Alley. They front west. They are scenery. The description is "A little more beige than the buildings facing them, but just as shabby and free of windows." The closure notice is "There are no doors in [the item described]. ". Check waving the letter-remover at yellow buildings when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "The device warms up a bit in our hand, but fails. It doesn't have enough power to work on something as large as the yellow building." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at beige buildings when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "The device warms up a bit in our hand, but fails. It doesn't have enough power to work on something as large as the beige building." instead. The yellow-paint is part of the yellow buildings. The description is "In this climate, of course, [paint] is quickly ruined by the sun." Understand "peeling" or "yellow paint" or "paint" as the yellow-paint. The indefinite article is "some". The printed name is "paint". Instead of waving the letter-remover at the yellow-paint: say "A good thought [--] PAINT is a very linguistically productive word [--] but spread thin over a large area like this it's too hard for a low-powered letter-remover to work on." [After going northeast from the Back Alley for the first time: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; say "After the relative quiet and shelter, it's a bit shocking moving out into the open: suddenly there is sunlight, and crowds, and a wide open space, and seeing it all through your/our eyes instead of my own, I feel dizzy again."; continue the action. ] Rule for listing exits while looking in the Back Alley: do nothing instead. The player is in Back Alley. The player carries the letter-remover device. Chapter 2 - Tutorial Content Section 1 - Initial Waking Rule for printing the banner text when stored first name is not "Andra": do nothing instead. Before taking inventory for the first time: if the player is carrying the letter-remover and the number of things carried by the player is 1: say "You insisted that we bring almost nothing into the synthesis room, so the criminal who was performing the synthesis couldn't rob us. I had hoped there was more hon[our] among thieves, but you said no, there isn't."; Definition: a thing is other if it is not the player. Understand "us" or "ourselves" or "we" or "ourself" as yourself. Check waving the letter-remover at yourself when the current setting of the letter-remover is "i": say "If this were likely to work, it would be a terrible idea. Fortunately, we don't self-identify simply as I, and secondly, the letter-remover won't remove the last letter of something." instead. When play begins: say "Can you hear me? >> [run paragraph on]"; if the player consents: say "[line break]Good, you're conscious. We're conscious. "; otherwise: say "[line break]Ah, smartaleck. But we're conscious. "; say "I've heard urban legends about synthesis going wrong, one half person getting lost. Do you remember our name?[no line break]" [The worst is over. The operation was a success: we are now one person, unrecognizable. If you're a little disoriented at the moment, that is no surprise. I feel a little sick myself. Fortunately, we prepared for this eventuality. Before the change, that is. We should have everything we need to leave the country. Me, I've been wandering around a bit aimlessly, waiting for you to come to. Here, I'll let you get your bearings...] Identification is a scene. Identification begins when play begins. Identification ends when stored first name is "Andra". Instead of looking during identification: do nothing. Stored first name is indexed text that varies. Stored first name is "nothing". New first name is indexed text that varies. New first name is "nothing". After reading a command during identification: unless the player's command matches "restore": if stored first name is "nothing": now stored first name is "[the player's command]"; now stored first name is "[stored first name in sentence case]"; replace the regular expression "\p" in stored first name with ""; if stored first name is "Alexandra": say "That's our joint name now, yes. I was Alex before the synthesis. You were..."; otherwise if stored first name is "Alex": say "No, I'm Alex. Together we're Alexandra; before our synthesis, you were..."; otherwise if stored first name is "Andra": say "Exactly right. And I'm Alex, making us jointly Alexandra. As far as I can tell, the operation was a success. We're meant to be one person now, unrecognizable to anyone who knew us before.[paragraph break]"; wait for any key; say "[banner text]"; say "[paragraph break]Let's try to get a look around. I haven't been able to run our body without your help, but maybe now you're awake, it'll work better."; otherwise if stored first name is "No" or stored first name is "N": say "To review, we're Alexandra now. I was Alex, before the synthesis. You were..."; otherwise if stored first name is "Yes" or stored first name is "Y": say "Right, we're Alexandra now. Before the synthesis, I was Alex. You were..."; otherwise: say "...er, no. We're Alexandra now. Before the synthesis, I was Alex. You were..."; otherwise: now new first name is "[the player's command]"; replace the regular expression "\p" in new first name with ""; now new first name is "[new first name in sentence case]"; replace the regular expression "\p" in new first name with ""; if new first name is "Andra": say "...yes! Okay. We're both here, neither of us lost our minds in the synthesis process. "; otherwise: say "...oh boy. Okay. Okay. I need you on form here. This is going to be hard if you don't remember being Andra. Not panicking. "; say "As far as I can tell, the operation was a success. We're meant to be one person now, unrecognizable to anyone who knew us before.[paragraph break]"; now stored first name is "Andra"; wait for any key; say "[banner text]"; say "[paragraph break]Let's try to get a look around. I haven't been able to run our body without your help, but maybe now you're awake, it'll work better."; consider the scene changing rules; reject the player's command. Section 2 - Tutorial Mode Instead of looking for the first time: do nothing instead. Include Tutorial Mode by Emily Short. The teach inventory rule is listed before the teach dropping rule in the instructional rules. [Turn off tutorial mode if you've already done it...] A first instructional rule: if "Finished tutorial mode" is a used achievement: now tutorial mode is false; stop. An instructional rule (this is the teach examining thoroughness rule): if the teach examining thoroughness rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the location is not Sigil Street: make no decision; if we have examined the clothing shop: make no decision; if we have examined the mourning dress: make no decision; let N be indexed text; say "[first custom style]Now we're in a new area, there are new things to see. Try LOOK AT THE SHOPS or L SHOPS.[roman type]"; now the expected action is the action of examining the clothing shop; now the held rule is the teach examining thoroughness rule; rule succeeds. Carry out examining the clothing shop: add the teach examining thoroughness rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. An instructional rule (this is the teach examining super thoroughness rule): if the teach examining super thoroughness rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the mourning dress is not visible: make no decision; if we have examined the mourning dress: make no decision; say "[first custom style]Sometimes the things we examine have parts that we might also want to look at. That mourning dress, for instance[one of][or]. Try LOOK AT MOURNING DRESS or just L MOURNING DRESS[stopping].[roman type]"; now the expected action is the action of examining the mourning dress; now the held rule is the teach examining super thoroughness rule; rule succeeds. Carry out examining the mourning dress: add the teach examining super thoroughness rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. An instructional rule (this is the teach about letter-remover rule): if the teach about letter-remover rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; let N be indexed text; let N be "[letter-remover]"; say "[first custom style]That looks interesting. Try looking at that [letter-remover][one of][or]. L [N in upper case][stopping].[roman type]"; now the expected action is the action of examining the mourning dress; now the held rule is the teach examining super thoroughness rule; rule succeeds. Carry out examining the letter-remover: add the teach about letter-remover rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. An instructional rule (this is the teach setting rule): if the teach setting rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; let N be indexed text; let N be "[the letter-remover]"; say "[first custom style]It can be set to any letter we choose, hm? That sounds like a hint. Try SET [N in upper case] TO U.[roman type]"; now the expected action is the action of tuning the letter-remover to "u"; now the held rule is the teach setting rule; rule succeeds. Carry out tuning the letter-remover to something: add the teach setting rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. An instructional rule (this is the teach waving rule): if the teach inventory rule is not listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the teach waving rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the mourning dress is not visible: make no decision; let N be indexed text; let N be "[the letter-remover]"; say "[first custom style]That letter-remover is going to be very important as we try to escape here. To test it out, try WAVE U-REMOVER AT MOURNING DRESS.[roman type]"; now the expected action is the action of waving the letter-remover at the mourning dress; now the held rule is the teach waving rule; rule succeeds. Carry out waving the letter-remover at something: add the teach waving rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. The teach waving rule is listed before the teach dropping rule in the instructional rules. The teach about letter-remover rule is listed before the teach waving rule in the instructional rules. The teach setting rule is listed before the teach waving rule in the instructional rules. The teach examining thoroughness rule is listed before the teach inventory rule in the instructional rules. The teach examining super thoroughness rule is listed before the teach inventory rule in the instructional rules. This is the teach thinking rule: if the teach thinking rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; say "[first custom style][one of]It seems that there are two of us crammed into our (your?) head here. Once in a while, it's useful to find out what we're still hoping to accomplish. [or][stopping]Type THINK to get a list of things we might want to do next.[roman type]"; now the expected action is the action of waving the letter-remover at the player; now the held rule is the teach thinking rule; rule succeeds. Table of Instruction Followups (continued) selector followup teach thinking rule "Excellent. Up in the status bar, the 'Plans: ...' number shows how many tasks we still think we need to work on." teach waving rule "In fact, to make life easier, we don't even have to SET the letter-remover every time we use it. We can just type (say) WAVE P-REMOVER AT PRAM, and the remover will automatically set itself to P.[paragraph break]Now, let's see what happened as a result..." teach more compass directions rule "Unless you're playing this game in text-only mode, you should see a little blue and white compass on the side of the screen. That compass will always show you which directions you can go next. Directions in blue lead to areas you haven't visited before. Directions in white lead to places you've already been." Carry out planning: add the teach thinking rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. This is the teach scoring rule: if the teach scoring rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; unless the score is 1: make no decision; if waving the letter-remover at something: say "[first custom style]Something we did has just raised our score! We must be on the right track. To find out what exactly we did right, type SCORE.[roman type]"; otherwise: say "[first custom style]To see how we're doing so far, type SCORE.[roman type]"; now the expected action is the action of requesting the score; now the held rule is the teach scoring rule; rule succeeds. Carry out requesting the score: add the teach scoring rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. The teach scoring rule is listed before the teach dropping rule in the instructional rules. An instructional rule (this is the teach more compass directions rule): if the teach more compass directions rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if Ampersand Bend is visited: make no decision; if the held rule is the teach more compass directions rule: let delay be the time of day minus next movement reminder; if delay is less than five minutes: rule succeeds; let way be nothing; if an unvisited room (called goal) is adjacent: let way be the best route from the location to the goal; otherwise if the player can see an open door (called portal): let far side be the other side of the portal; let way be the best route from the location to the far side; otherwise: make no decision; if way is nothing: make no decision; let N be indexed text; let N be "[way]"; say "[first custom style][one of]You can spend some more time looking around or checking out your inventory to see what you've changed in this location. When you're ready to move on, you can head[or]When you want to move to a new location, you can go[stopping] [N in upper case].[roman type]"; now the expected action is the action of going way; now the held rule is the teach more compass directions rule; now next movement reminder is the time of day; rule succeeds. Next movement reminder is a time that varies. Carry out going to Ampersand Bend: add the teach more compass directions rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. An instructional rule (this is the check out the place rule): if the check out the place rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the location is not Ampersand Bend: make no decision; if the held rule is the check out the place rule: if we have examined the codex: if we have examined the temporary barrier: add the check out the place rule to the completed instruction list, if absent; otherwise: rule succeeds; say "[first custom style]Take a moment to look at things in the environment and get your bearings.[roman type]"; now the held rule is the check out the place rule; now the expected action is the action of examining the codex; rule succeeds. An instructional rule (this is the teach locked doors rule): if the teach locked doors rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the location is not Ampersand Bend: make no decision; if the temporary barrier is unlocked or the temporary barrier is open: make no decision; say "[first custom style]It looks as though that barrier to the north is closed and locked. We have everything we need to figure out how to unlock it, though. Would you like to try to open it on your own?[roman type] >> "; if player consents: say "[first custom style]Good luck![roman type]"; add the teach locked doors rule to the completed instruction list, if absent; add the fix codex rule to the completed instruction list, if absent; add the unlock barrier rule to the completed instruction list, if absent; otherwise: say "[first custom style]Notice that the door needs a CODE, and we can also see a CODEX. Maybe we should turn one of those into the other.[roman type]"; add the teach locked doors rule to the completed instruction list, if absent; rule succeeds. An instructional rule (this is the fix codex rule): if the fix codex rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the codex is not visible: make no decision; say "[first custom style]WAVE X-REMOVER AT CODEX should produce a code for us.[roman type]"; rule succeeds. Carry out waving the letter-remover at something creating the code: add the fix codex rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. An instructional rule (this is the unlock barrier rule): if the unlock barrier rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the temporary barrier is not visible: make no decision; if the temporary barrier is not locked: make no decision; say "[first custom style]Now we know a code we can use on the code-lock. Try SET CODE-LOCK TO 305.[roman type]"; rule succeeds. Check setting the code-lock to "305": add the unlock barrier rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. An instructional rule (this is the open barrier rule): if the open barrier rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the temporary barrier is not visible: make no decision; if the temporary barrier is locked: make no decision; if the temporary barrier is open: make no decision; say "[first custom style]OPEN THE BARRIER will open it for us [--] or we could just GO THROUGH BARRIER and rely on opening it automatically.[roman type]"; rule succeeds. Carry out opening the temporary barrier: add the unlock barrier rule to the completed instruction list, if absent; add the open barrier rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. An instructional rule (this is the teach distance movement rule): if the teach distance movement rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if at least four rooms are visited: make no decision; say "[first custom style]Navigating with compass directions works, but we can also type GO TO... to travel to a named place. GO TO BACK ALLEY will take us back where we started, for instance.[roman type]"; rule succeeds. Carry out approaching: add the teach distance movement rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. Carry out going to the Fair: add the teach distance movement rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. An instructional rule (this is the return ad Ampersand rule): if the return ad Ampersand rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the location is Ampersand Bend: make no decision; if at least four rooms are visited: make no decision; say "[first custom style]We've learned a lot of the basics now. Let's go back to Ampersand Bend. You can navigate there by compass direction or just type GO TO AMPERSAND BEND.[roman type]"; rule succeeds. Carry out going to Ampersand Bend when Ampersand Bend is visited: add the return ad Ampersand rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. Carry out going to the Fair: add the return ad Ampersand rule to the completed instruction list, if absent. An instructional rule (this is the teach consulting rule): if the teach consulting rule is listed in the completed instruction list: make no decision; if the player can see a book (called target): if the number of filled rows in the contents of the target is 0: make no decision; otherwise: make no decision; say "[first custom style][bracket]We can LOOK UP interesting subjects IN books, if we like.[close bracket][roman type]"; add the teach consulting rule to the completed instruction list, if absent; record "Finished tutorial mode" as an achievement; rule succeeds; The teach more compass directions rule is listed before the teach dropping rule in the instructional rules. The teach distance movement rule is listed before the teach dropping rule in the instructional rules. The check out the place rule is listed before the teach dropping rule in the instructional rules. The teach locked doors rule is listed before the teach dropping rule in the instructional rules. The fix codex rule is listed before the teach dropping rule in the instructional rules. The unlock barrier rule is listed before the teach dropping rule in the instructional rules. The open barrier rule is listed before the teach dropping rule in the instructional rules. [The teach thinking rule is listed before the teach meta-features rule in the instructional rules.] Part 2 - Old Town Celebration Chapter 1 - Central Park Area Section 1 - The Park Park Center is a room. The description of the Park Center is "This is a handsome expanse of [grass], shaped like a rectangle with rounds cut from the corners, bounded by [railings] along the north side. There are no stalls and no barkers here, but [small children] are running around [if the horses are part of the fountain]an impressive[else]a desecrated[end if] [marble fountain][if hoses are part of the marble fountain], currently spewing water in all directions[end if].[one of] I gather from the direction of your thoughts that you dislike small children, so I'll restrain myself from trying to communicate with them.[or][stopping]". Some railings are a facade. Understand "railing" as the railings. They are scenery in Park Center. They front north. The description is "Painted railings separate the Park and surrounding pedestrian areas from the private property to the north. Some [lipstick advertisements] have been hung over the railings." Understand "painted" as the railings. The closure notice is "There is no gate in the railings at this point. ". Check waving the letter-remover at the railings when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "The letter-remover warms in our hand, but nothing visibly changes, perhaps because RAILING lies on the awkward verge between a count noun and a mass noun, and if we say RAILINGS we mean something not very different from A QUANTITY OF RAILING, making RAILING a word with cumulative reference." instead Some lipstick advertisements are part of the railings. Understand "ad" or "ads" or "advert" or "adverts" as the lipstick advertisements. The description of the lipstick advertisements is "Over the image of a pouting, lipsticked female, it says: IN EVERY TEMPTRESS THERE IS AN EMPRESS [--] MAKE YOURSELF UP TO A T! It's selling Temptress Brand cosmetics, apparently.". Rule for listing exits when looking in Park Center: do nothing instead. Rule for distantly describing Park Center: say "That way is the cen[ter] of the park, across a lot of grass." [Before printing the name of a direction (called way) while listing exits: if the player is in Park Center, say "[room way from the location] to the " Procedural rule when listing exits: if the location is Park Center, ignore the append room names rule. Rule for listing exits when looking in Park Center: do nothing instead. ] Check waving the letter-remover at the small children when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "If it were a more powerful device, the letter-remover might be able to generate something resembling the concept of 'mall children,' but that's not an idiomatic saying around here. Not to mention that the parents would be bound to object." instead Carry out examining small children: trigger Childhood-bedroom. Some small children are a person in Park Center. Understand "child" or "boy" or "girl" or "sibling" as the small children. The description is "They look small and harmless, but you're probably right that they have sticky hands." The children are scenery. Every turn when the small children can see the hoses and the location is Park Center: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[one of]A little boy[or]A small girl[at random] [one of]tries to catch the spraying hosewater in an open mouth[or]pushes a sibling into the path of the water[or]leaps gleefully through the arc of water[at random]."; change the description of the small children to "Most of them are now sopping wet, and loving it."; if a random chance of 1 in 5 succeeds: say "[line break]A harrassed-looking All-Purpose Officer comes hurrying across the lawn towards the vandal[ize]d fountain. For a moment it looks like she might get close enough to spot us, but about twenty paces off she stops, plants her feet, and gets out a restoration-gel rifle. There's a bang, a last glittering fan of water in the air.[paragraph break]"; gel-convert the hoses; say "[line break]As for the Officer, she's already speaking into her radio as she turns away.". Every turn when the small children can see the ho and the location is Park Center: say "It isn't but a few seconds before a watchful parent notices the ho strutting around and goes to report her. She is too stupid — as a constructed person — to put up much resistance when an officer shows up to escort her away."; remove the ho from play. [And now we need to special-case these, because otherwise they will fall on the ground. In general we want letter-conversion to move things that are part of other things, but here it's funnier and also more persuasive if the changed items stay part of the fountain.] To gel-convert (item - hoses): now everything which proffers the item is part of the marble fountain; now the item is in the repository; [play the sound of gel splort;] say "[The item] become[s] [a list of things which proffer the item], redecorating the fountain."; repeat with secondary running through things which proffer the item: abide by the dangerous construction rules for the secondary. To gel-convert (item - hoe): now everything which proffers the item is part of the marble fountain; now the item is in the repository; [play the sound of gel splort;] say "[The item] become[s] [a list of things which proffer the item], redecorating the fountain."; repeat with secondary running through things which proffer the item: abide by the dangerous construction rules for the secondary. Instead of taking the children: say "There's no need to attract attention to our new face with a kidnapping charge." Instead of kissing the children: say "I doubt their mothers would approve." Instead of saying hello to the children: say "[one of]They have probably been instructed not to talk to strangers[or]Come on, they're not in the least useful[stopping].". Instead of asking the children about something: say "[one of]They have probably been instructed not to talk to strangers[or]Come on, they're not in the least useful[stopping].". Instead of telling the children about something: say "None of them hold still long enough to listen." [The fountain itself is similar to one in a plaza in Carcassonne. The horses-to-hoses business was a late-game addition, thanks to Jim Munroe trying to amuse the children.] The marble fountain is a scenery container. It is in Park center. The description of the fountain is "[if horses are part of the marble fountain]It depicts some horses rising out of the waves, with trident-bearing gods on their backs, and some nymphs overseeing the whole operation. Probably 17th-century, to judge by the excessive number of writhing [figures][else if hoses are part of the marble fountain]The nymphs and trident-bearing gods are now aiming hoses out at passers-by[else if hoe is part of the marble fountain]A single bewildered nymph is carrying a hoe, which presumably isn't much use out at sea[else]The former majesty of the fountain has been extensively vandalized[end if]." The introduction is "The fountain celebrates [--] if that's the right word [--] the conquest of this island by the Dutch in 1607, it having been a Spanish possession for about 140 years before that. In spite of this the fountain bears not a word of any foreign language, the original Latin or vernacular inscriptions having been long since renovated away." Some horses are part of the marble fountain. Understand "horse" or "horse statues" or "horse sculptures" as the horses. The description of the horses is "Their eyes are wide and their nostrils flared with excitement." Some sculpted figures are part of the fountain. The description of the sculpted figures is "Nereids and Tritons, apparently, together with tame fish, conch shells, and other representatives of the goods of the sea." Understand "nereids" or "tritons" or "fish" or "shells" or "goods of the sea" or "tame" or "conch" or "gods" or "trident-bearing" or "poseidon" or "neptune" or "nymphs" or "nymph" or "trident" or "god" as the figures. Instead of searching the fountain: say "The basin is nearly full of clear [water], but there are no coins or other useful articles to be found. This is not a culture that tends to discard what might be of use." The missing-inscriptions are part of the marble fountain. The printed name is "inscriptions". Understand "inscription" or "inscriptions" or "renovated" or "latin" or "vernacular" or "missing" or "nonexistent" or "non-existent" or "foreign" or "lettering" or "letters" or "words" or "language" or "original" as the missing-inscriptions. The description of the missing-inscriptions is "Whatever writing once graced the fountain, it has been chiseled off because it wasn't in English." Instead of listening to a room when in Open-Air: if hoses are part of the marble fountain: say "The sound of children shrieking and jumping through fountain water is by far the loudest component of the assorted din."; else: say "Children laughing and shouting, people selling food and drinks, various fairground machinery, tinny music, adult conversations, flowing water in the fountain." After deciding the scope of the player when in Open-Air: place the fountain in scope. Rule for reaching inside a room: if the person reaching is the player: say "[You] can only look from this distance."; deny access. The water is in the fountain. The water is fluid and scenery. The indefinite article is "some". Understand "clear" as the water. Instead of taking the water, say "[You] can't, not having webbed fingers." Instead of drinking the water, say "It might not be sanitary." The scent-description of the water is "wet marble". Some grass is scenery in the Park Center. The description is "Deep green and velvety." Instead of touching the grass: say "[You] kneel and run our fingers through the grass." Sanity-check digging in the grass: say "It must have taken years of careful upkeep to achieve the smoothness of the present turf. No point in ruining that now." instead. Rule for distantly describing the Fair: say "That way is the fair: a mass of booths and people and games and bright sunlight, too chaotic to get a good look at from here." The Fair is south of Park Center. "[one of]Today is Serial Comma Day, one of the biggest holidays on the island, and a time when half the police force is off duty while the other half is over-extended. The perfect day to make an escape. [or][stopping]The square at the cen[ter] of town is [one of]therefore [or][stopping]crowded with people, and there's an overpowering smell of artificial butter and spun sugar." Instead of smelling the Fair: say "It smells like candy and popcorn, with a note of booze and another note of sweaty crowd." The wheel is a thing in the Fair. The heft is 5. The description is "It's the sort of game where you spin the wheel for a prize[if the location is the Fair]. No one seems to be manning or using it any more, though; perhaps the supply of prizes has run out[end if]." Instead of pushing or pulling the wheel: say "The wheel contraption moves a few millimeters to the side. Of course, we could always spin it and see what happens." Instead of looking under the wheel: say "It looks heavy, but is not actually attached to the ground." Instead of listening to the wheel: say "When the wheel is spinning, the flipper makes a satisfying [i]thup thup thup[/i] noise as it flips from one slot to the next." Understand "use [wheel]" as turning. Instead of turning the wheel: say "We give the wheel [one of]a[or]another[stopping] [one of]energetic[or]hard[or]strong[at random] spin. The pointer lands on [one of]HOT AIR[one of], which appears to be the most common reward[or] again[or] yet again[stopping][or]FREE POSTCARD[or]BLUE RASPBERRY LOLLIPOP[or]STUFFED DONKEY[or]STUFFED OCTOPUS[or]SET OF PAINT[or]LIFETIME CHARD SUPPLY[as decreasingly likely outcomes][one of]. Sadly, no one is around to award this prize (which is probably why we were allowed to spin it without having some sort of ticket first)[or]. Too bad no one is around to award the prize. Of course, if someone were, they'd be charging to spin[stopping]." The random foodstuffs are scenery in the fair. Understand "spun" or "sugar" or "candy" or "butter" or "artificial" or "booze" or "popcorn" as the random foodstuffs. The description is "An assortment of unwholesome things to eat are sold here, and since it's extremely hot, [you] smell all of them pungently and in rapid succession. If it's not my imagination, actually, I think this female nose is better than mine. (I've heard that women have a better sense of smell. This could be wrong.) At the moment that sensitivity is a liability, as disorienting as flashes of a col[our]ed strobe.". [* I wanted to give the sense in the first portion of the game that Alex and Andra are really disoriented by what has happened to them. Some of their sensations are borrowed from what it's like to have a migraine on a hot, sunny day amid a crowd: everything is simply too present to endure, and smells and noises become distinct and offensive even if normally they'd be quite pleasant.] Some kiosks are fixed in place things in the Fair. The description of the kiosks is "They're the usual tacky affairs of brightly painted [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]fibreboard[otherwise]fiberboard[end if] and cheap prizes. I don't see any likely to help us today, however." Understand "activity" or "activities" or "cheap" or "prizes" or "face-painting" or "face painting" or "spell offs" or "spell-offs" as the kiosks. A ranking rule for the kiosks: increase description-rank of the kiosks by 50. Definition: the kiosks are deeply dull: no. Rule for writing a topic sentence about kiosks: say "[You] are surrounded by [kiosks] for spell-offs, face-painting[if the wheel is in the location], [a wheel] to spin for prizes[end if], and other activities best for small children or the very easily amused. [run paragraph on]"; Rule for listing exits when in Fair: if boldening is true: say "The Fair continues with a selection of carnival games to the [b]west[/b], and with open park to the [b]north[/b] and [b]east[/b]."; else: say "The Fair continues with a selection of carnival games to the west, and with open park to the north and east." Section 2 - Midway The Midway is west of the Fair and southwest of Park Center. "Here in front of the [pharmacy] in the southwestern corner of the town square, various contests have been set up [--] a [strong-man contest], a contest to see who can burst the most [balloons] using [a styrofoam dart-plane], and so on." The pharmacy is a facade in Midway. It fronts south. It is scenery. Understand "pharmacy" or "window" or "windows" or "glass" or "front" or "shade" or "shampoo" or "razors" or "analgesics" or "burn" or "creams" or "candy" or "toothpaste" or "homeopathic" or "remedies" as the pharmacy. The description is "There's not much to see, as a shade has been pulled down behind the glass front. I can tell you what's back there, though, if you care: the usual assortment of shampoo and razors and analgesics and burn creams; candy, and also toothpaste; and a costly selection of homeopathic remedies in matching brown bottles." The blank church wall is a facade in Midway. It fronts west. It is scenery. The description is "The blank wall separates off the church property that lies west of here." The closure notice is "The wall is solid here, though the church can be entered from the church forecourt. ". Instead of going south in Midway: say "The pharmacy, like many of the other shops in the area, is closed so that the employees can enjoy Serial Comma Day. [run paragraph on]"; carry out the listing exits activity. Rule for listing exits while looking in Midway: do nothing instead. The strong-man hammering contest is scenery in the Midway. Understand "strongman" or "bell" or "bells" or "hammer" as the contest. The description is "It's one of those contests where you have to hammer something so that something else flies up and rings a bell. I don't have time for that kind of silly macho display." The balloons are scenery in the Midway. The description is "All stapled in place and ready to be attacked." Instead of attacking the balloons: say "[one of]Better to leave that nonsense to the little ones.[or]Come on, we'll never get away if you insist on lollygagging![or]We have better things to do, remember?[stopping]". The styrofoam dart-plane is scenery in the Midway. The description is "Ridiculous little styrofoam gliders with dart-noses. No use to us, anyway." The word-balance is fixed in place in the Midway. Understand "balance" or "steel" or "scales" or "pair of" or "beam" or "fabulous" as the word-balance. The printed name is "word-balance". "[if the barker is visible]I assume you've noticed, though, [otherwise]No longer so useful is [end if]the [word-balance], which comes up as high as our hip. [balance contents]". The description is "The beam is [if the word-balance is tilting]tilting[otherwise]balanced[end if]. [balance contents]". Instead of touching, pushing, pulling, or turning the word-balance: try pushing the right pan. Instead of inserting something into the word-balance: say "You'd have to be specific about which pan you mean." Instead of putting something on the word-balance: say "You'd have to be specific about which pan you mean." Understand "put [word-balance] out of alignment" or "unbalance [word-balance]" or "win [tube]" or "try hand" or "try my/our hand" or "try hand at [word-balance]" or "try my/our hand at [word-balance]" as a mistake ("[one of]That does seem like the general idea.[or]Could you be a little clearer about the strategy?[or]I don't see how to carry out that clever little plan.[stopping]"). A ranking rule for the word-balance: increase description-rank of the word-balance by 50. Every turn when a fluid thing (called target) is in a pan: unless the target is contained: move the target to the location; say "[The target] runs rapidly out through the slots of the pan." Every turn: if the word-balance is tilting and the barker is visible begin; [follow the considerate player's holdall rule;] move the tube to the player; move the barker to the repository; say "There is a [if the ear is in a pan]disgusted gasp[otherwise]cheer[end if] from the spectators. [The word-balance] tilts slowly but inexorably. [The barker] looks astonished and displeased, except for a fraction of a second when he just noticeably winks. With exaggerated bad grace hands us [a gel]. 'There's your prize. And now this contest is over.' He stalks away"; [if the apple is in a pan begin; move the apple to the repository; say ", taking [the apple] with him"; end if;] say "."; record "winning the gel" as achieved; if the barker is the current interlocutor, change the current interlocutor to nothing; end if; To say balance contents: if the right pan does not contain something begin; if the left pan does not contain something, say "Both pans are empty. "; otherwise say "The right pan is empty and the left contains [a list of things in the left pan]. "; otherwise if the left pan does not contain something; say "The left pan is empty and the right contains [a list of things in the right pan]. "; otherwise; say "On the right pan [is-are a list of things in the right pan] and on the left [a list of things in the left pan]. "; end if. A pan is a kind of container. Understand "scale" or "pan" or "pans" as a pan. The right pan and the left pan are pans. The left pan and the right pan are part of the word-balance. The description of a pan is "Sturdy but slotted." Instead of putting something on a pan, try inserting the noun into the second noun. An apple is a vegetable. The apple is edible. In the right pan is an apple. In the left pan is a pear. The pear is edible. The description of an apple is "Red-cheeked and rosy." The scent-description of an apple is "apple juice". The flavor-description of an apple is "The skin tastes slightly waxy: I suspect it's been gussied up to look nice." The description of the pear is "Handsome and green." The flavor-description of the pear is "The flesh is not quite ripe and tastes wooden." Instead of smelling the pear: say "It doesn't smell like much of anything, probably because it's not completely ripe yet." The pear is a vegetable. Report waving the letter-remover at the apple creating ale: say "There's a smell of fermenting apple, then cider, then something more malty. In the apple's place there is now a glass of nutbrown ale." instead. Understand "put [something preferably held] on/onto [a pan]" as inserting it into. Instead of taking something which is in a pan in the presence of the barker: say barker-refusal instead. Instead of touching or pushing or pulling or turning a pan in the presence of the barker: say barker-refusal instead. Instead of touching or pushing or pulling or turning something which is in a pan in the presence of the barker: say barker-refusal instead. Instead of inserting something into a pan in the presence of the barker: say barker-refusal instead. To say barker-refusal: say "[one of]'None of that!' says [the barker]. 'You must make one side go down and the other come up, but you may not add or subtract anything from the load, you may not apply pressure to the beam itself, and you may not lean on, push, pull, or support the individual pans!' A little boy in the crowd snickers rudely. 'Got ya!'[or]The barker gives us a warning look. In case you forgot, we may not increase or decrease the contents of the pan by hand or lean on the beam.[or]It is against the rules of the contest to remove something from the pans; and whatever we do, we've got to do without touching.[stopping]"; The barker is a man in the Midway. "Beside the word-balance is a barker in [a blue suit], the same regulation blue used by the Bureau of Orthography." The barker wears a blue suit. The description of the barker is "He is dapper in his suit, as though he might belong to an especially vivid barber-shop quartet." The description of the suit is "Carefully tailored in bright blue linen, with fine white pinstripes." Instead of telling someone about something: say "[The noun] stares at us coldly. [one of]I wish you wouldn't babble at folks: it just draws attention.[or]I know you didn't grow up around here, but people in this vicinity tend not to be so free with their words.[stopping]". Instead of asking someone about something: say "[The noun] thinks for a moment, then apparently decides not to answer." Definition: the word-balance is tilting if the total heft of the things in the left pan is not the total heft of the things in the right pan. Every turn when the barker is visible and the word-balance is not tilting: add barker-advertisement to the planned conversation of the barker. Check someone who is not the current interlocutor discussing an NPC-directed quip: set the current interlocutor to the actor. barker-advertisement is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'Step up and try your hand at the fabulous word-balance!' calls the barker appealingly.[or]'Put the beam out of alignment and win a fabulous prize!' says the barker, holding up a [tube].[or]'One [tube] of restoration gel goes to the first person who can unbalance the word-balance!' cries the barker, glance sweeping the crowd.[at random]". The barker is carrying a tube. The description of the tube is "It claims to be full of restoration gel, but said gel has mostly gone. If only it had been a larger container to start with." Understand "gel" or "prize" or "fabulous prize" or "label" or "restoration gel" as the tube. The scent-description of the tube is "mint". The tube is essential. Instead of searching the tube: try examining the tube. Instead of opening or closing the tube: say "It comes without a cap." Instead of squeezing the tube: say "[You] squeeze vigorously, but nothing comes out." Instead of tasting or eating the tube: say "It is not for internal consumption." Instead of waving the letter-remover at the tube when the tube is carried by the barker: say "The barker spots us gesticulating and smoothly, almost without thinking about it, swaps the tube into the other hand so that [you] miss." Instead of examining the tube when the tube is carried by the barker: say "[You] can't get a good look at the tube from this position, but it definitely appears to be authentic restoration gel [--] valuable stuff, I recall you saying. [one of](Or were you just trying to impress me?)[or][stopping]". Understand "rub [tube] on/onto/over/into/to [something]" as a mistake ("[if the barker carries the gel]You don't have the gel at the moment[otherwise]There isn't enough gel remaining in the little tube for use[end if]."). Understand "put [tube] on/onto/over/to [something]" as a mistake ("[if the barker carries the gel]You don't have the gel at the moment[otherwise]There isn't enough gel remaining in the little tube for use[end if].") Understand "rub [tube] on/onto/over/into/to [tube]" as a mistake ("The gel doesn't restore the contents of things: it changes back items that have been linguistically manipulated.") Understand "put [tube] on/onto/over/to [tube]" as a mistake ("The gel doesn't restore the contents of things: it changes back items that have been linguistically manipulated.") [Some spectators are a person in the Midway. They are scenery. The description is "They wander and hover and point and gawk and then move on." Understand "crowd" or "players" or "people" as the spectators. ] [The Postcard Stalls are north of the Park Center, east of the Food Corner, and west of Outdoor Cafe. "It is astonishing how exactly alike all postcard vendors are. It is the usual thing: white wire racks with pictures of the harbor, the city walls, the ancient fortifications." Rule for listing exits when looking in Postcard Stalls: do nothing. ] [Northwest of the Park Center is the Food Corner. The description of the Food Corner is "In this corner of the park, a sausage stand has been set up. This is partly for the benefit of the people enjoying the park and partly for the patrons of the cinema to the north, which has no food counter of its own." The sausage stand is scenery in Food Corner. "An ingenious invention able to keep several dozen Italian sausages, bratwurst, and Kosher hot dogs simultaneously at the ideal heat for serving." The sausage-seller is a man in Food Corner. The description of the sausage-seller is "He looks suspicious [--] I mean, he looks as though he suspects us of something. It's true that I passed him earlier a few times when I came up here to stash my things before our operation. I even contemplated buying a Kosher hot dog from him, and changed my mind at the last minute because I was afraid of missing our appointment. But since I was a tall blond male at the time, I don't think he can remember the incident." Understand "sausage" or "seller" or "man" as the sausage-seller.] Section 3 - Church Forecourt The Church Forecourt is [south of Food Corner,] northwest of Fair, west of Park Center, [southwest of Postcard Stalls,] and north of Midway. Rule for distantly describing the Church Forecourt: if the player is in New Church: say "It is much brighter out there in the Church Forecourt."; otherwise: say "That way lies the Church Forecourt, with the facade of the New Church itself visible on the west side. It's a handsome and dignified building, and still draws its share of tourists, if few worshippers." [Some salespeople are an alert person in Church Forecourt. The description is "They are all male, somewhat scruffily dressed in bright-colored clothing. This is amateur hour: the real smugglers and counterfeiters and inventors, the [i]pidgitiers[/i], work down by the docks, or in concealed places around town; when you see them out of doors they are always respectable, and their wares are proof against authentication scopes." The initial appearance is "Several enterprising salespeople have set out [blankets] on the sidewalk and are hawking wares almost guaranteed to be linguistic counterfeits." [The introduction is "The salespeople are particularly daring because they are only a few hundred feet from the front door of the Rotunda. Nonetheless, no one has the right to arrest these characters except a special branch of the police, the black-caped Authenticators. The Authenticators ride around the city [--] slowly [--] on horseback. Notably, they never speed up enough to outpace the lookouts."] Report the salespeople saying hello to the player: say "[one of]'Buy a nice [random thing which is on the blankets]?' wheedles one of the salespeople. I fix them with a practiced cold stare.[or]'Bargains,' says one of the salespeople in a dull voice.[or][one of]The salespeople, recognizing us again, do not bother with another sales pitch.[or]There is a perfunctory nod from the salespeople.[or]The salespeople acknowledge us with a small nod.[at random][stopping]" instead. The blankets are a supporter in the Market. The description is "Synthetic fleece, grubby from being spread on many sidewalks." Understand "blanket" or "cloth" as the blankets. The scent-description is "hot polyester". Instead of putting something on the blankets: try the salespeople discussing warning about blankets. Instead of buying something which is on the blankets: say "[The noun] [is-are] certainly fake." On the blankets is a watch. The description of the watch is "A valuable watch with diamonds set in the face and a chunky metal band." Instead of taking the watch when the watch is not handled and the watch is on the blankets: say "Dubious though it is, the watch is being offered for sale: the salespeople would hardly permit us to walk off with it." Rule for disclosing contents of the blankets: say "Laid out on the blankets carefully as though precious merchandise [is-are a list of mentionable things on the blankets]. " ] The church exterior is a facade in Church Forecourt. Understand "new church" or "plaster" or "entrance" or "entry" or "flank" or "building" or "flank of the building" as the church exterior. The printed name is "New Church". "This corner of the park, in the lee of the church, has been left free of kiosks and booths. Contrary to the usual rules of cathedral layout, the [church exterior] is oriented toward the north, so [you] are standing by the flank of the building, though there is an entrance on this side." The description is "It manages to be austere without seeming in the least modern: the walls are white and the windows clear, but the proportions, the texture of the plaster, the irregular leading between the panes of glass, all come of the age of handmade things." Instead of touching the church exterior: say "We rest our spread palm on the wall of the church. It is reassuringly solid." Some clear windows are part of the church exterior. Understand "panes" or "glass" or "leading" or "irregular" as the clear windows. The description is "They reflect the lucid blue of the sky." Instead of searching the clear windows: say "The lighting conditions are such that [you] can't see in, only catch the reflection of the sky above." Rule for listing exits when in Church Forecourt: if boldening is true: say "[b]South[/b] and [b]east[/b] lead to more of the park; there is a small [cinema-exterior][if the backpack is not handled] (where I left my pack)[end if] to the [b]north[/b], and the entrance to the [church exterior] is [b]west[/b]."; else: say "South and east lead to more of the park; there is a small [cinema-exterior][if the backpack is not handled] (where I left my pack)[end if] to the north, and the entrance to the [church exterior] is west."; The cinema-exterior is a facade in Church Forecourt. It fronts north. It is scenery. The description is "Large red letters on the marquee announce the latest film from Cannes." Understand "small" or "cinema" or "theater" or "theatre" or "movie" or "red letters" or "large red" or "large letters" or "large red letters" or "marquee" or "film" or "cannes" as the cinema-exterior. The printed name is "cinema". Section 4 - Heritage Corner The Heritage Corner is east of the Fair and southeast of Park Center. It is proper-named. "This patch of the town square has been paved over in [octagonal bricks] and is commonly used for displays of traditional dancing: over-50 women in home-made embroidered aprons, skipping arm-in-arm and jumping over broomsticks[one of]. No, there aren't any here [i]now[/i]. But trust me. It's an unforgettable sight[or][stopping]." Rule for distantly describing Heritage Corner: say "That way is the bricked-over portion of the town square, sometimes used for exhibitions of regional dance. Today it is less populated than most of the Square[if the location is the Fair]. Beyond Heritage Corner to the east is the hostel where you stowed some important gear[end if]." A diorama table is fixed in place in Heritage Corner. It is a supporter. "Under a bit of [diorama-shelter] in the corner, [a diorama table] shows scenes from local history, rotated out each week. This week's diorama represents the first sitting of the Committee for the New Orthodox Orthography." Understand "diorama" or "scene" or "dioramas" or "shelter" or "scenes" or "local history" or "history" as the diorama table. The description of the diorama table is "The patriotic scene is set against the backdrop of the Bureau's buildings ca. 1895, where the committee first met, but the historians have included a bit of the building exterior to show that the meetings were conducted under army guard. The writing of dictionaries has not always been bloodless[if the army is not on the diorama table and the members are not on the diorama table]. Both army and members are missing[otherwise if the army is not on the diorama table]. The army has been removed[otherwise if the members are not on the diorama table and the member is on the diorama table]. The members have been reduced to a single [member][otherwise if the members are not on the diorama table]. The members have been removed[end if].". Understand "backdrop" or "setting" or "buildings" or "bureau" or "bureau's" or "building" or "scenery" as the diorama table. The diorama-shelter is part of the diorama table. The printed name is "shelter". Understand "shelter" or "bit" or "bit of" or "clear" or "plastic" or "hood" as the diorama-shelter. The description is "Little more than a clear plastic hood to protect the diorama beneath." Check waving the letter-remover at diorama-shelter when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "The device buzzes, puzzled. You can't make 'helter' without a bit of 'skelter.'" instead. Instead of pushing something which is on the diorama table: if the noun is the army: say "[You] form the army into [one of]Roman-style formations[or]a fierce defensive line[or]a cheerleading pyramid[at random]."; otherwise: say "[You] inventively reposition [the noun] [one of]to the outside of the meeting chamber[or]to be on the walls of the meeting chamber[at random]." Report putting something on the diorama table: if the noun is the members or the noun is the army or the noun is the member: say "[You] restore [the noun] to [its-their] rightful position." instead; otherwise: say "[You] add [unless the noun is plural-named]an [end if]incongruous [noun] to the scene." instead; Some members are naughty-sounding things on the diorama table. The description is "Mostly men and a few women, sternly dressed and with solemn expressions." Understand "committee" as the members. An army is a thing on the diorama table. The description of the army is "A collection of soldier figurines in blue uniforms." A description-concealing rule: if the army is on the diorama table: now the army is not marked for listing; if the members are on the diorama table: now the members are not marked for listing. Definition: a thing is diorama-appropriate: if it is the member: yes; if it is the members: yes; if it is the army: yes; no. The diorama follow-on rule is listed before the examine supporters rule in the carry out examining rules. This is the diorama follow-on rule: if the noun is not the diorama table: make no decision; if the diorama table does not support anything which is not diorama-appropriate: if the diorama table does not support anything: say "The scenery appears to have been hot-glued in place."; otherwise: say "[The list of things on the diorama table] [if at least two things are on the diorama table]are[otherwise]is[end if] movable, but the rest of the scenery appears to have been hot-glued in place."; rule succeeds. The bakery is a facade in Heritage Corner. It fronts south. It is scenery. Understand "bakery" or "baker" as the bakery. The description is "It's closed today and so there are no products on display, since nothing was baked this morning. But on any other day the windows would be stocked with round and oblong loaves, olive bread, crescent pastries, and a traditional specialty, a kind of savory muffin studded with pine nuts.". Instead of going south in Heritage Corner: say "That way lies a bakery closed for Serial Comma Day. [run paragraph on]"; carry out the listing exits activity. Rule for listing exits when in Heritage Corner: if boldening is true: say "The park continues to the [b]north[/b] and [b]west[/b]; to the [b]east[/b] is [if the hostel is unvisited]a backpackers['] [hostel-exterior] where you've stayed recently and where you stowed the rest of your important possessions[otherwise]the [hostel-exterior][end if]."; else: say "The park continues to the north and west; to the east is [if the hostel is unvisited]a backpackers['] [hostel-exterior] where you've stayed recently and where you stowed the rest of your important possessions[otherwise]the [hostel-exterior][end if]."; The hostel-exterior is a facade in Heritage Corner. It is scenery. The printed name is "hostel". The description is "It's a narrow brick townhouse with only one or two rooms on each floor, and silly ornamental brickwork up near the skyline. The label over the entrance merely announces a generic hostel, without the dignity of a name." Understand "hostel" or "sign" or "townhouse" or "silly brickwork/bricks" or "ornamental brickwork/bricks" or "silly ornamental brickwork/bricks" or "brickwork" or "narrow" or "brick" or "backpacker's" or "backpackers'" or "backpacker" as the hostel-exterior. Understand "bricks" as the hostel-exterior when we are examining hostel-exterior. The hostel-exterior fronts east. The octagonal bricks are scenery in Heritage Corner. The description is "Alternating with square bricks of a slightly darker shade of maroon. Nothing about this seems remotely significant." Understand "ground" or "paving" or "floor" as the octagonal bricks. Chapter 2 - Indoor Areas Section 1 - Cinema The Cinema Lobby is north of Church Forecourt. It is indoors. "This is a small, one-screen theater. [one of]The seats are not comfortable and the screen is not large. The projector is old. The management is lazy. No food is served. On two occasions, the film I was watching burst into flames while it was being shown. Despite these handicaps, it maintains an active and interested clientele simply by virtue of content: a wide variety of foreign films that, though meticulously dubbed into flawless California-accented English, nonetheless carry that slight tang of the forbidden. [or][stopping]Evidently the next showing is not for a little while yet, because there are no patrons in sight." Instead of going in when in Cinema Lobby: try going west. Rule for listing exits when in Cinema Lobby: if looking, do nothing; otherwise say "There is of course the exit to the south; the screening room itself is west." The ticket-taker is an alert man in the Cinema Lobby. "[The ticket-taker] waits just west of us, at the entrance to the screening room, ready to take tickets." The description of the ticket-taker is "Not one of this country's best and brightest, but he seems good-natured." Understand "young" or "man" or "ticket taker" or "taker" as the ticket-taker. Rule for writing a paragraph about the ticket-taker when the ticket-taker is not the current interlocutor: set the current interlocutor to the ticket-taker; if the ticket-taker knows allowed-in-movie, say "'Yo,' says the [ticket-taker] as [you] come in."; otherwise say "'Ticket,' says the [ticket-taker] automatically."; have the parser notice the ticket-taker; now everything held by the ticket-taker is mentioned. Instead of going to the Screening Room when the ticket-taker does not know allowed-in-movie: carry out the describing path activity with the player; if the ticket-taker is not in the location, continue the action; set the current interlocutor to the ticket-taker; queue hang-on-there. The Screening Room is west of Cinema Lobby. It is indoors. "[if the player recollects what the movie seems]'Red'[otherwise]Whatever is scheduled for later showing[end if] has not started yet, and is probably not destined to start for some time; at any rate,[unless the project is switched on] the [film screen] is blank and[end if] no audience has yet assembled." Instead of waiting in the Screening Room: if the reel is in the projector and the projector is switched on: make no decision; say "[one of]A little time passes, but I don't think the movie's likely to start for quite some time.[or][You] haven't got time to wait for the show to begin.[stopping]". Instead of listening to the Screening Room: say "The thick walls and solitude make for an especially thick and syrupy silence, as though the rest of the world didn't exist at all." The film screen is scenery in the screening room. Understand "show" or "movie" as the film screen. The printed name is "screen". The description is "[if the reel is in the projector and the projector is switched on]The screen flickers black and white[otherwise if the projector is switched on]The white beam from the projector illuminates it, but no movie is showing[otherwise]The screen is empty: nothing is yet being shown. It is also very very small by modern cinema standards[end if]." The seats are an enterable supporter in the Screening Room. The seats are scenery. The description is "In an age of stadium seating and theater chairs that resemble home recliners, these don't even have the usual old-fashioned red plush. They are hard wooden seats such as might be found in a puritanical schoolroom." Understand "row" or "rows" or "seat" or "seating" or "chairs" or "chair" as the seats. Instead of looking under the seats when the backpack is in the Screening Room: say "I've already located the backpack, right where I left it." The scent-description of the seats is "a mixture of wood lacquer and popcorn grease". The backpack is in the Screening Room. "My [backpack] is stowed under a seat in the third row from the back." Understand "pack" or "rucksack" or "backsack" as the backpack. The backpack is wearable and essential. It covers the torso-area. The introduction of the backpack is "I figured that it would be undisturbed there for a couple of hours, in the dark and out of sight, and if anyone found it they would probably turn it in to Lost and Found. But it is a big relief to find it still there." The backpack is a player's holdall. The description of the backpack is "Mine: a little bit worn, but capacious. It doesn't have any identifying marks on it, and I thought a brand-new bag would look more suspicious[if the backpack is open]. It currently gapes open[else]. It's closed[end if]." The backpack is openable and closed and transparent. The backpack contains a flash drive. The description of the flash drive is "This is it: all my notes; the syllable-and word-generating programs from which I built my language vocabulary; the lexicon and pronunciation guide and grammatical descriptions. And then there's the research to support the product: citations; copies of journal articles and scans from books; contact information for people in the outside world I think could help me. It's everything I've been working on for the last three years." Carry out taking the flash drive: complete "Get my backpack from the cinema"; record "retrieving the backpack" as achieved. Carry out taking something which encloses the flash drive: complete "Get my backpack from the cinema"; record "retrieving the backpack" as achieved. The flash drive is essential. [ The projection booth is here chiefly for easter egg purposes: if the player (much later on) manages to create the abstract LEER, run it through the mirror, and bring the resulting REEL back to the projection booth, the result is this curious movie -- an achievement reward. ] The Projection Booth is north of Screening Room. It is indoors. "The booth is small and lined with [grey-carpet]. It smells faintly of hot dogs." The grey-carpet is scenery in the Projection Booth. The printed name is "grey carpet". Understand "gray" or "grey" or "carpet" as the grey-carpet. The description is "In this dim light it's hard to give the carpet too exact an inspection, which I imagine is just as well." Instead of smelling the Projection Booth: say "The ghost of hot dog and relish lingers in the air. It's mildly nauseating." The jotter is a notepad in the Projection Booth. "[A jotter] is propped up next to the projector." The description is "It's a little spiral-bound notebook, the kind reporters in old movies carry. It's full of notes: running times of movies. Numbers of people in the audience. Who clapped during potentially subversive scenes. Who arrived in a group of more than three." The allowed-pens of the jotter is { pen, pens }. The memo of the jotter is "Red: audience 14. FM couple. MM couple. M in raincoat. FFFFF group. F. MF. M.". Rule for writing a topic sentence about the jotter when the projector is mentionable: say "[A jotter] is propped up next to [the projector]." The projector is a container in the Projection Booth. It is fixed in place. "[A projector] has been set up facing the [film screen][if the reel is in the projector] and [a reel] threaded into it[end if]." The description of the projector is "It's an old-fashioned film projector[if the reel is in the projector], with [a reel] of film inserted[otherwise], with a spot to hold [a reel] of film[end if]. The lens points at the screen." Understand "lens" as the projector. The projector-switch is a device. The projector-switch is part of the projector. The printed name of the projector-switch is "projector switch". Understand "switch" or "projector switch" as the projector-switch. Sanity-check switching on the projector: try switching on the projector-switch instead. Sanity-check switching off the projector: try switching off the projector-switch instead. Report switching on the projector-switch when the reel is not in the projector: say "The light comes on, but nothing plays." instead. Carry out switching on the projector-switch when the reel is in the projector: now the reel position of the reel is 1. Report switching on the projector-switch when the reel is in the projector: say "[You] flip the switch. [The projector] comes to life with a hum. There's the usual flickering of light and dust, and then a black and white movie begins to play." instead. Understand "movie" or "black and white" as the reel when the reel position of the reel is greater than 0. The reel has a number called reel position. [The reel here is a little bit like the tale, in that it produces a partially randomized story. This time, however, instead of going for a plot, we juxtapose a series of unexplained images and leave it up to the reader to try to imagine a connection between them -- a fires in the desert approach a la Wilmot's End, to borrow the language of Echo Bazaar. The intention is to suggest an encounter with a slightly inexplicable film that deals with emotional reactions towards the Atlantean threat and all that goes with it. The filmmaker is Lucius Quagmire, whose manifesto can also be found in the Aquarium Bookstore by the determined searcher.] Every turn when the reel is in the projector and the projector-switch is switched on (this is the movie advancement rule): record "Lucius Quagmire award for viewing unusual films" as an achievement; if the location is Projection Booth or the location is Screening Room: say "[cartoon event for reel position of the reel]"; increase the reel position of the reel by 1; if the reel position of the reel is greater than 4: now reel position of the reel is 1; now the projector-switch is switched off. [if we go away for a while and come back, we'll find that the story has progressed in our absence] Instead of examining the reel when the reel is in the projector and the projector-switch is switched on: follow the movie advancement rule. To say on screen: say "[one of]On screen,[or]On the screen,[or]In the movie,[or]In the picture,[or]As we watch,[at random]". To say harmless event: say "[one of][viewpoint character] is painting an easter egg with meticulous care[or]a little blonde girl romps through a field carrying a basket[or][viewpoint character] is making a fuss over a white rabbit in a cage[or]a kneeling priest is placing an egg under one of the pews of his church[or]three little boys are throwing eggs at one another[or][viewpoint character] is vigorously squeezing a hen, who does not appear to have done anything to deserve it[or]church bells are ringing in the spire of a Gothic church[or]a lady with white gloves is turning over and over an enamel egg studded with gemstones[or][viewpoint character] dips a pastry brush into a dish of yolk[at random]". To say foreboding event: say "[one of]a man with a snub-nosed pistol is stealing two eggs from a cleric[or]the camera zooms in close on an egg. There is a sound of ticking[or]two men circle each other warily on a stone bridge, built across a dangerous ravine. One of them wears a badge in the shape of a rooster. The other has a giant A stitched to his coat[or]a plane buzzes low to the ground over a peaceful-looking farm. A man parachutes out, lands, and sneaks into the barn. He is carrying a number of pamphlets in English[or]customs officials are unpacking sawdust from a box, revealing a number of uniquely decorated eggs. One of them snaps an order abruptly at the other. Both look alarmed. In close-up, we see tiny writing on the eggs[or]a nurse in uniform counts out glass ampules of clear liquid. Her fingers tremble. She sets the ampules on a table next to a figurine of a white rabbit[or]a girl in white gloves sits down on a church pew and folds her hands to pray. As she does so, the flowers on the altar wilt and turn black[or][viewpoint character] kneels in the dirt, burying eggs in a row as though they were tulip bulbs[at random]". To say atmospheric event: say "[one of][viewpoint character] watches as an egg begins to chip from the inside. Something is trying to get out[or]the camera closes and holds for a long time on a glass jar of pickled eggs. Finally a young boy's hand reaches in and extracts one of the pickles. The rest of the boy is not shown[or]a dead rabbit on a string hangs from the tree. The shot holds there for a long period. Wind rustles in the grass[or]a woman clings to the lapels of a sharply-dressed gentleman. He pushes her away. She takes off a brooch shaped like a rooster and flings it at his feet. He picks it up and slowly pins it to his tie[or]an old man lies on his deathbed, two generations of family members gathered around him. A bird lands on the windowsill outside. It lays a spotted blue egg[or]a pair of eggs sizzle in a frying pan for what feels like an entire minute, before a film hand descends to remove them to a plate[or][viewpoint character] sits skinning a brown rabbit. The film lingers over the separation of skin from flesh, and the glassy look in the dead rabbit's eyes[or][viewpoint character] finds an Atlantean flag [--] one of the old style from before the second World War [--] and tears it into strips[at random]"; To say climactic event: say "[one of]angry villagers pelt a plane with rotten eggs while a man in [--] is that Atlantean uniform? [--] cowers away from their wrath[or]a country church explodes from the inside, the stained glass blowing out in all directions. Beleaguered peasants watch with dumb incredulity. A small girl bleeds[or][viewpoint character] digs, manic and desperate, in a graveyard, while more and more villagers come to watch. At last they discover something at the bottom of the hole. Everyone draws back, appalled, but the film does not show us what they are seeing[or][viewpoint character] runs into a burning house and remains there while the fire burns higher and higher, only to return with a book in a worn black binding. From the notches cut into the edges of the page, it appears to be a Bible or a dictionary[at random]"; To say denouement event: say "[one of][viewpoint character] applies restoration gel to an easter egg, which turns into a young boy[or]citizens erect a stone monument of a rooster, on a high platform overlooking the sea. Then [viewpoint character] garlands the monument with flowers[or]a priest reads the service over a casket[or]half a dozen children seated on a porch eat fried eggs from the same pan. They have a wild-eyed look, which [viewpoint character] seems to find frightening or sad[at random]"; The viewpoint character is indexed text that varies. To say first arrival: say "The scene opens on [a viewpoint character][one of] seated in the sunshine[or] reading a newspaper[or] kneeling in the dirt outside a farmhouse[or] walking across a field[or] doing some shopping at a farmer's market[or] carrying a cage containing a rabbit[or] putting eggs into a basket[or] purchasing a set of paints[or] speaking earnestly if incomprehensibly to camera[or] reading aloud from a small black book that looks much battered[or] peering into a cracked mirror[or] drawing one finger across a map of the Mediterranean[or] cutting letters from a newspaper with a pair of nail scissors[or] gathering a clump of grubby carrots and washing them at a pump[at random]"; To say cartoon event for (N - a number): if N is 1: say "A jolly title card comes up, which reads '[one of]Les oeufs de Pâques[or]Ostereier[or]Huevos de pascua[or]Uova di Pasqua[or]Pazko-arrautzak[at random]'."; now the viewpoint character is "[one of]a man in a black uniform[or]a woman in a chic blue hat[or]a farmer with calloused hands[or]a little blonde girl[or]a nurse in wartime uniform[or]a priest[or]a skinny spinster[or]a husky-voiced housewife[or]a teenaged boy[at random]"; say "[line break][first arrival]. Afterward, [one of][harmless event][or][atmospheric event][at random]."; if N is 2: say "[on screen] [one of][foreboding event][or][harmless event]. [paragraph break]Then [foreboding event][or][atmospheric event]. [paragraph break]Next [foreboding event][at random]. [one of]The dialogue is rapid, foreign, and distorted by poor film quality and the passage of time[or]It's impossible to make out what's being said, but the music is melancholy, played on a distressed fiddle[or]The soundtrack has so degraded that the words are incomprehensible, but there is a backing tune of young children singing[at random]."; if N is 3: [conclusion] say "[on screen] [climactic event]. Finally, [one of][atmospheric event][or][denouement event][at random]."; if N is 4: say "The credits come up on the screen. Not a single one of these names is suitable for daily use on the island. After three cards of names, a final note comes up reading, DISTRIBUTED UNDER THE HAND OF LUCIUS QUAGMIRE. FOR THE DISTURBANCE OF MEANING. The film ends and the projector goes dark."; Check inserting something into the projector: if the noun is not the reel: say "The projector can only really show reels of film." instead; if the projector-switch is switched on: try switching off the projector-switch; Sanity-check putting the reel on the projector: try inserting the reel into the projector instead. Understand "thread [reel] on/onto [the projector]" as inserting it into. Understand "mount [reel] on/onto [the projector]" as inserting it into. Understand "show [reel] on [the projector]" as showing it on. Showing it on is an action applying to one carried thing and one thing. Check showing something which is not the reel on the projector: say "[The noun] [is-are] not a reel of film." instead. Check showing the reel on something which is not the projector: say "[You] really need a film projector for that." instead. Check showing something which is not the reel on something which is not the projector: say "I could understand if you were trying to show film on a projector, but that suggestion doesn't make much sense to me." instead. Check showing the reel on the projector when the reel is not in the projector: try inserting the reel into the projector; if the reel is not in the projector: stop the action. Check showing the reel on the projector when the projector-switch is not switched on: try switching on the projector-switch; if the projector-switch is not switched on: stop the action. Test projection with "tutorial off / put reel on projector / turn on projector / take reel / mount reel / take reel / thread reel / take reel / show reel / show reel on projector / s / z / z / n" holding the reel in the Projection Booth. Section 2 - Staircase The Monumental Staircase is east of Park Center and north of Heritage Corner [and south of Outdoor Cafe]. "Once, the [central hillock] of the city was a fortified enclave, protected from the harbor and the peasant town by great walls. Now, however, the walls are mostly gone, except for a little spur that runs north from here. The walkways and tower are open to the public. Meanwhile a staircase as wide as a street [if the former direction is west]ascends into this town square, with the fountain playing at the cen[ter][otherwise]descends east from the town square toward the harbor[end if]." Sanity-check going southeast from the Monumental Staircase: try going east instead. Check waving the letter-remover at staircase-close-view when the current setting of the letter-remover is "i": say "The device buzzes, puzzled. Sadly it lacks the verve to understand a 'monumental starcase' as a poetic reference to the universe as a whole." instead. Rule for distantly describing the Monumental Staircase: say "Off in that direction is the monumental staircase [if the location is High Street]that leads [up] to the town square, and [you] can just make out the tops of the heads of people standing near it[otherwise]that leads down towards the marina area of town[end if]." After going to the Monumental Staircase from High Street: let N be the number of entries in the described motion of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; otherwise: clear path-walked for player; if path description count is greater than 0: say "From there [you] have"; otherwise: say "[one of][You] have[or]It's[at random]"; increase path description count by 1; say " [one of]an invigorating[or]a healthy[or]a tiring[or]another wearying[or]yet another exhausting[stopping] climb up[unless N is greater than 1] the Monumental Staircase[end if], with the view of the sea getting better and better as [you] go[one of] (but of course looking requires stopping to gaze back over our shoulder)[or][stopping].[paragraph break]"; continue the action. The staircase-close-view is scenery in Monumental Staircase. The printed name is "monumental staircase". Understand "monumental" or "staircase" as staircase-close-view. The description of staircase-close-view is "[You] are standing on one of the upper steps right now, but the staircase descends (if shallowly) for another story or more towards high street." Instead of climbing the staircase-close-view, try going east. Instead of going down in Monumental Staircase, try going east. A poster is fixed in place in Monumental Staircase. "An enormous blue and orange warning [poster] covers the wall alongside the staircase." The description is "'WARNING: Have you seen these dangerous individuals? If so, avoid contact and report all interactions to the Bureau of Orthography.' Below, there's a picture of several people. One of them is you, before your face got shuffled with mine.[one of] It's funny that when we met, you mentioned you were a user of illegally modified language-tools, but you didn't emphas[ize] the grand larceny side so much. Not to worry. I won't turn you in. I can hardly afford to, can I?[or][stopping]". Understand "blue" or "orange" or "enormous" or "huge" or "warning" as the poster. A dangerous destruction rule for the poster: now the poster is not fixed in place; now the initial appearance of the poster is "The blue and orange warning [poster] is rolled up on the ground nearby." Instead of taking or attacking the poster when the poster is in Monumental Staircase: if the poser is seen: make no decision; say "Defacing official property is illegal [--] like many other things [you][']ve done recently, I suppose [--] but more than usually likely to attract attention." Fair is southwest of Monumental Staircase. [Postcard Stalls is northwest of Monumental Staircase.] The central hillock is scenery in Monumental Staircase. The description is "A square park stretches east, with official buildings beyond, occupying what was once the fortified heart of town. A little of the original fortification does exist immediately north and curving around to the northwest, but it is in very bad shape here, and the top of the walls cannot be walked on at this point." Understand "city" or "fortified" or "walls" or "great" or "enclave" as the hillock. The harbor-view is a distant backdrop. The printed name is "harbor". It is in Old Hexagonal Turret, Old City Walls, Crumbling Wall Face, Outdoor Cafe, and Monumental Staircase. It screens east and northeast. Understand "port" or "harbor" or "docks" or "dock" as harbor-view. The description is "A harbor swarming with small and medium-sized tourist boats; most of the major shipping comes in via another route." The introduction is "That is where [you] [are] trying to get to [--] or rather, get through." The fish-market-view is a distant backdrop. The printed name is "fish market". It is in Old Hexagonal Turret, Old City Walls, Crumbling Wall Face, Outdoor Cafe, and Monumental Staircase. Understand "market" or "fish market" as the fish-market-view. The description is "From this angle and distance, all you can see is the open space and a few awnings. It's not the best time of day for this kind of thing anyway." Instead of going down in the Staircase, try going east. Instead of going up in the Staircase, try going west. The Open-Air is a region. The Fair, Church Forecourt, Midway, Heritage Corner, [Outdoor Cafe, ] Monumental Staircase, Park Center[, Postcard Stalls, and Food Corner] are in the Open-Air. Section 3 - The Hostel The Hostel is east of Heritage Corner. It is indoors. "I take it this is where you stayed from the time you got to town until our operation. I would have expected that someone with your credentials would have been able to afford something better: The Fleur d'Or, maybe? But maybe you thought this was lower-profile. At least it's clean and doesn't smell funny." Instead of going out in the Hostel, try going west. Rule for listing exits when in the Hostel: if looking, say "There's a [h-staircase] that leads up to the dormitory rooms."; otherwise say "[You] could either climb the [h-staircase] up to the dormitory rooms or go back to the park, [west]." The h-staircase is an up-staircase. The h-staircase is in the Hostel. The printed name is "spiral staircase". Understand "spiral" or "staircase" as the h-staircase. It fronts up. The description is "To save space, it winds around a pole twice before reaching the floor above. This is not kind to people with luggage, but people with luggage are supposed to stay in real hotels." Instead of facing up in the hostel: say "The ceiling is a little cracked but in no way fascinating." The attendant's desk is a desk in the Hostel. The description is "Formica with a fake wood grain." The attendant is a woman in the Hostel. The printed name is "desk attendant". Understand "desk attendant" as the attendant. "[The attendant] [if the current mood of the attendant is distrustful]watches us suspiciously[otherwise]is sort of eying us[end if]." The description of the attendant is "She's dressed in a kind of casual-hippy way: nose ring, poofy [blouse] that doesn't fit quite right." The introduction of the attendant is "She doesn't recogn[ize] you [--] us [--] but that's a good thing, I think." Definition: a thing is attendant-related: if it is the attendant, yes; if it is enclosed by the attendant, yes; no. Instead of looking at an attendant-related thing through an authentication scope: if the noun is the louse: do nothing instead; say "[The second noun] pings happily as [you] sight [the noun] with the crosshairs. [one of]'Do you mind?' [if the noun is the attendant]she[otherwise]the attendant[end if] asks. 'That's kind of rude.'[or]She sighs pointedly.[or]She mutters about people who can't take hints.[or]She ignores us stoically.[stopping]". Guidebook is a book in the Hostel. The printed name is "Guidebook to Anglophone Atlantis". Understand "guidebook to atlantis" or "guide" or "book" or "guidebook to anglophone atlantis" as the guidebook. "Discarded in one corner is [a guidebook]." The description is "A much-thumbed and several years out-of-date guidebook to this immediate area. The cover is tomato-red but the pages are crinkly and beige: it appears that someone has spilled coffee on it. There's too much here to take in in a quick read, but we could look up specific topics if we wanted to read more." The contents of the guidebook is the Table of Local Attractions. After reading a command: while the player's command includes "the": cut the matched text. Table of Local Attractions topic reply "toilets" or "toilet" or "restroom" or "convenience" or "public convenience" "The island is not overprovided with public toilets, but there is a building near the bus station." "typoland fun fair" or "fun fair" or "typoland" or "fun" "Two full pages are devoted to Typoland Fun Fair, describing such delights as the exclamation point mascot character and the competitive kerning events." "anglophone" or "atlantis" or "atlantean" "The entire book concerns the island, so we'll have to be more specific about places and institutions." "atlantida" "Atlantida is listed here as the 'guiding spirit' of the island and its people. Representations of this abstraction can be found in posters and advertisements, and in the form of a great statue in the roundabout off Deep Street." "aquarium" or "bookstore" or "aquarium bookstore" "The entry describes the Aquarium Bookstore as a source of used and off-beat new books, especially those pertaining to 'alternate visions of Atlantis'. The phrase 'treasure trove' also appears, though in a context that makes clear this is code for 'fire hazard'." "bureau/rotunda" or "bureau of orthography" or "orthography" "The entry is long and greasily flattering: resplendent blue dome, magnificent interior, warm and hospitable employees, world-renowned historical research department, etc., etc., etc." "Serial Comma Day" or "holiday" "Commemorating the 1935 standard[ization] of a whole range of punctuation conventions, Serial Comma Day is one of three major patriotic holidays on Anglophone Atlantis. (See also SHAPLY DAY, SECESSION DAY.)" "Shaply Day" "Named in hon[our] of pioneering suffragette Phyllida Shaply, Shaply Day commemorates the 1877 decision to allow all citizens of Anglophone Atlantis to vote in referenda (the direct-democracy form for deciding contentious issues). This right was extended regardless of race, gender, or creed and is a source of considerable pride to Atlanteans." "Secession Day" or "secession" "The secession of Atlantis from British governance in 1823 culminated in the reduction of the attacking British fleet on April 19. The holiday celebrates this occasion, which is considered the beginning of Atlantean self-rule." "cannon" or "depluralizing" or "depluralizing cannon" or "hexagonal" or "turret" or "depluralising" or "depluralising cannon" "The Guidebook explains that Atlantis['] harb[our]s were traditionally defended by the deplural[izing] cannon, using techniques discovered by Clarence Arbot in 1779. Turrets along the old city walls provided elevated positions for these cannons, allowing them considerable range. See also SECESSION, CLARENCE ARBOT." "sigil street" or "sigil" "The entry on Sigil Street proclaims it an excellent place for those seeking to commission their own fonts or indulge in other typographical expenses." "ampersand bend" or "ampersand/bend" "Ampersand Bend is notable to the guidebook chiefly for the presence of a fine museum. A little less fine now that we've been past, perhaps." "long street" or "long" "Long Street is recorded as a go-to spot for high-end shopping and restaurant experiences." "customs house" or "customs/house" "The book offers advice that verges on churlish about how important it is not to commit any type of customs violation." "clarence" or "arbot" or "clarence Arbot" "A little copperplate engraving of a man with heavy-lidded eyes accompanies the sidebar biography of Clarence Arbot: b. 1732, proud parent of some 19 children; tireless researcher who in later years rarely left his laboratory 'except to go to bed'; in 1779, the inventor of generic deplural[ization], allowing multiples of almost anything to be reduced to just one. What his wives thought of his research is not recorded. See also DEPLURAL[IZING] CANNON." "james/elias/milford/higgate" or "milford higgate" or "james elias" or "q-insertion" "Milford Higgate and James Elias are commonly credited with the discovery of Q-insertion: the letter Q was the first that anyone was able to add to a word. Other forms of letter insertion had to be discovered separately. The Guidebook parrots the standard laudatory text concerning their discovery." "anne" or "landis" or "rosehip" "Anne Landis Rosehip is a local artist in glass and etched metal working out of a studio on the south side of Old City. She's some sort of distant cousin to my father." "Babel" or "cafe" or "café" or "babel cafe/café" "A popular multiethnic eatery in the university district, best known for having been the meeting place of Milford Higgate and James Elias." "DCL" or "dental" or "consonants" or "limited" or "dental consonants limited" or "dental consonants" "Dental Consonants Limited is the largest and most successful linguistic engineering firm on the island, directly employing 15,000 people [--] 8% of the citizens of Anglophone Atlantis or 18% of the workforce. Thanks to its overwhelming significance to the local economy, DCL enjoys significant privileges in terms of support for its espionage policies. DCL builds a wide variety of machines for linguistic efficacy, but its most public[ize]d efforts are in the area of letter-insertion. The company was originally formed to work on T, D, and N-insertion." "airport/airplane/airline/plane" "There are no airports on the island that support commercial flights, though there is a landing strip for corporate jets coming in to the DCL campus." "language/text/linguistics" or "linguistic efficacy" "The Guidebook points out rather primly that only English is spoken on the island, due to the island's early discovery of linguistic efficacy. Except in special contexts such as sanctioned language classes, attempts to make oneself understood in other tongues will lead to shunning and possibly even jail time." "history/past" "The Guidebook gives a thumbnail description, and an extremely biased one, of how linguistic efficacy was discovered and put to use on the island, and its subsequent rise as an independent power when many other states were being absorbed into the empires of England, Spain, France, the Netherlands, etc. This is a bit rich considering that before achieving this independence Atlantis was in fact successively a Spanish, Dutch, and English territory; but local publishers tend to gloss that point a bit. See also MUSEUM." "lodging/lodgings" "The guidebook describes two options in the center of town: the hostel, suitable for people on a budget, and the much more expensive Fleur D'Or hotel." "fleur d'or" or "fleur" or "hotel/hotels" or "fleur d'or hotel" "The Fleur D'Or is listed as the town's only four-star hotel. (There are no five-star hotels on this island. It is not that kind of place.) As the Fleur d'Or principally attracts those interested in business or research to do with linguistic efficacy, it also maintains a bar with the only publicly-licensed homonym paddle. Visitors to the Fleur d'Or Drinks Club can enjoy linguistically-generated gimlets, rusty nails, and more." "museum/exhibit/museums/exhibits" "A museum of linguistic instruments open to the public is to be found on the grounds of the Fleur d'Or hotel." "fountain" or "town square/park" or "park" "The fountain is listed as one of the attractions of the old town park: the design and execution of the sculpture credited to one M. Antoinne, and was apparently his final work before he faced a firing squad for his use of an irregular surname. (This was during one of the more blood-soaked episodes of standard[ization], evidently.)" "cinema/theater/theatre/movie/movies" or "movie theater/theatre" "The Guidebook lists the cinema at the north end of the town park as the best place to see films 'correctly and legally dubbed'." "hostel" or "backpacker" "Mysteriously, the entry for the hostel itself, which ought to contain ratings of its cleanliness, safety, and reliability, has been obliterated with a black marker." "[transit]" or "station" or "bus station" "The book is forthright about the absence of public transportation, and recommends that visitors bent on vehicular travel should bring their own cars, since none are available locally for rent. A bus station with long-distance service cross-island to the town of Maiana can be found near Monument Green, though routes are not always served on holidays." "fair/fairground/fairs/fairgrounds" or "market" or "farmer's market" "The guidebook is lyrical about the phenomenal produce to be enjoyed at the farmer's market held in Hesychius Street every Saturday and Wednesday and also on special days of observation." "fish market" "The fish market, the guidebook explains, may be found at the northeastern part of town near the docks, and holds most of its sales in the early morning." "dock/docks/boat/boats/ferry/ferries" "The guidebook gives us to understand that the docks, found northeast of the central town, are a pleasant place to commission short voyages of exploration and to see the island from a distance. It does, however, warn against spending too much time in the adjacent taverns, which have an unsavory reputation." "tavern/taverns" or "counterfeit" or "monkey" or "counterfeit monkey" "The Counterfeit Monkey is a tavern of unsavory reputation near to the docks, said to be the locale of more fistfights and disturbances of the peace than the rest of the city put together. The tavern is named in hon[our] of a famous linguistic con job and was a regular site for contraband creation and smuggling. In 1929, the Bureau first developed tools and procedures for identifying linguistic fakes, the Monkey was the target of a law enforcement raid; but a lively and committed criminal community soon put the Monkey in business again with new strategies." "all-purpose" or "all purpose" "The All-Purpose, the guidebook explains, is a general civil servant attached to the Bureau of Orthography, with wide-ranging powers to repair, correct, and heal using a variety of linguistic tools." "university/college/education" "The guidebook praises the many excellent departments and exceptional research work performed at the university. This is all true, naturally." "new church/cathedral" or "church/cathedral" "The guidebook devotes two and a half pages to the splendors of the New Church, located on the western edge of the town square. It particularly admires the clean lines of the architecture, the solidly constructed pews, and the austere decoration; in fact, the more you read, the more the guide seems to be rhapsod[izing] about what the builders left [i]out[/i], instead of what they put in. The guide also recommends a visit to the church gift shop, which apparently supports assorted worthy causes, such as, for instance, buying a new roof for the structure and paying a custodial staff." "food/eating/dining/restaurant/restaurants/eateries/cafe/cafes/café/bistro/cafés/eatery/lunch/dinner/breakfast" "The guidebook lists several places to eat around town: the outdoor café near the docks; a Food Corner sometimes found in the town square; the restaurant attached to the Fleur D'Or hotel." "lucius" or "quagmire" or "lucius quagmire" or "disturbance of meaning" "A brief and plainly expurgated entry indicates that Lucius Quagmire was a film-maker in the early part of the 20th century who founded the Disturbance of Meaning group with the intention to undermine the Anglophone hegemony. He was convicted of treason." Every turn when the attendant carries a louse: say "The attendant screams, and performs some kind of strange dance, first brushing at her skin and then stomping at something on the ground. (So much for the louse, I think.) She then tears out of the room, leaving the room unattended. Unfortunately, places like this don't keep anything of value out front anyway, so your natural gift for larceny hasn't much scope here."; move the louse to the repository; remove the attendant from play; if the attendant is the current interlocutor: reset the interlocutor. The attendant wears a nose-ring and a blouse. The description of the blouse is "White cotton with little ribbons on it. I hate that kind of frilly nonsense." The description of the nose-ring is "It's silver and reasonably discreet." Understand "nose" or "nose ring" as the nose-ring. Understand "ring" as the nose-ring when the ring is not visible. The Dormitory Room is above the Hostel. It is indoors. Understand "dorm" as the Dormitory Room. "Painted off-white, with [hard wood floors] under many layers of protective gloss coating: there are no surfaces in this room that would take a stain. Four [random dorm bed]s are lined up against the wall." A dorm bed is usually scenery. Four dorm beds are in the dormitory room. Understand "beds" as a dorm bed. The description of a dorm bed is "At this time of day, since everyone is checked out, the beds are all stripped down to bare mattress. Linens may be rented at the front desk [--] but [you][']re not staying here tonight, so there's no need to experience the thinning sheets and the pilled [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]woollen[otherwise]woolen[end if] blankets. Your memory is enough for both of us." A backpacking girl is an alert tourist woman in the dormitory room. She exhibits caution. "[one of]A girl of about 19 [set prior to backpacking girl][if the girl is in the location]is standing in the middle of the room, looking around as though she can't quite believe where she landed or what she's doing here[otherwise]seems to be inclined to hang out here for the duration[end if][or][The backpacking girl] is still hanging out here[stopping]." The description is "She is just the sort of tourist who most annoys the locals, but actually I find her type a little endearing: she may not be very sophisticated yet, but she [i]wants[/i] to expand her horizons, and that's more than you can say for most of the friends she probably left back at home.". The backpacking girl wears a pink t-shirt. The description of the pink t-shirt is "It is somewhat too tight and bears the word JUICY in rhinestones across the bust." Understand "shirt" as the pink t-shirt. She carries a heavy pack. The heavy pack is a closed openable container. The description of the heavy pack is "The flag of Canada is [canada-girl][if the player knows fake-canada]mendaciously [end if]sewn on the back." Understand "full" or "massive" or "massively" or "backpack" or "her backpack" or "her pack" or "flag" or "of Canada" as the heavy pack. The flexible appearance of the heavy pack is "A massively full pack leans against one of the beds." Understand "tourist" as the backpacking girl. Check waving the letter-remover at pink t-shirt when the current setting of the letter-remover is "r": say "That would be intriguingly disgusting, if it weren't for the fact that T-SHIT doesn't describe anything anyone with a functional colon has ever heard of." instead. Test girl-description with "look" in the Dormitory Room. Instead of opening the heavy pack in the presence of the backpacking girl: say "Overtly searching her possessions while she is here seems like a ticket to trouble." The heavy pack contains an assortment of very short shorts, a broomstick skirt, flip-flops, bikini bottoms, various t-shirts, an anorak, a fat guidebook to Europe, a cheap camera, and a box of tampons. Instead of taking the heavy pack: say "The girl may be a bit foolish, but she doesn't deserve to be robbed of all her worldly goods on the first day of her trip." The description of the bikini bottoms is "The tops are not in evidence, at least as far as casual inspection reveals." The description of the various t-shirts is "There's not a one without a logo of some kind." Check waving the letter-remover at various t-shirts when the current setting of the letter-remover is "r": say "That would be intriguingly disgusting, if it weren't for the fact that T-SHIT doesn't describe anything anyone with a functional colon has ever heard of." instead. The description of the very short shorts is "It's a good thing the weather here is really as warm as popularly imagined." The description of the anorak is "It might be meant to counter the effect of all the shorts." The description of the broomstick skirt is "It is the sort of skirt made of thin fabric that twists up into a tight tube, and is supposed to be interestingly crinkly when worn." The description of the flip-flops is "The sole of each flip-flop is decorated with the image of Snoopy." The description of the box of tampons is "Let's not. This is awkward enough already." The description of the fat guidebook to Europe is "The spine is cracked at many points and the pages folded over for future reference." The description of the cheap camera is "It is a flimsy device in rose-pink, with a very small lens." Instead of taking something which is in the heavy pack: say "None of these are any use just now." Chiding-attendant is a scene. Chiding-attendant begins when the dormitory room is visited. Chiding-attendant ends in results when the location of the player is the dormitory room and the location of the backpacking girl is the dormitory room and the backpacking girl recollects have-you-checked and the current quip is not have-you-checked and the current quip is not agree about the attendant and the backpacking girl is finished talking and the attendant is in the Hostel. Chiding-attendant ends fruitlessly when the location of the backpacking girl is not the dormitory room. [We want to be set up by the girl's prior complaint, but we don't want the attendant to seem to come in response to said complaint.] When chiding-attendant ends in results: say "There's a heavy tread on the stairs, and the desk attendant puts her head in. 'Just so you two know, you're not actually supposed to be hanging out a lot up here during the day. It's for night use really. I'm not going to do anything today, but it's kind of against the rules, for future reference.' She turns around and goes back down. The backpacking girl sticks her tongue out at the departing back.". [Something I wanted to do was try to break down the sense that NPCs are attached to single locations and never move around or interact with one another. On the other hand, scenes where NPCs move freely or converse in groups are harder to engineer, so I wanted to be sparing with those. So there are assorted intermediate effects where we get a little 'fake' interaction, a one-turn-only moment where one NPC addresses another or a character moves around.] Report scoffing when chiding-attendant ended in results and the time since chiding-attendant ended is less than 2 minutes and the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl: say "We snort, and the girl grins at us. 'I know, she is unreal!'" instead. Report laughing when chiding-attendant ended in results and the time since chiding-attendant ended is less than 2 minutes and the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl: say "We laugh, and the girl joins in. 'I know, she is unreal!'" instead. Report frowning when chiding-attendant ended in results and the time since chiding-attendant ended is less than 2 minutes and the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl: say "We frown. 'Oh, whatever,' says the girl. 'She deserves it.'" instead. An accessibility rule when the touch-goal is the lock: if the backpacking girl is not visible: make no decision; otherwise: say "[The backpacking girl] is watching our every move with unconcealed curiosity, which makes me a little hesitant to do anything with the locker[one of][or]. Maybe if we freaked her out somehow she would go away[or]. I think our best bet is to show her something that really weirds her out[stopping]." instead. After writing a paragraph about a dorm bed: now every dorm bed in the location is mentioned. Some hard wood floors are scenery in the Dormitory room. Understand "floor" or "hardwood" or "protective" or "gloss" or "coating" as the hard wood floors. The description is "The floors are designed to be scrubbed clean every single day, leaving no trace of what might have come or gone." Instead of putting something on the hard wood floors, try dropping the noun. The locker is a fixed in place closed openable container in the Dormitory Room. The lock is part of the locker. The initial appearance of the locker is "The [locker] you identify as your own sits near one of the beds[if the locker is open], door standing open[otherwise if the lock is part of the locker], still locked with its dial [lock][otherwise], closed but not locked[end if]. ". A ranking rule for the locker: increase description-rank of the locker by 100. The description of the locker is "A standard metal [locker] for travelers to leave their valuable possessions in when they go out [--] or while they sleep, since one's bunkmates are not always to be trusted. It is of the kind that requires the traveler to bring his own lock[if the lock is part of the locker], and in fact someone (such as yourself) has put a lock on this one[otherwise], but it is currently bare[end if]." After opening the locker: record "opening the locker" as achieved; complete "Retrieve your remaining possessions from locker at hostel"; say "Now that the lock has been removed, the locker swings easily open[if something is in the locker], revealing [a list of things in the locker][end if]." instead. The lock can be lockable. The lock can be locked. The lock can be openable. The lock can be open. The lock is openable, lockable and locked. Understand "dial" as the lock. Instead of turning the lock: say "The dial turns smoothly [--] much too smoothly. There are no clicks, no tiny ticks of inward mechanisms working. By the feel of it, there might be no real locking device here at all." Understand the command "spin" as "turn". The description of the lock is "[one of]It's curious, now you look at it: it's a combination lock with a dial face, but no one has bothered putting any numerals onto the dial.[or]Still no numbers on the dial. My mother had a wristwatch like that once. Always a nuisance.[or]I once again contemplate the absence of traditional combination markings on the lock. It must not be meant to be unlocked in the usual way.[or]It's your lock: you brought it with you and put it on the locker. So you must have had some way of opening it again, and not something that would depend on having a clear memory after the operation, either. I don't suppose you remember at all?[stopping]". To say key-refusal for (locked-thing - the lock): say "[lock description][paragraph break]". Instead of setting the lock to something: say "No numbers are written on the dial of the lock." Locking something with something is key-related behavior. Unlocking something with something is key-related behavior. Unlocking keylessly something is key-related behavior. Locking keylessly something is key-related behavior. Opening something is key-related behavior. Closing something is key-related behavior. Instead of key-related behavior when the current action involves the locker and the lock is part of the locker: if the noun is the locker, change the noun to the lock; if the second noun is the locker, change the second noun to the lock; try the current action. Instead of attacking the locker with something: say "It is built to withstand attack, as witness the several dents in the frame that nonetheless failed to pop the door out." Instead of attacking or pulling or pushing the lock: say "It swings jauntily in place, but does not break." The locker contains a roll of bills and a letter. The printed name of the roll of bills is "roll". The description of the roll of bills is "[one of]Now that is more like it: you've got us a tidy little stash of euros here.[or]Some day you will have to tell me a little bit about the tricks of the trade [--] how you fenced stuff, you know? Or perhaps you won't tell me. Maybe it would be better not. At any rate, this money is useful, so I won't ask too many questions.[or]It's our cash reserve [--] well, your cash reserve, really, but for now it is serving both of us.[stopping]". Understand "euros" or "euro" or "cash" or "bill" or "money" as the bills. The bills are essential. [Andra's backstory was based in the idea that she was an extraordinarily good speller, and I imagined a whole history for her, in which she had been a homeschooled spelling champion who ran away from home when she was disappointed by her parents' reaction to her coming in second place nationally. Slango had seen her on television and so when he recognized her on a street, he picked her up and inducted her into his smuggling gang. There wasn't room to tell that whole story in Counterfeit Monkey, and eventually I spun that story off as Bee, a Varytale novella which takes place in more or less the real world. Nonetheless, Andra retains some pointers to that history.] The description of the letter is "It's a letter from your brother, printed off anonymously from an untraceable email account that you accessed in town. Nothing that could be followed back to Slango and the yacht. [i]Sis, I'm keeping your wire transfer funds. I want to try for Stanford. I'd say thank you except that, one, you didn't get it legally (I saw this documentary about teen prostitutes [--] if that's where it came from then EW) and, two, honestly? You owe for what you put us through after you ran away. Mom and Dad were humiliated that you turned into the prodigal daughter. Your face got on milk cartons. Pastor Hughes GAVE A SERMON ABOUT IT. Mom spent all that time coaching you through spelling practice, you know she doesn't enjoy getting up at 4 AM, right? You totally threw that in their faces. If you want to come home sometime, fine, but don't come to just see me. If you want to see me you have to see Mom and Dad too. Nate.[/i]". Some secret-plans are in the locker. They are privately-named. The printed name is "plans". Understand "plan" or "plans" as the secret-plans. The description of the secret-plans is "The plans are rolled up and stuck shut with a label that reads 'PROPERTY OF DENTAL CONSONANTS LIMITED [--] UNAUTHOR[IZE]D USE ILLEGAL'. They're just a set of prints from the main computer design, of course, but still extremely informative: to the right engineer, they might reveal the secret of T-insertion for replication by other companies. These are what you and Brock were originally contracted to lift from the island, at a fee in the multiple millions.". The secret-plans are essential, illegal, floppy, and long. Understand "tube" as the secret-plans when the tube is not visible. Understand "label" as the secret-plans. Understand "count [bills]" as a mistake ("[You] thumb quickly through the bills [--] smaller currency on the outside, larger denominations on the inside. I wouldn't have thought I could add that quickly and accurately, but you, evidently, have more practice. It works out to just over fifteen thousand euros."). Section 4 - The New Church The New Church is west of the Church Forecourt. It is indoors and proper-named. "Not a Gothic cathedral from the era when the church was wealthy and secure, but a gallant Neo-classical response to the turmoil of the 18th century, when the power of language was just beginning to be evident, and instead of an immutable cosmology, we suddenly had observer-consensus reality. [one of]What is the need or use of God, if it turns out that He gave all the power of creation to Adam when He let him name the animals?[or][stopping]". The inscription is fixed in place in the New Church. It is distant. "An [inscription] above [the altar], picked out in gold paint, reads Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος." Understand "paint" or "gold" as the inscription. The description is "It means, In the Beginning was the Word. A patchy attempt to make theology align with scientific and linguistic reality, but it still has power. And despite the Bureau's depredations of foreign language writings everywhere else, they have never quite had the nerve to deface this." Some columns are scenery in the New Church. The description of the columns is "The column shafts are unornamented, only tapering a little at the top; the capitals a restrained Ionic." Understand "pillar" or "pillars" or "column" as the columns. Some clear glass windows are scenery in the New Church. The description of the clear glass windows is "They admit a great deal of light, as though to promise that there is no lie and no chicanery here." Understand "window" as the clear glass windows. The introduction of New Church is "My mother volunteers here: I think I should warn you. She is not quite religious, but believes in the cultural value of the building, and in having some sort of place where people can go for spiritual respite. She also, I suspect, likes having those great gold letters, defiantly foreign and arcane in the heart of the old city." Some pews are a scenery supporter in the New Church. The description of the pews is "Simply built out of dark solid wood, to contrast with the white walls and columns, and the clear glass windows." Understand "pew" or "seat" or "seats" or "bench" or "benches" as the pews. The altar is fixed in place in the New Church. It is a supporter. Definition: a thing is liturgical: if it is the cross, yes; if it is the cassock, yes; if it is the tippet, yes. Instead of putting something on the altar: if the player wears a liturgical thing: if the noun is the cross: record "Reverend Plaice award for placing the cross on the altar while liturgically dressed" as an achievement; continue the action; else: say "While I am not exactly a believer in the dogmas associated with this place, it seems crass to go putting random items on the altar."; else: say "[You] [are] not vested appropriately for dressing the altar; someone would be sure to notice." The description of the altar is "It is simple and bare of cloth or flowers[if the cross is on the altar], though a cross is set in the appropriate place[end if]." Instead of facing up in the New Church: say "The ceiling is handsomely solid but not decorated: no painted feet of the ascendant Christ dangling down between clouds, no medieval grotesques or floral bosses. " Instead of going north in the New Church: say "The only thing in that direction is the little space behind the altar, and to enter that seems like needless trespassing." Rule for listing exits when in New Church: if boldening is true: say "There are side exits both [b]east[/b] and [b]west[/b]; and a gift shop occupies the narthex at the [b]south[/b] end."; else: say "There are side exits both east and west; and a gift shop occupies the narthex at the south end." Understand "pray" or "pray to [text]" as a mistake ("[prayer response]"). To say prayer response: say "I'm not much one for prayer myself. But you, evidently, are, and I find myself squirming[--] (While your mind and heart are elsewhere, ordering your concerns and offering them up.) [--]and now quiet. I don't know what, if anything, that may have accomplished, but I promise not to be rude if you need to do it again." The gift-shop-exterior is a facade in New Church. It is scenery. It fronts south. The description is "[You] can't really see it from here; I just know that it is back there, from previous visits, though decently screened from the main body of the church." Understand "shop" or "gift shop" or "narthex" as the gift-shop-exterior. The printed name is "gift shop". The Cathedral Gift Shop is south of the New Church. Understand "narthex" as the cathedral gift shop. It is indoors. "This area used to be a sort of antechamber where the priests and choir might gather for processions into the church, but it has now been done over for retail purposes. This is one of several schemes to make the New Church pay for its own upkeep: a problem is that people somehow feel everything associated with a church ought to be free, including lunchtime concerts, potluck suppers, and Thursday-night lecture series." The gift-shop counter is a scenery supporter in the Cathedral Gift Shop. The description is "The usual arrangement for making purchases." Some wire racks are scenery things in the Cathedral Gift Shop. The description is "They're designed to hold postcards or other similar small merchandise." Understand "rack" as racks. Some postcards are on the wire racks. The description of the postcards is "You may be a tourist in these parts, but I, my curious friend, am not: so I find these pictures all rather foolish, and not at all representative of the town as it really is." The postcards are scenery. Understand "pictures" or "harbor" or "city walls" or "walls" or "fortifications" or "ancient fortifications" or "cards" or "harbour" or "postcard" or "picture" or "architecture" or "souvenirs" as the postcards. A dangerous construction rule for the wire racks: now the postcards are on the wire racks. A dangerous construction rule for the wire rack: now the postcards are on the wire rack. Test rack with "x postcards / wave s-remover at racks / x postcards / open tub / gel rack / x postcards" holding the tub in the Gift Shop. Instead of buying the postcards: say "And send them where? There is no one [you] wish were here." Instead of turning the racks: say "[You] idly turn one of the racks, as though [you] were a tourist here. Familiar pictures swivel past, both of the church interior and of the town as a whole." Instead of taking or buying the postcards, say "Buying souvenirs is not the current objective." Instead of buying the paper-models: say "I am all thumbs and never get these things right." Instead of buying the souvenir tea-towels: say "They're just too embarrassingly cute." Instead of buying the shot glasses: say "The inscribed proverbs about the merits and demerits of the grape would be likely to put me off my drink." Some tomes are a fixed in place thing in the Cathedral Gift Shop. "A long line of dusty [tomes] are lined up on one of the shelves, marked 'free for taking'. None are missing." A component-tome is part of the tomes. The printed name of the component-tome is "tome". Understand "tome" or "book" as the component-tome. The description of the tomes is "Looking at one gives a sense of all. [description of the tome]". The description of the component-tome is "[description of the tome]". Instead of taking the tomes: say "The full set runs to thirty or forty volumes, each one three inches thick and printed on heavy paper. They're much too bulky to carry off." Instead of taking the component-tome: say "[You] reach for one of the volumes, then stop, indecisive. They really do seem to be a set, and I can't bring myself to break it up." Some paper-models, some souvenir tea-towels, and some shot glasses are scenery in the Cathedral Gift Shop. Understand "model" or "souvenirs" or "paper" or "models" as the paper-models. Understand "window" or "windows" or "inscription" as the model when the model is the prior named noun. Understand "towel" or "souvenirs" or "towels" or "tea" as the tea-towels. Understand "glass" or "souvenirs" as the shot glasses. The printed name of the paper-models is "paper models". Instead of inserting something into shot glasses in the presence of the volunteer: say "The volunteer fixes us with such a steely stare that [you] stop immediately." The description of the paper-models is "With four or five hours['] lab[our], and a quantity of white glue and toothpicks, you too could assemble your very own rendition of the church, complete with windows and a printed-on version of the inscription over the altar; in fact, the model is so cleverly made that it can be taken apart to allow a view in cross-section." The introduction of the paper-models is "Despite all that, I think [you][']ll pass." The description of the souvenir tea-towels is "Embroidered with gaudy logos." The description of the shot glasses is "Printed with various Biblical verses related to drinking." The gift shop volunteer is an alert man in Cathedral Gift Shop. "An elderly man in a [knitted wool cap] presides over the gift shop." Understand "elderly" or "man" as the gift shop volunteer. Rule for writing a topic sentence about the gift shop volunteer when the gift shop volunteer is not the current interlocutor: set the current interlocutor to the gift shop volunteer; say "The elderly man in charge of the gift shop nods at us as [you] come in.[run paragraph on]"; now everything held by the gift shop volunteer is mentioned. The description of the gift shop volunteer is "He has one of those withered-apple faces more frequent in old women, but there is no doubt from the shape of his nose and the slight stubble that he is in fact male." The gift shop volunteer wears a knitted wool cap. The description of the knitted wool cap is "It is made of some kind of soft and fuzzy blue yarn." Understand "yarn" as the knitted wool cap. The Church Garden is west of New Church. "One might expect a graveyard, but burial inside the city walls has been forbidden for sanitation reasons since well before the New Church was built. Instead, there is a small meditation garden, which was once designed as an intricate knotwork of shrubs[if the thicket is not in the location]. Now the shrubs are gone[end if]." Report facing in Church Garden: say "The garden is intentionally a space set apart, from which it is hard to see anything of the rest of the world." instead. Instead of listening to the Church Garden: say "The sounds of the outside world are muted here. There is some traffic noise, it's true; it just doesn't seem terribly important from here." Understand "meditate" as a mistake ("I'm not bringing you on a tandem ride through my psyche. Sorry."). The thicket is a fixed in place thing in the Church Garden. "The knotwork has since grown into [a thicket].". The description is "Densely-grown: the church hasn't been able to afford a real groundskeeper for some time." The scent-description is "dusty vegetation and maybe a little rosemary". Understand "knotwork" or "shrubs" or "bushes" or "herbaceous" or "rosemary" as the thicket. Report waving the letter-remover at the thicket creating the ticket: say "The thicket abruptly shrivels and flattens itself, and in its place a ticket flutters to earth." instead. Instead of looking under the thicket: say "Nothing is beneath." Instead of taking the thicket: say "It grows much too densely to be pulled out of the ground." Before putting gel on the ticket: if the player is not in Church Garden, say "It would probably cause inconvenience, not to mention drawing considerable attention, to remake the thicket anywhere but in the garden from which it came." instead; if the soil is not in Church Garden, say "There is no longer anywhere for the thicket to grow." instead; if the ticket is not in Church Garden begin; if the player does not carry the ticket, try taking the ticket; if the player does not carry the ticket, stop the action; try dropping the ticket; if ticket is not in Church Garden, stop the action; end if; Part 3 - Roundabout Access [Instead of going to Old City Walls when the backpack is not handled: say high-street refusal instead. Instead of approaching Old City Walls when the backpack is not handled: say high-street refusal instead.] Instead of going to Monumental Staircase when the backpack is not handled: say high-street refusal instead. Instead of approaching Monumental Staircase when the backpack is not handled: say high-street refusal instead. To say high-street refusal: say "[one of]That way will take us away from the cinema, and I'd like to retrieve our things first.[or]Er, before we strike out into the rest of town, could we get my backpack from the cinema?[or]Look, I'm not ready to leave this part of town until we've retrieved my stuff from the cinema. It might not seem important to you, but it's my whole reason for leaving the island, and I'm not going without it.[stopping]". Instead of going to Monumental Staircase when the secret-plans are not handled: say plans-search refusal instead. Instead of approaching Monumental Staircase when the secret-plans are not handled: say plans-search refusal instead. To say plans-search refusal: say "I think we'd better get your things from the hostel before we leave this part of town, don't you?". The crowds are a backdrop. The crowds are in Fair, Monumental Staircase, Church Forecourt, and Park Center. Understand "people" or "crowd" or "men" or "women" or "man" or "woman" or "person" or "hustle" or "bustle" or "spectators" or "pedestrians" as the crowds. understand "children" or "child" as the crowds when the small children are not in the location. The description is "[if the location is a road]They are all in a hurry to get somewhere, though it is not clear exactly where or why[otherwise]The people seem to be enjoying themselves. I don't recogn[ize] anyone in particular, though[end if]." The High Street is east of Monumental Staircase. It is proper-named. "[if the player is not enclosed by the car]Hustle, bustle, [grimy-dirt]; [ugly American chain shops]; lots and lots of people. [otherwise][You] [are] surrounded by tail-lights and impatient men swearing. [end if][if the protesters are in High Street]There seems to be a large organ[ize]d protest in progress: [protesters] completely cram the sidewalk to the southeast.[end if]" The grimy-dirt is scenery in High Street. Understand "grime" or "dirt" or "griminess" or "filth" as the grimy-dirt. The printed name is "dirt". The description is "Just a general griminess over all surfaces. Some parts of the city have recently been renovated, and some are being renovated now, scouring off the accumulated filth on facades and walls; but this area hasn't been treated yet and is simply unappealing." Some ugly American chain shops are a facade in High Street. They front southwest. They are scenery. Understand "shop" or "store" or "stores" or "boutique" or "boutiques" as the shops. The description is "Our eyes pass over them without recognition or attention, really: there is nothing here of any use. It is almost all women's shoes and clothing, overpriced coffee, toiletries made with products from half a world away." The optometry clinic is a facade in High Street. It fronts northeast. It is scenery. Understand "optometrist" or "novelty" or "spectacles" or "enormous pair" or "of spectacles" or "of novelty" as the optometry clinic. The description is "An enormous pair of novelty spectacles hangs over the front of the office, which, however, is currently closed." The tower-side is a facade in High Street. It fronts north. It is scenery. Understand "tower" or "hexagonal" as the tower-side. The printed name is "hexagonal tower". The description is "Immediately to the north is the [tower-side] of the old city walls. It rises some [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]storeys[otherwise]stories[end if] above where [you] now stand, so from here the only thing to see is a blank wall of rough-hewn masonry." The closure notice is "The tower has no doors at this level, just masonry. ". A garbage is a thing in High Street. "The curb is lined with [garbage]." The description is "Discarded containers from the assortment of food shops and coffee stores lining High Street." The indefinite article is "some". Instead of putting gel on the mechanic: try putting gel on the garage. Instead of smelling the garbage: say "To judge from the mildness of its od[our], it mainly contains packing materials and paper goods, rather than rotting meat or anything of that nature." Instead of eating or tasting the garbage: say "As fascinating as your personal habits are turning out to be, I must draw the line somewhere." Instead of taking the garbage: say "There are other people paid to perform that task." The staircase-distant-view is scenery in High Street. The printed name is "monumental staircase". Understand "monumental" or "staircase" as staircase-distant-view. The description of staircase-distant-view is "The staircase is several [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]storeys[otherwise]stories[end if] tall and ascends the side of a major hill." Instead of climbing the staircase-distant-view, try going west. Instead of going up in High Street, try going west. Rule for listing exits when in High Street: say "To the west, the street turns into a monumental staircase leading to the old fortified area[if the hostel is unvisited] [--] your hostel should be up that way [--] while[otherwise];[end if] a cross street heads southeast towards the main roundabout." High Street is a road. The distant-staircase is scenery in High Street. Instead of climbing or entering the distant-staircase, try going west. The description of the distant-staircase is "Broad flat stairs of white stone, with people going up and down[if Monumental Staircase is unvisited]. There's a good view from the top of those stairs: you can see the ships in the harbor and everything. Well, you'll know that, of course[end if]." The Roundabout is southeast of the High Street. The Roundabout is a road. "The traffic flows in a tight circle around a statue which [if Traffic Circle is visited][you] know all too well[otherwise][you] can never see clearly[end if][if the player is not in the car]. There is a pedestrian walkway around the outside of this circle, but crossing the tributary streets is an unpleasant experience involving considerable hazard. Unfortunately, there is no other quick way to get around this part of town[end if]." The hard-to-see statue is scenery in the Roundabout. The description is "[if Traffic Circle is visited]It is, curiously, easier to get a sense of from a distance than it was close-up in the Traffic Circle[otherwise]I've seen it before: it's supposed to be Atlantida, the Spirit of the Atlantean people[end if]. Kind of a 19th-century French style of thing: flowing bronze robes, one breast naked, plump fingers clasping an olive branch. But [you] can't stop and stare at it with the traffic the way it is." Understand "atlantida" or "olive" or "branch" or "robes" or "bronze" or "breast" or "naked" as the hard-to-see statue. Instead of opening the car when the location is the Roundabout and the player is in the car: say "Are you mad? [you][']ll be killed." Rule for listing exits when in Roundabout: if boldening is true: say "Confusing signs point in various directions: [b]northeast[/b] to Deep Street, [b]northwest[/b] to High Street, [b]south[/b] to Long Street, [b]east[/b] to Tall Street."; else: say "Confusing signs point in various directions: northeast to Deep Street, northwest to High Street, south to Long Street, east to Tall Street." [Before printing the name of a direction (called way) when in Roundabout: if looking, say "[room way from the location] to the " ] [Procedural rule when listing exits: if the location is Roundabout, ignore the append room names rule.] Understand "change lanes" as a mistake ("Oh, please don't, please don't...") when the player is in the car. Understand "yield" as a mistake ("It's hard to go wrong with that, anyway.") when the player is in the car. Every turn when the location is Roundabout and the player is in the car: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[one of]I hate to backseat-drive, but I think you were supposed to yield just there.[or]Hey, mind the truck![or]Please don't try to change lanes.[or]They're honking at us for a reason, you know.[at random]". Instead of exiting in Roundabout: say "[You] couldn't possibly park here." [The Questionable Chinese Restaurant is southeast of the Bus Station. "Thanks to the limitations of space, the kitchen is actually kept in the basement, down a steep flight of stairs." The steep flight of stairs is a backdrop. It is in the Restaurant Kitchen and the Questionable Chinese Restaurant. Instead of entering or climbing steep flight of stairs in the Restaurant Kitchen: try going up. Instead of entering or climbing steep flight of stairs in Questionable Chinese Restaurant: try going down. The Restaurant Kitchen is below Questionable Chinese Restaurant. The Restaurant Kitchen is a kitchen. The Two-Star Hotel is north of the Bus Station. "This is a very different place from the Fleur D'Or, and different, too, from your backpacking hostel. There is a carpet, which is clean but old. The lobby features a single sofa, which has thin cushions and does not promise comfort or luxury. The front desk is veneered in fake walnut. It is unmanned." Some carpet is in the Two-Star Hotel. It is scenery. The description is "It is deep red, a color likely chosen for its capacity to hide stains, and there is a pattern on it of tiny grey diamonds, so that it looks rather as though someone's tie had been made the basis of an entire room design." A hotel sofa is an enterable supporter in the Two-Star hotel. It is scenery. "No one has to sit there at the moment, which is the key point." The front desk is a scenery supporter in the Two-Star hotel. The description of the front desk is "No one is sitting there now; but this entire time of year must be a bit of a slump for the hotel, since there is not a busy tourist trade running through on its way to buses out of town." Rule for listing exits while in Two-Star hotel: say "To the east, through an archway in which an ineffective curtain hangs, is the room by which the hotel actually makes the majority of its easy money: there it rents out luggage-storage space to persons using the bus station." The ineffective curtain is east of Two-Star Hotel. The Luggage Consignment is east of the ineffective curtain. The ineffective curtain is a door. It is open and not openable. It is scenery. The description is "Printed with a print of moon and stars." ] Part 4 - Affluence Chapter 1 - City Walls Section 1 - Old City Walls Old City Walls are north of the Monumental Staircase. Understand "wall" as Old City Walls. "Only portions of the old walls still stand, but you can walk along what remains, as though you were defending the place. They're a me[ter] and a half wide, made of ashlar blocks. On the vertical faces these blocks are still rough, but underfoot they have been worn smooth by the passage of many defenders and (subsequently) tourists. One of the [defaced ashlar block]s in the wall has even been defaced, some old inscription gouged out.[one of] I used to like to climb around up here when I was a kid. I made believe[--] oh, you'll think it's silly.[or][stopping] Down below in the distance are the docks and the sea, and immediately east of here is an old hexagonal [turret-view]." The defaced ashlar block is scenery in Old City Walls. Understand "blocks" or "ashlar" or "inscription" as block. The description is "To judge by its different shaping and col[our], the defaced block is something borrowed from an older building to make up the new wall: taken out of a church or a mosque or perhaps even a Roman fortification in some earlier era of the island. It was once inscribed with a message, but whatever it was, the foreign-language writing has been completely chiseled away so as to be illegible.". Rule for printing the name of the defaced ashlar block while looking: say "block". Instead of putting the restoration gel on the defaced ashlar block: say "The gel has no ability to restore that which was physically damaged; only letter-changes can be removed." Rule for listing exits when looking in Old City Walls: do nothing instead. Turret-view is a facade in Old City Walls. It is scenery. The printed name is "turret". Understand "old" or "hexagonal" or "tower" or "turret" as turret-view. The description is "The turret extends to the east. It's one of the best preserved pieces of the old wall." Section 2 - The Turret The Old Hexagonal Turret is east of Old City Walls. "Up here [you] stand on the remains of the old fortifications; this turret offers a view out over the docks, the fish market, and the harbor, which it was designed to protect." The depluralizing cannon is a container in the Old Hexagonal Turret. It is fixed in place. Understand "heavy" or "old" or "barrel" as the depluralizing cannon. The printed name is "deplural[izing] cannon". "A heavy old [depluralizing cannon] is aimed out to sea." The description is "Like a conventional cannon it has a mounting to allow the users to turn the gun and change its angle, to hit objects at various ranges. It is currently unloaded, of course; but time was when this vast weapon was employed to reduce entire fleets to a single ship, and a whole crew of marines to a single man. This tactic was found so effective that the harbor was never successfully taken." Sanity-check turning or pushing or pulling the depluralizing cannon: say "With considerable effort, we manage to point the cannon a little more [one of]towards the open sea[or]towards the docks[or]towards the cliffs opposite[cycling]. Not that that does any good." instead. The deep purple residue is part of the depluralizing cannon. The description is "Deplural[izing] shot is usually a very dark purple near to black, and some may have scraped off on the inside of the barrel." The scent-description is "smoke and leather". Instead of searching the depluralizing cannon: say "There's nothing to see inside the old barrel except perhaps the faintest traces of a [deep purple residue]." Sanity-check inserting something into the depluralizing cannon: say "No doubt it would be interesting to fire [the noun] out over the marina, but it's neither possible nor wise." instead. Sanity-check entering the depluralizing cannon: say "Col[our]ful as it would be to climb into the cannon and fire ourselves straight out to sea, this is not a viable option. I would have tried it before now if it were." instead. Instead of facing south in Old Hexagonal Turret: say "That way is mostly empty air, though if [you] look south and down over the edge, there is a vertiginous view down to the bottom of the monumental staircase. Tourists and natives are climbing up and down." The mounting is part of the depluralizing cannon. The description is "Everything is stiff and motionless now." Instead of turning or pushing or pulling the mounting: say "No matter what [you] do [you] won't be able to aim or fire the old cannon; which is just as well, since to do so would be a major felony under local penal code, and a war crime under international conventions." Understand "fire [cannon]" or "load [cannon]" or "aim [cannon]" or "use [cannon]" as a mistake ("[You] haven't got the shot for this thing, and for very good reason. There may not even be any still in existence, but if there is, the Bureau will keep it under lock and key."). Section 3 - The Walls Crumble Crumbling Wall Face is north of the Old City Walls. "The wall once continued north from here some distance before curving northwest around the remainder of the city. So much has crumbled away, though, that the walkway is impassable north of this point. To protect citizens, there is a [safety railing] across the [view of jagged wall]. A [metal ladder] of four rungs descends the inner face of the wall, allowing pedestrians access to the streets to the west." Sanity-check going north in Crumbling Wall Face: say "The wall pretty much falls away into slippery rubble at that point, which is why there's a safety railing in the way." instead. rule for listing exits while looking in Crumbling Wall Face: do nothing instead. Instead of facing southeast in Crumbling Wall Face: say "[You] would have to go south and then east to reach it, but that way is the top of the hexagonal turret." The fossil is a thing in Crumbling Wall Face. "Among the rubble fill of the wall is [if we have examined the fossil]a fossil[otherwise]an odd spiral-shaped rock[end if]." Understand "odd" or "spiral-shaped" or "spiral" or "shaped" or "rock" or "stone" as the fossil. The description is "[one of]The spiral rock turns out to be a fossil, from one of those sea creatures long ago.[or]It is perhaps an inch and a half long, the shape of a corkscrew seashell that once housed something small and soft. There are thousands of these things around; they're not exactly valuable, but an interesting curiosity all the same.[stopping]". Instead of examining the view of jagged wall when we have not examined the fossil: try examining the fossil. The view of jagged wall is a distant backdrop in Crumbling Wall Face. It screens north. The printed name is "broken edge". The description is "The masonry has broken away, revealing the rubble fill inside the wall and making a dangerously unstable surface of craggy rocks.". Understand "edge" or "broken" or "rubble" or "craggy" or "rocks" or "gravel" or "unstable" or "jagged" or "masonry" as the view of jagged wall. Understand "rock" as the view of jagged wall when the rock is not visible and the fossil is not visible. The safety railing is scenery in Crumbling Wall Face. The description is "Though it shows traces of surface rust, the safety railing is sturdy and close-fitted enough to prevent anyone, child or adult, from taking a tumble down the jagged masonry.". Understand "rail" as the safety railing. Instead of turning or pulling or pushing the safety railing: say "It proves gratifyingly resistant to your attempts." Instead of climbing the safety railing: say "It's here for our protection." The metal ladder is a down-staircase in Crumbling Wall Face. It is fixed in place. The description is "The rungs [if the noun is not the metal ladder]of the ladder [end if]have been bolted individually into the stone." Understand "rungs" or "rung" as the metal ladder. Instead of going down in Crumbling Wall Face, try going west. The Walltop is a region. The Old City Walls, the Crumbling Wall Face, and the Old Hexagonal Turret are in The Walltop. Instead of listening to a location in Walltop: say "The noises that reach us are the sounds of distant traffic, the occasional horn blast from the docks, and some cheery shouting from the direction of the fair." Test wallbug with "tutorial on / n" in Crumbling Wall Face. Chapter 2 - Residential District Section 1 - Hesychius Street Hesychius Street is west of Old City Walls. The description is "As the street names make obvious, this part of town was laid out in a different political age, when it was considered more important to commemorate linguistic richness than to standard[ize] practices[if Webster court is unvisited]. This is also the edge of the richest part of town, with houses [--] really, almost villas [--] that were built for households with servants. My parents['] place is just a block or two north of here[end if][if the farmer's stall is in Hesychius Street]. On holidays like today, this street is often host to a farmer's market; though it is now late enough in the day that most of the farmers have given up and gone home, taking with them their twenty-three varieties of pickled olives, their loganberry jam, and their pigs[']-feet-in-aspic[otherwise]. Even the single farmer from earlier is now gone[end if]." A fortified villa is a scenery facade in Hesychius Street. It fronts west. The description is "An especially solid and safe-looking villa with no entrance on this side. It was built, originally, by the head of the customs office, when that post was somewhat more dangerous than it is today. I admit I don't know who lives there now." The closure notice is "There are no doors in [the item described] from this angle. ". Rule for listing exits when looking in Hesychius Street: do nothing. A farmer's stall is scenery in Hesychius Street. The description is "It appears to belong to the farmer. It's made of wood and canvas and offers a little shade against the harsh sun. Previous customers have cleared most of it off[if the farmer carries something], but the farmer still has [a list of things carried by the farmer][end if]." Rule for printing the name of farmer's stall while looking: say "stall". The farmer is a man in the Hesychius Street. The description is "Contrary to your obvious expectations, he is dressed more or less like anyone else, and is neither wearing quaint overalls nor chewing a piece of hay." Rule for writing a paragraph about the farmer: say "One remaining [farmer] lazes here, watching his [farmer's stall]."; now every thing carried by the farmer is mentioned. An asparagus is carried by the farmer. It is a vegetable. The indefinite article of the asparagus is "some". The description of the asparagus is "It looks particularly tender and pleasant, but I avoid the stuff." A lime is carried by the farmer. It is a vegetable. The description of the lime is "A small, wrinkled, intense-looking fruit: it wouldn't give much juice, but is likely very strong." A yam is a kind of vegetable. A white-yam is carried by the farmer. It is a yam. The printed name of the white-yam is "yam". Understand "yam" as the white-yam. The description of the white-yam is "A yam with whitish skin. Some of the dirt of the farm still adheres to it." [Rule for deciding the concealed possessions of the farmer: if buying something from someone, no; yes.] A description-concealing rule: now every thing which is carried by the farmer is not marked for listing. Section 2 - Webster Court Webster Court is north of Hesychius Street and west of Crumbling Wall Face. "[if former direction is north]Hesychius Street opens here into a broad and plainly-paved court[otherwise if former direction is west]Here below the wall is a broad, plainly-paved court[otherwise]A broad and plainly-paved court[end if][unless statue of Noah Webster is as-yet-unknown], named for [the statue of Noah Webster][end if]." Instead of facing west in Webster Court: say "The old city wall cuts off any view towards the harbor and the far horizon. The taller houses permit a view over, however." Instead of facing northwest in Webster Court: say "Roget Close is west, but there's no passage or street running northwest." [Instead of facing northeast in Webster Court: say "[You] could go that way around behind my parents' house and enjoy their garden. They " ] Rule for distantly describing Webster Court: say "In that direction is Webster Court, as made unmistakable by the gleaming bronze pate of old Noah himself." A description-concealing rule: if the statue of Noah Webster is not as-yet-unknown: now the statue of Noah Webster is not marked for listing. [after its first introduction it becomes scenery, since it's not really interactive and we want to emphasize other things] The statue of Noah Webster is a fixed in place thing in Webster Court. "Lending its name to the location is a bronze statue of Noah Webster." Understand "bronze" as the statue. The description is "It's that hero of spelling reform, and personally responsible for the island going over to American[ize]d spellings over the British standard." The introduction is "My mother likes to irritate my father by quoting what his contemporaries called Webster: a 'viper', a 'maniacal pedant', and (always a fav[our]ite at Reform Day parties) 'a toad in the service of [i]sans-culottism[/i]'. She makes sure to pronounce that in the most Parisian accent possible." Rule for listing exits while looking in Webster Court: say "The streets continue south, east, and west; and just to the northeast is my parents['] side garden." Check waving the letter-remover at the statue of Noah Webster when the current setting of the letter-remover is "u": say "The device chokes on the concept, though my mother might say that this whole island is already the State of Noah Webster." instead. A description-concealing rule when the location is not Webster Court: now the statue of Noah Webster is not marked for listing. Instead of examining the statue of Noah Webster when the player is not in Webster Court: say "From this distance the statue is little more than a glare of sunlight." After deciding the scope of the player when Webster Court is adjacent to the location: place the statue of Noah Webster in scope. My parents' home is a facade in Webster Court. The printed name is "my parents['] home". Understand "house" or "building" or "pink" or "large building" as my parents' home. "The [one of]large building just to the north [--] yes, the one in pale pink [--][or]large, pale pink building north of us[stopping] is [my parents' home]." The introduction is "I think I mentioned that my parents were well off. My father works for the Bureau, embarrassingly, and my mother was born into the kind of money that we like to pretend doesn't exist on this island." The description is "It's stucco and tile, inspired by southern California ideas of gracious living. There are potted palm trees inside, and leather sofas, and French oil paintings for which expensive importation lic[ense]s had to be bought. My childhood bedroom faces northwest, away from the docks, towards the roofs of other villas and the open sea." The pink door is north of Webster Court and south of Foyer. The pink door is a door. The pink door is scenery. It is lockable and locked. Parental appearance is a scene. Parental appearance begins when the location is webster court and Patriotic chard-garden is visited and Private Beach is visited. When parental appearance begins: move fake-father to the location; say "The door to my parents['] house opens and my father comes out. He's talking over his shoulder: 'Sorry, dear, but [i]someone[/i] has to be on call.' My mother answers from inside, but we can't make out what she's saying. 'Surge on the grid,' Father replies. 'Could be an unauthor[ize]d synthes[ize]r, but more likely... yes, exactly. I'll try to be home before the fireworks.' He closes the door behind him."; if the player wears the monocle: try taking off the monocle; if the player encloses the backpack: if the backpack is closed: try opening the backpack; if the backpack is open: try inserting the monocle into the backpack; Report taking off the monocle in the presence of fake-father: say "Hastily I take off our monocle and palm it. Father shouldn't recogn[ize] us in our current body, but wearing expensive Bureau equipment in his presence would be a terrible idea." instead. fake-father is a man. fake-father is privately-named. The printed name of fake-father is "Father". Understand "father" as fake-father. The description of fake-father is "He looks put out. Serial Comma Day is supposed to be a day off, even for him." The initial appearance is "My father is just outside [my home]. He's clipping the cuffs of his trousers so that he won't snag them on anything during his ride in to work. His scooter is propped against the [statue of Noah Webster], ready for action." After writing a paragraph about fake-father: now the prior named noun is fake-father. Sanity-check doing something other than examining something during parental appearance: if the current action is the action of taking off the monocle: make no decision; if the current action is the action of opening the backpack: make no decision; if the current action is the action of inserting the monocle into the backpack: make no decision; say "We don't dare drawing father's attention. I'm going to have us stand over here as though checking on the health of the neighb[our][']s lawn, shall I?" instead. Parental appearance ends when turn-taken is true. Turn-taken is a truth state that varies. Before reading a command during parental appearance: now turn-taken is true. Rule for listing exits while looking during parental appearance: do nothing. Instead of waiting during parental appearance: say "We hold our breath." Sanity-check going somewhere during parental appearance: say "Hang on; I want to see where [fake-father] goes." instead. When parental appearance ends: remove fake-father from play; now turn-taken is false; say "[if the prior named noun is fake-father]He[otherwise]My father[end if] sees us from a distance and gives a neighb[our]ly wave. 'Happy Punctuating!' he shouts. I wave back rather weakly. He gets on his [if not looking]small red [end if]scooter, checks his helmet, and revs off to the south. Off, apparently, to investigate the synthes[ize]r that put us together. That will go slowly because of the holiday, but I'm guessing there will be Bureau investigators crawling all over the south side of old town in an hour or two." Instead of doing something to the pink door: say "Walking into my parents['] house is the action perhaps most likely to get us caught." Rule for printing the name of the pink door: if the player can see the pink door, say "door here"; otherwise say "door of my parents['] villa". [Because we need to stop you so that you can see the scene with Dad if you were otherwise just going to be passing through:] After going to Webster Court when Private Beach is visited and Patriotic Chard-Garden is visited and parental appearance has not happened : let N be the number of entries in the described motion of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far][paragraph break]"; clear path-walked for the player; increase path description count by 1; otherwise: try looking; now approach-destination is Winding Footpath. [Tricks the approaching verb into stopping here even if you're trying to reach someplace really far away.] [pause the game. ] Section 3 - Chard-Garden The Patriotic Chard-Garden is northeast of Webster Court. Understand "patriotic garden" or "chard garden" as the patriotic chard-garden. The description is "A narrow strip of land between the house and the edge of my parents['] property. The eastern edge runs right up to the [decaying old wall] of the city, which here means some stumpy masonry on this side and a dizzying drop on the other. The rest of their terraces and gardens are fenced off." The introduction is "Because it's so linguistically productive, chard is something of a national symbol; and during the world wars, there was a fad of gardening at home. After the war, it became common for affluent people with a little bit of land to keep their garden, so that if you were down on your luck you could glean a few leaves." The decaying old wall is scenery in Patriotic Chard-Garden. The description is "This part of it is not really picturesque: just old rocks, a few of which occasionally shift loose and fall away." Instead of climbing on the decaying old wall: say "It's not in the best of shape. It wouldn't be hard to become part of a minor rockfall and kill ourselves on the descent." A chard is in Patriotic Chard-Garden. It is a vegetable. "A little [chard] still grows in the nearest bed, carefully tended to thrive in this climate." The indefinite article of the chard is "some". Report taking the chard when the chard is not handled: say "We pick the chard, leaving bare soil behind. A flicker of curtains from inside the house suggests that someone saw us [--] a cleaner, possibly. But then there is a voice, not audible except as a confident rising and falling tone; this will be my mother, saying not to worry and not to interfere." instead. A soil is a fixed in place thing in the Patriotic Chard-Garden. The indefinite article is "some". "At our feet is a patch of [soil]." Understand "ground" or "earth" or "soil" as the soil. The description is "Bare dirt[if the chard is not in the location and the location is the Patriotic Chard-Garden], revealed when the chard was cleared away[otherwise], looking somewhat out of place here[end if]." The soil is diggable. Instead of taking the soil when the soil is in the location: say "It's more than [you] can carry around by the handful." [Every turn when the player carries the dirt: move the dirt to the location; say "The dirt is more than we can contain, and spills out onto the ground instead." ] Before doing something when the current action involves the soil and the chard is in the location: say "The soil is hard to see under the chard." instead. A description-concealing rule when the soil is marked for listing: if the chard is in the location, now the soil is not marked for listing. The house-wall is scenery in Patriotic Chard-Garden. Understand "house" or "flicker" or "curtains" or "curtain" or "window" or "windows" or "wall" as the house-wall. Section 4 - Roget Close Roget Close is west of Webster Court. "A pleasantly sheltered lane in which I learned to ride a bicycle, and where my friend Lucy used to live, before she and her parents moved off-island. Restrictions were looser even twenty years ago. Our old [schoolhouse] is just west of here." [Instead of looking in Roget Close when Private Beach is visited and lexicon-tick is 0: do nothing instead.] Instead of going west in Roget Close: say "School is out for the holiday. [run paragraph on]"; carry out the listing exits activity. The schoolhouse is a facade in Roget Close. It fronts west. It is scenery. Understand "school" or "elementary" or "building" or "big" or "arched" or "windows" or "faded" or "floorboards" or "yard" or "schoolyard" as the schoolhouse. The description is "[one of]It's where I went to school until I was twelve, as did most of the kids in this area. It's an old building with big arched windows and faded floorboards, and in the afternoon the schoolyard smells of spilled milk going sour in the sun. [or][stopping]From this direction there's not much to see but the screen of palm trees in front." Some handsome old houses are a backdrop. They are in Hesychius Street and Roget Close. They are scenery. They screen south. The description is "Many of them built in the mid- or late 19th century, the houses are designed for families with a number of servants. Some of the owners even continue to keep up establishments on that scale." Understand "villas" as the handsome old houses. Some palm trees are scenery in Roget Close. Understand "screen" or "palms" as the palm trees. The description is "They aren't the very tall and graceful kind, but a stumpier variety, forming a sort of vegetative colonnade in front of the school building[if the gum is in the location and the gum is not handled]. There's some [gum] stuck to the base of the nearest tree[end if]." Instead of climbing palm trees: say "Were you good at pole climbing exercises in gym? Because I wasn't." [Because it requires several levels of examination, it's likely that many players will miss the gum entirely -- which is fine, because there are several other, more prominent solutions to the spinner puzzle. The aim here is to provide a reward to people whose first instinct is deep rather than broad exploration when they're faced with a new puzzle. Once they *have* seen the gum, it becomes more prominently visible in the room description to hint that they could interact with it if they want.] The gum is in Roget Close. It is edible. The heft of the gum is 1. The indefinite article is "some". "Gum adheres to one of the palm trees, left no doubt by some departing school kid." The description is "The lump of blue-green gum has largely dried, but is still intensely unappetizing." The scent-description is "spearmint". Understand "lump" or "blue-green" as the gum. Sanity-check eating the gum: say "I'm afraid I've never cared for ABC gum." instead. Sanity-check tasting the gum: say "I'm afraid I've never cared for ABC gum." instead. A description-concealing rule when the gum is marked for listing: if the gum is not handled and the gum is not seen: now the gum is not marked for listing. Test gum with "tutorial off / look / x school / x palm / look / x gum / get gum / look / x palm trees / chew gum / eat gum / drop gum / look / get gum / put gum on spinner / get mug / x mug / wave g-remover at mug / n" in Roget Close. Rule for listing exits while looking in Roget Close: do nothing instead. After going from Roget Close to the Winding Footpath: let N be the number of entries in the described motion of the player; if N is greater than 0: say "[You] walk through the wealthy neighb[our]hood to Roget Close. "; clear path-walked for the player; increase path description count by 1; say "[if N is greater than 0]There [you][otherwise][You][end if] slip between the houses and down a path that looks as though it might lead to someone's back yard. No one has ever put up signage to correct this misapprehension because no one who lives around here is eager to encourage strangers on the private beach. Soon, however, the footpath begins to descend purposefully towards the level of the ocean[if the location is the final destination].[otherwise].[paragraph break][end if]"; continue the action; Section 5 - Winding Footpath The spinner-gate is north of Roget Close. It is a closed locked door. The printed name of the spinner-gate is "gate". Understand "gate" as the spinner-gate. "If you look just north between the houses, you'll notice also the footpath down to an almost-private beach. It used to be open, but it's now gated off, and built into the [spinner-gate] is a chic modern sculpture." The description of the spinner-gate is "A gate of wrought iron bars between two sturdy columns[if the spinner-gate is closed and the spinner-gate is locked], too close to climb through and too tall to climb over[else if the spinner-gate is closed], closed but not locked[else if the spinner-gate is open]; at the moment the gate has been pushed conveniently open[end if]. Built into the right-hand column, next to the gate latch, is a curious sculpture." Through spinner-gate is the Winding Footpath. South of Winding Footpath is Roget Close. Winding Footpath is an outdoors room. "The [underfoot-path] winds between the villas, sloping steeply downward. It is narrow, and [bushes] left and right conceal it even from the windows of the people living nearby." Understand "path" as Winding Footpath. Instead of going down in Winding Footpath: try going north. Instead of going up in Winding Footpath: try going south. Report facing in Winding Footpath: say "The steep sides of the path and the heavy growth of bushes make it hard to see far." instead. Rule for listing exits when looking in Winding Footpath: do nothing instead. Some bushes are scenery in Winding Footpath. The description is "Some variety I'm not familiar with: dark glossy green leaves, thick stems. In the right season, and I can't even remember what season that is, they also grow gaudy pink flowers. But not now[if kudzu is part of the bushes]. Lots of [kudzu] grows through and over the bushes [--] this is one of the few spots on the island where it hasn't been eradicated, it seems[end if]. [if the bushes are shrine-hiding]At one point along the path the bushes stick out especially far, as though there's something behind them.[otherwise]The bushes part a little to reveal the [shrine] [you] found.[end if]". Understand "dark" or "glossy" or "green" or "leaves" or "gaudy" or "pink" as the bushes. The kudzu is part of the bushes. The indefinite article is "some". Understand "invasive" or "vines" or "vine" as the kudzu. The description of the kudzu is "An invasive vine grown through and over the bushes." Test foilkudzubug with "cut kudzu with foil" holding the foil in the Winding Footpath. Carry out cutting the kudzu with something: remove the kudzu from play. Report cutting the kudzu with the jigsaw: say "The jigsaw is not an ideal tool for kudzu removal and [you] wind up making a bit of a mess with bits of bush, but we do enough damage to clear the stage a bit." instead. Report cutting the kudzu with the sword: say "A sword is not a machete, a fact that [you] have reason to ponder at some length. At least it's not a heavy broadsword. Our arm is not nearly strong enough to wield one of those. Even this blade gets tiring to wield surprisingly quickly. After a long time and a lot of bother, [you] manage to lop off the main kudzu bits." instead. The bushes can be shrine-hiding or shrine-revealing. The bushes are shrine-hiding. Setting action variables for searching or looking under the kudzu: change the noun to the bushes. Instead of searching or looking under the bushes: if the kudzu is part of the bushes: say "It's hard to get a good look under the bushes with all this kudzu in the way." instead; if the bushes are shrine-hiding: say "Hunting behind the bushes reveals something I vaguely remember seeing when I was a child, but not noticing again since: built into the wall is what looks like a very ancient sort of shrine."; now the bushes are shrine-revealing; otherwise: say "There's nothing more to find, really." Instead of waving the letter-remover at the shrine: say "It won't do any good, you see: this is an [if the player is wearing britishizing goggles]artefact[otherwise]artifact[end if] of another time and language, and it has never been neutral[ize]d by authorities, so it won't respond to English-language tools. Quite likely it's in a language so old that it can't be manipulated at all. I wonder why it hasn't been removed, or fixed; but I'd guess the reason is that very few people come this way." Instead of waving the letter-remover at something which is part of the shrine: try waving the letter-remover at the shrine. A description-concealing rule: if the bushes are shrine-hiding: now the shrine is not marked for listing. Instead of pushing or pulling or turning the shrine: say "The backing stone is built firmly into the wall." Sanity-check doing something when the bushes are shrine-hiding: if the noun is the shrine or the second noun is the shrine: say "Now that you mention it, I do vaguely recall something about a shrine in this area, but [you] can't make it out under the [bushes] right now." instead. [The nymph 'shrine' is nod to the island's Roman history. There's nothing in the game to reveal this, really, but the idea is that this stone is actually a panel from an imperial-era sarcophagus (nymphs were often featured on such panels, and sarcophagus carvers were of very varied levels of skill). Subsequent inhabitants moved it.] The shrine is a fixed in place container in the Winding Footpath. "Now that the bushes have been cleared a little, the ancient shrine is plainly visible[if something is in the shrine], and [a random thing in the shrine] [is-are] set up in the place of hon[our][end if]." Understand "ancient" or "wall" or "niche" or "stone" or "backing" as the shrine. The description of the shrine is "There's a niche dug into the stone of the wall, above a [low relief] of three ladies. It's not very good work to start with, and has been eroded by a lot of weather, and I wouldn't be surprised if this weren't its original location; it probably stood somewhere else and was brought here.". The carrying capacity of the shrine is 1. Sanity-check inserting something into the shrine: if the heft of the noun is greater than 2: say "[The noun] [is-are] too large to fit in the shrine niche." instead. Sanity-check putting something on the shrine: try inserting the noun into the shrine instead. [The shrine is an easter egg to begin with; but easter eggs are the most fun if they are toys as well. The shrine offers the opportunity for some expressive play, as the player can try inserting different items. Mostly it's up to the player to roll his own meanings for this, but there are special responses for a few of the most pointed donations.] Report inserting the as into the shrine: say "[You] set [the noun] in the shrine, as though to leave a small offering for whatever deities these were." instead. Report inserting the member into the shrine: say "[You] plant [the noun] in the shrine, where it looks pedantic and pin-headed. What is the point of its obsession about punctuation and spelling, in the broader scope of things?" instead. Report inserting the members into the shrine: say "The set of members just barely fits into the shrine. They look odd and plastic against the rough stone." instead. Report inserting the army into the shrine: say "The figures of the soldiers form a neat line in the shrine niche. It looks as though a child had come here to play." instead. Report inserting the cross into the shrine: say "[You] appropriate the ancient pagan shrine for a more Christian purpose, as many others must have done here when Atlantis was first converted in the fourth century." instead. Report inserting the Guidebook into the shrine: say "[You] set [the noun] down in the niche. A pointed gesture, that: this shrine is just one of the many things around the island that the [i]Guidebook[/i] does not, and cannot, acknowledge." instead. Report inserting a pi-object into the shrine: say "[You] set [the noun] in the niche, where it gleams in crisp and perfect contrast to the old and battered superstitious monument. Pure and eternal mathematics, exalted by the frail hand of man; or something like that." instead. Report inserting the roll of bills into the shrine: say "[You] set up a cult to cash and contemplate it for a minute. There's no one else around to appreciate the point, though, and we need the money, so it will have to be a temporary installation only." instead. Report inserting a sin into the shrine: say "[You] arrange [the noun] in the shrine niche, as some sort of ironic statement about what people worship these days." instead. Report inserting the dog into the shrine: say "[You] stick the dog into the shrine niche. The effect is a bit sinister." instead. Report inserting the god into the shrine: say "[You] stand the god up in the niche in a place of solemn hon[our]. It fits perfectly, as though shaped for just this use. For a moment, with the air still and hot, and no one visible in any direction, we might almost believe that the past two millennia have been nothing, and that the shrine is fresh and new. But Anglophone Atlantis prefers to forget what it was."; record "Jocasta Higgate award for reconstructing pagan worship on the island" as an achievement instead. Report inserting something into the shrine: say "[You] give [the noun] a place of solemn hon[our] above the relief of frolicking ladies." instead. The low relief is a part of the shrine. Understand "ladies" or "three" or "waves" or "surface" or "nymph" or "nymphs" or "bare" or "breasts" or "breast" or "garment" or "garments" or "carving" or "sculpture" or "sculpted" as the low relief. The description is "It looks like three ladies dancing on the surface of waves. They're probably meant to be nymphs, if I had to guess. They have bare breasts and fluttering garments, but the carving was done by someone who has not the slightest idea how to make limbs appear under sculpted cloth, so it all looks clunky, as though they don't have hips or legs at all, just randomly swirling skirts as their lower halves. All the same, there's something appealing about it." After going from the Winding Footpath to the Private Beach: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; otherwise if N is 1: clear path-walked for player; increase path description count by 1; say "[You] continue down until there is a chink of a view of the sea. Then the path descends through a few last hairpin twists among rocks, and comes out suddenly on a little beach[if N is greater than 1].[paragraph break][otherwise if N is 1].[otherwise].[end if]"; continue the action. Test pathbug with "wear monocle / x path" holding the monocle in Winding Footpath. underfoot-path is a privately-named improper-named scenery thing in Winding Footpath. The printed name is "footpath". Understand "path" or "footpath" or "pathway" as underfoot-path. The description is "There are traces of sand on the pathway, tracked up from the beach." Instead of climbing underfoot-path: try going south. Test shrine with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / wave z-remover at kudzu / look behind bushes / put god in shrine / look / get god / wave a-remover at pita / wave t-remover at pit / put pi in shrine / look / get pi / put bills in shrine / look / get bills / put as in shrine / look / get as / put cross in shrine / look / get cross / put army in shrine / look / get army / put members in shrine / look / get members / wave s-remover at members / put member in shrine / look / get member / wave g-remover at sign / put sin in shrine / look / get sin / put guidebook in shrine / look / get guidebook" holding the god and the pita and the roll of bills and the as and the cross and the army and the members and the yellow sign and the Guidebook in the Winding Footpath. Section 6 - The Beach Private Beach is north of Winding Footpath. "This is little more than a strip of fine yellow [sand], perhaps twenty me[ter]s from side to side, and five from the [hillside] to the waterline[if the sage is in the location and the sage is not handled]. A little [sage] grows on the hillside, escaped from some garden, along with wilder plants[end if]. Above, at the top of that slope, are houses with balconies overlooking the sea, but from this angle it's impossible to see much of them, or for them (you'll have to take my word on this) to see us[if high street is visited and roundabout is not visited]. It's tempting to look for crabs among the rocks, but the tide is high just now, and even at the best of times this is not an area rich in sealife[end if]." Understand "look for crabs" or "search for crabs" or "find crabs" or "catch crabs" as a mistake ("There aren't likely to be any, is the point.") when the player is in Private Beach. The hillside is a facade in Private Beach. It is scenery. It fronts west. "The [hillside] both east and west runs steeply down into the water [--] much too steep to allow for beaches or buildings. Here and there some bit of plant life has managed to cling onto the rock, but mostly it is bare and rough." Understand "hill" or "slope" or "plant life" or "plants" as the hillside. The closure notice is "That way is just bare hillside, much too steep to climb. ". Instead of facing east in Private Beach: try examining the hillside. The sage is in Private Beach. The indefinite article is "some". The scent-description is "pleasant herbs". The description of the sage is "Dark green leaves furred with silver prickles." The sage is a vegetable. A description-concealing rule: if the sage is not handled: now the sage is not marked for listing. The sandcastle is fixed in place in Private Beach. "A fragile [sandcastle] stands near the water's edge." The sandcastle can be built or unbuilt. The sandcastle is unbuilt. The description is "[if unbuilt]At the edge of the water the sand is disturbed just enough to suggest where a previous sandcastle might have been, but that is all.[otherwise]No more than a couple of cylindrical turrets and a protective wall.[end if]". Understand "turret" or "turrets" or "wall" or "cylindrical" or "protective wall" or "cylinder" or "cylinders" or "castle" or "sand castle" or "sand-castle" or "palace" or "fort" or "fortress" or "project" as the sandcastle. The scent-description is "salt and seaweed". Instead of touching the sandcastle: say "[one of]Delicately [you] trace a few more crenellations in the top of the castle wall.[or][You] smoothe down one of the turrets.[or][You] poke a little door into the base of one of the turrets.[or][You] draw in some windows with our pinky.[at random]". A description-concealing rule: if the sandcastle is unbuilt: now the sandcastle is not marked for listing. Understand "build [sandcastle]" or "rebuild [sandcastle]" or "make [sandcastle]" or "construct [sandcastle]" or "reconstruct [sandcastle]" as building. Instead of attacking the sandcastle: now the sandcastle is unbuilt; say "With a few vigorous swipes [you] demolish the construction." Instead of building the sandcastle more than once: say "It would be pleasant to make believe that we were young and had no other concerns but to sit on the beach and make castles. But we both know that's not the case." Building is an action applying to one thing. Check building: if the sandcastle is built: say "There isn't time to build an entire sand-city." instead. Carry out building: let N be a random number between 3 and 10; sandcastle washes away in N turns from now; now the sandcastle is built. Report building: say "It would be madness to spend long on such projects when [you] have so much else to be doing, but [you] do, for old times['] sake (mine, at least), construct a couple of hasty cylindrical turrets and a protective wall of sorts." At the time when sandcastle washes away: if the sandcastle is unbuilt and the player can see the sandcastle: say "The waves wash away all but the faintest traces of the sandcastle."; otherwise if the player can see the sandcastle: say "[if the noun is the sandcastle or the second noun is the sandcastle]But our efforts are in vain, because an[otherwise]An[end if] especially forward wave slides up the beach and demolishes [if the noun is the sandcastle or the second noun is the sandcastle]the whole construction[otherwise]our poor sandcastle[end if]."; now the sandcastle is unbuilt; Test sandcastle with "x castle / build castle / build sandcastle / look / smell castle / taste castle / touch castle / x castle / z". The sand is scenery in Private Beach. Understand "ground" as the sand. The description is "It's baking hot." The indefinite article is "some". The sand is diggable. Instead of taking the sand: say "Sure, [you] could wander off with a handful of sand, but [you] could hardly shift any significant portion of the beach. And then we'd be making a mess and dribbling sand grains everywhere." Test funnelbug with "tutorial off / hard / y / dig / dig sand" in the Beach. After digging in the sand when the funnel is buried: now the funnel is not buried; say "[You] brush away the sand covering a [funnel], left over from some child's building project." Report digging in the sand: say "Scooping away a few handfuls of sand reveals nothing extraordinary, just more sand." instead. Instead of touching the sand: say "[You] run our fingers through the fine sand, raking it into patterns." Instead of inserting the sand into the funnel: say "[You] scoop a little sand, but it only runs out again." Instead of inserting the sea-view into the funnel: say "The water fills the funnel and then runs out again in a decorative drizzle on the sand. A moment later even that is gone in the heat of the day." A funnel is a thing in the Private Beach. "[if the funnel is buried]Something green and plastic just barely pokes out of the sand[otherwise]Half-hidden in the sand, no doubt left over from some kid's sandcastle project, is a plastic funnel[end if]." The description is "A gaudy green plastic toy suitable for funneling water and shaping conical sand-turrets. [if handled]A few grains of sand still cling to it[otherwise]It's all sandy[end if]." The scent-description is "warm plastic". Understand "green" or "plastic" or "toy" or "gaudy" as the funnel. Instead of examining the buried funnel: say "All that's visible from here is the tip of something green." Carry out taking the funnel: now the funnel is not buried. The funnel can be buried or unburied. The funnel is buried. Sanity-check rubbing the sand when the funnel is buried: try digging in the sand instead. Sanity-check inserting the funnel into the fountain: try washing the funnel instead. Instead of washing the funnel in the presence of the fountain: say "We dip the funnel in the water and quickly shake it dry."; now the description of the funnel is "A gaudy green plastic toy suitable for funneling water and shaping conical sand-turrets." Instead of washing the funnel when the player can touch a sink (called target sink): now the description of the funnel is "A gaudy green plastic toy suitable for funneling water and shaping conical sand-turrets."; say "[You] run some water from [the target sink] over [the funnel], leaving it glistening and clean." instead. Instead of rubbing the funnel: if the funnel is buried: try digging in the sand instead; otherwise if the funnel is not handled: say "There's no point trying to clean it while it's lying in the sand." instead; otherwise: say "[You][']ve brushed away most of the adhering sand, but there are always going to be a few grains left." Instead of wearing the funnel: say "I try setting it on our head as a cap, but it slides off again." Instead of searching the funnel: say "It restricts our view comically, as though [you] were peering through a doll's periscope. But the utility is limited." Rule for listing exits when the location is Private Beach: say "This little bit of sand ends on either side in steep rockfalls; there's no way to work along the coast in either direction. The only way to go is back up the footpath to the south." Test funnel with "tutorial off / look / x funnel / dig in sand / look / x funnel / get funnel / clean funnel / look in funnel / wear funnel" in Private Beach. Test funnel1 with "drop funnel / take funnel / wash funnel / fill funnel with water / wave p-remover at apple / fill funnel with ale / put funnel in water / put funnel in fountain" holding the funnel and the apple in Park Center. Test funnel2 with "drop funnel / take funnel /wash funnel / put funnel in water / put funnel in sink" holding the funnel in My Apartment. Instead of going up when the location is Private Beach: try going south. The footpath entrance is a backdrop. It is in Roget Close and Private Beach. The description is "You can see just a few feet of the path, which quickly disappears among houses and bushy growth." Understand "path" as the footpath. Instead of climbing or entering the footpath entrance: if the location is Private Beach: try going south; otherwise: try going north. The Wealthy District is a region. Hesychius Street, Roget Close, Webster Court, Winding Footpath, the Private beach, Patriotic Chard-Garden, and the Foyer are in Wealthy District. Index map with Old City Walls mapped north of Monumental Staircase. Index map with Hesychius Street mapped west of Old City Walls. Index map with Webster Court mapped north of Hesychius Street. Index map with Roget Close mapped west of Webster Court. Index map with Foyer mapped north of Webster Court. Book 2 - Act II Among Smugglers Part 1 - Secrets and Concealments Chapter 1 - The Fish Area Section 1 - Deep Street [The mixed architecture of Deep Street is an echo of the dreamlike buildings I once saw in the French seaside town of Cerbère, on the Mediterranean just across the border from Spain.] Deep Street is a proper-named road. "This road descends steeply from [southwest] to [northwest], passing between [white concrete buildings] to provide access to the marina [--] the Fish Market, the Docks, and a bar or two. The street is in deep shadow, protected from sunlight from almost any angle by its narrowness and by the height of the walls." Instead of going southeast in Deep Street: say "The [Post Office] is of course shut down for the holiday." The Post Office is a facade in Deep Street. It fronts southeast. It is scenery. Understand "postoffice" as the Post Office. The description is "Postal service on the island is easy [--] no one lives very far from anyone else, after all [--] but very necessary considering the limited uses of internet and telephones. This building is the one in which mail from the outside world is processed before being sent on, and is consequently a bit grander than most." The convenience store is a facade in Deep Street. It fronts northeast. It is scenery. Understand "shop" or "grocery" as the convenience store. The description is "During normal business hours, it sells the usual assortment: sandwiches, cold drinks, bus tickets, recharge packets for letter tools, disposable cameras. Currently it is shut, however." The white concrete buildings are scenery in Deep Street. Instead of entering the white concrete buildings, say "They're all private apartments, run down but nevertheless expensive on the grounds of location alone." The description of the white concrete buildings is "Each has its [balcony] and its [laundry] flapping on clothes lines; but there the uniformity ends. Some are decorated in a curious fantasia of [painted Moorish patterns]; others a daring kind of art nouveau, all organic curves and windows that glance out under lowered concrete lids." The painted Moorish patterns are part of the white concrete buildings. The description is "Black, gold, rose and red, they mark out arches and stripe eaves." The balcony is part of the buildings. Understand "balconies" as the balcony. Instead of climbing the balcony, say "The lowest is still many feet above the sidewalk level." The description of the balcony is "Many are rounded, like boxes at the opera." The laundry is part of the balcony. The description is "Mostly bleached t-shirts and underpants and the odd sheet pinned to a line." Understand "clothes" or "lines" or "line" or "underpants" or "odd" or "sheet" or "t-shirts" or "bleached" as the laundry. [say "Then [you] turn south across a lane of traffic. One guy honks and another makes a gesture that doesn't actually apply to us in our current anatomy. There are protesters here, too [--] lots of them. As we move down the street, we can see police with riot gear starting to cut off side exits, containing the protest. A woman on the curb bangs on the hood of our car. 'You! You're guilty!' she says, pointing at us. I nearly have a heart attack, but she pulls back. 'We are [i]all[/i] guilty!' shouts the voice. 'If we really objected to what is done in our name, we would storm the Bureau[--]'"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]There's a bright light and a catastrophic bang and world goes eerily silent. The protesters are gone. The cars on the street are still moving, slowly. A policeman in blue is cuffing a single old woman in a Not Guilty shirt. Her eyes meet ours. They're wild with fury and fear and simple madness. And that, my friend, is why civil disobedience doesn't tend to work around here. We've just seen a depluralization."; remove protesters from play; wait for any key. ] Deep Street is northeast of Roundabout. A description-concealing rule: if Counterfeit Monkey is unvisited: now aquarium-exterior is not marked for listing. aquarium-exterior is a facade in Deep Street. It fronts east. The printed name is "Aquarium Bookstore". Understand "aquarium" or "shop" or "window" or "bookstore" or "store" as aquarium-exterior. "[The Aquarium] is to the east." The introduction is "It is an esoteric bookstore (and purveyor of other things), but one whose owner has helped you in the past[if the player knows lena-needed and aquarium is not visited]. That would be Lena, the woman that [you] need to talk to about Slango[end if]." The description is "[if Aquarium is visited]The outside manages to give an impression of poverty, gloom, and probable drug use; though, having seen the inside, I am going to guess that the real issues are sloth and kookiness[otherwise]I've never been inside the Aquarium: the outside never looked terribly savory. Perhaps that's the point[end if]." Rule for writing a topic sentence about aquarium-exterior when aquarium-exterior is not as-yet-unknown: say "[The Aquarium] is to the east. [if aquarium-closed-sign is visible]There's a closed sign in the window and a forbidding atmosphere[otherwise]It's dim inside, but occasional movements suggest that the proprietor, Slango's friend Lena, is inside[end if]. "; A ranking rule when aquarium-exterior is not as-yet-unknown and Aquarium is visited and a car (called target) is in the location: increase description-rank of the target by 20. Rule for writing a topic sentence about the car (called target car) when the location is Deep Street and Aquarium is visited and aquarium-exterior is not as-yet-unknown and aquarium-exterior is mentionable: say "Our pathetic little [target car] is parked right outside [the aquarium-exterior]. " Instead of searching aquarium-exterior: if the aquarium-closed-sign is visible: say "Now that the shade is down, it's impossible to see inside."; otherwise: say "The interior of the shop is so much dimmer than the outside that it's hard to get a good look inside, but from the occasional signs of movement, I think Slango's friend Lena is in there." Before going to the Aquarium when the Counterfeit Monkey is unvisited: say "I'm sure that would be interesting under other circumstances, but [you] have an appointment to keep." instead. Before approaching the Aquarium when the Counterfeit Monkey is unvisited: say "I'm sure that would be interesting under other circumstances, but [you] have an appointment to keep." instead. Before going to the Aquarium when player can see the aquarium-closed-sign: say "[rejection-from-aquarium]" instead. Before approaching the Aquarium when the aquarium-closed-sign: say "[rejection-from-aquarium]" instead. To say rejection-from-aquarium: say "[one of]Lena has rolled down the shades and put up the closed sign.[or]I try tapping on the door, but Lena calls from inside, 'Go away, we're closed!'[or]'I'm napping!' yells Lena from an upper room. 'Go away!'[or][You] knock again. No good.[stopping]" The aquarium-closed-sign is a privately-named thing. The printed name is "closed sign". Understand "closed" or "sign" or "shades" or "shade" or "red" or "placard" or "white lettering" or "lettering" as the aquarium-closed-sign. The description is "The shades have been rolled down over the Aquarium window, and a red placard with white lettering announces that the shop is closed." After going from the Aquarium when Slango is in the Counterfeit Monkey: say "'This would be a good time to stop for lunch and a little siesta,' says Lena, following us to the door. As we go out, she's rolling down the shades and putting up a closed sign."; move the single ream to the repository; move the odes-book to the repository; [The ream object actually does double-duty and will reappear when we need to fix the printer.] now the aquarium-closed-sign is part of the aquarium-exterior; continue the action. Section 2 - The Aquarium The Aquarium Bookstore is east of Deep Street. It is a privately-controlled room. It is indoors. The description is "The shop takes its name from the [collection of fish] mounted on every wall: swordfish, bass, other things I don't recogn[ize]. Underneath these dubious tokens, the walls are covered with bookshelves, and there are stacks of books on the floor where the shelves have proven insufficient." The aquarium-shelving is scenery in the aquarium. Understand "shelves" or "bookshelves" or "shelving" as the aquarium-shelving. The printed name is "shelving". The description is "They're completely crammed with books." The collection of fish is scenery in the Aquarium. Understand "swordfish" or "bass" as the collection of fish. The description is "None of the fish has been dusted in the last decade. The collection presents a slightly mournful air." Understand "browse [merchandise]" as searching. Test merch with "browse / browse merchandise / x merchandise / look at merchandise / g / g / g" in Aquarium bookstore. Instead of searching the aquarium-shelving: try searching the merchandise. A ranking rule for the merchandise: increase the description-rank of the merchandise by 50. The merchandise is fixed in place in the aquarium. "The merchandise consists mainly, but not exclusively, of books, and the selection caters to odd tastes." The introduction is "You once picked up in here a book about a man who R-removed a wrench, and then had his way with it. You and Brock had a good time with that one for the next month and a half." Understand "books" or "book" or "stack" or "stacks" or "grandfather clock" or "grandfather" or "his gray lover" or "seventy ways to disable an authentication scope" or "ways to disable" or "seventy" or "stack/stacks of books" as the merchandise. The description is "Our eyes scan over the merchandise and pick out [one of][a random thing which is part of the merchandise][or][a random number between 2 and 7 in words] copies of [a random thing which is part of the merchandise][at random][one of][or] inexplicably filed under '[one-genre]'[as decreasingly likely outcomes]." Instead of searching the merchandise, try examining the merchandise. [ The books at the shop exist to partially explain, justify, and lightly hint other aspects of the game world. I don't anticipate that all players will have sufficient interest to look at all of them, but someone who is bored or stuck or just a thorough explorer may do so. The Ba's Journey hints that the word "ba" is known in Atlantis, so the BALL > BA > BAT chain is possible. Quagmire Manifesto explains a bit of the background for the film reel easter egg. Indian Summer and The Queen's English hint at the almost sexual fascination some Atlanteans have with foreign words. Pat and Chris drops in a bit of Atlantean sexual politics that there otherwise isn't a great deal of space to explore, namely that people tend to be more open to gender reassignment because it can be done so cheaply and reversibly with Atlantean technology. While Alex personally is uncomfortable being manifested in a female body, the idea is not as culturally alien to him as it might be to many others. Dyslexic Coalition reflects some of the downside: learning disabilities that might be regarded purely as a misfortune in another culture are more strongly and unsympathetically stigmatized in Atlantis. ] Ba's Journey is a book. It is part of the merchandise. The description is "This is a bit of popular new age self-help from the early 80s, combining Atlantean mystical ideas about Egypt with modern popular psychology to create an allegory about the formation and development of the person over the course of a lifetime." Quagmire Manifesto is a book. It is part of the merchandise. The description is "Written by the implausibly-named Lucius Quagmire, the Manifesto suggests film-making, especially wordless or foreign-language film-making, as a route to undermining the Anglophone hegemony and 'restoring Atlantis to the community of the world.' It's full of stuff about 'disrupting the simple significance of words' by building up complex and multivalent metaphorical associations; connotation as more powerful than denotation; thought as triumphant over word." The Queen's English is a book. It is proper-named. It is part of the merchandise. The description is "It's a history of the subversive community on Atlantis who resisted adopting Webster's reforms and continued to promote traditional British spelling on the island even up to the beginning of the 20th century. A cursory examination shows that the book's previous owner went through with a highlighter and tinted pink all the British spelling examples." Pat-Chris is a book. It is part of the merchandise. The printed name is "Pat and Chris and the Homonym Paddle". Understand "Pat" or "Chris" or "and" or "the" or "homonym" or "paddle" as Pat-chris. The description is "A dog-eared old classic of Atlantean transgender literature, in which the protagonists try out the combinatorics of gender identities. Four decades on, it reads as pure camp, but it speaks (if clumsily) to an era where these things were still surprising." Dyslexic Coalition is a book. It is part of the merchandise. The description is "It's a handbook and guide for people struggling with dyslexia and their families and friends who may be affected." [The concept and text of Indian Summer are Graham's; he felt there needed to be a little more linguistic seediness about the dock areas.] Indian Summer is part of the merchandise. It is a book. The description is "It's one of those risqué novels full of loan words. Example: [i]Glowing, Jocasta peeled off her jodhpurs, donned pajamas, and strode out onto the verandah for a tiffin. The polo match at the gymkhana, now in full swing, overpowered her, and she mopped her brow with a calico bandanna. 'I am just perfectly doolally this afternoon,' she murmured, licking her lips as she admired the riders forming up for first chukka. She hardly minded the little bandicoot's chicanery, the jar of chutney upended all over the teapoy. It had gone in the kedgeree, it had gone in the mulligatawny. 'You little thug,' Jocasta whispered, 'now I'll have to shampoo my crimson pashmina,' but she fed him some candy, then fondly watched him crash through the banyan like a juggernaut, dodging an anaconda. There was a crack! as the Earl of Arbroathshire, a captain in the 51st Lancers, swung his mallet. 'Oh my swami, my guru,' sang Jocasta to herself, dreaming of her bungalow up-country where once he...[/i] Sorry, I have to stop. This is making me a little uncomfortable." Instead of taking something which is part of the merchandise: say "This is assuredly not the time for a little light shopping.". Instead of pushing or pulling or turning the merchandise: say "[You] nudge one of the nearest stacks until it is more neatly arranged against the shelf. Less likely to fall over that way." The contraband box is a container. The contraband box contains some modems and some preamps. The description of the contraband box is "It's just a cardboard box in which some items of interest have been stored." The introduction is "Lena apparently wants our help getting them into a less identifiable format." The description of the preamps is "They aren't in themselves restricted technology, but Atlantean government slaps a very high tariff on any kind of electronic device not manufactured on the island. This is especially annoying and needless in the case of audio equipment for which there is no local manufacturer." The description of the modems is "If Brock were here, he would know exactly what made these interesting and valuable. All you can guess is that they're not a form approved by the government." Section 3 - Lena Lena is an alert woman in the Aquarium. "[one of][Lena] is present, all right. In fact she watches us keenly the instant [you] come into the shop.[or][Lena] hovers, unwilling to let us look around ungoverned[if the contraband box is mentionable and the contraband box contains something]. At her feet is [a contraband box] containing [a list of things in the contraband box][end if].[stopping]". The introduction is "[Lena] is an associate of Slango's. You hadn't realized that had crossed over into a romance. Slango has never, ever in your recollection dated anyone. And now this." The description is "She has grey hair in a curly cloud around her head, and she wears a [long patchwork skirt] and [leather sandals]. But her eyes are keen." Lena wears a long patchwork skirt and some leather sandals. The description of the leather sandals is "The sort of sturdy comfortable sandals one can walk in for hours." The description of the long patchwork skirt is "It falls to Lena's ankles even though it has been rolled over several times at the waistband. The fabric is mostly scraps of silver and grey and dark blue, but there are here and there some odd sports in other col[our]s." Understand "fabric" or "scraps" or "silver" or "grey" or "blue" or "dark blue" or "waistband" or "waist" or "ankles" as the long patchwork skirt. Instead of putting the restoration gel on the odes-book in the presence of Lena: say "'Hey,' she says. 'I like that how it is.'" Instead of putting the restoration gel on the ream in the presence of Lena: say "'No, leave that,' she says. 'That's a good disguise.'" Carry out putting the restoration gel on something disguisable in the presence of Lena: casually queue back-to-start. Definition: a thing is disguisable: if it is the modems: yes; if it is the preamps: yes; if it is proffered by the modems: yes; if it is proffered by the preamps: yes; no. Instead of taking the contraband box: say "I don't think her plans for that included our stealing it." Instead of taking something disguisable: say "'You can't have [the noun],' Lena says. 'Just do whatever you think needs doing to... improve [it-them] a bit.'" Instead of putting the paste on something in the presence of Lena: say "[You] smear some of [the paste] onto [the second noun]. Nothing obvious happens, of course, but that is the whole point."; now the second noun is disguised; casually queue excellent-work. Section 4 - The Fish Market [Inspired by a similar area in Marseilles and a few images from Nice.] The Fish Market is northwest of Deep Street. The description is "Not very fishy at the moment, in fact: all the real trade happens in the early morning; then there is a period of tourist trade when the seafood sale tails off and most of the purchases are of polished conch shells and starfish; and then a little after noon the area clears out completely, leaving only briny rivulets on the concrete." Rule for listing exits when the location is Fish Market and the Authenticator is in the location: do nothing instead. After going to Fish Market when the authenticator is in Fish Market and the player is hurrying: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; now approach-destination is Samuel Johnson Hall; [make it seem like we haven't made progress, if approaching.] [try going east.] Definition: a thing is problematic: if it is illegal: yes; if it is proffered by an illegal thing: yes; no. Sanity-check dropping the plans in the Tin Hut: say "It doesn't feel safe leaving the plans here even for a short period." instead. Test tinhut with "n / e / drop plans / w / wave l-remover at plans / wave s-remover at plan" in Deep Street holding the plans. Before going to the Fish Market from the Tin Hut: if the Authenticator is not in Fish Market: continue the action; if the player encloses the plans and the plans are not in the closed backpack: say "I don't think [you] want to show off the plans around the Authenticator." instead; remove Authenticator from play; say "I don't think there's anything showing that should get us into trouble. Timidly I open the door; the Authenticator has her back to us. [You] slip out. She makes one more turn in place [--] monocled gaze sliding across us without stopping [--] and then she strides away to the north." The storage-exterior is in the Fish Market. The printed name is "tin building". Understand "tin" or "hut" or "building" or "rusting" or "corrugated" as storage-exterior. It fronts east. "Just east of here is a rusting corrugated tin building, which was built to house various possessions of the fishermen." The description is "It looks very much as though it would like to fall down, but it has not done so yet." Sanity-check doing something in the presence of the Authenticator: if looking: make no decision; otherwise if going east: make no decision; otherwise if approaching the tin hut: make no decision; otherwise: if the authenticator is police: if waiting: make no decision; say "The movement catches her attention. She stares at us for a long moment. I have a moment's hope she's going to look away again, but something we're wearing or carrying tips her off. A moment later and she's signalled a backup officer to detain us."; end the story saying "The subsequent attention is not enjoyable"; otherwise: now authenticator-warning is true; if going a direction: say "You assess the distance and work out that there's too much open space between us and cover if we head [noun]. The tin hut to the east is the only real option." instead; otherwise: say "This is too dangerous [--] [you][']ve got to get under cover before she sees us." instead. Authenticator-warning is a truth state that varies. Before reading a command when authenticator-warning is true: now authenticator is police. Before going east in the presence of the Authenticator: say "While the Authenticator's back is turned, we slip inside..." The concrete floor is scenery in the Fish Market. Some briny rivulets are part of the concrete floor. The description of the rivulets is "Run-off from the ice on which the fish were shown, this morning." Check waving the letter-remover at the briny rivulets when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "The letter-remover has a go, and for a moment the rivulets turn into a single, unified trickle. But the ground is so uneven that soon the liquid has diverged again into multiple rivulets. Some things can only be cleaned up the old-fashioned way, but fortunately this one isn't really our problem." instead The Authenticator is a woman in Fish Market. Understand "tall" or "stern" or "woman" or "uniform" or "black" or "caped" as the Authenticator. "A tall, stern woman is standing in the middle of the market. She wears the black caped uniform of an Authenticator, and a monocle just like mine. And I don't think I want her to see us." The description of the Authenticator is "She isn't looking our way yet, but she will be any minute now." Section 5 - Outdoor Cafe The Outdoor Cafe is south of the Fish Market and west of Deep Street. The printed name is "Outdoor Café". "From this slightly raised terrace, tourists have a view of the activity in the market and out over the docks[one of][or]. The street is [east], the Fish Market [north][stopping]." The rocky cliff-face is a scenery facade in Outdoor Cafe. It fronts south. Understand "cliff" or "rocks" or "face" as the rocky cliff-face. The description is "This little terrace area has been carved out of the hillside. Immediately to the south there is only rough rock wall for many feet up." The closure notice is "That way is bare cliff rock. ". The cafe building is a scenery facade in Outdoor Cafe. It fronts west. The printed name is "café building". Understand "café" as the cafe building. The description is "The source of drinks and small snacks when the café is in full operation. At the moment there isn't much sign of life from inside." The closure notice of the cafe building is "[if traffic circle is visited]The place is entirely closed now.[else]When we approach, a girl comes to the window and waves us off. 'We're just closing up. No new customers!'[end if]" Some round black metal tables are supporters in the outdoor cafe. "Several [round black metal tables] have been set out, with [umbrellas]." The description is "The wobbly, tipsy kind of table that jog at a touch and spill your coffee everywhere.". Understand "table" as the round black metal tables. Nexami Engeo is an alert man. Understand "Nex" as Nexami Engeo. The description is "A big man, both tall and stout. He hasn't reached overweight yet, but it looks like a matter of time. He's wearing [a list of things which are worn by Nexami]." The introduction is "He's a musician, the front man of engeo. Your gang helped him out with some customs issues because of his unusual name." He wears a rocker jacket and jeans. The description of the rocker jacket is "It's black leather. It might make the wearer look fierce if he didn't have such a round dimpled face." The description of the jeans is "Blue. Ordinary cut. I'm not really an expert in fashion." Rule for writing a paragraph about Nexami when Nexami is not as-yet-unknown: carry out the writing a topic sentence about activity with Nexami; carry out the giving surrounding details for activity with Nexami; now the rocker jacket is mentioned; now the jeans are mentioned; now held-break is true; say "[run paragraph on]"; Rule for writing a topic sentence about Nexami Engeo: say "[one of]Curiously, there's an acquaintance of yours here: [or][stopping][Nexami Engeo] is at one of the [round black tables]. [run paragraph on]" The wire chair is a chair in the outdoor cafe. It is scenery. On the wire chair is Nexami. A spill is on the round black tables. It is fluid scenery. The flexible appearance is "There's [a spill] [if the spill is in the location]on the ground[otherwise][in-on the holder of the spill][end if]." The description is "It looks like a quantity of red wine, just waiting to stain some vulnerable bit of clothing." Report Nexami saying hello to the player for the first time: now the spill is not scenery; say "Nexami nods to us. 'Watch out. That table next to you has something sticky spilled on it.' And indeed there is a spill. You were about to lean on it nonchalantly." instead. Nexami-encounter is a scene. Nexami-encounter begins when Nexami is the current interlocutor. Nexami-encounter ends in abandonment when Nexami is not the current interlocutor. Nexami-encounter ends in departure when the time since Nexami-encounter began is two minutes. When Nexami-encounter ends in departure: say "[if the prior named noun is Nexami]He[otherwise]Nexami[end if] stands up and mutters something. I have a little trouble with his Scottish accent [--] [you] don't get a lot of that around here, for obvious reasons [--] but you interpret it as him saying he'd better go pay up. He heads into the interior of the café."; reset the interlocutor; remove Nexami from play. Instead of touching or rubbing the spill: say "Better not to get it on ourselves." Instead of taking the spill: say "It's not the kind of thing [you] can just pick up and carry away." Rule for disclosing contents of the round black metal tables when the round black metal tables support the spill: say "Someone has left [a spill] on [if Nexami is not visible]one of the tables[otherwise]another[end if][if the round black metal tables support a mentionable thing], nearly touching [the list of mentionable things on the round black metal tables][end if].[run paragraph on]". [The introduction of Outdoor Cafe is "It is here that you and I first met: me drinking my coffee, you with an austere cup of herbal tea. I enjoyed that meeting, but somehow I am uncomfortable being here, as though [you] might be recognized as the couple from earlier. Ludicrous, I know. You're calm." ] Rule for listing exits when looking in Outdoor Cafe: do nothing instead. Instead of touching the round black metal tables: say "The table wobbles under our fingers." Some umbrellas are part of the round black metal tables. The description of the umbrellas is "They carry advertisements for brands of liqueur and beer." Understand "umbrella" as umbrellas. The umbrellas can be open or closed. The umbrellas are open. Instead of closing the umbrellas, say "They are meant as protection against the sunlight, and might [you] not draw notice from the waitstaff if [you] messed with them?" Instead of opening the umbrellas, say "They are already open." Check waving the letter-remover at the umbrellas when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "The waitstaff would certainly notice." instead [Before going to the Tin Hut when the Counterfeit Monkey is unvisited: say "I'm sure that would be interesting under other circumstances, but we have an appointment to keep." instead. Before approaching the Tin Hut when the Counterfeit Monkey is unvisited: say "I'm sure that would be interesting under other circumstances, but we have an appointment to keep." instead. ] Section 6 - Tin Hut The Tin Hut is east of the Fish Market. It is indoors. "Most of the light in here comes from [circular windows] punched into the tin walls just under the ceiling. From the inside, the building looks both larger and more sound than it appears from outside: there are plenty of sturdy [struts] supporting the roof and keeping the walls upright." The introduction is "Sometimes smugglers and forgers have been known to stash things in here, since the building is close to the docks but rarely attracts the interest of customs officials." Understand "hide [text]" as a mistake ("A natural impulse, but I don't think she's coming in here. And if she did, the last thing [you][']d want would be to be caught hiding. The key thing is to be in plain sight and obviously innocent.") when the location is the Tin Hut and the Authenticator is in the Fish Market. Rule for listing exits while looking in the tin hut: do nothing instead. Some tarpaulin-covered masses are an enterable supporter in Tin Hut. They are fixed in place. "Various [tarpaulin-covered masses] fill the room." The description is "From the shapes visible under the blue plastic, it appears that they are probably tables and stalls, buckets, signs, and other necessary features of the fish market when sales are in progress. There's a flattish area we could probably scramble onto." Understand "tarpaulin" or "tarp" or "tarps" or "tables" or "stalls" or "awnings" or "signs" or "buckets" or "table" or "stall" or "awning" or "bucket" or "flattish" or "area" as the masses. The masses allow seated, standing, and reclining. The posture of the masses is standing. Test massesbug with "x masses / stand on masses / climb on masses" in Tin Hut. Test areabug with "jump onto flattish area / scramble onto flattish area / go to flattish area" in the Tin Hut. Understand "jump onto/on/into/in [something]" as entering. Understand "scramble onto/on/into/in [something]" as climbing. Sanity-check approaching the masses: try entering the masses instead. Sanity-check climbing the masses: try entering the masses instead. Report entering the masses: say "[You] identify the sturdiest-looking part of the construction and clamber onto it." instead. Instead of taking the masses: say "It all looks fairly heavy, but not useful. Also, and I real[ize] this weighs more with me than with you, I think the people who own it might mind the loss." Instead of searching or looking under the masses: say "[one of]Lifting the edges of the nearest tarps confirms what [you] already suspected: they[or]They[stopping] are various tables, stalls, awnings, etc. belonging to the fish market." Some circular windows are scenery in Tin Hut. "The windows admit diffuse light only." Understand "sky" or "ellipse" or "window" or "ellipse of sky" as the circular windows. Every turn when the Authenticator is in the Fish Market and the location is Tin Hut: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say "[one of]Ominous sounds come through the windows, but we're at the wrong angle to see out[or]More racket comes in through the windows[stopping].". Instead of entering or climbing the circular windows, say "Even if they were low enough to reach, each one has a hand's-breath diameter. At best [you] might be able to see through them." The Authenticator has a number called patience. The patience of the Authenticator is 3. Instead of searching the circular windows: if the player is on the masses: decrement the patience of the Authenticator; if the patience of the Authenticator is 0: remove the Authenticator from play; say "[You] put an eye to one of the windows. "; if the Authenticator is in Fish Market: say "[one of]The Authenticator is still in sight. Two assistants are in the middle of arresting a man for selling germ-based gems, but she is ignoring this play and looking for something or someone else[or]The Authenticator is still out there, looking for something[or]The Authenticator is crossing the market in this direction, but she's not looking straight at us, at least[stopping]." instead; otherwise: say "The coast looks clear. No one from the Customs House is doing a sweep at the moment." instead; say "At this angle, there is nothing to see but an ellipse of sky." The struts are scenery in Tin Hut. Understand "strut" or "roof" or "wall" or "walls" or "tin" or "corrugated" as the struts. The description is "The struts form a dull but sturdy lattice of metal, supporting the corrugated metal roof and walls." Instead of attacking the struts: say "When struck, the metal booms hollowly, but nothing happens." The trap-door is a door. It is below the Tin Hut. "A [trap-door] is set in the floor[if something wedges the trap-door], propped by [a random thing which wedges the trap-door][end if]." The printed name is "trap door". Understand "trap" or "door" or "trapdoor" or "hinge" or "hinges" or "hinging" or "mechanism" as the trap-door. The description is "It is a wooden door set into the floor. The hinging mechanism is designed to keep the door closed if possible, perhaps as a safety feature so that people won't fall into an open hole." Rule for writing a paragraph about the trap-door when the location is the Crawlspace: say "[The trap-door], wedged open by [a random thing which wedges the trap-door], admits the only light."; say line break. Every turn when the trap-door is open and the trap-door is not wedged by something: now the trap-door is closed; say "The trap-door makes a creaking noise and slams shut again"; if the player is in the Crawlspace: say ". I DO NOT LIKE being in the dark in a confined space with potential rats. Sorry, I'm getting us out of here. You can come back later."; wait for any key; try going up; otherwise if Crawlspace is not visited: say ". They must prop it open when they use it."; otherwise: say "." Instead of going to the Crawlspace when the Crawlspace is visited and the trap-door is not wedged by something: say "Let's wait to explore down there until [you] can make sure the trap door won't slam on us." Before closing a door which is wedged by something (called the impediment): say "(first removing [the impediment])[command clarification break]"; try taking the impediment; if the noun is wedged by something: stop the action. Before taking something which wedges the trap-door when the player is in the crawlspace: say "I'd rather not be confined down here in the dark, if it's all the same to you." instead. Section 7 - The Crawlspace The Crawlspace is below the trap-door. "An awkward, low, concrete-lined crawlspace beneath the tin hut. It smells somewhat like animals; in spite of this it clearly gets a bit more use than anyone would like the customs officials to know about." The Crawlspace is indoors. After deciding the scope of the player when the player is in the Crawlspace: if the trap-door is wedged by something (called the impediment): place the impediment in scope. Report facing in Crawlspace: say "There is only darkness, but I assume the space extends only under the rest of the building. There's no obvious sign of any other interesting items being stored down here." instead. The crate is a container in the Crawlspace. "[if the location is the Crawlspace]The only significant thing down here is a [crate][otherwise]A [crate] is here, looking desperately out of place[end if]." The crate is openable and closed and fixed in place. The heft of the crate is 4. Test crate-bug with "drop crate / put tub in crate / wave c-remover at crate / autoupgrade / wave c-remover at crate / open tub / gel rate / put plans in crate / wave c-remover at crate / n" holding the tub and the crate and the plans. Report involuntarily-dropping the crate: say "[You] [are] forced to set the bulky crate down on the ground." instead. Instead of taking the crate: say "[The crate] is too substantial to shift easily." The watch is a wearable thing in the crate. The description of the watch is "An (apparently) valuable watch with diamonds set in the face." The band is a thing in the crate. The description is "A paper strip used to keep printed materials together before distribution." Understand "strip" or "paper strip" as the band. The leaflet is an illegal thing in the crate. The description is "It's a subversive tract attacking the state's line on punishing people with inanimate status. It quotes the official state justification (from the days when they bothered to justify it at all) as follows: [italic type]There are those who argue that it is just as inhumane to make a man inanimate as to kill him. And indeed it is a form of execution, in that the man is wiped out and some other thing replaces him. Execution, that is, in every detail but one: it is reversible. Many men have been executed in error, going innocent to the electric chair or the noose, and once dead they can never be retrieved. The personality of a man made inanimate, however, stays behind in the changed object, ready to be retrieved should new evidence come to light; and until that date he is harmless to society, and costs almost nothing to store (as compared to the costs of prison guardianship and maintenance).[roman type] It follows up by discussing the problems with this argument: the tendency of objects to 'fade' over time so that their original form is completely lost; the fact that an inanimate object can hardly direct its own appeal proceedings; the strong words against this kind of punishment in the Geneva Conventions." Rule for printing the name of the leaflet while listing contents of something: say "single discarded leaflet". Section 8 - Docks The Docks are north of the Fish Market. "Here are some dozens of [boats] tied up: some of them are small to medium-sized fishing craft, some tourist boats for trips around the island, some merely ferries to the deeper harbor where the cruise ships anchor." The boats are scenery in the Docks. Understand "craft" or "fishing craft" or "tourist" or "ferries" as the boats. The description is "I know nothing about boats. You, on the other hand, appear to have an unnerving awareness of which of these craft are here on legal business and which are engaged in some form of smuggling or refugee-assistance." [Why I had to call them boats as their primary name I don't know. It certainly requires a lot of specialized error-messaging...] Check waving the letter-remover at the boats when the current setting of the letter-remover is "b": say "Turning all the harb[our] water to cold oatmeal would be an exploit to rival the Boston Tea Party, but the letter-remover is not powerful enough to accomplish it." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at the boats when the current setting of the letter-remover is "o": say "It would be kind of amazing to turn the whole selection of boats into bats and watch them fly away. But there would be dozens of fatalities and massive amounts of property damage, so possibly it's just as well that the letter-remover is not powerful enough for the task." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at the boats when the current setting of the letter-remover is "a": say "Creating an army of tiny robots out of the boats would be inspiring for a very brief period until they sank into the waves and short-circuited. The letter-remover isn't strong enough anyway." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at the boats when the current setting of the letter-remover is "t": say "What a sight that would be: a whole cabaret-worth of feather boas floating on the waves. On the other hand, it would also be very dangerous to any people in the boats at the time. So probably just as well that the letter-remover lacks the power." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at the boats when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "Deplural[izing] all the boats would be a fascinating re-enactment of historical events, except that the boats are full of harmless tourists and the letter-remover doesn't have nearly the power required to achieve that goal." The customs-exterior is a facade in Docks. It fronts east. "To the east, up a moderate rise from the sea-level docks, is the imposing exterior of the Customs House. The classical look is only a little undermined by the public-service posters along the front." The introduction is "There passports are inspected and cargo passed under authentication, foreign items renamed or confiscated, and suspected smugglers interrogated." The description is "The building itself is not especially grand, but you have never been on the good side of the people who work there, and that gives you a perfectly justifiable dislike of the place, and the sense that it's larger than life." Understand "exterior" or "customs" or "house" as the customs-exterior. The printed name is "customs house". Some public-service posters are part of the customs-exterior. The description is "The nearest one shows a kitten drawn in a sinuous Parisian style. 'BOUGHT YOUR PET ABROAD?' demands the poster. 'Consider linguistic realignment therapy!' Smaller type goes on to explain that even if you have had your dangerous [i]chat[/i] converted to a harmless cat at the border, there is a risk that without proper treatment it will have a litter of foreign-language offspring." Understand "poster" or "public" or "service" as the posters. Rule for listing exits when looking in Docks: do nothing instead. The counterfeit-monkey-exterior is a facade in the Docks. Understand "counterfeit" or "monkey" as the counterfeit-monkey-exterior. The printed name is "pub". It fronts west. "Immediately west, [if Counterfeit Monkey is unvisited and the garish sign is part of the counterfeit-monkey-exterior]a [garish sign] advertises a pub called the Counterfeit Monkey[otherwise if the garish sign is part of the counterfeit-monkey-exterior]the Counterfeit Monkey's [garish sign] sways in the wind[otherwise]the Counterfeit Monkey looks atypically bare with its sign missing[end if]." Understand "pub" or "bar" as the counterfeit-monkey-exterior. The description is "The place looks [--] and is [--] wholly disreputable." The garish sign is part of counterfeit-monkey-exterior. It is a sign. The description is "In the picture, a villainous man threatens a cage full of tiny primates with a primitive Victorian letter-remover. In the background is an enormous bag of cash." The printed name of the garish sign is "sign". Check waving the letter-remover at garish sign when the current setting of the letter-remover is "k": say "We try to K-remove the monkey on the sign, but at this distance and in this wind, it's a difficult bit of targeting, and we fail." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at the counterfeit-monkey-exterior when the current setting of the letter-remover is "k": say "Turning the entire pub into a heap of fake bills would be spectacular, but would not really advance our cause." instead. Section 9 - Counterfeit Monkey [The concept of the Monkey came fairly early.] The Counterfeit Monkey is west of the Docks. It is proper-named and indoors. "[one of]It takes a minute for us to adjust to the light in here. [or]Infamously this pub was raided in 1929, the year that the Bureau developed its first meager attempt at an Authentication Scope, and dozens of smugglers and fraudulent businessmen went to jail. But neither that raid nor subsequent scrutiny has ever shut the place down entirely. [or][stopping]Built when people were a bit shorter and ceilings were a bit lower, the Counterfeit Monkey is always smoky and never well lit, even in the middle of the day." A description-concealing rule when Slango is in the Counterfeit Monkey: now the clientele is unmarked for listing; now the barman is unmarked for listing. A description-concealing rule when the Counterfeit Monkey is not visited: now the clientele is unmarked for listing; now the barman is unmarked for listing; now the origin paste is unmarked for listing. Rule for writing a topic sentence about the clientele: say "[The clientele] are currently engaged in a game of darts, while [the barman] watches and [if the player wears the britishizing goggles]practises[otherwise]practices[end if] a sarcastic wit on those who embarrass themselves[if the origin paste is on the bar-top]. There is also a quantity of [Origin Paste] sitting out on the bar[end if]. "; The dartboard is scenery in the Counterfeit Monkey. Understand "dart" or "darts" or "board" as the dartboard. The description is "Several guys are engaged in a lively game of darts. By their tattoos, you recogn[ize] them: they have a regular darts game in which smuggling drop-off coordinates are passed back and forth in the form of scores and the game's surrounding banter. The result is that the Bureau has been trying to tape their communications for months without ever turning up evidence of wrongdoing." Understand "playdarts" as a mistake ("We really don't want to attract the negative attention of those guys."). Instead of doing something other than examining with the dartboard: say "We really don't want to attract the negative attention of those guys." Check waving the letter-remover at the tattoos: say "Too hard to distinctly target the collective of tattoos when they're on various moving arms on various slightly drunk guys." Some tattoos are part of the clientele. The description of the tattoos is "[one of]One says I HEART MA[or]One is a detailed rendering of scenes from Brooklyn[or]One looks like an Elder Sign[at random]." The clientele is a person in Counterfeit Monkey. "[The clientele] is keeping [the barman] thoroughly busy." The description of the clientele is "A nasty-looking bunch. They can be good enough if you're on the right side of them, but getting and staying that way isn't easy. And they're justly suspicious: the customs house not infrequently tries to infiltrate the criminal organ[ization]s and brotherhoods, though with no great success." Understand "crowd" or "players" or "player" or "customers" or "customer" or "men" or "guys" or "people" or "man" or "guy" as the clientele. The barman is a man in Counterfeit Monkey. The description of the barman is "His name is Parker, and he is a friend of yours, when you're wearing your own skin. At the moment, though, it seems like a good idea not to trust these friendships by making our new disguise known." Understand "bartender" or "barkeep" or "Parker" as the barman. Instead of saying hello to the barman in the presence of Slango: say "Better not; the less people notice this little conversation, the better." Instead of saying hello to the clientele: say "They're... busy. At best interrupting them would interrupt their code, and at worst it would make them think [you] [are] a Bureau agent." [say "At the moment they aren't harassing us, but there's no reason to get their attention. After all, it took plenty of work to get their respect the first time out, and we don't have the time now to earn it again."] The bar-top is a supporter in Counterfeit Monkey. It is scenery. Understand "counter" or "bar" as the bar-top. The printed name of the bar-top is "bar". The description is "Kept scrupulously clean, whatever you might say about the rest of the place." To summon Slango: move Slango to the Counterfeit Monkey; now the barman is not alert. Slango is an alert man. "[Slango] sits at [a dark table], nursing [a root beer]." The description is "He's dressed plainly but neatly: clean jeans, crisp white button-up shirt. His face is calm and his voice is even and he could be any age between thirty and fifty. He looked that way when you met him eight years ago, too." The introduction is "Slango is, of course, not Slango's real name. He is half criminal, half ideological revolutionary: uncouth, restless, always hungry for a new exploit. Had he been born into a freer society, he might have become a very valuable engineer or consultant. He has been your mentor in crime and your usher into the world of adults." Slango wears clean jeans and a button-up shirt. The clean jeans and the button-up shirt are scenery. The description of the clean jeans is "He wears them as though they were uniform trousers." The description of the button-up shirt is "White and stainless." Slango carries a root beer. Report Slango saying hello to the player: complete "Meet your colleague Slango at Counterfeit Monkey"; say "[one of]Slango meets our eye for a long minute without smiling[or]Slango nods to us[stopping]." instead. Definition: a thing is slango-related: if it is enclosed by Slango: yes; no. Instead of looking at a slango-related thing through an authentication scope: say "[The second noun] pings happily as [you] sight [the noun] with the crosshairs. [one of]Slango looks irritated.[or]'Would you mind putting that away?' Slango asks.[or]Slango sticks out his jaw.[stopping]". The dark table is a supporter in the Counterfeit Monkey. The description is "[You] can't see it too well, which might be just as well." It is scenery. The Marina is a region. The Counterfeit Monkey, Outdoor Cafe, the Fish Market, Deep Street, Tin Hut, Aquarium Bookstore, and the Docks are in the Marina. Section 10 - Customs House [The player is never going to leave via the Customs House. But for a portion of the story, it seems likely that he's going to need to -- so we keep the location here as a bit of misdirection, while trying to make it clear that there's nothing *yet* available to do in this location. (Otherwise, the fact that nothing is implemented as a way to leave the island would be a clear signal about the twist endings to come.) The people entering and leaving are light local color, but they're not meant to be interesting enough to hold the player's attention long, as he does have other things he is supposed to be doing. At least, that's the theory. In practice, there's massively more complex output than there needs to be, mostly because making this stuff up is fun. In an earlier version of the game, the player *did* leave via the Customs House, after first solving a puzzle of manipulating the exit lines — the challenge was to distract multiple officers by creating fake humans and animals, so that everyone manning customs was kept busy dealing with these frauds while the player snuck into a back room to rescue Brock. But this puzzle proved fiddly to explain to the player and not actually very much fun, so we axed the entire sequence. At that point the game was also perhaps a half or two thirds its present length: not only was it missing the escapades in the Bureau basement, but it also lacked the traffic circle and the dead drop/map store sequence. ] The Customs House is east of the Docks. It is indoors. "This one building handles both people entering Atlantis by sea and those leaving, so there is an entry line (which feeds out into the city by the door we used) and an exit line (which snakes through from here to the point where boats and ferries board their passengers). There is a [long line] of people waiting to leave Atlantis, even on Serial Comma Day." The introduction is "No one is paying any attention to us [i]yet[/i], but I wouldn't advise spending much time here." Sanity-check entering the long line: say "We can only afford to try going through this line once, and it's going to have to be when we're really ready to leave. Which we're not." instead. The assorted side rooms are scenery in the Customs House. Understand "private" or "room" as the assorted side rooms. The description is "The side rooms provide auxiliary services: quarantine for linguistically unsuitable objects, kennels for animals that will need to undergo alignment therapy, holding cells for suspects." The long line is a scenery enterable container in the Customs House. The description is "The line is made up mostly of businessmen and scientists and the occasional professor with academic leave to go elsewhere, as well as departing tourists." Understand "entry" or "exit" or "professor" or "academic" or "academics" or "tourist" or "tourists" or "vacationer" or "vacationers" or "businessman" or "businesswoman" or "businesspeople" or "businessmen" or "businessperson" or "businesswomen" or "scientist" or "scientists" or "man" or "men" or "woman" or "women" as the long line. Some local-officials are scenery in the Customs House. Understand "officials" or "official" or "customs" as the local-officials. The printed name is "customs officials". The description is "The officials are at the far end of a very long line." An Atlantida propaganda poster is fixed in place in Customs House. Understand "old" or "war-time" or "wartime" or "war" or "war time" as the propaganda poster. The printed name is "old war-time poster". "An [Atlantida propaganda poster] on the wall shows Atlantida striding boldly forward." The description is "The poster is huge, almost as tall as [you] are, and covers most of a wall. Atlantida, dressed in blue, walks towards the viewer from a bold sunrise background. The legend reads THE SPIRIT OF OUR PEOPLE. It was part of a propaganda campaign to get the Atlanteans to think of Atlantis as inherently invulnerable, on the off-chance that the belief would create the reality. And we never were invaded, for whatever that's worth, though the Axis would certainly have found the island a useful base.". [I wanted to reinforce the idea of Atlantida several times in the mid to late game as establishing shots for the endgame. The idea of the propaganda poster specifically comes from the gazillion KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON posters one sees everywhere in the UK right now: a nod to the phlegmatic courage of the past.] The uninteresting posters are a scenery thing in the Customs House. The description is "The nearest one depicts a man having his foreign-language dictionaries confiscated." Every turn when the location is Customs House: if a random chance of 9 in 10 succeeds: say "[one of][mini-group] [multi-passersby] [heads for the Docks][entry-comment][or][mini-group] [multi-passersby] [quiet-chat][or][Random-passerby] [comes-in][optional-exit][or][Random-passerby] makes it through the entry line[*and*] heads into Atlantis[or][Random-passerby] [acts bored][or][line-advance][or][one of]A new lane opens up at the front, speeding up the line a little[or]One of the officials at the front goes on break, slowing down the line[cycling][or][Random-passerby] [one of]provokes[or]starts[or]begins[or]gets into[at random] [interaction-type] with a [random-official][private-room][or][Random-passerby] [punks-out][or][hubbub][or][random-once-event][as decreasingly likely outcomes].". [These events are too memorable to happen more than once; therefore we have them on a stopping cycle with the last event being a generic again.] To say random-once-event: say "[one of]A man arrives to deliver a parrot to the linguistic alignment rooms. '[i]Allo?[/i]' inquires the parrot. Embarrassed, the parrot's owner covers its cage with a blanket[*and*] meets no one's eye until the quarantine room is ready to accept them[or][Random-passerby] explains to a neighb[our] in line that [it-they] is visiting Atlantis for gender reassignment with a homonym paddle[or]There's a percussive noise from a side chamber as some abandoned luggage is exploded for safety[or]An Authenticator walks along the line, looking people over through a monocle[or][Random-passerby] takes several French-language articles out of a [luggage-item][*and*] tosses them into a reclamation bin[or][Random-passerby] waves cheerfully at a security camera[or][Random-passerby] tries a pick-up line on [its-their] neighb[our]. [Random-passerby] shuts this down hard[or][Random-passerby] [comes-in][stopping]". To say private-room: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[one of]. 'Come with me, please,' says the official, very bored[or][*and*] is led away into a private room[or]. The official does not seem impressed[or]. A moment later, the official escorts [it-them] into one of the side rooms. The door shuts firmly[at random]". To say hubbub: say "[one of]The noise increases[or]Raised voices come[or]There's a bit of a hubbub[or]Interested whispers pass back[or]Sounds of argument filter back[at random] from the [one of]front of the room[or]head of the line[or]bank of official desks[at random]. "; say "[one of]It appears someone left a [luggage-item] unsupervised, and it now has to be scanned. 'I hope they blow it up,' says someone[or][Random-passerby] is having [its-their] cell phone confiscated[or][Random-passerby] has foolishly asked to see a supervisor[or][Random-passerby] turns out to have a tattoo of a quotation in German all down [its-their] right leg[or][Random-passerby] was trying to bribe a [random-official] with a packet of [currency] notes, but was rebuffed[at random]"; To say comes-in: say "[one of]comes[or]walks[or]steps[or]strolls[or]saunters[or]stumbles[or]strides[or]wanders[at random]"; if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say " in"; otherwise: say " [one of]in[or]through[at random] [one of]the door[or]the east door[or]the door from the Docks[at random]"; To say optional-exit: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[*and*] [one of]gets in line[or]joins the exit line[or]stands in line[or]gets into the line to leave the country[at random]" To say *and*: say "[one of]. [It-they][or] and[or], then[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". To say punks-out: say "[one of]looks at the exit line[*and*] suddenly gets cold feet[*and*] leaves[or]climbs under the line divider[*and*] gets out of the exit line[or]abruptly starts moving back out of the exit line[or]gets out of line[*and*] heads for the restroom[at random]". To say interaction-type: say "[one of]a disagreement[or]an involved conversation[or]a tiff[or]a heated altercation[or]an exchange of words[or]an innuendo-rich conversation[or]a flirtation[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". To say line-advance: say "[one of]The line shuffles [minutely] forward[or]The line advances[or]The line advances [minutely][or]The line moves forward [a random number between 2 and 4 in words] steps[or]Everyone in line takes [a random number between 2 and 4 in words] steps ahead[or][Random-passerby] shoves a [luggage-item] ahead in line with [its-their] foot[or][Random-passerby] emerges from an oblivious fog long enough to notice that a substantial gap has opened up in the line[*and*] hurries to close it[or][Random-passerby] nudges the next person to point out that the line is moving ahead, and there's no reason to stand still gawking at posters, thanks very much[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". To say minutely: say "[one of]a little[or]minutely[or]a few paces[or]slightly[or]very gradually[at random]" To say heads for the Docks: say "[one of]entering Atlantis brush past us and head out to the Docks[or]emerge from the line[or]come through the entry line and head for the east exit[or]go to the east exit[or]pass us heading for the Docks[at random]". To say acts bored: say "[one of][looks-bored][or][consults-watch][or][luggage-item-activities][or][hums][or]taps [its-their] foot[or]beats a tattoo on the line divider[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; if a random chance of 1 in 5 succeeds: say "[*and*] [acts bored]" To say luggage-item-activities: if a random chance of 1 in 5 succeeds: say "[one of]idly[or]absent-mindedly[at random] "; if a random chance of 4 in 5 succeeds: say "[one of]kicks[or]tries to peel a claim-check sticker off[or]fishes around inside[or]rearranges the contents of[or]shifts the weight of[at random] a [luggage-item]"; otherwise: say "[one of]unzips[or]opens[at random] a [luggage-item] and feels around inside". To say looks-bored: say "[one of]looks bored[or]yawns[or]stifles a yawn[or]stares slackly into the middle distance[or]assumes an expression of the most severe ennui[as decreasingly likely outcomes]" To say consults-watch: say "[one of]looks at[or]looks pointedly at[or]consults[at random] "; say "[one of][its-their] wristwatch[or]a cheap wristwatch[or]the time[or]a watch[at random]". To say hums: say "hums "; say "[one of][music-type][or][music-adverb][or][music-adverb] [music-type][or][music-type] [music-adverb][at random]". To say music-type: say "[one of]a traditional folk song[or]the ballad of squid-farmers[or]the tune of a public service advertisement[or]an advert for the washing power of a washing powder[or]a pop tune[at random]"; To say music-adverb: say "[one of]tunelessly[or]nasally[or]pleasantly[or]through the nose[or]off-key[or]with perfect pitch[or]at a lugubrious tempo[or]loudly[at random]"; To say entry-comment: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say ". '[one of]New record: [a random number between 40 and 90 in words] minutes[or]That certainly took long enough[or]Now, how about [if current daytime is early afternoon]lunch[otherwise]snacks[end if]? I'm starving[or]Now, which way is the Fleur d'Or? Let's drop our luggage[or]Ah, the Atlantean heat wave as soon as you open the door[or]After all that I wish I [i]were[/i] smuggling something[or]I was starting to think we weren't going to get out of there in time for the evening fireworks[or]Funny place for a destination wedding[or]Is this the place where you can swim with sharks or is that Mauritius? I can't remember[or]For the price of entry visas around here, they could lay on a few more staff[or]Just think: it's [time-elsewhere][at random],' one of them says". To say mini-group: say "[one of]A small group of[or]A few[or]A couple of[or]Some[or]Several[or]Two[or]Three[or]A trio of[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". To say quiet-chat: [This is like rolling a pair of dice to produce a stronger probability of middle-range outcomes than others: 1: 1 + 0 2: 1 + 1, 2 + 0 3: 1 + 2, 2 + 1, 3 + 0 4: 2 + 2, 3 + 1 5: 3 + 2] let X be a random number between 1 and 3; let Y be a random number between 0 and 2; let N be X + Y; if N is: -- 1: say "[one of]murmur together[or]are speaking in low voices[or]are talking just about a whisper[or]are talking in a conspiratorial whisper[at random]"; -- 2: say "[one of]are chatting quietly[or]chat quietly in line[at random]"; -- 3: say "[one of]are talking[or]are chatting[or]are having a placid conversation[or]are standing in line talking[at random]"; -- 4: say "[one of]talk loudly in line[or]are having an excited conversation[at random]"; -- 5: say "are [one of]arguing[or]disputing[or]disagreeing[at random]"; if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say " [one of]fiercely[or]hotly[or]loudly[or]in elevated voices[or]heatedly[at random]"; if N is greater than 3 or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say " about [one of]the movie selections to be found on cruise ships[or]the [currency]-[currency] exchange rate[or]transportation security[or]whether this year's mosquito population is larger and more voracious than last year's[or]the relative culinary merits of squid and octopus[or]which is the best restaurant on the island[or]whether it's worth it buying a first-class ferry ticket to Portugal[or]whether it's fair for the French government to subsid[ize] linguistic tool research[or]whether they're likely to need long trousers in [random-spot][at random]"; if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say ". [paragraph break]'[one of]You're mad[or]I wouldn't bring that up around here[or]Hush[or]That's a more political remark than you real[ize][or]I agree completely, but you should keep it down[at random],' says the nearest one abruptly"; if N is less than 4 and a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say ". One of them [acts bored]"; To say currency: say "[one of]euro[or]pound[or]yen[or]US dollar[or]Canadian dollar[or]Australian dollar[or]krone[or]peso[or]won[or]rupee[or]ringgit[at random]" To say Random-passerby: say "[one of]A tourist[fm][or]A scientist[fm][or]A businessman[m][or]A scientific-looking individual[fm][or]A businesswoman[f][or][A person-adjective] man[m][or][A person-adjective] woman[f][or]A man[m][or]A woman[f][at random]"; if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[one of] with[or] carrying[or] dragging[at random] a [luggage-item]"; otherwise if a random chance of 6 in 7 succeeds: say "[one of] carrying[or] with[or] holding[at random] [odd-prop]"; otherwise: say "[one of] in a wheelchair[or] in [earth-color] trousers[or] wearing a [primary-color] and [secondary-color] hat[at random]". To say odd-prop: say "[one of]a package of dried squid treats[or]a jar of pickled [random vegetable][or][metallic-color] sunglasses[or]a coat suitable for a more northerly climate[or]a small dog on a leash[or]a cane[or]two liters of premium vodka in a duty-free bag[or]a [color-pick] umbrella[or]a huge bouquet of [flowers][at random]". To say flowers: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[one of][pastel-color][or][primary-color][or][secondary-color][as decreasingly likely outcomes] "; say "[one of]tulips[or]roses[or]lilies[or]daisies[at random]" To say primary-modifier: say "[one of]vivid[or]bright[or]vibrant[or]faded[as decreasingly likely outcomes]" To say secondary-modifier: say "[one of]neon[or]sickly[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". To say pastel-modifier: say "[one of]pale[or]light[or]iridescent[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". To say primary-color: say "[one of]red[or]crimson[or]blue[or]cerulean[or]yellow[or]canary[at random]". To say secondary-color: say "[one of]teal[or]violet[or]chartreuse[or]purple[or]magenta[or]lime-green[or]green[or]cyan[or]orange[or]tangerine-col[our]ed[at random]". To say pastel-color: say "[one of]lavender[or]pink[or]sky blue[or]mint green[or]peach[or]daffodil-yellow[or]salmon[or]mauve[at random]". To say earth-color: say "[one of]beige[or]olive-drab[or]khaki[or]tan[or]dun[or]sienna[or]chocolate[or]brown[or]camel-col[our]ed[at random]". To say tone-color: say "[one of]white[or]ivory[or]cream[or]black[or]grey[at random]". To say dark-color: say "[one of]black[or]navy[or]dark brown[or]maroon[or]wine-col[our]ed[or]midnight blue[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". To say metallic-color: say "[one of]silver[or]gold[or]gunmetal[or]pewter[or]platinum[at random]" To say patterned: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say "[one of][pastel-color][or][earth-color][or][tone-color] and [tone-color][or][secondary-color] and [secondary-color][at random] "; say "[one of]pin-striped[or]herringbone[or]checked[or]tweed[or]plaid[or]paisley[or]floral-patterned[or]camouflage-patterned[or]leopard-spotted[or]tiger-striped[or]tortoiseshell[or]zebra-striped[or]polka-dot[at random]". To say color-pick: say "[one of][tone-color][or][pastel-color][or][primary-color][or][secondary-color][or][earth-color][or][dark-color][or][patterned][or][metallic-color][at random]". To say A person-adjective: let N be indexed text; let N be "[person-adjective]"; let P be character number 1 in N; if P is "a" or P is "e" or P is "i" or P is "o" or P is "u" or P is "A" or P is "E" or P is "I" or P is "O" or P is "U": say "An [N]"; otherwise: say "A [N]"; To say person-adjective: say "[one of]tall[or]fit[or][nationality][or]slim[or]muscular[or]tanned[or]short[or]freckled[or]young[or]older[or]elderly[or]thin[or]pudgy[or]gaunt[or]well-dressed[or]thin-lipped[or]short-sighted[or]squinty-eyed[or]stooped[or]cross-looking[or]pug-nosed[or]frizzy-haired[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". To say nationality: say "[one of]South African[or]English[or]Irish[or]Australian[or]American[or]New Zealand[or]Canadian[or]Scottish[at random]". To say random-official: say "[one of]official[or]customs official[at random]" To say f: now the prior named noun is a random woman which is not plural-named. To say m: now the prior named noun is a random man which is not plural-named. To say fm: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say f; otherwise: say m. To say multi-passersby: if a random chance of 1 in 7 succeeds: say "[person-adjective] "; say "[one of]tourists[or]vacationers[or]businessmen[m][or]businesspeople[or]businesswomen[f][or]academics[or]scientists[at random]". To say luggage-item: if a random chance of 1 in 4 succeeds: say "[one of][dark-color][or]newish[or]scuffed[or]soft-sided[or]hard-sided[or]small[or]large[or]massive[or]outsized[or]bulging[or]broken[or]shabby[or]plastic-wrapped[or]travel-worn[or]leather-trimmed[or][tone-color][or][earth-color][or][secondary-color][or][patterned][as decreasingly likely outcomes] "; say "[one of]wheelie suitcase[or]laptop bag[or]carry-on bag[or]suitcase[or]messenger bag[or]camera bag[or]guitar case[or]trunk[or]cosmetic case[or]golf bag[as decreasingly likely outcomes]" Sanity-check going nowhere when the location is Customs House: try entering the long line instead. Test Customs with "tutorial off / look / x side rooms / x line / x tourists / x scientists / x officials / x private room / z / z / z / z / z / z" in Customs House. [This is a bit of game archaeology: very early on, when the terms of the Atlantidan world weren't very well established, I'd written the "Confiscated Articles Room" as a bit of fantasia. Later it became obvious that I couldn't seriously make a full game in which articles mattered at all. So I commented it out, but didn't ever actually erase it from the code. The description of the Confiscated Articles Depository is "A room brightly but unsympathetically lit, whose walls are lined with shelves; and on the shelves are dozens and dozens of confiscated articles, both definite and indefinite." Some shelves are scenery in the Depository. The description of the shelves is "Ordinary metal shelves, painted beige." The dead articles are on the shelves. Understand "confiscated" and "definite" and "indefinite" as the articles. The articles are scenery. "Plucked from their nouns, they are limp and pale. The ones in front are a typical mix of 'le' and 'il' and 'gli', 'der' and 'die' and 'la' and 'des'. Towards the back they get more interesting, though little more than husks now [--] I'm sure I see a 'τῶν' wedged back there, and in a contraband alphabet at that." Instead of doing something other than examining with the articles: say "There is bound to be an alarm." ] Part 2 - Direct Disobedience Section 1 - Traffic Circle ["The population has often been atomized (turned into a mass of isolated individuals) unable to work together to achieve freedom, to confide in each other, or even do much of anything at their own initiative." -- From Dictatorship to Democracy, Gene Sharp.] [This scene wraps up Act 2, which has been about themes of concealment and performance, forcing the player to act on a large stage. Designwise, it attempts to -- reinforce the teaching about how to use the origin paste, which the player will need again to create the pass -- establish the restoration-gel rifle and ways of using it well in advance of the endgame; at least hint at the idea of shooting an opponent's gun as well as the opponent himself -- provide a small, focused set scene as a pacing contrast to the more sprawling, broad passages that come before and (especially) after Expositionally, it has to -- establish the symbolism of Atlantida, the propaganda war by which both sides try to lay claim to her, and the special significance of the squid -- show Alex beginning to move away from his cowardice and embrace the abilities that Andra gives him (though in this case that can be a serious misjudgment) -- drive home ideas about localized linguistic effectiveness mentioned briefly in the Lena scene Dramatically, it tries to -- bookend Act 2, counterbalance the hiding scene with the Authenticator that begins the act, and thus point out the change in Alexandra's courage and attitude. -- create the first complicity questions about Andra's relationship to Alex: does she want to do the same things he does? Alex's appetite for violence in this scene is stronger than Andra's, though in other places he claims to be a nonviolent person; this is the expression of the rage of an oppressed person finally coming to the top -- establish that the Bureau is a genuine and serious threat, as this is the first time we see them do something seriously awful ] After going to Roundabout when the protesters are not off-stage and the player is not in Traffic Circle and seeking Slango has ended: if the player is hurrying: say "[path-walked so far][paragraph break][line break]"; clear path-walked for player; increase path description count by 1; say "The whole Roundabout has ground to a halt, with protesters walking in the street and in some places completely filling the road. But this is mostly a nuisance until I notice that there are a couple of teenagers handcuffed to a tree. I give the wheel a yank and run the car up onto the central traffic circle a little way. Call it a parking job. We need to get those kids out of here before their arrest is processed and they go to storage. I might not have the nerve to do anything by myself, but you're with me, and I'm starting to appreciate that's like being Batman."; if the player is in a car (called target): move the target to Traffic Circle; follow the compass-drawing rule instead; otherwise: move the player to Traffic Circle; follow the compass-drawing rule instead. Sanity-check doing something when the location is Traffic Circle and the player is in a car: if the noun is a thing and the noun is not enclosed by the car and the noun is not the car: say "We don't have a good angle on the action from inside the car." instead; if the second noun is a thing and the second noun is not enclosed by the car and the second noun is not the car: say "We don't have a good angle on the action from inside the car." instead; Sanity-check exiting when the player is in an undisguised car and the location is Traffic Circle: say "I can see an officer making his way between the cars and stopping at the fake ones. Maybe we'd better conceal our car before we leave it [--] we may need to make a quick getaway later." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at the Traffic Circle when the current setting of the letter-remover is "l": say "Perhaps a Traffic Circe would be able to turn cars into pigs, but the letter-remover has neither the imagination nor the power to bring this entity to life." instead. Traffic Circle is inside from the Roundabout. It is a privately-controlled outdoors road. Procedural rule while dropping the restoration-gel rifle when the location is Traffic Circle: ignore the no-dropping rule. Rule for describing the interior of the car when the location is Traffic Circle: say "Normally no pedestrian ever comes to this circle of grass and litter: the flow of traffic is too constant and too fast. But the protest has stopped the traffic and I'm determined to do something about the two teenagers I saw just now, so here we are. Though we probably have to get out of the car if we're going to be useful."; rule succeeds. Instead of going to Traffic Circle: if the player is in the car: say "Parking on or next to the Traffic Circle is a terrible idea when the traffic is moving at all."; otherwise: say "We'd get killed crossing traffic if we tried to cross there."; [Sanity-check going nowhere in Traffic Circle: if the noun is up or the noun is down: make no decision; otherwise: try going out instead.] A description-concealing rule when the player is in a car (called target car) and the location is Traffic Circle: now everything which is not enclosed by the target car is not marked for listing. A ranking rule for the giant Atlantida statue: increase the description-rank of the giant Atlantida statue by 50. The giant Atlantida statue is a distant fixed in place enterable supporter in Traffic Circle. "A [giant Atlantida statue] stands at the cen[ter][if something unsuitable is on the giant Atlantida statue], decorated in an unorthodox fashion with [a list of unsuitable things on the giant Atlantida statue][end if][if the signet is on the giant Atlantida statue]. [A signet], outsized, representing the seal of the Bureau, hangs around her neck in classic albatross fashion[end if][if the restoration-gel rifle is in the location]. [The restoration-gel rifle] is propped against the base of the statue[end if]." The introduction is "Atlantida is to us a bit as Uncle Sam might be to you, except that she embodies the spirit of the people rather than the government. In recent years she's become a symbol of opposition to the Bureau." The huge-metal-arm is part of the giant Atlantida statue. It is a distant fixed in place enterable supporter. The printed name is "huge metal arm". Understand "huge" or "enormous" or "metal" or "arm" as the huge-metal-arm. The description of the huge-metal-arm is "It is bare and muscular, as though Atlantida is envisioned championing her people through a series of arm-wrestling matches." Rule for writing a topic sentence about someone (called the target) who is on the huge-metal-arm: say "[The target] has climbed partway out along Atlantida's [huge-metal-arm]." The olive branch is on the huge-metal-arm. The description is "A metal olive branch, complete with metal leaves and metal olives." Understand "leaves" or "metal" or "olives" as the olive branch. A description-concealing rule when the location is Traffic Circle: now the olive branch is not marked for listing; now every car is not marked for listing; To decide what object is home for (item - the olive branch): decide on huge-metal-arm. To decide what object is home for (item - the live branch): decide on huge-metal-arm. After waving the letter-remover at the olive branch creating the live branch: now the live branch is part of the huge-metal-arm; say "[one of]It takes a little more care with aim than usual, but we do manage to strike the olive branch, turning it into a live branch. It goes green and healthy at once[or]Confidently we reconvert the olive branch[stopping]. [irritation reaction]."; Irritation count is a number that varies. Last irritation is a time that varies. To say irritation reaction: if the irritation count is: -- 0: say "The All-Purpose Officer glances around, but [if the player encloses the rifle]you've made us stand so our body conceals the rifle from his angle[otherwise]he doesn't notice us[end if]. He growls in annoyance. 'Station,' he says, apparently to thin air. 'I need back-up.'[paragraph break][i]Understood[/i], says a tinny distant voice"; -- 1: say "'The power of the people!' shouts one of the protesters approvingly.[paragraph break]'Station,' comments the All-Purpose Officer. 'Aborting work on the statue until back-up arrives. Situation here is volatile.'[paragraph break][i]NEGATIVE[/i], replies his tinny interlocutor. [i]Statue to remain clear as first priority. This is from Oracle[/i]"; -- 2: say "The protesters are cheering and stamping their feet. People in the cars are honking. The All-Purpose Officer tries to crane his head around and see who exactly is making all the trouble, but he quickly realizes he can't do that and hold on at the same time"; -- 3: say "'[i]Guillemets[/i],' swears the All-Purpose Officer, daringly.[paragraph break][i]Did not copy, say again?[/i] asks the tinny invisible radio.[paragraph break]'Did Oracle happen to say why the statue was top priority?' asks the Officer.[paragraph break][i]That's a negative,[/i] responds the radio"; -- 4: say "'Station,' growls the All-Purpose Officer into thin air. 'I am underpowered and back-up is not arriving. We need three vans and a DP tank.' His face is shiny with sweat"; -- 5: say "[i]DP tank? Confirm request![/i] insists the tinny radio.[paragraph break]'That's what I said,' the All-Purpose Officer responds.[paragraph break][i]I'll have to clear this with Herself,[/i] the radio complains"; -- 6: say "Tormented, the All-Purpose Officer seems beyond speech, while the crowd has lost interest in the symbolic potency of the statue and is starting to lapse back into irritability. You overhear someone asking where to find soft-serve ice cream. From far off there is a rumbling of heavy vehicles approaching"; if irritation count is greater than 1 and the teenagers are not in the location: say "[one of].[paragraph break]This is fun. I'm actually doing something, for once[or].[paragraph break]Poor bastard. You've got good aim. Like one of those western sheriffs who can shoot the gun out of his enemy's hand[or][stopping]"; increase the irritation count by 1; now last irritation is the time of day. The protest-sign is on the giant Atlantida statue. The printed name is "sign". Understand "sign" as the protest-sign. The description of the protest-sign is "It reads: The Spirit of Atlantis is the Spirit of Referendum! NO MORE 'NON-REFERRABLE PROCEDURES'...[line break] ...ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS[line break] ...ON ECONOMIC POLICY[line break] ...ON HUMAN RIGHTS". The stuffed octopus is a thing. It is on the giant Atlantida statue. The flexible appearance of the stuffed octopus is "The discarded stuffed octopus lies on the ground[one of], looking sadly at us[or], googly eyes fixed on the heavens[at random]." The description of the stuffed octopus is "Slightly wrong, actually, but I suppose they didn't have a stuffed squid handy. Of the four symbols associated with Atlantis, the squid [--] representing invention and individuality [--] is the one that has greatest resonance for protesters[if the stuffed octopus in on the giant Atlantida statue]. This one has been tied to Atlantida's hand alongside the olive branch she traditionally carries[end if]." Some traffic-island-protesters are a plural-named man. The printed name is "protesters". Understand "protesters" or "crowd" as the traffic-island-protesters. "Protesters clog the street and sit or stand around the base of the statue." The All-Purpose-Officer is a privately-named man in Traffic Circle. The printed name is "All-Purpose Officer". Understand "all" or "purpose" or "all-purpose" or "officer" as the All-Purpose-Officer. The description is "He is uniformed and has a look of serious determination." The All-Purpose-Officer is carrying a diminutive affixer and a restoration-gel rifle. The description of the diminutive affixer is "A piece of special[ize]d equipment resembling a copper-plated staple gun. It shoots 'ette's and 'ling's and the odd 'mini' into words capable of receiving such endings." Report taking the restoration-gel rifle for the first time: say "[You] pick up the rifle. It fits well in your hand: good heft. I feel like we know how to aim this thing. It's illegal to carry, but that doesn't seem to be bothering you right now." instead. [The film crew is a man in Traffic Circle. "In addition to everything else, there's a small film crew [--] cameraman, someone with a mike, and what appears to be a reporter or narrator [--] filming the whole thing. The Bureau must love this." The description of the film crew is "It's curious how a familiar place in a TV show makes the show seem more authentic, but a film crew on location makes the [i]location[/i] seem fake. The protesters are giving the film crew an unreasonable amount of space, more than they'd allow to anyone else."] Check waving the letter-remover at the teenagers when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "Reducing the pair of teenagers to a single teenager would just add our own war crimes to this mix." instead. Some teenagers are a woman in Traffic Circle. Understand "teens" or "teenage" or "girls" or "girl" or "teenager" or "defiant" or "nervous" or "handcuffs" or "cuff" or "cuff" or "handcuff" as the teenagers. "Two [teenagers] are cuffed to [a tree], apparently for safe-keeping while [the All-Purpose-Officer] undoes their vandalism." The description of the teenagers is "One of them looks nervous, the other defiant[one of]. When she catches us looking her way, she contorts herself uncomfortably in order to be able to give us the finger[or][stopping]." Instead of saying hello to the teenagers: say "We try shouting to them over the hubbub of the crowd, but it doesn't really work. [one of]The defiant one waggles her tongue at us obscenely.[or]The nervous one swallows pathetically.[at random]". Instead of saying hello to the All-Purpose-Officer: say "Aside from the fact that he's thoroughly distracted at the moment, I don't think we really [i]want[/i] his attention. He'll lock us up if he pays any attention at all to who and what we are." A brown tree is a fixed in place thing in Traffic Circle. Understand "leaves" or "leaf" as the brown tree. The description is "It's a tree of indeterminate species. I'm pretty sure it wasn't here yesterday. Though the leaves are dusty and brown, there's no leaf-fall at all underneath the tree, and it's not one of the palms that usually grow in this area." Instead of putting the restoration gel on the tree: say "There's too much intervening crowd for us to get there with any speed." When play begins: now the brown tree is not proffered by the brown tree; now the brown tee proffers the tree. Every turn when the brown tree is not in Traffic Circle and the teenagers are in Traffic Circle: remove the teenagers from play; say "Freed from attachment to the tree, the teenagers look at each other and then run off into the crowd[if the stuffed octopus is in the location]. After a moment, the defiant one comes back, picks up the stuffed octopus, and re-enters the fray[end if]."; if the stuffed octopus is in the location: remove the stuffed octopus from play; say "[line break][irritation reaction]."; [record "rescuing a couple of teenagers" as achieved; ] Sanity-check doing something when the noun is the tee or the second noun is the tee: move the tee to the repository; say "...come to mention it, where [i]is[/i] that tee? It must be somewhere in the grass, but we can't see it any more. Oh well. It's not as though I was planning an urgent golf game this afternoon." instead. Instead of climbing the giant Atlantida statue: say "It doesn't look safe, and it would only make us more conspicuous." Instead of going out from Traffic Circle during protest-scenario: say "The way is still blocked by protesters." Protest-scenario is a scene. Protest-scenario begins when the location is Traffic Circle and the player is not in a car. Definition: a thing is unsuitable: if it is the live branch: yes; if it is the stuffed octopus: yes; if it is the protest-sign: yes; no. A distant stuff rule when the person asked is the All-Purpose-Officer: rule succeeds. Every turn when the player is in Traffic Circle: if the teenagers are in the location: say "[one of]'Go ahead, put us in Cold Storage!' shouts the defiant teenager. 'I'm happy to sleep through all this shit and wake up when we have jet packs and a government that respects the rights of its people.'[or]The nervous teenager looks unhappy. 'We won't get out of here until our families are all dead and global warming has reduced Atlantis to three square feet of hilltop.'[or]The nervous teenager struggles against her bonds.[or]One of the other protesters tries to free the teenagers while the All-Purpose Officer isn't paying attention, but the bonds are too strong.[or]The teenagers look at us rather desperately.[stopping]"; if All-Purpose-Officer can see an unsuitable thing (called the target) which is enclosed by the giant Atlantida statue: if the target is the live branch and the All-Purpose-Officer carries the restoration-gel rifle: try the All-Purpose-officer shooting the live branch with the restoration-gel rifle; make no decision; if the All-Purpose-Officer is not enclosed by the giant Atlantida statue: try the All-purpose-officer entering the giant Atlantida statue; make no decision; if the All-Purpose-Officer is not on the huge-metal-arm: try the all-purpose-officer entering the huge-metal-arm; make no decision; if the target is the stuffed octopus and the All-Purpose-Officer carries the target: try the All-Purpose-Officer dropping the target; make no decision; try the All-Purpose-Officer touching the target; otherwise: if the All-Purpose-Officer is on the huge-metal-arm: move the All-Purpose-Officer to the giant Atlantida statue; say "[The all-purpose-officer] begins to climb down."; make no decision; if the All-Purpose-Officer is on the giant Atlantida statue: try the All-purpose-officer exiting; make no decision; if the restoration-gel rifle is in the location: try the All-Purpose-Officer taking the restoration-gel rifle; make no decision; if the player encloses the restoration-gel rifle: say "The All-Purpose Officer, no longer distracted by the pressing business of tidying up the Atlantida statue, notices us with the rifle. He has no qualms about hitting us with the diminutive affixer. It turns out that Alexandrette is a goldilocked poppet with a minimal capacity for self-def[ense] and no gun skills whatever. We're ignominiously [i]carried[/i] back to the Bureau and our subsequent trials are humiliation in a frilly pink dress."; end the story saying "That was careless"; Before the All-Purpose-Officer entering the giant Atlantida statue when the All-Purpose-Officer carries something (called target) which is not the diminutive affixer: try the All-Purpose-Officer dropping the target instead. Before the All-Purpose-Officer touching an unsuitable thing which is on the giant Atlantida statue when the All-Purpose-Officer carries the stuffed octopus: try the All-Purpose-Officer dropping the stuffed octopus instead. Instead of the All-Purpose-Officer dropping the stuffed octopus: move the stuffed octopus to the Traffic Circle; say "The All-Purpose Officer tosses the stuffed octopus away. It falls pathetically to earth."; rule succeeds. Instead of the All-Purpose-Officer touching the stuffed octopus: try the All-Purpose-Officer taking the stuffed octopus. Report the All-purpose-officer taking the stuffed octopus: say "Lab[our]iously and with obvious irritation, the All-Purpose Officer pries the arms of the stuffed octopus off the statue's wrist, where they appear to have been fixed with glue." instead. Report the All-purpose-officer dropping the restoration-gel rifle: say "[The actor] shift[s] the [noun] from one hand to another; looks around; and then props it against the foot of the statue." instead. Report dropping the restoration-gel rifle in the presence of the giant Atlantida statue: say "[You] prop the rifle back at the foot of the statue." instead. Report the All-purpose-officer entering the giant Atlantida statue: say "[one of][The actor] goes around to the back of the statue and begins to climb up the leg, finding footholds in the folds of Atlantida's gown. It looks like a precarious business, but he's determined[or][irritation reaction].[paragraph break][The actor] begins to climb Atlantida once more[stopping]." instead. Report the All-purpose-officer entering the huge-metal-arm: say "[one of]Gritting his teeth, [the actor] climbs for access out onto Atlantida's [huge-metal-arm]. It looks about as sturdy as a substantial tree branch, but more slippery, and inconveniently angled[or][irritation reaction]. [The actor] clambers back onto the arm[stopping]." instead. Report the All-purpose-officer exiting when the All-purpose-officer is on the giant Atlantida statue: say "[The all-purpose-officer] climbs back onto Atlantida's torso[if the player carries the restoration-gel rifle]. We'd better not let him catch us with this rifle[end if]." instead. Instead of the All-Purpose-Officer touching the live branch: say "The All-Purpose Officer reaches out and touches [the noun][one of]. He must have a small restoration gel applicator[or] with his gel-covered finger[stopping]. "; gel-convert the live branch. Instead of the All-Purpose-Officer touching the protest-sign: say "[one of]Once the All-Purpose Officer comes level with [the protest-sign], he shoots it with [the diminutive affixer], turning it into a signet[or]Forced to repeat himself, [the actor] jams the diminutive affixer into the sign a little harder than strictly necessary, with predictable results[or]Stony-faced with fury, [the actor] punches [the protest-sign] again with the diminutive affixer[stopping]. [run paragraph on][signet description][paragraph break]"; diminish the protest-sign. To diminish (item - a thing): move the signet to the holder of the item; move the item to the repository; now the signet is not proffered by anything; now the item proffers the signet. Carry out shooting the signet with the restoration-gel rifle: increase the iteration of the signet by 1. Report shooting the signet with the restoration-gel rifle: say "[irritation reaction]."; [Somewhat cheaply, to explain why we can't just gel the depluralized pedestrians and why we don't want to keep the rifle anyway, we have the player run out of pellets just before the scene concludes. But it fits, anyhow: gives the idea of a limited and rare resource in contrast with the other items that we'll be using more constantly.] Instead of shooting something with the restoration-gel rifle when the irritation count is 6 and protest-scenario is happening: say "We take a shot, but the rifle is out of gel pellets. It clicks uselessly in our hands. [irritation reaction]." Sanity-check taking the restoration-gel rifle when the All-Purpose-Officer is not enclosed by the giant Atlantida statue and protest-scenario is happening: say "[The All-Purpose-officer] is right here. You have too much sense to make a move until he's a little more distracted." instead. [When protest-scenario begins: say "[An All-Purpose-officer] is scaling the statue, [diminutive affixer] under his arm. His restoration gel rifle is abandoned at the statue base, probably because it's not plausible to carry both at once.";] Protest-scenario ends in DP-tanking when irritation count is 7. When protest-scenario ends in DP-tanking: say "There's a bright light and a catastrophic bang and world goes eerily silent. The protesters are gone; all but one. A policeman in blue is cuffing a single old woman in a Not Guilty shirt. Her eyes are wild with fury and fear and simple madness. And that, my friend, is why civil disobedience doesn't work around here. We've just seen a deplural[ization][if the teenagers are not in the location]. At least the teenagers got away[end if]."; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]You know they'll be restored in a few hours, but not confined to that singular form. Most of them will probably get off with fines[if the teenagers are in the location], except the teenagers, who have committed specific crimes against the majesty of the state[end if]. You know it's unlikely anyone has died just there. You know that within minutes, the international news organ[ization]s will be running satellite pictures of a 'suspected deplural[izing] event' on the island. It's not, so to speak, our business any more."; remove the protesters from play; remove the All-purpose-officer from play; remove the traffic-island-protesters from play; if the player encloses the restoration-gel rifle: say "[line break]I ditch the rifle [--] it's too large to fit in the car. "; now the restoration-gel rifle is carried by atlantida-woman; say "Traffic is starting to move again. We'd better get on to the dead drop. [run paragraph on]"; if a car (called target car) is in the location: try entering the target car; move the target car to the Roundabout; try looking. Every turn when Traffic Circle is the location and the teenagers are not in the location: let difference be the time of day minus the last irritation; if difference is 1 minute: say "The crowd is parting. We might be able to leave soon." Protest-scenario ends in departure when the player is in the car and the teenagers are not in the location. When protest-scenario ends in departure: say "We climb back in the car, and no one seems to be much the wiser about what just happened. I have to say, you know what you're doing. "; remove the protesters from play; remove the All-purpose-officer from play; remove the traffic-island-protesters from play; if the player encloses the restoration-gel rifle: say "I ditch the rifle out the window [--] it's too large to fit in the car."; now the restoration-gel rifle is carried by atlantida-woman; say "Traffic is starting to move again. We'd better get on to the dead drop."; if a car (called target car) is in the location: move the target car to the Roundabout; try looking. Protest-scenario ends in early time-out when the teenagers are not in the location and the time of day minus the last irritation is at least five minutes. When protest-scenario ends in early time-out: say "The situation is calming down. "; remove the protesters from play; remove the All-purpose-officer from play; remove the traffic-island-protesters from play; if the player encloses the restoration-gel rifle: say "I ditch the rifle [--] it's too large to fit in the car. "; now the restoration-gel rifle is carried by atlantida-woman; say "Traffic is starting to move and the car behind ours is not delighted that someone is parked in front of it."; if a car (called target car) is in the location: try entering the target car; say "I have to say, that was impressive. I wouldn't have had the nerve and focus for that on my own. And I can't shoot, either. But we'd better get on to the dead drop."; move the target car to the Roundabout; try looking. Instead of shooting the All-purpose-officer with the restoration-gel rifle: say "[one of]We shoot [the all-purpose-officer] in the back. He doesn't change forms, of course, but he flinches and cries out. That must have hurt, a lot. The back of his shirt is covered with gel.[paragraph break][irritation reaction][or][You] shoot again. He'll have some bruises tonight.[paragraph break][irritation reaction][stopping]." [As "shooting something that the enemy is holding" sets up a parallel with the solution to the Atlantida endgame puzzles, we want to reward the line of thinking rather than discouraging it. In re. the leaflet, this happens only if the player hasn't already found the leaflet in the crate (where it functions as a possible preparation for this scene). In general, we don't play many magician's choice tricks in Counterfeit Monkey, but it's worth cheating a little occasionally to make sure that the player not only finds what we want him to find but does so in an order that fits the pace and flavor of what's going on around him in the game. Running across this leaflet *after* the protest is still conceivably possible if the player doesn't find the crate earlier *and* doesn't shoot the affixer, but it's less likely.] Instead of shooting the diminutive affixer with the restoration-gel rifle when the All-purpose-officer is enclosed by the giant Atlantida statue: say "[one of]You take exact aim and fire[or]You shoot again, very precisely[stopping]. "; if the leaflet is unseen: say "The diminutive affixer doesn't change into anything, but thanks to the impact, the Officer misfires it into a leaf from Atlantida's olive branch. A single [leaflet] flutters to the ground. [irritation reaction]."; now the leaflet is not proffered by anything; now the leaflet is proffered by the leaf; move the leaflet to the location; otherwise: say "The diminutive affixer doesn't change into anything, but the impact jars the Officer's hand and the affixer punches firmly into the statue. The statue scales down abruptly into a ten-inch statuette. The Officer falls with it, though apparently without serious injury. The crowd goes silent, unsure what to do with (from their point of view) the total disappearance of a major landmark. The Officer realizes that something unthinkable has just happened, and gels the statuette at once. The status quo is thus restored, more or less, except that the Officer is now clinging precariously to the statue's leg. [irritation reaction]."; now the All-Purpose-Officer is on the giant Atlantida Statue. Instead of shooting the giant Atlantida statue with the restoration-gel rifle: say "We fire. The statue itself doesn't change, of course, but there's now a spray of gel across its gown. The people nearest us react to this with at best moderate enthusiasm, as the symbolism of actually destroying Atlantida is appealing to no one. [irritation reaction]." Instead of shooting the huge-metal-arm with the restoration-gel rifle: try shooting the giant Atlantida statue with the restoration-gel rifle instead. Test circlewait with "get out / put paste on car / get out / wave o-remover at olive branch / get rifle / shoot tree / shoot affixer / shoot signet / g / g ". Test circletimeout with "get out / put paste on car / get out / z / get rifle / shoot tree / drop rifle / z / z / z / z". Test circlewalkout with "get out / put paste on car / get out / z / get rifle / shoot tree / drop rifle / enter car". Test caughtinact with "get out / put paste on car / get out / z / get rifle / z / z / z / z". [Often the concept -- of the self, of the democracy, of the other -- stands in the way of the process that would lead to understanding, effective compromise, and the construction of an integrated identity; a process that is never easy.] Book 3 - Act III Among Scholars Part 1 - The James Bond Part of Town Chapter 1 - Long Street Section 1 - LS North South of Roundabout is Long Street North. Literal Restaurant is a facade in Long Street North. It fronts east. It is scenery. The description is "A framed menu announces the specials for tonight: Lamb with a Deplural[ize]d Apricot Reduction, Armagnac-Drunken Capon, and Lobster Tail Nestled in Bubbles of Flav[our]-Abstract." Instead of looking toward Roundabout: say "That direction is just a chaos of traffic and bad signage." Long Street North is a proper-named road. "Long Street is lined on each side with a double-row of tall, an[ae]mic palm trees that bend towards one another many feet overhead. This corridor continues some considerable distance south." Some anemic palm trees are a backdrop. They are in Long Street North and Long Street South. The description is "The only foliage comes in a clump high above. The effect is distorted and unnatural, and I say that having lived with them all my life. They are trees in the same sense that ostriches are birds." The printed name is "an[ae]mic palm trees". Understand "palms" or "anaemic" as the anemic palm trees. South of Long Street North is Long Street South. Long Street South is a proper-named road. "Long Street is lined on each side with a double-row of tall, an[ae]mic palm trees that bend towards one another many feet overhead. [You] are now in the southern part of this long corridor, between the Canadian Embassy and Arbot Maps & Antiques." The Canadian Embassy is a facade in Long Street South. It fronts east. It is scenery. The description is "The embassy is the largest foreign embassy here: Canadians do a lot of business with Atlantis, but the Québécois require special permission to enter, so there's a call for substantial clerical work. The building is a solid 1960s block in concrete with slit-shaped windows." Understand "concrete" or "windows" or "solid" or "block" or "slit-shaped" or "slit" or "window" or "slit shaped" or "slits" as the Canadian Embassy. The shopping bag is a container in Long Street South. "Someone has left a shopping bag at the roadside [--] maybe by accident when loading up a car, maybe because they mean to come back for it." The description is "The logo on the outside is from Landison's, a popular toy store on the island. It's probably closed today, so this would have been bought earlier [--] possibly even as a present for Serial Comma Day." Check waving the letter-remover at the shopping bag when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "The device buzzes, puzzled. Evidently there is not enough Atlantean interest in brewing to make 'hopping bag' a recogn[ize]d item in itself." instead. A ball is a thing in the shopping bag. The description is "Made of blue and white rubber, and decorated all over with a pattern of random letters in different sportive fonts." The jigsaw-puzzle is a privately-named thing in the shopping bag. The printed name is "jigsaw". Understand "jigsaw" or "puzzle" as the jigsaw-puzzle. The description is "The boxed puzzle displays an execution scene, with several pro-British traitors from the 1820s being lined up before the deplural[ization] cannon. It was thought a considerable punishment to be forced to share a body and consciousness with others." Instead of opening the jigsaw-puzzle: say "The box is sealed shut for now, which is just as well. Opening it would destroy its jigsaw integrity." Understand "solve [jigsaw-puzzle]" as a mistake ("Better to leave it in its box, I think."). Section 2 - The Antiques Dealership After going to Arbot Maps & Antiques: if Arbot Maps & Antiques is visited: make no decision; if the player carries the appointment card: say "We show the appointment card, and are let in."; now Kate carries the appointment card; otherwise: say "The woman watching over the store stops you. 'I'm sorry,' she says. 'We are only open to those who have made previous visiting arrangements.' And we're shooed back out."; move the player to Long Street South, without printing a room description. Arbot Maps & Antiques is west of Long Street South. It is indoors. Understand "shop" or "store" or "antique" as Arbot Maps & Antiques. Instead of smelling Arbot Antiques: say "The place smells of fresh coffee and old paper." The maps collection is a thing in Arbot Maps & Antiques. Understand "large" or "collection" or "of" or "antique" or "under glass" or "street maps" or "maiana" or "navigation" or "distant places" or "charts" or "island" or "topography" as the maps collection. It is fixed in place. The printed name is "[if looking]collection[otherwise]maps collection[end if]". "There is a large [maps collection] of vintage and antique maps under glass [--] the island of Atlantis as a whole, street maps of here and of Maiana, navigation maps of the harb[our], and then maps of more distant places as well." The description of the maps collection is "[You] pore over a map of [one of]the Old City when the walls were still intact, as reconstructed from archaeological surveys[or]forbidden dig zones in Atlantis[or]bus routes between here and Maiana ca. 1973[or]island topography as measured in 1910[or]1880 shipping lines between Atlantis, Gibraltar, and points east[at random]." Instead of examining the maps collection when the Slangovia map is unseen: move the Slangovia map to the location; say "[You] study the maps. One in the collection stands out: a [Slangovia map], framed like all the others but of suspiciously recent vintage." The Slangovia map is a thing. The printed name is "map of Slangovia". Understand "of Slangovia" as the Slangovia map. The description is "It's a detailed street map pretending to correspond to some remote South African town called Slangovia. Cryptic icons dot the surface. There is a [fake-legend] in the lower right corner that appears to be a separate piece glued on." The fake-legend is part of Slangovia map. The printed name of the fake-legend is "legend". The description of the fake-legend is "This legend tells of Iphis and Ianthe: Iphis, a girl raised in disguise as a boy, falls in love with her playmate Ianthe. She prays to the goddess Isis, who takes pity and transforms Iphis into a man, able to marry Ianthe after all." Understand "legend" as the fake-legend. The introduction of the fake-legend is "It bears no obvious relation to the map of Slangovia." The mannequin is a supporter in Arbot Maps & Antiques. The description is "A head and torso only, and abstractly rendered. The vaguely masculine shape is covered in coarse white linen." Understand "head" and "torso" and "masculine" and "shape" and "coarse" and "white" and "linen" as the mannequin. Rule for writing a topic sentence about the mannequin: if something is on the mannequin: say "A stylish [mannequin] near the front sports [a list of things on the mannequin]. "; otherwise: say "The [mannequin] at the front of the shop is currently denuded of wares. " Instead of putting something on the mannequin: say "The shop owners would presumably not welcome your refurbishing their displays." The Britishizing goggles are on the mannequin. The indefinite article of the Britishizing goggles is "a pair of". Understand "pair" or "pair of" as the Britishizing goggles. The Britishizing goggles cover the face-area. Kate is an alert woman in Arbot Maps & Antiques. "Overseeing all this is a woman named [Kate]." The description is "Something about her clothes and bearing suggest that she's not simply here to run the cash register, but that she has some expertise. She has, however, spilled something on her shirt." Kate wears a stained shirt. The description of the stained shirt is "It looks very handsome, save for the brown stain on the front. Coffee mishap, presumably." Check waving the letter-remover at stained shirt when the current setting of the letter-remover is "r": say "That would be a grotesque thing to do to the poor woman." instead. Rule for writing a topic sentence about Kate when the map-customer is in the location: say "Kate is keeping an eye both on us and on [the map-customer]. [run paragraph on]". [And with no disrespect to Kate, but because we want her to be mentioned last:] A ranking rule for Kate: decrease the description-rank of Kate by 30. A ranking rule for the map-customer: decrease the description-rank of map-customer by 40. The map-customer is a woman. The printed name of the map-customer is "customer". Understand "tall" or "thin" or "man" or "woman" or "fellow" or "skeletal" or "young" or "old" or "grandmotherly" or "teenager" or "lady" or "gentleman" as the map-customer. The map-customer has some text called the idle. To shuffle map-customer: choose a random row in the Table of Customers; change the printed name of the map-customer to the appearance entry; change the description of the map-customer to the description entry; change the idle of the map-customer to the idle entry. A description-concealing rule when the stained shirt is marked for listing: now the stained shirt is not marked for listing. Table of Customers appearance description idle "tall thin woman" "She's a skeletal woman who has to stoop in order to see the maps in the cases. What she sees there doesn't seem to be cheering her much." "[The map-customer] taps on the glass of one of the cases." "woman" "She's carrying shopping from a number of expensive shops on the avenue[one of], and now she stands in the middle of the store looking around as though she expects the ideal purchase to hop off a shelf at her[or][stopping]." "[one of][The map-customer] asks Kate which map would be best for decorating a small 'but upscale' kitchen. Kate suggests a framed miniature of the Spice Islands[or][The map-customer] frowns at the selection[or][The map-customer] gets a tea-towel out of her bags and compares its col[our] to that of the maps[or][The map-customer] folds her arms in disgruntlement[or][The map-customer] asks Kate for another suggestion[or]Kate confers with [the map-customer][stopping]." "young woman" "If she's not a teenager, she's little more. She seems most intrigued by the antique letter tools." "[one of][The map-customer] asks Kate a few questions about the mechanical workings of one of the pieces[or][The map-customer] wistfully refrains from touching anything[stopping]." "grandmotherly lady" "She's browsing slowly and thoughtfully, though without any apparent urgency to buy anything. Perhaps she sees the shop as a kind of museum." "[The map-customer] mutters something to herself, with no apparent intention of being heard." Section 3 - The Fleur d'Or West of Long Street North is the Fleur d'Or Lobby. The description of the Fleur d'Or Lobby is "[one of]The Fleur d'Or is a high-end hotel that serves businessmen and luxury tourists interested in the linguistic mechanisms of the island. As a result, it has all kinds of paid exemptions, including an exemption allowing it to operate under a foreign name. [or][stopping][The spotlights] in the ceiling light the floor in distinct pools of Bureau blue, and a [room divider] etched with random letters separates the lobby from the drinks club to the [west]." Understand "hotel" as the Fleur d'Or Lobby. Fleur d'Or front is a facade in Long Street North. It fronts west. "On the west side of the street is the several-story front of the Fleur d'Or hotel." Understand "hotel" as the Fleur d'Or front. The description is "The Fleur d'Or used to have a very fussy, ornate façade done up with pilasters and statue niches and a cornice that looked like it had been piped on with cake icing. The hotel has recently had a face lift, with the silly old ornamentation pried off, and smooth modern material laid down in its place. Blue tiles pick out the shapes where pilasters used to be, and panels of frosted glass have been fitted to cover the statue niches. If you are my mother, you call this style Atlantean Postmodern. Less kindly, it is something from the sweaty dreams of an upscale swimming-pool installer." Fleur d'Or lobby is indoors. The room divider is a scenery thing in Fleur d'Or Lobby. The printed name is "sheet of frosted glass". Understand "glass" or "sheet" or "sheet of" or "frosted" or "annotation" or "primordial" or "primeval" or "sea" as the room divider. The description is "The glass is a good three quarters of an inch thick, and looks very sturdy. The etched letters glow or fade out again depending on the changing light conditions in the lobby. Annotation in the corner indicates that this is a commissioned artwork by Anne Landis Rosehip, entitled 'The Primeval Sea.'" The spotlights are a scenery thing in the Fleur d'Or Lobby. Understand "spotlight" or "light" or "lights" or "lighting" or "changing light" or "pools" or "distinct pools" as the spotlights. The description is "The spotlights are more or less steady blue, just fluctuating a little in intensity to add to the sense of being underwater." Rule for listing exits when looking in Fleur d'Or Lobby: do nothing instead. A piano is a fixed in place instrument in the Fleur d'Or Lobby. "[if the player is on the piano-bench]We're seated at a handsome piano in the corner[else]There is no one at the glossy [piano] in the corner[end if]." The description is "A glossy grand, probably worthy of better than bar music." Understand "keys" or "keyboard" as the piano. The piano-bench is an enterable supporter. It allows seated. [The piano-bench is part of the piano.] The piano-bench is in the Fleur d'Or Lobby. The printed name is "piano bench". Understand "bench" or "piano bench" as the piano-bench. The description of the piano-bench is "Lightly padded and made of the same wood as the piano itself." Test bench-bug with "sit on bench / look / stand / play piano / look" in the Fleur d'Or Lobby. Sanity-check sitting at the piano: try entering the piano-bench instead. Check performing something on the piano when the player is not on the piano-bench: try entering the piano-bench; Report entering the piano-bench: say "We take our seat at the piano." instead. A description-concealing rule while entering the piano-bench:: repeat with item running through marked for listing things: now the item is not marked for listing. Check performing the rap on the piano: say "Anything we might play in accompaniment would just conflict." instead. Check performing the ballad on the piano: say "With a bit of effort, we manage to mimic the ballad's tune. People are staring at us kind of funny, though." instead. Report performing the piece on the piano: say "[one of]It takes several awkward goes, but we manage at last to pick out the tune[or]The second time around, the tune comes a bit more naturally[or]With increasing confidence, we pick out the tune of 'The Grammatical Number...' etc., with a lot of vigor and verve at the part where the tempo doubles and doubles again[or]So as not to bore the patrons of the Fleur d'Or, we try out a new rendition, this time more [one of]jazzy[or]up-tempo[or]syncopated[or]lounge-style[or]contrapuntal[at random][stopping]." instead. Report performing the piece on an instrument which is not the oboe: say "With much struggle, we manage to get the rough tune of 'The Grammatical Number…' etc. on [the second noun]; not that we'd recogn[ize] it if we didn't already know what it was supposed to be." instead. Report performing something on an instrument which is not the oboe: say "We pick out [one of]some vaguely remembered commercial jingles from your childhood[or]a church hymn you heard a lot in your youth[or]my mother's fav[our]ite Atlantean folk tune[at random]." instead. Check improvising the topic understood on the piano when the player is not on the piano-bench: try entering the piano-bench; Report improvising a topic listed in the Table of Musical Styles on the piano: say "[description entry][line break]" instead. Table of Musical Styles topic description "classical/classics" or "classical music" "We noodle around for a few minutes and eventually manage to pick out a tune that sounds vaguely like the opening of Beethoven's Ninth, but I don't have any significant classical pieces memorized and you don't seem to be helping much." "jazz" "I improv[ize] something long and meandering. It sounds okay. At least the other patrons don't seem too bothered by it." "rock" or "rock music/song/songs" or "great balls of fire" "What I picture in my head is us doing some kind of energetic Great Balls of Fire kind of performance. What happens in practice is a lot of ruckus and some quelling glances from the hotel staff." "rap" "Rap... doesn't really lend itself to solo piano performance." "ballad" "I don't have any ballads memorized." "chopsticks" "This must be the twelve hundredth performance of Chopsticks on this piano, because there is a general groan when [you] start. However, [you] carry on gamely for a couple of minutes." "flight of the bumblebee" "Our rendition starts off energetic and then becomes less and less accurate and more and more like a mad monkey attacking a keyboard." Report improvising the topic understood on the piano: let title be indexed text; let title be "[the topic understood]"; say "It's rocky going at first, but we eventually manage to play the essential tune of '[title in title case]'." instead. Test piano with "tutorial off / sit at piano / get up / sit at piano / play piano / play piece / play the piece on the piano / g / get up / perform the piece on the piano / perform chopsticks / perform Beethoven's ninth / perform me / perform cats / play the piano" in Fleur d'Or Lobby. The piece is on the piano-bench. The description is "It looks like a setting of 'The Grammatical Number of Our Enemy (Is Singular),' a popular music-hall piece of the 1890s that still gets trotted out now and then. There are rousing choruses where the audience can join in to represent the enemy sailors just prior to their encounter with the deplural[izing] cannon." Understand "music" or "grammatical number" or "chorus" or "choruses" or "music-hall" or "music hall" or "grammatical number of our enemy" as the piece. Rule for writing a topic sentence about the piano: if the player is not on the piano-bench: say "There is no one at the glossy [piano] in the corner[if the piece is on the piano-bench], though [a piece] has been left on [the piano-bench][end if]. [run paragraph on]"; else: say "We're seated at the glossy [piano] in the corner, trying to look like the hired entertainment or at the very least a hotel guest[if the piece is on the piano-bench]. [A piece] has been left on [the piano-bench] beside us, but we've sat in such a way as not to crush it[end if]. [run paragraph on]" Section 4 - Drinks Club Fleur d'Or Drinks Club is west of Fleur d'Or Lobby. It is indoors. The description is "The back wall is dramatically decorated with bottled liquors of all sorts, from gin to cachaça; there's a giant bottle of Campari, taller than your average three-year-old, with a red ribbon around its neck. What makes this place technically a drinks club rather than a bar is its lic[ense] to serve letter-manufactured food and drink. [A toolkit] on the [dor-bar-top] contains [a list of things in the toolkit], ready to be transformed into their respective cocktails." The liquor collection is scenery in the Fleur d'Or Drinks Club. Understand "gin" or "cachaca" or "cachaça" or "whiskey" or "whisky" or "bourbon" or "hendricks" or "vodka" or "tanqueray" or "scotch" or "glenfiddich" or "glenlivet" or "rum" or "tequila" or "campari" or "pastis" or "bombay" or "bombay sapphire" or "brandy" or "bottle" or "giant" or "bottle of" as the liquor collection. The description of liquor collection is "The liquor collection here is quite extensive, and generally of good quality." The assorted glassware is scenery in the Fleur d'Or drinks Club. Understand "champagne" or "flute" or "flutes" or "martini" or "glass" or "shot" or "glasses" or "collins" or "old-fashioned" or "highball" or "sake" or "cups" or "cup" as the assorted glassware. The description is "The bar is stocked for every sort of drink in every imaginable shape. There are martini glasses, there are champagne flutes, there are old-fashioned glasses and highball glasses and Collins glasses. There are shot glasses and sake cups." The dor-bar-top is scenery in the Fleur d'Or Drinks Club. The printed name of the dor-bar-top is "bar". The dor-bar-top is a supporter. Understand "bar" or "counter" or "bartop" or "countertop" as the dor-bar-top. The bartender is a woman in the Fleur d'Or Drinks Club. The description of the bartender is "She has masses of curly hair, a classically straight nose, and the most peculiar eyes [--] a col[our] neither hazel nor green, and exotically turned up." The patron is a man in the Fleur d'Or Drinks Club. Understand "customer" or "man" as the patron. Understand "mark" as the patron when the player knows mark-known. The description of the patron is "He looks like a business [unless the player wears Britishizing goggles]traveler[otherwise]traveller[end if], though perhaps at the end of a long day." The patron carries a gin-tonic. The printed name of gin-tonic is "gin and tonic". Understand "gin and tonic" or "gin" or "tonic" as the gin-tonic. The gin-tonic is fluid, edible, and contained. The description of the gin-tonic is "It is fizzing gently in its glass." Test toolkitbug with "x toolkit / search toolkit / take all from toolkit" in Drinks Club. The toolkit is a scenery thing on the dor-bar-top. The toolkit contains some screwdrivers, some gimlets, and some rusty nails. Sanity-check taking the toolkit: say "Let's not draw attention by stealing that." instead. Sanity-check taking something which is in the toolkit: say "Let's not draw attention by stealing [that-those of the noun]." instead. Instead of examining or searching the toolkit: say "It offers an assortment: [a list of things in the toolkit]." The description of the gimlets is "A gimlet is a hand-tool for drilling holes, like an auger but smaller. It is for piercing things and boring into them, anyway, which is presumably where the phrase 'gimlet-eyed' comes from. These are arranged into an attractive bouquet-shape." Understand "gimlet" as the gimlets when the gimlet is not visible and the gimlet-drink is not visible. The description of the screwdrivers is "An assortment of plain screwdrivers, with strong metal shafts and plastic handles." The description of the rusty nails is "They're scattered around in the toolkit, presumably taken from a condemned building somewhere." Understand "nail" as the rusty nails when the rusty nail is not visible and the rusty-nail-drink is not visible. The gimlets, the screwdrivers, and the rusty nails are scenery. A screwdriver is a thing. It is carried by the bartender. The description of the screwdriver is "The screwdriver is flat-headed, with a red plastic handle and a sturdy shaft." Understand "red" or "plastic" or "handle" or "shaft" or "sturdy" as the screwdriver. Understand "tool" as the screwdriver. A gimlet is a thing. It is carried by the bartender. The description of a gimlet is "A gimlet is a hand-tool for drilling holes, like an auger but smaller. I haven't met many examples before, but this one is presumably typical: it has a steel shaft with a screw-end for drilling the holes, and a crosswise handle at the top." Understand "tool" as the gimlet. A rusty nail is a thing. It is carried by the bartender. The description of a rusty nail is "Bent in the middle and heavily corroded." Understand "bent" or "corroded" as the rusty nail. Some other patrons are scenery in the Fleur d'Or Drinks Club. The description is "They're mostly dressed in suits or business casual outfits at least, and are having odd stilted conversations in which they try to avoid saying anything meaningful about the work they are here to do." Understand "businessman" or "woman" or "businesswoman" or "businesswomen" or "businessmen" or "customers" or "drinkers" as the other patrons. Some small tables are scenery in the Fleur d'Or Drinks Club. The description is "The tables are low to the ground, more lounge tables than restaurant tables, and each with its own light." Understand "lounge" or "light" as the small tables. Instead of doing something other than examining to the other patrons: say "I don't think [you] have much to gain from the crowd." Rule for writing a topic sentence about the bartender: if the player does not recollect dangerous-paddle: say "[The bartender] is in the middle of showing her [homonym paddle] to [a patron]. [run paragraph on]"; otherwise if the player does not recollect how-rescue: say "[The bartender] and [the patron] are still talking about [the homonym paddle]. [run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say "[atmospheric-event] [run paragraph on]"; now the gin-tonic is mentioned; if the bartender carries something: now everything carried by the bartender is mentioned; First after writing a paragraph about the bartender when the current-paragraph references the patron: say "[The other patrons] are scattered around the room at small tables, drinking or talking among themselves. "; make no decision. Rule for writing a topic sentence about the patron: if a drink-form thing is on the dor-bar-top and a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[The patron] [one of]is keeping politely out of the way of [the list of drink-form things on the dor-bar-top] that [you] ordered. [You] [are] not using up too much space, though, as most of [the other patrons] are at tables and not using the bar at all[or]is still keeping out of the way of our [list of drink-form things on the dor-bar-top][stopping]. "; otherwise: say "[one of]Aside from [the patron] at the bar, most of the patrons are seated at tables[or][The patron] sips his gin and tonic and surveys [the other patrons][or][The patron] notices someone he knows across the room, and waves[or]When [the bartender] isn't looking his way, [the patron] makes some notes on a PDA, then puts it away again[as decreasingly likely outcomes]. "; now the gin-tonic is mentioned; now the other patrons are mentioned; After printing the name of the patron while writing a topic sentence about the bartender: if the player does not know mark-known: say " holding [a list of things carried by the patron]". [Understand "play [piano]" as a mistake ("[one of]I have no skill in that department[or]I don't play[or]I don't think we want to attract attention with a jangly performance, thanks[at random]."). Understand "play [text]" as a mistake ("[one of]I have no skill in that department[or]I don't play[or]I don't think we want to attract attention with a jangly performance, thanks[at random].") when the player can see the piano. ] Part 2 - Student Quarters Chapter 1 - University District Section 1 - Palm Square Instead of going to Palm Square when the legend is not introduced: say square-refusal instead. Instead of approaching Palm Square when the legend is not introduced: say square-refusal instead. To say square-refusal: if the legend is handled or the fake-legend is in the repository: say "Hadn't we better see what message Brock left?"; if the fake-legend is not seen: say "My apartment is that direction, but unless we have some reason to go there, it seems least suspicious to avoid my old neighborhood."; else: say "At a guess, we're looking for a homonym paddle so we can convert the legend. "; if Drinks Club is visited: say "The Fleur d'Or Drinks Club has to be our best bet."; else: say "I'm pretty sure they've got one in one of the fancy bars off north Long Street.". South of Long Street South is Palm Square. The description of Palm Square is "[if unvisited]Now this is my part of town: [end if]Palm Square is the beginning of the university district. To the [Southeast], through the iron gate, is the university campus proper; and that unobtrusive little doorway directly [south] of us leads into the Babel Café." Palm Square is proper-named. Clearwater Cosmetic Clinic is a facade in Palm Square. It fronts east. It is scenery. The description is "It is closed for the holiday. About a dozen copies of the same ad plaster the wall." The wart removal advertisement is a thing. It is part of the clearwater cosmetic clinic. Understand "ad" or "ads" or "advert" or "adverts" or "nearest" or "wall" or "copies" or "dozen" as the wart removal advertisement. The description of the wart removal advertisement is "'Make ART not WAR!' And then in smaller letters: 'Anyone can letter-remove a wart, but not everyone can produce our beautiful results. Our trained wart-removal artists use visual[ization] training and long experience to convert your wart into a piece of high-quality skin art [--] for less than the price of a tattoo.'" Rule for listing exits when looking in Palm Square: do nothing instead. The apartment complex is a facade in Palm Square. "I live in [the apartment complex] that runs along the west side of the square [--] in fact, my apartment door is immediately to the southwest." The description is "I know it's a bit shabby, but you know what graduate stipends are like. Or maybe you don't. My parents help with the rent, but it's still nothing spectacular." The apartment complex fronts southwest. Understand "home" or "house" or "flat" as the apartment complex. Section 2 - Babel Cafe South of Palm Square is Babel Café. Understand "cafe" as the Babel Café. The description of Babel Café is "Through many changes of management, this institution has fed the denizens of the university and ignored their semi-sedition." Babel Café is indoors. The clerk is an alert man in the Babel Café. "[A clerk] in [a white apron] stands behind [the long glass case][unless the long glass case contains something], now emptied by our purchases[end if]." The clerk wears a white apron. The description of the clerk is "A smooth-faced young man. He has the cheery demean[our] of one earning substantial overtime pay." The description of the white apron is "Clean white cotton, bordered with a Greek meander trim in dark blue embroidery thread." Some découpaged tables are a supporter in Babel Café. "The tables are square wooden things painted dark blue (not the vibrant blue of the Bureau, but something closer to midnight), and the upper surfaces are découpaged with antique travel postcards." Understand "antique" or "travel" or "postcard" or "postcards" or "square" or "wooden" or "blue" or "dark blue" or "upper surfaces" or "upper surface" or "surface" or "surfaces" or "table" as the découpaged tables. The description is "The surfaces depict, fragmented, such exotic locations as Giza, Beijing, and Sioux City, Iowa. There is even an advertisement for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair." Sanity-check opening the long glass case: say "The case opens only from the back side, where the clerk is." instead. The long glass case is fixed in place in the Babel Café. "[A long glass case] displays middle-eastern and Greek delicacies." It is closed and transparent. In the long glass case are a pocket-bread, a wrap, and a honey pastry triangle. The honey pastry triangle and the pocket-bread are edible. The description of the honey pastry triangle is "Despite its enforced linguistic transformation, it still looks delicious: fine layers of crisp filo with nuts and honey between." The description of the pocket-bread is "It's round, flat bread suitable for eating with dips." The indefinite article is "some". Understand "pocket" and "bread" as the pocket-bread. The wrap is an edible thing. The description is "It's a construction of flat bread wrapped around rice, chickpeas, and sauce." The scent-description is "Greek garlic-yogurt sauce". [A nod to the blue plaque commemorating Watson and Crick at the Eagle Pub in Cambridge.] A blue plaque is fixed in place in the Babel Café. Understand "plaque" or "placard" or "historical" as the blue plaque. "A [blue plaque] is mounted on the wall." The description is "[i]On this site in 1969 the theoretical groundwork for Q-insertion was laid by James Elias and Milford Higgate using five drinking straws and a bowl of oatmeal.[/i]". Section 3 - Apartment Window Southwest of Palm Square is a apartment door. apartment door is a lockable locked door. It is scenery. Southwest of apartment door is My Apartment. Instead of knocking on the bathroom window: if the player is in Palm Square: say "There's no one inside; that's the point."; otherwise: say "No one from outside will pay any attention, which is just as well." Before going west in Palm Square when the bathroom window is scenery: say "That way lies the [bathroom window] of my apartment. Though in fact, if you have a mind to break in, it's the easiest way: it's not hard to force the window."; now the bathroom window is not scenery instead. Before unlocking or entering or opening the locked apartment door when the player does not enclose the key and the player is not in My Apartment: if the bathroom window is scenery begin; reveal bathroom window; say "You had me leave my keys behind, remember? But if you insist, my apartment is actually pitifully easy to break into. That window there opens onto the bathroom, and you can force it from the outside without much effort." instead; otherwise; say "If we want to go into my apartment, we're going to have to climb in my window. Here, let me just streamline this process for us."; try entering bathroom window instead; end if. Understand "force [something openable]" or "force [something openable] open" as opening. After going through the bathroom window: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; if Apartment Bathroom is not visited: have Mrs Parsnip issue a challenge; say "[one of]The window is uncomfortably high and it takes a little scramble to get in, but soon [you] [are] inside[or]This climb is noticeably more difficult now that [you] [are] three inches shorter than my normal height, but hey-ho[or]Far be it from me to critique your abilities in the stealth department, but it might be a good idea not to climb in and out of this window [i]too[/i] many times. My neighb[our]s are only used to seeing me do it once every few days[or]Oh, very well. [Mrs] Parsnip is probably out[stopping]. [command clarification break]"; continue the action. To have Mrs Parsnip issue a challenge: say "'Halt! You! Young person!' It's my neighb[our], [Mrs] Parsnip, leaning out from her apartment above us. [Mrs] Parsnip and I don't interact except about once a month when she comes around to ask for my spare change for bus fare or the laundry. 'Clear off or I'll call the police!' she shouts."; say "[line break][command prompt]"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]...No, don't worry, I'll handle this. I step us back and stare up at her. 'I'm a friend of Alex,' I say. 'He called and asked me to stop by because he thought he left the stove on. Said he climbs in the window all the time when he gets locked out.' 'That's true,' she says. 'Shouldn't be allowed out by himself. Okay, go ahead.' In a mutter she adds, 'Not like he has anything worth stealing anyway.' She vanishes from view.[paragraph break]"; Sanity-check locking keylessly the bathroom window: say "Oh, it doesn't lock. If it did, we wouldn't find it so easy to come and go." instead. Report opening the bathroom window for the first time: say "The window slides open with a hideous protesting shriek." instead. Report closing the bathroom window: say "[You] slide the window shut[one of]. I feel obscurely better now[or][stopping]." instead. Before: if the current action involves the bathroom window, reveal bathroom window. To reveal bathroom window: now bathroom window is obvious; now bathroom window is fixed in place; now the bathroom window is not scenery. The bathroom window is a door. The bathroom window is west of Palm Square and east of the Apartment Bathroom. It is scenery. It is closed and openable. The flexible appearance is "[if the location is Palm Square][b-window-appearance][otherwise]The bathroom window gives some weak sunlight.[end if]". Apartment Bathroom and My Apartment are indoors. Instead of examining a toilet: say "It's pretty clean." To say b-window-appearance: if the Apartment Bathroom is unvisited begin; say "Please also note the no-security window giving onto my bathroom. "; otherwise; say "My bathroom window [if bathroom window is open]remains vulnerably open[otherwise]is closed, but not, of course, latched[end if]. "; end if. The description of the bathroom window is "It is one of those windows that slides sideways open. The latch is broken, so it can't actually be secured." Instead of searching the bathroom window: say "It is made of frosted glass, precisely because of people like you." Understand "climb through [something]" or "climb in [something]" or "climb into [something]" or "climb out of [something]" or "climb out [something]" as entering. Section 4 - Apartment Bathroom The Apartment Bathroom is north of My Apartment. The apartment bathroom is a bathroom. Rule for listing exits when in Apartment Bathroom: say "[You] could climb back out the window, or [you] could go south into the rest of my apartment." A nightstand is a supporter in the apartment bathroom. "An antique [nightstand] of my mother's, which does not actually fit anywhere near my bed, is jammed into one corner of the bathroom." The description of the nightstand is "It is wobbly, scratched, and chipped, which is the state in which my mother likes her antiques." The key is a passkey on the nightstand. It unlocks the apartment door. The heft of the key is 1. The description is "It's made of an extremely ordinary blank.". The key unbolts the apartment door. The indefinite article of the key is "a". Test key-article with "i" holding the key. The ring is a passkey on the nightstand. It is wearable. The heft of the ring is 1. The description is "A gold-toned ring that from a distance would look like a signet. In fact the face of it is figured with the symbol of the university, an owl biting the letter A in its beak. Embedded in this face is the tiny RFID tag that opens generic university security. It is the perfect combination of technical paranoia and old-fashioned pretentiousness, and one is assigned to every new student with great pomp on the day of orientation." Understand "rfid" or "tag" or "owl" or "signet" as the ring. [Otherwise, we'll be forced to take it off before using it.] Definition: the ring is key-accessible: if the person asked carries it, yes; if the person asked wears it, yes; if it is on a keychain which is carried by the person asked, yes; no. [Rule for writing a topic sentence about the keyring: say "My [keyring] is [if the holder of the keyring is a thing][in-on the holder of the keyring][otherwise]here[end if]. ". Definition: a door is key-unbolted if it is unbolted by a key which is on the keyring. ] [The description of the keyring is "It's a souvenir from the Canary Islands, where my mother once went on a trip years ago." ] [The checkbook is a thing. The description is "Mostly used: there are only one or two checks left in the back." The introduction is "I had paid my rent through next month before I left. It seemed the conscientious thing to do. Not like I was going to have access to that money again anyway."] Section 5 - Apartment itself My Apartment is a kitchen. The introduction of my apartment is "I'd apolog[ize] for the mess, but should [you] really be here? I'm reconciled to leaving all my things behind, you know. You made me promise that I didn't mind." Rule for listing exits when looking in My Apartment: do nothing instead. The kitchen area is fixed in place in My Apartment. The flexible appearance is "It's an efficiency: note [the kitchen area], with all the usual appliances, in one corner." Instead of examining a stove in my apartment: say "It's an older gas range, but it's clean and it's good at stirfries." Instead of examining an oven in my apartment: say "I don't use it much except to bake frozen pizzas." After writing a paragraph about the kitchen area: now the kitchen area is mentioned; now every stove is mentioned; now every refrigerator is mentioned; now every oven is mentioned; now every sink is mentioned; now every cabinet is mentioned; now every furniture counter is mentioned. [This is to fix it so that descriptions say, e.g., 'in THE refrigerator' rather than 'in a refrigerator'.] Instead of entering the kitchen area, say "This is really too small a space to make that distinction interesting." Understand "appliances" or "appliance" as the kitchen area. The description of kitchen area is "I have a [if a sink is in my apartment]sink, [end if]stove, refrigerator, cabinets, a countertop: the usual[if the number of sinks in my apartment is 0]. No sink, but that's thanks to your meddling[end if]." The introduction of kitchen area is "My mother attempted to provide a microwave, rice cooker, toaster, waffle iron, and julienne-fry-maker, but I pointed out that these objects would triple-populate the two square feet of available counter space." When play begins: let destination be a random refrigerator which is in my apartment; move the pot-of-yogurt to the destination; let destination be a random furniture counter which is in my apartment; now every book which is in My Apartment is on the destination; Test sink-kitchen with "X KITCHEN / WAVE S-REMOVER AT SINK / X KITCHEN" in My Apartment. Studies Primary Language Acquisition is a book in My Apartment. Journal of Third-World Economics is a book in My Apartment. The printed name of Studies Primary Language Acquisition is "Studies in Primary Language Acquisition". Understand "studies in" as Studies Primary Language Acquisition. The description of Studies Primary Language Acquisition is "This is a little outside my field, but I have been trying to work out the feasibility of my plans, from the perspective of language teaching." The description of Journal of Third-World Economics is "This is just Volume 16, but I subscribed annually for a while. My whole plan is useless unless there's a well-designed language that actually takes account of economic reality in the target region. When I've moved somewhere outside Atlantis it will be easier to conduct that part of the research." Understand "volume" or "16" or "volume of" or "volume 16 of" as Journal of Third-World Economics. A pot-of-yogurt is an edible thing. The printed name is "yogurt". Understand "yogurt" or "yoghurt" as the pot-of-yogurt. The description is "It is the gooseberry fool flavor, left over from a six-pack. I always eat the strawberry and peach first." The introduction is "Okay, I feel guilty about leaving this to go bad, but I was in a rush [--] I did get rid of most of the rest of my food over the last couple of days, but I just never had time to eat this. And it seemed wrong to throw it out. Sue me." The indefinite article of the pot-of-yogurt is "some". Rule for printing the name of the pot-of-yogurt when the player wears the Britishizing goggles: say "yoghurt". Test yogurtbug with "tutorial off / x yogurt / x yoghurt" holding the pot-of-yogurt. A futon is a clothed bed. The futon is in My Apartment. The description of the futon is "Strictly speaking, more of a futon mattress. It doesn't have a frame." The flexible appearance is "My [futon] is on the floor in the opposite corner. ". Rule for disclosing contents of the futon: let the special-target be the futon; change the current-subject to special-target; if at least two books are on the futon begin; say "Clumsily stacked on the futon [is-are a list of books on the futon]"; if at least three mentionable things are on the futon begin; say "; [a list of mentionable things on the futon] are scattered in the remaining space. "; otherwise; if something mentionable is on the futon, say ", as well as [a list of mentionable things on the futon]. "; otherwise say ". "; end if; otherwise; say "On top [is-are a list of things on the futon]. "; end if; A book called The Problem of Adjectives is on the futon. Understand "problems" as the problem of adjectives. Test returnbook with "put problem away" holding the Problem of Adjectives in the Seminar Room. Understand "return [something preferably held]" or "put away [something preferably held]" or "put [something preferably held] away" or "shelve [something preferably held]" as returning. Returning is an action applying to one carried thing. Sanity-check returning guidebook: say "I don't think anyone will mind our having it. Books at hostels come and go, to judge by your recollections." instead. Sanity-check returning something: if the noun is not a book: say "[The noun] [is-are] not a library book." instead; if the noun is not Problem of Adjectives: say "[The noun] [is-are] ours." instead. Check returning the Problem of Adjectives: if the location is not Language Studies Seminar Room: say "[The noun] came from the Language Studies Seminar Room, so that's where we would need to be."; try approaching the Language Studies Seminar Room; if the location is not Language Studies Seminar Room: stop the action. Carry out returning the Problem of Adjectives: try putting the Problem of Adjectives on the LSR bookcase. Instead of examining the Problem of Adjectives: say "It's not my book; it belongs to the department, as [you] can see from the fact that it's stamped LANGUAGE STUDIES DEPARTMENT : SEMINAR ROOM inside. I got it out because it provides a general overview of adjectival 'adherence' [--] that is, how and when an adjective is so much part of the name of something that it can be affected by tools like your [letter-remover], and when it is purely incidental. I see I may be losing you. Shall I put this in layman's terms? >>"; if the player consents begin; say "[line break]The short version is: I want to design a language with spelling and pronunciation selected so that valuable resources like food, water, and clothing can easily be made from available resources and pollutants such as plastic garbage and seawater. There are major problems in constructing such a language because ideas like 'pure' and 'potable' and 'healthy' tend to be specified by adjectives rather than by nouns [--] English doesn't have one colloquial word that means 'pure water', for instance. But I believe that a correctly constructed language that incorporated the concept of 'pure water' into a single word would be exceptionally powerful and might transform the third world."; otherwise; say "[line break]Okay, then. In general, strongly-adhering adjectives produce problems by preventing conversions that might otherwise be possible; conversely, it is difficult to make objects with particular characteristics because those characteristics are described by weakly-adhering adjectives. The point is: it is possible to use linguistic tools to create water. It is [i]not[/i] reliably possible, at least in American English, to use those tools to create potable water, because 'potable' is a weakly-adhering adjective describing a statistically uncommon trait. This means that linguistic reification is helpless to solve water supply problems, even in third-world regions using a high-efficacy language. For that matter even when a word has a strongly-adhering adjective, the interference of that adjective usually just makes the object impossible to reify at all. What [you] need, therefore, is a language with nouns that uniquely specify substances['] desirable traits: 'potable' or 'pure' water should be named something distinct from adulterated forms of H2O, and so on. Have I bored you enough yet? >>"; if the player consents, say "[line break]Right, sorry. Well, you get the general idea, anyway."; otherwise say "[line break]Scientific jargon does, of course, exist to specify objects uniquely, but there are two problems. One is that most chemical and biological terminology is used by such a small subset of the population that it has near-zero linguistic efficacy: creating a substance by formula requires an amount of energy roughly on par with pointing a w-remover at Aberystwyth. This is not a realistic solution to resource problems. The second difficulty is that even with well-known exceptions such as 'H2O', the formula is not usually not a linguistic subset of the formula of another widely available and well-known substance. Hence the need for a new language with nouns designed based on careful scientific research into the primary needs and resources of living in a given region. This language could then be systematically taught to everyone dwelling in that area, causing permanent economic uplift. 'Systematically taught' is a bit of a problem, since it would take massive funding and effort to make the language known widely enough to gain linguistic efficacy. And there would be significant issues in not totally crowding out indigenous languages and thus destroying an existing culture. But I have high hopes, assuming I can ever get out of this repressive little burg and make my case to one or more of the major world relief organ[ization]s."; end if. The introduction is "I should have taken it back to the library [--] I [i]meant[/i] to take it back to the library [--] but there just wasn't time. The last couple of hours before I came to meet you were frantic. The way I figured it, my parents or someone will come looking for me and they'll take it back for me. I think." After printing the name of Problem of Adjectives while taking inventory: say " (to return to the department seminar room)". Report taking the Problem of Adjectives for the first time: say "We take [the Problem of Adjectives]. Might as well return it to the department seminar room, as long as we're going that way." instead. Before going from My Apartment when the player does not enclose The Problem of Adjectives: try taking The Problem of Adjectives. A description-concealing rule when The Problem of Adjectives is as-yet-unknown and The Problem of Adjectives is marked for listing: now every marked for listing thing is not marked for listing; now the Problem of Adjectives is marked for listing. Rule for writing a topic sentence about the Problem of Adjectives when The Problem of Adjectives is as-yet-unknown: say "I should point out my copy of [the Problem of Adjectives]. ". [Before writing a paragraph about something (called special-target): if special-target is unmentioned, let restore-state be true; otherwise let restore-state be false; say "Starting paragraph about [special-target]."; if restore-state is true, now special-target is unmentioned.] Ranking rule for the problem of adjectives when The Problem of Adjectives is as-yet-unknown: increase the description-rank of Problem of Adjectives by 10. Definition: the Problem of Adjectives is deeply dull: no. Busy Streets is a region. High Street, Roundabout, Tall Street, Long Street North, and Long Street South are in Busy Streets. Chapter 3 - Campus Itself Section 1 - University Oval The sturdy iron gate is southeast of Palm Square. It is scenery. The sturdy iron gate is a door. The sturdy iron gate is closed, lockable, and locked. The description of the sturdy iron gate is "The campus as a whole is walled and gated because of the amount of linguistic research that happens inside. This is a very lightweight form of security, more symbolic than anything, with much more significant protections on the really powerful materials[if the ring is not handled]. I have the student ring that opens this back in my apartment. I just wasn't expecting to need to go in there ever again[ring-fetch][end if].". After printing the name of the sturdy iron gate when Palm Square is not visited: say " to the university". To say ring-fetch: assign "Retrieve my student ring from my apartment" at Apartment Bathroom. The ring unlocks the sturdy iron gate. The ring unbolts the sturdy iron gate. Carry out taking the ring: complete "Retrieve my student ring from my apartment". Instead of climbing the gate: say "It is not badly built, as far as gates go, and it would not be possible to climb over without attracting attention." Southeast of the sturdy iron gate is the University Oval. The University Oval is proper-named. The description of University Oval is "This is the cen[ter] of the university, a broad grassy oval shaded with [sycamore trees] and surrounded by buildings in brick or white stone." Some sycamore trees are scenery in University Oval. The description is "They're handsome old trees [--] the same white-trunked hybrids that line the avenues of Provence, I'm told, growing several [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]storeys[otherwise]stories[end if] tall and creating a tolerable shade even on very hot days." Understand "sycamores" as the sycamore trees. Instead of climbing the sycamore trees: say "They're too tall. Even the lowest branches are inconveniently high." buildings-general is scenery in University Oval. The description is "Of the original 1757 foundation of the University, little now remains, and the oldest building on campus is the administration building, a Georgian creation of white steps and columns, ca. 1780. That's further east, though, and the buildings here around the Oval are mostly from the enormous expansion of the university in 1911-1940, when the publication of the New Orthodox Orthography caused a rapid expansion in language-related disciplines. My own building is Samuel Johnson Hall, to the south." s-johnson-hall-exterior is a facade in University Oval. The printed name is "Samuel Johnson Hall". It fronts south. "Immediately south of here is the building where I spend most of my time, Samuel Johnson Hall.". Understand "building" or "samuel" or "johnson" or "hall" as s-johnson-hall-exterior. The description is "When it was built in the [']30s, the whole purpose was to prove to the rest of the faculty the tremendous value of the new field of language studies (as opposed to language engineering, a field long valued for its ability to produce tools and, more importantly, weapons). Consequently, [s-johnson-hall-exterior] was built to impress: a blind windowless front of white stone rising grandly from the pavement; an oppressive [portico] that makes entering figures look tiny." The portico is part of s-johnson-hall-exterior. Understand "blind" or "windowless" or "front" or "white stone" or "stone" or "oppressive" or "statues" or "relief" or "statue" or "letter e" or "letter t" or "letters" or "e" or "t" or "shining" or "bronze" as the portico. The description is "The portico is many times taller than a person, and is flanked by relief sculptures of two massive, fleshly, ideal[ize]d figures, reminiscent of early Soviet art. One holds a large letter E, the other a letter T: the two most common letters in the English language. The letters are not carved from the same stone, but are attachments made of shining bronze.". The business-school-exterior is a facade in University Oval. It fronts north. It is scenery. The printed name is "business school". Understand "brick" or "building" or "business school" as the business-school-exterior. The description is "A 1930s brick building which now houses the business school, heavily sponsored by DCL and famous for producing most of that company's upper management." The east-campus-extension is a facade in University Oval. It fronts east. It is scenery. The printed name is "Sycamore Walk". Understand "sycamore" or "walk" as the east-campus-extension. The description is "Sycamore Walk runs east towards the older part of campus. But [you] have no useful business there today [--] I wouldn't be able to get us into the buildings, and I don't think it would help anyway." Instead of going east in University Oval: try examining east-campus-extension. An activist is an alert woman in University Oval. Understand "student" or "protester" as the activist. "[An activist] is standing in our way[if the activist carries the bright yellow sign], gripping [a bright yellow sign] that says 'TOXI WASTE AWARENESS!'[end if]." The description of the activist is "An earnest-looking woman, about 22." The activist carries a bright yellow sign. The bright yellow sign is a sign. The description of the bright yellow sign is "The sign is bright yellow and says 'TOXI WASTE AWARENESS!'" The initial appearance is "A sign lies on the grass, abandoned by its owner." The printed name of the bright yellow sign is "sign". Rule for listing exits when looking in University Oval: do nothing instead. [Every turn when the activist can see the player and the activist is not the current interlocutor: try the activist saying hello to the player.] Report the activist saying hello to the player: queue environment-offer instead. Instead of giving bills to the activist: say "Your mind rebels at the thought. You need this money [--] we both do. Without it, we haven't a hope of making our way in another country." Instead of going south from University Oval in the presence of the activist: if the activist recollects at least three quips: say "The activist seems to have given up on convincing us and lets us go by in peace."; continue the action; otherwise: say "[one of]The activist deftly steps in your way.[or]The activist bobs and gets in your way again. 'We're picketing that building,' she says. 'No entry except for supporters.'[or]This time two friends of the activist appear beside her. 'Supporters only,' they say.[or]The TOXI WASTE power people prevent you. Maybe we'd better listen to what they have to say.[stopping]". Section 2 - Samuel Johnson Hall South of University Oval is Samuel Johnson Hall. The description of Samuel Johnson Hall is "This is the main building for Language Studies. [one of]This is not to be confused with Language Engineering, which is the department that handles devices for the manipulation of language-objects; it is also not to be confused with Linguistics, English Literature, or Comparative Literature, all of which have their own buildings and faculties. Language Studies applies itself to questions of linguistic efficacy chiefly at a social and anthropological level. That's to say that we study how the ability to change things based on their names affects daily life and society. [or][stopping]The department office, with several professorial offices leading off of it, is to the [southeast]. To the [southwest] is the seminar room, where many of the upper-level courses occur, and which also contains the department library; downstairs is the basement, where the graduate students and junior instructors are kept." Samuel Johnson Hall is indoors. Rule for listing exits while in Samuel Johnson Hall: do nothing instead. The framed photograph of Waterstone is a thing in Samuel Johnson Hall. It is fixed in place. "On the wall hangs a [photograph of Waterstone], with the words SHAPLY CHAIR in big letters underneath." Understand "photo" or "picture" or "professor" or "frame" as the framed photograph. The printed name is "framed photograph of Professor Waterstone". The description is "The Shaply Chair is not named after the famous suffragette Phyllida Shaply, but after her considerably less famous or interesting descendant Lawrence Shaply, who was well-placed within Dental Consonants Ltd. when it started up and subsequently had buckets of money with which to endow university chairs. Nonetheless, this position is a point of considerable pride for Professor Waterstone, and gets him many invitations to speak both here and abroad, which he takes terribly seriously. (More to the point, the government permits him to attend.) This may explain the particularly expansive grin on Waterstone's face in this image. Usually his pleasure is expressed more moderately." Section 3 - Seminar Room Southwest of Samuel Johnson Hall is the seminar door. The seminar door is a closed lockable locked door. The seminar door is scenery. The description of the seminar door is "It's sturdy, because sometimes valuable equipment is stored in the room beyond. That room also contains the library of department books, a set of research materials kept on hand so that people don't have to go over to the university library to double-check basic data during a discussion." Southwest of the seminar door is Language Studies Seminar Room. The description of the Language Studies Seminar Room is "They recently redid this room, and whoever picked the decorations had postmodern tastes." The Language Studies Seminar Room is indoors. After looking in the Language Studies Seminar Room when the seminar door is open: if Higgate is visible: continue the action; silently try closing the seminar door; if the seminar door is closed: say "[One of]I shut the door so that [you] don't get interrupted.[or]For safety, I shut the door behind us.[stopping]"; continue the action. The Language Studies Seminar Room contains a chair. When play begins: let T be a random chair in the Language Studies Seminar Room; now T is not scenery. Before going from the Language Studies Seminar Room when the player carries Problem of Adjectives: try putting Problem of Adjectives on the LSR bookcase. Carry out putting Problem of Adjectives on the LSR Bookcase: record "returning a library book to its proper home" as achieved. Carry out going to the Language Studies Seminar Room: record "gaining access to the synthesizer" as achieved. The LSR bookcase is a supporter in the Language Studies Seminar Room. "The bookshelves lining the walls contain the department library." The description is "Built in and sturdily made." The printed name is "bookshelf". Understand "shelf" or "shelves" or "bookshelf" as the LSR bookcase. The big table is a supporter in the Language Studies Seminar Room. "The [big table] at the cen[ter] of the room is an irregular polygon[if exactly one chair is visible and no chair is mentioned], with one [random visible chair] pushed up to the shortest side[end if]." The introduction is "I think the shape is intended to undermine traditional conceptions of academic hierarchy, but in practice it just means that whoever gets to seminar late has to sit with a table angle jabbing him in the stomach." The description is "Crafted from some exotic wood with lots of interesting burl structure. There was a wealthy donor behind the construction of this room." History of the Standards Revolution is a book on the LSR bookcase. The description of History of the Standards Revolution is "It covers in minute detail the process by which the island standard[ize]d spelling and leveraged its linguistic power." The introduction is "[History] is of those bog-standard texts that everyone in my field owns a copy of and uses as a doorstop. Very occasionally something still arises that I need to look up, but I just about memor[ize]d it in preparation for my comprehensive exams." Lives of the Lexicographers is a book on the LSR bookcase. The description of Lives of the Lexicographers is "It is a substantial history of the major contributors to the art of dictionary-creation, and a useful guide to the specialist bibliography on each figure." Section 4 - Department Office The Language Studies Department Office is southeast of Samuel Johnson Hall. "This big, slightly drab area holds such useful objects as the [mailboxes] and [secretary's computer]. On ordinary days the secretary would be in as well, presiding over affairs. The offices of individual professors lie [north] and [west][if Higgate's office door is closed and office-door-1 is closed], though both doors are closed[otherwise if Higgate's office door is closed], though the west door is closed[otherwise if office-door-1 is closed], though the north door is closed[end if]." The introduction is "This corner office was won in a battle of wills with several other departments during the most recent rebuilding drive. Professor Waterstone is fond of reminding the others that he was the one to obtain this fav[our]able position whenever there is a disagreement about procedure." Rule for listing exits when looking in the Language Studies Department Office: do nothing instead. The Language Studies Department Office contains some mailboxes and a u-shaped desk. The u-shaped desk is a desk. On the u-shaped desk is a desktop computer called the secretary's computer. Instead of waving the letter-remover at the u-shaped desk when the current setting of the letter-remover is "u": say "It's not going to make a nothing-shaped desk. What would that even be? Shapeless?" The language studies department office is indoors. The description of the u-shaped desk is "Formidable in size, but even that is not enough to support all of the things that the secretarial staff need to keep track of." Does the player mean doing something with the secretary's computer: it is very likely. The description of the secretary's computer is "One of many beige boxes hooked into the university's main system." The secretary's computer is scenery. The secretary's computer runs a password lock program called secretary's security. The password of secretary's security is "brownishott". The secretary's computer runs a search engine called a browser. The data table of the browser is Table of Searchable Information. The description of the browser is usually "A browser comes up, with a search box for accessing departmental information." Table of Searchable Information topic title data "waterstone/professor" or "professor waterstone" "Waterstone's homepage" "Professor Waterstone's webpage contains his CV (long) and a list of his future speaking engagements, including one set for tomorrow on homonym shame." "higgate/professor" or "professor higgate" "Higgate's homepage" "Professor Higgate's homepage is illustrated by a picture of herself smiling enigmatically out in the university oval, followed by links for various courses she teaches, such as Interlingua and Advanced Klingon Certification. There is also a long bit praising the value of learning constructed languages, and a scanned copy of her Bureau stamp of certification to use and teach non-English tongues." "brown/professor" or "professor brown" "Brown's homepage" "Professor Brown's homepage describes an assortment of personal interests I very much doubt he has time to pursue (such as salsa dancing) before delving into an impenetrable description of his research aims and goals." "professor/downdweller" or "professor downdweller" "Downdweller's homepage" "Professor Downdweller's homepage is illustrated extensively with pictures of himself engaged in cheery undergraduate games such as three-legged races and squid fry-ups at the shore." "professor/spout" or "professor spout" "Spout's homepage" "Professor Spout's homepage is just a stub supplied by the university tech services department. It appears that Spout has never seen a value in populating it, so it still contains the university crest and not much else." "academic/calendar" or "academic calendar" "academic calendar" "The calendar lists upcoming events for the rest of the term, dates and times of finals, and similar information that I will never need again." "student/students/roster/rosters/class/classes/courses" "rosters" "The secretary has access to all the rosters of all students enrolled in any department class, together with add/drop history. This reveals that Professor Brown's large Abstractions 101 course has bled steadily and is now at about half its original enrollment, while Higgate is able to command a small but loyal stream of people taking Advanced Klingon Certification as an independent study." "Interlingua" "Interlingua" "It appears that the upcoming Interlingua course is going to be very healthily enrolled." "Abstractions 101" or "abstractions" or "abstractions class" "Abstractions 101" "The syllabus for Abstractions 101 always assigns 250 pages of prolegomena in Week One. A review of previous versions of the syllabus shows that this has been the case for the last several years, and that the only thing that changes each year is the length of the Instructor's Note, offering a tetchy explanation of why students lacking this background will be ill-equipped to make the most of the course." "Advanced Klingon Certification" or "klingon/certification" or "advanced klingon" "Advanced Klingon Certification" "Little information is available here, since Higgate uses few conventional books and relies heavily on handouts and exercises of her own devising, necessarily distributed under seal only to those students who have legal authority to enroll in the course." "faculty/list/staff/teaching/teachers/teacher" or "faculty/staff/teacher/teachers list" "faculty list" "The faculty list for the department mentions professors Higgate, Waterstone, and Brown, as well as Professor Lamplighter (Emeritus), Professor Spout (has been a dean for three years and hasn't taught during that time), and Professor Downdweller (crosslisted with Economics, has offices in that department). Many courses are taught by graduate students, but these are naturally not listed on the faculty page." "research/overview" or "research overview" "research overview" "The overview page merely mentions that cutting edge research is being carried forth by professors Brown, Higgate, and Waterstone, and invites the reader to visit their personal pages (naturally not linked)." "graduate students/student" "graduate student roster" "This brings up a scrolling list of graduate students together with enrollment status, but does not actually reveal their grades or transcripts." [Instead of switching on the secretary's computer: say "We'd need the secretarial password to log in, and I don't know it. And Waterstone is a tyrant about not letting people write passwords down [--] he has actually sincerely fired an admin worker for doing so in the past [--] so don't even think it." ] Instead of taking the secretary's computer: say "I understand that theft is more or less your way of life, but please hold back this once." Before writing a paragraph about something when the u-shaped desk is in the location: now the u-shaped desk is mentioned. [We want "the u-shaped desk" not "a u-shaped desk" or worse "an u-shaped desk".] The department printer is a device on the u-shaped desk. It is fixed in place. The description is "The networked [printer] handles output for all the computers in the department. [printer indicator]." Understand "lights" or "indicator" as the department printer. The printed name is "printer". The department printer is switched on. The introduction is "The use of just one printer sometimes leads to annoying clashes when one person is printing off, say, the draft of a small monograph when someone else wants to make up quizzes for class. But Waterstone insists that it's not worth spending department money on another printer when those funds could go to faculty development grants." Instead of taking the department printer: say "It would be a heavy thing to carry around, and I don't see much use for it elsewhere." Rule for writing a paragraph about the department printer: say "[The department printer] also sits on [the u-shaped desk]. [run paragraph on]"; now the output tray is referenced by the current-paragraph; now the paper-drawer is referenced by the current-paragraph; if the paper-drawer is open: say "[The paper-drawer] stands open[if the paper-drawer is not surprising]. [end if][run paragraph on]"; while a surprising thing (called second special-target) is referenced by the current-paragraph: carry out the disclosing contents activity with the second special-target; now every thing contained by the second special-target is mentioned; now every thing supported by the second special-target is mentioned; now every thing held by the second special-target is mentioned; now every thing which is part of the second special-target is mentioned; now held-break is true; if held-break is true: say "[run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say line break. Rule for disclosing contents of the paper-drawer: change the current-subject to paper-drawer; say ", revealing [a list of mentionable things in the paper-drawer]. [run paragraph on]". After examining the department printer: if the paper-drawer is closed: say "The paper drawer is closed."; otherwise: try searching the paper-drawer; try searching the output tray. Before printing the name of the paper-drawer while searching the paper-drawer: say "open " Instead of putting something on the department printer: try putting the noun on the output tray. Instead of inserting something into the department printer: try inserting the noun into the paper-drawer. Instead of closing the department printer: try closing the paper-drawer. Instead of opening the department printer: try opening the paper-drawer. Before inserting something into the paper-drawer when the paper-drawer is closed: try opening the paper-drawer. [Procedural rule while examining the department printer: ignore the examine described devices rule. ] A printer mode is a kind of value. The printer modes are not-on, standby, ready, and out of paper. A paper-drawer is part of the department printer. The paper-drawer is a container. It is closed and openable and privately-named. The printed name is "paper drawer". Understand "paper-drawer" or "paper drawer" or "drawer" or "clamps" or "clamp" or "plastic clamps" as the paper-drawer. The description is "The paper-drawer slides neatly in (or out) of the body of the printer, and is deep enough to hold a multi-inch stack of fresh paper. A small catch secures it from being carelessly opened[if the paper-drawer is open and the paper-drawer is empty]. Some plastic clamps hold the pages in place inside, when there are any[end if]." Understand "catch" as the paper-drawer. Instead of pushing or pulling the paper-drawer: if the paper-drawer is open: try closing the paper-drawer; otherwise: try opening the paper-drawer. An output tray is part of the department printer. It is a supporter. The description of the output tray is "In molded plastic, it is an integral part of the printer body[if something is on the output tray]. Currently there [is-are a list of things on the output tray] on the tray, waiting for the owner to come collect[end if]." Report inserting the ream into the paper-drawer: say "The ream fits exactly into the depth of the drawer. [You] adjust the plastic clamps that hold pages in place until everything is snug." instead. Report closing the paper-drawer: say "The paper-drawer slides back into place with a click." instead. Report opening the paper-drawer: say "[You] pull up on the little catch and draw the drawer out[if something is in the paper-drawer], revealing [a list of things which are in the paper-drawer][otherwise]. It's empty[end if]." instead. Instead of putting something on the output tray: say "It's probably a bad idea to risk jamming the output tray by putting random things onto it." Instead of putting something fluid on the output tray: say "Now that's just vandalism." Test paper-bug with "tutorial off / shutoffice / wave c-remover at cream / open paper-drawer / put ream in drawer / close drawer / z / open drawer / x paper" holding the cream in the Department office. A draft document is a thing. Understand "pages" or "speech" or "talk" or "asterisks" as the draft document. [Understand "paper" as the draft document when the paper is not visible.] The description is "It's fifteen pages double-spaced, and appears to be the draft of a talk Professor Waterstone is preparing to give at a convention. I immediately notice, however, that several portions of the speech are marked with angry triple asterisks [--] Waterstone's way of marking up parts of text that need serious revision. The talk concerns 'homonym shame': the anxiety felt in the Victorian era, and still manifested at times in modern culture, about objects that shared the same name as (and therefore theoretically might be converted into) something rude. Methods of disguising the legs of pianos and crotches of trees occupy a good portion of Waterstone's exposition, and there is a page-long aside on methods of making sure that donkeys are known by that name and not by the alternative. To judge, however, from the angry asterisking, Waterstone is still looking for at least one more example of an object susceptible to double-entendre that has been successfully rendered innocent by some linguistic modification." The draft document can be pending. The draft document is not pending. Every turn when the draft document is pending and the current printer mode is ready: move the draft document to the output tray; now the draft document is not pending; move the single ream to the repository; move the blank-paper to the paper-drawer; say "The printer whirs as though clearing its throat, and then begins to spit pages rapidly into the output tray." To say printer indicator: if the current printer mode is: -- not-on: say "All the indicator lights are dark"; -- standby: say "The indicator lights glow amber for standby mode"; -- out of paper: say "The indicator lights glow red to indicate that the paper-drawer is empty"; -- ready: say "The indicator lights glow green with readiness"; if the draft document is pending and the printer mode is not not-on: say ". An additional light indicates that some document is in the queue to print and is waiting for the printer to [if the current printer mode is not ready]be ready[otherwise]start, which should happen any minute[end if]" To decide what printer mode is the current printer mode: if the department printer is switched off: decide on not-on; if the paper-drawer is open: decide on standby; if the number of things in the paper-drawer is zero: decide on out of paper; decide on ready. Report switching on the printer: say "[You] switch the printer on. The lights all come on and flash a few times while it warms itself up. Then things settle down. [printer indicator]." instead. Sanity-check writing the topic understood on the blank-paper: say "Writing on the paper would ruin it for the printer." instead. A blank-paper is a thing. The printed name is "blank paper". Understand "blank paper" or "blank" or "paper" as the blank-paper. The indefinite article is "some". The description is "Having lost a few pages, there is no longer a ream, but there's still enough here to keep the printer going for a while." Understand "pages" as the blank-paper. Instead of taking the blank-paper: say "Might as well leave it there for future users." Check inserting something into the paper-drawer: if the noun is the ream: continue the action; if the noun is the blank-paper: continue the action; otherwise: say "Only fresh printer paper can safely go into the paper-drawer, and it must be the right size and in quantities of no more than a ream." instead. The mailboxes are a scenery container. Understand "mailbox" as the mailboxes. Instead of searching the mailboxes, say "No need: it will be the usual assortment of advertisements from academic presses, copies of the campus newspaper (which are never interesting and always get discarded), memos from the dean with no informational content whatsoever, and so on." The description of the mailboxes is "There are slots for all the professors and graduate students. Undergraduates, of course, are too insignificant to be assigned mailboxes, and are not allowed to have mail delivered to the department." Section 5 - Higgate's Office Higgate's office is an office. It is privately-controlled. Higgate's office door is west of the Language Studies Department Office. Higgate's office door is a door. It is open and lockable and scenery. Understand "west door" as higgate's office door when the location is the Language Studies Department Office. Understand "bureau tape" or "tape" as Higgate's office door when Higgate-arrested has happened. Report higgate discussing how we might return a book: say "[response of the noun][paragraph break]"; try higgate exiting; say "'After you,' says Higgate. 'I assume it's safe to leave for a minute; if anyone is coming for Lojban Tea we'll see them in the hall.' [run paragraph on]"; try higgate approaching Samuel Johnson Hall; try approaching Samuel Johnson Hall; try Higgate unlocking the seminar door with the lsr-key; try HIggate opening the seminar door; try Higgate approaching the Seminar Room; try going southwest; set the interlocutor to Higgate instead.. Instead of doing something in the presence of Higgate when the noun is the synthesizer or the second noun is the synthesizer or the noun is the plexiglas case or the noun is the screws or the second noun is the plexiglas case or the second noun is the screws: say "Higgate may be a little unworldly, but there is no way she'd let us mess with the synthesizer without interference. We'll have to hope she is willing to leave us in here." Instead of going somewhere when the location is the Seminar Room and Higgate is in the location: say "[You] got in here on the pretext of putting the book away. It would be odd to leave again without doing so." After putting the Problem of Adjectives on the LSR Bookcase: say "[You] take a moment to find the proper place for the book. The sound of discussion comes from down the hall: two voices speaking in Lojban, and then a male voice interrupting. 'Do you have a lic[ense] for this conversation?' it asks. 'Excuse me,' Higgate says. 'I'd better go see to that.'"; try Higgate approaching higgate's office; reset the interlocutor; now higgate's office door is closed instead. Instead of examining Higgate's office door when Higgate-arrested has happened: say "The door is closed and sealed over with Bureau tape to prevent anyone from tampering with it in any way." Instead of knocking on Higgate's office door when Higgate's office door is closed: if higgate-arrested has happened: say "The door is sealed with Bureau tape. Evidently they are planning to search more carefully later."; otherwise: say "'Come in!' shouts someone." Instead of opening Higgate's office door when Higgate's office door is closed: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; if higgate-arrested has happened: say "The door is sealed with Bureau tape. Evidently they are planning to search more carefully later." instead; say "[one of][You] open the door to find two students, a boy and a girl, sitting at Higgate's table. The boy is sipping tea and the girl is paging madly through the Lojban book. 'Oh,' says Higgate. 'You found what you needed, I hope? I'm afraid [you] [are] busy now.' So I duck us back out and close the door[or]I don't think [you] need anything else, and it would be mean to interrupt their tea again[stopping].". Instead of listening to Higgate's office door when Higgate's office door is closed: if higgate-arrested has happened: say "Dead silence." instead; say "Putting our ear to the door, [you] hear [one of]a girl's voice stumbling over a question[or]Professor Higgate saying something rapid and fluent[or]a boy laughing[stopping]." Higgate's Office is west of Higgate's office door. "Higgate got about 30% finished with a stylish decorating scheme and then got distracted, leaving everything in a unsettled state. A few of her books are arranged on a very nice [rosewood bookshelf], which looks Asian[if the small figurines are on the bookshelf] and is ornamented with [small figurines][end if]; all the rest of her library is stacked higgledy-piggledy in [plastic cartons]." The rosewood bookshelf is a supporter in Higgate's Office. It is scenery. Some small figurines are on the rosewood bookshelf. The small figurines are scenery. The description of the small figurines is "They depict mostly characters from popular children's fiction: Professor Higgate has a particularly strong and inexplicable fetish for the Wizard of Oz." Some plastic cartons are containers in Higgate's Office. They are scenery. The description of the plastic cartons is "Traffic-cone orange and very unattractive." [Some trim is scenery in Higgate's office. The description is "The trim [--] no more than a line around the top of the walls, really [--] is a handsome dark green that sets off the rosewood."] [A paint is in Higgate's Office. "Left over from the decoration process is some paint." The indefinite article is "some". The description is "It looks as though it's left over from Higgate's work on the trim in the office." The paint can be released or retained. The paint is retained. Instead of taking the paint when the paint is retained: say "Higgate looks like a sweetheart, and in many respects she is, but if we start stealing her stuff right in front of her there's a very good risk she'll call security." Instead of waving the letter-remover at the paint when the paint is retained: say "Higgate might mind our modifying her stuff without permission." ] When play begins: let N be a random chair in Higgate's Office; move Professor Higgate to N. Rule for writing a topic sentence about Professor Higgate when Higgate is on a chair (called the special-target): say "[Professor Higgate] is sitting at [an oval table][if something is on the oval table], on which are spread [a list of things on the oval table][end if]. [run paragraph on]". Rule for writing a topic sentence about Professor Higgate when Higgate is in the Seminar Room: say "[Professor Higgate] waits a little absent-mindedly nearby, looking over [the LSR Bookcase]. [run paragraph on]". Rule for disclosing exterior of Professor Higgate when Professor Higgate is on a chair: do nothing instead. Professor Higgate is an alert woman in Higgate's Office. The description is "Professor Higgate is about forty-five, very tall and slim, with a short, no-nonsense hairstyle. Indeed everything about her self-presentation suggests that she has studied how to make herself acceptably professional in the shortest possible time each day, and now adheres to this plan with absolute rigor. What she might look like in some other setting, such as on a date or at a formal dinner, is beyond my ability to imagine." The introduction is "Higgate is the second reader on my dissertation committee, and a conlang expert [--] that is, Constructed Languages. It was a seminar with her that really got me thinking about utopian linguistics, and she's been very supportive, though cautious[if Professor Waterstone is introduced]. She and Professor Waterstone don't always get along that well[end if]." The oval table is a privately-named supporter in Higgate's Office. It supports a book called Complete Lojban. Understand "table" or "oval table" as the oval table. [Disambiguate from University Oval in GO TO commands.] The description of Complete Lojban is "The book is bound in an ugly yellow binding and has a number of small sticky notes sticking out of it." Complete Lojban is improper-named. The introduction of Complete Lojban is "I used to have a copy of this myself: it's uninventively called [i]Complete Lojban[/i] and appeared with about a dozen similar texts in our conlang survey seminar." Understand "ugly" and "yellow" and "binding" and "small sticky notes" and "sticky notes" and "notes" as Complete Lojban. Rule for printing the name of Complete Lojban when Complete Lojban is not proper-named: say "[roman type]ugly yellow book" Carry out examining Complete Lojban: now the noun is proper-named. The sugar bowl is a container on the oval table. Instead of searching the sugar bowl, say "It is about a quarter full." The teapot is a container on the oval table. The teapot is openable and closed. The description is "Black and Japanese-styled." Understand "tea" as the teapot. Instead of searching the teapot: say "[You] peek inside. The tea has evidently been sitting on the leaves a long time, because it is powerful and looks almost like coffee." Instead of drinking the teapot: say "To judge by the col[our] of the tea, it has been steeping so long as to be nearly vertical." The oval table supports a book called Heart to Heart. Understand "romance" or "novel" as Heart to Heart. The description of Heart to Heart is "The cover shows two women in a steamy embrace, so I'm going to guess it's a romance novel. As language is one I haven't ever learned, I can't read the title." Heart to Heart is improper-named. Rule for printing the name of Heart to Heart: say "[roman type]romance novel in some heavily accented language". Instead of taking something which is on the oval table: say "Professor Higgate frowns as [you] reach for [the noun]. 'You may have noticed,' she says, in the kind of voice that always withered our hearts in seminar, 'that there are certain social expectations about touching the possessions of other people.' My fingers relax their grip instinctively." lsr-key unlocks seminar door. lsr-key is carried by Higgate. The printed name of the lsr-key is "small key". Understand "small" as the lsr-key. Rule for deciding the concealed possessions of Higgate: if the particular possession is the lsr-key: yes. Instead of putting something on the oval table: say "Why get our stuff mixed up with Professor Higgate's? Besides, there's not a lot of space left there anyway." Report Professor Higgate saying hello to the player: if Higgate recollects that we do not speak Lojban, queue English-greeting instead; otherwise queue lojban-greeting instead. Section 6 - Waterstone's Office North of the Language Studies Department Office is office-door-1. office-door-1 is a privately-named open lockable scenery door. The printed name of office-door-1 is "Waterstone's office door". Understand "office" or "door" as office-door-1. Understand "Waterstone's" or "north door" as the office-door-1 when the location is the Language Studies Department Office. The description of office-door-1 is "Unlike most office doors, it has a [special glass window] in it allowing Waterstone to survey everything that goes on outside even when he is locked in." Instead of knocking on special glass window: try knocking on office-door-1. Does the player mean searching office-door-1: it is very likely. Instead of searching office-door-1: try searching special glass window. Instead of listening to office-door-1: if office-door-1 is closed: say "It might look a bit odd for us to press our ear up against the window in the door. Conspicuous, even."; otherwise: say "The door is open.". A thing is usually innocent-sounding. The member, the ass, and the cock are naughty-sounding. Definition: a thing is Waterstone-inspiring: if it is naughty-sounding: no; if it is proffered by a naughty-sounding thing: yes; no. Instead of knocking on office-door-1 when the location of Professor Waterstone is Waterstone's Office and office-door-1 is closed and the location is Language Studies Department Office: let the selected object be nothing; if held-over-object is something and held-over-object is not the player: let selected object be held-over-object; now held-over-object is the player; else if the player carries a Waterstone-inspiring thing (called target): let selected object be target; else if the player carries the passage: let selected object be passage; else if the player carries the cock-ring: let selected object be the cock-ring; else if the player carries a naughty-sounding thing (called rude-target): let selected object be the rude-target; else if the player carries the clock: let selected object be the clock; else: repeat with item running through things enclosed by the location: if item is waterstone-inspiring: say "Waterstone looks up and gives a little frown. It's clear he doesn't know why we've knocked; perhaps he can't see [the item] from that angle. Maybe if [you] were holding [it-them]." instead; follow the water-reaction rules for the selected object. The water-reaction rules are an object-based rulebook. A Water-reaction rule for a Waterstone-inspiring thing (called the target): say "Waterstone looks at [the target], briefly arrested by some thought. He gets a monocle like mine out of his drawer. He looks through it at [the target], notes [the list of things which proffer the target]; grins. "; say "He gets up and comes out of his office. 'This is perfect,' Waterstone says. 'One more example to put into my talk [--] but I really should be going [--] should be able to get a ride from my wife [--] if I leave now [--] Here, you can have this if it interests you. I won't have time to use it.' He sets an invitation down on the desk. 'Come back and talk to me again later,' he adds. 'We can discuss your goals as a student. And now I really have to go [--] should have gone hours ago.' (There, see: he can be a nice man. More or less.) He locks his door again and goes out. I think he is actually humming something."; move the invitation to the u-shaped desk; now the invitation is essential; remove Professor Waterstone from play; remove the small laptop from play; complete "Speak to Professor Waterstone and get his invitation to see the T-inserter"; say "[line break]>"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]Before we can do anything, Waterstone pops his head back in. 'What you did there [--] not strictly within the rules. But I admire, shall we say, [i]Realpolitik[/i]. You'll go far. Ignore Brown, but you'd probably do that anyway. Never talk to Higgate at all. I will see you later.'[paragraph break]And he pops back out."; rule succeeds. A Water-reaction rule for the passage when the ass does not proffer the passage: say "[one of]Waterstone looks at the passage, briefly arrested by some thought. He gets a monocle like mine out of his drawer. He looks through it at the passage. But what he sees disappoints him, and he shoves the monocle away again. He writes something on a paper and holds it up: 'Good thought [--] P-ASS-AGE [--] but it must have been genuinely constructed from [']ass['], not cobbled from [a list of things that proffer the passage]. Can't cite it.' This is an awful lot of writing; why the man can't come to the door and hold a conversation I don't know. But that's Waterstone for you[or]He checks the passage again, then shakes his head in disappointment when he sees it's not made with genuine ass[stopping]."; rule succeeds. A Water-reaction rule for the cock-ring: say "Waterstone sees what [you][']ve made of the cock, and clutches desperately at his hair as though he's going to tear it out in tufts. His eyes bulge and water. I've never seen the man so close to apoplexy. I think that was exactly the wrong thing, somehow."; rule succeeds. A Water-reaction rule for a naughty-sounding thing (called target): say "Waterstone glares at [the target]. Then he picks up a marker and writes on a piece of paper, '[one of]Yes, but how to change its name to something innocent?[no line break][or]Now you're just taunting me.[no line break][or]Please go away![no line break][stopping]' Having held up this sign for a minute, he crumples it and goes back to work. If he were a cartoon there would be a thundercloud over his laptop."; rule succeeds. A Water-reaction rule for the clock: say "Waterstone inspects the clock through his monocle a moment. Then he picks up a marker and writes on a piece of paper, 'It was always a CLOCK. I need something where the original was naughty.' Having held up this sign for a minute, he crumples it and goes back to work."; rule succeeds. A last Water-reaction rule for something (called the target): say "[one of]Waterstone looks up from his work long enough to give us an irritated glare.[or]Waterstone barely glances away from his typing this time.[or]Without looking up, Waterstone sticks out his tongue. Really, he's clearly very upset about his deadlines, it seems.[or][You] get only a momentary flicker of attention from Waterstone.[stopping]"; if the draft document is examined: say "[line break]He seems to get that we're trying to show him [the target][one of], but as [it-they] [is-are] not related to the concept of homonym shame, it's not much help with his paper, so he probably doesn't want to be distracted[or], but [it-they] [is-are] not something whose original sounded dirty, so presumably that's not a lot of help with the paper[stopping]."; else: if the draft document is seen: say "[line break]He seems to get that we're trying to show him [the target], but I don't think he's very interested. His work doesn't seem to be going well. Maybe if we actually read the document he was trying to print, that would give us some idea."; else: say "[line break]He seems to get that we're trying to show him [the target], but I don't think he's very interested. His work doesn't seem to be going well. It's probably to do with whatever he's trying to print on the department printer."; rule succeeds. Sanity-check saying hello to Professor Waterstone when Professor Waterstone is enclosed by Waterstone's Office and office-door-1 is closed and the location is Language Studies Department Office: say "Waterstone is unable to hear you through the closed door, which is presumably the purpose of closing it, so let's try knocking instead."; try knocking on office-door-1 instead. Sanity-check giving something to Professor Waterstone when Professor Waterstone is enclosed by Waterstone's Office and office-door-1 is closed and the location is Language Studies Department Office: now held-over-object is the noun; say "Waterstone is unable to hear you through the closed door, which is presumably the purpose of closing it, so let's try knocking instead."; try knocking on office-door-1 instead. Sanity-check showing something to Professor Waterstone when Professor Waterstone is enclosed by Waterstone's Office and office-door-1 is closed and the location is Language Studies Department Office: now held-over-object is the noun; say "Waterstone is unable to hear you through the closed door, which is presumably the purpose of closing it, so let's try knocking instead."; try knocking on office-door-1 instead. Held-over-object is a thing that varies. Instead of showing something to special glass window when Professor Waterstone is enclosed by Waterstone's Office and office-door-1 is closed and the location is Language Studies Department Office: say "Though there is a window and Waterstone can watch the outer office from his desk, he is unable to hear you through the closed door, which is presumably the purpose of closing it. I will try knocking instead."; now held-over-object is the noun; try knocking on office-door-1. Instead of giving something to office-door-1 when Professor Waterstone is enclosed by Waterstone's Office and office-door-1 is closed and the location is Language Studies Department Office: say "Waterstone is unable to hear you through the closed door, which is presumably the purpose of closing it, so let's try knocking instead."; now held-over-object is the noun; try knocking on office-door-1. A special glass window is part of office-door-1. The description of the special glass window is "It's nearly the width of the door, and fills most of the upper half of the frame." After deciding the scope of player when the player is in Language Studies Department Office: place Waterstone's Office in scope. A description-concealing rule when the location is the Language Studies Department Office: now everything which is enclosed by Waterstone's Office is not marked for listing. Report Professor Waterstone closing office-door-1: say "The office door closes with measured firmness behind us." instead. Report Professor Waterstone locking office-door-1 with something: say "Through the window in Waterstone's door, [you] can see him turning the lock. When he catches us watching he gives a tight, unfriendly smile and goes back to his desk." instead. Instead of searching the special glass window when office-door-1 is closed: if the location is Waterstone's Office: say "It's amazing what a great view there is."; [this actually should never happen because we shouldn't wind up trapped with W.] otherwise: if Professor Waterstone is enclosed by Waterstone's Office: say "Though he can easily see us through the office door window, Professor Waterstone resolutely ignores our impolite staring. He's trying to get something done on his laptop, but keeps stopping to stare at the screen or, apparently, to curse at it."; otherwise: say "Waterstone's office looks oddly bare now that the man himself is gone." Instead of searching the special glass window when office-door-1 is open: say "[You] get a view of the wall behind the door, which is not terribly exciting." Waterstone's Office is north of office-door-1. It is an office. It is privately-controlled. The description of Waterstone's Office is "A very finicky, neatly arranged room, in which one never feels quite at home.". Rule for writing a paragraph about a desk (called target) which is in Waterstone's office: say "There is an almost bare desk[if something is on the target], which at the moment supports [a list of things on the target][end if]." Waterstone's Office is indoors. [Waterstone is not based on any department chair I've worked for, nor on my own advisor (all of whom have been thoroughly nice people).] Professor Waterstone is an alert man in Waterstone's Office. The description of Waterstone is "Waterstone is in many respects a brilliant man, but he also has a spectacular capacity for ticking people off. He has a dry, off-beat sense of hum[our] whose output is often indistinguishable from insult; he is also convinced that he knows best about most topics of policy, which brings him into frequent disagreement with his colleagues, the dean, and (we hear) his wife.". The introduction of Waterstone is "Waterstone is my dissertation advisor. (He insists on the 'o' spelling.) He's an expert in the history of linguistic and orthographical power, but he's politically kind of reactionary. 'Don't meddle' is pretty much his motto[if Professor Higgate is introduced]. He and Professor Higgate don't always get along that well[end if]." od-key unlocks office-door-1. od-key is carried by Waterstone. Rule for deciding the concealed possessions of Waterstone: if the particular possession is the od-key: yes. Report Professor Waterstone saying hello to the player: if Waterstone does not recollect W-identifies, queue W-identifies; otherwise say "'Hello[one of] again[or][at random],' Waterstone says."; stop the action. When play begins: let target be a random desk which is in Waterstone's Office; move the invitation to the target; move the small laptop to the target; let new target be a random chair which is in waterstone's office; move Professor Waterstone to the new target. An invitation is a thing. The heft of the invitation is 1. The description of the invitation is "It is a white card, like a wedding invitation, with swirly script lettering. 'You are invited,' it says, '[waterstone-invited]to a demonstration of a new T-inserter not available to the general public [--] Serial Comma Day [--] Bureau of Orthography.' Smaller, meaner sans-serif lettering across the bottom adds: 'Bring this card for admission.'" The introduction is "It's from Dental Consonants Limited. Their design of stationery is unmistakable." Understand "lettering" or "invite" or "stationery" as the invitation. Instead of taking the invitation when the location is Waterstone's Office: say "We reach out our hand. He watches us the way a bird of prey might watch the twitching of a small garden snake. Our hand retracts. We do not take the invitation." Instead of examining something when the location of the noun is not the location and the heft of the noun is 1: say "It's hard to get a good look at [the noun] from this distance." A small laptop is a laptop. The description is "It goes everywhere with Waterstone and is grimy with long use, but still functional." It is open and switched on. Section 7 - Samuel Johnson Basement Below Samuel Johnson Hall is Samuel Johnson Basement. The description of Samuel Johnson Basement is "Dank and malod[our]ous: there are no windows down here, and the drainage is terrible. The stairs [up] are here; the lecture room at the [east]. Immediately [south] is the Graduate Student Office, and [southwest] is Professor Brown's office. The most interesting of all is the small door west, trying to look inconspicuous, but locked with a keycard lock: it's where the department stores its most dangerous licensed equipment[if the small door is open]. At the moment it stands invitingly open[end if]." Rule for listing exits while looking in Samuel Johnson Basement: do nothing instead. Instead of smelling Samuel Johnson Basement, say "The distinctive scent of mildew, no doubt a result of the endless flooding and re-flooding of this corridor." Samuel Johnson Basement is indoors. The small door is west of Samuel Johnson Basement. The small door is a door. It is closed and locked. It is scenery. The description of the small door is "It has no label, only a keycard-reading lock.". Report unlocking the small door with something: say "[You] unlock the small door with a swipe of [the second noun]." instead. The keycard-reading lock is a container. It is part of the small door. The description is "It looks high-tech: all black plastic, and a slot to swipe a keycard through." Understand "slot" or "keycard lock" as the keycard-reading lock. Instead of inserting something into the keycard-reading lock: say "[The noun] won't fit." Instead of inserting the keycard into the keycard-reading lock: try unlocking the small door with the keycard. Instead of inserting the card into the keycard-reading lock: try unlocking the small door with the noun. Instead of inserting the passcard into the keycard-reading lock: try unlocking the small door with the noun. Instead of inserting the pass into the keycard-reading lock: try unlocking the small door with the noun. Understand "swipe [something]" as taking. Understand "swipe [keycard]" as swiping. Swiping is an action applying to one thing. Check swiping: if the player cannot see the keycard-reading lock: say "There's nothing here to read it with." instead. Carry out swiping: try unlocking the small door with the keycard instead. Understand "swipe [keycard] in/through [something]" as inserting it into. Instead of unlocking the small door with the card: say "It slides through the lock, but of course it doesn't have a magnetic unlocking stripe, so this does no good. [You] need more of a keycard." Instead of unlocking the small door with the passcard: say "It slides through the lock, but since the information it encodes is passport information, not a key code, the door does not open." Instead of unlocking the small door with the pass: say "This is the sort of pass that you show to people in order to gain access to places. What [you] need is more of a hard plastic keycard." [Originally a "large box", but the risk of having it become a large ox was too great -- it would be easy to implement the transformation but hard to make it fair to the player if the box were to move from its appointed position.] A large carton is a container in Samuel Johnson Basement. It is fixed in place. Understand "recycling" as the large carton. "A large open carton stands against the wall right between Brown's lab door and [if the rectification room is visited]the Rectification Room[otherwise]the interesting door[end if][if the carton-sign is part of the carton]. 'Recycling,' reads the sign over the carton. 'Place your lab-created items here for processing.'[otherwise].[end if]". The carton-sign is a sign. The carton-sign is part of the carton. The printed name is "sign". Understand "sign" as the carton-sign. The description is "'Recycling. Place your lab-created items here for processing.'" In the large carton is a banana. The banana is edible. It is a vegetable. The description of the banana is "Just beginning to get brown and spotty." Instead of going to the Rectification Room when the large carton does not contain something noisy: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; say "[one of]Before [you] go through the door to the Rectification Room, it occurs to us that Professor Brown is just next door, and that he is likely to be able to hear if [you] do anything in there. Possibly some kind of masking noise is in order[or][if the player carries something noisy (called the mask)][The mask] do[es] make noise, but you figure we should leave it out here in the hallway so that it will be louder than whatever we do in the room[otherwise]I defer to your judgment that [you] ought to provide some masking sound before proceeding[end if][stopping].". Instead of dropping something in Samuel Johnson Basement when the heft of the noun is less than 4: say "I'll just leave [that-those of noun] in the carton; less likely to be disturbed there."; try inserting the noun into the large carton; After dropping something noisy in the large carton: say "[You] set [the noun] in the carton, where [it-they] ought to provide a helpful distraction for the time being." Understand "recycle [something]" as recycling. Recycling is an action applying to one carried thing. Sanity-check recycling a person: say "[The noun] might not take kindly to that." instead. Check recycling something when the large carton is not visible: say "There's no place to recycle [the noun]." instead. Carry out recycling something: try inserting the noun into the large carton instead. Section 8 - Rectification Room The Rectification Room is west of the small door. It is indoors. The description is "This is where equipment is brought for a tune-up, or to have its legal limits reinstalled (or, on rare occasions, removed). Access to these abilities is tightly controlled by the Bureau." Instead of switching on the reclamation machine: try switching on the reclamation computer. Instead of switching off the reclamation machine: try switching off the reclamation computer. The reclamation machine is a closed openable fixed in place container in the Rectification Room. The introduction is "It's very ordinary looking, a simple machine with leads able to attach to various linguistic equipment, and to read and rewrite the programming." The initial appearance is "[The reclamation machine] stands near the door, ready to improve forbidden objects for the use of registered departmental users." The description is "You put a piece of linguistic equipment into the reclamation machine and the machine reprograms it. Attached to the machine is a computer which manages its behavi[our][if the reclamation machine is closed]. Currently the machine is closed: I assume [you] use the computer to open it for service[end if]." Instead of opening the reclamation machine: say "The opening is controlled by the computer portion of the machine. It can't just be forced open." The reclamation computer is a computer. It is part of the reclamation machine. One trackpad is part of the reclamation computer. The reclamation computer is running a password lock program called reclamation security. The password of reclamation security is "4tsaj39nbtz". The reclamation computer is running an enumerated multiple-choice program called the reclamations operation program. The options table of the reclamations operation program is the table of deeds. The description of the reclamations operation program is "At the top of the screen is the message STATUS: [if the reclamation machine is closed and the reclamation machine is limit-replacing]STANDBY[otherwise if reclamation machine is abstract-removing]REMOVING ABSTRACTION LIMITS[otherwise if reclamation machine is abstract-replacing]RESTORING ABSTRACTION LIMITS[otherwise if the reclamation machine is limit-replacing]RESTORING LEGAL LIMITS ON ANIMAL-CREATION[otherwise]REMOVING LEGAL LIMITS ON ANIMAL-CREATION[end if]. [options-list of the item described]". The reclamation machine can be limit-removing, limit-replacing, abstract-removing or abstract-replacing. Table of Deeds index title effect -- "RESTORE ABSTRACTION LIMITS" bin-abstract-messing-up rule -- "REMOVE ABSTRACTION LIMITS" bin-abstract-opening rule -- "RESTORE ANIMAL-CREATION LIMITS" bin-messing-up rule -- "REMOVE ANIMAL-CREATION LIMITS" bin-opening rule -- "QUIT" bin-closing rule This is the bin-abstract-messing-up rule: now the reclamation machine is abstract-replacing; if the reclamation machine is closed: now the reclamation machine is open; say "The reclamation machine slides open. "; say "The computer beeps approvingly."; This is the bin-abstract-opening rule: now the reclamation machine is abstract-removing; if the reclamation machine is closed: now the reclamation machine is open; say "The reclamation machine slides open. "; say "The computer gives a warning noise that appears to mean 'If you are really sure, okay...'"; This is the bin-messing-up rule: now the reclamation machine is limit-replacing; if the reclamation machine is closed: now the reclamation machine is open; say "The reclamation machine slides open. "; say "The computer beeps approvingly."; This is the bin-opening rule: now the reclamation machine is limit-removing; if the reclamation machine is closed: now the reclamation machine is open; say "The reclamation machine slides open. "; say "The computer gives a warning noise that appears to mean 'If you are really sure, okay...'"; This is the bin-closing rule: now the reclamation computer is running reclamation security; if the reclamation machine is open: now the reclamation machine is closed; say "The reclamation machine clanks shut. "; say "The security pro[gram] comes up again on screen." [Don't put other stuff in the bin] Instead of inserting something which is not the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the heft of the noun is greater than 2: say "That would be pointless, and even if it weren't, [the noun] won't fit into the reclamation machine." Instead of inserting something which is not the letter-remover into the reclamation machine: say "The reclamation machine wouldn't be able to make much of [the noun], and there's always the risk of attracting undesired attention." [Response to 1: add abstract limits] Report inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the letter-remover was not upgraded and the reclamation machine is abstract-replacing: say "[You] drop the letter-remover through the machine. There's a brief flash and hum from the machine, just as though it were making a photocopy. Then a recording of a woman's voice speaks, loudly and cheerily: ABSTRACTION LIMITS ALREADY IN PLACE."; follow the bin-closing rule; rule succeeds. Carry out inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the reclamation machine is abstract-replacing: now the letter-remover is not upgraded; rule succeeds; Report inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the letter-remover was upgraded and the reclamation machine is abstract-replacing: say "[You] drop the letter-remover through the machine. There's a brief flash and hum from the machine, just as though it were making a photocopy. Then a recording of a woman's voice speaks, loudly and cheerily: ABSTRACTION LIMITS RESTORED."; follow the bin-closing rule; rule succeeds. [Response to 2: remove abstract limits] Report inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the letter-remover was not upgraded and the reclamation machine is abstract-removing: say "[You] drop the letter-remover through the machine. There's a brief flash and hum from the machine, just as though it were making a photocopy. Then a recording of a woman's voice speaks, loudly and cheerily: ABSTRACTION LIMITS REMOVED."; follow the bin-closing rule; rule succeeds. Carry out inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the reclamation machine is abstract-removing: now the letter-remover is upgraded; rule succeeds; Report inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the letter-remover was upgraded and the reclamation machine is abstract-removing: say "[You] drop the letter-remover through the machine. There's a brief flash and hum from the machine, just as though it were making a photocopy. Then a recording of a woman's voice speaks, loudly and cheerily: ABSTRACTION LIMITS ALREADY REMOVED."; follow the bin-closing rule; rule succeeds. [Response to 3: add animal limits] Report inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the letter-remover was not creature-enabled and the reclamation machine is limit-replacing: say "[You] drop the letter-remover through the machine. There's a brief flash and hum from the machine, just as though it were making a photocopy. Then a recording of a woman's voice speaks, loudly and cheerily: LEGAL LIMITS ALREADY IN PLACE."; follow the bin-closing rule; rule succeeds. Carry out inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the reclamation machine is limit-replacing: now the letter-remover is not creature-enabled; rule succeeds; Report inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the letter-remover was creature-enabled and the reclamation machine is limit-replacing: say "[You] drop the letter-remover through the machine. There's a brief flash and hum from the machine, just as though it were making a photocopy. Then a recording of a woman's voice speaks, loudly and cheerily: LEGAL LIMITS RESTORED."; follow the bin-closing rule; rule succeeds. [Response to 4: remove animal limits] Report inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the letter-remover was creature-enabled and the reclamation machine is limit-removing: say "[You] drop the letter-remover through the machine. There's a brief flash and hum from the machine, just as though it were making a photocopy. Then a recording of a woman's voice speaks, loudly and cheerily: LEGAL LIMITS ALREADY ABSENT. Of course, all of that was strictly unnecessary."; follow the bin-closing rule instead; Carry out inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the reclamation machine is limit-removing: now the letter-remover is creature-enabled; complete "Lift the legal limits on the letter-remover so that it can make living creatures"; record "lifting animate limits on the letter-remover" as achieved; rule succeeds. Report inserting the letter-remover into the reclamation machine when the letter-remover was not creature-enabled and the reclamation machine is limit-removing: say "[You] drop the letter-remover through the machine. There's a brief flash and hum from the machine, just as though it were making a photocopy. Then a recording of a woman's voice speaks, loudly and cheerily: LIFTING LEGAL LIMITS NOW [--] a point that might draw undesired attention our way if it weren't masked by the noise outside. The letter-remover comes out again looking exactly the same as when it went in. But it should now be able to make living creatures at need."; follow the bin-closing rule instead. Section 9 - Graduate Student Office South of Samuel Johnson Basement is the Graduate Student Office. The description of the Graduate Student Office is "A small windowless room divided into cubicles for individual graduate students." Graduate Student Office is indoors. A tiny refrigerator is a refrigerator in the Graduate Student Office. The tiny refrigerator is not scenery. The fridge-top is part of the tiny refrigerator. It is a supporter. The scent-description of the tiny refrigerator is "onions". On the fridge-top is a coffee-maker. The coffee-maker is a device. A coffee-pot is part of the coffee-maker. The coffee-pot is a container. Understand "coffee pot" or "coffeepot" as the coffee-pot. Understand "coffee maker" or "coffeemaker" or "maker" or "coffee" as the coffee-maker. The scent-description of the coffee-maker is "damp, aging coffee grounds". Instead of switching on the coffee-maker: say "[You] don't have time to go brewing ourselves a pot, but I can set your mind at rest on one point anyway: it generally comes out horrible." A ranking rule for the tiny refrigerator: increase the description-rank of the tiny refrigerator by 100. After printing the name of the silver platter while writing a paragraph about the tiny refrigerator: if something is on the silver platter: if at least two things are on the silver platter: say " (littered with [if the shrimp tail is on the silver platter]the remains of a party, including [end if][a list of things on the silver platter])[run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say " bearing [a list of things on the silver platter][run paragraph on]". Rule for writing a paragraph about the tiny refrigerator: say "A [tiny refrigerator] stores lunches (sometimes) and looted leftovers from department receptions (when available)"; if the tiny refrigerator is open: say ". The door is currently open[if something is in the tiny refrigerator], revealing [a list of things in the tiny refrigerator][end if]"; say "[if something is on the fridge-top]. On top of the fridge there [is-are a list of things on the fridge-top][end if]."; say line break. Instead of putting something on the tiny refrigerator: try putting the noun on the fridge-top. The description of the coffee-maker is "It's the cheapest possible variety, donated by one of the older students, and it is constantly overflowing and needing to be taken away to be cleaned of loose grounds. But it does work, more or less, most of the time." In the tiny refrigerator is a cream. The indefinite article of the cream is "some". The description of the cream is "Kept around to go with the coffee. It doesn't seem to have gone off yet, which is a wonder." The cream is edible, contained, and fluid. In the tiny refrigerator is a silver platter. The heft of the silver platter is 2. On the silver platter is a crumpled cocktail napkin and a shrimp tail. The description of the silver platter is "Evidently the platter is left over from a department function, and no one has bothered with doing the dishes." The silver platter is portable. The description of the shrimp tail is "There's no meat left; just the remains of one shrimp tail with the flesh bitten off." The description of the crumpled cocktail napkin is "It's trash. Why it wound up being archived in the refrigerator is anyone's guess." A ranking rule for the cubicle: increase the description-rank of the cubicle by 25. The cubicle is a fixed in place enterable open container in the Graduate Student Office. It is not openable. The description is "Little more than a [swivel-chair] and a [built-in desk], now." The introduction is "I cleared everything subversive out of there ages ago, and now I do most of my work at home in the apartment. It's safer that way." Rule for writing a topic sentence about the cubicle: say "My cubicle is the one with [the swivel-chair], towards the back of the room by [the water cooler]. [no line break]" A built-in desk is a desk. It is part of the cubicle. A swivel-chair is in the cubicle. It is a chair. Understand "chair" as the swivel-chair. The description is "It is grey with small white dots on the fabric." The introduction is "I bought the swivel-chair with my own money, because sitting on the plastic bucket seat supplied by the department made my legs sticky in the summer." [In an earlier version of the game, there's an NPC hanging around the department who no longer appears: a grad student with a long-running crush on Alex, which he's never quite reciprocated. He's not that into her, and anyway, he keeps figuring he's going to leave the island and doesn't want to get into a relationship. That element didn't tie into any puzzles and so felt kind of purposeless and unbalanced (and even from a story perspective, she had no special reason to be in the department on a holiday, and Alexandra had no reason to be talking to her when there's this important getting away to do). So I cut the character, leaving only this covert element, a message of solidarity and warning that she's left behind.] The sticky is a thing on the swivel-chair. The description is "[i]Please be careful. The blue hats are watching you.[/i]". Understand "writing" or "message" or "handwriting" or "note" or "warning" as the sticky. The introduction is "I half recogn[ize] the handwriting, but I'm having trouble placing it. One of the other grad students, but I'm not sure which." Instead of putting the sticky on something which is not a supporter: say "[The sticky] doesn't have enough gumminess left to stick to anything new." The water cooler is fixed in place in the Graduate Student Office. The description is "Perpetually empty because no one down here can be bothered to go up to the office, demand a refill, and lug the replacement bottle down the stairs." Instead of drinking the water cooler: say "The water cooler does not contain any water at the moment." Section 10 - Brown's Lab Southwest of Samuel Johnson Basement is Brown's Lab. Brown's Lab is indoors. Sanity-check going to Brown's Lab when Higgate-arrested has happened: say "The whole area is likely under inspection after Brown's little Judas act back there. Who knew he had it in him? Is he seriously expecting to get her position?" instead. Sanity-check approaching Brown's Lab when Higgate-arrested has happened: say "The whole area is likely under inspection after Brown's little Judas act back there. Who knew he had it in him? Is he seriously expecting to get her position?" instead. The work table is scenery in Brown's Lab. The description is "It is a high green-covered counter, like those found in a physics laboratory." On the work table is an electrical equipment. The electrical equipment is fixed in place. The indefinite article of the electrical equipment is "some". The flexible appearance of the electrical equipment is "A mare's nest of electrical equipment occupies most of the top of [the work table]." Understand "mare's" or "nest" or "metal" or "digital" or "readouts" or "boxes" or "wires" or "readout" or "box" or "wire" or "series" or "series of" as the electrical equipment. The description of the electrical equipment is "A series of metal boxes with digital readouts and wires that lead in and out." The introduction of the electrical equipment is "Brown uses this stuff to measure the amount of energy it requires to reify abstract concepts such as 'talk'. He has a theory, apparently, that by measuring the minute variations of input energy required to create these items, he can establish baseline indications about how much certain words are used by English-speakers worldwide; ten, fifty, or a hundred years from now, this data will allow researchers to determine whether these same words have become more or less popular relative to other words. It's a little weird. Abstract reifications are one of the absolute coolest things in language studies[if higgate is as-yet-unknown],[otherwise] [--] Professor Higgate calls them the dark matter of language [--][end if] but Brown has managed to pick the very most boring research project to perform on them, and one which moreover is guaranteed to prevent him having any results worth publishing any time in the next two decades. This pretty much sums up everything you need to know about the guy." Professor Brown is an alert man in Brown's Lab. "[Professor Brown], the Reification of Abstracts researcher, is [if Brown is in Brown's Lab]hunched over his work table[else]standing around awkwardly[end if]." The introduction is "Brown is only barely a professor at all [--] actually, his working title is Senior Lecturer, and he holds a yearly contract which the University has the option to renew at whim. This prevents him going elsewhere while ensuring that he never has a fully-funded lab of his own. All [the electrical equipment] down here is tinker-toys compared to the stuff he really wants; in fact, half of it he built himself with components he bought with his own money. I know all this because Brown cornered me in the hallway one afternoon and talked to me for twenty minutes straight about the pressures of academic job-hunting in the current political climate. I tried to get him to stop, but he's like a wind-up toy." The description of Professor Brown is "He's going bald on top [--] prematurely, because I think he's only 28 or so [--] so, to compensate, he's grown a goofy little [goatee]." Check waving the letter-remover at goatee when the current setting of the letter-remover is "e": if letter-remover is creature-enabled: say "Oh so tempting. You're not the first person to think of it, trust me. The undergrads have a whole sideline in Professor Brown caricature where he has a goat coming out of his face. But if we succeeded, we'd get arrested, and Brown could be seriously injured. I can't go along with that." instead; else: say "Brown's facial hair is currently saved by the fact that we couldn't generate a goat with this letter-remover." instead. Test goatee with "wave e-remover at goatee / autoupgrade / wave e-remover at goatee" in Brown's Lab. The goatee is part of Professor Brown. The description is "It fails to conceal Professor Brown's lack of personal charisma." Report Professor Brown saying hello to the player: say "'Don't touch anything, please,' he says, without looking up." instead. Professor Brown wears steel-rimmed spectacles and a worn leather jacket. The description of the steel-rimmed spectacles is "They have tiny oval lenses, tinted green." The introduction of the steel-rimmed spectacles is "Brown seems to be simultaneously cultivating the image of rebel (age 17) and absent-minded professor (age 65)." The description of the worn leather jacket is "A moderately cool sort of bomber-jacket look, except that the elbows have given out and the cuffs are unraveling." Section 11 - Lecture Hall Lecture Hall 1 is east of Samuel Johnson Basement. "The main lecture hall used for large survey courses in language studies offered to undergraduates. I sat through courses here when I was an undergraduate myself, and have now delivered a few lectures as a teaching assistant." Lecture Hall 1 is indoors. After deciding the scope of the player when in Lecture Hall 1: place the wooden seats in scope. Rule for listing exits when looking in Lecture Hall 1: do nothing instead. The printed name is "Lecture Hall (at the podium)". Understand "podium" or "at podium" or "at the podium" or "(at podium)" or "(at the podium)" as Lecture Hall 1. The podium is a supporter in Lecture Hall 1. It is scenery. The description is "An advanced, pre-wired [podium] that allows the instructor to project slides from a laptop or show movies." On the podium is a page. The page is a notepad. The description of the page is "A sheet of lined paper[if the location is Lecture Hall 1], presumably left by the person who lectured here last[end if]." The memo of the page is "visual[ization] training... preparation at a young age... cooperative direction of language outcomes". The allowed-pens of the page is { pen, pens }. A description-concealing rule when the page is marked for listing: if the page is not seen and the page is not handled: now the page is not marked for listing. A ranking rule for the page when the page is on the podium: increase the description-rank of the page by 40. Rule for writing a topic sentence about the page when the page is on the podium: say "Some previous lecturer has left [a page] on [the podium]. [run paragraph on]" Test page with "tutorial off / look / x podium / look" in Lecture Hall 1. The conference poster is a fixed in place thing in Lecture Hall 1. Understand "title" or "papyrus" or "font" or "daguerreotype" or "catchy" or "portly woman" or "speakers" or "pictures" or "inset" or "waterstone" as the conference poster. "A poster at the front of the room announces a conference on cultural reactions to linguistic change. It is being held in Nice the day after tomorrow, with Professor Waterstone as keynote speaker, on the topic of 'homonym shame'." The introduction is "Somehow I had forgotten about the date of this: I've been too much worried about our escape." The description is "It's the usual sort of thing: the conference title set in Papyrus font; a stock daguerreotype of a portly woman holding a letter-remover the size of a policeman's cosh; inset pictures of the major speakers, with pride of place for Waterstone himself." [After we've changed the poster once, it should stop being stuck in place.] A dangerous destruction rule for the conference poster: now the conference poster is not fixed in place; now the initial appearance of the conference poster is "A conference poster lies curled on the ground."; now the description of the conference poster is "The poster announces a conference on cultural reactions to linguistic change. It is being held in Nice the day after tomorrow, with Professor Waterstone as keynote speaker, on the topic of 'homonym shame'. It's the usual sort of thing: the conference title set in Papyrus font; a stock daguerreotype of a portly woman holding a letter-remover the size of a policeman's cosh; inset pictures of the major speakers, with pride of place for Waterstone himself.". Sanity-check looking under the conference poster when the conference poster is fixed in place: say "That would be hard to do without ripping it off the wall." instead. Lecture Hall 2 is south of Lecture Hall 1. The printed name is "Lecture Hall (among the seats)". Understand "seats" or "among the seats" or "among seats" or "(among seats)" or "(among the seats)" as Lecture Hall 2. Lecture Hall 2 is indoors. The description is "Many are the fine hours I have spent here dozing; and many are the students of mine who have done the same. The circle of life becomes complete." Some wooden seats are supporters in Lecture Hall 2. Understand "hard" or "wood" as the wooden seats. "The room extends [if Location is Lecture Hall 1]south[otherwise]north[end if], full of hard [wooden seats]." The description is "Ingeniously uncomfortable." Rule for disclosing contents of the wooden seats when at least one mentionable thing is on the wooden seats: say "Abandoned on one near the back [is-are a list of mentionable things on the wooden seats]. [run paragraph on]" A coat is on the wooden seats. The coat is floppy and wearable. It covers the torso-area. The description is "It's been abandoned here for a while, since this isn't the time of year when people wear coats. It's brown cloth, only thick enough to keep out rain or a mild chill, and it's rubbed shiny at the elbows. No wonder the owner didn't miss it much." The heft of the coat is 2. Understand "brown coat" or "brown cloth" as the coat. The scent-description of the coat is "dust and a faintest lingering trace of men's cologne". The course advertisement is a fixed in place thing in Lecture Hall 2. Understand "ad" or "interlingua" as course advertisement. "Someone has taped to the wall a [course advertisement] for next quarter, inviting interested undergraduates to enroll in Interlingua 101." The description of the course advertisement is "In large type: [b]Interlingua 101: Learn a Language You Already Know.[/b] In smaller type beneath: [i]Interlingua se basa a parolas international, preponderentemente de origine latin, que ha supervivite a nostre dies, e que existe in italiano, espaniol/portugese, francese e anglese (linguas de referentia) plus germano e russo como reserva. Le grammatica del interlingua es un rationalisate synthese del grammaticas de referentia.[/i] And then as a final tagline: INTERLINGUA IS THE MODERN LATIN.". The introduction is "Probably Professor Higgate's work." Instead of taking the course advertisement, say "It has been stuck to the wall with so much tape that [you] probably couldn't remove it without tearing it." [Before doing something in Lecture Hall 1 when the noun is on the seats or the second noun is on the seats: say "(first wending our way among the seats)[command clarification break]"; try going south; if the location is Lecture Hall 1: stop the action.] The Campus is a region. University Oval, [Grimy Staircase 1, Grimy Staircase 2,] Samuel Johnson Hall, Higgate's Office, Waterstone's Office, the Language Studies Department Office, Samuel Johnson Basement, Graduate Student Office, Lecture Hall 1, Lecture Hall 2, Brown's Lab, Rectification Room, and the Language Studies Seminar Room are in Campus. Book 4 - Act IV Among Policemen Part 1 - The Bureau Chapter 1 - The Bureau and Environs Section 1 - Tall Street East of Roundabout is Tall Street. Tall Street is a road. "Tall Street is very quiet. No celebrations have reached this far, and neither is there any business today; so it has an air of dull abandonment. At the [east] end the street bends to go around an old park rarely visited." The distant-rotunda is scenery in Tall Street. It is distant. The printed name is "rotunda". Understand "rotunda" and "distant" and "blue" and "bureau of orthography" as the distant-rotunda. To decide whether (item - a thing) must be touched: if the item is the noun and the action requires a touchable noun, yes; if the item is the second noun and the action requires a touchable second noun, yes; no. Instead of doing anything when the distant-rotunda must be touched: say "From here [you] can't reach." The description of the distant-rotunda is "It is brighter blue than the sky and soars many [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]storeys[otherwise]stories[end if]." Rule for listing exits when looking in Tall Street: if Pinata Celebration is happening: do nothing instead; say "To the [south] is the important blue [rotunda] of the Bureau of Orthography. The street runs [west] towards the busy roundabout." The employment office is a facade in Tall Street. It fronts north. It is scenery. The description is "Only the stencilled lettering in the window identifies this place: Temporary Employment For Job Seekers. The blinds are down and the door locked. It doesn't look like a large facility." Understand "blinds" or "blind" or "door" or "window" or "lettering" as the employment office. Section 2 - Abandoned Park The Abandoned Park is east of Tall Street. "In contrast with the parks in the more savory parts of town, this is a bit of [patchy grass] where local dogs occasionally come out to do their business. A granite [war memorial] is fixed at the cen[ter][one of], which is why tourist maps optimistically call the place Monument Green. But the memorial is only moderately monumental and the grass hardly green at all[or][stopping]." Understand "monument" or "green" as the abandoned park. The introduction is "It is a place that might have been developed long ago; only it is known that there are remains of Roman settlement here, and there is a risk that digging out the foundations would turn up some of those ruins, exposing a large number of Latin-language objects to the light of day. To prevent this catastrophe the whole area has been placed off limits to development." A war memorial is scenery in the Abandoned Park. Understand "granite" as the war memorial. The description is "It's a curious thing: it stands taller than a person and yet seems almost embarrassed and self-effacing. The lettering is cut quite small, and the names thereon are tightly spaced. Since 1829 there have been only thirty-five officially sanctioned surnames on the island, which means that, for reasons of space, the names have been truncated to numbers, and the result is a list that looks almost like a table of Biblical quotations: John 31, Mark 12, Paul 29. The reason for all this compactness is that the memorial is dedicated to the dead of [i]all[/i] wars. Deaths from the War of Secession and the Civil Dispute of Standard[ization], losses from islanders volunteering in the French Foreign Legion, and the hefty cost of World Wars I and II, all are crammed into the upper left corner, leaving room for a long and bloody future." A poppy is on the war memorial. Understand "flower" as poppy. The description is "Not a real, fresh poppy, but a construct of bright red fabric with a black heart." A description-concealing rule when the poppy is marked for listing: if the poppy is not seen and the poppy is not handled: now the poppy is not marked for listing. Test poppy with "look / x memorial / look" in abandoned park. The patchy grass is scenery in the Abandoned Park. Understand "dirt" or "ground" or "soil" as the patchy grass. The scent-description is "dusty ground". The patchy grass is diggable. The description of the patchy grass is "It's growing in dry flat tufts, from dusty earth." Instead of digging in the patchy grass: if the dog is not seen: move the dog to the player; say "There does seem to be something metal just under the surface. A bit of scrabbling at the dirt is enough to excavate it: [a dog], made of metal, which might be almost any age."; otherwise: say "There's nothing else obviously close to the surface." The description of the dog is "A small, heavy metal figurine representing a watchdog. He looks ferocious, on the verge of attacking. The teeth are especially savage." Understand "metal" or "small" or "heavy" or "figurine" or "watchdog" as the dog. The heft of the dog is 2. Test dog with "tutorial off / dig / g / x dog / test dog-placing" in abandoned park. Test dog-placing with "put dog on pedestal / get god / n / autoupgrade / wave z-remover at kudzu / look behind bushes / put god in shrine / look" in Roget Close. A twig is a thing in Abandoned Park. "[one of][You] step on a [twig] before I back away again.[or]A [twig] lies in the grass.[stopping]". The description is "Nine or ten inches long, very thin and somewhat flexible. There are no leaves left on it." Instead of propping a door with the twig: say "A nice thought, but the twig is too short and supple to make an effective prop. One needs something a bit longer." Rule for listing exits when looking in the Rotunda: do nothing instead. The used furniture shop is a facade in Abandoned Park. It fronts east. The description is "Like just about everything else, the shop is closed, but were it open, it would be just the place to buy cracked mirrors, scuffed end tables, and wobbly chairs painted with a thick layer of off-white paint." It is scenery. The veterinary clinic is a facade in Abandoned Park. It fronts north. It is scenery. The description is "From outside it looks just the same as almost any kind of professional office: there could just as well be a doctor in there, or a lawyer, or a psychiatrist." Section 3 - Bus Station The Bus Station is southeast of the Abandoned Park. "A currently-desolate depot from which buses run seasonally to Maiana, the island's other major town. The [station building] is a low, rectilinear edifice from the 60s, all pebbled concrete and sheet glass, but it's shut, leaving accessible only a series of empty [bus bays] and a [wall-mounted schedule]. The public convenience to the [east] is the only thing open, while the area to the [northwest] is open parkland." The old station building is scenery in the Bus Station. The description is "It's the most pathetic thing imaginable: the future, as imagined by the past. No one is in there at the moment." Understand "pebbled" and "concrete" and "sheet" and "glass" and "edifice" as the old station building. The bus bays are scenery in the Bus Station. The description is "There are three bays, though it's rare for more than one to be in use at a time unless a chartered bus service is running on behalf of tourists or the schools." The wall-mounted schedule is scenery in the Bus Station. The description is "The schedule is an intricate affair, and the de[if the player is wearing britishizing goggles]cy[otherwise]ci[end if]phering of the various letter-codes and footnotes was actually a subject of study in my grade school. The buses run every sixty-two minutes during daylight in the winter, every forty-three minutes in summer, with every third bus running as an express without stops if the passengers of this bus do not vote otherwise. During the run of the school year there is an extra inbound bus in the morning and outward in the afternoon; contrariwise the bus is on half-schedule Sundays and holidays, except major patriotic holidays when there is no bus at all. Like today." The shed is a thing in the Bus Station. "A [shed], rather ramshackle and unlikely, sits on the pavement, where it ought to be in the way of incoming buses." The heft of the shed is 10. The description of the shed is "Sheds like this are typically cheap and very very temporary housing for the homeless. The policy of the Bureau is that no one is allowed to beg, and punishments for begging and homelessness are often quite stiff, so there is nothing in the way of an established shelter on the island and little recourse for those who might need it." Instead of opening or entering the shed: say "It's locked, but I doubt there's anything inside but possibly a few used blankets." A dove is a bird in the Bus Station. "A [dove] flutters from one surface to another, occasionally stopping to stare at us." The heft of the dove is 2. Understand "bird" as dove. The description is "It is pure white, probably a refugee from a group released at a wedding. People do occasionally get married on Serial Comma Day." The long-road is a facade in the Bus Station. The printed name is "long road". Understand "long" or "road" as the long-road. It is scenery. It fronts southeast. The description is "A long road leads through the outskirts of town south and east towards the rest of the island. It's an interesting journey, but not for today." The closure notice is "That would be a long walk and in the wrong direction. ". The convenience-exterior is a scenery facade in the Bus Station. The printed name is "public convenience". Understand "public" or "convenience" as the convenience-exterior. The description is "A humble structure." Rule for listing exits while looking in Bus Station: do nothing instead. Section 4 - Public Convenience [The public convenience existed from a fairly early stage of the game development, as a place to change your wig or look in the mirror or acquire some soap. The dead-drop puzzle was a late addition to the game, and it came about because I felt that I wanted to make the espionage aspects more convincingly espionage-y. I used this excuse to read a couple of LeCarré novels — research, you see — and then extracted the concepts that I thought would be easiest to transfer into the context of IF.] The Public Convenience is east of Bus Station. It is indoors. The Public Convenience is a public restroom. The description of Public Convenience is "There are just the two toilet stalls[if at least two sinks are in the location] and a couple of [sink-collectives], but the place has been kept up reasonably well, if one doesn't count the [random graffiti][otherwise if one sink is in the location] and a single [random sink], the other one having been vandalized. The [random graffiti] adds a grim touch[otherwise] though both sinks are gone and there is [random graffiti] on the walls[end if]." The introduction of the Public Convenience is "A faint smell of lavender lingers in the air." Some sink-collectives are scenery in the public convenience. The sink-collectives are privately-named. The printed name is "sinks". Understand "sinks" as sink-collectives. Sanity-check doing something other than examining to the sink-collectives: if the number of sinks in the location is 0: say "[You][']ve already gotten rid of all the sinks to be found in this area." instead; let target be a random sink in the location; change the noun to the target. [After going to Public Convenience: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; [if hurrying: say "[line break]";] say "I double-take before remembering to go into the women's side; it's a good thing you're nudging me along."; continue the action.] A soap is a fluid thing. The indefinite article is "some". The description is "Clear fluid for washing up with." The scent-description is "herbes de Provence". Does the player mean waving the letter-remover at the soap: it is very likely. The soap dispenser is a closed container in the Public Convenience. It is privately-named. Understand "dispenser" or "soap dispenser" as the soap dispenser. Understand "soap" as the soap dispenser when the soap is not visible. It is fixed in place. The initial appearance of the soap dispenser is "A [soap dispenser] hangs beside the mirror." The description of the soap dispenser is "It's the kind where a squeeze will dispense new soap into the sink[if the soap is not in the soap dispenser]. It is also empty[end if]." Does the player mean waving the letter-remover at the soap dispenser: it is very unlikely. Sanity-check taking the soap when the soap is in the soap dispenser: try squeezing the soap dispenser instead. Instead of squeezing the soap dispenser: if soap is in the dispenser: if the number of sinks in the location is greater than 0: let target be a random sink; if a visible sink contains an open container (called receptor): now target is the receptor; otherwise: now target is a random sink in the location; say "[You] give the dispenser a squeeze and it deposits some soap in [the target][if the target is a sink] [--] just viscous enough not to drain away instantly[end if]."; move the soap to the target; otherwise: say "[You] give the dispenser a squeeze and it deposits some soap on the floor, the sink having been removed from the area."; move the soap to the location; otherwise: say "This time nothing much comes out." The soap is in the soap dispenser. The wall-hole is a fixed in place container in the Public Convenience. Understand "hole" or "hole in the wall" or "hole in wall" or "wall" as the wall-hole. The printed name is "[if looking]hole[otherwise]hole in the wall[end if]". "About knee-height in one of the stalls is a [wall-hole] that runs right through the wall between the men's and women's restrooms." The description of the wall-hole is "It's too small to get a good look through, really, and usually cluttered with junk." Report searching the wall-hole when the ash is in the wall-hole: say "[one of]At first there doesn't seem to be anything in there, but when we put our finger in, we find it's full of ash[or]The ash is still mounded up in the hole[stopping]." instead. A description-concealing rule: if the ash is marked for listing and the ash is in the wall-hole: now the ash is not marked for listing. The introduction is "It's here that you and Brock and Slango usually leave things for one another." The ash is a fluid thing in the wall-hole. The description is "It's fine grey-white powder, and a fair quantity of it: too much to have come from a cigarette or two." The indefinite article is "some". The scent-description of the ash is "bitter smokiness". Instead of touching the ash: say "It leaves white-grey smears on our fingers." Test ash with "tutorial off / open tub / get ash / smell ash / touch ash / put gel on ash / x card / wave t-remover at trash / wave r-remover at rash / x ash / gel ash / x trash" in the Public Convenience holding the tub. Section 5 - Rotunda The Rotunda is south of Tall Street. It is indoors. "Echoing space, marble floor, eye-like [skylight] many me[ter]s above us: so far, the Rotunda might belong to any 19th-century government bureau of means and self-importance. What sets this one apart is the lettering, each sigil no bigger than a flea, carved over every inch of the walls. Inscribed here is, in fact, the [italic type]entire[roman type] [inscribed-text] of A New Orthodox Orthography[if the Rotunda is unvisited], which means that if [you] had a great deal of patience and many rolls of butcher paper, [you] could take rubbings and wind up with our very own volume. [You] don't, of course. There are better things to do. More important places to go[end if]. The administrative part of the bureau is away to the south, and there is an exhibit of letter tools to the east, which is open to the public." Instead of facing up in the Rotunda: try examining the inscribed-text. The skylight is scenery in the rotunda. The description is "It is distant and perfectly round." The inscribed-text is scenery in the Rotunda. Understand "new" or "orthodox" or "orthography" or "inscribed" or "text" or "lettering" or "inscription" as the inscribed-text. The printed name is "text". The description of the inscribed-text is "It is far too small to read, especially since the letters are not painted or inked, just carved into the stone surfaces." Instead of touching the inscribed-text: say "The letters are cool and tiny under our fingers." The informational bulletin-board is fixed in place in the Rotunda. Understand "bulletin" or "board" as the bulletin-board. "Near the street entrance is a sizable [bulletin-board] advertising the services of the Bureau[if the bin is in the location]; and next to this, pushed back to be out of the way, is a [bin][end if]. [run paragraph on]" The description is "[i]What Can Your Bureau of Orthography Do For You?[/i] inquires the bulletin board, in a sprightly casual font. On a sheet labeled [i]From Plumbing to Medicine... 'And More'[/i], the bulletin board describes the tools available to the All-Purpose Officers, including a synthes[ize]r for combining two word-objects into one; Q- and Z-inserters (most letters are still under development); and even specially licensed equipment capable of producing living creatures. For immigration and importation services, such as assigning Atlantean names to immigrants, neutral[izing] foreign-language pets, and approving imported goods, [you] are encouraged to visit the Customs House instead." After examining the informational bulletin-board: say "A handwritten note is tacked up after this, which adds that the synthes[ize]r is unavailable for public use through Dec. 19th because it is on loan to the university Department of Language Studies[if Samuel Johnson Hall is not visited][one of]. Hey, that's my department![or].[stopping][otherwise].[end if]" A bin is a container in the Rotunda. It contains a shuttle. The description of the bin is "BUREAU PARKING, reads the bin, in thick black marker. DO NOT TAKE UNLESS AUTHOR[IZE]D." The description of the shuttle is "It's a wooden device that holds a quantity of yarn, allowing the user more easily to pass the thread back and forth while weaving. It is also a bit of a snarky joke on the Bureau's part. Atlantean land prices being what they are, the Bureau prefers not to have to build a parking garage. Instead they have shuttles that an All-Purpose Officer with a homonym paddle can easily convert into a full-sized vehicle for use, and back again for easy storage. The shuttles in their untransformed state are no earthly use to anyone else, of course, which is why they can be left around unsupervised." Section 6 - Tools Exhibit The Tools Exhibit is east of the Rotunda. It is indoors. The description of the Tools Exhibit is "This area, though technically part of the Bureau, is open to the public as a display of the tools (past and present) of orthographical dominance. Everything is, alas, behind glass. Over at one end of the room is a Regency version of your own letter-remover [--] known as the [Model T], because that is all it was originally able to remove. Next to that there is [an anagramming gun] and [an etymological reversing chamber]." The printed name of the Tools Exhibit is "Tools and Techniques Exhibit". The display case is a scenery container. It is in the Exhibit. It is transparent, openable, and closed. Understand "glass" as the display case. Instead of opening the display case: say "[one of]I don't want to sound like I doubt your criminal credentials, or whatever, but I doubt even you can successfully steal from this display case[or]No. Sorry, I just don't see how it could possibly work without our getting caught[or]Still not interested[stopping]. The casing material would stop a bullet.". A description-concealing rule when the location is Tools Exhibit: now the display-platform is not marked for listing. The display-platform is a supporter in the display case. Understand "pedestal" or "platform" as the display-platform. The printed name is "display platform". Instead of shooting the display-platform with the loaded anagramming gun: say "The display platform shatters and starts to reassemble as [one of]a soft drippy llama[or]fatally dim props[or]dim floppy altars[or]papa's moldy flirt[or]forty pallid amps[or]a tipsy mallard fop[at random], but the containment control fails at the last minute and it goes back to being itself. Must just be too big an object for the gun to handle." The Model T is a thing on the display-platform. The description is "The Regency-era T-remover is clumsy-looking and too big to lift, thanks to the coal boiler required to power it. It still bears the maker's mark of one S. Meretzky." The heft of the Model T is 12. Understand "coal" or "boiler" as the Model T. Instead of taking the model T: say "It is much too large to lift." Instead of switching on the Model T: say "It doesn't switch. It requires coal and water and a lot of patience, and [you] don't have a long supply of any of those things. Besides, it would only do 1/26th of what the ordinary letter remover can do." The Etymological Reversing Chamber is a closed openable container on the display-platform. The heft of the Etymological Reversing Chamber is 12. The description is "It looks like an iron lung [--] a large sealed chamber with extensive machinery surrounding it. It is able to make words run back to their linguistic roots: ape into apa, pearl to perle, and so on. The machine is of little popular use and is principally applied by scholars under controlled circumstances." The introduction is "Despite newspaper articles breathlessly proclaiming that the ERC will be able to produce the 'God language' [--] mankind's original tongue [--] in practice even the more modest research goal of rediscovering the vocabulary of proto-Indo-European would require prohibitive amounts of power. As one moves further and further from forms that are familiar to modern speakers, the reification effort required increases exponentially." Report opening the Etymological Reversing Chamber for the first time: say "There is an exhalation of funereal dust, as though you had cracked an Egyptian tomb." instead. Instead of switching on the Etymological Reversing Chamber: say "It is not plugged in, nor is there any plausible way to plug it in around here. Just as well: it probably draws a lot of power." A description-concealing rule when the location is the Tools Exhibit: now the Model T is not marked for listing; now the Britishizing goggles are not marked for listing; now the anagramming gun is not marked for listing; now the Etymological Reversing Chamber is not marked for listing. Sanity-check going to a privately-controlled room in Official grounds: if Cold Storage is visited: make no decision; [if the player encloses a visible bureau-disallowed thing: say "If [you] [are] going to try to get into the Bureau, [you][']ll need a pass and a reason for entry, and [you] should probably hide most of our possessions[if the player carries something bureau-allowed]. It's fine to have [the list of bureau-allowed things enclosed by the player], and our[otherwise]Our[end if] hair and clothing probably won't be closely searched, but anything illegal or weird, or anything an authentication scope would identify as fake, like [the list of visible bureau-disallowed things enclosed by the player], will need to be smuggled inside something else." instead; ] if a fake person (called ringer) is in the location: say "[The ringer] would probably give us away if [it-they] followed us. Best take care of that first." instead; continue the action. Section 7 - Antechamber The Antechamber is south of the Rotunda. It is indoors. "The most important task of any government bureau is to keep away time-wasters, irritants, and uninformed members of the general public, who might distract the diligent workers within from their important tasks. The Bureau of Orthography is no different. An [instructive notice] details the criteria for entry to the Bureau proper." The instructive notice is scenery in the Antechamber. The description is "Please note that those wishing to enter must have a PASS suitable for visitors, which must include an UP TO DATE photograph closely resembling the subject. Passes that do not look like their possessors will be rejected. Visitors will also need an additional proof of their business in the Bureau, such as a letter of invitation from a Bureau authority. All credentials will be subject to inspection with an authentication scope. Anyone attempting to enter the Bureau with a falsified pass or lack of proper credentials may be subject to FINES and INDEFINITE DETENTION." A tall stool is in the Antechamber. The description of the stool is "It looks uncomfortable." Instead of waving the letter-remover at something in the presence of the secretary: say "Not with the secretary watching, [you] don't." The secretary is a police woman on the tall stool. The description of the secretary is "Curiously, she refuses to quite meet our eye." Understand "woman" or "guard" as the secretary. [The secretary carries an Authentication Scope.] She wears a pencil skirt and a plain white top. Understand "shirt" or "blouse" as the top. The description of the pencil skirt is "A prim, pencil-length number reaching to just below the knee. It is the regulation shade of Orthographical Blue." The description of the plain white top is "Devoid of ruffles, lace or other distractions." [Originally the secretary could be solved in a variety of different ways. Initially she was dressed in a skirt and blouse, both of which could be letter-removed to make other objects, so that she'd be embarrassed by her sudden denuding and run out of the room. That solution didn't last very long at all, though, since about two seconds of thought suggested it was both mean-spirited and creepy.] Rule for writing a paragraph about the secretary when the location of the cad is the location: say "[The secretary] sits on [a stool], fidgeting with [if a random chance of one in two succeeds]the hem of [the skirt][otherwise]the neckline of [the plain white top][end if], and glaring at [the cad]. ". Rule for writing a topic sentence about the secretary: say "Here to guard access to the rest of the building is [a secretary][if the secretary is on the tall stool] [in-on a tall stool][end if].[no line break] [run paragraph on]". [Every turn when the secretary carries the skit: say "[The secretary] screeches in horror at her newly defrocked state, and leaps from [the stool], dropping [the list of things carried by the ]. She runs from the room. The skit [--] which turns out to be performed by a harmless-looking man wearing a tea-towel on his head [--] turns to us and says, 'Oh dear!' The man departs after her."; now everything carried by the secretary is in the location; remove the secretary from play; remove the skit from play. ] Instead of someone going to a room which is not the Rotunda in the presence of the secretary when the person asked does not enclose the pass: if the player can see the actor: say "'Pass?' demands the secretary in a bored voice. [The person asked] shrugs and goes no further." Instead of going to a room which is not the Rotunda in the presence of the secretary when the player does not enclose the pass and the player is not allowed: say "[path-walked so far][one of][You] stride confidently toward [the noun] [--] that's my contribution, as you're more of a shuffler or possibly a slinker. Actually, I think a little of your posture must still be showing, because [you] [are] stopped by the secretary. [or]I do my best to give us a cocky swagger, but she's on to us now. [stopping][paragraph break]"; if the current interlocutor is not the secretary, silently try saying hello to the secretary; try the secretary discussing pass-need. Sanity-check showing the invitation to the secretary: try going east instead. Sanity-check showing the pass to the secretary: try going east instead. Instead of going to a room which is not the Rotunda in the presence of the secretary when the player encloses the pass and the secretary encloses the Regulation Authentication Scope and the player is not allowed: if already caught is true: make no decision; if the number of entries in the path so far of the player is greater than 0: say "[path-walked so far]"; if the pass is not visible: if the pass is enclosed by a closed container (called the barrier): try opening the barrier; try taking the pass; otherwise: say "[You] show our pass to the secretary."; if the player does not wear the hairpiece and the player does not wear the wig: now already caught is true; say "[line break]The secretary looks at the pass, then looks at us. 'This isn't you on the pass,' she says. [paragraph break]'I've changed my hair,' I explain. 'And I'm wearing different contacts. And I've lost some weight.'[paragraph break]She looks at the picture, then at us again. 'Nope,' she says [--] and sends the room into lockdown.[paragraph break]I'm telling you, it's the hair that did it. If that matched better, I doubt she would have looked so closely at the rest."; end the game saying "Our arrest goes badly"; stop the action; if the player wears the hairpiece: try the secretary looking at the hairpiece through the scope; if the hairpiece is not disguised: end the game saying "Our detention goes badly"; stop the action; if the player wears the wig: try the secretary looking at the wig through the scope; if the wig is not disguised: end the game saying "Our detention goes badly"; stop the action; if the player does not enclose the invitation: now already caught is true; say "[line break]The secretary looks at the pass, then looks at us. 'And the purpose of your visit?' [paragraph break][You] say [you] [are] here at invitation to examine the T-inserter. She asks where the invitation is. [You] admit [you] don't have it just at the moment. It is possible that I come off as particularly dishonest in my nervous attempts to convince her."; end the game saying "Our detention goes badly"; stop the action; try the secretary looking at the pass through the scope; if the player is allowed: record "passing the secretarial test" as achieved; [now the secretary carries the pass;] now the secretary carries the invitation; now the invitation is not essential; complete "Gain entrance to the Bureau"; say "[line break]'That will do,' the secretary says of our pass. Then she inspects the invitation with the monocle. 'Most of the visits were earlier in the day,' she says. 'Quite a fracas there was this morning.' 'The invitation doesn't state a particular time,' we say. She deflates momentarily and goes back to inspecting. 'There's another problem. This invitation is for Professor Waterstone. They're watermarked individually to avoid fraud. You're not Professor Waterstone.' 'He sent me to do some research in his place. I'm a student of his.' She frowns. 'Invitations to inspect highly secure machinery are not transferrable,' she says. 'And how should I know whether you stole it?'"; Sanity-check going to the Antechamber when the secretary carries the pass: say "[You] went to all that trouble to get inside; [you] might as well go on from here." instead. Sanity-check going to the Rotunda when the secretary carries the pass: say "[You] went to all that trouble to get inside; [you] might as well go on from here." instead. [Instead of going to the Antechamber in the presence of the secretary: say "We went to all that trouble to get inside; we might as well go on from here."] Attempting entry is a scene. Attempting Entry begins when the secretary carries the invitation. Instead of doing something other than waiting during Attempting entry: say "I'm handling this." Instead of waiting during Attempting Entry: say "Sure, hang in there. I'm pretty sure that what [you] need here is to act as much like Professor Waterstone himself as humanly possible." Every turn during attempting entry: if time since Attempting Entry began is 1 minute: say "'Professor Waterstone is a busy man,' I say. 'If you want me to tell him you wouldn't cooperate, I'm just as happy not to work on Serial Comma Day. But if DCL wants his endorsement or advice, they'll have to work within his schedule. If you are going to turn me away, however, I would like the opportunity to speak with your manager.' The secretary scowls. 'Fine. I'll contact Waterstone.' She places a call [--] on speakerphone, no less [--] glaring all the time. 'Waterstone here,' says the phone. There's background traffic noise. Waterstone must be on the road already. Figures he would have a car phone. Most people aren't allowed, here. 'I have a student here attempting to use your invitation to enter the Bureau,' says the secretary. 'Was it stolen?' 'What? Oh that. No.' 'You're saying you gave your invitation away.' 'Yes I did,' says Waterstone. 'And I have been a research partner to DCL since before you were born.' 'Sir, you are aware that this is highly irregular!'"; Attempting entry ends when the time since Attempting entry began is three minutes. When attempting entry ends: say "The secretary is still talking. 'You personally vouch for this student? You know her well and are sure of her trustworthiness?' 'Known her for years,' lies Waterstone, annoyed. There's a click as he hangs up. 'What a delightful man,' remarks the secretary. She looks over our other visible possessions ([the list of things carried by the player]) and deems them acceptable. She makes us sign a book, for which [you] use a signature of your invention. Finally: 'Go in, descend to the basement, and present yourself at the secure section downstairs. Be advised you will be under video surveillance as you approach. Any attempts to modify or steal Bureau property, to gain access to rooms to which you have not been expressly invited, to eavesdrop on conversations of Bureau employees, or to leave objects of your own behind in the Bureau, may result in your arrest and prosecution. 'Have a nice day!'"; Instead of putting gel on something in the presence of the secretary: say "I think the secretary would find that a little too interesting." already caught is a truth state that varies. A person can be allowed or barred. A person is usually barred. [Persuasion rule for asking the secretary to try looking at something through something: persuasion succeeds. ] Understand "bribe [secretary]" as a mistake ("Attempts to bribe bureau employees carry sentences of up to ten years in prison. I'm not up for that, thanks."). Instead of taking something which is enclosed by the secretary: say "Theft from bureau employees carries a sentence of up to fifteen years in prison and rationed use of plurals." Instead of kissing or attacking the secretary: say "Violence against the person of a bureau employee is grounds for Cold Storage." Instead of giving something to the secretary: try showing the noun to the secretary. Instead of showing something to the secretary when the secretary encloses the Scope: try the secretary looking at the noun through the scope. [After going to the Rotunda when the player encloses the pass: say "You flash your pass at the secretary, and she shrugs, allowing you in."] Section 8 - Hallway and Inaccessible Room The Bureau Hallway is east of the Antechamber. It is Indoors. "This is a long hallway with many doors leading off, the business of the bureau being varied and all-encompassing; it is for all essential purposes the chief organ of government in Atlantis, since only a few topics are brought to citizen referendum." The All-Purpose Office is east of Bureau Hallway. It is indoors. "There's a front desk at which a receptionist meets with members of the public and assesses their needs; beyond that, the room is crowded with dozens of stations for the use of the All-Purpose Officers, and stretches back some distance. It looks like an old-fashioned newsroom. Fully half the stations are empty, due to their owners being away on call somewhere on the island, but the rest are fully occupied [--] many of them by people who wear authentication monocles routinely." Every turn when the location is the All-purpose office: say "I'm pretty sure that hanging out here is the best way to get caught in a hurry, though, so let's duck back out, shall we? Maybe one of the other rooms will offer us better prospects."; try going west. Chapter 2 - Bureau Basement Section 1 - Foot of Stairs Below Bureau Hallway is Bureau Basement South. Bureau Basement South is indoors and forbidden. The description of Bureau Basement South is "[You] have descended into a windowless underground passage. The hallway runs [north] from here, and for an eerily long way [--] the tunnels must extend well beyond the above-ground profile of the building." Rule for writing a paragraph about the plywood cutout when the seer automaton is mentionable and the location is Bureau Basement South: say "Propped in the corner are some articles that were probably meant to be used as part of the Serial Comma Day Fair, but got confiscated instead: [a seer automaton] and [a plywood cutout] depicting Atlantida.". A push-button device is a kind of device. Sanity-check switching off a push-button device: say "[The noun] [one of]only runs for a little while at a time, and is already off[or]has already shut down again[at random]." instead. The seer automaton is a push-button device in Bureau Basement South. Understand "robot head" as the seer automaton. The heft is 3. The description is "It's a robotic head inside a glass box. When turned on, it gives out fortunes. There's an old-fashioned carnival feel about the thing, and the fact that it's a portable size makes it a good candidate for traveling fairs." Instead of switching on the seer automaton: say "The seer cranks to life, looks us up and down with painted wooden eyeballs, and in a tinny voice, says, 'I predict [one of]you will become BIG. Much bigger than you were yesterday[or]you will escape.' Asthmatic whirring. 'Possibly on the back of an interstellar whale[or]the Bureau won't last past tomorrow[cycling].'" The plywood cutout is a fixed in place thing in Bureau Basement South. "A plywood cutout depicting Atlantida is propped in the corner." Understand "painted" or "depicting" or "atlantida" or "hole" or "head" or "funny pose" as the plywood cutout. The heft is 5. The description is "It's one of those plywood cutouts where a tourist sticks his head through and someone else takes a photo showing the tourist a funny pose. This one puts the tourist's face on Atlantida, complete with flowing blue robes and expansive bosom." Understand "put [something] through [something]" as inserting it into. Sanity-check inserting something into the plywood cutout: if the noun is the player: try poking head through the plywood cutout instead; say "[The noun] would not balance inside the face cutout." instead. Understand "put my/our/your head in/into/through [something]" as poking head through. Understand "put head in/into/through [something]" as poking head through. Poking head through is an action applying to one thing. Sanity-check an actor poking head through something which is not the plywood cutout: if the noun is wearable: try the actor wearing the noun instead; otherwise if the noun is a door: try the actor entering the noun instead; otherwise: if the player is the actor: say "I'm not sure that's feasible."; stop the action. Report someone poking head through the plywood cutout: say "[The actor] look[s] frankly awesome with [its-their] head poking through above the bosom and flowing robes of Atlantida." instead. Report poking head through the plywood cutout: say "[You] momentarily enjoy the sensation of being cast as Atlantida, spirit of the island, invincible, implacable, the sum of the devotions and desires of all our people. It's a giddy feeling. No wonder the Bureau confiscated this thing and wouldn't let it be shown at the fair." instead. Test BBS with "tutorial off / look / x cutout / put head through cutout / put seer through cutout / turn on seer / turn off seer / cad, put your head through the cutout / kiss cad / cad, put your head through the cutout" holding the cad in Bureau Basement South. Test automaton with "tutorial off / open tub / x automaton / put automaton in inserter / get it / gel it / put it in inserter" holding the tub and the automaton in the Sensitive Equipment Testing Room. Section 2 - Basement Middle North of Bureau Basement South is Bureau Basement Middle. It is indoors and forbidden. The description of Bureau Basement Middle is "The hallway continues both [north] and [south], flanked by doors painted immutable col[our]s: hyacinth, celadon, chartreuse." The hyacinth door, the celadon door, and the chartreuse door are scenery in Bureau Basement Middle. Rule for listing exits while looking in Bureau Basement Middle: do nothing instead. The description of the hyacinth door is "A small plaque on the door reads 'Internal Security.' [door-quip for the item described]." The description of the celadon door is "A small plaque on the door reads 'Liaison to Homeland Business Interests.' [door-quip for the item described]." The description of the chartreuse door is "A small plaque on the door reads 'Overseer of Business Abroad.' [door-quip for the item described]." To say door-quip for (N - a thing): say "[one of][The N] is impervious even to N-insertion, should someone develop it[or]I don't even recogn[ize] the kind of lock on this thing[at random]". The cute security door is a locked lockable door. "The [cute security door] at the [if the location is Bureau Basement Middle]north[otherwise]south[end if] end is solidly shut[if Cold Dilemma has happened]; there's no sign of anyone still waiting on this side of it[end if]." It is north of Bureau Basement Middle and south of Bureau Basement Secret Section. The description is "A thick iron door, decorated with Hello Kitty stickers. There is no handle and no access to the locking mechanism (though it is certainly locked). The door can only be activated by guards in another room, watching through a video camera." [Here I compromised narrative plausibility in order to make the game winnable. It seems highly unlikely to me that anyone would be allowed to visit this area without an escort of guards. However, the multiplication of doors, and the trick of the guard controlling a second door by watching for it through a video camera, are based on memories and stories about the facility where my mother did some classified work back in the 80s.] The adorable video camera is a thing in Bureau Basement Middle. "[An adorable video camera] hangs in the left corner above the door." It is fixed in place. The description is "It has a lens, certainly, but it is also made of pink plastic and has cat ears. And it looks like it will recognize us if we approach, perhaps?" A ranking rule for the adorable video camera: decrease the description-rank of the adorable video camera by 100. [handles approach camera, go to camera, etc] Sanity-check finding the video camera: try entering the cute security door instead. Instead of waving to the video camera: say "[You] raise a hand and wave to the camera. Its ears swivel in acknowledgement."; try entering the cute security door. Sanity-check going through the cute security door when cold dilemma has happened: say "That way will be guarded. If [you] [are] going to escape, it will have to be by some back way." instead. Before going through the cute security door: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; say "[You] come to a cutely decorated security door. "; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; say "The guards have apparently been instructed to allow us in, because as [you] approach, the door slides open."; now the cute security door is open. After going through the cute security door: now the cute security door is closed; say "The door seals behind us as soon as [you] [are] through."; continue the action. Some Hello Kitty stickers are part of the cute security door. The description is "They're here to ensure that this door is unlike any other door, and will not respond well even to advanced custom-language devices." Section 3 - Secret Section Bureau Basement Secret Section is indoors and forbidden. "The heightened security on this side of the door is obvious everywhere [you] look. The floor is tiled in paisley tiles. The light fixtures give off pale pink light. The walls are covered in frog leather. The doors are locked with padlocks the size of handbags, locks decorated à la Louis Quinze, combination locks made of solid gold. There is not a bare noun in sight." Some frog leather walls, paisley tile floors, enormous padlocks, fancy locks, and gold combination locks are scenery in the Bureau Basement Secret Section. The description of the frog leather walls is "Mostly green spotted with brown, but for decorative trim they've used more exotic tree frogs in blue and orange." The description of the paisley tile floors is "[You] have a dizzying impression of walking on an old gentleman's tie." The description of the enormous padlocks is "Huge and heavy, like something out of the jail in a child's cartoon." The description of the gold combination locks is "They may look old fashioned, but inside I daresay they are electronic and use one of those systems where the passcode is tied to the exact current time of day." The description of the fancy locks is "They look as though they were doing service in Versailles, but they also look as though they're really fingerprint readers. The business of grasping the lock to insert the key is the important thing. Not that [you] have the right sort of fingertips for that." Rule for listing exits while looking in Bureau Basement Secret Section: say "[if Cold Storage is visited]Going south through the security door isn't an option; our only way out is north[otherwise]The hallway runs from south (comparatively normal) to north (deeply frightening)[end if]. Just west is the equipment testing room[if Cold Storage is visited], and southwest is Cold Storage[end if]." instead. Section 4 - Testing Room The Sensitive Equipment Testing Room is west of Bureau Basement Secret Section. It is indoors and forbidden. "A room with no windows, no cameras, no recording equipment, and barely any furniture." The Sensitive Equipment Testing Room contains a rock. The initial appearance of the rock is "A [rock] sits in one corner of the room." Before going from the Sensitive Equipment Testing Room: if the player does not know brock-found: say "[You] shouldn't leave here until [you] have some clue about what happened to Brock when he came in." instead; if the rock is enclosed by the location and the rock is not enclosed by the player: if Brock does not recollect getting-out-now: say "[You] can't leave rock-Brock. That was the whole point of coming down here, right? The whole point of risking our freedom and all that extra time. So let's gel him." instead; otherwise: say "We can hardly leave Brock here." instead; if Brock is in the location: say "Brock is determined that we get the T-inserter tested before we leave, and it's probably faster to cooperate with him than to fight it out." instead. Carry out putting gel on the rock when the player does not know brock-found: now the player knows brock-found; complete "Find Brock"; [Instead of putting gel on the rock when the player is in Sensitive Equipment Testing Room: if the player knows brock-found: say "No, don't gel him! Think. How would [you] smuggle him out? Only one of us came in. He's much more portable in rock form."; otherwise: complete "Find Brock"; assign "Return to yacht" at Sunning Deck; say "[brock-found]You're right, that must be Brock. (B-removed himself when he heard someone coming down the corridor, maybe?) But bringing him back now is a terrible idea. How would [you] smuggle him out? Only one of us came in. He's much more portable in rock form." ] Instead of putting gel on the rock when cold dilemma has ended and Sunning Deck is not visited: say "Having two people to smuggle back to the yacht will just make this trip twice as hard to accomplish." After printing the name of Brock while looking at the rock through the monocle: complete "Find Brock"; say "[brock-found]"; [Sanity-check going from the Sensitive Equipment Testing Room: if Restroom Trouble has happened: continue the action; if the player encloses a visible bureau-disallowed thing: say "[You] came in with just a handful of things (apparently, anyhow), and [you] shouldn't be caught with lots of extras now. It would lead to explanations[if the player carries something bureau-allowed]. It's fine to have [the list of bureau-allowed things enclosed by the player], and our[otherwise]Our[end if] hair and clothing probably won't be closely searched, but [the list of visible bureau-disallowed things enclosed by the player] should probably be concealed." instead; continue the action. ] [Sanity-check wearing the pants when the location is Bureau Basement Secret Section: say "This doesn't seem like a sufficiently private place to change our underclothing." instead. Sanity-check taking off the pants when the location is Bureau Basement Secret Section: say "This doesn't seem like a sufficiently private place to change our underclothing." instead. Report wearing the pants: say "[You] slip on the pants as underclothing. Without a strip search, no one will find them." instead. Report taking off the pants: say "[You] retrieve the pants." instead. After printing the name of the pants while taking inventory: if the pants are worn: say " (worn as underwear)"; omit contents in listing; otherwise: make no decision. ] Definition: a thing is bureau-allowed: if it is part of something: yes; if it is the letter-remover: yes; if it is the tub: yes; if it is the restoration gel: yes; if it is the invitation: yes; if it is the pass: yes; if it is illegal: no; if it is wearable: yes; if it is disguised: yes; no. Definition: a thing is bureau-disallowed if it is not bureau-allowed. Section 5 - Cold Storage Cold Storage is southwest of Bureau Basement Secret Section. It is indoors and forbidden. "Shelves on both sides of the room are full of [objects-on-stands] on stands: objects that used to be men and women, and in a few cases even children. The [stand labels] preserve their original names." The introduction is "If this goes wrong, we could wind up living in here permanently. So we'd better figure whom to send out, and do it fast." Some assorted shelves are scenery in cold storage. The description is "There's room for more contents, to be sure." The duty roster is fixed in place in Cold Storage. "[A duty roster] is posted prominently." The description is "The roster records duty shifts once every two weeks, assigned to various people in the department, all of them very high-ranking. 'Be conscientious,' admonishes the roster. 'Read each name clearly while looking at the item through a monocle. If you suspect an object of losing its original identity, contact the Curator. We have disposed of seventeen objects this year!!'" The objects-on-stands are scenery in Cold Storage. The printed name is "objects". Understand "thing" or "things" or "objects" or "object" or "stand" or "stands" or "on" or "jon" or "alice" or "peter" or "lucy" or "19" or "13" or "20" or "2" or "1" as the objects-on-stands. The description is "The stand labels preserve their names, and a few details such as birthdate and date of inanimation." Some stand labels are part of the objects-on-stands. The description is "[You] pick out a name on one of them: [one of]Graham 1, born 1968, inanim 2005[or]Jon 19, born 1979, inanim 1999 on charge of attempted espionage[or]Alice 13, born 1950, inanim 1982 on charge of stealing DCL information[or]Peter 20, born 2000, inanim 2010 on charge of reckless use of constructed language[or]Lucy 2, born 1991, inanim 2009 on charge of smuggling French materials[or]Thierry Claude, foreigner, inanim 1969 on charge of espionage[or]Petra Odinsova, foreigner, inanim 1972 on charge of not speaking English[at random]." Instead of putting gel on the objects-on-stands: if the patsy-woman is in the repository: say "Hang on [--] are you sure you want to send one of these poor bastards out there? It would be cruel to get their hopes up just to have them re-arrested, not to mention that it would make my father look like a fool if he arrested a dissident who turned out to have been in storage all along. >>" ; if the player consents: move the patsy-woman to the location; say "[line break]We gel the nearest of the objects, and it comes to life: a woman in her thirties or forties, at first so motionless that she looks like a statue, until she remembers that she can move."; otherwise: say "[line break]Okay then. There might be some other way."; otherwise: say "Choosing the nearest thing to us, [you] apply a little restoration gel. Nothing happens, though. It seems this particular object has forgotten what it used to be." Instead of looking at the objects-on-stands through the monocle: if the patsy-woman is in the repository: say "The nearest of the objects resolves, awkwardly, into the face of a woman. It's hard to tell much about her, her age or her dress, from the faded image the monocle creates."; otherwise: say "There is only a shapeless shadow: the memory of something this object used to be, but now is not." Test storage1 with "placefather / tutorial off / open tub / out / gel rock / z" holding the rock and the tub and the monocle in Cold Storage. Test storage2 with "placefather / tutorial off / open tub / out / x objects / gel object / z" holding the rock and the tub and the monocle in Cold Storage. Test storage-bug with "placefather / tutorial off / open tub / out / x objects / gel object" holding the dove and the rock and the tub and the monocle in Cold Storage. Rule for listing exits while looking in Cold Storage: do nothing instead. Cold Dilemma is a scene. Cold Dilemma begins when the location is Cold Storage. Instead of going from the Cold Storage when Cold Dilemma is happening: say "So you want us both to get caught? Well, I'm not up for that arrangement. What [you] [are] doing here is important. I say [you] send Brock and get out of here." Every turn when Cold Dilemma is happening and the time since Cold Dilemma began is 1 minute and father is in a room: say "I vote [you] gel Brock and send him out to my father. No, hear me out. Brock's cover is probably not in great shape anyway. You might be able to rescue him later. And it would be a coup for my father to have a real big arrest to put on the record." Definition: a person is human if it is not an animal. Every turn when Cold Dilemma is happening and the player can see someone human (called the victim) who is not the player: if victim is Brock: say "You're silent. I'm not letting you act again. You're not stopping me. 'We're still inside the Bureau basement,' I say. 'We just need to head out, separately.' He looks puzzled. 'Aren't we safer together?' 'No,' I say.[paragraph break]"; say "[command prompt]"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]'But[--]'[paragraph break]'Look, just trust me, this once,' we say.[paragraph break][The victim] back[s] out the door. Loud sounds of an arrest ensue. I hear my father's voice, and two other people. Then finally the sounds die away."; remove Brock from play; remove father from play; otherwise if the victim is fake: say "[The victim] look[s] at us in confusion. 'OUT,' you say, pointing at the door[one of]. I keep thinking: my father is going to look like a fool when it's found he's arrested a fake person; he'll be disgraced. I want to stop you, but you've got the upper hand now[or][stopping]. [The victim] back[s] out the door. [if the victim is not undisguised]'Nothing on the auth scope,' comments a female voice. 'Yeah, but [it-they of the victim] do[es]n't look like a criminal mastermind, does [it-they]?' [end if][one of]There's a noise like the firing of a restoration gel rifle and [or]The rifle fires again, followed by[stopping] the sound of [the victim] collapsing into [a list of things which proffer the victim]. 'Nice try,' shouts a voice from outside. 'Next?'"; remove victim from play; otherwise if the victim is the patsy-woman: change the library message person to second person; remove victim from play; remove father from play; say "'Thank goodness,' says the woman. 'I felt like I was going to lose myself if I had to spend another minute in there. I don't know who you are, but thank you, thank you! Is there a Bureau reprieve? Please tell me they've decided to let us all out!' 'No general reprieve,' you say. 'Just you.' This isn't what I want. It's not just unfair; it's actually monstrous. 'What were you put in for?' I ask. 'Italian,' she whispers. 'What?' 'I was learning Italian,' she says. 'I wanted to read Manzoni. There was no sympathy from the officers; they thought it was an inexplicable desire. Is it daylight or night-time out there? Not that it matters. I haven't seen either in so long.' You gesture at the door. She looks at us once more, doubtfully, and goes. From the corridor comes the sound of a shot being fired from a restoration gel rifle; the woman exclaiming in pain; officers gathering around her for the arrest. And she'll be back here, I suppose, before the night is out. I suppose that allows you to tell yourself that it wasn't a bad thing, what we just did."; Cold Dilemma ends when father is not in Bureau Basement Secret Section. When Cold Dilemma ends: change the library message grammatical number to singular; say "A faint spell comes over [if library message person is second person]you[otherwise]me[end if] and [you] feel dizzy."; Instead of examining the player when the library message grammatical number is singular: if the library message person is second person: say "It's still our joint body, but it feels like you, and I'm riding along, somehow. Part of you, but alienated. Something's wrong. I want to get out."; otherwise: say "I can feel you in my head, but you've... stilled, sort of. Like an animal that's given up. Like a dog hiding in the corner of a cage. I feel more like me than I have all day, though I miss my real body."; rule succeeds. Instead of putting the restoration gel on yourself when Cold Dilemma is happening: say "[one of]If you have some idea of gelling me and sending me out there while you escape with Brock, let me tell you, I know enough to ruin you. I know Lena, I know Slango, I know who to talk to at the Counterfeit Monkey. I know half a dozen other exploits you pulled before. And I would tell them, because that's the only way I'd get to avoid a full trial for treason. I like you, honestly, but if it's you or me, I'm still picking me[or][You] already discussed this. I'm not going out there[stopping]. Unless you're volunteering to go yourself? >>"; if the player consents: say "You're a brave person. Foolish. But brave. We do the split, a cold hasty slathering of gel, and-- [i]You're on your own now. You give Alex one last look. Wonder how he's going to get away, shivering and naked as he is, but that's not your problem now. He can keep all of your stuff, and doubtless there's some kind of outfit to be found in there. You go. After that comes interrogation, incarceration, a trial that's remarkably swift. You aren't asked about whether you'd like to plea bargain. Alex's father doesn't mean to let you say the half of what you know; not if it would endanger him and his son. You spend most of the time leading up to your trial in a fog so dense that it must be drugs. You can barely speak. The sentence is inanimation. You are put on the chair and the last thing you notice is the executioner setting the dial of his letter-remover to C.[/i]"; end the story saying "For a long long time you know nothing at all"; otherwise: say "I didn't think so."; Instead of listening to Cold Storage when Cold Dilemma is happening: say "The men waiting outside aren't loud, but they're not silent, either. There's a sound of movement here and there." Instead of listening to cold storage when Cold Dilemma has happened and Cold Dilemma has ended: say "All quiet out there now." Book 5 - Act V Atlantida Herself Part 1 - In the Depths of the Bureau [This is where we've been headed all game long: into the secrets of the Bureau, which is absurd, chaotic, and obscenely powerful.] Chapter 1 - Storage and Secrets Section 1 - Display Reloading Room [ The Display Reloading Room is meant to deliver the anagramming gun to the eager player (after some earlier hints that we'd never get our hands on it). It also provides a kind of link back to the world of normal people even though the PC has now wandered into a situation where she is isolated and beyond help. The television shows the reactions of the ordinary security guards and tourists upstairs, who have a very different relationship to the items on display than the player does. At the same time, we want to discourage the player from thinking that there is something to be won by trying to communicate with those back upstairs. So while the tourists are shown to have reactions to certain types of item, they remain on a tight cycle and can't be broken out of their basic behavior.] Display Reloading Room is south of Equipment Archive. It is indoors and forbidden. "This area [if the display-platform is not in the location]is more or less empty. [Hazard-tape] marks off an area of the floor to indicate that [you] shouldn't stand there[otherwise]is mostly taken up with the [display-platform] descended from the room above[end if]." A tv monitor is a fixed in place device in the Display Reloading Room. It is switched on. Understand "black" or "white" or "black and white" or "television" or "security" as the tv monitor. "A black and white [tv monitor] is embedded in the wall." Rule for writing a topic sentence about the tv monitor: say "[initial appearance of tv monitor] [description of the tv monitor] [run paragraph on]". Instead of switching off the tv monitor: say "There's no switch." Instead of listening to the tv monitor: say "There is no sound pickup." Instead of examining the tv monitor: say tv description; say paragraph break. Definition: a thing is display-foreign: if it is the etymological reversing chamber: no; if it is the anagramming gun: no; if it is the model t: no; yes. To say tv description: say "[one of]It is showing images of the Tools Exhibit upstairs, one of the few parts of the Bureau open to the public[or][You] have another look at what is going on up in the Tools Exhibit[stopping]. "; if the display-platform is in the display case: say "[one of][tourist-face][or]A small child is gawking at [the random thing on the display-platform][or]The room appears to be temporarily empty of guests[or][fake-incident][cycling].[no line break]"; otherwise: say "[one of]Some tourists are frowning at the blacked-out display case[or]One of the tourists upstairs taps the blacked-out display case in irritation[or]The tourists are gathered in an angry cluster, pointing at a guidebook and waving their arms at each other[or]A security guard strolls into the room. The tourists round on him and wave their arms. Their mouths are moving and they point vehemently at the display[or]The security guard is holding his hands up placatingly[or]The largest and heftiest of the tourists is leaning forward and yelling at the security guard[or]The largest and heftiest of the tourists is in the midst of being arrested[or]The tourists are all gone and the room is empty, with only the blacked out case visible[stopping].[no line break]"; To say fake-incident: if a display-foreign thing is on the display-platform: say "[one of]The security guard on his rounds notices [the list of display-foreign things on the display-platform]. He gets out a pad of paper as though to write up an incident report, but makes a gesture that even through closed circuit recording reads plainly as Inability To Be Bothered, and strolls away again[or]The security guard from before enters the room, looks at his watch, and heartily ignores [the list of display-foreign things on the display-platform][or]This time when a security guard comes into the room, it's a different one from previously. He goes over to the display case and frowns at [the list of display-foreign things on the display-platform]. Then he talks to someone on his radio[or]Two security guards enter the room and look into the display case. They appear to be having a vehement argument about what to do[or]Two security guards are talking to a manager about the situation in the display case[or]A manager is taking notes about the display-case disturbance[or]Some All-Purpose Officers are taking depositions and someone is photographing [the list of display-foreign things on the display-platform][stopping]"; otherwise: say "[one of]A security guard pokes his head into the room, decides all is well, and strolls away again[or]The security guard returns for another pass through the area[or][You] get another view of the security guard's balding head as he takes a turn around the room[or]The security guard is in the middle of checking the place out again[stopping]". To say tourist-face: if a display-foreign thing (called distraction) is on the display-platform: if the distraction is naughty-sounding: say "A family notices [the distraction] and the mother covers her daughter's eyes, frog-marching them both out. The father is left behind to gawk in peace"; otherwise if the distraction is illegal: say "A female couple come in, notice [the distraction], and hold a short whispered conversation. They then turn and look at the security camera, look at each other, and walk briskly out again"; otherwise if the distraction is an animal: say "A small boy taps on the glass, trying to get the attention of [the distraction]"; otherwise if the distraction is edible: say "A little girl presses her face to the glass near [the distraction] and then [--] this is clearly visible from the camera [--] [i]licks the glass[/i]. Rather startled parents call her away"; otherwise: say "Tourists are looking at [the distraction] in some confusion"; otherwise: say "[Random-passerby] is gazing curiously at [the random thing on the display-platform]"; A hazard-tape is scenery in the Display Reloading Room. The description is "It's striped yellow and red, and describes an area on the floor. Come to that, there's an area in the ceiling immediately above the hazard tape that looks separate from the rest of the ceiling." The indefinite article of the hazard-tape is "some". The printed name of the hazard-tape is "[if looking]Hazard[otherwise]hazard[end if] tape". Understand "hazard tape" as the hazard-tape. Understand "tape" as the hazard-tape when the tape is not visible. A small black push-button is fixed in place in the Display Reloading Room. "There is [an item described] on the wall." Understand "button" or "push button" as the push-button. The description is "It is unlabeled." Does the player mean pushing the small black push-button: it is very likely. Instead of pushing the small black push-button: if the display-platform is in the location: if an essential thing (called essential item) is on the display-platform: say "Best not to part with [the list of essential things on the display-platform]." instead; raise the display; otherwise: lower the display. To lower the display: say "A heavy clunk sounds. On the [tv monitor], [you] see the display case black out. Then there is a groaning of moving metal, and part of the ceiling lowers. [one of]This is, apparently, how displays are swapped out for the tools exhibit upstairs: the [display-platform] is lowering to our level, providing access[or]The [display-platform] descends again until level with the floor[stopping][if something is on the display-platform]. This brings [the list of things on the display-platform] down into the room[end if]."; now the display-platform is in the location. To raise the display: say "There is a groaning of gears and hydraulics, and the [display-platform][if something is on the display-platform], loaded with [the list of things on the display-platform],[end if] rises back up to the exhibit level."; now the display-platform is in the display case. Test television with "tutorial off / x television / x tv / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / press button / watch tv / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / put armband on platform / press button / watch tv / g / g / g / g / g / g / press button / get armband / put cock on platform / press button / x tv / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / press button / get cock / put dove on platform / press button / x tv / g / g / g / g / g / g / press button / put cate on platform / get dove / press button / x tv / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / g" in the Display Reloading Room holding the armband and the cock and the cate and the dove. [It turned out to be possible to divest yourself of the anagramming gun (and thus be unprepared to face Atlantida) by returning it upstairs on the display platform. So we now check that nothing essential is on the platform before allowing it to rise.] Test gun-taking with "tutorial off / press button / g / g / get gun / press button / g / put gun on platform / press button" in the Display Reloading Room. Section 2 - Wonderland Wonderland is north of Bureau Basement Secret Section. It is indoors and forbidden. The description is "The [ridiculous décor] continues, now so extreme that I cannot even put a name to the things around us. They might as well be extrusions from a nightmare by Dali, or by Dr. Seuss. Offices are accessed by hatchways that seem to have come from submarines, or through passages resembling the sphincter of a great whale, or up ladders decorated with human teeth. An open archway leads to storage space east of here." The odor is a fixed in place thing in Wonderland. The printed name is "od[our]". "Hanging in the air at the north end of the hallway is an [odor]." Understand "odour" as the odor. Instead of examining the odor: try smelling the odor. Sanity-check doing something when the action requires a touchable noun and the noun is the odor: if the current action is the action of smelling the odor: make no decision; say "[You] can't actually touch [the odor], seeing as it is, in fact, just a vapor in the air, a dispersion of molecules dispersed through the rest of the local atmosphere." instead. Sanity-check doing something when the action requires a touchable second noun and the second noun is the odor: try touching the odor instead. Instead of smelling the odor: say "I can't quite place it. There's definitely a smell, but what is it [i]like[/i]? Strawberries? Burning rubber? Freshly chopped chives? Every time I think I've pinned it, it goes again, sliding sideways to smell like something else." Instead of smelling Wonderland when the odor is in Wonderland: try smelling the odor. Rule for listing exits while looking in Wonderland: do nothing instead. Equipment Archive is east of Wonderland. The ridiculous décor is scenery in Wonderland. Understand "hatchways" or "submarines" or "passages" or "sphincter" or "passage" or "hatch" or "hatchway" or "ladder" or "ladders" or "teeth" or "human" or "tooth" or "offices" or "whale" or "great" as the ridiculous décor. The description is "The name plaques identify such functions as 'North-End Meeting Room' and 'DCL Special Liaison,' but who knows whether the descriptions are remotely true. There is something very menacing about it all, as though one were going mad." Instead of climbing the ridiculous décor: say "None of the passages are open." Instead of entering the ridiculous décor: say "None of the passages are open." Rule for distantly describing Wonderland: say "The hallway gets considerably stranger in that direction: you've only seen such places in movies. Or nightmares." Report shooting the odor with the anagramming gun: say "The gun fires into the odor, which disperses. There's ripple in the air, and in its place [a detritus] appear[s][if the detritus is not seen]. [run paragraph on][detritus description][end if]." instead. Rule for printing the name of the odor while shooting the odor with the anagramming gun: say "odor". Rule for printing the name of the odor while waving the letter-remover at the odor: say "odor". Section 3 - Equipment Archive Equipment Archive is a room. It is indoors and forbidden. "The ceiling is mirrored, perhaps to make it harder for anyone to sneak around without being noticed among the shelves." A ceiling mirror is a mirror in the Equipment Archive. Instead of shooting a mirror with the loaded anagramming gun: record "Finn Rosehip award for gnu-hunting" as an achievement; say "[You] fire the anagramming gun into [the noun]. The reflection at once converts the anagramming gun into an anagramming gnu. The gnu stares around in confusion, its watery gaze temporarily dissolving everything it looks at, until at last it happens to catch its own reflection. A moment later, the anagramming gun is merely a gun again." Some equipment shelves are a supporter in Equipment Archive. "[The shelves] here display an assortment of obsolete, broken, foreign, or otherwise unusual letter tools. " On the shelves are an accent flipper, an umlaut punch, a Catalan punt volat needle, some broken components, and some lamb-granulates. Test flipperbug with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / open tub / gel lamb granulates / load gun with bullets / shoot flipper / shoot cap" holding the anagramming gun and the tub in the Equipment Archive. The description of the lamb-granulates is "They're tiny brown beads used to make lamb-stock gravy. Perhaps they're left-over military rations of some kind." The printed name of the lamb-granulates is "lamb granulates". Understand "lamb granulates" or "gravy" or "lamb" or "lamb granulates" as the lamb-granulates. The description of the accent flipper is "Not an Atlantean product at all, but a machine built by the state-subsid[ize]d French company Aigu. Its sole purpose is to convert accents or remove them entirely, not a function that much applies to English words. In form, it looks like a very small spatula connected by wire to a substantial battery pack." The heft of the accent flipper is 5. The introduction of the accent flipper is "You've heard of the congrès / congres scandal. One of these was responsible." Test flipper with "look" in the Equipment Archive. The description of the broken components is "A heap of parts from old machines: cranks, gears, buttons with letters and numbers on them, delicate hoops of silver wire, knobs from which all the markers have worn away." Understand "parts" or "heap" or "old machines" or "cranks" or "gears" or "buttons" or "delicate" or "hoops" or "silver" or "wire" or "knobs" or "crank" or "gear" or "button" or "hoop" as the broken components. Instead of facing up in Equipment Archive: say "The whole ceiling is mirrored. [run paragraph on]"; try examining the ceiling mirror. Rule for listing exits while looking in Equipment Archive: say "The functional area continues to the south, and the hallway is west." Chapter 2 - Through the ODOR DOOR Section 1 - Oracle Project The Oracle Project is a room [north of Wonderland]. It is indoors and forbidden. "This is nothing less than the command cen[ter] for a massive propaganda campaign. [Paintings] of Atlantida and [polling charts] cover the walls, dating back to the second world war and continuing straight through to the present." Rule for printing the name of the paintings while looking: say "Paintings". The Oracle Project contains a long table. The long table is scenery. On the long table is a paperweight. The description of the paperweight is "Blue and white strands are swirled through the heavy, lens-like hunk of clear glass." Index map with the Oracle Project mapped north of Wonderland. Some polling charts are scenery in Oracle Project. The description is "Blue lines on the charts record the citizen responses to the concept of Atlantida. They record wartime progress in establishing the concept in the popular imagination, with a spike in 1942, corresponding to a heavy press of propaganda. After the war, there's a break in the charts until 1951, when tracking resumes. Additional spikes appear at 1968 and 1972. Each chart also shows a yellow line, which roughly goes down as the blue line goes up. It is labeled 'Power to generate animate abstract.' The yellow line stops at 1982 and no further points are recorded on it." The inciting fable is on the long table. The description is "It's a short children's tale, with illustrations. A young boy was left an orphan in a certain village. So he went door to door around the village, but none of the families would take him in, all having some excuse: there were too many children already, the house was too small, there was not enough food, the parents were too old for a new child, and so on.[paragraph break]Despondent, the boy was on the verge of giving up when a magician came to town. He went around door to door with the boy a second time, this time asking each household for just one letter. When he was done, he used a powerful machine on the letters in his bag, and transformed them into a LOVING FAMILY![paragraph break](The text ends here, but the illustration shows the boy beaming in the arms of a manufactured mother, father, siblings, hamster, and goldfish.)" Some paintings are scenery in Oracle Project. The description is "The paintings are old, 19th-century affairs, and they show Atlantida larger than life, typically wearing blue, with a sort of French academy face and bare feet. The squid is a frequent motif in the background, as it represents inventiveness, strength, and the ability to try many things at once." Section 2 - Surveillance Room [The surveillance room looks both forward and back in the story. It shows us a little of what's to come, and also lets us see what's happened to some of the characters from earlier on, providing something of a summary of recent events. Design-wise, we need to be careful here. On the one hand, we want to extend a bit the time between the player realizing that Atlantida exists and his encounter with her; and build up a sense of menace around her. At the same time, there's a risk of diluting things *too* much or giving the player too many things to read and research, as opposed to things to do and manipulate. The surveillance room description is intentionally kept very brief as a partial balance to this: there's not much to see because we're going to be focused on the computer screen, which contains lots of information.] The Surveillance Room is east of the Oracle Project. It is indoors. The surveillance computer is a desktop computer in the Surveillance Room. It is fixed in place. "A [surveillance computer] is mounted on the wall, an impressive flat screen readout[if the surveillance computer is switched on] displaying current activity[otherwise] presently blacked out[end if]." The surveillance computer is switched on. The description of the surveillance computer is "Below the flat screen are a keyboard and mouse, both shiny silver. Only top of the line equipment down here, it seems." Understand "flat" or "screen" or "readout" as the surveillance computer's screen. The description of the surveillance computer's screen is "It is bigger than my parent's television, and that is saying something." [Here we nab something straight out of the Computers documentation: a computer with a multiple-choice operating system and a range of subprograms. The sense we want to convey here is the sense of being the spider at the center of the web: the person using this computer has access to a huge range of information, a view of the whole Bureau and parts of the city.] The surveillance computer runs a multiple-choice program called PCOS. PCOS is privately-named. The options table of PCOS is the Table of GUI Options. The software priority of PCOS is 1. Table of GUI Options topic title effect "security/cameras/surveillance/camera/program" or "security cameras" "Security Cameras" open-security rule "power/grid" or "power grid" "Power Grid" power-grid rule "requisitions" "Requisitions" requisitions rule "access/records/record" or "access record/records" "Access Records" access rule This is the access rule: say "This selection brings up on screen a database of 'Accesses.' Still visible for today's date is a record labeled Inquiry on Civic Unrest."; repeat with item running through software run by the surveillance computer: now the software priority of item is 5; now the software priority of access-database is 1; try examining access-database. This is the requisitions rule: say "The screen brings up what appears to be a system for requisitioning and supply for this area. The recent entries are diverse and in some cases cryptic: [fixed letter spacing] 34224 eBook order at request of Subject A details attached[line break] 34223 toys and diversions order at request of Subject A, children's jacks, balls, puzzles, games[line break] 34222 espresso beans for Subject A - previous order unacceptable see attached[line break] 34221 bakery requisition[line break] 34220 coffee beans resupply for Subject A[line break] 34219 berg resupply to boiler - previous supply melted - NB new supply is required even if not used[line break] 34218 rifle resupply for handlers for Subject A, new gel required as safety measure[variable letter spacing] ...and so on, scrolling back and back and back." This is the power-grid rule: say "The screen flashes up a schematic of the entire Bureau [--] the public rooms we're familiar with, the basement, and the special section we're in now. It appears that three different power supplies feed these, one for the public areas and one, more heavily backed up, for most of the basement. Both of these are running. A third power supply is located east of here, and [if the boiler is switched off]is currently shut down, leaving the eastern rooms dark[otherwise]is lit up like a Christmas tree with the tremendous amounts of power it's channeling[end if]." This is the open-security rule: repeat with item running through software run by the surveillance computer: now the software priority of item is 5; now the software priority of security-program is 1; say "[You] select the surveillance program. It brings up a menu of possible camera views. [run paragraph on]"; try examining security-program. Understand "search [text]" or "search for [text]" as typing it on when the player can see a computer which runs a search engine. Test surveillance with "x computer / x screen / turn on computer / select security / select statue / click customs / click front exit / type tools exhibit / type interrogation rooms circuit / g / g / g /click cold storage / click porch / click dwelling / click north exit / click main / select requisitions / select power / select access / look up me in computer / search for me / search for alexandra / search for andra / search for slango / search for protest / search for arbot / search for pleice / search for lena / search for reports" Test survey with "test surveillance" in Surveillance Room. The surveillance computer runs a search engine called access-database. The data table of access-database is the Table of Access Data. Table of Access Data topic title data "danger/violence/injury/threat/harm/incident/incidents/reports" or "incident reports/report" or "gel/rifle/restoration" or "restoration gel rifle" "Incident Reports" "Several records, filed in very dry language, record 'Subject A' throwing objects at or threatening those who have come for a consultation, especially when the consultation involves protests or the possibility of citizen referendum. Finally a more distant approach to interactions with Subject A is recommended." "subject" or "a" or "subject a" "[--]" "By all appearances every entry concerns 'Subject A' in some way or other, so that wouldn't narrow things down much." "radio" or "free" or "atlantis" or "radio free" or "radio free atlantis" or "lena" "Radio Free Atlantis" "'No subject contact. Subject A approved increase of budget for surveillance and proposed shutdown of Radio Free Atlantis on discovery of current culprits.'" "inquiry" or "civil/civic/statue" or "protesters/protest/unrest/depluralization/dp/tank" or "into/about/on" or "dp tank" or "civil/civic unrest" "Inquiry on Civic Unrest" "The database records an inquiry by Julius Pleice, conducted mid-afternoon today. 'No direct subject contact, per previous incidents. Oracle consultation conducted through grill. Question concerned response to civic unrest. Subject recommended immediate action and deplural[ization] of protesters. Subject emphas[ize]d importance of preserving statue.'" "squid/protest/protests/protesters/graffiti" "Squid Protests" "'No subject contact. Consultation concerning stenciled squid graffiti on public display. Subject recommended ingenious solution of converting to pig graffiti. All well.'" "arbot/maps/antiques" or "arbot's" or "maps and antiques" or "maps & antiques" "Arbot's Maps and Antiques Lic[ense]" "'Lic[ense] supplied for Arbot's Maps and Antiques to acquire restricted materials on condition of surrendering any foreign-language maps of Atlantis for immediate rectification or disposal.'" "arbot/pleice/shaply/champagne/jazz/canapes/squid/canape" "Director Arbot's retirement party" "'Social gathering in Subject A chambers. Champagne and hors d'oeuvres supplied per Subject A's request. Trad jazz. Subject A ate ten squid canapes and vomited in the antique Shaply vase. Director Arbot overindulged in champagne and became lachrymose. A driver was detailed to escort him home. Julius Pleice assigned to clean antique Shaply vase.'" "synthesizer/synthesiser/synthesis/synthesizers/synthesisers/pleice/arbot" or "pleice/julius" or "mr" or "julius/mr pleice" "Inquiry on Synthesis" "'No subject contact. Subject A confirmed licensing rules for synthes[ize]rs. Subject A ordered additional experiments into long-term effects of human synthesis. Arbot registered protest. Subject A showed signs of agitation. Arbot also appeared distressed. Pleice volunteered to act as go-between with Subject A on this matter hereafter.'" "anagramming gun" or "anagramming/gun" or "tools" or "exhibit" or "pleice/julius" or "mr" or "julius/mr pleice" "Tools Exhibit Content Review" "'No subject contact. Subject A confirmed intent to display anagramming gun among others. Pleice argued concern for public safety. A replied greater significance in demonstrating civic might. Pleice conceded.'" "arbot" or "pleice/julius" or "mr" or "julius/mr pleice" or "promotion" "Promotion Julius Pleice" "'No subject contact. Subject A confirmed promotion of Julius Pleice to replace departing supervisor Arbot. Papers were submitted for written confirmation from Subject A.'" "utopian/utopia/linguistics/language" or "linguistics" "Utopian Linguistics Conference" "'No subject contact. Question concerning support for Utopian Linguistics Conference. Subject A ruled to permit conference to proceed with intensive surveillance of all attending.'" "university/school/scholarship/waterstone/linguistics/language" "Inquiry on University Maintenance and Fees" "'No subject contact. Question concerned university funding. Subject recommended preferential funding for those departments [']most likely to promote Atlantis['] pre-eminent standing and def[ense].['] List of departments submitted in paper form and approved by Subject A with three amendments as attached.'" "andra/me/you/alexandra" "[--]" "There is no direct reference to you in here." "me/alex/rosehip" or "alex rosehip" "[--]" "There is no direct reference to me in here." "dad/father/rosehip" "[--]" "A quick search turns up no access attempts by my father. It would seem he doesn't have access here, whatever that means." "Atlantida" "[--]" "That name doesn't appear. At all." The surveillance computer runs an multiple-choice program called security-program. Security-program is privately-named. The options table of security-program is the Table of Security Options. Table of Security Options topic title effect "statue/roundabout" "Statue" statue rule "customs/house/custom" or "custom/customs house" "Customs House" customs rule "front exit" or "front/exit" "Front Exit" front rule "tool/tools exhibit" or "exhibit" or "tool/tools" "Tools Exhibit" tools rule "interrogation" or "rooms/room" or "circuit" or "interrogation rooms/room" or "interrogation rooms/room circuit" "Interrogation Rooms Circuit" interrogation rule "cold storage" or "cold/storage" "Cold Storage" storage rule "porch/subject/a" or "subject a" or "subject a porch" "Subject A Porch" tunnel-display rule "dwelling/subject/a" or "space" or "dwelling space" or "subject a dwelling space" or "subject a dwelling" "Subject A Dwelling Space" static rule "north exit" or "north/exit" "North Exit" perch rule This is the customs rule: say "The screen shows the interior of the customs house, now barely populated thanks to the late hour. The camera is focused on the poster of wartime Atlantida. It looks perfectly ordinary and has suffered no defacement." This is the statue rule: say "The view shifts to a shot at the Roundabout, with its Atlantida statue, taken apparently from some building across the road. The crowd from earlier is long gone, and there's no obvious sign of vandalism." This is the storage rule: say "The screen shows the interior of the Cold Storage room. Nothing is moving in there." This is the front rule: say "The screen shows the rotunda. [one of]One tourist is heading towards the front door[or]A security guard makes a slow round[or]A family of tourists passes through[or]A young blond man, probably about 20, stands looking up at the Rotunda surface, his lips moving[cycling]." This is the interrogation rule: say "[one of]The screen shifts to displaying interrogation room A. [Higgate-behavior][or]The screen shifts to interrogation room B. [teen-behavior][or]The screen shifts to interrogation room C. [Brock-behavior][or]The screen shifts to interrogation room D. [stored-behavior][cycling]."; To say Higgate-behavior: say "[one of]Professor Higgate is standing next to a metal table. She is wearing her shirt, but for some reason her lower half is stripped to the underwear. She is speaking urgently to someone who is not shown[or]Professor Higgate is shaking her head at someone she is talking to[or]Professor Higgate is slumped over a metal table, motionless[or]A hand reaches across the screen and presents Higgate with a plastic cup of coffee. She takes a sip of the coffee, looks stricken, and spits it back into the cup[or]Professor Higgate is sitting at a metal table, grimly clutching the crushed remains of a plastic coffee cup[or]The room is empty[stopping]". To say stored-behavior: if library message person is first person: say "It's empty"; otherwise: say "[one of]It's my father. He's been cuffed to a metal chair. Someone is sitting on the table and leaning towards him, but [you] can't see that person's face[or]Whoever-it-is is still talking to my father. It seems like it could be worse [--] maybe [--] but Father is still handcuffed[or]Father sits alone, cuffed to his chair. His interrogator has gone away for the moment[or]Father is sitting alone. He glances up at the camera, then back down at the table[or]My father is still alone in there[stopping]". To say Brock-behavior: if library message person is second person: say "It's empty"; otherwise: say "Brock sits behind a metal table, not speaking, not moving, just as Slango taught you guys". To say teen-behavior: if the teenagers are not in the Traffic Circle: say "It's empty"; otherwise: say "[one of]The defiant teenager from earlier is sitting in a chair with her feet on the table. She makes an obscene gesture at her interrogator, then at the camera as well[or]There's a flash of light. The defiant teenager's chair has been replaced by a hair[or]An officer is bent over something on the floor[or]It's empty[stopping]". This is the tools rule: say "The screen switches. [tv description][line break]". This is the perch rule: if the Precarious Perch is visited: say "The camera shifts to the window outside Atlantida's window[if the tall window is open] (which is standing open as [you] left it)[end if] and a bit of cliff face."; otherwise: say "The camera shifts to show a bit of cliff overlooking the water. There's a window cut into the cliff face [--] that must be the exit in question[one of]. Is that a hint of movement behind the window? It's hard to be sure[or]. As we watch, a pale face appears at the window, too quickly to study, and then vanishes again[or][stopping]." This is the static rule: say "Nothing shows but a steady field of static." This is the tunnel-display rule: say "The camera shifts to show a dimly lit corridor cut through sedimentary rock[if Tunnel is visited][--] just below here, in fact[end if][if something portable is in the Tunnel]. [You] can make out [a list of portable things in the Tunnel][end if]." Software can be quittable. A software is usually not quittable. Security-program is quittable. Access-database is quittable. A first input handling rule for quittable software (called chosen software): let N be indexed text; let N be the topic understood; if N is "main": reset to operating system; say "[You] return to the operating system."; try examining PCOS; rule succeeds. Carry out switching off the surveillance computer: reset to operating system. To reset to operating system: repeat with item running through software run by the surveillance computer: now the software priority of item is 5; now the software priority of PCOS is 1; After examining a quittable software (called chosen software): say "[You] can also select MAIN to return to the operating system." Rule for listing exits when looking in Surveillance room: say "[if Workshop is visited]The Workshop[otherwise]Another room[end if] lies to the east. The door [you] came through is west, and there is also a spiral staircase down[if tunnel is visited] to the tunnel[end if]." The spiral staircase is a down-staircase in Surveillance Room. "A [spiral staircase] descends into a hole in the corner of the room, into what looks like a tunnel through natural rock." Section 3 - Workshop Workshop is east of Surveillance Room. Workshop is indoors and forbidden. "A room whose importance is obvious from how clean it is and how little furniture it is allowed to have." [Rule for listing exits while looking in the Workshop: say "The Oracle Project is west and [if the Generator Room is unvisited]someplace even more industrial lies to the east[otherwise]the Generator Room east[end if]. A spiral staircase leads down into a dimmer place." ] Section 4 - Generator Room [This whole puzzle is a late-in-design addition. Originally the player went through the ODOR/DOOR and ran into Atlantida directly. But beta-testers felt that the process of getting to Atlantida was too easy and rapid, with insufficient build-up; there wasn't enough time to create apprehension. They also felt that the Bureau sequence was too linear. So we open things out a bit with a couple of puzzles that can be solved simultaneously: installing the power cord and getting the boiler working could happen in either order. The imagery for this area is intentionally a bit first-person-shooterish, though I was thinking more Portal 2 than Half-Life. ] The Generator Room is east of the Workshop. It is indoors and forbidden. "The walls are lined with concrete. [Yellow paint lettering] says CAUTION: HIGH ENERGY EQUIPMENT and DO NOT OPERATE WITHOUT TRAINING." The concrete-lining is scenery in the Generator Room. The printed name is "concrete lining". Understand "concrete" or "lining" or "walls" or "wall" as the concrete-lining. The description is "It's untreated grey concrete." The yellow paint lettering is scenery in the Generator Room. "CAUTION: HIGH ENERGY EQUIPMENT, it says. DO NOT OPERATE WITHOUT TRAINING. There is also a stenciled letter A surrounded by atom-style rings." Understand "stenciled" or "letter" or "letter a" or "atom-style" or "rings" or "ring" or "atom" as the yellow paint lettering. The printed name is "[if looking]Yellow[otherwise]yellow[end if] paint lettering". The first aid station is in the Generator Room. "[A first aid station] is built onto the wall[if the first aid station is open] and hangs open[otherwise]. It is closed[end if]." The first aid station is an openable closed container. The description of the first aid station is "It's a large box mounted to the wall, with a red cross painted on the front of it." Understand "large" or "box" or "red" or "cross" as the first aid station. A ranking rule when the first aid station is mentionable: increase the description-rank of the first aid station by 10. In the first aid station is a balm. The indefinite article of the balm is "some". The description of the balm is "According to the label, it is designed to relieve the pain of severe burns." Instead of waving the letter-remover at the balm when the current setting of the letter-remover is "b": say "For a moment, just a moment, the balm starts to turn into an old-fashioned coin representing the concept of 'alm'; then it flickers out again uncertainly. Probably because 'alms' is not really a plural form and 'alm' is unattested in practice." The boiler is a device in the Generator Room. It is fixed in place. "Most of the room is taken up with a gigantic boiler installation[if the boiler is switched on] periodically giving off flashes of light and steam[otherwise] that is currently off[end if]. The locking mechanism is [a cryptolock][if something is in the cryptolock], currently containing [a list of things in the cryptolock][otherwise], currently empty[end if]." It is switched off. The description is "This frighteningly massive contraption has pipes and compression tanks and steam gauges and dents and rust stains[if switched on]. It trembles a little. The needles of the gauges twitch, but stay out of the red[otherwise]. All the gauge needles point to 0[end if]. A thick glass pane allows a view of one of the first chambers." Understand "rust stains" or "stains" or "gauges" or "steam" or "power" or "generator" or "boilers" or "compression tanks" or "pipe" or "pipes" or "needles" or "large pipe" or "water" as the boiler. Every turn when the location contains the switched on boiler: if the remainder after dividing turn count by 3 is 0: say "[one of]Light flashes[or]White light flashes[or]There's a particularly vibrant blue-white flash[or]There's a flash of light[or]Ice flashes into steam[or]A loud pfft! sounds[at random] [one of]within[or]inside[or]from within[or]in[at random] the boiler[one of] and[or] and all[or]. All[at random] the [one of]meters twitch[or]meter needles flicker into the red[or]steam gauge needles jump[at random][if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds] violently[end if]." Instead of touching the boiler: if the boiler is switched on: say "The metal pipes are warm to the touch, and in a few places hot enough to scald."; otherwise: say "The pipes are mostly warm, except one running into the chamber which feels cool." The thick-glass-pane is part of the boiler. Understand "thick" or "glass" or "pane" as the thick-glass-pane. The printed name is "thick glass pane". Instead of examining the thick-glass-pane: try searching the thick-glass-pane. Instead of searching the thick-glass-pane: if the boiler is switched off: say "Water lies stagnant inside a large pipe, and a metal rod points down towards the water."; otherwise: say "Water flows steadily through a large pipe. Floating on the surface of the water are bergs of ice; before they melt entirely, a zap from a b-remover converts them to ergs. Each time this happens, there is a flash of light and steam, and the pane of glass becomes temporarily too fogged up to see through. The steam gauge needles jump. Gradually the passage of the water cools the pane down again." Check an actor switching on the boiler: if the actor is not the player: stop the action; if the boiler is switched on: say "The boiler is already in operation." instead; otherwise: say "There is no obvious switch. They most likely keep this thing locked." instead. Section 5 - Tunnel through Chalk The Tunnel through Chalk is below Surveillance Room. Tunnel through Chalk is indoors and forbidden. "This passage has been cut through natural cliff rock and looks older than the Bureau itself. The walls are rough-hewn, exposing [sedimentary strata]. Here and there it looks as though someone has actually excavated a fav[our]ed rock or relic." The sedimentary strata are scenery in the Tunnel through Chalk. The description is "Layers of slightly varying chalk col[our], some of which are embedded with tiny seashells and other fossil evidence." Understand "layers" or "chalk" or "seashells" or "tiny" or "shells" or "evidence" or "fossil evidence" as the sedimentary strata. Every turn when the location is Tunnel through Chalk: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say "[one of]The air stirs with a breeze from the east[or]A breeze along the passage stirs the dust[or]There's a faint tang of salt air[or]Something like the cry of a seagull comes down the passage[as decreasingly likely outcomes]." Instead of smelling Tunnel through Chalk: say "The air does smell fresher here." The upward-spiral staircase is an up-staircase in Tunnel through Chalk. The printed name of the upward-spiral staircase is "spiral staircase". Understand "spiral" as the upward-spiral staircase. Understand "raise [portcullis]" or "lift [portcullis]" as opening. The portcullis is a door. It is east of Tunnel through Chalk and west of Personal Apartment. "[if the location is Tunnel through Chalk]Blocking the far end of the corridor is a metal [portcullis][otherwise]The metal [portcullis] guards the way back[end if]. [portcullis status]." The description of the portcullis is "Heavy black metal bars, left from a much earlier state. [portcullis status]." To say portcullis status: say "It is currently [if the portcullis is open]raised[otherwise]lowered[end if][if the jack wedges the portcullis] a few feet by [a jack][end if][if something is on the pulley]. From the pulley above the portcullis hangs [a list of things which are on the pulley][otherwise]. There's a pulley and hook arrangement above the portcullis, but the hook is empty[end if]". Instead of searching the portcullis: if the player is in Tunnel through Chalk: say "Thanks to the angle of the tunnel, it's hard to see much of the room beyond, save that the rough rock walls have been paneled, and [you] can make out the edge of a desk or table, probably an old one. There's some source of natural light through there."; otherwise: say "The pulley mechanism is clearly visible but is on the far side of the bars." The pulley is part of the portcullis. It is a supporter. Understand "rope" or "pulley" or "hook" as the pulley. The description of the pulley is "Rope runs from the top of the portcullis over pulleys and down to a hook. It looks like a contrivance to help open the portcullis." Check putting the weight on the pulley: say "This weight isn't substantial enough, and also provides no loop or ring that would let it hang from the hook." instead. Check putting an unhookable thing on the pulley: say "[The noun] do[es]n't fit on the hook." instead. Definition: a thing is unhookable: if it is the counterweight: no; if it is the ordinary-counter: no; if it is floppy: no; yes. [And to account for cases where you make an unhookable thing on the pulley via letter-manipulating something that was previously there:] Every turn when something unhookable is on the pulley (this is the portcullis empty rule): if the player can see the pulley: say "[The list of unhookable things on the pulley] fall[s] to the ground."; now every unhookable thing on the pulley is in Tunnel through Chalk. Sanity-check putting something on the portcullis: try putting the noun on the pulley instead. Check putting something on the pulley when something is on the pulley: say "The hook can only really hold one thing at a time. [run paragraph on]"; while something (called the current content) is on the pulley: try taking the current content; if the current content is on the pulley: stop the action. Every turn when the counterweight is not on the pulley and the portcullis is open (this is the portcullis fall rule): unless something wedges the portcullis: now the portcullis is closed; if the player can see the portcullis: say "The portcullis crashes shut." Check opening portcullis: if the counterweight is not on the pulley: say "[You] strain at the base of the gate, but the portcullis is much too heavy for us to lift unaided. We need some kind of mechanical advantage." instead. Report putting something on the pulley: say "[You] hang [the noun] on the hook." instead. Report putting the counterweight on the pulley: say "[You] hang [the noun] on the hook[if the portcullis is closed]. The portcullis shifts slightly but doesn't rise on its own. Perhaps with a little help, though[end if]." instead. After putting the counterweight on the pulley when the jack wedges the portcullis: now the jack does not wedge the portcullis; say "[You] hang [the noun] on the hook, and the portcullis opens to its full extent, leaving the jack free." Understand "use [jack] on [something]" as propping it with. Check propping the portcullis with something which is not the jack: say "[The second noun] [is-are] not strong enough for such a heavy door." instead. Sanity-check opening the portcullis when the player carries the jack: if the player is hurrying: say "[path-walked so far]There [you] try propping the portcullis with the jack.[paragraph break]"; clear path-walked for player; increase path description count by 1; try propping the portcullis with the jack instead. Sanity-check unlocking the portcullis with the jack: try propping the portcullis with the jack instead. Report propping the portcullis with the jack: say "[You] slip [the jack] under the portcullis and raise it a few feet [--] enough for us to slip past." instead. After deciding the scope of the player when the location is Personal Apartment or the location is Tunnel through Chalk: if the portcullis is wedged by something (called the impediment): place the impediment in scope. Instead of pulling the pulley when the counterweight is not on the pulley: if the portcullis is closed: say "Even pulling from above, [you] can't budge the portcullis. Some additional weight is required."; otherwise: say "The portcullis is already open and the counterweight nearly to the ground." Instead of pulling something which is on the pulley: if the noun is the counterweight: try opening the portcullis; otherwise: try pulling the pulley. [Nothing makes this explicit, but in addition to being part of the counterweight, the counter measures numbers of visits to the oracle in a given month. For the most part people do not open the portcullis and consult with Atlantida from the outside instead, as they are increasingly afraid of her.] The ordinary-counter is on the pulley. The printed name of the ordinary-counter is "counter". The description of the ordinary-counter is "One of those devices with a press-button to increment a number, to assist with counting things like the number of people attending an event. There's also a loop to let the user wear it over one finger. The counter currently reads [counter-state]." The ordinary-counter has a number called the counter-state. The counter-state of the ordinary-counter is 17. Understand "press-button" or "button" as the counter. Understand "counter" as the ordinary-counter. The ordinary-counter is wearable. Instead of pushing the ordinary-counter: increase the counter-state of the ordinary-counter by 1; say "Click! The counter now reads [counter-state]." Chapter 3 - Atlantida's Spaces Section 1 - Personal Apartment The Personal Apartment is a room. It is indoors and forbidden. "At a guess, this is a room hardly anyone ever visits, or even knows about. Though the ceiling and one wall are bare cave, the rest has been paneled and graciously decorated in the style of the end of the 18th century. [if the oil-paintings are in the location][Oil-paintings] on the walls depict great men and women of Atlantis gone by: Phyllida Shaply, Amelia Landison, Clarence Arbot, Jon Rosehip. [end if]An antique bed stands in the cen[ter] of the room." atlantida-woman is an attackable woman in the Personal Apartment. [She is on the fancy bed.] The printed name of atlantida-woman is "Atlantida". The description of atlantida-woman is "Her face is ageless, her eyes a piercing blue. She looks like Phyllida Shaply, our famous forebear, except that there is something ethereal and heroic about her as well." Rule for listing exits while looking in Personal Apartment: say "Air and sunlight stream in from the east." The inlaid desk is a desk in Personal Apartment. The description is "Very elegant and delicate." A stack of files is on the inlaid desk. The description is "Even a quick look through the titles gives some idea. 'DCL Plausibility studies on a syllable-removing gun.' 'Economic impact study towards an S-inserter, with particular attention to factory closures and workforce reduction in the developing world.' 'Single-noun Targeted Bomb.' 'Popular Opinion Study Concerning Utopian Linguistics.' 'Monthly Counterintelligence Report on Progress towards Manipulation of Simplified Chinese Character Set.' There are others like this, some thin, some fat with paperwork and sticky notes." Instead of taking the stack of files: say "There are too many of them: they slide every which way." Instead of searching the stack of files: say "They're full of alarming information, but there's no time now to memor[ize] everything." A rubber stamp is a thing on the inlaid desk. The description is "It is made to stamp two words: ETHICAL VETO. The discol[our]ation shows it has indeed been used, though not, perhaps, very recently." Understand "stamp [text]" as a mistake ("It seems unlikely that our tampering would go unnoticed.") when the player can see the rubber stamp. The oil-paintings are scenery in Personal Apartment. They are plural-named. The printed name is "[if looking]Oil[otherwise]oil[end if] paintings". Understand "oil" or "painting" or "paintings" or "portraits" or "portrait" as the oil-paintings. The description is "They look like originals. I have seen some of these portraits before, in books at school or in the museum, but was given to understand that they'd been stolen, leaving only photographs or replicas." A fancy bed is a clothed bed. It is scenery in Personal Apartment. The description of the fancy bed is "Draped in eau-de-Nil blankets, and tossed by a restless occupant." Understand "antique" as the fancy bed. The printed name of the fancy bed is "bed". Understand "eau-de-Nil" or "eau" or "de" or "nil" as the fancy bed's blankets. The description of the fancy bed's blankets is "They're brocaded, worked with the great A of Anglophone Atlantis." The description of the fancy bed's pillow is "Down, I'm sure." The description of the fancy bed's sheets is "Pale and satiny, just a few shades lighter than the blankets." [A bead is on the inlaid desk. The description of the bead is "It's a large, glass bead, beautifully patterned in blue and white and clear glass. But that does not explain its presence here." Before putting gel on the bead: if the bead is not in the location: if the player does not carry the bead: try taking the bead; if the player carries the bead: try dropping the bead. Report dropping the bead: say "[You] set the bead down on the floor." instead. Before waving the letter-remover at the fancy bed when Phyllida is on the fancy bed: say "She sees what [you] [are] up to."; try atlantida-woman exiting. ] Section 2 - Private Solarium The Private Solarium is east of Personal Apartment. It is indoors and forbidden. It contains a coffee table and a chaise longue. The description of the coffee table is "Antique as well, most likely. It is the same handsome wood as the furnishings in the rest of the apartment." Rule for listing exits when looking in the Private Solarium: do nothing instead. The coffee table is scenery. On the coffee table is a silver tray. On the silver tray are some jacks, a cloth napkin, some crumbs, and a dirty coffee cup. The silver tray is not fixed in place. The description of the jacks is "A set of children's playing jacks[if the jacks are not handled and the jacks are on the silver tray]. They are lined up, with curious precision, into the letter A[end if]." Rule for writing a topic sentence about the silver tray when the silver tray is on the coffee table: say "Left on [a coffee table] (as though waiting for maid service) is [a silver tray]. [run paragraph on]" The chaise longue is a chair. The description of the chaise longue is "It implies afternoons of elegant indolence. Many of them." It is scenery. On it is an ebook reader. The description of the silver tray is "Just matte enough to give no reflections, and stamped with a classical Atlantean pattern of overlapping olive branches and chard leaves." The description of the cloth napkin is "Good linen in eau-de-nil, monogrammed with a large A, and smeared with a few smudges of honey." It is floppy and wearable. The heft of the cloth napkin is 1. The description of the crumbs is "At a guess, they come from some sort of breakfast roll or pastry." The crumbs are edible. The heft of the crumbs is 1. Instead of taking the crumbs: say "[You] know they'll only make a mess." The description of the coffee cup is "The residual liquid in the bottom reveals that the person whose breakfast this was takes a small amount of milk and no sugar." The coffee cup is a container. The description of the ebook reader is "An expensive recent model, silver-backed, with a glossy touch screen." The ebook reader is a computer. Book search is a search engine. The ebook runs book search. The data table of book search is the Table of Dull Data. Understand "list" or "list of books" as the ebook reader. Understand "scroll [something]" as scrolling. Scrolling is an action applying to one thing. Check scrolling: say "I'm not sure how you can scroll [a noun]." instead. Instead of scrolling the ebook reader: choose a random row in the Table of Dull Data; say "[You] scroll through a selection of [title entry]. [data entry][paragraph break]". The description of Book search is "There is a long, scrolling list of books, with titles on economics, biography, linguistics, and history. A search bubble allows the user to search for specific genres or titles." Table of Dull Data topic title data "history" or "wartime" or "operations" or "invention" or "atlantida" or "wartime operations" or "invention of atlantida" or "wartime operations and the invention of atlantida" or "Atlantis" or "mediterranean" "history books" "The search finds some 72 titles, focused especially on Mediterranean cultures ancient and modern. The history of Atlantis, and the political history of the Bureau itself, are covered in a series of popular[izing] works. One book, 'Wartime Operations and the Invention of Atlantida,' has evidently been read through several times." "linguistics" or "dcl" or "dental" or "consonants" "linguistics books" "The list is surprisingly thorough and even scholarly, showing a clear grasp of the major fields of linguistic manipulation theory. There are even a few PDFs of works that are not, to my knowledge, available to the public: they are private internal publications of Dental Consonants Limited. All in all, this would not be an unambitious reading list for a graduate student in a related field." "biography" or "phyllida" or "shaply" or "marcus" or "aurelius" or "churchill" or "winston" or "margaret" or "thatcher" or "martin" or "luther" or "king" or "nelson" or "mandela" "biographies" "The collection includes four different biographies of Phyllida Shaply; numerous lives of her contemporaries; and then a bizarrely diverse coverage of saints and villains, ancient and recent figures. Marcus Aurelius appears, as do Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela." "economy/economics/macroeconomics" "books on the economy" "Several impressive-looking textbooks on macroeconomics are listed, though from the bookmarks it is clear that the owner has not been able to get all the way through them." The tall window is an attackable door. "A window in the north wall, cut out through the cliff face, gives a view of [if the current daytime is sunset]the ocean in fading sunlight[otherwise if the current daytime is evening]tranquil sea under a darkening sky[otherwise]brilliant sunlight and the hot sea[end if]." It is north of Private Solarium and south of the Precarious Perch. The description of the tall window is "[if the tall window is open]The window stands open.[else]The window is closed.[end if]". After examining the tall window, try searching the tall window. Instead of going south through the tall window when the tall window is locked: say "It's locked again. There's no way for us but forward from here." Rule for writing a paragraph about the tall window when the location is the Precarious Perch: if the tall window is open: say "The window in the cliff face opens onto the solarium to the south."; otherwise: say "It's hard to see through the tall window to the room behind: mostly it reflects the sea." Instead of searching the tall window: if the player is in Precarious Perch: if atlantida-refreshed is in Private Solarium: say "Atlantida waves to us, then turns back to deal with any approaching guards."; now atlantida-refreshed is in the personal apartment; else: say "The room is there, to be sure, but no one is coming just yet."; otherwise: say "Through the window, there's a beautiful view of the sea; but further inspection also reveals a narrow strip of grassy ledge, really only just wide enough to stand on, before a steep descent over stones." Check attacking the tall window with something: say "[The second noun] bounce[s] harmlessly off the window glass. It must be artificially strengthened or something." instead. Instead of climbing the tall window: try entering the tall window. Instead of going through the closed tall window: say "The window is shut: you'd break the glass." Official Grounds is a region. The Antechamber, Rotunda, Tools Exhibit, All-Purpose Office, Bureau Hallway, Bureau Basement South, Bureau Basement Middle, Bureau Basement Secret Section, Wonderland, and Sensitive Equipment Testing Room, Equipment Archive, Cold Storage, Display Reloading Room, Workshop, Generator Room, Surveillance Room, and Oracle Project are in the Official Grounds. The Antechamber, All-Purpose Office, Bureau Hallway, Bureau Basement South, Bureau Basement Middle, Bureau Basement Secret Section [, Wonderland, Display Reloading Room, Oracle Project, Workshop, Equipment Archive, and Cold Storage] are privately-controlled. Report facing in Official Grounds when the location is Wonderland or the location is Basement Secret Section: if the noun is up or the noun is down: say "There are no obvious exits that way." instead; say "None of the doors in that direction look useful to us, and some of them look frightening." instead. Part 2 - Final Departure Chapter 1 - The Seaside The distant-sea-view is a distant backdrop. It is fluid. It is in Customs Hallway, Precarious Perch, Old City Walls, Old Hexagonal Turret, and Crumbling Wall Face. The printed name is "view of the sea". Understand "view of the sea" as the distant-sea-view. It screens north, northwest, and northeast. Understand "ocean" or "sea" or "waves" or "water" or "horizon" as the distant-sea-view. The description is "The water is quiet today [--] though it rarely achieves very impressive waves anyhow. The col[our] ranges from a bright Bureau blue close to shore to a deep lapis at the horizon." The sea-view is a backdrop. It is fluid. It is in Abandoned Shore, Private Beach, and Open Sea. It screens north, northwest, and northeast. The printed name is "sea". Understand "view of the sea" as the sea-view. Understand "ocean" or "sea" or "waves" or "water" or "horizon" as the sea-view. The description is "[if the location is Open Sea]The seawater is pleasantly clear here: there's little turbulence to stir up muck, little seaweed.[otherwise if the location is nautical]The surface of the water glitters in the last light.[otherwise]The waves are low and gentle, little more than a wash of foam over the surface of the beach, like an emptied dishpan.[end if]". Instead of listening to the sea-view: say "There's a gentle lapping of waves." Instead of listening to a room in the presence of the sea-view: try listening to the sea-view. Instead of washing something in the presence of the sea-view: say "Washing things in ocean water tends to leave them a bit gritty afterward, or even stained with rings of dried salt." Instead of tasting or drinking or eating the sea-view: say "Seawater makes you sick, or didn't you know?" Instead of smelling the sea-view: say "It smells faintly sea-weedy." Instead of rubbing the sea-view: try touching the sea-view. Report touching the sea-view: say "[You] dip our hand in the water and shake it dry. "; if the current daytime is: -- noon: say "The water is a little brisk: this morning was cooler." instead; -- early afternoon: say "The water is still cool, but not cold." instead; -- mid afternoon: say "The water is only a little cooler than the surrounding air." instead; -- late afternoon: say "The sea has taken a lot of sun over the course of the day, and is surprisingly warm." instead; -- sunset: say "The water is still warm with the retained heat of a very sunny day." instead; -- evening: say "The water retains the heat of a very sunny day, though the air is cooling quickly." instead; Precarious Perch is a room. It is forbidden. "From up here there's a handsome [distant-sea-view], which isn't [i]so[/i] far down [i]really[/i]. But it's a scramble down a nearly sheer cliff for the first bit, until [you] make it down to the rockfall below, and it would be easy for a careless person to injure herself." Rule for listing exits while looking in Precarious Perch: do nothing instead. Instead of jumping in Precarious Perch: say "You give a sudden, mad spring before I can clamp down on the impulse, and then [you] [are] in mid-air and I can see the boulders below and time seems to be going very slowly until it isn't."; end the game saying "[You] wake up four days later in hospital with one leg paralyzed". Rule for distantly describing Abandoned Shore when the location is Precarious Perch: say "[one of]If [you] lean out over the cliff, [you] can see that there is a way down, awkward but navigable, to a small bit of sheltered shore below[if the kayak is in abandoned shore]. There even appears to be a kayak down there, though [you] can't get a good look for very long without the vertigo kicking in. So I pull back from that position. Still, it doesn't look hopeless[end if][or][You] lean out again and get another glimpse of sand and rocks[if the kayak is in abandoned shore] and kayak[end if][stopping]." instead. After going down from Precarious Perch: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; say "It's a nasty business lowering ourselves over the edge, with little to hold onto up here; scrabbling around with our toes for good holds; letting go with one hand to descend a little further... But after some minutes of this painstaking process the cliff begins to slope outward more, and it's no longer a question of climbing down a face, but rather of scrambling down over boulders. And then... [command clarification break]"; continue the action. Instead of going up in Abandoned Shore: say "[You] doubt whether [you] would make the return trip. It was bad enough coming down." Instead of going north in Abandoned Shore when the player is not in the kayak: say "[You] have too far to go; just swimming won't get us out to Slango's yacht." Abandoned Shore is below Precarious Perch. It is forbidden. "There's a little inlet of shore here, mostly boulders with little sand, completely cut off from the dock area and sheltered by the curve of the rock so that it wouldn't be visible from the sea unless someone were very close in." Some boulders are scenery in Abandoned Shore. Understand "crack" or "rocks" or "boulder" as the boulders. The description is "Rough black rock, the kind that tears up your hands if you try to hold onto it too tightly." Some tidal pools are scenery in Abandoned Shore. The description is "Pools of seawater no more than a foot or two deep, temporarily cut off from the rest of the ocean." Instead of climbing the boulders: say "While it might be possible to scramble up over the curve of rock and get a glimpse of the harbor, there's an equally good possibility that doing so would get [me] undesirable attention." The non-sand is scenery in Abandoned Shore. The non-sand is privately-named. Understand "sand" as the non-sand. Sanity-check doing something when the noun is non-sand or the second noun is non-sand: say "There's very little sand here, just boulders." [Carry out examining the boulders when the squid is not seen: move the squid to the location; Report examining the boulders when the squid is not seen: say "[A squid] has died and washed ashore in a crack of the boulders."] [Originally, the squid here was dead and just a body washed ashore -- long before the squid became prevalent imagery in the rest of the game. But once that imagery was in place, it seemed kind of weird and depressing to have a dead squid there, so this was replaced with a different description.] A squid is an animal on the boulders. "There is a [squid] in the tidal pools among [the boulders]." The description of a squid is "A squid, washed into a tidal pool, but not damaged. When the tide comes back in, it will be free to go." Sanity-check saying hello to the squid: say "[one of]One tentacle waves back. It is probably a coincidence[or]I'm not even sure squid can hear. At any rate there is no response[stopping]." instead. Instead of taking the squid: say "When [you] reach into the pool for it, it hangs onto the underlying rocks with all its strength and cannot be extracted." Instead of smelling the squid: say "As it's underwater, any natural scent the squid may exude is trapped and does not reach our nostrils." Instead of tasting or eating the squid: say "It's still alive. And while we're on the topic, raw squid meat is chewy, slippery white stuff, and doesn't agree with me." Instead of touching the squid: say "Its flesh is rubbery. It wraps one tentacle around our finger." Rule for listing exits when looking in Abandoned Shore: do nothing instead. The bollard is a fixed in place thing in Abandoned Shore. "A [bollard] is bolted to one of the rocks, which is curious considering the otherwise unused and inaccessible look of the spot." Understand "bolt" or "bolted" as the bollard. The description is "A metal pole, painted all-weather green and bolted to a rock. Its ilk are used in more trafficked places for securing boats and so on; and indeed so is this one, despite the implausible setting." The heft of the bollard is 5. The kayak is a vehicle in Abandoned Shore. "An old but still serviceable [kayak] is drawn up[if the bollard is in the location and the shackles are part of the kayak] and firmly shackled to the bollard[otherwise] here[end if]." The description of the kayak is "A green plastic boat, designed to be used by one person with a paddle or oar. [if the bollard is in the location and the shackles are part of the kayak]It's seaworthy, at least for reasonable distances, and shackled to the bollard for safety[otherwise]It looks seaworthy and ready to use[end if]." Some shackles are part of the kayak. Understand "shackle" as the shackles. The description is "They're firmly attached and locked with a rusty lock that doesn't look inclined to open again any time this century. I really do compliment you folks['] approach to security." Instead of going somewhere by kayak when the location is Abandoned Shore: try launching the kayak instead. Understand "row [something]" as launching. Understand "launch [something]" as launching. Launching is an action applying to one thing. Does the player mean launching the kayak: it is very likely. Check launching: if the noun is not the kayak: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't susceptible to being launched." instead. Check launching: if the shackles are part of the kayak and the bollard is visible: say "It's hard to launch the kayak while it's still shackled to the bollard." instead. Check launching: if the player is not in the kayak: if the player can see the kayak: try entering the kayak; if the player is in the kayak: make no decision; say "That might work better from inside the kayak." instead. Check launching: if the player does not carry the oar: if the player can see the oar: try taking the oar; if the player carries the oar: make no decision; say "It would be helpful to have something to paddle with." instead. [Check launching: if the player carries anything which is not the oar: say "Our hands are too full for rowing. [run paragraph on]"; let worn-list be a list of things; let dropped-list be a list of things; repeat with item running through things carried by the player: if the item is not the oar: if the item is wearable: silently try wearing the item; if the player wears the item: add the item to the worn-list; otherwise: silently try dropping the item; if the player does not carry the item: add the item to the dropped-list; if the player carries anything which is not the oar: stop the action; otherwise: if the number of entries in the dropped-list is not 0 and the number of entries in the worn-list is not 0: say "[You] put down [dropped-list with definite articles] and don [worn-list with definite articles]."; otherwise if the number of entries in the dropped-list is not 0: say "[You] put down [dropped-list with definite articles]."; otherwise if the number of entries in the worn-list is not 0: say "[You] put down [worn-list with definite articles].";] Carry out launching the kayak: move the kayak to the Open Sea. Report launching the kayak: say "With some awkwardness, [you] manage to push off and begin to lab[our]iously row for open sea."; try looking. Report facing in Abandoned Shore: say "The charm of this place is that it's very hard to see anything in any direction but the ocean. In every other direction [you] are completely protected by rocks." instead. Open Sea is north of the Abandoned Shore. It is forbidden. "The water stretches in all directions, but [you] can see off to the north where [viewed-yacht] is anchored, ready to bring us back aboard. Its metallic blue shape almost blends in with the water." The introduction is "If [you] were further around the island to the east, [you] might be able to see bits of the drowned city: both the buildings that were legitimately destroyed when the land sunk into the sea, and the areas where during the Civil Dispute of Standard[ization] the authorities dumped unwanted foreign archaeological [if the player is wearing britishizing goggles]artefact[otherwise]artifact[end if]s. But here I'm afraid it's just shellfish and sand down there." Rule for listing exits when looking in the Open Sea: do nothing instead. A description-concealing rule: if the location is the Open Sea: repeat with item running through things enclosed by the kayak: now the item is not marked for listing. The viewed-yacht is a distant, privately-named scenery thing in Open Sea. Understand "slango's" or "yacht" as the viewed-yacht. The description is "It's just there on the horizon." The printed name is "Slango's yacht". Instead of finding viewed-yacht: try going north. Instead of going a direction which is not north when the location is Open Sea: say "[You][']ve got safety in sight, just to the north. Don't go all sea-crazed on me now." Instead of launching the kayak in Open Sea: try going north instead. Instead of exiting in Open Sea: say "Leaving the kayak at this juncture would only get us all wet. And I'm too tired for that right now." Instead of putting gel on the oar when the player is in the kayak: say "It would be extremely inconvenient to lose the oar at this juncture." Understand "drift" as waiting when the location is Open sea. Instead of waiting when the player is in Open Sea: say "Rest for a moment if you insist, but the currents can be odd here; it would be better to make for the yacht and rest after [you] get there." Beside Slango's Ship is north of Open Sea. Instead of facing north in Open Sea: say "Slango's yacht is visible not too far off to the north. [You] can certainly make it." Report facing in open sea: say "There is mostly ocean everywhere." instead. After going to Beside Slango's Ship: let N be the number of entries in the path so far of the player; if N is greater than 1: say "[path-walked so far]"; otherwise: clear the path-walked for the player; say "[You] come around to the aft of Slango's yacht and give a good shout. With the help of a ladder and a hand up from Slango himself, [you] soon have the kayak stored, and ourselves and our possessions on deck.[if N is greater than 1][paragraph break][end if]"; now every other thing in the kayak is carried by the player; now the posture of the player is standing; remove the oar from play; set the current interlocutor to Slango; [queue where-is-Brock as immediate obligatory;] move the player to Sunning Deck, without printing a room description; follow the compass-drawing rule instead; Chapter 2 - The Yacht [Odds are that the average player won't see most of the detail on the yacht. That's okay with me; what I really wanted here was to give Andra a fully-fleshed home and background — after all, we've just been all over Alex's — so that if the player does choose to look at this stuff, it feels persuasive, rather than a half-hearted backdrop to the epilogue. The discipline of building out the True Macaque forced me to think about what Andra and Brock's life had been like before: Brock has a separate romantic history; he and Andra don't share a cabin even though they're lovers, because they spent years living separately and still need some distance from one another; and the yacht is equipped for a certain amount of self-sufficiency so that the crew can work from anywhere in the Mediterranean.] Section 1 - Nautical Directions Test nautical with "tutorial off / fore / fore / aft / down" in Sunning Deck. A room can be nautical or earthbound. A room is usually not nautical. A direction can be earthbound-directional or nautical-directional. A direction is usually earthbound-directional. Starboard, port, fore, aft, up, down, the inside and the outside are nautical-directional. North, west, east, south, northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast are earthbound-directional. Rule for listing exits while looking in a nautical room: do nothing instead. The starboard is a direction. The starboard has opposite port. Understand "s" or "sb" as starboard when the location is nautical. The port is a direction. The port has opposite starboard. Understand "p" as port when the location is nautical. The fore is a direction. The fore has opposite aft. Understand "f" as fore when the location is nautical. The aft is a direction. The aft has opposite fore. Understand "a" or "af" as aft when the location is nautical. The aft-port is a direction. The aft-port has opposite fore-starboard. It is nautical-directional. Understand "pa" or "ap" as aft-port when the location is nautical. The aft-starboard is a direction. It is nautical-directional. The aft-starboard has opposite fore-port. Understand "sa" or "as" or "asb" as aft-starboard when the location is nautical. The fore-port is a direction. It is nautical-directional. The fore-port has opposite aft-starboard. Understand "pf" or "fp" as fore-port when the location is nautical. The fore-starboard is a direction. It is nautical-directional. The fore-starboard has opposite aft-port. Understand "sf" or "fs" or "fsb" as fore-starboard when the location is nautical. Does the player mean going a nautical-directional direction when the location is nautical: it is very likely. Index map with fore mapped as north. Index map with aft mapped as south. Index map with port mapped as west. Index map with starboard mapped as east. Index map with fore-port mapped as northwest. Index map with aft-port mapped as southwest. Index map with fore-starboard mapped as northeast. Index map with aft-starboard mapped as southeast. [Before going a nautical direction when the location is not nautical, say "Nautical directions can only be used on board ship."] Check facing in a nautical room: if the noun is not nautical-directional: if the location is indoors: say "[You] can't really see outside well enough to look off in that direction." instead; say "No one appears to be approaching the ship or attempting to follow us, which is the main thing." instead. Sanity-check going an earthbound-directional direction in a nautical room: say "Compass directions make no sense on board ship, but you can use fore, aft, port, and starboard instead." instead. After printing the name of a nautical room while looking: say "[roman type] (aboard the True Macaque)". [The True Macaque is based on a blend of several yacht designs, but most of all on the '64 Wallypower' by Wally yachts of Monaco. I was looking for a design with the speed of a smuggling cigarette boat but the appearance of a luxury craft, and sufficient range to tool around non-trivial distances. This may still have been the wrong call, since I don't actually know more about yachts than I got off a website. The yacht's name is obviously a riff on Counterfeit Monkey (Slango's reason for calling it that) but also a reference to the Squirrel Nut Zippers song Trou Macacq.] When play begins: now every nautical room is forbidden. Section 2 - Sunning Deck Sunning Deck is a nautical room. The description is "[one of]This is a very fine boat: sleek, shiny, big... Oh, you don't like it when I put it that way, I see. All right then: a high-speed yacht, something luxurious enough that it looks like a rich man's toy to harbor officials, but it handles almost like a cigarette boat. [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]Fibreglass[otherwise]Fiberglass[end if] hull, shaped in a deep V for racing, capable of 80 knots on a calm sea. Range of around 300 nautical miles, enough to take us past Gibraltar to Málaga or perhaps even Almeria. This bit is the aft portion[or]This is the aft section of the deck[stopping], broad and flat and suitable for sunning oneself." [This device is based on a broadband satellite equipment and service package offered by radio-marine.com.] The communication unit is a fixed in place thing in the Sunning Deck. "Fixed on the roof above the entry to the navigation area is a white object that looks a little like an igloo. It is the [communication unit] that handles the yacht's wifi connection." The description is "It provides broadband access from the yacht wherever you are, from Biarritz to Istanbul, for a mere thousand euros a month. Slango frequently comments on the iniquity of this fee, but it would be impossible to do your research and make deals without it." Understand "white object" or "white" or "igloo" or "wifi" or "wireless" or "connection" as the communication unit. Rule for writing a topic sentence about a long thing when the location is Sunning Deck: if at least two long things are mentionable: say "[The list of mentionable long things] are stacked together here, for lack of more convenient storage spaces. "; otherwise: say "[The list of mentionable long things] lies on the deck because it doesn't fit a closet. "; Section 3 - Navigation Area The Navigation Area is fore from the Sunning Deck. It is nautical. "[if Slango is not on the command chair]A [command chair] waits at the [controls], a mass of buttons and levers and a tiny, low-mounted steering wheel that seems like an awfully small device to control such a high-powered machine. But I'll take your word that it works.[otherwise]Arrayed on the dashboard (is that even the right word?) is a mass of buttons and levers, and a tiny, low-mounted steering wheel.[end if] The Galley is just below, [down] a steep staircase that is almost a ladder." Rule for writing a paragraph about Slango when Slango is on the Command Chair: say "Slango is in [the command chair]. He looks more relaxed driving the boat than I've ever seen him before." The steep staircase top is a down-staircase. It is in the Navigation Area. The description is "The steps are taller than is really quite comfortable.". The printed name is "steep staircase". Understand "ladder" as the steep staircase top. The steep staircase bottom is an up-staircase. It is in the Galley. The description is "The stairs ascend to the navigation area on deck." The printed name is "steep staircase". Understand "ladder" as the steep staircase bottom. The command chair is an enterable scenery supporter in the Navigation Area. The description is "Cushioned for long use, and upholstered in some kind of specially-engineered UV-resistant leather." The controls are scenery in the Navigation Area. Understand "mass" or "buttons" or "button" or "lever" or "levers" or "steering" or "wheel" as the controls. The description is "It's curious, looking at these and knowing I've never touched them before in my life, and yet having your instinctive muscular knowledge of what they're all for and how they work. I feel like I could sit down and drive the yacht, and at the same time I find the idea terrifying." Foredeck is fore from the Navigation Area. It is nautical. "Here the yacht is nothing but a nose over the water. A [hatch], hardly big enough for a portly person, descends into the so-called crew cabin." Some portholes are a kind of thing. Portholes are usually scenery. The description of the portholes is usually "Perhaps I should drop any attempt to sound nautical and just call them windows, because they are not the round things one normally thinks of. But they are waterproof and just above the water line." Understand "window" or "windows" or "porthole" or "portholes" as portholes. The printed name of portholes is always "portholes". Instead of searching portholes: say "It's hard to get much of a view, just the glimmering and rolling of the water surface." Instead of opening portholes: say "They don't open, sensibly enough." Check waving the letter-remover at portholes when the current setting of the letter-remover is "s": say "We could, but the lighting is dim enough in here already." instead. The hatch is above the Crew Cabin and below the Foredeck. It is a door. It is openable and closed. It is scenery. The description of the hatch is "Made of tinted glass so that it also doubles as a light source for the pathetic space below." A yacht bed is a kind of clothed bed. Two drawers are part of every yacht bed. Instead of looking under a yacht bed: say "Under [the noun] [is-are a list of drawers which are part of the noun]." The pre-drawer rule is listed before the initialize drawers rule in the when play begins rules. This is the pre-drawer rule: now every drawer which is part of a yacht bed is horizontal. Section 4 - Crew Cabin The Crew Cabin is a room. It is nautical. It is indoors. "It was meant to be mine, before we turned out to be inseparable It's... Spartan. But I didn't pay for expensive accommodations. Oh, yes, and I can understand that it must be a bother for you to give up the storage space. I'm fascinated to note what shape a bed can be when it's not rectangular. More sort of curved and tapering. Convenient if you're called on to house a mermaid.". Instead of looking in Crew Cabin when the player is gelled: say "One upside to our continuing to share the same bodies: I don't have to try to sleep in that narrow tapery bed." The misshapen bed is a yacht bed in the Crew Cabin. The description is "It is fitted into the curve of the yacht wall, which is strongly bent here, so that the foot of the bed is tapered and narrow." It is scenery. Some tiny portholes are portholes. They are in the Crew Cabin. Section 5 - Galley The Galley is below the Navigation Area. It is nautical. It is indoors. The description is "Smaller than the kitchen in a comfortable house, but carefully and elegantly fitted, with an electric stovetop, a convection oven/microwave, a tiny refrigerator, a sink: enough, in short, to serve the crew of three on long trips.[one of] I guess even a fairly big boat is still small on the inside, eh?[or][stopping] There's even a little washing machine, for items too big to hand-wash in the sink.". A built-in table is scenery in the Galley. It is a supporter. The description is "When the weather is good and there is nothing urgent happening, you all often eat out on the sunning deck, which is more congenial; but at other times you take your meals down here, on this table. The seating is built-in.". Some seating is part of the built-in table. The seating is an enterable supporter. Understand "built-in seating" as the seating. The galley cabinet is a scenery cabinet in the Galley. The galley cabinet contains a bottle of ouzo and assorted staples. The description of the bottle of ouzo is "Left over from a job in Crete. It's been going slowly because Slango doesn't let anyone get drunk on [i]True Macaque[/i] and a single slug of this stuff is the upper limit." The description of the assorted staples is "Various long-keeping foods, mostly cooked by Slango. You and Brock occasionally pitch in, but more frequently do the washing up instead. There's enough here to feed the three of you, frugally and without frills, for about a month and a half." Some gameshelves are scenery in the Galley. The printed name is "built-in shelves". Understand "shelf" or "shelves" or "built-in" as the gameshelves. On the gameshelves is a game-selection. Understand "games" or "game" or "battered" or "selection" or "selection of games" as the game-selection. Rule for writing a paragraph about something which is on the gameshelves: say "On the port wall, built-in shelves hold [a list of things on the gameshelves]." The description of the game-selection is "Oh, all sorts: Boggle and Scrabble, which you always win and which therefore Brock and Slango only play when they're in a mood for cheering you up. Monopoly, dusty with disuse. Puerto Rico. Arkham Horror. It's surprising what even Brock will admit to being amused by in the course of a long evening at sea." The printed name of the game-selection is "battered selection of games". [Arkham Horror is a game designed by G. Kevin Wilson, who also happens to be the originator of SPAG magazine and an enthusiastic contributor to the early IF community. It is also an incredibly detailed game with a bazillion pieces, and about as unsuitable for shipboard play as any boardgame could be.] Understand "boggle" or "scrabble" or "monopoly" or "arkham" or "horror" or "puerto" or "rico" as the game-selection. Instead of doing something other than examining when the noun is the game-selection or the second noun is the game-selection: if looking at the game-selection through something: continue the action; say "This doesn't seem to be a game-playing sort of occasion." Some wide portholes are portholes. They are in the galley. The washing machine is a closed openable scenery container in the Galley. The description is "It's efficient enough, but only works when plugged into water and power in a marina. It would be too draining to run off the yacht's resources in open sea. [paragraph break]Besides, you don't have a dryer, which means laundry has to be put up on a string above-decks, and that's not a practical thing to do when you might be having to make a fast get-away in the near future." A refrigerator called a galley refrigerator is in the Galley. The printed name is "[if looking]refrigerator[otherwise]galley refrigerator[end if]". The description is "Like the other fittings of the kitchen, it's handsomely sleek with shiny black surfaces. An unnecessary frill, but it fits the bored-playboy-yachts-around-Mediterranean cover that Slango likes to put up. (Brock plays the lead role.) The rest of the food is in the cabinet." A stove called a galley stove is in the Galley. The description of the galley stove is "A perfectly smooth, easy-to-clean black surface with electric burners underneath." A sink called a galley sink is in the Galley. The description of the galley sink is "Stainless steel, and very clean." The multipurpose oven is fixed in place scenery in the Galley. It is an openable closed transparent container. Understand "convection" or "microwave" as the multipurpose oven. The description is "A versatile piece of machinery that can either microwave or convection-heat things. It's not terribly powerful at either task, but it suffices and moreover is very compact." When play begins: let target be a random freezer compartment which is part of the Galley refrigerator; move the fig ice cream to the target; move the frozen dinners to the target; move the bottle of vodka to the target; let target oven be a random oven which is part of the Galley stove; remove the target oven from play. [because we want a special microwave/convection oven in there instead.] A fig ice cream is a thing. The indefinite article is "some". The description is "Brock got this for a lark, but it turns out no one likes it." Some frozen dinners are a thing. The description is "French frozen food, which I gather from your thoughts [--] obviously I've never tasted the stuff [--] is miles better than any other kind of frozen food, in the sense of actually tasting good." A bottle of vodka is a thing. The description is "Half empty, typically drunk exclusively by Brock." A jar of caviar is a thing. It is in the Galley refrigerator. The description is "Most of it is gone, used up in Brock's great crepes experiment of last weekend." Instead of taking something which is in a freezer compartment when the location is the Galley: say "No one's hungry right now." Instead of inserting something into a freezer compartment: say "There's no point in freezing [the noun]." Section 6 - Brock's Stateroom Brock's Stateroom is fore from the Galley. It is nautical . It is indoors. The description is "Bigger than your bunk or Slango's, Brock's space takes the whole width of the yacht here, with windows out both sides, and a double bed. The shape of hull in this part of the yacht means that the room is much narrower fore than aft, the walls sweeping grandly outward from the head of [Brock's bed]. It looks like the bed of Captain Horndog, Space Woman[ize]r. If you ask me." Brock's bed is a yacht bed in Brock's Stateroom. It is scenery. The description is "Brock affects a kind of ruffled bachelor style, which means that his bed is made but the blankets suggestively rumpled. It is an open question whether he rumples them himself on purpose." When play begins: let N be random sheets which are part of a bed in Brock's Stateroom; change the description of N to "Egyptian cotton, high thread count, dyed deep black. Whether this is part of the luxury look of the boat or a preference of Brock's is a question you've never felt like asking."; let N be random pillow which is part of a bed in Brock's Stateroom; change the description of N to "Cased to match the sheets."; let N be random blanket which is part of a bed in Brock's Stateroom; change the description of N to "Just a very light cashmere throw blanket. Takes rumples well."; let target drawer be a random leftmost drawer which is part of a bed in Brock's Stateroom; let target drawer be a random rightmost drawer which is part of a bed in Brock's Stateroom; move the expensive laptop to the target drawer; move the mess of cabling to the target drawer; move the DVDs to the target drawer. Understand "blankets" as a blanket. The expensive laptop is a laptop. The description is "It's Brock's fav[our]ite object in the whole world: glossy display, unibody aluminum shell, vast hard drive. He uses it to research jobs and set up contacts." [Instead of doing something other than examining when the expensive laptop is the noun or the expensive laptop is the second noun: say "Brock would cut our fingers off. But it's password-protected anyway; we wouldn't even be able to play solitaire on it." ] The expensive laptop is running a password lock program called Brock's security. The password of Brock's security is "2!ch_nqrx@v". The expensive laptop is running a multiple-choice program called Brock-OS. The options table of Brock-OS is the Table of GUI Choices. Table of GUI Choices topic title effect "photos/pictures/photographs" or "my" or "my photos" "Photos" photo-display rule "games" "Game" game-display rule This is the game-display rule: say "Brock's game collection runs most strongly to very detailed simulation and strategy games: Crusader Kings, a couple of flight simulators, Realistic Tractors 2011 Edition." This is the photo-display rule: say "Images flash quickly across the screen. They are, to your surprise, not pornographic; to mine, they are not especially suggestive of criminal activity. Just a bunch of snaps of you and Brock and Slango, and occasionally other people, enjoying what appear to be rigorously ordinary holidays in various Mediterranean ports." The mess of cabling is a thing. The description of the mess of cabling is "Power adaptors for various different plug styles; ethernet, USB, firewire cables ranging from new to nearly obsolete formats; security devices, dongles, things I don't even recogn[ize]." Understand "adaptors" or "power" or "ethernet" or "usb" or "firewire" or "cables" or "devices" or "dongles" as the mess of cabling. Instead of doing something other than examining when the mess of cabling is the noun or the laptop is the second noun: say "I know what some of this stuff is for, but none of it would be handy now." Some DVDs are a thing. The description of the DVDs is "A stack of unlabeled data DVDs in clear plastic cases. They could be anything: backup information on the jobs you've done, his music collection, porn. Knowing Brock, you would guess some of all three." Instead of doing something other than examining when the DVDs is the noun or the DVDs is the second noun: say "I know what some of this stuff is for, but none of it would be handy now." [The portrait is a thing. Understand "big" or "glossy" or "8 x 10" or "annalisa" or "photograph" or "photo" or "of annalisa" as the portrait. The description is "It's a big glossy 8 x 10 photograph of Annalisa: one of those intimate candid shots that says a world about the relationship of the sitter to the man behind the camera. She's not looking at the lens. Her face is a little averted. Brock has shot her as though she were a rare orchid [--] narrow depth of field, natural light, extreme close-up [--] so that she doesn't seem so much like a person; so that she breaks into components of form and texture. A childlike curve of cheek. Fair, freckled skin. Downswept lashes. This is the photograph that he has not thrown away. A casual observer might be excused for thinking that she initiated the breakup and Brock was still carrying a torch. But it was just the opposite, of course." ] Some front portholes are portholes. They are in Brock's Stateroom. Section 7 - Brock's Head Brock's Head is aft-port from Brock's Stateroom. It is nautical . It is indoors. It is a bathroom. "Brock has gotten the best accommodations in this respect as well: his bathroom is less cramped than the others aboard, and the mirror is bigger." Instead of going starboard in Brock's Head: try going fore-starboard. Instead of going fore in Brock's Head: try going fore-starboard. Section 8 - Your Bunk Your Bunk is aft-starboard from the Galley. It is nautical . It is indoors. The description is "Amazing: it's even tinier than my apartment, and the bed isn't even a twin in width. Across from the bed is a built-in [bench], with [random portholes] above, just at the waterline." The bench is an enterable supporter in Your Bunk. It is scenery. The description is "It's hard and less comfortable than a sofa, but it is adequate for seating on the rare occasions when a second person comes into your room. Mostly you read on the bed." Some financial records are a thing. The clipping is a thing. The description of the financial records is "Brock and Slango managed for you at first, depositing your part of job commissions into a Swiss bank account. It is only recently that you've started to branch out in managing that money. After your wire transfer to your brother, you have only a few tens of thousands of dollars left, but that will change when you get your share for rescuing the plans of the T-inserter." The description of the clipping is "This is a clipping from your hometown paper, from when you took second place in a national spelling bee at the age of twelve. Years of training and study, practice every night of the week, and [i]your parents were satisfied when you placed second[/i]. They were proud. Your mother gave an interview on TV. All that stuff about the struggle to achieve perfection as man's gift back to God, or whatever? They made that up. They were happy to cash in on your not-quite-perfect performance in the end, happy to be local celebrities for two weeks, happy to tell everyone how they trained you up and what good parents they were. You were humiliated by your loss at the last moment, and they didn't care. Enter Slango in your life, and cue your departure; and you haven't seriously looked back since. ...Well. If I may be permitted a word (and I don't see how you could stop me, sorry): I don't think they were hypocrites. I think they meant well. But I can understand how all that would have done a heck of a job on your head." Your wardrobe is an openable closed container in Your Bunk. It is fixed in place. "[if your wardrobe is open]Your wardrobe door is open[otherwise]Your wardrobe door is firmly closed, which is helpful because otherwise it is tricky walking around in here[end if]." Understand "door" as the wardrobe. Your wardrobe contains a sundress, a black turtleneck, some trousers, and a swimsuit. The sundress, black turtleneck, trousers, and swimsuit are wearable. The description of the sundress is "Bought during a vacation in Nauplia. It was tempting to look like the other tourists. And why not?" The sundress covers the torso-area. The description of the black turtleneck is "It averts attention and is useful on jobs." The turtleneck covers the torso-area. The description of the trousers is "Close-fitting and dark col[our]ed, useful to wear when going places sneakily by night." The trousers cover the legs-area. The description of the swimsuit is "Often the only form of exercise available is swimming off the back of the True Macaque, and Slango insists that you and Brock do this daily if on-shore forms of exertion are not available. It's a one-piece suit, meant for function rather than show." The swimsuit covers the torso-area. Sanity-check wearing the sundress: say "I would kind of feel like it was cross-dressing, if that makes sense." instead. Sanity-check wearing the swimsuit: say "I'm not quite ready to appear in spandex in my [--] that is, our [--] new bod." instead. [Instead of wearing the trousers: say "There's no need to change just now." Instead of wearing the black turtleneck: say "There's no need to change just now."] When play begins: let d be a random rightmost drawer that is part of a bed in Your Bunk; move the financial records to d; let d be a random leftmost drawer that is part of a bed in Your Bunk; move the clipping to d; Every turn when the player can see portholes: if a random chance of 1 in 13 succeeds: say "[one of]Odd patterns of light dance on the ceiling, reflected through the portholes from the water outside.[or]The yacht rolls gently under the influence of an especially strong wave.[or]The waves lap gently against the side of the ship.[or]Just outside the porthole, a seabird is visible resting on the waves; and then it floats on.[or]The wake of what must be quite a large ship raises the [i]True Macaque[/i] and then lowers her again.[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". Your bed is a yacht bed in your bunk. It is scenery. The description is "Homely but familiar." Some back portholes are portholes. They are in your bunk. Instead of going fore in Your Bunk: try going fore-port. Section 10 - Your Head Your Head is aft from Your Bunk. It is nautical. It is a bathroom. It is indoors. "All the absolutely required amenities of a bathroom, packed into the least possible space. The international space station assigns more room to the bathroom functions." Section 11 - Slango's Bunk Slango's Bunk is aft-port from the Galley. It is nautical. It is indoors. The description is "Just as tiny as yours, with a bed narrower than a standard twin, and its own miniature head, and drawers cunningly fitted under the bed to hold clothing and other necessities." Instead of going fore in Slango's Bunk: try going fore-starboard. Some side portholes are portholes. They are in Slango's bunk. Slango's bed is a yacht bed in Slango's bunk. It is scenery. The description is "Hospital corners, military precision. Slango never actually served in the armed forces to the best of your knowledge, but that hasn't stopped him acting like it." Instead of doing something other than examining to something that is part of Slango's bed: say "Neither of us is quite comfortable invading Slango's privacy in that way." Section 12 - Slango's Head Slango's Head is aft from Slango's Bunk. It is nautical . It is indoors. It is a bathroom. "All the absolutely required amenities of a bathroom, packed into the least possible space. The international space station probably assigns more room to the bathroom functions." When play begins: repeat with item running through baths which are in nautical bathrooms: change the printed name of the item to "shower"; change the description of the item to "Just a stand-up shower with a folding plastic door. At least the water is usually hot." Section 13 - View from Outdoor Areas The island is a distant backdrop. It screens south. It is in Open Sea and Sunning Deck and Navigation Area and Foredeck. The description is "From here, [you] can see a lot of the shoreline: the Custom House on the top of its cliff (which at a distance doesn't seem very tall at all); the harbor and the docks, both the touristy portion and the more industrial areas; and then the headland and the ramparts of the old city, with the cannon emplacements (now disused). [You] can even make out just a bit of the sandier beaches on the northwest shore of the island, though at this distance it is impossible to people-watch." Understand "atlantis" or "anglophone" or "shore" or "shoreline" or "dock" or "docks" or "cliff" or "custom" or "house" or "cannon" or "ramparts" or "emplacements" or "old city" or "city" or "beach" or "beaches" or "sand" or "people" as the island. The cathedral-view is a distant backdrop. The printed name is "cathedral of Palma". Understand "cathedral" or "palma" or "of palma" or "yachts" or "mallorca" as cathedral-view. It screens port. The description is "The cathedral of Palma stands over the water and any number of waiting yachts. It is the first place I've ever seen outside the island of Atlantis [--] that wasn't a picture or a movie, of course. It looks overdone and a bit dirty and also like the only solid thing in view." Book 6 - Map Declarations Chapter 1 - Main Map [ The idea of having a map came in fairly early in the project, but it wasn't until late that I decided on the style. I felt that this was the single most important piece of art to provision, since the player was going to have to spend the whole game staring at it, but even though I found some artists whose styles I really liked in general, I wasn't sure they suited Atlantis. I wanted something that instantly conveyed a sense of the major thoroughfares and significant monuments, but didn't take away from the pleasure of reading room descriptions for the first time. I wanted something less bland than a street map, less silly than a standard tourist map. It also needed to be clean enough not to distract the player with locations that weren't going to be accessible, and that was tricky because in practice this amount of urban space would contain many many more buildings than the player actually gets to go inside. Ultimately I decided the typographical map would provide the right level of abstraction, fit Atlantis better than any of the other options, and also be something I might be able to put together myself. I started by having Inform build an EPS map of the game space, and then I started layering text layers over that. The majority of the fonts used are from the collection of HP Lovecraft Historical Society prop fonts ( http://www.cthulhulives.org/toybox/propdocs/propfonts.html ), a collection I bought a few years ago and have found almost endlessly useful: they come in many weights and densities and play together nicely. There are a couple of exceptions. The font used for the half-hidden Greek font under New Church is Porson, a classic 19th century font for Greek lettering and one of my favorites for extended reading. The Bureau buildings are done inevitably in medium Helvetica, which is intentionally unaesthetic in context. Hoefler Ornaments provides the printer's ornament for the center of the roundabout. For the player's you-are-here symbol, I used a nethack-like @ . I also experimented with a double dagger ‡ -- which to my eye was vaguely reminiscent of a stick figure but sort of doubled, as Alex and Andra are. But in the end I found that the round form of the @ was easier to position attractively in a range of locations; it especially looked better inside the O of the rotunda or inside the turret. The @ sign indicating the player could in theory be placed as a transparent sprite over the appropriate part of the map. In practice, however, I needed to do a lot of brightness and outline adjustment to the @ sign depending on what was going beneath it. There were also particular small touches that would have been harder to add with a sprite, such as rotating the @ sign when the player was traveling on the winding path to the beach, or showing it underneath a layer of other text when the player was down in the crawlspace. I wanted the map to have a playful quality -- to feel individually considered, rather than mechanized. Consequently, each place where the player's @ can appear gets its own copy of the image. These are the definitions of images associated with room maps. They have to go after the rooms themselves are defined, and it was easier keeping them all in one place than scattering the declarations through the rest of code, so this section could be commented out for testing.] Figure of Background is the file "map-background.png". Figure of Back-Alley is the file "map-back-alley.png". Figure of Sigil-St is the file "map-sigil-street.png". Figure of Amp-Bend is the file "map-ampersand-bend.png". Figure of Abandoned-Park is the file "map-abandoned-park.png". Figure of Antechamber is the file "map-antechamber.png". Figure of Apartment is the file "map-apartment.png". Figure of Aquarium is the file "map-aquarium.png". Figure of Arbot is the file "map-arbot.png". Figure of Babel is the file "map-babel.png". Figure of Beach is the file "map-beach.png". Figure of Browns is the file "map-browns.png". Figure of Bus-station is the file "map-bus-station.png". Figure of Church-garden is the file "map-church-garden.png". Figure of Cinema is the file "map-cinema.png". Figure of Counterfeit-monkey is the file "map-counterfeit-monkey.png". Figure of Cove is the file "map-cove.png". Figure of Customs House is the file "map-customs-house.png". Figure of Crawlspace is the file "map-crawlspace.png". Figure of Tin Hut is the file "map-tin-hut.png". Figure of Crumbling Wall is the file "map-crumbling-wall.png". Figure of Deep Street is the file "map-deep-street.png". Figure of Docks is the file "map-docks.png". Figure of Drinks Club is the file "map-drinks-club.png". Figure of Fair is the file "map-fair.png". Figure of Fish Market is the file "map-fish-market.png". Figure of Fleur is the file "map-fleur.png". Figure of Game Zone is the file "map-game-zone.png". Figure of Gift Shop is the file "map-giftshop.png". Figure of Grad Room is the file "map-gradroom.png". Figure of Heritage Corner is the file "map-heritage.png". Figure of Hesychius is the file "map-hesychius-street.png". Figure of High Street is the file "map-high-street.png". Figure of Hostel is the file "map-hostel.png". Figure of Inside Bureau is the file "map-inside-bureau.png". Figure of Long North is the file "map-long-north.png". Figure of Long South is the file "map-long-south.png". Figure of Monumental Staircase is the file "map-monumental-staircase.png". Figure of New Church is the file "map-new-church.png". Figure of OCW is the file "map-old-city-walls.png". Figure of Open Sea is the file "map-open-sea.png". Figure of Outdoor-cafe is the file "map-outdoor-cafe.png". Figure of Outside-church is the file "map-outside-church.png". Figure of Oval is the file "map-oval.png". Figure of Palm Square is the file "map-palm-square.png". Figure of Park Center is the file "map-park-center.png". Figure of Patriotic Chard Garden is the file "map-patriotic-chard.png". Figure of Precarious Perch is the file "map-precarious.png". Figure of Public Convenience is the file "map-public-convenience.png". Figure of Reclamation is the file "map-reclamation.png". Figure of Roget Close is the file "map-roget-close.png". Figure of Rotunda is the file "map-rotunda.png". Figure of Roundabout is the file "map-roundabout.png". Figure of Roundabout-2 is the file "map-roundabout-2.png". Figure of Roundabout-3 is the file "map-roundabout-3.png". Figure of Roundabout-4 is the file "map-roundabout-4.png". Figure of Screening Room is the file "map-screening-room.png". Figure of SJ-Basement is the file "map-sj-basement.png". Figure of SJ-Department is the file "map-sj-department.png". Figure of SJ-Lecture is the file "map-sj-lecture.png". Figure of SJ-Seminar is the file "map-sj-seminar-room.png". Figure of SJ-Hall is the file "map-sjhall.png". Figure of Tall Street is the file "map-tall-street.png". Figure of Tools Exhibit is the file "map-tools-exhibit.png". Figure of Traffic Circle is the file "map-traffic-circle.png". Figure of Turret is the file "map-turret.png". Figure of Webster Court is the file "map-webster-court.png". Figure of Winding Path is the file "map-winding-path.png". The local map of Back Alley is the figure of back-alley. The local map of Sigil Street is the figure of Sigil-St. The local map of Ampersand Bend is the figure of Amp-Bend. The local map of Abandoned Park is the figure of Abandoned-Park. The local map of Antechamber is the figure of Antechamber. The local map of Apartment Bathroom is the figure of Apartment. The local map of My Apartment is the figure of Apartment. The local map of Aquarium Bookstore is the figure of Aquarium. The local map of Arbot Maps & Antiques is the figure of Arbot. The local map of Babel Café is the figure of Babel. The local map of Private Beach is the figure of Beach. The local map of Brown's Lab is the figure of Browns. The local map of Bus Station is the figure of Bus-station. The local map of Church Garden is the figure of Church-garden. The local map of Cinema is the figure of Cinema. The local map of Counterfeit Monkey is the figure of Counterfeit-monkey. The local map of Abandoned Shore is the figure of Cove. The local map of Customs House is the figure of Customs House. The local map of Crawlspace is the figure of Crawlspace. The local map of Tin Hut is the figure of Tin Hut. The local map of Crumbling Wall is the figure of Crumbling Wall. The local map of Deep Street is the figure of Deep Street. The local map of Docks is the figure of Docks. The local map of Fleur d'Or Drinks Club is Figure of Drinks Club. The local map of Fair is Figure of Fair. The local map of Fish Market is figure of Fish Market. The local map of Fleur d'Or Lobby is the figure of Fleur. The local map of Midway is the figure of Game Zone. The local map of Cathedral Gift Shop is the figure of Gift Shop. The local map of Graduate Student Office is the figure of Grad Room. The local map of Heritage Corner is the figure of Heritage Corner. The local map of Hesychius Street is the figure of Hesychius. The local map of High Street is the figure of High Street. The local map of Hostel is the figure of Hostel. The local map of Dormitory Room is the figure of Hostel. The local map of Bureau Hallway is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of All-purpose Office is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Bureau Basement South is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Bureau Basement Middle is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Bureau Basement Secret Section is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Tunnel Through Chalk is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Personal Apartment is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Private Solarium is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Sensitive Equipment Testing Room is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Display Reloading Room is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Surveillance Room is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Generator Room is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Equipment Archive is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Wonderland is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Oracle Project is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Workshop is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Cold Storage is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Shadow Chamber is the figure of Inside Bureau. The local map of Long Street North is the figure of Long North. The local map of Long Street South is the figure of Long South. The local map of Monumental Staircase is the figure of Monumental Staircase. The local map of New Church is the figure of New Church. The local map of Old City Walls is the figure of OCW. The local map of Open Sea is the figure of Open Sea. The local map of Outdoor Cafe is the figure of outdoor-cafe. The local map of Church Forecourt is the figure of outside-church. The local map of University Oval is the Figure of Oval. The local map of Palm Square is the Figure of Palm Square. The local map of Park Center is the Figure of Park Center. The local map of Patriotic Chard-Garden is the Figure of Patriotic Chard Garden. The local map of Precarious Perch is the Figure of Precarious Perch. The local map of Public Convenience is the Figure of Public Convenience. The local map of Rectification Room is the Figure of Reclamation. The local map of Roget Close is the Figure of Roget Close. The local map of Rotunda is the Figure of Rotunda. The local map of Roundabout is the Figure of Roundabout. The local map of Screening Room is the Figure of Screening Room. The local map of Projection Booth is the Figure of Screening Room. The local map of Samuel Johnson Basement is the Figure of SJ-Basement. The local map of Language Studies Department Office is the Figure of SJ-Department. The local map of Higgate's Office is the Figure of SJ-Department. The local map of Waterstone's Office is the Figure of SJ-Department. The local map of Lecture Hall 1 is the Figure of SJ-Lecture. The local map of Lecture Hall 2 is the Figure of SJ-Lecture. The local map of Language Studies Seminar Room is the Figure of SJ-Seminar. The local map of Samuel Johnson Hall is the Figure of SJ-Hall. The local map of Tall Street is the Figure of Tall Street. The local map of Tools Exhibit is the Figure of Tools Exhibit. The local map of Traffic Circle is the Figure of Traffic Circle. The local map of Old Hexagonal Turret is the Figure of Turret. The local map of Webster Court is the Figure of Webster Court. The local map of Winding Footpath is the Figure of Winding Path. Every turn when the location is Roundabout: if local map of Roundabout is Figure of Roundabout-4: now the local map of Roundabout is Figure of Roundabout-3; else if local map of Roundabout is Figure of Roundabout-3: now the local map of Roundabout is Figure of Roundabout-2; else if local map of Roundabout is Figure of Roundabout-2: now the local map of Roundabout is Figure of Roundabout; else if local map of Roundabout is Figure of Roundabout: now the local map of Roundabout is Figure of Roundabout-4; follow the compass-drawing rule. Chapter 2 - Inside the Bureau [ The design aims for the Bureau-internal maps are: -- to create a sense of forward movement and discovery, both by opening new territory that the protagonists haven't seen before, and by rewarding the player's exploration with further map revelations -- to establish a kind of chaos and alarm in the Wonderland portions of the map ] Chapter 3 - Aboard the Yacht [The yacht plans are different in almost every respect from the maps elsewhere. They use images exclusively rather than words, replace the player's @ sign with a yellow you-are-here star, and portray close-up details (such as beds and even toilets) that wouldn't even be hinted at in the main game area. The design aims for the yacht plans are: -- to convey the scope and concept of the yacht almost instantly, because the player will have relatively little time to explore -- to make it clear that we're in a different sort of environment -- metaphysically different, even -- from Atlantis, and to suggest movement away from Atlantis (the bottom half of the screen is Bureau blue, the top half black) -- to establish the claustrophobic self-containment of this little world -- to keep rewarding the player with slightly surprising new visuals even at the end of the game -- at the same time, to present an image whose colors and crisp design sensibilities do line up with those of the earlier maps] Figure of Sunning Deck is the file "map-sunning-deck.png". Figure of Galley is the file "map-galley.png". Figure of Navigation is the file "map-navigation.png". Figure of Foredeck is the file "map-fore.png". Figure of Your-Bunk is the file "map-your-bunk.png". Figure of Slango-Bunk is the file "map-slango-bunk.png". Figure of Your-Head is the file "map-your-head.png". Figure of Slango-Head is the file "map-slango-head.png". Figure of Brock-Bunk is the file "map-brock-bunk.png". Figure of Brock-head is the file "map-brock-head.png". Figure of Crew-Bunk is the file "map-crew-bunk.png". The local map of Sunning Deck is the Figure of Sunning Deck. The local map of Galley is the Figure of Galley. The local map of Navigation Area is the Figure of Navigation. The local map of Foredeck is the Figure of Foredeck. The local map of Crew Cabin is the Figure of Crew-Bunk. The local map of Brock's Stateroom is the Figure of Brock-Bunk. The local map of Brock's Head is the Figure of Brock-head. The local map of Your Bunk is the Figure of Your-Bunk. The local map of Your Head is the Figure of Your-Head. The local map of Slango's Bunk is the Figure of Slango-Bunk. The local map of Slango's Head is the Figure of Slango-Head. Volume 3 - Memories [Memories are not exactly cut scenes, but are intended to have limited interactions: no world model, just choices about what to reveal to Alex and what emotional approach to take to certain events, where Andra's real feelings are probably complex and ambivalent. The idea here is where possible to allow expressiveness and engagement with the events but not to make them seem subject to actual change. These are a fairly late addition to the design, because Andra's personality is losing out to Alex's significantly, and thematically we would really like to give an impression of both of them.] [Section 0 - Emotional Terminology for Later Parsing Understand "angry/mad/pissed/furious/wrath/rage/enraged/offended/infuriated" as "[angry]". Understand "jealous/envious" as "[jealous]". Understand "annoyed/irritated/frustrated" as "[annoyed]". Understand "bored/ennui/uninterested/disinterested/indifferent/uncaring/dull/yawn/tedious/tedium/apathy" as "[bored]". Understand "scared/frightened/nervous/wary/timid/edgy/afraid" as "[scared]". Understand "disappointed/sad/depressed" as "[sad]". Understand "horrified/horror/disgust/contempt/disgusted/appalled/repelled/icky/ew" or "grossed out" as "[disgusted]". Understand "ashamed/embarrassed/humiliated" as "[embarrassed]". Understand "joy/joyous/pleased/happy/happiness/enthralled/enthused/uplifted/content" as "[happy]".] Section 1 - Memory Terms A memory is a kind of thing. A memory can be triggered, proto-triggered, or untriggered. A memory is usually untriggered. A memory is usually fixed in place. A memory has a number called the uses. A memory has a number called the max. A memory has a number called the last trigger. The last trigger of a memory is usually 0. Understand "remember" or "memories" or "memory" as listing memories. Listing memories is an action out of world. Report listing memories: say "Currently on your mind [is-are a list of triggered memories][one of]. [paragraph break][first custom style][bracket]REMEMBER any memory to review it.[close bracket][roman type][or].[stopping]"; To trigger (new memory - a memory): let elapsed count be the turn count - last trigger of the new memory; if the uses of the new memory is less than the max of the new memory and elapsed count is greater than 2: now the new memory is proto-triggered; change the last trigger of the new memory to the turn count; Before reading a command when a memory is proto-triggered: say "[one of]Something makes you think of[or]You have a fleeting thought of[or]You are reminded of[at random] [the list of proto-triggered memories]."; now every proto-triggered memory is triggered; if we have not remembered: say "[line break][first custom style][bracket]MEMORIES will list your currently active memories[close bracket][roman type]"; Understand "remember [any triggered memory]" as remembering. Understand "think about [any triggered memory]" as remembering. Remembering is an action applying to one visible thing. First carry out remembering a memory: increase the uses of the noun by 1. Report remembering: say "Then we're back in the present.[line break]". Sanity-check remembering when the location is Roundabout and the player is in the car: say "Hey! Now isn't the time for reveries! Watch the road." instead. Remembering something is acting fast. Listing memories is acting fast. Section 2 - First Recollection of the Yacht lock-formation is a memory. The printed name is "making your lock". Understand "making" or "your/my" or "lock" as lock-formation. The max is 1. Carry out examining the lock: trigger lock-formation. Carry out remembering lock-formation: say "[b]Galley[/b][line break]You were going through the galley cupboards on the yacht. 'If you're looking for coffee, Slango forgot to resupply,' Brock said, descending the galley staircase in a wet Speedo. 'No, the first-letter razor,' you replied, holding up a portable clock. 'I need a lock that responds to restoration gel but nothing else.' 'Ah.' Brock toweled his hair. 'It's in my bunk, sorry. Want to come look for it?' You smiled [--] a give-away smile. 'Wish I could, but we're on a deadline. Go put some pants on. And bring me the razor.'" Section 3 - Childhood Childhood-colonialism is a memory. The printed name is "my youthful pranks". The max is 1. Understand "my/your" or "youthful" or "youth" or "pranks" as childhood-colonialism. Carry out looking in Old City Walls: trigger childhood-colonialism. Carry out remembering childhood-colonialism: say "Oh, I used to play that I was an Atlantean guard defending the battlements against invading redcoats, armed only with a saber and an, uh, an o-removing musket. So they turned into red cats, you see. My mother explained later that letter removal hadn't ever taken the form of muskets and that I had my chronology wrong. So I do know better. And my father gave me an even longer and even less interesting lecture about how the British colonial government wasn't entirely a bad thing and how it didn't do to be too gleeful about mentally shooting some young soldier who probably didn't have a choice about being there." Childhood-bedroom is a memory. The printed name is "your austere childhood". The max is 3. Understand "my/your" or "childhood" or "austere" as childhood-bedroom. Carry out examining the funnel: trigger childhood-bedroom. [Your youth in contrast with this privileged childhood] Carry out examining the school: trigger childhood-bedroom. Carry out remembering childhood-bedroom: if the uses of the noun is: -- 1: say "[b]Your Childhood Bedroom[/b][line break]A small white room with a free-standing wardrobe full of modest home-made clothes; a plain-hewn bookshelf with Bible, study guides, a dictionary and thesaurus; and a sampler on the far wall that reads, 'Our pursuit of perfection is our gift to God.' It's done in very exact cross-stitch."; -- 2: say "[b]Your Childhood Bedroom[/b][line break]You hung your newly ironed clothes in the wardrobe. Your clothes were frumpy foolish things. But they were made for you by your parents with great care. Your father made the wardrobe himself. Your mother sewed all your clothes. She had an eye for col[our] and detail. It shows in the neatness of the hems, the crisp piping on a pocket, the surprising yellow buttons on a pale blue cuff. [paragraph break]Every day you wore those clothes was like being arm[our]ed in love."; -- 3: say "[b]Your Kitchen[/b][line break]Your mother sits at the kitchen table sipping a strong tea while she coaches you through your routine. This is what informed your life, every day. Every morning, the hours of spelling practice. Your mother's words about how you must nurture your talent in gratitude to the deity who bestowed it on you."; -- otherwise: say "The recollections blur together now, rejected and useless."; Section 3 - Back Alley [This is something we know from the very beginning of the game.] Carry out examining something in the Back Alley: trigger getting-here. getting-here is a memory. The printed name is "how we got here". The max is 1. Understand "how" or "we" or "got" or "here" as getting-here. Carry out remembering getting-here: say "[b]Cluttered Industrial Room[/b][line break]The synthes[ize]r was right at the cen[ter] of the room, and we were inside it. An unshaven man in a blue jumper was prodding us with his foot. 'Wake up! Wake up!' But we couldn't move, even though you were half-conscious. So he panicked. We'd paid him to let us recover in comfort, but he wasn't about to risk having a corpse on his hands, even an unidentified one. He picked us up and dumped our body in the Back Alley and left." Section 4 - Brock Goodnatured Carry out examining protesters: trigger saving-rivka. saving-rivka is a memory. The printed name is "your crew's heroism". The max is 1. Understand "your/my" or "crew" or "crew's" or "heroism" as saving-rivka. Carry out remembering saving-rivka: say "[b]Galley[/b][line break]The scene is the kitchen aboard Slango's yacht: smaller than the kitchen in a comfortable house, but carefully and elegantly fitted. Brock and Slango were standing around, Slango with a lemonade and Brock with a chilled vodka. [paragraph break]The fourth person on the scene was Rivka Coutinho, a prisoner you'd sprung from Atlantean custody. She'd been caught running an illicit Hebrew school while nominally a visiting foreign employee of DCL.[paragraph break]"; say "'To not being in Cold Storage,' said Rivka, lifting her own glass. She swallowed and her eyes watered a little. [paragraph break]Rivka had spent the previous seventeen years as an inanimate object in a Bureau warehouse.[paragraph break]'You'll be with them soon,' Brock said. 'But I took these for you.' Silently he passed across the table glossy prints of Rivka's daughter and granddaughter [--] a child she had never met." Section 5 - Brock in Bed Test Brock-bed with "x bed / remember brock / x bed / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / g / remember brock" in dormitory. Test Brock-fully with "test Brock-bed / test Brock-bed / test Brock-bed / test Brock-bed / test Brock-bed / test Brock-bed / memories / remember brock". Brock-bed is a memory. The max is 5. The printed name is "how it started with Brock". Understand "how" or "it" or "started" or "with" or "brock" as brock-bed. Carry out discussing a quip which mentions brock: trigger Brock-bed. Carry out examining a bed: trigger Brock-bed. Carry out examining a dorm bed: trigger Brock-bed. Carry out remembering Brock-bed: if the uses of the noun is: -- 1: say "[b]Brock's Stateroom[/b][line break]It was early morning, almost a year ago now. A dim light came through the portholes. A four-thousand dollar mink blanket covered your hip.[paragraph break]You sat up and started fishing around beside the bed, in the dove-grey shadows, for your bra.[paragraph break]Brock put a hand on your thigh. It seems you woke him. 'That wasn't your first time,' he said. 'No.' You were still feeling for the underpants and the shirt, not looking at him. 'Well. You're made of human after all.' Brock stretched, grinned. 'After breakfast I'll clear you some drawer space.' 'This was a one-night event,' you said. 'You're familiar with the concept.' He got very still. Then he got out of bed. Without looking at you, he got his trunks out of his drawer. 'I'm going for a swim.'"; -- 2: say "[b]Navigation Area[/b][line break]Brock was sitting at the controls, with you leaning over him. He pushed you away. 'Cut it out. I'm not available every time you decide to go slumming.'[paragraph break]It was deep blue summer twilight. He was driving the yacht with one hand on the steering wheel and the other loosely in his lap. You turned to go."; -- 3: say "[b]Sunning Deck[/b][line break]Brock was sprawled out on the cushions with his sunglasses on. Pretending not to see you. You stood so that your shadow crossed his face and he had to look up. 'I've been a jerk and I'm sorry,' you said. 'I'm not the man-whore of Babylon,' he replied. 'I've had the odd fling. That's all.' 'I know.' 'I'm not James Bond here.' You pulled your towel more tightly around you. 'I know.' 'And you have lost the right ever to give me crap about women again,' he said. Your teeth were starting to chatter. 'Yes.' 'Okay. Apology accepted.' He lowered his sunglasses again."; -- 4: say "[b]Café, Marseilles[/b][line break]Brock was scowling into his drink. 'I don't know, Andra. Are you going to flip on me again if we try to be together? I'm not blaming you for your parents, and... honestly, I'm surprised how much you've been able to assemble yourself into someone new. But jeezus.' 'What happened to your thing about how everyone goes through life hurting everyone else a little bit, like radiation?' you asked. 'But mostly people heal, and it's worth it?' 'Yeah, that's true,' he said. 'But you still don't go into the reactor core with no suit, if you see what I mean.' You tilted your head. 'You weathered it pretty well when you and Annalisa split up.' He swirled the melted ice in the bottom of his glass. 'Is this what you're fishing for?' he said. 'For me to tell you you're special, you're different, I care about you more and therefore it would ruin everything if we ever broke up?' You didn't answer. 'It [i]would[/i] ruin everything,' he says. 'Because you're on my crew. But as to the girlfriend thing, I have no idea. We don't know each other that way.'"; -- 5: say "[b]Brock's Stateroom[/b][line break]Brock had tied your wrists to the headboard and your left ankle to the corner of the bed. He had a thesaurus open and was writing, with a paintbrush, across your stomach. 'Floozy?' he asked. You giggled, so he painted the word above your navel, smiling, giving the Y a big flourishing curlicue. 'Let's see, what else. Fornicator?' You drew in your breath sharply. Remembering an angry lesson read from the lectern. 'Okay,' he said. 'Not that one, yet,' and licked away the F he'd begun to paint."; -- otherwise: say "I get the idea. You don't need to show me more."; Section 7 - Espionage Memories Carry out looking in Roget Close when Roget Close is visited: trigger espionage-recollection. Espionage-recollection is a memory. The max is 2. The printed name is "your crew's skill". Understand "your/my" or "crew's" or "crew" or "skill" as espionage-recollection. Carry out looking in Fleur d'Or Lobby when Fleur d'Or Lobby is visited: trigger espionage-recollection. Carry out remembering espionage-recollection: if uses of the noun is greater than 1: say "[b]Fleur d'Or Guest Room[/b][line break] A clean-lined, minimal room, but furnished expensively: fresh-cut tulips in a plain glass vase, high thread-count sheets, vast pillows suitable for the hibernation of giants. The closets feature safes, which is excellent for someone in your line of work, because it tends to persuade guests that their computers are being protected when they go out. You were inside because you'd bribed a housekeeper, and were gathering information from a businessman's laptop while the businessman himself was downstairs at the bar. But the Bureau also had an agent, also posing as a housekeeper in the hotel, also up to the same purposes. The business with the minibar vodka was clever, I grant."; else: say "[b]A Room in a Villa[/b][line break]The bed was draped with sheer salmon-col[our]ed fabric. The bedroom opened without doors straight onto the bathroom with a full view of the spotlit bathtub. The toilet was hidden by a frosted glass panel etched with leaping fish. It was the swankest place you'd ever seen, and it made you uncomfortable. 'Belongs to a seafood magnate,' your crew-mate Brock was explaining. He was in the middle of setting up a directional mike pointed out the window. The head of R&D at Sibilant Solutions lived right across the way. What you learned from his pillow-talk was enough to recover three missing marquesses."; Section 8 - Breaking Carry out looking in the bus station: trigger leaving-memory. Leaving-memory is a memory. The max is 1. The printed name is "leaving your family for the last time". Understand "leaving" and "your" and "family" and "for" and "the last time" and "last" and "time" as leaving-memory. Carry out remembering leaving-memory: say "[b]Bus Stop[/b][line break]Your suitcase was next to your leg. It was nearly three in the morning. There were thirty more minutes before the bus would take you to San Francisco. Your mother would have warned you not to be in a place like that alone so late at night, but it didn't feel, then, like anything that could happen to you would be worse than your mother's behavior and her anger." Section 9 - Protesting Petty Laws helping-Engeo is a memory. The max is 1. The printed name is "your crew's attitude to Atlantis law". Understand "your" or "crew's" or "attitude" or "to" or "Atlantis" or "law" as helping-engeo. Carry out going from Outdoor Cafe: trigger helping-engeo. Carry out remembering helping-Engeo: say "[b]Galley[/b][line break]You, Brock, and Slango were sitting around the built-in table aboard Slango's yacht, using Brock's laptop to plan upcoming jobs. 'We've got time before Cairo,' Brock said. 'What do you think of this one?' Slango grimaced. 'Pay's chickenshit. And what a job. Getting a name like [']Nexami['] past Atlantean border control? So some guy can do a concert tour? Come on. Where does that go on our résumé? Right after [']brought down international conspiracy by Sibilant Solutions'? It's hiring a neuro-oncologist to treat your pet gerbil.['] 'We got ourselves credentials,' Brock remarked. 'We're not exactly the most solid upstanding ordinary-named guys.' 'Because in our line of work it's useful not to be. Plus I would do a job for myself that I wouldn't do for anyone else. Obviously.' 'This is a job for a virtuoso,' Brock said. 'Pure challenge, no obvious social engineering solutions. Not to mention, if it turns out we can't deliver, what's this guy going to do about it? He's a musician.' Slango still didn't look impressed. 'It's [i]breaking Atlantean law[/i],' Brock added temptingly. 'And there's no law that needs breaking [--]' '[--] more than Atlantean law,' you and Slango chorused with him. 'Point taken,' said Slango. 'Okay. We plant evidence that [']Nexami['] is a traditional ethnic Basque name...' 'You know he was born in Glasgow.'"; Section 10 - Counterfeit Monkey Clue category-memory is a memory. The max is 1. The printed name is "past experience playing games". Understand "past" or "experience" or "playing" or "games" as category-memory. Carry out an actor discussing how one might go about winning: trigger category-memory. Carry out remembering category-memory: say "The three of you were watching the contest at Counterfeit Monkey. This time the prize was a bottle of Dove Wing Absinthe, and the latest contestant was trying to letter-remove her way to an object the size of a pebble. Slango lifted his root beer. 'These guys are in a rut. It's all [']make a liquid['] and size-based challenges. I want to see some demanding categories. Strawberry-scented. Paisley. Pachyderm-themed.' You shrugged. 'People L-remove tiles,' you said. 'You can get a letter-made tie any col[our] you want.' 'Import Category 5,' Brock said. 'Now that would be a strong challenge category.' Under Atlantean customs law, Import Category 5 means things that are edible, but not fruits or vegetables [--] everything from drugs to chicken breasts. 'Clear, but it rules out a lot of overly productive agriculture words.'" tiles-memory is a memory. The max is 1. The printed name is "Brock's comment about anagramming". Understand "Brock's" or "comment" or "about" or "anagramming" as tiles-memory. Carry out examining the anagramming gun for the first time: trigger tiles-memory. Carry out remembering tiles-memory: say "[b]Galley[/b][line break]You and Brock were sitting at the galley table, Scrabble tiles in front of you. 'This is what I admire about you,' he said, touching your foot with his. 'Most kids raised by fundamentalist parents wind up the same way themselves, or they go off the deep end the other way. You just... rearranged the tiles you'd been dealt.' More than he real[ize]d, in fact, now that you've added my tiles to yours." Volume 4 - Tools and Substances Affecting Letters Book 1 - Safety Overrides and Disasters Section 1 - Dangerous Destruction [No matter what method of letter modification we use, there are certain things it is dangerous to destroy: for instance, objects containing the player, objects containing valuable essentials, etc. We want to be consistent in the way we represent the results, so we use the dangerous destruction rulebook, which can be called by any of the letter-changing devices.] The dangerous destruction rules are an object-based rulebook. A dangerous destruction rule for a person (called the target): if the target is the current interlocutor: reset the interlocutor; A dangerous destruction rule for something that encloses the current interlocutor: reset the interlocutor; A dangerous destruction rule for something (called changed seat) which encloses a person (called the irate victim): if the irate victim is Brock: make no decision; if the irate victim is the player: say "In a blink of an eye, [the changed seat] ceases to exist. The problem is that [it-they of changed seat] take[s] us along with [it-them of changed seat]. I've always wondered what this last passage to non-existence might be like. It turns out that there is a rushing noise, and a tunnel [you] travel very rapidly towards darkness; and all around us are other objects also in the middle of ceasing to be."; end the game saying "[You] have left existence behind"; rule fails; say "Instantly [the changed seat] cease[s] to exist. [The irate victim], real[izing] what [you] [are] about just in time, has managed to leap out of the way, however; and the result is a hasty call to the police to report an Attempt to Render Inanimate, a charge pursued as though it were murder in most circumstances."; end the game saying "[You] have been locked up"; rule fails. A dangerous destruction rule for a room (called changed seat): say "In a blink of an eye, [the changed seat] ceases to exist, and [you] are part of it, and go also[if the location contains at least two people], in what will be recorded as an inexplicable act of murder-suicide[end if]. I've always wondered what this last passage to non-existence might be like. It turns out that there is a rushing noise, and a tunnel [you] travel very rapidly towards darkness; and all around us are other objects also in the middle of ceasing to be."; end the game saying "[You] have left existence behind"; rule fails. Section 2 - Dangerous Construction Definition: a thing is enormous if the heft of it is greater than 8. The dangerous construction rules are an object-based rulebook. A dangerous construction rule for the ape: say "The ape turns its face towards us and takes us in dislike. Its dislike involves a lot of hitting and ooking and throwing, and overall turns out quite painful."; end the story saying "That could have gone better"; rule succeeds. A dangerous construction rule for something enormous (called the target): say "Unfortunately, [the target] [is-are] more than sufficient to bury us under [its-their] bulk."; end the story saying "That could have gone better"; rule succeeds; Report waving the letter-remover at something creating the all: abide by the dangerous construction rules for the all. A dangerous construction rule for the all: say "There is a hum of ferocious effort from the letter-remover as it strains to create 'all'. At first it seems likely that it will just break down, but "; if the letter-remover is creature-enabled: say "it gets through the aa (a spontaneous flow of lava) and the aardvark, before the aardwolf attacks and does us in."; otherwise: say "it gets through the aa (a spontaneous flow of lava); skips all creatures of the aard- variety thanks to its restraints on living animal-creation; and goes on to the abaca (a large hemp-yielding plant). Unfortunately, it's done a bit too zealous a job with the aa, and before it gets to whatever comes after abaca, the lava is flowing in our direction."; end the story saying "That could have gone better"; rule succeeds; A last dangerous construction rule for a freaky thing (called target) when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl: try showing the target to the backpacking girl. A last dangerous construction rule for a freaky thing (called target) when the current interlocutor is the volunteer: if the volunteer does not recollect broke-it-buy-it and the target is proffered by the tomes: casually queue broke-it-buy-it; otherwise: casually queue mess-complaint. A dangerous construction rule for the hoses: now the hoses are part of the marble fountain. A dangerous construction rule for the hoe: now the hoe is part of the marble fountain. A dangerous construction rule for the horses: now the horses are part of the marble fountain. Test mis1 with "load gun / autoupgrade / shoot lap" holding the anagramming gun and the letter-remover and the ball and the lap and the pea and the bullets. Test mis2 with "load gun / autoupgrade / shoot pea" holding the anagramming gun and the letter-remover and the ball and the lap and the pea and the bullets. Test mis3 with "load gun / autoupgrade / wave b-remover at ball / shoot lap" holding the anagramming gun and the letter-remover and the ball and the lap and the pea and the bullets. Test mis4 with "z / wave y-remover at army" in the Dormitory holding the letter-remover and the army. Book 2 - Hashing [ While it is possible to do the object comparisons for this game entirely in Inform 7 native code, doing so becomes very computationally expensive, especially for ambitious tools such as the anagramming gun: we are manipulating indexed text and lists multiple times for each of hundreds of objects. So to get around this, we start the game by caching information about each object in a way that allows us to filter later what comparisons we're going to need to make. For each object, we assign a code that is a bitmap indicating which letters of the alphabet appear in that object. (Not how many times those letters appear or in what order or even how many letters there are -- so BED and BEDE would have the same hash code, as would ABED and BEAD, and so on. Moreover, bitwise comparisons allow us to and/or these lists of letters so that we can see that BEND with N removed does have the same letters as BED, all without having to manipulate any indexed text.) The point of this is to be able to rapidly eliminate the majority of comparisons without ever having to do the more expensive analysis of specific letters. Thanks to Graham Nelson for technical assistance on this. ] A thing has a number called the hash code. A room has a number called the hash code. When play begins (this is the initialize hash codes rule): repeat with item running through things which are not facts: let T be indexed text; let T be "[item]"; now the item is unseen; now the hash code of the item is letter-hash of T; repeat with item running through rooms: let T be indexed text; let T be "[item]"; now the hash code of the item is letter-hash of T. To reset hash code of (item - a thing): let T be indexed text; let T be "[item]"; now the hash code of the item is letter-hash of T. To say (N - number) as letter-hash: (- ShowLetterHash({N}); -). To decide which number is the letter-hash of (T - indexed text): (- LetterHash({T}) -). To decide which number is (X - number) with (Y - number) added: (- ({X} | {Y}) -). To decide which number is (X - number) with (Y - number) removed: (- ({X} & (~{Y})) -). To demonstrate letter-hash of (T - indexed text): say "The hash of <[T]> is [letter-hash of T as letter-hash]."; [When play begins: demonstrate letter-hash of "bed"; demonstrate letter-hash of "bede"; demonstrate letter-hash of "temptress"; demonstrate letter-hash of "empress"; let t be the letter-hash of "temptress"; let r be the letter-hash of "t"; say "temptress with t removed: [t with r removed as letter-hash]."; ] Include (- [ LetterHash T i n c d b m; n = IT_CharacterLength(T); for (i=0: i= 'a') && (c <= 'z')) d = c-'a'; if ((c >= 'A') && (c <= 'Z')) d = c-'A'; if (d >= 0) { b = 1; while (d > 0) { d--; b = b*2; } m = m | b; } } return m; ]; [ ShowLetterHash h i b; for (i=0, b=1; i<26; i++, b=b*2) { if (h&b) print "1"; else print "0"; } ]; -); Book 3 - Tools Chapter 1 - The Letter-Remover Section 1 - Normal Behavior Definition: a thing is irretrievable: if it is the player: no; if it encloses the player: no; [because we've got a different disaster lined up to deal with this.] if it is the letter-remover: yes; if it is the tub: yes; if it encloses the letter-remover: yes; if it encloses the tub: yes; no. Check waving the letter-remover at something irretrievable: if the second noun contains the tub: try taking the tub; if the second noun contains the letter-remover: try taking the letter-remover; if the second noun is irretrievable: say "Since [the second noun] contain[s] [if the second noun encloses the tub][the tub][otherwise]something useful[end if], it might be a bad idea to change its form. [You] might not be able to get the contents back." instead. Instead of waving the letter-remover device: say "Whoa, whoa! Just waving that thing around without an exact aim could do a lot of damage. Wave it AT something, or don't wave it at all." The letter-remover device is a thing. It is essential. Understand "letter remover" or "plastic device" or "device" or "blunt-nosed" as letter-remover. The description of the letter-remover device is "It is a blunt-nosed plastic device, about the size of a laser pointer, that can be waved at things to remove excess [current setting in upper case]s. It is not very powerful, and often fails against large items. On the other hand, it has a wide range of action: it can be set to any letter [you] choose." The introduction is "These are, if not exactly cheap, hardly unknown in Atlantis." Understand "remover" as the letter-remover device. The printed name of the letter-remover device is "[current setting in upper case]-remover". The indefinite article of the letter-remover device is "your". After printing the name of the letter-remover device while taking inventory: if the letter-remover device is upgraded: if the letter-remover device is creature-enabled: say " (upgraded to handle animates and abstracts)"; otherwise: say " (upgraded to handle abstracts)"; otherwise if the letter-remover device is creature-enabled: say " (upgraded to handle animates)". The letter-remover device has some indexed text called current setting. The current setting of the letter-remover device is "r". To say a-an (item - letter-remover device): if the current setting of the letter-remover device is listed in the vowel-starting list: say "an"; otherwise: say "a"; say " [letter-remover device]"; The vowel-starting list is a list of indexed texts that varies. The vowel-starting list is { "a", "e", "f", "h", "i", "l", "m", "n", "o", "r", "s", "x" }. A small knob is part of the letter-remover device. Understand "dial" as the small knob when the lock is not visible. The description is "It is very delicately made and stamped with letters around the circumference. The currently up-facing letter is [the current setting of the letter-remover device]." After printing the name of the small knob: say " on your [letter-remover]". Before doing something to the small knob: change the noun to the letter-remover device; try the current action instead. Understand "[letter-remover] [something]" as waving it at. After reading a command: say "[run paragraph on]"; let N be indexed text; let N be the player's command; replace the regular expression " [current setting of the letter-remover]-remover" in N with " letter-remover"; change the text of the player's command to N; say "[run paragraph on]"; After reading a command when the player can touch the letter-remover: let N be indexed text; let N be the player's command; if N matches the regular expression ".-remover": if N matches the regular expression "(.*) (.)-remover (.)*": replace the regular expression "(.*) (.)-remover (.)*" in N with "\2"; otherwise if N matches the regular expression "(.*) (.)-remover": replace the regular expression "(.*) (.)-remover" in N with "\2"; otherwise: replace the regular expression "(.)-remover.*" in N with "\1"; if the current setting of the letter-remover exactly matches the text "[N]": make no decision; if the number of characters in N is greater than 1: make no decision; change N to "[N in lower case]"; unless N matches the regular expression "\l": say "Only the 26 letters of the English alphabet are available to the letter-remover."; reject the player's command; change the current setting of the letter-remover to "[N]"; now the letter-remover is changing; otherwise: say "[run paragraph on]"; The letter-remover can be static or changing. The letter-remover is static. Sanity-check doing something when the noun is the letter-remover and the letter-remover is changing: now the letter-remover is static; if the player does not carry the letter-remover: silently try taking the letter-remover; if the player does not carry the letter-remover: stop the action; say "[one of][You] smoothly, and almost without thinking about it, reset your device to be [a-an letter-remover][or][You] run our thumb over the dial, setting the device to [a-an letter-remover][or][You] reset the device to [current setting of letter-remover][stopping]. [run paragraph on]"; Understand "set [something]" as vaguely setting. Vaguely setting is an action applying to one thing. Check vaguely setting: say "That is insufficiently exact [--] [you][']d have to set [the noun] to something." instead. Instead of vaguely setting the letter-remover: say "You have to set it to a specific letter, as in SET [letter-remover] TO X." Understand "set [letter-remover device] to [text]" or "tune [letter-remover device] to [text]" or "turn [letter-remover device] to [text]" as tuning it to. [Understand "set [something] to [text]" as tuning it to.] Tuning it to is an action applying to one carried thing and one topic. Check tuning it to: if the noun is not the letter-remover device, say "[The noun] cannot be tuned." instead. Check tuning it to: let N be indexed text; let N be the topic understood; if the number of characters in N is greater than 1: say "[You] can only tune the letter-remover device to one letter at a time." instead; change N to "[N in lower case]"; unless N matches the regular expression "\l": say "Only the 26 letters of the English alphabet are available to the letter-remover." instead. Carry out tuning it to: change the current setting of the letter-remover device to the topic understood. Report tuning it to: say "You flick our thumb over the small knob: [you] now have [a-an letter-remover device]." Report tuning the letter-remover to something for the third time: say "[first custom style][bracket]You can also tune the device just by using another name for it: referring to the device as, for instance, an N-remover will automatically set it to n.[close bracket][roman type][paragraph break]" Understand "remove [text] from [something]" or "letter-remove [text] from [something]" as letter-removing it from. Letter-removing it from is an action applying to one topic and one thing. Carry out letter-removing the topic understood from something: try tuning the letter-remover to the topic understood; try waving the letter-remover at the second noun. Understand "wave [something preferably held] at/toward/over/around/on/across [something]" as waving it at. Waving it at is an action applying to one carried thing and one visible thing. Understand "use [letter-remover] on [something]" as waving it at. Understand "point [letter-remover] at [something]" as waving it at. Understand "wave [something preferably held] at/toward/over/around [any locally-present room]" as waving it at. Understand "use [letter-remover] on [any locally-present room]" as waving it at. Understand "point [letter-remover] at [any locally-present room]" as waving it at. Check waving something at something: if the noun is not a letter-remover device, say "Nothing interesting happens." instead. Check waving something at a room: if the noun is not a letter-remover device, say "Nothing interesting happens." instead; say "If we were to succeed in transforming the entire room — mercifully, that's unlikely, given the power requirements — but if we did succeed, you and I would be rendered inanimate, along with any other hapless passers-by." instead. Check waving the letter-remover device at the letter-remover device: say "This is physically impossible as well as pointless." instead. [Check waving the letter-remover device at something which encloses the player: say "A safety override prevents [the letter-remover] from working on objects which actually contain the operator at the time."] The letter-remover device can be upgraded. The letter-remover device is not upgraded. The letter-remover device can be creature-enabled. The letter-remover device is not creature-enabled. The waving it at action has an object called the generated object (matched as "creating"). The waving it at action has a truth state called the letter absence. Setting action variables for waving the letter-remover device at an object which is not the letter-remover device: if the second noun is a direction: make no decision; change the letter absence to false; let Y be the letter-hash of the current setting; let comparison number be the hash code of the second noun with Y removed; if comparison number is the hash code of the second noun: now letter absence is true; otherwise: let starting text be indexed text; let starting text be "[printed name of the second noun]"; let starting text be "[starting text in lower case]"; replace the regular expression "[current setting]" in the starting text with ""; change generated object to the letter-remover device; repeat with item running through things in repository: if comparison number is the hash code of the item: let goal text be indexed text; let goal text be "[printed name of the item]"; let goal text be "[goal text in lower case]"; if the goal text is the starting text: change the generated object to the item; break; if the generated object is the letter-remover device: change the disappointment text to the starting text. The disappointment text is some indexed text that varies. [Check waving the letter-remover at a foreign-tongued thing: say "[The letter-remover] squeaks as though frightened[one of]. Apparently encountering objects that aren't in English generates its own alarm tone[or] by the foreign-language [second noun][stopping]." instead. ] Check waving the letter-remover at a direction: say "'[The second noun]' is a concept, not a concrete thing, and it eludes letter-removers." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at something: if the letter absence is true: say "The letter-remover finds no [current setting of the letter-remover] in [the second noun]." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at something which is enclosed by the player: if the player wears the second noun: try taking off the second noun; if the player does not carry the second noun: say "Altering one's clothes while they're on can have some unfortunate side effects." instead; if the player does not carry the second noun: try taking the second noun; if the player does not carry the second noun: let enclosure be the holder of the second noun; say "It isn't a good idea to change objects while they're [if the enclosure is a container]in[otherwise]on[end if] [the enclosure]." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at something creating the letter-remover: if the disappointment text matches the regular expression ".*\s.*": let presumed second noun be indexed text; let presumed second noun be "[second noun]"; let C be the number of words in presumed second noun; let presumed second noun be "[word number C in presumed second noun]"; change the prior named noun to the second noun; say "The device buzzes, puzzled. It has tried to create a '[disappointment text]': evidently '[presumed second noun]' [is-are] too tightly bound to [its-their] modifiers and can't be manipulated separately[one of]. This is a serious problem in my field of study, incidentally[or][stopping][if the second noun is fixed in place or the second noun is scenery]. Or perhaps it just doesn't have sufficient power to handle [the second noun][end if]." instead; otherwise: if disappointment text is "": say "The device emits a distinctive triple tone, which means that the requested action would have entirely destroyed the target object. There are safety overrides to prevent it doing such a thing." instead; otherwise: say "The device buzzes, puzzled. It is unable to create anything recognizable called '[disappointment text]'[if the second noun is fixed in place or the second noun is scenery], or perhaps it just doesn't have sufficient power to handle [the second noun][end if]." instead. Check waving the letter-remover at something creating a crude thing: say "A safety override mechanism kicks into play before the operation is complete; the device plays a short snickering noise. Evidently its one joy in life is detecting and foiling practical jokes." instead; Check waving the letter-remover at something creating a person when the letter-remover device is not creature-enabled: say "[The second noun] flickers and there is a brief image of [a generated object] in [its-their of the second noun] place, but a legal override kicks in: [a-an letter-remover] is hardware-crippled to prevent generating any living creature." instead; Check waving the letter-remover at something creating an r-abstract thing when the letter-remover device is not upgraded: say "[The second noun] flickers and there is a brief image of [a generated object] in [its-their of the second noun] place [--] the concept strangely embodied in a physical form [--] before the power gives out[one of]. I guess your device there just isn't tuned to reify abstracts[stopping]." instead; Check waving the letter-remover device at something (this is the checking for danger rule): abide by the dangerous destruction rules for the second noun; [abide by the dangerous construction rules for the generated object.] Check waving the letter-remover at a room creating the letter-remover: say "[The letter-remover] is powerless to make [the second noun] into anything called '[disappointment text]', but perhaps this is to be expected considering the size of the target. The device is after all a mere portable device with limited resources." Check waving the letter-remover at a room creating something which is not the letter-remover: abide by the dangerous destruction rules for the second noun; [abide by the dangerous construction rules for the generated object.] Carry out waving the letter-remover device at something: move the generated object to the holder of the second noun; if the second noun is part of the holder of the second noun: now the generated object is in the location; move the second noun to the repository; if the generated object proffers the second noun and the generated object is not original: [we've managed to create a loop in the generation, as in lee+ass, leases, lass, ass] now every thing which proffers the second noun proffers the generated object; now the generated object does not proffer the generated object; otherwise: now the generated object is not proffered by anything; now every thing which proffers the second noun proffers the generated object; if an essential thing (called source) proffers the generated object: now the generated object is essential; [if something (called source) which encloses an essential thing proffers the generated object: now the generated object is essential; ] [so that 'take it' or whatever will work, after we've made something: ] have the parser notice the generated object; record "using the letter-remover" as achieved; let current be the current setting of the letter-remover; remove current from the list of remaining letters, if present; if the number of entries in the list of remaining letters is 0: record "Admiral Thoureaux award for removing every letter of the alphabet in one playthrough" as an achievement; [add the current setting of the letter-remover to the list of removed letters, if absent. ] The list of remaining letters is a list of indexed text that varies. The list of remaining letters is { "a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f", "g", "h", "i", "j", "k", "l", "m", "n", "o", "p", "q", "r", "s", "t", "u", "v", "w", "x", "y", "z"}. Report waving the letter-remover device at something: if the scent-description of the generated object is not "": say "With a distinct whiff of [the scent-description of the generated object], [the second noun] turn[s] into [a generated object]. [run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say "There is [one of]a flash of psychedelic col[our]s[or]a mad-scientist cackle[or]a [pastel-color] cloud[or]a flash of [primary-color] light[or]a smell of anise[or]a distinct spearmint flavor[at random], and [the second noun] turn[s] into [a generated object]. [run paragraph on]"; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the generated object; try examining the generated object instead. Report waving the letter-remover device at something creating a seen thing: say "[The second noun] give[s] way to the now-familiar [generated object]."; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the generated object instead. Chapter 2 - The Homonym Paddle [The original homonym paddle is never wielded by the player; access to it is entirely controlled via requests to the bartender at the Fleur d'Or drinks club. This is only partly to limit the player's options. It's also, narratively, to establish the restricted nature of powerful letter tools, and to create occasions for more engagement with other characters (since a lot of this sequence involves essentially secret manipulations of the synthesizer in the seminar room). We do write a few of the routines to be more general-purpose, however, because a homonym function also becomes available in the workshop during the very end of the game.] The homonym paddle is carried by the bartender. The description is "Who had the idea of hitting things to make them swap with their homonyms, I couldn't guess. Nonetheless the toy [--] shaped like a ping-pong paddle and formed of coral-col[our]ed rubber [--] enjoyed a brief vogue in the 80s. To prevent theft, the paddle is attached to the bartender's wrist by a thin steel cable and bracelet." To homonym-paddle (N - a thing): move the N to the repository; let X be the player; if N is: -- a screwdriver: let X be the screwdriver-drink; -- a gimlet: let X be the gimlet-drink; -- a rusty nail: let X be the rusty-nail-drink; unless X is the player: record "getting a product of the homonym paddle" as achieved; move the X to the dor-bar-top; have the parser notice X; now X does not proffer X; now N proffers X; say "[one of]The bartender fishes around in the toolkit for [a N] and sets it on the bar with a flourish. [The patron] is watching this transaction in an interested way. 'This is good,' says the bartender, winking at us both (all?). 'You'll like this.' She raises the homonym paddle unnecessarily high in the air and smashes it down hard on [the N]. There's a crackling discharge of purple-toned lightning, and in place of [the N], a cocktail of the same name now sits on the bar. A few of the customers applaud.[or]'Right,' she says. She reaches into the toolkit for [the N]. 'This will be even better than last time,' she says. Then she tosses [the N] in the air and hits it with the paddle as though serving underhand at ping-pong. Incredibly, the resulting cocktail glass winds up perfectly balanced on the paddle rather than flying into the wall, which is what would happen if I tried the same thing. She grins at us and sets the glass down neatly on the bar.[or]This time she lays the paddle down on the bar and drops [the N] onto its surface. The purple lightning-ball obscures [the N] for a moment, then recedes to reveal the cocktail.[stopping]"; To decide what thing is the homonym-match of (target - a thing): let old text be indexed text; let old text be "[target]"; let old text be "[old text in lower case]"; let new text be indexed text; repeat with item running through things in the repository: if the hash code of the item is the hash code of target: let new text be "[item]"; let new text be "[new text in lower case]"; if new text is old text: if the description of the item is not the description of the target: decide on item; decide on player. Chapter 3 - The T-inserter The T-inserter machine is a fixed in place container in the Sensitive Equipment Testing Room. "At the cen[ter] of the room is a gleaming new T-inserter Machine[if something is in the machine], currently containing [a random thing in the T-inserter machine][end if][one of]. This is a state of the art device: letter removal has been well understood for decades, but insertion is much more dangerous and difficult, fraught with ambiguity[or][stopping]." The description is "Made of brushed steel, it resembles an industrial espresso machine, with a space in which to insert items. A dozen small nozzles poke into this space, and the grate beneath is ready to drain off any superfluity of T-ness. There is a tiny brass plate near the base of the machine." Understand "space" and "grate" and "inserter" as the machine. The carrying capacity of the T-inserter Machine is 1. The brass plate is part of the machine. Understand "base" as the brass plate. The description is "DENTAL CONSONANTS LTD [--] ABSOLUTELY NO PALATALS OR LABIALS [--] GUARANTEED". The small nozzles are part of the machine. Understand "jets" or "conical" or "sharp" or "tips" or "tip" or "business end" as the nozzles. The description is "They have sharp conical ends, like cake-decorating tips. If [you] look closely, [you] see that the business end of each is cut out in a t-shape, each in a different font." Instead of doing something other than examining to the nozzles: say "Better leave repairs to a qualified professional." Sanity-check inserting something irretrievable into the T-inserter: if the noun contains the tub: try taking the tub; if the noun contains the letter-remover: try taking the letter-remover; if the noun is irretrievable: say "Since [the noun] contain[s] [if the noun encloses the tub][the tub][otherwise]something useful[end if], it might be a bad idea to change its form. [You] might not be able to get the contents back." instead. After inserting something into the T-inserter: try teeing the noun. teeing is an action applying to one thing. The teeing action has an object called the goal-object (matched as "to"). The teeing action has a number called the t-count. The teeing action has a list of objects called the possible-goals. The teeing action has a list of indexed texts called the possible-goal-texts. [We can't guess where to stick our ts in order to arrive at other objects. And because the starting object might already contain one or more instances of T, we can't just strip the Ts from our goal objects and see if they match. What we have to do instead is go through the name of all our target objects, subtract the name of the starting object, and see if all that is left is a string of ts. This gives us an opportunity to do some detailed work with individual characters:] Setting action variables for teeing something: let starting text be indexed text; let starting text be "[printed name of the noun]"; let Y be the letter-hash of "t"; let comparison number be the hash code of the noun with Y added; repeat with item running through things in repository: if the comparison number is the hash code of the item: let the goal text be the name of the item minus the name of the noun; let matching success be true; if the goal text is "0", let matching success be false; let X be the number of times the goal text matches the regular expression ""; [say "[item]: [goal text] (success [matching success])[line break]";] if the matching success is true and goal text exactly matches the regular expression "+": let name text be indexed text; let name text be "[item]"; unless name text is listed in possible-goal-texts: if the goal-object is multiply-made or the goal-object is nothing: change the goal-object to the item; change the t-count to X; add item to the possible-goals, if absent; add name text to possible-goal-texts; To decide what indexed text is the name of (Y - an object) minus the name of (X - an object): let starting text be indexed text; let starting text be "[X]"; let starting text be "[starting text in lower case]"; let goal text be indexed text; let goal text be "[Y]"; let goal text be "[goal text in lower case]"; let character count be the number of characters in the goal text; let matching success be true; let next be 1; let max be the number of characters in the starting text plus one; repeat with i running from 1 to character count: if next is less than max: if character number i in the goal text is character number next in the starting text: replace character number i in the goal text with "-"; increase next by 1; if next is less than max: change matching success to false; replace the regular expression "\p*" in the goal text with ""; [we strip out the replaced bits] [say "found: [goal text]";] if matching success is true, decide on the goal text; otherwise decide on "0"; Check teeing something: if the goal-object is nothing, say "The T-inserter machine whirs to life, then gives a disappointed sort of whuff when it finds no good place for t-insertion." instead. Check teeing something: abide by the dangerous destruction rules for the noun; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the goal-object. Carry out teeing something: now the goal-object is not proffered by anything; if the goal-object is r-abstract: complete "Test T-inserter on making abstracts"; if the goal-object is a person: complete "Test T-inserter on making creatures"; if the number of entries in the possible-goals is greater than 1: now the goal-object is multiply-made; now every thing which proffers the noun proffers the goal-object; move the goal-object to the holder of the noun; record "using the T-inserter" as achieved; move the noun to the repository. A thing can be multiply-made. A thing is usually not multiply-made. After teeing something: if the number of entries in the possible-goals is greater than 1: repeat with item running through possible-goals: if item is not the goal-object and item is not multiply-made: continue the action; otherwise: continue the action; let N be the number of entries in the possible-goals; say "[if t-count is 1]There is a loud and satisfying pop[otherwise]There are [t-count in words] small pops[end if] from the machine as it turns [the noun] into [a goal-object]. "; say "There now: the T-inserter has constructed [if N is 2]both[otherwise]all of[end if] [possible-goals]. Not very stable, it seems. Slango will be interested to know that."; complete "Test T-inserter on situations where it could build more than one thing"; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the goal-object; have the parser notice the goal-object; try examining the goal-object instead. Report teeing something: say "[if t-count is 1]There is a loud and satisfying pop[otherwise]There are [t-count in words] small pops[end if] from the machine as it turns [the noun] into [a goal-object]."; if the number of entries in the possible-goals is greater than 1: let N be the number of entries in the possible-goals; say "[line break]Of course, there were other options there: the T-inserter could have made [N in words] words. But it seems to be disambiguating to [the goal-object]. The question now is whether it would do so consistently or whether its behavi[our] is underdetermined; [you] don't have time for a really thorough trial set, but checking a couple more times may be indicative."; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the goal-object; have the parser notice the goal-object; try examining the goal-object instead. Test it-construction with "autoupgrade / wave a-remover at pita / wave p-remover at pit / wave t-remover at it / put i in t-inserter / get it / wave t-remover at it / put i in t-inserter" holding the pita in the Sensitive Equipment Testing Room. Chapter 4 - The Synthesizer The plexiglas case is a thing in the Language Studies Seminar Room. It is transparent, closed, openable, lockable, and locked. It is fixed in place. "A massive plexiglas case takes up one corner of the room." The description is "The case is made of very thick protective plastic on a metal frame[if the screws are part of the plexiglas case and the plexiglas case is lockable]. It is thoroughly locked shut; I don't think [you][']ll have any luck with normal forms of approach. However, plexiglas is a cuttable substance with the right tools, and then there are the screws at the back[otherwise if the plexiglas case is not lockable]. The lid has been compromised by a saw, and the case is now permanenty open[end if]." Test plexibug with "tutorial off / get plexiglas" in the Language Studies Seminar Room. A description-concealing rule when the crossword is marked for listing: if the crossword is in the synthesizer and the plexiglas case is closed: now the crossword is not marked for listing. Rule for printing the name of the synthesizer when writing a paragraph about something: say "compact but high-powered late model synthes[ize]r". Some screws are part of the plexiglas case. [We would also have to make a rule preventing the player from cutting the plexiglas with the sword, except that the sword only exists after the plexiglas is opened.] Sanity-check opening or closing the plexiglas when the plexiglas is not openable: say "Thanks to our earlier efforts, the plexiglas is now open permanently." instead. Test plexiglas with "tutorial off / cut plexiglas / cut plexiglas with jigsaw / g / cut plexiglas with sword / drop sword / cut plexiglas / close plexiglas" in the Seminar Room holding the jigsaw and the sword. Sanity-check cutting the plexiglas with something: if the plexiglas is not lockable: say "I think [you] have done enough damage here." instead; else if the plexiglas is unlocked: say "No need: that would only make noise, and it's already open." instead. Carry out cutting the plexiglas with the jigsaw: now the plexiglas is open; now the plexiglas is unlocked; now the plexiglas is not lockable; now the plexiglas is not locked; now the plexiglas is not openable; now the screwdriver does not unlock the plexiglas. Report cutting the plexiglas with the jigsaw: say "It's not a silent process, but it's not as loud as I had feared, either. The jigsaw cuts straight through the plexiglas, freeing it from its attachment to the locking mechanism." instead. The screwdriver unlocks the plexiglas case. Some screws are a thing. The screws are plural-named. The description of the screws is "Heavy-duty flathead screws, each about an inch long[if the screws are part of the plexiglas case and the plexiglas case is lockable]. They aren't sealed over, so it would be possible to unscrew them, given a screwdriver[end if]." Instead of taking or turning the screws when the screws are part of the plexiglas case: if the player can see the screwdriver: if the player is not carrying the screwdriver: try taking the screwdriver; if the player is not carrying the screwdriver: stop the action; try unlocking the plexiglas case with the screwdriver; if the plexiglas case is not locked: rule succeeds; otherwise: say "I don't think [you] can pry the screws out with our fingers." Understand "turn [screws] with [screwdriver]" or "unscrew [screws] with [screwdriver]" as unlocking it with. Understand "turn [screws] with [something]" or "unscrew [screws] with [something]" as unlocking it with. Understand "unscrew [plexiglas case] with [screwdriver]" as unlocking it with. Understand "unscrew [plexiglas case] with [something]" as unlocking it with. Check unlocking the plexiglas case with something which is not the screwdriver: if the heft of the second noun is greater than 3: say "[The second noun] [is-are] hardly designed for unscrewing things, and won't fit into the necessary angle anyway." instead; else: if the second noun is floppy: say "[The second noun] [is-are] not at all suited to the purpose. There's a reason they make screwdrivers for this." instead; else: say "[You] try contriving to get an edge of [the second noun] into the slot of the screws, but [the second noun] just slip[s] around unhelpfully. There's a reason they make screwdrivers for this." instead; Test unscrewing-bug with "unscrew case with as / unscrew screws with as" holding the as in the Seminar Room. Setting action variables for unlocking the screws with something: if the screws are part of the plexiglas case: now the noun is the plexiglas case. Carry out unlocking the plexiglas case with the screwdriver: move the screws to the location. Instead of unlocking the plexiglas case with the screwdriver for the first time: say "[You] squeeze ourselves against the wall and angle to reach the screws with the screwdriver. I start on the first screw when[--] 'Is someone in the Seminar Room?' asks a male voice in the hall. 'I thought I heard something.' 'I don't think so.' There's a listening silence from outside. [You] hold absolutely still. Finally the footsteps move away again. It's probably safe to try again now, when I'm feeling a tiny bit calmer." Report unlocking the plexiglas case with the screwdriver: say "[You] awkwardly and silently squeeze against the wall and angle ourself so that [you] can reach the screws with the screwdriver. It's annoying work, but eventually [you] do work all the screws free enough that the case could be opened." instead. Sanity-check locking the plexiglas case with something: say "[You][']ll never get the screws back in. [You] just have to hope no one notices what [you] did until [you] [are] long gone." instead. Sanity-check locking keylessly the plexiglas case: say "[You][']ll never get the screws back in. [You] just have to hope no one notices what [you] did until [you] [are] long gone." instead. Sanity-check turning the screws when the screws are not part of the plexiglas case: say "There's no point now: they're not holding anything in place." instead. The synthesizer is a container in the plexiglas case. The heft of the synthesizer is 4. The synthesizer is fixed in place. Understand "synth" or "synthesiser" as the synthesizer. The description is "It is designed to accept two items and then be turned on. It is shiny and white, and looks a little like a bathtub for very short people." The introduction is "It was a full-sized, human version of this that made us what [you] [are] now, so the object makes both of us feel a little skittish and self-conscious." A crossword is in the synthesizer. The description of the crossword is "It looks like it's been snipped out of Chard-Farmer's Weekly, but it hasn't been filled in at all." Understand "puzzle" as the crossword. Understand "solve [crossword]" or "fill in/out [crossword]" or "do [crossword]" or "finish [crossword]" as a mistake("My mother is good at these, but I've never had much luck with them myself."). After inserting something into the synthesizer for the first time: say "Voices from the hallway. I freeze. For a moment [you] hear them all too sharply: 'You check downstairs, I'll ask the professors.' It's a conversation of security guards, or police, or Bureau Officers. Someone is being looked for. Then it's over. [run paragraph on]"; continue the action. Sanity-check inserting something irretrievable into the synthesizer: if the noun contains the tub: try taking the tub; if the noun contains the letter-remover: try taking the letter-remover; if the noun is irretrievable: say "Since [the noun] contain[s] [if the noun encloses the tub][the tub][otherwise]something useful[end if], it might be a bad idea to change its form. [You] might not be able to get the contents back." instead. Instead of switching on the synthesizer when the synthesizer contains the roll and the synthesizer contains the rock: say "You can't get to rock & roll with just a synthes[ize]r. You'd need an ampersand generator, which unfortunately (despite promising research and a prototype resembling a pretzel-maker) has yet to achieve stable results." Instead of switching on the synthesizer when the synthesizer contains the sill and the synthesizer contains the cate: say "It feels like [you] ought to be close to getting a silicate out of all this, but no, I fear not. That final L on SILL is going nowhere." Instead of switching on the synthesizer when the synthesizer contains the key-lime and the synthesizer contains a pi-object: say "What, are you hoping for key lime π? I'm afraid the synthes[ize]r is literal-minded and doesn't do puns as such." Instead of switching on the synthesizer when the synthesizer contains the pan and the synthesizer contains the ear: say "That Indian soft cheese is called paneer, you know, not panear." Instead of switching on the synthesizer: synthesize contents of synthesizer. To synthesize contents of (source - a thing): let count be 0; if source is a container: let count be the number of things which are in source; otherwise if source is a supporter: let count be the number of things which are on source; unless the count is two: say "An indicator message lights up: FAIL: TWO OBJECTS REQUIRED FOR SYNTHESIS."; stop; let X be the player; if source is a container: let X be a random thing in the source; otherwise: let X be a random thing on the source; let Y be X; while Y is X: if source is a container: let Y be a random thing in the source; otherwise: let Y be a random thing on the source; let the chosen article be Y; let comparison number be the hash code of X with the hash code of Y added; repeat with item running through things in the repository: let matching success be true; if the comparison number is the hash code of the item: let the goal text be the name of the item minus the name of X; replace the text " " in goal text with ""; if the goal text is "0": change matching success to false; otherwise: if goal text exactly matches the text "[Y]": now the chosen article is the item; otherwise: let the goal text be the name of item minus the name of Y; replace the text " " in goal text with ""; if goal text exactly matches the text "[X]": now the chosen article is the item; if the chosen article is not Y: if the heft of the chosen article is greater than 4 and source is synthesizer: let N be indexed text; let N be "[chosen article]"; say "An indicator message lights up: OVERRIDE: GENERATED OBJECT [N in upper case] EXCEEDS MAXIMUM SIZE LIMIT."; stop; abide by the dangerous destruction rules for X; abide by the dangerous destruction rules for Y; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the chosen article; now the chosen article is not proffered by anything; if the source is a container: repeat with item running through things in the source: now the item proffers the chosen article; if the source is a supporter: repeat with item running through things on the source: now the item proffers the chosen article; if an essential thing (called parent) proffers the chosen article: now the chosen article is essential; [if something which proffers the chosen article encloses an essential thing: now the chosen article is essential; ] if the source is a container: now everything in the source is in the repository; otherwise: now everything on the source is in the repository; move the chosen article to the source; record "using the synthesizer" as achieved; say "[The source] [if the source is a container]hums like a microwave oven for 43 seconds, then pings. Inside there [is-are a list of things in the source][otherwise]glows vibrant blue for five seconds, leaving behind [a list of things on the source][end if]."; try examining the chosen article; have the parser notice the chosen article; otherwise: say "[The source] whirs for a moment, then dies down again."; Chapter 5 - The Spinner Section 1 - Physical Description [ The function of the spinner is to reverse a word and produce the result, assuming that anything does result: YAM / MAY, DOG / GOD, EEL / LEE, LEER / REEL, PANS / SNAP, PIT / TIP, SAP / PAS are all creatable using the spinner. Accordingly, the items it produces are a strict subset of the items that can be created using the anagramming gun; besides that, it's not portable and doesn't fire at a distance, so it has some other restrictions as well. This makes it more of a toy than most of the other letter devices to be found in the game. The spinner belongs to a very early stage of the game's development. Originally the plan was to have the spinner as a decoration in the Fleur d'Or, and the player would need to distract the staff there in order to gain access to it and use it. (There was also a turntable that would move one letter from the front to the back or back to front, as in APE > PEA or ARC > CAR.) In practice, however, the small number of possibilities associated with these tools didn't yield very many interesting puzzles, so the spinner was commented out for most of the game's development period. It owes its reappearance in the game to the LEER/REEL easter egg. While it would have been possible to arrange this easter egg in the Bureau, using the anagramming gun to complete the change (and indeed it was initially implemented that way), it felt odd to have a projector in the Bureau but not one in the cinema. In particular, I was concerned that creating an achievement such as Projectionist would feel misleading and annoying to many players if the projector in question were concealed inside the Bureau rather than being in the obvious place for a projector to be. So the projection booth was added to the cinema and the spinner reintroduced to make it possible to create the reel before the anagramming gun was rediscovered. (By the time the player gets the anagramming gun, it is impossible to reach the cinema again.) That in turn necessitated other changes as follow: -- placing another object in the projection booth to make it seem other than wholly pointless when the player first finds it; so the jotter is moved there from the crate in the crawlspace and the notes on the jotter are changed; -- creating an initial object to sit on the spinner to demonstrate its functionality, which was going to be a figurine of a god/dog; this was a very oblique reference to Apollo Agyieus, a guardian of doorways traditionally worshipped in aniconic form as a conical pillar garlanded with flowers. Both the god and the dog are guardian figures. -- removing some other distracting text from Roget Close so that the spinner is allowed to stand out more; -- coming up with more immediate functionality for the spinner so that it won't seem such a red herring ...and at this point I decided to convert the spinner into a proper puzzle of its own, one in which the gate unlocks only if you give the spinner something that it can convert. So at that point the god/dog had to be removed to let the player solve this herself; so I buried the dog in Monument Green and associated a different achievement with finding it. This is all a lot of bother just for the sake of adding an achievement/easter egg that most players probably won't notice. In each case, though, I felt as though the result of the design fix was a richer, more interesting setting with more playful manipulation available. Adding the yam to the game also provided another purpose for the farmer, who had been relatively useless (other than as the provider of the totally optional lime) ever since he stopped selling chard. ] The spinner is part of the spinner-gate. It is a supporter. Understand "sculpture" or "mirror" or "statue" or "pedestal" or "cone" as the spinner. The description of the spinner is "The base of the sculpture is a cone about four feet tall. On top of that is a flat circular pedestal, and there is a mirror that rotates around the outer circumference. The mirrored surface faces inward, so that it is sometimes reflecting [if something is on the spinner][the random thing on the spinner] on the pedestal[otherwise]whatever might be on the pedestal (currently nothing)[end if] and sometimes concealing [if something is on the spinner][it-them][otherwise]it[end if] from view.". The printed name of the spinner is "pedestal". The carrying capacity is 1. Sanity-check switching on the spinner: say "The sculpture appears to be permanently on." instead. Sanity-check switching off the spinner: say "If there is an off-switch, it's nowhere we can see it." instead. Section 2 - Spinning Functionality Every turn when the location is Roget Close and something is on the spinner: if not looking: follow the spinner-turning rule; say paragraph break. This is the spinner-turning rule: let the chosen article be a random thing on the spinner; let X be the chosen article; let the goal text be indexed text; let goal text be "[printed name of the X]"; change goal text to "[goal text in lower case]"; let max characters be the number of characters in the goal text; let substitute text be indexed text; repeat with Z running from 1 to max characters: change substitute text to "[character number Z in goal text][substitute text]"; change goal text to substitute text; [ say "[substitute text]";] [since the spinner's likely to be undoing its own work, allow it to get the original back.] if the chosen article is proffered by something (called the source) which is not the chosen article: if the hash code of the source is the hash code of X: let item text be indexed text; now item text is "[source]"; now item text is "[item text in lower case]"; if the goal text is item text: now the chosen article is the source; if the chosen article is X: repeat with item running through things in the repository: if the hash code of the item is the hash code of X: let item text be indexed text; now item text is "[item]"; now item text is "[item text in lower case]"; if the goal text is item text: now the chosen article is the item; if the chosen article is not X: abide by the dangerous destruction rules for X; now the chosen article is not proffered by anything; now everything which proffers X proffers the chosen article; if an essential thing (called source) proffers the chosen article: now the chosen article is essential; [ if something (called source) which proffers the chosen article encloses an essential thing: now the chosen article is essential; ] now everything which is on the spinner is in the repository; move the chosen article to the spinner; say "[if looking]After the mirror does its work,[otherwise]The mirror rotates in leisurely fashion, and when it is done[end if] there [is-are a list of things on the spinner]."; try examining the chosen article; record "using the spinner" as achieved; if the spinner-gate is closed: now the spinner-gate is open; now the spinner-gate is unlocked; say "The gate clicks open. "; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the chosen article; have the parser notice the chosen article; otherwise: if looking: if exactly one thing is on the spinner, say "It does"; otherwise say "[The list of things on the spinner] do[es]"; say " not change, however. "; otherwise: say "The mirror revolves for a moment, [one of]without effect[or]without changing [the list of things on the spinner][at random], though the word '[substitute text]' appears in startling green on the mirror's surface. ". Test yambug with "tutorial off / wear monocle / buy yam / n / w / put yam on pedestal / z / x yam" holding the roll of bills and the monocle in Hesychius Street. Rule for disclosing exterior of something (called special-target) which is on the spinner: say "[The special-target] [is-are] slowly revolving on [a spinner][if a mentionable thing is on the spinner], together with [a list of mentionable things which are on the spinner][end if]. [run paragraph on]"; follow the spinner-turning rule. Rule for disclosing contents of the spinner (this is the spinner-content rule): say "On [the spinner], [a list of things on the spinner] revolve[s] idly. [run paragraph on]"; follow the spinner-turning rule. Test spin-plans with "tutorial off / wave l-remover at plans / put pans on spinner / get snap / i / wave s-remover at snap / i / put nap on spinner / get pan / i / n" holding the secret-plans in Roget Close. Test spinner with "tutorial off / look / z / get all / put remover on spinner / z / get remover / put god on spinner / get dog / put leer on spinner / look / z / get reel / g / n / test projecting" holding the leer in Roget Close. Test projecting with "put reel in projector / turn projector on" in the Projection Booth. Chapter 6 - The Turntable [The turntable is a supporter. It is scenery. The carrying capacity is 1. The description is "A swiftly rotating platform able to go clockwise or anticlockwise. It is currently set to [rotation-direction]." Understand "table" or "turn table" as the turntable. Rotation-direction is a kind of value. The rotation-directions are clockwise and anticlockwise. Understand "counterclockwise" and "widdershins" as anticlockwise. The turntable has a rotation-direction. Understand "set [turntable] to [rotation-direction]" as setting it to the direction. Setting it to the direction is an action applying to one thing and one rotation-direction. Instead of vaguely setting the turntable: if the turntable is clockwise, try setting turntable to the direction anticlockwise; otherwise try setting the turntable to the direction clockwise. Carry out setting it to the direction: now the rotation-direction of the turntable is the rotation-direction understood. Report setting it to the direction: say "[The turntable] now goes [the rotation-direction of the turntable]." Every turn when the turntable is visible and something is on the turntable: if not looking: follow the turntable-turning rule; say paragraph break. This is the turntable-turning rule: let the chosen article be a random thing on the turntable; let X be the chosen article; let the goal text be indexed text; let goal text be "[printed name of the X]"; if the turntable is clockwise begin; [put first letter at the end, as in ape --> pea] if the goal text matches the regular expression "(.)(.*)", replace the regular expression "(.)(.*)" in goal text with "\2\1"; otherwise; [put last letter at the front, as in arc --> car] if the goal text matches the regular expression "(.*)(.)", replace the regular expression "(.*)(.)" in goal text with "\2\1"; end if; repeat with item running through things in the repository begin; if the goal text exactly matches the regular expression "[item]", now the chosen article is the item; end repeat; if the chosen article is not X begin; now the chosen article is not proffered by anything; now everything which proffers X proffers the chosen article; now everything which is on the turntable is in the repository; move the chosen article to the turntable; say "[if looking]After the turntable does its work,[otherwise]The turntable whirls faster than we can follow, and when it is done[end if] there [is-are a list of things on the turntable]. "; otherwise; if looking begin; if exactly one thing is on the turntable, say "It does"; otherwise say "[The list of things on the turntable] do[es]"; say " not change, however. "; otherwise; say "The turntable spins for a moment, [one of]then dies down again[or]without effect[or]without changing [the list of things on the turntable][at random]. "; end if; end if. Rule for disclosing exterior of something (called special-target) which is on the turntable: say "[The special-target] [is-are] spinning rapidly [rotation-direction of the turntable] on [a turntable][if a thing is on the turntable], together with [a list of mentionable things which are on the turntable][end if]. [run paragraph on]"; follow the turntable-turning rule. Rule for disclosing contents of the turntable (this is the turntable-content rule): say "On [the turntable], [a list of things on the turntable] spin[s] [rotation-direction of the turntable]. [run paragraph on]"; follow the turntable-turning rule. ] Chapter 7 - Authentication Scope An authentication scope is a kind of thing. The secretary carries an authentication scope called the Regulation Authentication Scope. In the backpack is an authentication scope called a monocle. The description of the monocle is "This is no mere fashion accessory. It is the very top grade of authentication scope, designed for people who have to use them all day, and normally available only to employees of the Bureau of Orthography. If [you] look through the monocle at something, [you] can see its true nature, regardless of spelling changes." The monocle is wearable. The monocle is illegal. The introduction of the monocle is "You like that? I thought you might be impressed. My father got it for me. 'For research,' he said, but I think he knew I just coveted them. At any rate, you're not the only one with equipment." The monocle is essential. The monocle covers the face-area. Last after examining something when the player wears the monocle: if the noun is not the monocle: try looking at the noun through the monocle; continue the action. After wearing the monocle: if the player is not enclosed by the kayak: say "Everything turns computer-monitor green when viewed through our right eye. And staring fixedly at anything will turn up its authenticity status." Understand "stare at [something]" or "stare fixedly at [something]" as examining. The description of an Authentication Scope is usually "It looks like a small hand-held telescope, or perhaps a very posh kaleidoscope: all brown leather and brass fittings, and a good heft indicating quality materials. The sophisticated electronics are all concealed within. If [you] look through the scope at something, [you] can see its true nature, regardless of spelling changes." Instead of searching a scope: try looking at a random thing in the location through the noun. Understand "look at [something] through/with/using [something preferably held]" as looking at it through. Understand "examine [something] with/through [something preferably held]" as looking at it through. Understand "look through/with/using [something preferably held] at [something]" as looking at it through (with nouns reversed). Looking at it through is an action applying to one visible thing and one carried thing. Check an actor looking at something through something: if the second noun is not an Authentication Scope begin; if the actor is the player, say "[The second noun] won't give us a clear view of [the noun]." instead; stop the action; end if. Check an actor looking at something through something: if the noun is an authentication Scope and the second noun is the noun begin; if the actor is the player, say "[You] can't look through [the noun] at itself." instead; stop the action; end if. Check an actor looking at something through something: if the noun is the actor begin; if the actor is the player, say "[You] can't turn the scope on ourselves [--] which might be just as well, really, because I think it would give me a headache to see the two of us conjoined at the hip. Or however the scope would show us, anyway." instead; stop the action; end if. Carry out looking at a mirror through something: say "[The noun] [is-are] real enough, and [the second noun] pings approvingly. But laid over the reflection we can see the two of us as we used to look: you a little shorter than our current body, me taller and male and needing a shave. I'm not sure whether it makes me feel better or worse to see us like that." instead. Test reflecting-bug with "x reflection / wear monocle / x reflection / look at reflection through monocle" holding the monocle in sigil street. Carry out looking at it through: if the noun is original or the noun is disguised: [play the sound of scope success;] say "[The second noun] pings happily as [you] sight [the noun] with the crosshairs."; otherwise: [play the sound of scope failure;] say "There is a dismissive blatt from [the second noun], and transposed over [the noun] is a faint, [if the noun is edible and the noun is proffered by something inedible]unappet[izing][otherwise]greenish[end if] image of [a list of things which proffer the noun]." Report someone looking at something through something: if the noun is original, say "In response [the actor] looks through [the second noun] at [the noun], then nods briskly. '[one of]The genuine article[or]Definitely not fake[or]Looks clean[or]Not a forgery[or]Real[or]Yup, authentic[at random].'"; otherwise say "Thoughtfully [the actor] peers through [the second noun] at [the noun], then frowns. '[one of]Fake[or]An obvious forgery[or]Not at all the real thing[or]Bogus[or]I hope that came with a money-back guarantee[as decreasingly likely outcomes]!' [it-they of the actor] [one of]say[s][or]remark[s][or]exclaim[s][as decreasingly likely outcomes]." After the secretary looking at the disguised pass through a scope: say "The secretary raises her Authentication Scope to look at the pass. There is a moment of silence. The scope does nothing."; now the player is allowed. After the secretary looking at the undisguised pass through a scope: say "The secretary raises the scope to look at the pass. Her eyes widen at the blatant forgery. 'Stay right there, buddy,' she says. From her tone of voice, this is obviously the most entertaining thing that has happened to her this fiscal year. It is also a wholly unnecessary command, because she has pressed a button that puts the antechamber into lock-down mode. There follows a long interrogation and a short trial."; end the game saying "[You] pass the rest of our days stamping lic[ense] plates together" After someone looking at the player through an authentication Scope: say "[The actor] turns the Authentication Scope on us. You seem calm, but I'm nervous as hell. But I have to say, you were right: the scope neither beeps nor blatts. [The actor] tries twisting the end as though bringing a telescope into focus, but nothing changes. 'Must be broken,' mutters [the actor]." First carry out looking at the inscription through an authentication scope: say "[The second noun] begins to whirr and whirr, as though something inside has caught in an unresolvable loop. After a very long time, it whirrs down again without any noise of rejection or acceptance." instead. Chapter 8 - The Origin Paste A thing can be disguised or undisguised. A thing is usually undisguised. After someone looking at a disguised thing through the scope: say "[The person asked] frowns, but the scope makes no sound." Instead of looking at a disguised thing through the scope: say "[The scope] fails to make any sound or response at all, but no green image forms revealing the true nature of [the noun]." The player is disguised. The Origin Paste is a disguised illegal thing on the bar-top. The origin paste is essential. The indefinite article is "some". The origin paste can be won or unwon. The origin paste is unwon. Instead of taking the Origin Paste when the Origin Paste is unwon: say "Without even glancing away from what he's doing, Parker the barman says, 'That's reserved.'" The description of the Origin Paste is "A cake of pale purple: it is able to disguise letter-reformed objects so that they don't look like obvious frauds, or even show up under authentication. The only problem with it is the distinctive smell." The introduction is "The Origin Paste is powerful stuff, and worth a good bit of money." The scent-description is "overpowering French lavender". Instead of eating or tasting the paste: say "[one of]I once tried some lavender sorbet at a swank little Milanese gelato shop. This is like that, only less icy and more chalky.[or]Sorry, it's not an experience I care to repeat.[stopping]". Instead of smelling the player: say "[You] smell of lavender. It's not as bad a reek as it was earlier, though. No one would think it was anything but soap." Understand "rub [paste] on/onto/to [something]" as putting it on. Sanity-check putting the origin paste on the restoration gel: try putting the restoration gel on the origin paste instead. Sanity-check putting the origin paste on the tub: try putting the restoration gel on the origin paste instead. Instead of putting the paste on something: record "using the origin paste" as achieved; say "[You] [if a person who is not the player is visible]surreptitiously [end if]smear some of [the paste] onto [the second noun]. Nothing obvious happens, of course, but that is the whole point."; now the second noun is disguised. Instead of smelling a disguised thing: say "Lavender wafts back at us." The ash is disguised. Test originpaste with "tutorial off / x paste / eat paste / smell paste / smell me / touch paste / lick paste / put paste on me / put paste on gel / open tub / put paste on gel / gel paste / rub paste on me / rub paste onto me / rub paste onto remover / smell remover / drop paste / get paste" holding the origin paste and the tub. Chapter 9 - The Restoration Gel Section 1 - Gel and the Rest of the World Understand "gel" or "restoration gel" as the tub when the tub is closed. The scent-description of the restoration gel is "spearmint". Sanity-check waving the restoration gel: try waving the holder of the restoration gel instead. Sanity-check taking the restoration gel: try taking the holder of the restoration gel instead. Sanity-check dropping the restoration gel: try dropping the holder of the restoration gel instead. Sanity-check inserting the restoration gel into something: try inserting the holder of the restoration gel into the second noun instead. [Sanity-check putting the restoration gel on something: try putting the holder of the restoration gel on the second noun instead. ] Sanity-check closing the restoration gel: try closing the holder of the restoration gel instead. Sanity-check opening the restoration gel: try opening the holder of the restoration gel instead. Instead of tasting or eating the restoration gel: say "While it may look like toothpaste and smell like toothpaste, it actually is not toothpaste." Test gel-behavior with "open tub / open backpack / put gel in backpack" holding the tub and the backpack. Procedural rule when tasting or eating the restoration gel: ignore the carrying requirements rule. A description-concealing rule when the location is Open Sea: now the restoration gel is not marked for listing. [Otherwise, even though the tub is mentioned elsewhere in the description, the restoration gel shows up in a disruptive line of text in the middle of the room description.] After printing the name of the tub while looking: say " of [restoration gel]"; omit contents in listing. Test tube-bug with "tutorial off / wear monocle / x tub" holding the monocle and the tub. First carry out looking at the tub through an authentication scope: say "[The second noun] shows the residual form of the tube." instead. Section 2 - Converting nouns Understand "rub [gel] on/onto/to [something]" as putting it on. Understand "rub [tube] on/onto/to [something]" as putting it on. Understand the commands "smear" as "rub". Understand "apply [gel] on/onto/to [something]" as putting it on. Understand "apply [tube] on/onto/to [something]" as putting it on. Understand "use [gel] on [something]" as putting it on. Understand "use [tube] on [something]" as putting it on. Understand "[gel] [something]" or "[tube] [something]" as putting it on. Understand "[paste] [something]" as putting it on. Sanity-check putting the tube on something: say "Unfortunately, there's hardly any gel remaining in the tube." instead. Sanity-check putting the restoration gel on something irretrievable: if the second noun contains the tub: try taking the tub; if the second noun contains the letter-remover: try taking the letter-remover; if the second noun is irretrievable: say "Since [the second noun] contain[s] [if the second noun encloses the tub][the tub][otherwise]something useful[end if], it might be a bad idea to change its form. [You] might not be able to get the contents back." instead. [Because it's possible to change something into an object that becomes fixed in place in the backpack, or too heavy to move...] Before putting the restoration gel on something which is in the backpack: try taking the second noun; if the player does not carry the second noun: say "It seems best not to word-change things that are in the backpack." instead. [And now special cases of description: ] Instead of putting the restoration gel on the Origin Paste: say "[You] dip out some of the gel and touch it to the Origin Paste. There is a violent, fizzy reaction; lavender and mint fumes; and then the two substances appear to have worked out their mutual antipathy. The dollop of gel is gone, the cake of paste slightly smaller than it used to be." Instead of putting the restoration gel on something: say "[You] dip out [if the heft of the second noun is 1]fingertip-coating[otherwise]pea-sized[end if] quantity of gel and rub it gently onto [the second noun]. [run paragraph on]"; gel-convert second noun. Instead of putting the restoration gel on something fluid: say "[You] just touch a coated fingertip of gel to [the second noun]. [run paragraph on]"; gel-convert second noun. Instead of putting the restoration gel on yourself: if atlantida-woman is seen: say "[You] optimistically rub in a little gel, but it doesn't make any difference. We're stuck this way, for good."; else: say "A fingertip-dab isn't enough to undo the doubling-up [you] experienced, but if [you] applied more, there's a real chance [you][']d come apart into a you and a me. And [you] can't afford that right now." Yourself can be gelled or ungelled. Yourself is ungelled. Instead of wearing the restoration gel: try putting the restoration gel on yourself. [Instead of putting the restoration gel on yourself during Nightfalling: if the location encloses someone who is not the player: say "[You][']d rather do this where we have some privacy, just in case the splitting is embarrassing or leaves us both nude or something." instead; if Brock is in the repository: say "Let's gel Brock first and make sure he's all right; then [you] can use the rest of the gel with impunity, however much [you] need." instead; if the player is ungelled: now the player is gelled; say "At last, time to get out of this double existence. You scoop out a big handful of the restoration gel and start applying it to both arms like you're putting on mosquito repellant for a swamp raid. It tingles and burns, fizzing against the existing Origin Paste that held us together this long and protected us from authentication scopes. [You] dip again and slather on more: over our face, neck, hair even. [You] just about empty the whole tub. It's cool now, not reacting against anything. It also isn't working. [You] [are] stuck. For some reason, for now, you and I are stuck together like this."; otherwise: say "There's not much gel left." ] Instead of putting the restoration gel on an original person: if the second noun is an animal: continue the action; otherwise: say "[one of][You] dip out [if the heft of the second noun is 1]fingertip-coating[otherwise]pea-sized[end if] quantity of gel and approach [the second noun] with it. 'Hey!' says [the second noun]. 'That was really cold! What do you think you're doing?' But no exciting conversions occur.[or][You] get some gel and try to be subtle about touching it to [the second noun], but [it-they of second noun] shies away, startled. Well, it likely wouldn't have had an effect anyway.[stopping]". [Before putting the restoration gel on something which encloses the player: say "Are you insane? If [the second noun] goes away, we'll go too." instead. ] Instead of someone trying touching the restoration gel: if the person asked can touch the restoration gel: gel-convert the person asked; rule succeeds. Definition: a thing (called itself) is original if it proffers itself and it is proffered by exactly one thing. To gel-convert (item - an object): if the item is not original: abide by the dangerous destruction rules for the item; let destination be home for the item; now everything which proffers the item is in the destination; [play the sound of gel splort;] let description needed be false; if exactly one unseen thing (called the parent) proffers the item: now description needed is true; say "With an audible SPLORT, [the item] become[s] [a list of things which proffer the item][if the destination is the location and the holder of the item is not the location] and falls to the ground[end if]. "; if description needed is true: say "[parent description]"; say "[one of][paragraph break]I'm starting to understand how you got into all the places you got into. Not that I judge you or your line of work, of course. [or][stopping][paragraph break]"; record "using the gel" as achieved; [It's possible, in rare cases, for something to be its own parent: AS+COT -> SCOT -> COT leaves a result that is one of its own earlier ingredients. So we need to account for that: ] if the item does not proffer the item: move the item to the repository; otherwise: say "Alas, nothing happens.". To decide what object is home for (item - a thing): let destination be the holder of the item; if the item is part of the destination: let the destination be the location; decide on destination. Instead of putting the restoration gel on a naughty-sounding thing: say "[You] squeeze out a pea-sized quantity of gel and rub it gently onto [--] No, let me rephrase. [You] clinically and distantly apply some of the restoration gel to an innocent portion of the object in question. [run paragraph on]"; gel-convert the second noun. Test gel-bug with "tutorial off / show arm to girl / use gel on lock / put gel on lock / gel lock / apply gel to lock / use tube on lock / put tube on lock / apply tube to lock" holding the tube and the arm in the Dormitory. Chapter 10 - The Anagramming Gun Section 1 - Pistols and Shooting [This is lightly adapted from the Technological Terror example in the manual. SHOOT is an annoying verb because there are several different equally valid syntaxes in English and we want to account for all of them, and make good guesses if the player types just SHOOT TARGET or SHOOT WITH GUN.] A pistol is a kind of thing. A pistol can be loaded or unloaded. A pistol is usually loaded. Definition: a thing is ungunlike if it is not a pistol. Shooting it with is an action applying to one visible thing and one carried thing. The shooting it with action has an object called the detritus. Check shooting something with something which is not a pistol: say "[You] are insufficiently armed." instead. Check shooting something with an unloaded pistol: say "[The second noun] [is-are] not loaded." instead. Check shooting a pistol with the noun: say "[The noun] doesn't bend that way." instead; Does the player mean shooting something which is not held by the player with something which is held by the player: it is very likely. Understand "shoot [pistol] at [something ungunlike]" as shooting it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "shoot [something ungunlike] with [a pistol]" as shooting it with. Understand "shoot [something] with [something]" as shooting it with. Understand "shoot [something] at [something]" as shooting it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "fire [pistol] at [something ungunlike]" as shooting it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "fire at [something ungunlike] with [a pistol]" as shooting it with. Understand "fire at [something] with [something]" as shooting it with. Section 2 - Anagramming Gun The anagramming gun is an unloaded pistol on the display-platform. Understand "anagrammer" as the anagramming gun. The description is "Anagramming guns are illegal now, of course, because of their desperately unpredictable behavi[our]. This one is a huge heavy thing, though not quite an artillery piece, because of the colossal amounts of power required and all the stabil[ize]rs needed to try to collapse the letters back down to a single phrase." Section 3 - Loading the Gun Sanity-check inserting the bullets into a gun: try loading the noun into the second noun instead. Understand "load [something] with [something]" as loading it into (with nouns reversed). Understand "load [something] into [something]" as loading it into. Understand "load [anagramming gun] with [anagram bullets]" as loading it into (with nouns reversed). Understand "load [anagram bullets] into [anagramming gun]" as loading it into. Loading it into is an action applying to one carried thing and one thing. Check loading something into something ungunlike: say "[The second noun] [is-are] not a gun." instead. Check loading something which is not the anagram bullets into something: say "[The noun] [is-are] not ammunition." instead. Carry out loading the anagram bullets into the anagramming gun: remove the anagram bullets from play; now the anagramming gun is loaded. Report loading the anagram bullets into the anagramming gun: say "I would not know how to do this, but you have sufficient expert skill that we've got the gun loaded up in no time." instead. Instead of searching the anagramming gun: if the anagramming gun is loaded: say "There are still some more anagramming bullets within."; otherwise: say "The gun is unloaded." Understand "unload [something]" as unloading. Unloading is an action applying to one thing. Sanity-check unloading: if the noun is not a pistol: say "[The noun] [is-are] not a gun." instead; if the noun is the anagramming gun and the anagramming gun is unloaded: say "[The anagramming gun] [is-are] already empty." instead; otherwise: say "[You] see no reason to disarm us unnecessarily." instead. Section 4 - The Anagram Effect of Shooting Sanity-check shooting something irretrievable with the loaded anagramming gun: if the second noun contains the tub: try taking the tub; if the second noun contains the letter-remover: try taking the letter-remover; if the second noun is irretrievable: say "Since [the second noun] contain[s] [if the second noun encloses the tub][the tub][otherwise]something useful[end if], it might be a bad idea to change its form. [You] might not be able to get the contents back." instead. Sanity-check shooting the loaded anagramming gun with the loaded anagramming gun: say "It is impossible to aim the gun at itself." instead. Check shooting something with the loaded anagramming gun: let initial key be the anagram key of the noun; now detritus is the noun; let the possibles list be a list of things; repeat with item running through things in the repository: if the hash code of the item is the hash code of the noun: [say "[item]: ";] let initial name be indexed text; let initial name be "[noun]"; let initial name be "[initial name in lower case]"; let comparison name be indexed text; let comparison name be "[item]"; let comparison name be "[comparison name in lower case]"; let comparison key be the anagram key of the item; [say "[comparison key]"; say "[noun]: [initial key]"; ] if comparison key is the initial key and the initial name is not the comparison name: add the item to the possibles list; [* We make a list because otherwise, for any set of anagrammed objects in the repository, we will always just swap back and forth between the first two that are implemented and never get to the others.] let max be the number of entries in the possibles list; if max is 0: say "The gun fires ruggedly into [the noun], but is unable to make anything interesting out of [the initial key]. [The noun] recoalesce[s] into [its-their] original form." instead; otherwise: now detritus is entry max of the possibles list. To decide what list of indexed text is the anagram key of (n - an object): let anagram key be a list of indexed text; let starting form be indexed text; let starting form be "[n]"; let count be the number of characters in starting form; repeat with i running from 1 to count: let char be indexed text; let char be "[character number i in starting form]"; let char be "[char in lower case]"; if char is not " ": add char to anagram key; sort anagram key; decide on anagram key; Check shooting something with the anagramming gun: abide by the dangerous destruction rules for the noun. Carry out shooting something with the anagramming gun: move the detritus to the holder of the noun; if the noun is part of the holder of the noun: now the detritus is in the location; move the noun to the repository; if the detritus proffers the noun and the detritus is not original: now every thing which proffers the noun proffers the detritus; now the generated object does not proffer the detritus; otherwise: now the detritus is not proffered by anything; now every thing which proffers the noun proffers the detritus; if an essential thing (called source) proffers the detritus: now the detritus is essential; [ if something (called source) which proffers the detritus encloses an essential thing: now the detritus is essential; ] record "using the anagramming gun" as achieved; Report shooting something with the anagramming gun when the detritus is unseen: say "The gun fires ruggedly into [the noun], which shatter[s] and then reform[s] as [the detritus]. [run paragraph on][detritus description][paragraph break]"; have the parser notice the detritus; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the detritus instead. Report shooting something with the anagramming gun: say "The gun fires ruggedly into [the noun], which shatter[s] and then reform[s] as [the detritus]."; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the detritus instead. Chapter 11 - Restoration gel rifle The restoration-gel rifle is an essential pistol. The printed name of the restoration-gel rifle is "restoration gel rifle". Understand "restoration" or "gel" or "handgun" as the restoration-gel rifle. [we want use of the regular gel to win, if possible] Does the player mean putting the restoration-gel rifle on something: it is unlikely. The description of the restoration-gel rifle is "A rifle that shoots pellets of restoration gel, converting objects from a distance. Guns like this are illegal to carry unless you're Bureau. They can inflict unpleasant bruises if they encounter nothing to convert and absorb the energy." [Disambiguate sensibly with the tub of gel.] Does the player mean shooting something with the restoration-gel rifle: it is very likely. Does the player mean doing something with the restoration-gel rifle: it is unlikely. Sanity-check shooting something irretrievable with the restoration-gel rifle: if the second noun is the player: make no decision; say "Since [the second noun] contain[s] [if the second noun encloses the tub][the tub][otherwise]something useful[end if], it might be a bad idea to change its form. [You] might not be able to get the contents back." instead. [Because it's possible to change something into an object that becomes fixed in place in the backpack, or too heavy to move...] Before shooting something which is in the backpack with the restoration-gel rifle: try taking the noun; if the player does not carry the noun: say "It seems best not to word-change things that are in the backpack." instead. [And now special cases of description: ] Instead of shooting the Origin Paste with the restoration-gel rifle: say "[You] fire the gun into the Origin Paste. There is a violent thump, a suffocating cloud of lavender and mint fumes, and then the paste is much the same as before, just smaller." Carry out shooting something with the restoration-gel rifle: say "[You] shoot [the restoration-gel rifle] at [the noun]. "; gel-convert the noun. Chapter 12 - Britishizing Goggles [Originally included as a joke, and a harmless one, because it was going to be in the tools exhibit and the player was never going to be able to get in there. Later, though, when I made the tool exhibit possible to break into, it became necessary to go back and implement cosmetic changes throughout the text. And then it felt like the player was getting the goggles too late in the game for them to be really fun as a toy, so I moved them much earlier, to the antiques shop. Let this be a lesson to you, children. Jokes can cost a lot of implementation time.] Some Britishizing goggles are a wearable thing. The description is "An experimental prototype that (from the perspective of the viewer only) adds -u- into words ending in -or, and reverses -er into -re wherever possible. Subjects wearing the [Britishizing Goggles] generally began to develop implausible accents and to have better than usual success wooing American tourists. Otherwise, the goggles are not much use: like my monocle, they don't affect the actual form of an object in any way. The surplus stock were mostly given away as rewards to supporters of public television, and the Bureau discouraged even recreational use in the 1980s as they began to make progress towards greater linguistic purity." [Check wearing the Britishizing goggles while the player is wearing the monocle: try taking off the monocle; if the player is wearing the monocle: say "[You] can't fit the goggles over the monocle." instead. Check wearing the monocle while the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: try taking off the Britishizing goggles; if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "[You] can't fit the monocle over the goggles." instead. ] Rule for printing the name of the odor when the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "odour". Rule for printing the name of the Britishizing goggles when the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "Britishising goggles". Rule for printing the name of the synthesizer when the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "synthesiser" To say ize: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "ise"; otherwise: say "ize" To say izing: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "ising"; otherwise: say "izing" To say ization: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "isation"; otherwise: say "ization" To say IZE: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "ISE"; otherwise: say "IZE" To say IZING: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "ISING"; otherwise: say "IZING" To say ae: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "ae"; otherwise: say "e". To say our: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "our"; otherwise: say "or". To say ter: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "tre"; otherwise: say "ter". To say er: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "re"; otherwise: say "er". To say ense: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "ence"; otherwise: say "ense". To say gram: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "gramme"; otherwise: say "gram". To say Mr: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "Mr"; otherwise: say "Mr.[no line break]". To say Mrs: if the player is wearing the Britishizing goggles: say "Mrs"; otherwise: say "Mrs.[no line break]". Chapter 13 - The Umlaut Punch [Because the player shouldn't stop having fun things just because it's late in the game. The anagramming gun was a pretty ambitious thing to add and brought in a lot of extra objects, but I wanted the Bureau basement to feel rich in possibilities even if I couldn't afford to make another half dozen genuinely useful objects. Hence the umlaut punch, which works, but just for a moment -- so there's no risk of it expanding the object trees. Originally there was no gameplay value to the punch, but later when the generator room was introduced, I decided I wanted to include a power cord, and the power chord concept was born. ] The description of the umlaut punch is "A very heavy, solid object manufactured in Stuttgart. A wire basket holds the item to be punched; two sharp metal tines descend into the basket at the moment of use." Understand "wire basket" or "basket" or "sharp" or "metal" or "tines" as the umlaut punch. The heft of the umlaut punch is 3. The umlaut punch is a container. Understand "punch [something]" as umlaut-punching when the umlaut punch is visible. umlaut-punching is an action applying to one thing. Understand "punch [something] in/with [umlaut punch]" as inserting it into. Sanity-check umlaut-punching: try inserting the noun into the umlaut punch instead. Check inserting a heavy thing into the umlaut punch: say "[The noun] [is-are] far too substantial to fit into the wire basket." instead. Check inserting something into the umlaut punch when the umlaut punch contains something (called the blockage): say "[The blockage] [is-are] already in the wire basket, and it doesn't take two things at a time." instead. Report inserting a strand into the umlaut punch: say "[You] put [the noun] into the wire basket of the umlaut punch. There is a hum as the punch warms up, then a bang! as the tines come down sharply, tattooing [the noun].[paragraph break]"; say "For a moment [you] glimpse the teen girl band Haïr - starring Big Haïr, Scary Haïr, Bed Haïr, and Skyblue Haïr - whose big hit, 'You Got Me In Curlers (And I Liked It)', has unfortunately now dropped out of the charts. But the effect fades almost instantly." instead. Report inserting something into the umlaut punch: say "[You] put [the noun] into the wire basket of the umlaut punch. There is a hum as the punch warms up, then a bang! as the tines come down sharply, tattooing [the noun].[paragraph break]"; let sample be indexed text; let sample be "[noun]"; now sample is "[sample in lower case]"; let replacement made be false; if sample matches the text "u": replace the text "u" in sample with "ü"; now replacement made is true; if sample matches the text "o" and replacement made is false: replace the text "o" in sample with "ö"; now replacement made is true; if sample matches the text "e" and replacement made is false: replace the text "e" in sample with "ë"; now replacement made is true; if sample matches the text "i" and replacement made is false: replace the text "i" in sample with "ï"; now replacement made is true; if sample matches the text "y" and replacement made is false: replace the text "y" in sample with "ÿ"; now replacement made is true; if sample matches the text "a" and replacement made is false: replace the text "a" in sample with "ä"; now replacement made is true; record "using the umlaut punch" as achieved; say "Briefly [the noun] appears as the [one of]thrash[or]speed[or]art[or]death[or]power[or]progressive[or]folk[or]drone[or]Viking[or]cello[as decreasingly likely outcomes] metal band [sample in title case], before fading back to itself: there just isn't enough energy to hold the conversion, given [sample in title case][']s [one of]dismal[or]fading[or]weak[or]non-existent[at random] [one of]name-recognition[or]reputation[at random]. "; comment on band quality of the noun; if the power chord is not seen and the power cord is not seen: move the power chord to the location; say "[line break]When they are gone, [a power chord] remains in the air."; stop the action. To comment on band quality of (item - the honey pastry triangle): say "Their use of tinkly percussion did not lift them to the heights they hoped for." To comment on band quality of (item - the baklava): say "The Greek-language cover of 'Don't Fear the Reaper' had less of a market than you might expect." To comment on band quality of (item - the asparagus): say "Their song 'Spears in Vinegar' was seventeen minutes too long to play on the radio."; To comment on band quality of (item - the monocle): say "Something to do with the quality of their debut album, Red Baron Suicide Deathwish (1983)."; To comment on band quality of (item - a vegetable): say "The early popularity of '[one of]Leafy Greens[or]Hell's Garden[or]Harvest of Slaughter[or]Vegetable Vengeance[or]Blood on the Tree[at random]' was never matched again."; To comment on the band quality of (item - an insect): say "Their hit single 'Phosphorescent Beetle' is a classic, but none of their later work reached the same heights." To comment on the band quality of (item - a bird): say "Reviewers routinely complained of the flights of fancy in their lyrics, and the surrealism ultimately made it hard for listeners to relate to their work." To comment on the band quality of (item - a pet): say "Album covers featuring Siamese kittens and gerbils gave a misleading impression of the contents, and a lawsuit from distraught parents ended in bankruptcy for the band and its manager." To comment on the band quality of (item - a sign): say "In retrospect, the lead guitarist wished he'd gone along with the plan to name the band Ömen instead." To comment on the band quality of (item - a hat): say "Several of the backing players went on to much more successful careers in Mäd Hätters." To comment on the band quality of (item - an oil): say "The band wore out its welcome by coating several boxes at the Royal Albert Hall with unrefined crude during a closing spectacular." To comment on band quality of (item - a thing): say "[one of]They haven't been playing many clubs lately[or]They never really got out of their parents['] basement[or]The reunion tour wasn't a big success[at random]." The power chord is an r-abstract noisy thing. "A power chord vibrates ominously in the air." The description of the power chord is "The chord [--] played as though by electric guitar [--] almost makes it sound as though heavy machinery is in use in here." The introduction of the power chord is "Having a leftover like this is… unusual. A sign of spare reification energy in this area, maybe. Like radiation left over from some really high energy abstraction work." Instead of listening to the power chord: say "The repeated power chord makes it sound as though some heavy equipment is being used in here even when it's not." Test chord with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / put asparagus in punch / wave h-remover at chord / x cord / x plug / wear goggles / x plug" in Equipment Archive holding the asparagus and goggles. Chapter 14 - The Catalan punt volat Needle [This is a wholly unnecessary toy that exists (a) to give the player something to fiddle with briefly if stuck with the anagramming gun; and (b) to suggest a wider world of language use beyond the shores of Atlantis.] The description of the Catalan punt volat needle is "An infinitely delicate tool designed to slip between two Ls. It has no application in English." Sanity-check inserting the Catalan punt volat needle into something: try poking the second noun with the noun instead. Check poking something with something: if the player does not carry the second noun: try taking the second noun; if the player does not carry the second noun: stop the action. Check poking something with something which is not the Catalan punt volat needle: say "[The second noun] [is-are] not very suitable for the purpose." instead. Check poking the Catalan needle with the Catalan needle: say "[The noun] doesn't bend that way." instead. Carry out poking something with the Catalan punt volat needle: let sample be indexed text; let sample be "[noun]"; now sample is "[sample in lower case]"; if sample matches the regular expression "(.*l)(l.*)": say "The needle slips into place, trying to construct '[text matching subexpression 1]·[text matching subexpression 2]'. It fails, however, to make any recognizable word out of this, and the needle wire grows hotter and hotter in our hand as it tries to fix the change. Finally [you] have to pull out." instead; otherwise: say "There's nowhere for the needle to slide in, because there are no paired Ls in [the noun]." instead. Understand "use [catalan punt volat needle] on [something]" as poking it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "poke [something] with [catalan punt volat needle]" as poking it with. Poking it with is an action applying to one thing and one carried thing. Understand "poke [something] with [something]" as poking it with. Understand "poke [something] in/into [something]" as poking it with (with nouns reversed). Understand the commands "pierce" and "stick" and "penetrate" as "poke". Chapter 15 - The Workshop Platform The programmable dais is an enterable supporter in the Workshop. Understand "machine" or "equipment" or "platform" or "big" or "black" or "metal" or "round" or "machinery" or "coil" or "coils" as the dais. "A programmable dais sits in the middle of the room. It has the raw look of lab equipment rather than a nice smooth commercial instrument." The description is "It's a round black metal platform with substantial stabil[izing] coils visible underneath, five or six feet in diameter. This is experimental lab grade letter equipment, ferociously powerful, insanely dangerous." After examining the programmable dais: say "The dais has [a list of things which are part of the dais]." The big lever is part of the programmable dais. The big lever is a device. The description is "One of those big heavy levers you see at demolitions. You won't be tripping this thing by accident." Understand "flip [something]" as pushing. Understand "use [big lever]" as pushing. Sanity-check pulling the big lever: try switching on the programmable dais instead. Sanity-check pushing the big lever: try switching on the programmable dais instead. Sanity-check putting something irretrievable on the programmable dais: if the noun is the player: make no decision; say "Since [the noun] contain[s] [if the noun encloses the tub][the tub][otherwise]something useful[end if], it might be a bad idea to change its form. [You] might not be able to get the contents back." instead. Sanity-check switching on the programmable dais: try switching on the big lever instead. Sanity-check switching off the programmable dais: say "It doesn't stay on long enough to need turning off." instead. [Joke responses. These duplicate, more or less, code for the synthesizer above; inelegant, but there aren't enough of these jokes to be worth a more elaborate implementation of synthesis generally that would take them into account.] Instead of switching on the big lever when the switch-setting of the massive switch is synthesize and the programmable dais supports the roll and the programmable dais supports the rock: say "You can't get to rock & roll with just synthesis. You'd need an ampersand generator, which unfortunately (despite promising research and a prototype resembling a pretzel-maker) has yet to achieve stable results." Instead of switching on the big lever when the switch-setting of the massive switch is synthesize and the programmable dais supports the sill and the programmable dais supports the cate: say "It feels like [you] ought to be close to getting a silicate out of all this, but no, I fear not. That final L on SILL is going nowhere." Instead of switching on the big lever when the switch-setting of the massive switch is synthesize and the programmable dais supports the key-lime and the programmable dais supports a pi-object: say "What, are you hoping for key lime π? I'm afraid synthesis doesn't do puns as such." Instead of switching on the big lever when the switch-setting of the massive switch is synthesize and the programmable dais supports the pan and the programmable dais supports the ear: say "That Indian soft cheese is called paneer, you know, not panear." Instead of switching on the big lever: if the boiler is not switched on or a massive plug is free: say "[You] pull the lever, but a lot of nothing happens. It doesn't look like there is power flowing to the machine." instead; if the switch-setting of the massive switch is: -- synthesize: if the number of things on the programmable dais is not two: say "[The programmable dais] goes red, then dims again when it doesn't find sufficient contents for synthesis." instead; synthesize contents of programmable dais instead; -- swap homonym: if the programmable dais does not support something: say "[The programmable dais] goes red. There's a hot smell, as though you'd turned on the stove with no pot on the burner. Finally it dims again." instead; if exactly one thing (called target) is on the programmable dais: let result be the homonym-match of the target; if the result is not the player: if something (called the source) proffers the target: now the result is not proffered by anything; now the source proffers the result; abide by the dangerous destruction rules for the target; move the result to the programmable dais; move the target to the repository; if the result is the passage-place: say "[The programmable dais] glows deep red, then deeper. There's a roar like a stadium being demolished, and a passage opens, descending into the dais itself." instead; otherwise: say "[The programmable dais] glows deep red. Almost at once [the result] [is-are] lying on the surface. [result description][line break]" instead; say "[The programmable dais] goes red, then dims again. Apparently it can't find a homonym to fit [the list of things on the programmable dais]." instead; now the big lever is switched off. The massive switch is part of the programmable dais. The description is "A large black switch with a red arrow painted on it. There are two stops, labeled with black marker on tape: [i]swap homonym[/i] and [i]synthesize[/i]. It is currently set to [switch-setting of the massive switch]." The switch-setting is a kind of value. The switch-settings are swap homonym and synthesize. The massive switch has a switch-setting. The switch-setting of the massive switch is swap homonym. Understand "swap" or "homonym" or "swap homonym" as swap homonym. Understand "synthesise" as synthesize. [This will catch FLIP SWITCH and a range of similar attempts:] Sanity-check pushing the massive switch: try turning the massive switch instead. Sanity-check pulling the massive switch: try turning the massive switch instead. Carry out turning the massive switch: if the switch-setting of the massive switch is swap homonym: now the switch-setting of the massive switch is synthesize; otherwise: now the switch-setting of the massive switch is swap homonym. Report turning the massive switch: say "[You] give the switch a strong twist and turn it to [i][the switch-setting of the massive switch][/i]." instead. Understand "switch [massive switch]" as turning. Understand "switch [massive switch] to [a switch-setting]" as switching it to. Understand "switch [something] to [a switch-setting]" as switching it to. Understand "set [massive switch] to [a switch-setting]" as switching it to. Understand "turn [massive switch] to [a switch-setting]" as switching it to. Understand "switch [programmable dais]" as turning. Understand "switch [programmable dais] to [a switch-setting]" as switching it to. Understand "switch [programmable dais] to [a switch-setting]" as switching it to. Understand "set [programmable dais] to [a switch-setting]" as switching it to. Understand "turn [programmable dais] to [a switch-setting]" as switching it to. Switching it to is an action applying to one thing and one switch-setting. Sanity-check switching the programmable dais to the switch-setting understood: now the noun is the massive switch. Check switching something which is not the massive switch to the switch-setting understood: say "That is not a setting of [the noun]." instead. Check switching the massive switch to the switch-setting of the massive switch: say "[The massive switch] is already set to [switch-setting understood]." instead. Carry out switching the massive switch to the switch-setting understood: now the switch-setting of the massive switch is the switch-setting understood. Report switching the massive switch to the switch-setting understood: say "[You] give the switch a strong twist and turn it to [the switch-setting of the massive switch]." instead. Test programmable with "tutorial off / x platform / x switch / turn switch / x switch / set switch to swap homonym / switch switch to swap homonym / turn switch to swap homonym / put the crate and the ring on the platform / turn on lever / shoot cratering with gun" holding the crate and the anagramming gun and the ring in the Workshop. Chapter 16 - The Cryptolock aka Vowel Rotator [ The cryptolock is a variation on the idea of the spinner introduced much earlier in the game. The puzzle here is completely different depending on whether you're playing hard mode or easy mode.] The cryptolock is a scenery container in the Generator Room. It is fixed in place. The printed name of the cryptolock is "brushed steel bucket". Understand "brushed" or "steel" or "container" or "bucket" as the cryptolock. The cryptoswitch is a device. The cryptoswitch is part of the cryptolock. The printed name of the cryptoswitch is "reverse switch". Understand "reverse" or "switch" as the cryptoswitch. Report switching on the cryptoswitch: say "The switch thunks over into the Reverse position." instead. The description of the cryptolock is "Attached to the machine is a [cryptolock], with insulated walls; it looks like a large version of an ice bucket for chilling sparkling wines. Around the outside of the bucket are all sorts of odd gears, sprockets, parts, and bits, which have been attached in a haphazard way with bolts, wire, and duct tape. Presumably this does something to items placed in the bucket. At the lip of the bucket is a switch labeled REVERSE. The switch is currently [if the cryptoswitch is switched on]on[otherwise]off[end if]." The carrying capacity of the cryptolock is 1. The sprocket-bits are part of the cryptolock. Understand "odd" or "gears" or "sprocket" or "sprockets" or "parts" or "bits" or "part" or "bit" or "bolt" or "wire" or "duct" or "tape" as the sprocket-bits. The description of the sprocket-bits is "They're all different metals and component sizes, as though scavenged from other machines. But for what? It would take a much better engineer than I am to guess that." Check inserting something into the cryptolock when the cryptolock contains something (called the blockage): try taking the blockage; if the blockage is in the cryptolock: stop the action. Check inserting something into the cryptolock when the heft of the noun is greater than 3: say "[The noun] [is-are] too big to fit into [the cryptolock]." instead. A dangerous construction rule for something (called the target): if the target is in the cryptolock and the heft of the target is greater than 3: now the target is in the Generator Room; say "[The target] [is-are] too big to fit into the bucket, and fall[s] out during the process of formation." Test bucket-size with "put coat in bucket / wave a-remover at coat / get cot / put cot in bucket" holding the coat in the Generator Room. After inserting something into the cryptolock: let goal text be indexed text; if hardness is true: if the cryptoswitch is switched on: let goal text be the back hard encryption of the noun; else: let goal text be the hard encryption of the noun; otherwise: if the cryptoswitch is switched on: let goal text be the back encryption of the noun; else: let goal text be the encryption of the noun; let source hash be the letter-hash of goal text; [ say "[substitute text]";] let chosen article be the noun; repeat with item running through things in the repository: if the hash code of the item is the source hash: let item text be indexed text; now item text is "[item]"; now item text is "[item text in lower case]"; if the goal text is item text: now the chosen article is the item; if the chosen article is not the noun: abide by the dangerous destruction rules for the noun; now the chosen article is not proffered by anything; now everything which proffers the noun proffers the chosen article; if the chosen article is enormous: say "There is a churning noise from within [the cryptolock] and '[goal text]' appears in letters of vivid purple smoke. Additional letters read 'SAFETY OVERRIDE.' Then the smoke dissipates without result." instead; if an essential thing (called source) proffers the chosen article: now the chosen article is essential; [ if something which proffers the chosen article encloses an essential thing: now the chosen article is essential; ] now everything which is in the cryptolock is in the repository; move the chosen article to the cryptolock; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the chosen article; say "There is a churning noise from within [the cryptolock], and a moment later [you] see inside [a list of things in the cryptolock]. "; record "using the vowel rotator" as achieved; if the boiler is switched off: now the boiler is switched on; say "[paragraph break]This appears to have unlocked the mechanism. With a growl, the boiler comes to life."; otherwise: say "The boiler growls but cannot become any more on than it already is."; otherwise: say "There is a churning noise from within [the cryptolock] and '[goal text]' appears in letters of hot pink smoke. Then the smoke dissipates without result.". Test cryptoreverse with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / put gimlet in cryptolock / put earring in cryptolock / put pastis in cryptolock / put pea in cryptolock / put ball in cryptolock / wave g-remover at sign / put sin in cryptolock / put son in cryptolock / put tub in bucket / turn on switch / x cryptolock / put tab in bucket" in the Generator Room holding the tub and ball and the pastis and the earring and the pea and the gimlet and the garish sign. Test crypto with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / x boiler / look through pane / w / turn on platform / e / put gimlet in cryptolock / put earring in cryptolock / put pastis in cryptolock / put pea in cryptolock / put ball in cryptolock / wave g-remover at sign / put sin in cryptolock / put son in cryptolock / x boiler / look through pane / w / turn on platform" in the Generator Room holding the ball and the pastis and the earring and the pea and the gimlet and the garish sign. [In easy mode, each vowel is replaced by the one subsequent, and U in turn becomes A. Y is not considered a vowel for these purposes. To avoid confusion during the replacement process, we replace lower-case letters with upper-case ones to show they've already been changed.] To decide what indexed text is the encryption of (X - a thing): let goal text be indexed text; let goal text be "[printed name of the X]"; let goal text be "[goal text in lower case]"; replace the text "a" in goal text with "E"; replace the text "e" in goal text with "I"; replace the text "i" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "o" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "u" in goal text with "A"; let goal text be "[goal text in lower case]"; decide on goal text. To decide what indexed text is the back encryption of (X - a thing): let goal text be indexed text; let goal text be "[printed name of the X]"; let goal text be "[goal text in lower case]"; replace the text "a" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "e" in goal text with "A"; replace the text "i" in goal text with "E"; replace the text "o" in goal text with "I"; replace the text "u" in goal text with "O"; let goal text be "[goal text in lower case]"; decide on goal text. [In hard mode, each vowel becomes the next consonant in the alphabet and each consonant becomes the next vowel. This has the effect of vastly reducing the number of possible letters in output, and is a bit tricky to think through; but it is possible to get LAMB > OBOE. To figure out whether the game supplied any objects that could fruitfully be encrypted this way, we ran the encryption on every object in the game and inspected the results for things that were really words.] To decide what indexed text is the hard encryption of (X - a thing): let goal text be indexed text; let goal text be "[printed name of the X]"; let goal text be "[goal text in lower case]"; replace the text "a" in goal text with "B"; replace the text "b" in goal text with "E"; replace the text "c" in goal text with "E"; replace the text "d" in goal text with "E"; replace the text "e" in goal text with "F"; replace the text "f" in goal text with "I"; replace the text "g" in goal text with "I"; replace the text "h" in goal text with "I"; replace the text "i" in goal text with "J"; replace the text "j" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "k" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "l" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "m" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "n" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "o" in goal text with "P"; replace the text "p" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "q" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "r" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "s" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "t" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "u" in goal text with "V"; replace the text "v" in goal text with "A"; replace the text "w" in goal text with "A"; replace the text "x" in goal text with "A"; replace the text "y" in goal text with "A"; replace the text "z" in goal text with "A"; let goal text be "[goal text in lower case]"; decide on goal text. To decide what indexed text is the back hard encryption of (X - a thing): let goal text be indexed text; let goal text be "[printed name of the X]"; let goal text be "[goal text in lower case]"; replace the text "a" in goal text with "Z"; replace the text "b" in goal text with "A"; replace the text "c" in goal text with "A"; replace the text "d" in goal text with "A"; replace the text "e" in goal text with "D"; replace the text "f" in goal text with "E"; replace the text "g" in goal text with "E"; replace the text "h" in goal text with "E"; replace the text "i" in goal text with "H"; replace the text "j" in goal text with "I"; replace the text "k" in goal text with "I"; replace the text "l" in goal text with "I"; replace the text "m" in goal text with "I"; replace the text "n" in goal text with "I"; replace the text "o" in goal text with "N"; replace the text "p" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "q" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "r" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "s" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "t" in goal text with "O"; replace the text "u" in goal text with "T"; replace the text "v" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "w" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "x" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "y" in goal text with "U"; replace the text "z" in goal text with "U"; let goal text be "[goal text in lower case]"; decide on goal text. Volume 5 - The Repository of All Things Possible Chapter 1 - Major Contents Section 1 - The Repository Defined [The repository contains all things that the player might create in the course of the game. This gives us a safe place to move things into and out of when checking items we're manipulating.] The repository is a container. Section 2 - Kinds of Thing [Certain words, especially short ones, can be made via multiple letter combinations. We provide these as kinds first before listing the repository contents.] An aa is a kind of thing. An age is a kind of thing. An air is a kind of thing. An ale is a kind of thing. An Amy is a kind of woman. An art is a kind of thing. A ba is a kind of bird. A bat is a kind of animal. A bet is a kind of thing. A bit is a kind of thing. A bot is a kind of thing. A cat is a kind of animal. [A car is a kind of vehicle.] [ These are defined in their own section, above, because so complicated.] A cart is a kind of vehicle. A char is a kind of thing. [not "a kind of animal" because you get a dead char] A chart is a kind of thing. A chert is a kind of thing. A chat is a kind of thing. A cod is a kind of thing. A cot is a kind of clothed bed. A CRT is a kind of device. An eel is a kind of thing. [not "a kind of animal" because you get a dead eel] A git is a kind of man. A hart is a kind of animal. A hat is a kind of thing. [An in-object is a kind of thing. ["in"] The printed name of an in-object is "in". Understand "in" as an in-object.] An ink is a kind of thing. An ill is a kind of thing. An it-object is a kind of thing. ["it"] A lee is a kind of container. A mart is a kind of thing. A mat is a kind of supporter. A mat is usually portable. A May is a kind of thing. A net is a kind of container. A nit is a kind of thing. An ode is a kind of thing. An oil is a kind of thing. A self-object is a kind of thing. ["I"] A pa is a kind of man. A par is a kind of thing. A part is a kind of thing. A pat is a kind of thing. Some pat-items are a kind of thing. A pet is a kind of animal. A pi-object is a kind of thing. ["pi"] A pit is a kind of thing. A pit-hole is a kind of container. The printed name of a pit-hole is "pit". A pot is a kind of container. An alterna-pot is a kind of vegetable. A Ra is a kind of man. A ram is a kind of animal. A rap is a kind of thing. A rat is a kind of animal. A rate is a kind of thing. A sap is a kind of man. A sig is a kind of thing. A sin is a kind of thing. A son is a kind of man. A stink is a kind of air. A stent is a kind of thing. A stint is a kind of thing. A strand is a kind of thing. ["strand"] A sun-product is a kind of thing. A tale is a kind of thing. A tan is a kind of thing. A tar is a kind of thing. A tart is a kind of thing. [chard, pearl] An alterna-tart is a kind of woman. A tattle is a kind of thing. A tear is a kind of thing. A ten-object is a kind of thing. A tent is a kind of container. Some plural-tents is a kind of container. A tin-can is a kind of container. ["tin"] A tint is a kind of thing. A tip is a kind of thing. A tit is a kind of bird. A TNT is a kind of thing. A top-toy is a kind of thing. A tot is a kind of woman. A tote-bag is a kind of container. A tram is a kind of vehicle. [A yam is a kind of vegetable.] [* The yam kind is actually defined earlier because we need one for the farmer to be carrying, as well.] Section 3 - Individual Items Broken Down By Product [ For each source object, we work out the plausible changes on what that item could be made into. Scenery objects for the most part are not changeable, and neither are most objects with attached adjectives, except using the anagramming gun in the end-game. So that cuts down somewhat on the chaos. Nonetheless, there's still an awful lot to account for. To figure out what needed to be implemented for the letter-remover, I used some perl-created subsets of the Scrabble word list; for instance, I had one reference file that consisted of nothing but valid letter removals, of the form geniuses with i removed -> genuses Then whenever I needed to check derivations, I could search this file for the object I was adding to the game (recursively, of course), and see what letter removals were possible. A similar wordlist covered words that could be constructed from pairs of other words, for use with the synthesizer. In the process I learned a lot of new words: I'd never heard of ASSART before, for instance, which is the crime of stealing someone's plants. To come up with words that could be used with the spinner, I also made a bit of use of this list of semordnilaps: http://kgfamily.com/files/semordnilaps.html For the vowel rotator, I went the other way and ran rotations on everything that already existed in the game world, then culled this to produce a short list of things that were real objects. The algorithm produced a long and surprisingly pleasing (to me, at 1 AM) list of entries such as bokono buttums iligently wontir polut ... swetch wend betch ... bellcuck bentem bendot ... shromp cuckteol shattlicuck spollegi sockist uffel ... etc. for hundreds of lines ...which seemed just consistent enough to belong to their own language or possibly to some dialect form of English, while still being essentially silly. Who are these sockists anyway, and why do they keep deluging us with their uffel? For anagrams, I mostly relied on the internet anagram server website. The good thing about the anagramming gun is that, while it can produce prodigious numbers of possibilities, I didn't have to implement them as thoroughly, because anagramming is not a completely deterministic process. For instance, the accent flipper would anagram to the flint crepe cap and back again, and the player would have no way to try to specify any other possible variant anagrams. So it was only necessary to provide multiple anagrams of the same phrase if I thought those objects would be interesting or funny to have in the game; otherwise, I just picked the single item that seemed most amusing or tractable and included that. Despite these attempts at rigor, beta-testers did still discover a number of items that weren't handled. I declined to include the 'vaginal foam sop' that one could hypothetically create out of the the map of Slangovia, but I did incorporate a number of others, from the embarrassingly-obvious-how-did-I-leave-that-out COAT > TACO to the more esoteric COUNTERWEIGHT > TOWERING CHUTE. I did very much want the player at this stage of the game to be encouraged to try the anagramming gun widely -- especially on things with long names -- so that he'd be in the right frame of mind when he came up against Atlantida in the end.] [accent flipper] The repository contains a flint crepe cap. [apple] The repository contains an ale, an applet, a lappet, a tale, and a tattle. [army] The repository contains Amy, an arm, a ram, a yam, a May, a Mary, [anagram] a tram, [t-insert] a mart, [anagram] an art, a mat, [derive] a tart, an alterna-tart, [t insert] a rat, a tar. [anagram] [army coat] The repository contains a cat-mayor. [as] In the repository are a pastis, a pass, some pasts, a pat, an ass, and a pa, [removals] some pestos, some pests, a pet, [vowel rotator] a zoo. [reverse hard mode cryptolock] [ash] In the repository is a trash and a rash and a fake-as. [atlantida] In the repository is an atlantida-shellfish. [bacon chapeau] In the repository is a cacao-nub-heap. [bait] The repository contains a bat, a bet, a bit, and a bot, [removal and rotation] a ba and an it-object. [ball] The repository contains a ba, an all, a bell, a bill, a bull, [vowel-rotation] a bat, [t-insertion] a bet, a bit, a bot, [vowel-rotation] an it-object, an ell, an ill, [removal] a tab. [anagramming] [balm] The repository contains a lamb, [anagramming] a lam, a lab-thing, [a limb, ] an oboe. [the oboe only via hard-mode encryption] [banana] The repository contains a bandana. [banana] [band] The repository contains a ban and an alterna-band and an abstract-bend, a bind, a bond, a bund. [basis] The repository contains a fake-bus and some buses. [big lever] The repository contains a big revel. [bin] The repository contains a nib and an ahi. [reverse hard-mode cryptolock] [blouse] In the repository is a louse. [bollard] The repository contains a board, a bard, a bar, a boar, a boa, an oar. [too late for t-insertion or anagramming gun] [brass plate] In the repository are some pastel bras. [broken components] The repository contains a monk corpse bonnet, a broken component and a cement porno knob. [three unnamed chairs, of which two are occupied and cannot be moved to the T-inserter or anagram gun] The repository contains 2 strands, 2 chars, 2 cars, 2 airs, a chart, a cart, [t-insert ONE of the chair derivative sets] a chert, [vowel-rotate the chart] a hart, an art, a chat, a cat, a hat, a CRT, [derive insertions] a rat, a tar, [anagram all] a tart, an alterna-tart [t-insert anagrams]. [chair] [catalan punt volat needle] The repository contains an untalented naval polecat. [chard] The repository contains a card, a chad, a char, a cad, a car, an ad, a cd, a chart, a cart, a tad, [t-insert the derivatives] a chert, a curd, a cord, [vowel-rotate] a hart, an art, a chat, a cat, a hat, a CRT, a cud, a cod, [derive the insertables] a tart, an alterna-tart, a that-object, [t-insert those derivatives] a hurt, a cut, a cot, [vowel-rotate] a rat, a tar, and an arc. [anagram any of the above] [clock] The repository contains a cock, a click, a cluck, and a clack. [vowel rotation] [cloth napkin] The repository contains a hot-pink-clan. [coarse woolen clothing] The repository contains some winner logo chocolates, a winner logo chocolate, and a hooting owl concealer. [coat] The repository contains an oat, a cat, a cot, a taco, and Tao. [In Daoist philosophy the word Dao is not generally considered to be a 'name' for a 'thing': it is a reference to the natural order of existence, often referred to as the "eternally nameless” (Dao De Jing-32. Laozi) to distinguish it from the countless 'named' things which are considered to be its manifestations.] [cock ring] The repository contains a gin crock. [codex] The repository contains a code, an ode, and a cod. [never gets far enough for insertion or anagram] [conference poster] The repository contains a conference-poser. [counter] The repository contains a counter-alternate. [countertop] The repository contains a trope count. [counterweight] The repository contains a towering chute. [course advertisement] The repository contains a curse advertisement. [crate] The repository contains a rate, a cate, a rat, a cat, a tear, a tar, an art, [anagram all] a tier, [vowel-rotation] a rite, [anagram the rotation] a titer, a titter, a tart, an alterna-tart, [t-insert] a tea. [remove the anagram] [cream] The repository contains a single ream, a ram, Ra, a tram, a rat, [t-insert derivatives] a tam, [derive insertables] a mare, a mart, a tar, an art, a mat, [anagram all] a tart, an alterna-tart. [t-insert] [crumbs] The repository contains a crumb. [crossword] The repository contains a sword, a cross, some words, a Ross, some orc-swords, an orc-word, and a crow rod. [crumpled cocktail napkin] The repository contains a multiple dropkick cancan. [dirty coffee cup] The repository contains a tidy puce coffer. [dog] The repository contains a god and a dig. [dove] The repository contains an ode and a doe and a diva. [draft document] The repository contains a daft document, a noted drum fact, a funded-tomcat, [anagramming] a noted drum act, [removal] a dart document. [re-anagramming] [duty roster] The repository contains an oyster turd. [ebook reader] The repository contains a rodeo beaker. [farmer] The repository contains a fame. [Actually producing this ends the game.] [fossil] The repository contains a foil, an oil1, a metal-foil, [homonym] and a toil. [t-insertion] oil1 is an oil. [frozen dinner] The repository contains a frozen dinner, a red frozen inn, and a zen frond rinse. [funnel] The repository contains a fuel, a foal, a loaf, an oaf, and an elf nun. [garbage] The repository contains a garage. [the garbage] [gum] The repository contains a mug, [anagram/spinner] a mu, [letter-removal] a mut and a mutt, [t-insertion] a mat, a Matt, a gam, a mag, a Meg, a gem. [vowel-rotation] [gimlet] The repository contains a gimlet-drink, a gilet, a gilt, and a git. [derivatives] [green apron] The repository contains a genre apron. [hairstick] The repository contains a thick sari. [honey pastry triangle] In the repository is a baklava. [horses] In the repository are some hoses, a hoe, and a ho. [inciting fable] In the repository is a filing cabinet. [inlaid desk] The repository contains some kind ladies. [jacks] In the repository is a jack. [jigsaw] The repository contains a jigsaw. [jigsaw piece] The repository contains some ice-wig japes. [jotter] The repository contains an otter, a torte, [anagramming] a tort, a tote-bag, an ore. [removals] [kudzu] The repository contains a kudu. [lamb granulates] The repository contains some anagram bullets, a lamb-granulate, and an anagram bullet. [leaflet] The repository contains a leaf [gel, if it was manufactured from the statue] and a flea. [anagramming] [fake-legend] The repository contains a legend. [first aid station] The repository contains a titan of diarists. [letter] The repository contains an alterna-letter, a leer, a lee, a reel, a fishing-reel, an eel. [lime] The repository contains a lie, [removal] lime-powder, [homonymming] and a mile. [anagramming] [lock] The repository contains a clock. [long table] The repository contains an angle bolt. [Mark] The repository contains an ark. [meat studded gown] The repository contains two-added-nutmegs. [members] The repository contains a member and some alterna-members and an alterna-member. [modems] The repository contains a modem, an odes-book, and an ode. [modems cannot go to the inserter or anagramming gun] [mourning dress] A morning dress is in the repository. [objects on stands] A patsy-woman is a woman in the repository. [odor] A rood and a secret-door are in the repository. [officers] Some offices-thing and an officer are in the repository. [oil paintings] Some intaglio-pins, an oil-painting, an intaglio-pin, an intaglio-pint, and a tilting-piano are in the repository. [olive branch] A live branch is in the repository. [paintings] The repository contains a painting, an inapt sign, an inapt sin, a satin-pin, a satin-pint, a saint-pint, a giant-pin, a giant-pint, a pig-tat-inn, a pi-tat-inn, a titan-pin, a titan-pint, and an inapt tint. [page] The repository contains an age and a page-person. [page] [paper models] The repository contains a paper-model. [paperweight] The repository contains a paper, a weight, an eight-object, a wight, and a wet epigraph. [pear] In the repository is a pearl. [pearl] In the repository are an earl, a perl, a peal, an ear, a pal, a pea, a par, a pa, a pie, a pier, a poi, [vowel rotation] a petal, a tear, a peat, a part, a pat, [t-insert derivatives] a tar, a pet, an art, [derive insertions] a pit, [vowel rotation] a tart, an alterna-tart, [insert derivatives] a rale, a rape, a rape-alternate, a leap, a plea, an era, a lap, an alp, an ape, a rap, a tepal, a plain-plate, a rate, a tape, a tap, a rat, [anagram each] an ire, [vowel rotation] a hod, [reverse mode cryptolock on ire] Oz, [reverse mode cryptolock on Pa] a trap, a pleat, a rattle, [t-insert anagrams] a Ra, a pate, an ale, [derive anagrams] a tattle, a tale. [t-insert derivatives] [pearl ring] In the repository is a larger-pin. [piece] In the repository are a piece-alternate, [homonym] a pic, a pi-object, a self-object, a Pict, a pit, an it-object, a tit, [t-insert derivatives] a tot, [vowel rotation] a tip, [anagrams] an alterna-tit, [homonymy] and a top-toy. [vowel rotation] [pineapple ring] In the repository is a ripening-apple. [pink t-shirt] In the repository is a pin-t-shirt. [pit] In the repository are two pit-holes. [pita] The repository contains a pita, a pit, a PTA, an it-object, a pa, a pi-object, a self-object, a tit, [t-insert derivatives] and a tip, [anagrams] a top-toy, a tot, a pot, an alterna-pot. [plans] In the repository are some iron-pans, a plan, an i-pan, some pens, a pen, some pins, a pin, a pi-object, a pun, some puns, [vowel rotation] some plants, a plant, a pant, a pint, some pints, a fake-punt, some punts, [t-insert derivatives] some pants, some plats, a plat, a pat, a pit, some pit-items, some pat-items, an ant, a pus, [derive insertions] a snap, an alterna-snap, a nap, a splat, a tap, a spit, a spat, a tan, [anagram all] a sap, a slat, [derive anagrams] a pet, a pot, an alterna-pot, a ten-object, an Ent, [vowel rotation] a spa, a pa, [derive derivatives] a salt, a top-toy, a net. [anagram derivatives] [polling charts] In the repository are a polling chart, a strolling chap, and a patching roll. [poppy] In the repository is a puppy. [poster] The repository contains a poser, a pose, a Poe, Pisa. [power chord] The repository contains a power cord, a doper crow, a chowder pro, a dope cow. [preamps, cannot go to the T-inserter or the anagramming gun] The repository contains a preamp, some reams, some plural-rams, a ram. [preamps/cream] [the single ream is omitted because it can only be obtained the second time after the first object has been removed from play; so it's safe to use the same item one time. ] [reflective window] The repository contains a reflective widow. [restoration-gel rifle] An infertile astrologer is in the repository. [ring] In the repository are a rig, an alterna-ring, [homonym paddle] a trig, [t-insert derivatives] a grit and a grin, a gin and a git, an it-object and a self-object. [anagram all] [rock] The repository contains a roc, a bock, a ruck, a rack, [vowel-rotation] a truck, a track, [t-insertion] a tuck, a tack, [removal ] an orc, a cork, [anagramming] a torc. [t-insertion again] [rock ballad] The repository contains a rollback-ad. [roll of bills] The repository contains a troll, a rill, and a trill. [rubber stamp] The repository contains a rump stabber and a rum stabber. [rusty nail] The repository contains a rusty-nail-drink and a sunlit ray. [sage] The repository contains a sag, an age, a geas, a gas, [spinner/anagram] a stage, and a stag. [t-insertion] [sator inscription] The rotas inscription is in the repository. [screen] The repository contains a scree. [screwdriver] The repository contains a screwdriver-drink. [screws] The repository contains a crew-group. [seer automaton] The repository contains a steer automaton, a setter automaton, [t-insertion] a sere automaton, a terse automaton, a tomato sauterne, and a street automaton. [anagramming] [shackles] The repository contains a hackle. [shed] The repository contains a shred and a sed. [shopping bag] The repository contains a hopping bag and a shopping gab. [shred] The repository contains some herds. [shrimp tail] The repository contains a sharp limit, a harp limit, and a mirth pail. [shrimp cocktail] The repository contains a complicit shark. [shuttle] The repository contains an alterna-shuttle. [sign, four times] The repository contains a signet, [by the hand of the officer] 4 sins, 4 sons, 4 sun-products, [2 in-objects,] 4 self-objects, 4 sigs, 4 stints, 4 tints, 4 TNTs, 4 tin-cans ["tin"], 4 tits, [t-insert derivatives] 4 stents, 4 tents, 4 ten-objects, 4 tans, 4 plural-tents, [vowel rotation] 4 tots, [vowel-rotation] 4 nits, [anagram all] 4 nets, 4 it-objects, [derive anagrams] a ton, a tun, [vowel rotation. Only one needed of each of these because it is game-ending to create successfully.] an Ohio. [reverse mode cryptolock on tint, only one needed] [silver chain] The repository contains a ravens chili and a raven chili. [silver tray] The repository contains a starry veil. [silver platter] The repository contains some traveller tips, a traveller tip, and a triple varlet. [sink, 8] [lord but the sinks are expensive] The repository contains 8 inks and 8 stinks, 8 sins, 8 self-objects, 8 stints, 8 tints, 8 tin-cans, 8 tits, 8 tots, 8 nits, 8 it-objects, 8 nets, 8 stents, 8 tents, 8 ten-objects, 8 plural-tents. [small figurines] The repository contains a mall figurine. [soap] The repository contains a sap, a sop, a stop, [t-insert derivatives] a top-toy, [derive insertions] some pas, some pots, a spot, a pot, an alterna-pot. [anagram all] [soap-dispenser] The repository contains a sap-dispenser. [soil] oil2 is an oil in the repository. [spill] The repository contains a pill, a sill, an ill, a self-object, a pi-object, some pills, some ills, [anagram, then p-remove] a still, a till, some tills, [t-insert derivatives] a poll, a toll. [vowel rotation] [squid] The repository contains a quid, a suid and a sud. [too late for t-insertion, alas, or we could make a stud, homonym-paddle it into a him, and then anagram him into dust.] [stack of files] The repository contains a sickest offal. [stand labels] The repository contains a blest sandal. [sticky] Test stickybug with "tutorial off / wave y-remover at sticky / put stick in bucket / wave t-remover at stock / open tub / get sock / gel sock" holding the sticky and the tub in the Generator Room. The repository contains a stick, a sick, a tick, and a tic, a stock, a sock. [vowel rotation] [stuffed octopus] The repository contains some spouted cutoffs. [swatch] The repository contains a swath and a swat. [the watch] [sword] The repository contains a word, a sord, a sod. [sword arm] The repository contains some warm rods, a warm rod and a rad worm. [thicket] The repository contains a ticket. [the thicket] [tiny black leather boots] The repository contains a breathable silky cotton. [tomes] The repository contains some toes, some toms, a tome, a toe, a tom, some totes, a tote-bag, [t-insert derivatives] some tots, a tot, [derive insertions] some motes, [anagram all] a mote, [derive anagrams] some motets, a motet, [t-insert anagrams and derivatives] some mottes, a motte, some totems, a totem. [anagram insertions] [tube] In the repository is a tub. [tube] [twig] The repository contains a wig and a Ben-wig. [twig / bent twig -- the Ben-wig is a joke for hard mode only] [umlaut punch] The repository contains a mutual punch. [wall socket] The repository contains a slack towel. Test slack with "tutorial off / load gun / shoot wall socket" in the workshop holding the anagramming gun and the bullets. [watch] The repository contains a swatch. [watchband] The repository contains a wand batch. [wheel] The repository contains a heel, an eel, and a lee. [wire racks] The repository contains a wire rack. [wrap] The repository contains a rap, a clothing-wrap, a warp, [anagram] a trap, [t-insert derivatives] a tap, a war-object, [derive insertions] a par, a part, a pat, [anagram all] a wart-object, [t-insert derivatives] a pet, a pit, a pot, an alterna-pot. [vowel-rotation] [yam] The repository contains an Amy and a May. [yellow paint lettering] The repository contains an elegantly winter pilot. [yogurt] The repository contains a toy rug. Section 4 - Composite Synthesized Objects [Syntheses are alphabetized by the initial word in the synthesized result.] [ad] The repository contains an adage. [age] The repository contains a bondage. [air] The repository contains an airfoil. [arc] The repository contains an arcsin and an arctic. [arm] The repository contains an armband, an armpit, and an armchair. [army] The repository contains an army-coat. [as] An ascot, a Scot, and a sot are in the repository. [ass] The repository contains an assart. [ba] The repository contains a bait and a basin. [ball] A ballad and a ballcock are in the repository. [ban] A bantam is in the repository. [band] The repository contains a bandit and a bandage. [bins] The repository contains some basins, a basis, a bass, a bass-fish, a ba. [car] Some carpi are a kind of thing. The repository contains a carpet and 3 carpi. [card] The repository contains a cardboard. [maybe unreachable] [cart] The repository contains a cartage. [cat] Some camemberts and a camembert, a climate, a catnap, and a cat-army are in the repository. A yam-cart is in the repository. [anagrammed from cat-army] [char] A charring and a charlie are in the repository. [cock] A cock-ring, a cock-ale, a cockpit, and a cassock are in the repository. [cot] Some coasts are in the repository. [counter] A counterweight and a countertop are in the repository. [crate] A cratering and a terracing are in the repository. [cross] A crosspiece, a crosshair, and a crossbar are in the repository. [ear] The repository contains an earring, an earwig, an earpiece, and an earlap. [hair] The repository contains a hairband, a hairpiece and a hairstick. [jackass] The repository contains a jackass. [jigsaw] A jigsaw-piece is in the repository. [key] A keyring, a key-lime, and a keycard are in the repository. [key + chard] [lee] The repository contains some leases, a lease, a lass, some eases. [the ass will have to be returned to pass form before we ever get to the T-inserter or anagramming gun, so no easels or teases are possible here.] [lie] litotes and a toilets-collective are in the repository. The printed name of the toilets-collective is "toilets". [mile] A mileage is in the repository. [nit] A nitrate is in the repository. [pa] The repository contains a papa and some papas and an aa and an aas-object. [page] The repository contains a passage-place. ["page", "passage"] [pass] The repository contains a password-thing, a passcard, a passage. [pat] The repository contains a patera. [pea] A peacock, a peacod, and a peacoat are in the repository. [pearl] A pearl-ring is in the repository. [pet] A petcock is in the repository. [pi] Picard, Picross, a picrate, and a pirate are in the repository. [pineapple ring] A pineapple-ring is in the repository. [pit] A pit-trap is in the repository. [pirate] A pirate-crew and a wart recipe are in the repository. [plant] A plantage is in the repository. [poppy] A poppy-oil and a poppycock are in the repository. [pot] A potage is in the repository. [potass] A potass is in the repository. [ram] A rampart, a ramcat, and a rampage are in the repository. [ring] A ringband, a branding, and a banding are in the repository. [rock] The rock-ballad and the rock-band are in the repository. [sag] The repository contains some sagas, an Aga, and an aa. [salt] A saltcat is in the repository. [shrimp] In the repository is a shrimp cocktail. [shuttle] A shuttlecock is in the repository. [spill] A spillage and a sillage are in the repository. [stick] A stickball is in the repository. [still] A stillage is in the repository. [stop] A stopcock and a stoppage are in the repository. [sword] A swordstick and a sword-arm are in the repository. [tam] A tamale is in the repository. [tar] A tartar, a tarpan, and a tartrate are in the repository. [till] A tillage is in the repository. [tip] A tippet, a tiptop, a tiptoe and some tiptoes are in the repository. [toe] A toe-ring is in the repository. [tom] Some tomcats, a tomtit, and a tomcat are in the repository. [tot] Some toasts are in the repository. Some stoats and some stats and some tat are in the repository. [toasts -> stoats via anagramming, -> stats via removal] [tram] A tramcar and a trampet are in the repository. [brown tree] A brown tee is in the repository. [trig] A trigram is in the repository. [tub] Some tubas and a tuba are in the repository. [watch] A stopwatch, a watchband and a watchword are in the repository. [word] A wordage is in the repository. Chapter 2 - Content Details By Alphabet [Items in the repository have already been defined, above, but they lack definitions and specialized behavior. This chapter provides those things, in alphabetical order for lack of other organizational principle.] Section 1 - A The heft of an aa is 3. The indefinite article of an aa is "some". The description of the aa is "A chunk of rough black lava, scratchy and porous: the kind of rock made when a volcano fountains into the air, not like the ropy smoother sort formed when lava flows in rivers." Some aas-object are a plural-named thing. The heft of the aas-object is 5. The description of the aas-object is "A large heap of black lava, mounded up as though by a recent eruption." The printed name of the aas-object is "aas". Understand "aas" as the aas-object. Instead of searching the aas-object: say "There are a surprising number of sharp bits: this is friable stone, but it hasn't yet been eroded into smoothness." The description of the ad is "A folded, rumpled newspaper ad for [ad subject]." The ad has some text called the ad subject. The heft of the ad is 1. Before examining the ad for the first time: if the restoration gel is not seen: change the ad subject of the ad to "Restoring Gel: a unique patented formula to restore lost letters and undo the effects of a letter-remover"; otherwise: change the ad subject to "[one of]fixed-price dinners at Literal[or]an exhibit on the pre-history of linguistic concepts at the local museum, especially highlighting their possession of an amazing classic codex[or]seaweed wrap treatments at the Fleur d'Or spa[sticky random]"; The adage is an r-abstract thing. The heft of the adage is 0. The description of the adage is "It reads: [one of]Don't make a god of gold[or]The value of a thing is what it may become[or]From little acorns, much corn may be harvested[or]Every stick has three ends[or]Good fences make good fertil[ize]r[or]Even players have layers[or]If hoses were horses, gardeners would rule the racetrack[or]The fanciest word is the least productive[or]Wordplay is stronger than swordplay[or]Judge a man by his verbs alone[at random]." The heft of the Aga is 6. The description of the Aga is "It is a massive and somewhat frightening stove, made of cast iron and with a constant fire inside." Instead of touching the Aga: say "It is very hot." An age is r-abstract. The heft of an age is 0. The description is "I was expecting something about the elderly and mortality: perhaps a grey beard or a cane or something like that. But no, it has come out as the representation of an era, the golden age of Atlantis. Across the flickering surface [--] as though you had a documentary on fast-forward [--] play the sepia features of Jon Rosehip and Clarence Arbot, the discovery of linguistic efficacy, the foundation of the University. A deplural[ization] cannon fires, the effects discreetly off-screen. A tiny parade goes by. Phyllida Shaply gives a speech to a clamorous crowd. Confetti rains on Deep Street. And then the loop repeats." The ahi is an edible thing. The indefinite article of an ahi is "some". The description of the ahi is "Sashimi-grade tuna, deep translucent pink except around the edges, where it has been seared and coated with blackened sesame seeds.". Understand "tuna" or "fish" as the ahi. The heft of an air is 0. The indefinite article of an air is "some". The description of an air is "It's hard to see." The scent-description of an air is "nothing". Sanity-check doing something other than smelling with an air when the noun must be touched: say "[The noun] is not susceptible to [action name part of the current action]." instead. Sanity-check doing something when the second noun is an air and the second noun must be touched: if the noun is the restoration gel: make no decision; say "[The second noun] can't be used that way." instead. Test air with "purloin air / x air / wear monocle / x air / touch air / smell air / drop air / listen to air / taste air / tie sky to air" holding the monocle. Every turn when the player carries an air (called target air): move the target air to the repository; say "The air becomes indistinguishable from all the other air around us." An ale is usually edible, contained, and fluid. The description is "A delicious nutbrown ale in a cool glass." The indefinite article is "some". Understand "pool" or "puddle" as the ale. The heft of the ale is usually 3. The flavor-description is "I find it pleasant; you apparently prefer harder spirits or wine." The description of the all is "It's everything. That simple." The all is r-abstract. [The original Amy was a light Amy Winehouse reference, chosen by the expedient of typing 'Amy' into Google and seeing what the first match was. (Surely the most popular figure would be the one to be reified by linguistic tools.) When her namesake died suddenly, however, it felt like that was in bad taste, so I revised. This Amy is based on the actress Amy Acker, in particular her role as Winifred on Angel. I also considered Amy Pond, but as I find her kind of annoying, I couldn't bring myself to do it.] The description of an Amy is usually "She smiles at us when we look at her. She has an air of confused good will, as though she means well but isn't quite paying attention to this plane of reality." The greeting of an Amy is usually "'Oh, hello,' says Amy. She blinks at us a few times in surprise and then seems to forget again that we're here." The description of the anagram bullet is "Just one by itself. It can't be loaded like this, but it still manages to look vaguely sinister. It's heavy for its size and has a pointed end." The description of the anagram bullets is "Heavy, high-impact stuff. Anagramming requires a great deal of force to break the linguistic cohesion of the word or phrase being modified. On the other hand, it's the one process that is routinely effective even on adjective-adhering nouns." The description of the angle bolt is "A bit of hardware with a 90-degree bend in the middle, and threading at one end to attach a hex nut." The ant is an insect. The heft of the ant is 0. The description is "This particular ant is large, and fire-red, which makes it menacing, but fortunately harder to lose." An applet is r-abstract. The heft is 0. The description is "An abstract representation. An anonymous browser window appears to hover in the air, [one of][if protest-scenario has happened and protest-scenario ended in DP-tanking]currently replaying a satellite footage of the deplural[ization] a few hours ago[otherwise]currently showing satellite footage of the big demonstration a few hours ago[end if][or]streaming a television show from one of Atlantis['] top chefs, demonstrating how to depluralize fruit for best effect. [one of]'Single varietal fruits produce the most intense flav[our],' she's explaining to the screen, a bushel of limes at her side[or]'A mixture of different varieties can produce a well-structured blend, as with a Bordeaux,' she continues[cycling][or]currently playing streaming video of a rally by the Atlantean Anti-Babel Party[or]streaming news clips of the Serial Comma Day celebration[or]streaming a public service message about keeping letter tools out of the hands of children[or]currently playing a web game about jumping cats[or]currently playing a text-based web game[as decreasingly likely outcomes]." The ape is an animal. "The ape, which is of the menacing kind rather than of the sweetly charming kind, has us fixed in an unpleasant stare." The description is "It is very large." The description of the arc is "A bent bow of steel, but more decorative than functional." The heft is 3. The arcsin is r-abstract. The description of the arcsin is "It's a simple midair graph: a piece of a sine wave stood on end. There is something deeply pleasing about the structure despite its simplicity, as with almost all mathematical abstracts." The ark is a vehicle. The heft of the ark is 10. The description of the ark is "From here, the width of the bow in cubits is hard to guess. It just looks huge, much too huge for the little space it's crammed into…". The scent-description of the ark is "newly sawn planks". The arm is a long thing. The description is "A girl's arm, by the look of it, amputated neatly at the shoulder joint. The fingernails are painted shell-pink." Understand "shoulder" or "joint" or "fingernails" or "nails" or "nail" or "wrist" or "elbow" as the arm. The armband is a thing. The description is "A black armband with the letter I behind a universal negation sign. It is the symbol of those who believe that no one should be executed by being turned inanimate, a protest against judicial procedures on the island. Wearing it around a policeman is likely to provoke a very unpleasant response." The armband is floppy and wearable and illegal. Understand "black" as the armband. The armchair is a chair. The heft of the armchair is 5. The description is "Covered with red and orange flowered upholstery." The army-coat is a floppy wearable thing. It covers the torso-area. Understand "army" or "coat" as the army-coat. The printed name is "army coat". The description of the army-coat is "It doesn't look like much: blotchy camouflage cloth in the greens and browns of the Atlantean landscape, with a stitched-on name patch. But it's heavy and warm." The name patch is part of the army-coat. The description of the name patch is "It reads ROSEHIP in blocky embroidery." The scent-description of the army-coat is "something musty and slightly chemical". [The description of the arousing lorgnette is "It's a very old-fashioned set of spectacles on a stick, the sort an 18th-century lady might hold to her eyes to stare at someone across the room. This particular lorgnette is compellingly attractive." Instead of wearing the arousing lorgnette: say "It can be held in front of the eyes on a stick, but not actually worn."] The ascot is a floppy wearable thing. The heft of the ascot is 1. The description of the ascot is "One of those wide silk tie/cravat things that groomsmen wear at fancy morning weddings. It's grey and ready for use." The scent-description is "lilac and white musk cologne". The alterna-letter is an r-abstract thing. The description of the alterna-letter is "A giant floating letter A." The printed name is "letter". Understand "letter" as the alterna-letter. The heft of the alterna-letter is 0. The heft of the arctic is 12. The description of the arctic is "Enormous, frozen plains graced only by the occasional caribou, polar bear, and oil rig." The description of the airfoil is "A big, awkward metal piece from something; it looks like a propellor blade." The heft of the airfoil is 6. The heft of the alp is 12. The description of the alp is "It looks quite a lot like the Eiger from this angle." The armpit is a thing. The description of the armpit is "It's a relatively inoffensive armpit as these things go, but, because detached from the rest of a body, it still looks like something a serial killer would leave around." The scent-description is "deod[our]ant". The description of the art is "It's a very plausible copy of [one of]'Still Life with a Bunch of Rapes' by the great feminist Atlantean painter Annamarie Rosehip[or]'A Portrait of Whistler's Other' by Thomas Whistler Rosehip[or]'Still Life with Bead Loaf' by the surrealist painter Lewis Rosehip[or]'Flight of the Turtledoes' by the surrealist great Lewis Rosehip[or]the narrative painting 'If Wishes Were Horses, Bears Would Ride' by the great Atlantean socialist painter Lawrence Rosehip[or]Théophile Rosehip's surprisingly erotic classical work 'The Aft of the Medusa'[sticky random]." The indefinite article is "some". The scent-description of the art is "linseed oil". The fake-as is a thing. THe printed name is "as". Understand "as" as the fake-as. The description of the fake-as is "[one of]It appears to be an as, a [or]A [stopping]Roman coin of very low denomination[one of]. (Your knowledge, not mine. Should I ask how you know such things?)[or].[stopping] It is made of copper and has the letters S C stamped on one side." Understand "roman" or "coin" or "copper" as the fake-as. The heft of the fake-as is 1. Instead of searching or looking under the fake-as: say "We inspect both obverse and reverse, but come away none the wiser." Instead of buying the fake-as: say "We're much too late for speculation in this particular currency." Instead of touching or squeezing or rubbing the fake-as: say "The metal surface is dull and weathered, skin-temperature, all smooth edges." The ass is an animal. "Adorably miniature, as donkeys on this island tend to be: he comes up to roughly knee-height and could be carried like a dog, though his sentiments on the experience might not be flattering. He does still have a bite, and back legs." The description of the ass is "He is not the ideal companion in a mission of stealth." The heft is 3. Instead of listening to the ass: say "[one of]The ass lets out an experimental half-bray[or]The ass brays[or]'HEE-haw,' says the ass[at random]." The assart is r-abstract. The description of the assart is "The assart appears, from the flickering images, to do with digging up or stealing plant growth, and then being punished for it[if the thicket is not in church garden]. Disconcertingly, our little adventure with turning the THICKET into a TICKET is included in the parade of views[end if]." An atlantida-shellfish is a thing [in the Oracle Project]. The printed name is "atlantida". Understand "atlantida" or "shellfish" or "scallop" or "clam" or "shell" as atlantida-shellfish. The description is "It's a sort of shellfish, vaguely like a clam or scallop but bigger and with different ridges." The introduction is "I recognize it only because of a documentary program about the local fossil record." Instead of tasting or eating the atlantida-shellfish: say "It's long dead, and all the substance turned to stone." Report taking the atlantida-shellfish: say "[You] pick up the atlantida. It's heavy as a rock, because it has been fossilized." instead. Section 2 - B A ba is usually r-abstract. The description of a ba is "It's a representation of the soul as seen in Egyptian religion: a bird with a tiny human head. It has black hair and blue eyes and a knowing smile. Something about the face looks a little like me [--] at least, I see it that way. You might see something more like you." The bait is a thing. The description is "A slightly muddy collection of worms, ready to be stuck on a hook." The scent-description is "damp earth". The indefinite article is "some". The ballad is r-abstract and noisy. The description is "The ballad doesn't look like much, but it certainly does sing on and on." Instead of listening to the ballad: say "The ballad is [one of]singing out something about Lord Randall[or]going on about Tam Lin[or]making quite a fuss about a dead highwayman[or]warning of the dangers of flirting with demon lovers[at random]." The description of the ballcock is "It is a mechanism involving a floater ball on a hinge: the sort of thing used to regulate the water flow inside the tank of a toilet[one of]. I've seen them dozens of times before without ever really thinking about what they were called[or][stopping]." The baklava is an edible thing. The indefinite article is "some". The description is "Sweet and positively dripping with honey and nuts." The scent-description of the baklava is "pistachios". The ban is r-abstract. The heft is 0. The description of the ban is "The abstract concept of ban has become a cartoonish picture of a depressed computer moping for its friends. This was a famous political cartoon a year or two ago; it represents in small the Bureau's legislation against unauthor[ize]d access to parts of the internet outside our firewall. The artist hasn't produced any further cartoons." The alterna-band is a person. The printed name of the alterna-band is "band". Understand "band" as the alterna-band. The heft of the alterna-band is 10. The description of the alterna-band is "The band consists of a thuggish drummer, two guitarists, and a girl vocalist with straight black hair and chunky glasses. They bear a certain resemblance to The Anagrammists, an Altantean alternative band with a brief heyday in the late 90s before the members mysteriously dispersed." The bandage is a wearable floppy thing. The description of the bandage is "It's made of thick strips of white gauze and looks like it ought to be worn by a WWI veteran. Happily, it manifested without any blood or bodily fluids already in evidence." The heft of the bandage is 1. The bandana is a floppy wearable thing. The description is "It's a souvenir: bright Atlantean blue cloth patterned with the letter f, and a patch in one corner with the letters FRG, hon[our]ing the members of the Fricatives Research Group." Understand "frg" or "patch" or "fricatives" or "research" or "group" as the bandana. The heft of the bandana is 1. The description of the banding is "It's a small field research tag on a band, suitable for attaching to the leg of a bird whose migrations and population fluctuations are under study." [ Add something for trying to put this on a bird?] Sanity-check putting the banding on the roc: say "The roc's leg is comically too large for the banding to fit." instead. Sanity-check putting the banding on a bird: say "[The second noun] hop[s] away disobligingly. There must be some ornithologist's trick to this, but I don't know it." instead. Sanity-check wearing the banding: say "I suppose we could be said to be migratory, but surely the point is to avoid being tracked?" instead. Sanity-check poking head through banding: say "Our head has, fortunately, a greater diameter than the leg of a sparrow." instead. The bandit is a man. The description is "A lean and hungry gentleman, from the island's disreputable past. For a little while in the late 17th century Atlantis was something of a haven for criminals too lawless for the mainland." Understand "lean" or "hungry" or "thief" or "gentleman" as the bandit. The greeting of the bandit is "'Yarr,' say[s] the bandit, with exhalations of onion." The bantam is a bird. The description is "Inasmuch as a chicken can be considered adorable, this is an adorable chicken: half normal size, and with big fluffy white feathers." The bar is a thing. The description is "Imagine a stereotypical prison cell in a stereotypical movie. Now imagine the round metal bars in the window of that stereotypical cell. This is one of those bars. It's a couple of feet long, maybe an inch in diameter, and fairly heavy." The bar is long. The scent-description of the bar is "iron". The bard is a man. The description of the bard is "He's dressed like a strolling minstrel from a Renaissance fair[if bard sings is happening], and he's singing about as well[otherwise], and looks as though he's going to burst into a rendition of Greensleeves at any moment[end if]." The scent-description of the bard is "medieval hygiene". Bard sings is a scene. Bard sings begins when the player can see the bard. Bard sings ends when the player cannot see the bard. Every turn during Bard Sings: choose a random row in the Table of Bard Song; say description entry; say paragraph break. Instead of singing during bard sings: say "[You] attempt to sing louder than the bard and cover up his illicit lyricism, but it turns out that [one of]O Atlantida, Lead Thy People Free[or]Pop Goes the Phoenician Sailor[or]Paint Is A Pain and Pain is a Pan[or]The Chard Farmer's Anthem[or]In The Squid's Garden[at random] does not drown him out." Table of Bard Song description "'Fowles in the frith,' sings the bard incomprehensibly, 'The fisshes in the flood, And I mon waxe wood.' He'd better not start waxeing his wood around here, that's all I have to say." "'My lief is faren in londe, Allas, why is she so?' sings the bard. It's a good thing no police are around now, or he might be fined for singing in an archaic dialect without a permit." "'Ewe bleteth after lamb, Loweth after calve cow,' intones the bard. 'Bulloc sterteth, bucke verteth, Merye sing cuckou!' He certainly seems keen on barnyard animals." "The bard sings, 'Heo is coral of godnesse, Heo is rubie of ryhtfulnesse, Heo is cristal of clannesse, Ant baner of bealté.'" "The bard sings bravely out, 'Mon in the mone stond and strit; on his botforke his burthen he bereth.' I don't know what a botforke is either, but it sounds to me like plumber's crack." "The bard draws breath and sings, 'Mon mai longe liues wene, Ac ofte him lieth the wrench, Feir weder turneth ofte into reine, And wunderliche hit maketh his blench.'" Instead of listening to the bard during bard sings: say "It is difficult to avoid hearing, really." Instead of listening to the location in the presence of the bard: say "The bard is impossible not to listen to. Or rather: impossible not to hear." The basin is a container. The description of the basin is "A stainless steel bowl, appropriate to cooking or perhaps surgery." The basins are a container. The description of the basins is "A couple of nested metal bowls, so generic they might equally be used for mixing dough or for holding vital organs during a surgery. The irksome thing is that, having been made as a matched set, they cannot really be separated." A basis is an r-abstract thing. The description is "It's abstract, but the best the abstraction was able to come up with in this case is something that looks like a small portable pedestal. Perhaps the base on which things are established? Something like that." A bass is an r-abstract noisy thing. The description is "A deep resonant voice with very little visible at all, save a kind of trembling in the air. There's no mistaking where it is, though. It's currently [one of]reading out the nightly news, mostly about the great success of Serial Comma Day celebrations[or]singing a popular drinking song about synonyms[or]practicing scales[at random]." The heft of the bass is 0. The bass-fish is a privately-named thing. The description is "A trophy of a fish. I don't know much about species, but it does look like it has a big mouth, certainly." The printed name is "bass". Understand "bass" or "fish" as the bass-fish. The heft of the bass-fish is 3. The heft of the bat is 1. The description of the bat is "It's small and black-furred, and looks like it would rather be in a cool dark place alone with some fruit." The Ben-wig is wearable. It covers the head-area. The printed name is "Ben wig". Understand "wig" or "ben wig" as the ben-wig. The description is "It is a wig belonging to [--] at a guess [--] a Ben Franklin costume. A rubbery pate simulates baldness at the top of the head, while grey curls hang below. It would not, I fear, look remotely persuasive on our head." The scent-description is "the faintest whiff of dust". The description of the bell is "It's a tiny golden bell with a tiny golden clapper inside." The bell is an instrument. The description of the bill is "It itemizes the recipient's tax bill, payable to the Bureau immediately. This includes a list of 'estimated savings,' detailing what the tax-payer would have spent if, for instance, the Bureau maintained a full-service prison system." The printed name of the abstract-bend is "bend". Understand "bend" as the abstract-bend. The description of the abstract-bend is "The bend is realized as a turn of about 60 degrees in a length of copper pipe." The abstract-bend is long and strong. The bet is usually r-abstract. Understand "wager" or "betting book" as a bet. The description of a bet is usually "It's represented as a wager written down in a betting book, the current entry concerning [one of]this year's chard harvest[or]the number of days it's destined to be rainy in Atlantis this year[or]a horse inventively named Mare[or]the minimum possible driving time from Palm Square over to the Rust Tip Parking Lot in Maiana on the other side of the island[sticky random]." The heft of the big revel is 20. The description of the big revel is "It's the entirety of a party in true Gatsby style: dancers doing the Charleston, the orchestra to play the music, the waiters to circulate the canapes, some sculptures, a fountain or two, a fireworks display." The bind is r-abstract. The description of the bind is "It's represented as an old-fashioned illustration of Odysseus['] passage between the rock and the hard place. Scylla's heads poke out over the water, her doggy eyes red with wrath." The heft of a bit is usually 1. The description of the bit is usually "One of those small metal pieces used to attach bridles to horses. One doesn't see them much in ordinary life, these days." The description of the blest sandal is "A very worn and dusty relic, of which only a few leather straps and a filthy sole now remain. Yet, despite its state, it presents an aura of significance, even holiness." The blest sandal is wearable. Sanity-check wearing the blest sandal: say "It just wouldn't seem right." instead. The boa is a floppy wearable thing. The description of the boa is "Made of bright pink synthetic feathers. It would really liven up our look, I have to say." Understand "bright" or "pink" or "synthetic" or "feathers" as the boa. Understand "feather boa" as the boa. Understand "feather" as the boa when the hackle is not visible. The scent-description of the boa is "plastic". The boar is an animal. The description of the boar is "In the old days they used to hunt these animals, and I can understand the impulse. It's like a pig, but even uglier and bristlier, with long dangerous-looking tusky teeth coming out of both its top and bottom jaws." The heft is 7. Report waving the letter-remover at the boar: say "Our hand is less than steady, but [you] manage to wave the letter-remover accurately enough.[paragraph break]The boar vanishes with a pop, and [a generated object] fall[s] harmlessly to the ground. [run paragraph on]"; try examining the generated object instead. Boar mating is a recurring scene. Boar mating begins when the boar can see the player and the boar can see the suid. Boar mating ends in disappointment when the boar cannot see the suid. Boar mating ends in death when the boar cannot see the player. Every turn during Boar Mating: say "[one of]The boar looks at us unpleasantly, but then the pleasing scent of the [suid] attracts it instead[or]The boar is circling the suid, as near as it can in this awkward space[or][one of]The boar follows the suid around, its nose at her butt[or]The suid is trying to walk away from the boar[or]The boar makes an attempt to mount the suid, but slips on the sand[or]The suid squeals indignantly and walks away from the boar, who follows[at random][stopping]." [The boar attack is based on several accounts of real life attacks in which the boar repeatedly rushed the victim (often unprovoked), gashing in several places. The most serious wounds generally are abdominal wounds inflicted after the boar has knocked the victim down. It would be more true to life if the boar also left gashes in the protagonist's leg in the process of knocking her down, but I decided to skip that because I didn't want to deal with a game state in which the protagonist was wounded but not dead: it would have needlessly complicated the writing of the end-game to no interesting narrative effect.] Boar attack is a recurring scene. Boar attack begins when the boar can see the player and the boar cannot see the suid. Boar attack ends in relief when the boar cannot see the player. Boar attack ends in distraction when the boar can see the suid. Boar attack ends in death when the time since Boar Attack began is 3 minutes. Every turn during Boar Attack: let T be the time since Boar Attack began; let N be T divided by 1 minute; increment N; choose row N in the Table of Boar Attacks; say "[description entry][paragraph break]". Table of Boar Attacks description "The boar gives us a very nasty kind of look, and then [--] without any provocation, I'm sure [--] starts running right at us[if the player is in the kayak], even into the surf[end if]." "The boar just barely misses giving us a long gash in [if the player is in the kayak]the stomach[otherwise]the thigh[end if], but it wheels around for another attempt. If it knocks us down, I am not too hopeful about our experience with those tusks." "I try to get us out of the way in one direction, you in another, and the result is that the boar knocks [if the player is in the kayak]the kayak over[otherwise]us flat[end if] with the butt of its head. It stands over us snorting." When boar attack ends in death: say "The boar decides to have another go, tearing viciously at the soft flesh of our abdomen. The whole thing is oddly slow and horribly precise[if the player is in the kayak], and the foam turns bloody around us...[otherwise], and the blood makes a rivulet down to the sea...[end if]"; end the game saying "[You] have been mortally wounded, and there's no one around to help". Instead of jumping during boar attack: say "[You] do our best to get out of the way." Some tusks are part of the boar. The description of the tusks is "Let's not find out anything more personal about them." The board is a thing. The description of the board is "It's a fairly generic plank [--] sort of pine, by the looks of it, though constructed things tend to be a little vague on niceties such as species [--] and looks like it's designed to be part of a new deck or somesuch thing." The board is long. The scent-description of the board is "raw wood". The bock is a contained fluid edible thing. The description of the bock is "It's a bottle of strong German lager with a goat on the label." The scent-description of the bock is "beer". The bond is r-abstract. The description of the bond is "It's an Atlantis treasury bond, one of the hundred-year wartime series. It's set to mature in 2042." Sanity-check burning the bond: say "A bold political statement, but no." instead. The description of the bondage is "Made of black leather straps and strong steel rivets, it is designed to hold the user's wrists and ankles immobile." The indefinite article is "some". The bondage is wearable. Sanity-check cutting the bondage: say "That would undermine its intended purpose rather." instead. Sanity-check wearing the bondage: say "There's no time for a fetish modeling shoot just now." instead. The bot is r-abstract. The description of the bot is "A Bureau of Orthography web crawler, whose purpose is to search out negative or defamatory statements about Atlantis for censorship or 'remediation.' It's represented here by some sample lines of code." The branding is r-abstract. The description of the branding is "A series of successful product logos sift through the air. This one comes with overtones of [one of]high-end luxury[or]self-pampering[or]virility[or]femininity[or]confidence[at random]; that one makes us think of [one of]affordability[or]reliable performance[or]superior business ethics[at random]." The scent-description of the branding is "[one of]new cars[or]upscale perfume[or]cinnamon[or]vanilla[at random]". [Originally the brown tree / brown tee were colorless, but this meant that it was possible to do the TREE/TEE puzzle without ever picking up the officer's rifle. That was considerably less interesting.] The description of the broken component is "A contraption of metal gears and ratchets. It's obviously bent now, but there's a slot that at one time was meant to hook onto the letter J." The description of the breathable silky cotton is "A bolt of very pleasant material in cadet blue." The indefinite article of the breathable silky cotton is "some". The description of the brown tee is "It's a brown wooden peg for putting a golf ball on. Apparently the All-Purpose Officer performed a little light R-insertion when he found himself in need of a portable tree." The heft of the brown tee is 1. The brown tee is scenery. The bull is an animal. The description of the bull is "He looks as though he has just been transported away from his cows, and he isn't at all pleased about the change. As a matter of fact, he blames us personally." The heft of the bund is 10. The description of the bund is "An earthwork embankment designed to prevent oil repositories from bursting their banks and spilling into the surrounding waters." The heft of a fake-bus is 10. The description of a fake-bus is "It's one of the coaches that runs a regular service between here and Maiana. The windows are tinted to keep off the worst of the afternoon glare.". The printed name of the fake-bus is "bus". Understand "bus" as the fake-bus. The heft of some buses is 10. The description of buses is "There's a whole fleet of them, perhaps every bus on the island. They're dusty: the road to Maiana gets dry in the summer." Section 3 - C The description of the cacao-nub-heap is "A conical heap about six inches high, made of bits of unprocessed cacao bean." Understand "nub" or "heap" or "cacao" as the cacao-nub-heap. The printed name of the cacao-nub-heap is "cacao nub heap". The cacao-nub-heap is edible. The scent-description of the cacao-nub-heap is "chocolate". A cad is a man. The description of the cad is "He is dressed with careless elegance, as I would expect from a rake and betrayer of ladies. [one of]As [you] look in his direction, he smiles lazily.[or]His gaze smoulders.[or]He ignores you in a way that makes you long to know him better. I, on the other hand, am trying to roll our eyes.[or]He acknowledges our glance, then quite deliberately looks away. Do you really go for this stuff?[or]He looks us up and down as though calculating what exactly [you] look like under this modern attire.[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". Understand "gentleman" or "man" or "fellow" as the cad. The scent-description of the cad is "old-fashioned cologne". Rule for writing a topic sentence about the cad: if a woman is mentionable: say "[one of][The random mentionable woman] steals a glance at [the cad][or][The cad] is looking [the random mentionable woman] up and down with a quizzing glass[or][The random mentionable woman] is blushing furiously thanks to something [the cad] just said to her[or][The cad] and [the random mentionable woman] are whispering among themselves[or][The random mentionable woman] clears her throat pointedly and moves away from [the cad][cycling]."; otherwise: say "A gentleman in regency dress lounges against the far wall: evidently, this is the cad produced by [the letter-remover]. " [In a much, much earlier version of the game, there were puzzles involving making the cad and then ordering him to do things (first bribing him with a kiss). As the game progressed and the tone shifted, this bit of silliness came to seem out of place; and, worse, it became obvious that having dozens and dozens of possibly persuadable, action-taking NPCs would significantly complicate implementation. So all the persuasion rules were axed and there are no puzzles involving getting generated NPCs to do things, aside from the mechanic in the garage.] [A persuasion rule for asking the cad to try doing something: if the cad is amenable: now the cad is disinclined; say "'This one fav[our],' the cad allows. [run paragraph on]"; persuasion succeeds; otherwise: say "[one of]'I will try [--] and only try [--] anything you ask me,' he says, 'but only at the cost of a kiss.'[or]'You know the forfeit by now,' he says.[or]'I accept payments only in advance.'[or]He smiles meaningfully.[stopping]"; persuasion fails. ] Instead of kissing the cad: say "[one of]Summoning your courage and all my patience, [you] stand on tip-toes and kiss the gentleman. He returns the fav[our], with all the skill that his nature requires. You, I can tell, are enjoying this. I on the other hand am going to have to gouge it out of my brain with a power drill later.[or]You repeat your earlier performance, while I do my level best to stop you.[stopping]". Every turn when the player carries the cad: move the cad to the location; say "[The cad] turns out to be a tall and somewhat muscular gentleman, and [you] are unable to support him during the transformation; by the time it is done, he is more standing in our embrace than actually being carried by us. I take a hasty, embarrassed step back. He smiles knowingly, but merely straightens his cuffs." [Unsuccessful attempt by the cad trying doing something: say "[one of]But [--] wouldn't you have expected it? [--] the cad is unable to fulfill his promise.[or][paragraph break]'I regret,' he says, with a bow, 'that I am unable to oblige.'[paragraph break]After trying for a moment, he says, 'Alas, I believe you have asked too great a fav[our].'[or][paragraph break]'This is harder than I expected,' he remarks after a moment. 'And insufficiently entertaining.'[or][paragraph break]'This is worse than the incident with Sally Jersey and her chambermaid,' he mutters under his breath, giving up.[as decreasingly likely outcomes]". ] Instead of putting the restoration gel on the cad: say "As you approach, he takes a step backward and fends you off with one (finely-boned yet manly) hand. [one of]'I think not,' he says, in a low voice that thrills you deeply. 'I never would allow a lady to apply an unknown liniment to my person.'[or]Apparently he hasn't changed his stance on unidentified substances.[stopping]". Some camemberts are an edible thing. The description of the camemberts is "A whole stack of French camembert, which would be convenient if [you] were opening a black market deli, but may be hard to explain under other circumstances. Also not terribly portable." Understand "cheese" or "rind" as the camemberts. The heft of the camemberts is 10. The scent-description of the camemberts is "cheese rind". Sanity-check cutting the camembert: say "A notch in the flesh of the nearest camemberts exposes the yellowish creamy interior." instead. The camembert is an edible thing. The description of the camembert is "A rich, soft, creamy cheese with a white rind. This one isn't too runny yet." Understand "cheese" or "rind" as the camembert. The scent-description of the camembert is "cheese rind". Sanity-check cutting the camembert: say "A notch in the flesh of the camembert exposes the yellowish creamy interior." instead. The description of the cartage is "'Cartage' here takes the form of an invoice for the transport of farm products by cart." The cassock is a floppy wearable thing. It covers the torso-area. The description is "An ankle-length robe of the most basic and severe black, the sort worn by priests of the more high-church denominations. It buttons down the front. In accordance with Atlantean traditions, white embroidery over the breast forms the letters A and Z." Instead of rubbing a cat: say "I hear you can produce electricity that way, but I don't fancy being scratched in the attempt." Sanity-check squeezing a cat: say "What, to make it yodel? It seems a bit cruel." instead. [A little nod to a related line in Curses:] Sanity-check washing a cat: say "I can tell you've never owned a cat." instead. Sanity-check pushing or pulling or turning a cat: say "[You] could do that, but cats are notoriously uncooperative about staying where put." instead. Instead of smiling at a cat: say "[You] smile. [The noun] regards us with steady disdain." Instead of frowning at a cat: say "[You] frown. [The noun] does not seem much abashed." The cat-army is a cat. The printed name is "cat army". Understand "cat" or "army" as the cat-army. The heft of the cat-army is 10. The description is "There are dozens of them, and they move in curiously regimented, uncatlike ways, as though the big tabby at the front of the group really is their commanding officer." The printed name of the cat-mayor is "cat mayor". Understand "cat" or "mayor" as the cat-mayor. The cat-mayor is a cat. The description of the cat-mayor is "Like an ordinary cat, only wearing tiny black leather boots and displaying, if possible, an even greater regard for its own dignity than the average feline." The cat-mayor wears tiny black leather boots. The description of the tiny black leather boots is "They are the tall sort with cuffs that roll over." Sanity-check wearing the tiny black leather boots: say "They wouldn't fit." The catnap is r-abstract. The description of the catnap is "Much like an ordinary nap, but smaller and... more cuddly, perhaps?" The cate is an edible thing. The description is "Rarely found in the singular, a cate is something delicious: it comes from the same roots as 'caterer'. At any rate, this lovely little confection, with its layers of shiny-smooth chocolate and sliced strawberry and rum-soaked cake, its chocolate-shaving frills and piped cream, could have come from the best Paris [i]confiserie[/i]." Understand "confection" or "frills" or "chocolate-shaving" or "chocolate" or "strawberry" or "layers" or "layer" or "rum-soaked" or "cake" or "piped" as the cate. Understand "cream" as the cate when the cream is not visible. Instead of tasting the cate: say "[You] allow ourselves a lick of the lovely chocolate." Instead of smelling the cate: say "The aroma is faint but enticing: bright strawberries, dark chocolate, and a boozy base note of rum." [Instead of eating the cate when the crate contains something: say "Unable to restrain ourself, we eat two bites before remembering that there might well have been something in the crate: in which case, it would be foolish, possibly even dangerous, to consume the whole cate."] [Instead of eating the cate: say "It is so luscious that you barely bother to worry about Slango's possible reaction. But crates are not that expensive. No doubt he has plenty more where that came from. No problem at all." ] The climate is r-abstract. The description of the climate is "A tight ball of weather icons, mostly depicting Sunny, Hazy, or Partly Cloudy days. Anglophone Atlantis doesn't get a lot of your more exotic weather, your snow and ice storms and hail." The heft of the climate is 0. A cart is usually portable. A cart is usually pushable between rooms. The description of the cart is "It's one of those red metal carts that I would have liked very much when I was about five. All my friends had them." The cardboard is floppy. The description of the cardboard is "A sheet of cardboard a little larger than a standard piece of paper. It's brown." The indefinite article is "some". The initial appearance of a cat is "A cat wanders around the room." The description of a cat is "Full-grown, American, and a little stupid, as felines go." Instead of touching a cat, say "It rubs itself pathetically against our hand." The heft of a cat is 3. The scent-description of a cat is "clean animal". [card] [The aim here is to hint at an Atlantean tarot, focusing especially on cards that have something to do with the relationship of the state and the individual, or duality within the individual. Strength is traditionally shown as a young lady managing a tame lion, but there are no lions on Atlantis; whereas the squid is associated with Atlantean inventiveness and power but suggests tentacle porn as well; the squid is a subversive force. The figure of the Magician represents an All-Purpose Officer with his weird array of very special[ize]d tools; Justice is Atlantida herself, somewhat ironically.] Card-style is a kind of value. Some card-styles are defined by the Table of Card-Styles. Table of Card-Styles card-style article image Justice "" "A woman in a blue dress sits on a throne. She carries a letter-remover in one hand and her eyes are blind-folded" Chariot "the " "The vehicle is drawn by two prize horses, one black, one white. The driver appears to be having some difficulty keeping them together, to judge from the surly expression and the raised whip" Magician "the " "A man stands over a table of delicate instruments: letter-razors, reversing mirrors, decapital[ization] disambiguators. He is putting on a performance, though we cannot see his audience" Strength "" "A young nude lady lounges in the embrace of a giant squid. They are apparently on very good terms" Tower "the " "It represents the Tower of Babel being struck by lightning. The top of the tower is falling over, and terrified builders run in every direction. In Atlantean terms it is the end of the world" Fool "the " "A shiftless young woman is carrying a loaded backpack, striding across a sunny landscape" Twins "the " "They're male and female. A floating, sky-born figure above them is either choosing one or about to shoot one: it's hard to know what to make of the pointer or arrow it wields" Temperance "" "An official-looking man is operating a gigantic synthes[ize]r. Out of its bottom fall a flood of oxymoronic figures: a dwarf elephant, a giant mouse, a bittersweet cake." The description of the card is "Not a playing card, as I might have expected, or a calling card, or even an index card, but a Tarot card, representing [article of (card-style of the card)][card-style of the card]. [image of the card-style of the card]." The heft of the card is 1. Understand "tarot" as the card. Rule for printing the name of the card while asking which do you mean: say "Tarot card". The card has a card-style. Understand the card-style property as describing the card. The scent-description of the card is "crisp, snappy cardboard". Carry out waving the letter-remover at something creating the card: reset the card. To reset the card: if the bartender is visible: if the card-style of the card is not Magician: now the card-style of the card is Magician; otherwise: now the card-style of the card is Temperance; otherwise if the Roundabout is not visited: now the card-style of the card is Chariot; otherwise: now the card-style of the card is a random card-style which is not the card-style of the card. Report waving the letter-remover device at something creating a seen card: say "[The second noun] give[s] way to the [generated object]. This time it's [article of (card-style of the card)][card-style of the card]. [image of the card-style of the card]." instead. The description of the carpet is "A substantial, rectangular rug of the sort on which Aladdin is typically seen flying. It has tasseled ends and a pattern that hints at Atlantis['] Moroccan connections." The heft of the carpet is 6. Sanity-check launching or mounting or entering the carpet: say "It may look like a flying carpet, but I don't think it's actually magic." instead. The description of the carpi is "Small, irregularly-shaped bones, taken from the hand of a human skeleton. They look as though they ought to be used in divination; why else would anyone keep them around?" [CD] The description of the CD is "To judge by the label, it is one of King Crimson's longer works." [cement porno knob] The description of the cement porno knob is "Imagine, if you will, a pornographic film set on the grounds of an aristocratic estate. Further imagine that among the hedges and flowerbeds there are various cement lawn decorations, but instead of the cupids and pineapples one might expect, these lawn decorations resemble a certain portion of the male anatomy. This cement porno knob comes from just such a production. Other memorabilia are not included, and the Naughty Groundskeeper outfit is nowhere to be seen." [chad] The description of the chad is "It's one of those little pieces of paper punched out when you mark a ballot, which makes it small and nearly useless, except as a potent symbol of election fraud." The heft of the chad is 1. The scent-description of the chad is "paper". [char] The description of a char is usually "It's a troutlike freshwater fish of the northern countries. It is dead, needless to say, and would make someone a nice supper if they knew how to clean and cook it. Our skills, however, are not up to the task." Understand "fish" as a char. The scent-description of the char is "faint fishiness". A char is edible. Instead of eating a char: say "I require my fish to be cleaned before I eat it, if not cooked." Instead of smelling a char: say "[You] have at least produced a fresh fish, rather than a rotten one: consider yourself lucky." Understand "clean [char]" as a mistake ("I do not know a lot about the proper preparation of fish."). Understand "cook [char]" as a mistake ("Even if you know how, there's no time for that now."). The description of the charlie is "It's a quantity of very suspicious-looking white powder. Cocaine, I believe. Drug slang was never my strength." The charlie is illegal. The indefinite article of the charlie is "some". Sanity-check smelling the charlie: say "[You][']d prefer not to undergo this whole process while higher than a kite. We need our wits." instead. Sanity-check cutting the charlie: say "Odds are it's already cut with corn starch or baby powder or whatever it is they put into drugs to make up the weight." instead. [chart] The description of the chart is "A beautiful nautical chart depicting the harbor of Anglophone Atlantis, safest approaches, etc." The charring is r-abstract. The indefinite article is "some". The heft of the charring is 0. The description is "It's formed like a little stick of kindling, blacked at one end as though used to light a larger fire; but it's an abstract, implausibly light, because it has to convey the idea of charring rather than a charred thing itself." [chat] A chat is usually noisy. The description of the chat is "It looks a little like a recording device, except that there are no on or off buttons and you have no way to control what it replays. It has a small screen and tinny speakers." The heft of a chat is 1. The chat is usually r-abstract. Instead of listening to the chat: say "Eerily, it plays back a little of our conversation the other day at the café." The description of a chert is "It's a chunk of greyish rock which appears to have flaked off in layers. It looks as though there are some small fossils embedded in the stone." Understand "rock" as a chert when rock is not visible. Understand "stone" as chert. A clack is an r-abstract noisy thing. The heft of the clack is 0. The description of the clack is "It's the sound of an old-fashioned train in motion." Instead of listening to the clack: say "The clack clacks and clackety-clacks to its heart's content.". A cack is a thing. The indefinite article is "some". The description is "It's a soft-soled baby shoe. I know, I was expecting something else too.". The scent-description is "baby powder". A click is an r-abstract noisy thing. The heft of the click is 0. The description of the click is "It's a sporadic, repetitive clicking noise as though someone were playing obsessively with a mechanical pencil." Instead of listening to the click: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "The clicking noise [one of]continues[or]persists[or]is not abating[stopping]."; else: let N be a random number between 1 and 5; repeat with I running from 1 to N: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "CLICK "; else: say "CLICKETY "; say "clicks the click." [clock] The clock has a time called the current time. The description of a clock is "It appears to be one of those archetypal alarm clocks that crows at sunrise and generally makes a nuisance of itself. It shows the time to be about [the current time to the nearest five minutes in words]." Every turn: increase the current time of the clock by one minute. Understand "set [clock] to [time]" as setting it by time. Setting it by time is an action applying to one thing and one time. Instead of setting the clock to something: say "[The noun] can be set only to a time of day, such as 8:00 AM, or midnight." Carry out setting a clock by time: change the current time of the noun to the time understood. Report setting a clock by time: say "[You] set [the noun] to [time understood]." A cluck is an r-abstract noisy thing. The heft of the cluck is 0. The description of the cluck is "Genuine barnyard stuff, it sounds like." Instead of listening to the cluck: say "'Cluck"; let N be a random number between 0 and 3; repeat with I running from 1 to N: say " cluck"; say "[one of]BACAW[or][at random]!' says the cluck.". The chowder pro is a woman. The description of the chowder pro is "She's a proud Massachusetts chef, dressed in [a green apron] and ready to get to work, if only there were a kitchen for her." The chowder pro wears a green apron. The description of the green apron is "Spattered with the lifejuice of clams." The greeting of the chowder pro is "'Welcome to the show!' says the chowder pro brilliantly. Unclear what show that would be, of course." [coasts] Some coasts are a thing. The heft of the coasts is 12. The description is "A vast rocky coastline too large to fit in the present confines." [cock] The cock is a bird. It is noisy. The flexible appearance of the cock is "[if the cock is in the location]Wandering around nearby, for all the world as though this were a barnyard, is a large red-headed cock[otherwise]The cock [you] made earlier is regarding us suspiciously[end if]." The description of the cock is "It stares back at us malevolently through one eye." The heft of the cock is 3. The scent-description of the cock is "something objectionable". Instead of listening to the cock: say "[one of]The cock clucks[or]The cock lets out a half-crow[at random]." Test cockbug with "autoupgrade / wave l-remover at clock / open tub / gel cock" holding the clock and the tub. The cockpit is a thing. The heft of the cockpit is 10. The description is "It's a tiny room lined on every surface with buttons and instrument readouts and warning signs, altimeters and radios and all sorts of other gadgets I don't recognize." Understand "buttons" and "readouts" and "instrument" and "warning" and "signs" and "altimeters" and "radios" and "gadgets" and "button" and "readout" and "sign" and "altimeter" and "radio" and "gadget" as the cockpit. The cock-ring is a wearable thing. The printed name is "cock ring". The cock-ring is naughty-sounding. The description is "A sturdy ring of black rubber[one of]. Which reminds me [--] never mind[or]. And no, I'm not going to tell you about that memory[or]. Stop prying[stopping]." Understand "cock" or "ring" as cock-ring. Sanity-check wearing the cock-ring: say "Er. Our combined physique doesn't allow for a place to put that." instead. [My beta-tester Sam Kabo Ashwell is responsible for the inclusion of this nauseating substance, for which he helpfully provided the following recipe: 'Take 10 gallons of ale and a large cock, the older the better; parboil the cock, flay him, and stamp him in a stone mortar until his bones are broken (you must gut him when you flay him). Then, put the cock into two quarts of sack, and put to it five pounds of raisins of the sun-stoned; some blades of mace, and a few cloves. Put all these into a canvas bag, and a little before you find the ale has been working, put the bag and ale together in vessel. In a week or nine days bottle it up, fill the bottle just above the neck and give it the same time to ripen as other ale.'] The cock-ale is a contained edible fluid thing. The printed name is "cock ale". Understand "cock" or "ale" or "feather" or "parboiled" or "meaty" or "meat" as the cock-ale. The description is "A medieval style of ale which has been flavored with parboiled rooster. Is that a bit of feather? I think it might be." The scent-description of cock-ale is "meaty hops". Sanity-check tasting cock-ale: say "Are you insane?" instead. The description of a cod is "There's about twelve pounds of fish-and-chips-in-waiting here [--] it's actually materialized as fillets rather than the fish itself, which is some indication of how Atlanteans think about cod, when they can get it. Overfishing, you know." The code is scenery. The description of the code is "A bit of paper on which is written '305.'" Understand "bit" or "paper" or "bit of paper" or "numbers" or "number" as the code. The heft of the complicit shark is 10. The description of complicit shark is "It's dead, naturally. And a shark carcass is a large and unwieldy sort of thing to have lying around. There's a gash in one side that must have notionally killed it. Is the shark complicit in its own death? Or was there some other bit of shark-cooperation at work here? Hard to tell." The scent-description of the complicit shark is "rotting fish". Understand "gash" as the complicit shark. The conference-poser is a woman. The printed name is "conference poser". Understand "conference" or "poser" as the conference-poser. "The conference poser stands in the corner, cultivating an expression of keen intellectual skepticism." The description of the conference-poser is "She looks back at us with a martial gleam of the eye, willing us to be impressed by her.". The greeting of the conference-poser is "The conference poser looks at us a little hazily and says, 'Oh, yes, didn't we meet at the [one of]Linguistics and Empire[or]Post-Colonial Consonants[or]Concept Formation Through Hiphop[or]Ecologically Responsible Linguistics[at random] [one of]symposium[or]workshop[or]conference[at random] in [one of]San Diego[or]Austin[or]Minsk[or]Liverpool[or]Lampeter[or]Montreal[or]Cologne[at random] [one of]last year[or]last winter[or]back in [a random number between 1995 and 2009][at random]?'" Every turn when the conference-poser is in the location: say "[The conference-poser] says, '[one of]Yes, but we haven't really [i]problemat[ize]d[/i] [the random visible thing][or]I think a [one of]Marxist[or]Keynesian[or]Lacanian[or]Saussurian[or]Derridean[at random] understanding of [the random visible thing] is not, indeed cannot be, useful to us at this juncture[or]Statistical sentence analysis of a sufficient corpus of materials ought to reveal the likeliest forms for [a random r-abstract thing][or]What we have not considered is the possibility of synonym shame, for instance with words such as [i]donkey[/i] or [i]rooster[/i][or]My field is the study of hispanogerontology, the illicit practice of giving seniors a new lease on life by turning them into Senors[at random].'" The description of the cord is "It's a thin glittery red cord of the kind used to tie up Christmas packages." A dangerous construction rule for the cord: if the power chord is not seen: let loc be the holder of the cord; remove the cord from play; move the power cord to loc; now the printed name of power cord is "cord". Test cordalt with "tutorial off/ autoupgrade / switch switch / put card in bucket / put curd in bucket / get cord / x cord / w / plug in dais / unplug cord / get cord / e / put cord in umlaut punch" holding the card and the umlaut punch in the Generator room. Test cordalt2 with "tutorial off/ autoupgrade / put card in umlaut punch / get chord / switch switch / put card in bucket / put curd in bucket / get cord / x cord / wave h-remover at chord / w / plug in dais / unplug dais / e / put cord in umlaut punch" holding the card and the umlaut punch in the Generator room. The heft of the cork is 1. The description of the cork is "One end is deep maroon from having been in a wine bottle for a time. On the side is stamped the logo of an Atlantean vintner." A cot is usually not fixed in place. The description of a cot is usually "A portable bed, made up for sleeping." The heft of the cot is usually 4. A cot is usually long. Test cotheft with "put coat in bucket / wave a-remover at coat / x cot / take cot" holding the coat in Generator Room. The counter-alternate is a furniture counter. Understand "counter" as the counter-alternate. The printed name is "counter". The description is "It's formica-topped and suitable for a kitchen that hasn't been renovated in some years." The description of the counterweight is "A very substantial hunk of metal with a ring at the top end, suitable for attachment to a hook or rope." The heft of the counterweight is 3. Understand "weight" as the counterweight. The description of the countertop is "The result is a slab of good black granite, shiny and easy to clean, with a pre-cut hole, probably where a kitchen sink would be meant for installation." The heft of the countertop is 8. The cratering is r-abstract. The indefinite article is "some". The heft is 0. The description is "It's an image, light as air, of the moon and the craters on it." The crew-group is a privately-named plural-named person. The description of the crew-group is "Five (or six? it's extremely hard to count) swarthy sailors. They look buff and burly and have very thick eyebrows." The heft of the crew-group is 6. The printed name of the crew-group is "crew". Understand "crew" as the crew-group. [Persuasion rule for asking the crew-group to try doing something: rule succeeds.] The description of the cross is "It's handsome, made of metal, the sort of thing that might adorn a church altar; I don't have the expertise to say whether it's especially valuable." The description of the crossbar is "[description of the crosspiece]". The heft of the crosshair is 0. The crosshair is r-abstract. The description of the crosshair is "It's the vertical line from crosshairs; the horizontal line is missing, which makes it even less useful than disembodied crosshairs otherwise would be." The crosspiece is a long thing. The description of the crosspiece is "A sturdy metal piece for bracing... something. The rest of the object is omitted." The description of the crow rod is "This is so odd a thing that nothing but the high power of the anagramming gun could have produced it. It is a metal rod, about a me[ter] long, with a stamped metal crow shape at the end. I'm not sure whether it's meant to resemble a weather vane or a magic wand, but honestly it doesn't seem quite suited to either of those purposes." The description of a CRT is "A rather generic computer monitor, or possibly television; it isn't equipped with much more than the ability to turn on and off[if the crt is switched on]. At the moment it is displaying [one of]a Red Sox game[or]the moon landing[or]the Mary Tyler Moore show[or]back episodes of Smallville[purely at random][end if]." Instead of listening to a CRT: say "The CRT issues the sounds of [one of]cheering baseball fans[or]blaring theme music[or]a dramatic explosion[or]tinny laughter[at random]." Carry out switching on a CRT: now the noun is noisy. Carry out switching off a CRT: now the noun is quiet. The description of the crumb is "It's just one tiny little flake from a croissant or pastry." The description of the cud is "It's best not to look too closely.". The scent-description is "grassy manure". The curd is edible. The description of the curd is "A soft white clump of cheese substance." The description of the cut is "A rough oval of skin, on which there's a visible cut — nothing serious, something on the order of a paper cut." The curse advertisement is a fixed in place thing. The description is "It's an ad of the kind you sometimes find in the back of underground newspapers, offering to take off the rude-object restrictions off a letter-remover, 'for private home use only.'" Section 4 - D The heft of the daft document is 2. The description of the daft document is "It's a long print-off from a website, concerning the virtues of the [i]toxi waste[/i] scheme, complete with instructions about how to forward your money and lobby your representatives, if any." The heft of the dart document is 2. The description of the dart document is "The dart document provides a set of rules and regulations for professional dart competitions, including minimum distance to the board, heft and design of the darts themselves, size and arrangement of the dartboard point areas, and so on." The heft of the dig is 20. The description of the dig is "It's a large affair: not child's a dig in the garden or even an archaeological dig undertaken with shovels and picks, but a massive industrial dig, the kind that happens beneath a major American city that didn't have the foresight to put down subways in 1890 when it would have been cheaper. There's mud and stone and a cylindrical drilling machine five stories high." The description of the diva is "Though I couldn't put a name to her, we both feel as though we've seen her face many times on the sides of many buildings[if the diva wears the meat-gown]. She is wearing glamorous dress decorated with slabs of meat[end if][if the diva wears the bacon chapeau]. On her head is an eye-catching bacon chapeau[end if]." The diva wears a meat-gown and a bacon chapeau. Understand "glamorous" or "glamourous" or "dress" or "gown" or "meat" or "meat-studded" or "studded" as the meat-gown. The printed name of the meat-gown is "meat studded gown". The description of the meat-gown is "You could feed a dozen starving steak-enthusiasts with this." The description of the bacon chapeau is "People sometimes pin bacon on turkeys to keep them moist during roasting. It looks as though the diva's milliner has taken the same approach to her head." The bacon chapeau is edible. Understand "hat" as the bacon chapeau. Test diva with "switch switch / put dove in bucket / x diva / x gown / x chapeau / load gun / shoot gown / shoot chapeau / x diva" holding the dove and the anagramming gun and the bullets in the Generator Room. The doe is an animal. The doe is female. The heft of the doe is 6. "A doe lurks nervously nearby." The description is "She looks very skittish." The printed name of the secret-door is "door". Understand "door" as the secret-door. The description of the secret-door is "It is part of the north wall[if secret-door is closed], and currently closed[otherwise]. It stands ajar[end if]." The secret-door is an openable, closed, enterable container. It is fixed in place. Carry out opening the secret-door: now the Oracle Project is mapped north of Wonderland; now Wonderland is mapped south of the Oracle Project; follow the compass-drawing rule. Carry out closing the secret-door: remove door passage. To remove door passage: now the Oracle Project is not mapped north of Wonderland; now Wonderland is not mapped south of the Oracle Project; now the secret-door is closed; follow the compass-drawing rule. A dangerous destruction rule for the secret-door: remove door passage. Report opening the secret-door: say "[You] open the door, revealing a room beyond." instead. Instead of entering the secret-door: try going north. The doper crow is a bird. The description of the doper crow is "It looks much like any other crow, except for a lethargy around the eyes, and a despondent silence in place of the usual cawing." Instead of showing the doper crow to Poe: say "From his disdainful expression, he can obviously tell it's just a crow and not a proper raven." The dope cow is an animal. The heft of the dope cow is 7. Understand "purple spots" or "spots" or "lip" or "udder" or "piercing" as the dope cow. The description of the dope cow is "A cow, but with really bad-ass purple spots, and a knowing, cow-of-the-world curl to its lip. The udder piercing is an eye-catcher." Check waving the letter-remover at the dope cow when the current setting of the letter-remover is "p": say "A doe cow would presumably be some interesting genetic chimera, but the letter-remover isn't up to bringing it about." instead. Section 5 - E The description of the ear is "Severed. It's not a nice thing to look at." The heft of the ear is 1. The scent-description of the ear is "wax". The description of the earlap is "Just the severed [i]tip[/i] of the ear, for the really discerning psychopathic collector. Not the lobe, but the top end." The eases are r-abstract. The description is "Foggy, shifting images of the idea of ease: now a pillow; now a cigarette; now a seat in first class for a change.". The earl is a man. "An Earl stands a few feet away, decked in identifying [ermine]." The description is "He looks anxious and out-of-place." The earl wears an ermine. Understand "coat" as the ermine. The description of the ermine is "It is a coat of soft white fur, legendarily associated with purity and nobility, but now rather more suggestive of the mistreatment of animals." The scent-description of the earl is "musty furs". The greeting of the earl is "'Pleasure to meet you,' says the earl. 'No need to stand on ceremony, eh? Excellent.'" The earring is a wearable thing. The heft is 1. The description is "A twinkling diamond pendant earring, the sort rich women wear to deluxe evening occasions. It is your expert eye, not mine, that determines it is not zirconium, and notes the '950 platinum' stamp on the metal." Understand "diamond" or "pendant" as the earring. Sanity-check wearing the earring: say "We appear to have manifested with unpierced ears." instead. The earpiece is a wearable thing. The description of the earpiece is "It's a little bluetooth device for use with a telephone; the kind of thing you typically don't see around the island, with cell phones as limited as they are." The earwig is an insect. "An earwig is crawling about looking menacing and slightly alien." The description is "These things have always given me the creeps." [The elongating trouser is wearable. The description of the elongating trouser is "A garment with a single gradually lengthening leg. [trouser-growth]." To say trouser-growth: say "It's [one of]our size now, but it won't be for long[or]too tall for us already[or]suitable for a man at the moment[or]a good length for a basketball player[or]currently about right for a clown on stilts[or]too long for anyone but the most dedicated tall stiltwalker[stopping]"; Instead of wearing the elongating trouser: say "It would only trip us. [trouser-growth]."] An eel is edible. The description of an eel is "Manifested dead, because out of its proper element, the eel nonetheless gleams with silver and stripes." The scent-description of an eel is "a sort of oily, fishy tang". The eight-object is an r-abstract thing. The printed name is "eight". Understand "eight" or "8" as the eight-object. The heft is 0. The description is "It looks like an infinity symbol rotated ninety degrees." The elegantly winter pilot is a woman. Understand "aviatrix" or "slim" or "alert" as the elegantly winter pilot. "[The elegantly winter pilot] shows no sign of nervousness or impatience." The description is "A slim, alert aviatrix, dressed suitably for a biplane duel somewhere over the Ukraine. Her eyes are almond-shaped and her glance taunting." The greeting of the elegantly winter pilot is "The pilot's greeting is a series of unidentifiable syllables. But somehow they hint at black forests dusted with snow, and a single jingling sleigh." The elf nun is a woman. Understand "pale" or "pointed" or "ears" or "white-blonde" or "hair" as the elf nun. "The elf nun stands watching us. Her eyes are very dark, almost blue-black." The description of the elf nun is "Her expression is deep and unreadable. From under her wimple, pale pointed ears and a few whisps of white-blonde hair show." The elf nun wears a wimple. The description of the wimple is "Embroidered in white on white with Celtic crosses and patterns that speak of Kells." The greeting of the elf nun is "'Blessings of growth and renewal be upon you,' says the elf nun. Her accent is sing-song and alien." Every turn when the elf nun is visible: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: if a vegetable is visible: say "[one of][The elf nun] sadly eyes [the random visible vegetable][or][The elf nun] speaks a short prayer for [the random visible vegetable][cycling]."; otherwise: say "[one of][The elf nun] crosses herself and whispers a few words in a sibilant tongue[or][The elf nun] touches her lips, her forehead, and her chest[at random]." The description of the ell is "It's a measuring stick for a no-longer-used measure. I wouldn't really be able to tell it from a cubit at sight." The Ent is a man. The heft of the Ent is 6. The description of the Ent is "He looks like a tree: an olive tree, perhaps surprisingly, but a very large, conscious olive tree, regarding us through eyes as black as his fruits." Understand "tree" or "olive" as the Ent. The greeting of the Ent is "Hoom." The era is r-abstract. The description of the era is "Across an imaginary screen there flicker images from a standard school film: the island of Atlantis being formed, back long ago in geological time, and some assorted dinosaurs enjoying its beaches." Section 6 - F through H A fame is a thing. The indefinite article is "some". It is r-abstract. The description is "It looks like an enormous star in twinkle lights." [The player in fact should never be able to make this, because the farmer and stall should clear out by the time the player has r-abstract abilities.] The initial appearance of the filing cabinet is "A filing cabinet stands in the corner." Understand "files" or "file" as the filing cabinet. The heft of the filing cabinet is 8. The description of the filing cabinet is "There are numerous files, and they are organized chronologically, so that it's possible to look up a specific year. They appear to begin in 1942." Instead of opening or searching the filing cabinet: try examining the filing cabinet. Instead of consulting the filing cabinet about a topic listed in the Table of Filed Paintings: say "[one of]Checking through the filing cabinet for [topic understood] reveals some images of Atlantida. [or][stopping][description entry]." Instead of consulting the filing cabinet about a topic: if the topic understood matches "[number]": if the number understood is less than 1942: say "No files appear earlier than 1942." instead; if the number understood is greater than 2003: say "There are no significant contents past 2003." instead; let prev be 1942; let promising list be { 1942, 1982, 1983, 2003 }; repeat through the Table of Filed Paintings: if the number understood is greater than the num entry: let prev be the num entry; otherwise: say "There's nothing much for [the number understood], but there are files for [prev] and [num entry]. "; remove prev from promising list, if present; remove num entry from promising list, if present; say "Other promising-looking years are [promising list]." instead; otherwise: say "The files seem to correspond to years. Flipping through the year folders at random shows that some years were much more interesting than others. The folders for 1942, 1982, and 1983 are especially thick. 2003 has a number of memos as well." Table of Filed Paintings topic num description "1942" 1942 "Here is her militant 1940s rendition, where she stands bestride Atlantis; Axis planes are flying past her at head level. At any moment she might bite one and shake it, like a bulldog" "1951" 1951 "Atlantida sits on a throne, wearing a blue dress and an incongruous string of housewifely pearls. In her right hand is the letter A with atom-like rings around it [--] as though to claim that letters are the true atoms of the universe" "1958" 1958 "A sassy, security-conscious spirit of Atlantis, wearing a secretarial suit and putting a finger to her lips: the wink apparently means that it's alluring not to tell things to spies" "1964" 1964 "This dossier contains a political cartoon: under comic OOPS lettering, Atlantida is seen shoveling dirt back over an assortment of ancient-looking lamps, pottery, and broken columns. Probably a reference to that incident where a portion of a Roman villa came to light and caused a temporary disruption in the strength of local conversions" "1968" 1968 "The 1968 edition was some sort of hippy goddess of plenty (flowing hair, flowing skirts, cornucopia of local fruits)" "1972" 1972 "From the year of the SALT I treaty comes an Atlantida aiming a deplural[izing] cannon at the world's ballistic missiles" "1975" 1975 "There isn't any official propaganda for this year, only a contemporary magazine cover showing Atlantida arm in arm with Uncle Sam. Hard to tell for sure whether that was praise or criticism" "1982" 1982 "A business-like, formidable Atlantida in the early 80s, looking Strong On Def[ense] and Tough On Misspelling, with an olive branch in one hand and an anagramming gun in the other" "1983" 1983 "This year's folder doesn't contain any official propaganda posters; instead it's bulging with copies of a protest leaflet that shows a bare-breasted Atlantida leading rebels against the Bureau of Orthography, carrying placards in fav[our] of more referenda and true individual liberty" "1989" 1989 "Newspaper clippings only. In one cartoon, Atlantida is imprisoned, looking out of the bars of her cell at Czechoslovakian and Romanian revolutionaries in envy at their newfound freedom. Another is just a written column commenting on the bicentennial of the French Revolution and suggesting that the figure of Atlantida is now associated with the spirit of revolutionary change" "1991" 1991 "Photographs of rioters in Deep Street show people carrying posters of a bare-breasted Atlantida" "1994" 1994 "Print-offs from an the early days of the world wide web show Atlantida's Home Page, plainly an organ[izing] platform for those interested in overthrowing the Bureau and promoting the more frequent and rigorous use of referendum voting. One imagines the site was shut down shortly thereafter" "2003" 2003 "The dossier for 2003 is very thick. Memos back and forth indicate that officials are increasingly concerned with Atlantida and feel it is time (for some reason) to reclaim the figure as a 'government-positive' image. Consultations with an expensive New York advertising firm and a series of tv spots do not seem to have had the desired effect, however, because the project was canceled" The flint crepe cap is a wearable thing. It covers the head-area. The description is "It's a stiff cap made of layers of grey, rock-toned crepe, much crinkled. It's hard to imagine any self-respecting hatter constructing such a confection, but an anagramming gun is a powerful thing. There is [--] really there is the faintest suspicion that it's trying to spell itself 'crêpe'. Must be the foreign ingredients." A foal is an animal. The description of the foal is "It has a brown coat, large nervous eyes, and wobbly legs that don't seem to want to hold it up." The scent-description of the foal is "newborn animal". The metal-foil is a privately-named thing. The description is "A crumpled ball of that aluminum foil used for cooking." The heft is 1. The printed name of the metal-foil is "foil". Understand "ball" or "foil" or "aluminum" as the metal-foil. The indefinite article is "some". A foil is a thing. The description is "One of those long springy swords used for fencing. It has a button at the tip to prevent harm to one's opponent." The foil is long. Understand "long" or "springy" as the foil. Understand "sword" as the foil when the sword is not visible. The button is a part of the foil. The description is "A tiny cylindrical cap of red rubber." Understand "tip" or "rubber" or "red rubber" or "cap" or "cylindrical" as the button. Instead of taking the button: say "It's not made to come off easily: this isn't a sword for actually hurting people." Instead of waving the foil in Walltop: say "[You] slash through the empty air, defending the city from imaginary attackers." Instead of waving the foil in Open-Air: say "I would, but with the crowds around here [you][']d put someone's eye out." Instead of waving the foil: say "[You] feign a few attacks against no one." Understand "use [foil]" as waving. Understand "fight with [foil]" or "fence with [foil]" as waving. Understand "fence" as fencing. Fencing is an action applying to nothing. Check fencing: if the player does not carry the foil: say "There's an odd idea." instead. Carry out fencing: try waving the foil instead. The description of the flea is "It is speck-sized. But alive, I think. An unappealing thought." Every turn when the flea is visible: remove the flea from play; say "The flea jumps away. In search of a hospitable dog or cat, no doubt." The description of the frozen dinner is "It's microwavable three-cheese lasagna." A fuel is a contained fluid thing. The indefinite article is "some". The description is "It looks like a generic canister of unleaded gasoline." The scent-description is "volatile fumes". Understand "canister" or "unleaded" or "generic" or "canister of" as the fuel. Understand "gas" or "gasoline" or "petrol" as the fuel when the gas is not visible. The funded-tomcat is a cat. The printed name is "funded tomcat". Understand "funded" or "funded tomcat" as the funded-tomcat. Understand "tomcat" as the funded-tomcat when the tomcat is not visible. The description is "Like an ordinary tomcat, but very sleek and well-fed, with a diamond-studded collar." Sanity-check wearing the diamond-studded collar: say "It wouldn't fit." The funded-tomcat wears a diamond-studded collar. The description of the diamond-studded collar is "It would be worth a good bit, if it weren't for being fake. [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]Jewellers[otherwise]Jewelers[end if] do tend to check." Instead of taking the diamond-studded collar: say "[The funded-tomcat] hisses ferociously when [you] come near." The description of the gam is "It's a woman's leg, encased in a black silk stocking with a seam up the back." The scent-description is "sultry perfume". Understand "leg" or "stocking" or "silk" or "black" or "seam" as the gam. The garage is an enterable container. The heft of the garage is 8. The initial appearance of the garage is "A garage has sprung into being between two high-end boutiques." It is fixed in place. The description is "It is a small but well-furnished garage for minor tuneups and repairs[if the mechanic is in the garage]. It even comes with a mechanic: a surprising touch, since letter-removers are usually legally prevented from creating living persons, but sometimes there are glitches if the people are not created directly[end if][if every car is unseen]. Alas, however, it doesn't come with a car in residence[end if].". Instead of entering the garage: say "There's just room enough for the mechanic and his possessions. It's something of a garage/shack." A ranking rule for the garage: increase the description-rank of the garage by 80. The garage contains a fake alert man called a mechanic. The description of the mechanic is "I'm a little surprised that you were able to generate this guy, but he seems to have come as part of the implementation of the garage." A gas is a contained fluid thing. The indefinite article is "some". The description is "It looks like a generic canister of unleaded gasoline." The scent-description is "volatile fumes". Understand "canister" or "unleaded" or "generic" or "canister of" as the gas. Understand "fuel" as the gas when the fuel is not visible. The geas is an r-abstract thing. The description is "It is an enchantment of some sort. It is pictured as a balled-up net of dark strands, ready to capture and bind some victim to the caster's will." The scent-description is "smoke and cured leather". The description of the gem is "It's a [one of]bubble-gum pink[or]London blue[or]Swiss blue[or]yellow[sticky random] topaz, all faceted and ready to be set. Not a particularly high-end article, but you weren't concentrating too hard, and the materials weren't so great to start with." Understand "topaz" or "pink" or "bubble-gum" or "gum" as the gem. Understand "set [gem]" or "facet [gem]" as a mistake ("I don't have any training in the jeweler's arts."). The giant-pin is wearable. The description of the giant-pin is "An outsized plastic brooch, suitable only for circus performers and halloween costume-wearers. It features a giant letter A." The printed name of the giant-pin is "giant pin". Understand "giant" or "giant pin" as the giant-pin. Understand "pin" as the giant-pin when the pin is not visible. The giant-pint is a container. The printed name is "giant pint". Understand "giant pint" or "giant" as the giant-pint. Understand "pint" as the giant-pint when the pint is not visible. The description of the giant-pint is "There might seem to be some inherent contradiction about having a giant version of some standard measure: might as well say 'a very long inch' or 'an extra-heavy pound'. Nonetheless, popular imagination apparently construes GIANT PINT to mean an outsized beer stein. Beer not included." The gin is an edible contained fluid thing. The scent-description of the gin is "herbs and juniper". The description of the gin is "Though clear and inert, it gives off a dangerously heady whiff of alcohol." The indefinite article of the gin is "some". The gin-crock is an openable closed container. The description is "It's a sturdy jug with a stopper, suitable for containing the results of home distillery." The printed name of the gin-crock is "gin crock". Understand "gin crock" or "crock" as the gin-crock. Understand "gin" as the gin-crock when the gin is not visible. The heft of the gin-crock is 2. The scent-description is "alcohol". The description of the god is "A small, heavy metal figurine representing some pagan deity. He carries a bow and quiver, and looks prepared to use them." Understand "metal" or "small" or "heavy" or "figurine" or "bow" as the god. The heft of the god is 2. The description of the hackle is "A long feather, as from the neck of a giant bird." Understand "feather" or "quill" as hackle. A strand is privately-named. The description of a strand is "A single strand, about a foot long, of blonde hair." The heft of a strand is 1. The printed name of a strand is "hair". Understand "strand of" or "strand" or "hair" as a strand. Rule for printing the plural name of a strand: say "hairs". [Again, there is no gameplay reason whatever for the procedural element here, but it feels more in keeping with the rest of the game to have it this way than to use a static list.] The genre apron is a wearable thing. The description of the genre apron is "It is an ordinary apron, but lists across the front [i][genre-list][/i] and so on." To say genre-list: sort the table of genres in random order; repeat with index running from 1 to 8: if index is less than 5: choose row index in the table of genres; say "[noun entry] - "; otherwise if index is less than 7: let offset be a random number between 3 and index; decrease offset by 1; let old-index be index minus offset; choose row old-index in the table of genres; say "[one of][soft-adjective entry][or][adjective entry][at random] "; choose row index in the table of genres; say "[noun entry] - "; otherwise: let offset be a random number between 3 and index; decrease offset by 1; let old-index be index minus offset; choose row old-index in the table of genres; say "[soft-adjective entry] "; increase old-index by 1; choose row old-index in the table of genres; say "[adjective entry] "; choose row index in the table of genres; say "[noun entry] - "; Table of Genres noun adjective soft-adjective "romance" "[one of]wedding[or]true-love[at random]" "romantic" "erotica" "[one of]kink[or]fetish[or]soft-core[at random]" "[one of]sensual[or]erotic[or]pornographic[at random]" "mystery" "[one of]police-procedural[or]crime lab[or]medical-investigation[at random]" "[one of]forensic[or]suspenseful[at random]" "fantasy" "[one of]unicorn[or]druid[or]dwarf[or]dragon[or]wizard[or]elf[at random]" "[one of]pagan[or]magical[or]fantasy-based[at random]" "steampunk" "[one of]Babbage engine[or]airship[at random]" "[one of]steampunk[or]Victorian[at random]" "science fiction" "[one of]space[or]time-travel[or]nanobot[or]cyberpunk[at random]" "[one of]futuristic[or]high-technology[at random]" "[one of]thrillers[or]horror[at random]" "[one of]werewolf[or]vampire[or]paranormal[or]undead[or]zombie[or]ghost[at random]" "[one of]suspenseful[or]scary[at random]" "[one of]farce[or]comedy[or]satire[at random]" "[one of]clown[or]mime[or]slapstick[at random]" "[one of]satirical[or]parodic[or]comic[at random]" "cookbooks" "[one of]food-centric[or]cooking[at random]" "cook's own" "self-help" "[one of]pop-psych[or]therapeutic[or]guardian angel[at random]" "[one of]religious[or]inspirational[or]new age[at random]" "travel guides" "travel" "travelogue-style" "[one of]letter collections[or]biography[at random]" "epistolary" "epistolary" "choose your own adventure" "[one of]branching-narrative[or]choice-based[or]choose-your-own[at random]" "choice-based" "[one of]textbooks[or]nonfiction[at random]" "documentary" "[one of]illustrated[or]photo-illustrated[or]historically accurate[at random]" "[one of]literature[or]novels[or]short stories[or]novellas[or]anthologies[or]fiction[at random]" "[one of]modern[or]contemporary[or]urban[at random]" "[one of]surrealist[or]cosmopolitan[or]urban[or]dark[at random]" Test genres with "tutorial off / x apron / g / g / g / g / g" holding the genre apron. [and since we're making this anyway, we might as well add the capacity to reference genres elsewhere...] To say one-genre: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: choose a random row in the table of genres; say "[soft-adjective entry] "; if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: choose a random row in the table of genres; say "[adjective entry] "; choose a random row in the table of genres; say "[noun entry]"; The gilet is floppy and wearable. It covers the torso-area. The description is "A sleeveless padded jacket made of some sort of shiny army green nylon. Not my preferred look, to be honest." The heft of the gilet is 3. The description of the gilt is "It's a single very thin sheet of beaten gold, which seems to want to stick to everything it touches. Best be careful with it." The heft of the gilt is 0. The indefinite article is "some". A gimlet-drink is a contained fluid edible thing. The printed name of a gimlet-drink is "Gimlet". Understand "gimlet" or "cocktail" or "drink" or "beverage" as a gimlet-drink. The description of a gimlet-drink is "Lime juice, gin, and simple syrup: it's limeade with a difference." The description of a git is usually "His face is fixed in a permanent sneer." The greeting of a git is usually "'[one of]Oh, you is it?[or]You again?[or]Still with the face like a barn door, you,[or]Haven't you got someone else to annoy?[at random]' says the git unpleasantly." The grin is r-abstract. The description of the grin is "It hangs, smiling, in mid-air, with none of the Cheshire Cat to go with it." The description of the grit is "It's a small quantity of fine sand, the kind that might be used for grinding or polishing things." The indefinite article of the grit is "some". The hairband is wearable. It covers the head-area. The description is "It's blue, with felt flowers and rhinestones. I think it may be meant for a younger wearer than ourself." The hairpiece is wearable. It covers the head-area. The description is "A fairly natural-looking extension the col[our] of our own hair, attachable by comb. It [if worn]comes[otherwise]should come[end if] to about shoulder length on us." Sanity-check cutting the hairpiece: say "It's reasonably well-trimmed as it stands. I wouldn't trust myself to re-style it." instead. The harp limit is an r-abstract thing. The heft is 0. The description of the harp limit is "In its presence, no more than two pedal harps can be played (or a single double chromatic harp)." The hat is wearable. The description of the hat is "It's a top hat, but one that doesn't take itself quite seriously; the sort of hat used to conceal rabbits in magic shows." The scent-description of the hat is "damp felt". Every hat covers the head-area. The description of the hatband is "Grosgrain ribbon, dark purple, with a purple and silver rosette pinned to one side. It looks like it belongs to someone from a barbershop quartet." The scent-description of the hatband is "pomade". Sanity-check wearing the hatband: say "Setting aside the question of a suitable hat on which to wear it, this article is not exactly what one wears when trying to be inconspicuous." instead. The initial appearance of a hart is usually "A hart stands a few feet from you, looking at you intently. There is nowhere in the room to hide, though I suspect both you and the creature would be grateful to get away, just at the moment." The description of a hart is usually "It's rather frightening, since it plainly isn't tame, but it doesn't seem to have any immediate intent to rush at us." The hairstick is a wearable thing. It covers the head-area. The heft is 1. The description is "Formally indistinguishable from a chopstick, but intended to hold buns together and otherwise do exciting things with long hair. This would work better if we had two of them. This particular hairstick is stamped at the end with a tiny but ornate DCL sigil, which puzzles me for quite a while until I recollect that DCL used to (and for all I know still does) have a very active trade partner in Hong Kong." [Check wearing the wig when the player is wearing the hairstick: try taking off the hairstick; if the player is wearing the hairstick: stop the action. ] The heel is a thing. The description is "Calloused and leathery, a gruesome souvenir of years of unhappy shoe-wearing." Sanity-check digging in heel: say "Oh, I think we can both be stubborn when we have to." instead. The herds are an animal. The heft of the herds is 10. The description of the herds is "Cows, goats, and sheep, all mingled together and furious to be thus manifested without a shepherd." Every turn when the herds are in the location: say "Something spooks the herds [--] not surprising, as there is scarcely enough room here for them to move. The cows try to go one direction, the goats another, and we are dragged underhoof."; end the story saying "That was unwise". The ho is a woman. The description of the ho is "She looks to be in her mid-twenties and is wearing a tight, neon blue outfit that makes her look like a naked water nymph." The hod is long and strong. The description of the hod is "It's a three-sided box on a stick, for carrying bricks and mortar. It looks grubby and not especially convenient, but manual lab[our] isn't my area of expertise." The description of the hoe is "It's a common gardening implement, perhaps a little larger than usual." The description of the hooting owl concealer is "A cunningly made blanket designed to fit snugly over an owl, camouflaging it and silencing its calls. The outside of the blanket is painted with a pattern of pine branches, and the inside is quilted with a thick, sound-muffling insulation." The scent-description of the hooting owl concealer is "pine forests and snow". The hopping bag is an openable closed transparent container. The description is "A small bag made of fine mesh, used for dry hopping as part of the brewing process." The carrying capacity of the hopping bag is 2. Check inserting something into the hopping bag when the heft of the noun is greater than 1: say "[The noun] won't fit into such a small bag." instead. The description of the hoses is "There are at least a half-dozen of them, spraying water in every direction as though the concept of conservation had never been invented." Test hoses with "wave r-remover at fountain / wave r-remover at horses / get hoses / wave r-remover at horses / get hoses / x fountain / wave s-remover at hoses / x hoe / get hoe / x fountain / wave e-remover at hoe / x fountain / autoupgrade / wave e-remover at hoe / x fountain / get ho" in the Park Center. Some hot-pink-clan are a woman. The heft is 7. The printed name is "hot pink clan". Understand "hot" or "pink" or "clan" as the hot-pink-clan. The description is "A huddle of nearly-identical anime girls with hot pink hair. They are watching us with large eyes." The greeting of the hot-pink-clan is "'Hello!' 'Hi!' 'Greetings!' The clan choruses and giggles, and we can't pick who is who." The hurt is r-abstract. The heft of the hurt is 0. The description of the hurt is "It's an abstract depiction of hurt, currently represented by [one of]a bruise[or]a broken collar bone[or]a splinted finger[or]a torn ligament[at random]." Section 7 - I through L The printed name of a self-object is "I". Understand "I" as a self-object. The description of a self-object is "It's an abstract that looks like a bit of mirror. When I look at it I see Alex, my proper self, and not just restored to my usual body, but photo-retouched to be that bit smarter and freer of skin-blemishes, well-dressed. It's like looking in the mirror at reality as it should be. You doubtless see yourself too [--] as you are, or perhaps as you want to be." Rule for printing the plural name of a self-object: say "Is". The self-object is r-abstract. Test ibug with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / wave p-remover at pill / wave l-remover at ill / wave i-remover at I" holding the pill. The ice-wig japes are an r-abstract thing. The printed name is "ice wig japes". Understand "ice wig" as the ice-wig japes. The description is "It displays, in miniature, some kind of comedy routine involving a set of ice skaters passing back and forth a huge wig also made of solid ice, which they take it in turns to wear (no doubt uncomfortably) over their caps." Some ills are r-abstract. The description of ills is usually "They manifest as little balls of malevolence, like the critters that flew out of Pandora's box in a children's illustration." An ill is r-abstract. The description of an ill is usually "It manifests as a little ball of malevolence, like a palm-sized thundercloud. It looks like it's a generic item from phrases like 'to wish someone ill,' which is a mercy; I don't think I would have liked manifesting illness, even abstractly. Periodically it gains cartoonish eyes and eyebrows, and glowers at us." [Not actually in the repository at present — too easy?] An in-object is r-abstract. The printed name is "in". The description is usually "It represents the idea of having a connection or a way in to a normally closed institution. What my father would call networking and Slango would call nepotism, and my mother would have no name for at all because to her it is the normal way of the world everywhere. At the moment, this concept is embodied as a pair of abstract hands clasped in a handshake." The description of the inapt sign is "The sign reads WARNING: [one of]DO NOT CLIMB DOME DURING THUNDERSTORM[or]WATCH OUT FOR BEARS[or]CARS PARKED WITHOUT A STICKER WILL BE TOWED AT OWNER'S EXPENSE[or]MUSHROOMS MAY BE POISONOUS[at random]." The inapt sin is r-abstract. The heft of the inapt sin is 0. The description of the inapt sin is "It displays a very puritanical man praying on a street corner: the sin of spiritual pride, perhaps." The inapt tint is r-abstract. The description of the inapt tint is "The tint hovers in the air, a translucent vibrating cloud, and always manages to take on just the col[our] that will most disagree with its background." An ink is usually contained and fluid. The indefinite article is "some". The description is usually "It's a blue-black ink derived from squid or cuttlefish, in a small bottle." Understand "write [text] with [ink]" as a mistake ("Ink like this requires the right kind of pen; we neither have nor need such a thing."). The infertile astrologer is a woman. The description of the infertile astrologer is "She's a woman with long grey hair, well past menopause." Understand "woman" as the infertile astrologer. The greeting of the infertile astrologer is "'This meeting was predicted in the stars,' the astrologer informs us." Every turn when the infertile astrologer is in the location: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[one of]'Mercury is in retrograde,' comments the astrologer. 'Expect disordered communications.'[or]The astrologer looks at us. 'Gemini, am I right?'[or]'Today is a day of revelation,' announces the astrologer.[or]'We concern ourselves with the colonial tents,' the astrologer admits.[in random order]". The printed name of the intaglio-pins is "intaglio pins". Understand "intaglio" or "pins" or "pin" as the intaglio-pins. The intaglio-pins are wearable. The description of the intaglio-pins is "A collection of crystal pins, with cameos of great figures carved into the backs of the crystal to give the impression (from the front) of a bust in low relief. They look like elegant antiques, if not worth a hundredth the value of the paintings." The printed name of the intaglio-pin is "intaglio pin". Understand "intaglio" or "pin" as the intaglio-pin. The intaglio-pin is wearable. The description of the intaglio-pin is "A single crystal pin, with a cameo of Jon Rosehip carved into the backs of the crystal to give the impression (from the front) of a bust in low relief." The printed name of the intaglio-pint is "intaglio pint". Understand "intaglio" or "pint" as the intaglio-pint. The intaglio-pint is a container. The description of the intaglio-pint is "A crystal pint glass etched with the face of famous Atlanteans. It is the sort of thing you can by at a souvenir shop if you have a lot more money than sense." The indefinite article of the ire is "some". The description of the ire is "It manifests as a jaggy haze, through which [you] can see images of [one of]the triplicate Bureau paperwork required to dig foundations for any new building (requiring firm proof that no unwelcome archaeological discoveries will result)[or]the price tag on a bottle of Russian vodka around here[or]a postcard from traveling friends, in which the Bureau has carefully black-inked out everything except the photo[at random].". The ire is r-abstract. Rule for clarifying the parser's choice of the it-object: do nothing instead. The printed name of an it-object is "it". Understand "it" or "pronoun" as an it-object. The description of an it-object is "It's itself. It. The epitome of itness. Philosophers would pay millions." An it-object is r-abstract. When play begins: let target be a random it-object; let second target be a random tit; move target to repository; move second target to repository. [This should guarantee tit/it toggles frequently.] The jack is a long strong thing. The description is "A heavy-duty jack, suitable for raising cars or other substantial objects." [add: use jack on portcullis, put jack under portcullis, jack portcullis, raise portcullis with jack, raise portcullis] The jackass is a man. The description is "He's a middle-aged fellow with a yellowing smile. His eyes are unfriendly, and he's looking us over very suspiciously. Taking the least charitable possible view of everyone else's motives, then going off on offensive rants: that'll be his personal specialty." The greeting of the jackass is "'Suppose you brought me here to hit me up for money,' says the jackass sourly. 'Might've known.'" The jigsaw is a device. Understand "tool" as the jigsaw. The description is "It's a portable power saw with the ability to slice right through wood or plastic. Dewalt cordless, if you're interested, with a massive battery." Carry out switching on the jigsaw: now the jigsaw is noisy. Carry out switching off the jigsaw: now the jigsaw is not noisy. Instead of listening to the jigsaw when the jigsaw is switched on: say "There is a continuous angry whine from the jigsaw." Test jigbug with "tutorial off / unmonkey / w / turn on jigsaw / w / drop jigsaw / w" holding the jigsaw and the keycard in the Johnson Basement. The jigsaw-piece is a thing. Understand "jigsaw piece" or "jigsaw" or "piece" as the jigsaw-piece. The printed name is "jigsaw piece". The description is "A single mislaid piece from a jigsaw puzzle. It shows part of a woman's face contorted with strong emotion." The keycard is a passkey. It unlocks the small door. The description is "An electronic pass card with a powerful-looking stripe down the back side." Understand "electronic" and "card" and "powerful-looking" and "stripe" and "powerful" as the keycard. The heft of the keycard is 1. Carry out taking the keycard: record "acquiring a keycard" as achieved. The key-lime is an edible thing. The printed name is "key lime". Understand "key" or "lime" as the key-lime. The description is "One of those small, extra-flavorful limes used as a flavor for pie." The scent-description is "sharp and citrusy". The flavor-description is "The outer layer of skin tastes a little bit sharp, but most of the flavor is locked inside.". Instead of squeezing the key-lime: say "It is firm and juicy, but not squishy. Not over the hill yet." The keyring is a supporter. The heft is 1. The description is "It's a souvenir keychain. The tag is printed with the outline of Anglophone Atlantis, and reads: 'Atlantis: Friendly to Business - Friendly to Life.'" Instead of putting something which is not the gel on the keyring: say "Only keys can really be attached." The kind ladies are a plural-named woman. The description of the kind ladies is "They appear extremely earnest and helpful [--] some maternal, others more like that well-meaning aunt who is always asking if you need help with things because she really hasn't got anything to do at home." The greeting of the kind ladies is "They look at us and wave, regal little waves." The kudu is an animal. The description of the kudu is "It's a creature like an antelope, with tall, twisting horns and a little white tuft of beard." Every turn when the kudu is visible and the kudu is in the location: say "The kudu looks at us cleverly for a moment and then bounds away."; remove the kudu from play. The heft of the lab-thing is 10. The description of the lab-thing is "A full-sized scientific research laboratory, one of the many owned by Dental Consonants Limited." The printed name of the lab-thing is "lab". Understand "lab" or "laboratory" as the lab-thing. The lam is r-abstract. The description of the lam is "The abstract image of being on the lam. A pair of leg-irons lies discarded on the ground. A man runs through the woods. A marshall organizes a team to follow him. There's a sequence involving a chase through sewers and another involving some fake identification. It all feels a little familiar for comfort." The lamb is an animal. The description of the lamb is "He is white and fluffy, with a surprisingly long tail." The heft of the lamb is 3. The description of the lamb-granulate is "One small nodule of dried concentrated lamb substance." The printed name of the lamb-granulate is "lamb granulate". Understand "granulate" as the lamb-granulate. Understand "lamb" as the lamb-granulate when the lamb is not visible. The lap is r-abstract. It is an enterable supporter. It is portable. The description of the lap is "Reified rather non-specifically as 'something to sit on,' it comes out looking like an especially comfortable seat." The lappet is a wearable thing. The description of the lappet is "A sort of collar with long droopy flaps, like women wear in very old photos." The larger-pin is a wearable thing. The heft of the larger-pin is 2. The printed name is "larger pin". Understand "larger" or "larger pin" as the larger-pin. Understand "pin" as the larger-pin when the player cannot see the pin. The description is "It's a clunky, substantial piece of costume jewelry, made of brassy metal and enamel, ca. 1958. It depicts the letter T inset in a turning gear. At the bottom is the motto 'DCL WIFE.'" The lass is a woman. The description of a lass is "She is dressed like a peasant and looks Scottish, but cheerful. She is not especially wee, but I suppose she answers to bonny." The greeting of the lass is "She says hello in her most Scottish possible accent." The description of the leaf is "An outsized tapering metal leaf from the olive branch of the statue of Atlantida. If the edges were sharper, it would resemble a curved dagger blade from some nomadic culture.". The heft of the leaf is 2. The leaf is long and strong. The leap is r-abstract. The description is "A slightly fuzzy moving image of a ballerina performing the final grand leap from 'The Builders of Babel,' right before the lightning strikes." The description of the lease is "A contract describing the terms of rental for some waterfront property east of the docks. Apparently large portions of this land are owned by the Bureau and leased out as long as no one digs there deeper than ten feet." The description of the leases is "A sheaf of paperwork that might have come from any realtor on the island, detailing terms for six-month, one-year, or two-year contracts for various homes and office buildings." Understand "paperwork" as the leases. The description of the lee is "It is the sheltered place beside a wall, or under a rock, or in the shadow of a tree: a place where the sun is not too hot, the rain not too driving, the wind not too strong. On its own, without any wall, rock, or tree, the lee is a pathetic-looking object, but nonetheless useful." A lee is enterable and open. A lee is not openable. A lee is r-abstract. The flexible appearance of the lee is "The lee is only discernable as a kind of shadow and stillness of the air, but it is definitely here. ". Report dropping the lee: say "[You] set up the lee against the nearest wall." instead. Rule for describing the interior of the lee: say "From inside the lee, all the noises around us are slightly hushed, and the air close to body temperature." The description of a leer is "It is a good-hum[our]ed, slightly-drunk kind of leer, but it's unmistakable." The leer is r-abstract. Instead of giving or showing the leer to a woman: say "[one of][The second noun] looks very far from interested.[or]'In your dreams,' mutters [the second noun].[at random]". Instead of giving or showing the leer to a man: say "Somehow the effect just doesn't work." The description of the legend is "This legend has been edited from its original form, replacing the words like HOSPITAL and RESTROOM with other, hand-written labels: INVITE, GOT, 11, OUT, T-INSERTER, etc. By arranging the words of the legend in the order in which the icons appear along the main street, we arrive at GOT INVITE T-INSERTER DEMONSTRATION. OUT 11 AM." The introduction of the legend is "Of course, it's already long past 11 AM, so Brock's plan clearly went wrong. If we're going to go after him, we'll have to go to the T-inserter demonstration ourselves. The catch is that, as dangerous new technology, it's held inside the Bureau and requires a special invitation to enter. I think I know where we can get one, though. My advisor Professor Waterstone [--] that's the person overseeing my graduate research [--] was also invited to this demonstration. We might be able to get his[advance-goals]." To say advance-goals: complete "Homonym-paddle the legend into the other kind of legend"; assign "Speak to Professor Waterstone and get his invitation to see the T-inserter" at Waterstone's Office; assign "Gain entrance to the Bureau" at Rotunda; assign "Find Brock" at Sensitive Equipment Testing Room; To say figure-out-legend: complete "Trace Brock's movements at the antique shop"; assign "Homonym-paddle the legend into the other kind of legend" at Drinks Club. The lie is r-abstract. The description of the lie is "It changes from moment to moment. Currently it reads: [line break][relevant lie][if rule succeeded][one of][paragraph break]Hm. Awkward item, isn't it? Make a nice conversation piece for the home. Set it on the mantelpiece and watch it gossip about your guests.[or][stopping][otherwise][one of][paragraph break]Not very inventive of it.[or][stopping][end if]" [Originally there were a bunch of other randomized lies that said untrue things about the world model. But these were not really as entertaining as the pointed, custom-rolled lies, so eventually I deleted the others.] To say relevant lie: say italic type; say "[one of]This mission is going without a hitch[or]The two of you are very well-suited co-conspirators[or]Alex has no qualms about Andra's moral [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]fibre[otherwise]fiber[end if][or]Andra is absolutely not thinking of stabbing Alex in the back later[or]Brock has no feelings for Andra[or]Slango is a wise and harmless father-figure[or]Andra misses her parents[or]There won't be any difficulty in separating you two later[or]Person-synthesis is completely safe[or]I am carried by a sensible person[or]You wouldn't ever believe any of the things I say[or]You will definitely get away with this[at random].[no line break]"; say roman type; rule succeeds. The printed name of the lime-powder is "lime". Understand "powder" or "lime" as the lime-powder. The description of the lime-powder is "A heap of dry chalky powder." The indefinite article of the lime-powder is "some". Some litotes are an r-abstract thing. The description is "A not unimpressive figure of speech." Sanity-check smelling litotes: say "The litotes is not unfree of scent." instead. Sanity-check drinking litotes: say "Litotes is not unlike a gas or form of air." instead. Sanity-check attacking litotes: say "Fine. Litotes is a wordy rhetorical structure and can come off sounding over-fancy." instead. The description of the live branch is "A substantial branch torn from some living tree. The leaves are green, delicate and tapering." The loaf is edible. The description of the loaf is "Fancy white bread with caraway seeds in." The louse is an insect. The heft of the louse is 1. Understand "lice" as the louse. The description of the louse is "Ick." Section 8 - M through O The description of the mag is "It's a glossy magazine for photography enthusiasts on the island. There's a several page spread of tilt-shift images of the harbor, making it all look like a child's toy set." Understand "magazine" as the mag. The description of the mall figurine is "It's a painted porcelain representation of a shopping mall. Delicate brushwork delineates the spaces in the parking lot, and the pharmacy sign has been modeled with special care." The mall figurine is fixed in place. Sanity-check taking the mall figurine: say "Look, it's bad enough we've transformed Higgate's fav[our]ite figurines without then stealing them." instead. The mare is a female animal. The description of the mare is "She's a handsome creature, black all over, and with a long mane. She seems to belong to a novel for young girls, or possibly a music video." The description of the mart is "One of those small markets selling mostly convenience foods and things that don't spoil quickly." The heft of a mart is 12. The description of a mat is "A woven jute mat, the kind people leave outside their doors for cleaning your shoes. It's got a traditional border pattern of chard leaves and curling waves running around the outside." Matt is a man. The description of Matt is "He's tall and lanky, apparently in his early thirties, casually dressed." Mary is a woman. The description is "She's wearing a blue robe and a beatific expression." The description of a May is usually "This is the sheet for the month of May, torn from a calendar. Someone has put a gold star on the 21st, and 'Dinner with the Shaplys' is penciled onto the 30th." The heft of the May is usually 1. Meg is a woman. The description of Meg is "She's in her mid-sixties, with salt-and-pepper hair and a dry, rather sardonic smile." The description of the member is "It is a figure of a member of the Committee to Establish an Orthodox Orthography. It is plastic, small enough to sit on our palm, and wears the stiff clothing and conservative hairstyle of about 1895. It looks slightly cross, as though the member has guessed its work would take another 15 years to complete." The alterna-members are a naughty-sounding r-abstract thing. The printed name is "members". Understand "members" as the alterna-members. The description is "A group of floating green numbers, currently [a random number between 1 and 30], [a random number between 31 and 70], and [a random number between 71 and 100]: perhaps members of the set of integers, then?" The alterna-member is a naughty-sounding r-abstract thing. The printed name is "member". Understand "member" as the alterna-member. The description is "A floating green number, currently [a random number between 1 and 50]: perhaps a member of the set of integers, then?" The mile is r-abstract. The description of the mile is "It's odd: it doesn't look like anything, exactly, and moreover, it isn't even precisely [i]here[/i]. It's more as though we had an invisible mile-long measuring pole, extending from here into the far distance. The other end is not identifiable from here." The mileage is r-abstract. The description of the mileage is "The mileage number stands at [car-mileage]." The car-mileage is a number that varies. Carry out going by a car: increase the car-mileage by 1. The mirth pail is a container. The description is "A gleaming metal pail with a yellow smily face painted on the side. Just occasionally something like the sound of laughter issues from it." The scent-description of the mirth pail is "steel and daffodils". The mirth pail is noisy. Check inserting something which is not the grin into the mirth pail: say "The mirth pail rejects [the noun]. Not funny enough, apparently." instead. Report inserting the grin into the mirth pail: say "The grin grows, if anything, broader as we set it down in its new home. "; try listening to the mirth pail instead. Instead of listening to the mirth pail: say "[one of]There's a disconcerting chuckle[or]The pail laughs uproariously[or]The pail giggles[or]Snickers come out of the pail[at random]." The description of the modem is "It is just a single instance of the same sort of modem." The monk corpse bonnet is a wearable thing. It covers the head-area. The description is "It's a pioneer-styled lady's bonnet, except that the cloth is patterned all over with images of hanged monks, their tongues lolling out." The morning dress is a thing. It is floppy and wearable. The description is "An outfit of striped trousers and fancy coat, such as men sometimes wear to fancy weddings in the morning." After waving the letter-remover at something creating the morning dress: now the morning dress is part of the clothing shop; continue the action. The description of the mote is "Almost invisible, almost lost.". The heft of the mote is 0. The description of the motes is "A stream of dust, as one sometimes sees caught in a shaft of sun.". The heft of the motes is 0. The description of the motet is "It's some sort of choral piece. I can't identify it; but then I don't think Atlantis is long on music of this kind, and most of the foreign-language musical forms are carefully restricted on the island. Hard to become a Bach expert around here.". The motet is noisy. Understand "music" as the motet. The description of the motets is "The music sounds like many people singing many different things at once.". The motets are noisy. Understand "music" as motets. The motte is a supporter. The description of the motte is "Fortunately it has come in small model form rather than in full size. The motte is a substantial artificial hill, which would have been part of an early style of fortification. Artificial grass covers the mound." Understand "artificial grass" or "model" or "grass" as the motte. Report putting the army on the motte: say "[You] arrange the army around the motte in position to storm up the sides of the hill. It looks wrong, of course, because the motte belongs to medieval castle construction and the army is decorated for the late 19th, but this wouldn't trouble a small child, and we mustn't be deterred by it either." instead. The mottes are a supporter. The heft of the mottes is 4. The description of the mottes is "A model of several artificial hills used for fortification. It looks like part of a children's toy-soldier set, but the other pieces are not included. Artificial grass covers the imaginary mounds." Understand "artificial grass" or "model" or "grass" as the mottes. Report putting the army on the mottes: say "[You] arrange the army around the mottes in position to storm up the sides of the most significant hill. It looks wrong, of course, because the motte belongs to medieval castle construction and the army is decorated for the late 19th, but this wouldn't trouble a small child, and we mustn't be deterred by it either." instead. [In releases 1 and 2, there was an MRA, a men's rights activist, resulting from reversing the arm. But its description in retrospect seemed more mean-spirited than funny, and also not a very good fit for the story. So I took it out.] The mu is an illegal r-abstract thing. The description is "μ. Just the letter, but that's a dangerous thing around here." The mug is a container. The heft of the mug is 2. The carrying capacity of the mug is 1. The description of the mug is "It's a super-sized black mug with 'TEA INSERTION GROUP' on the side in crisp white letters. Must be an employee gift over at Dental Consonants Limited." Check inserting something into the mug when the heft of the noun is greater than 1: say "[The noun] [is-are] too large to fit inside the mug." instead. The multiple dropkick cancan is a noisy r-abstract thing. The description is "Legs. Kicking. Wild skirling music. Skirts. Rugby balls. Fragile objects. It's awfully frenetic. Left to itself it would do massive property damage.". Instead of listening to the multiple dropkick cancan: say "[one of]The music of the multiple dropkick cancan starts out reasonably tame[or]The tempo of the multiple dropkick cancan is increasing[or]The multiple dropkick cancan emits a sound of crashing and banging in time to the music[or]Faster and faster the multiple dropkick cancan whirls through its tune[or]The multiple dropkick cancan ends with the sound of dozens of legs kicking dozens of fragile objects across dozens of Parisian night-clubs[or]From the multiple dropkick cancan comes a moment of silence[cycling]." Mut is an r-abstract woman. The description is "She has the kohl-lined eyes and deep black hair of an Egyptian goddess; and if we look at her from the corner of the eye, we see not a woman, but a great white vulture, the mother of Egypt, the primordial force from which all else was made." The greeting of Mut is "She says something, but it comes out as much like bird cry as anything else." The mutt is an animal. The heft of the mutt is 3. The description is "It's a dog of no particular breed, covered in scruffy brown fur, slightly larger than the average Scotty dog." The description of the mutual punch is "It's a very heavy, industrial hole punch, something from a 1950s office, for drilling through multiple pieces of paper at once." Sanity-check inserting something into the mutual punch: if the noun is a notepad or the noun is a ream: try punching the noun instead; else: say "[The noun] will not slide into the punch." instead. Punching is an action applying to one thing. Understand "punch [something]" as punching when the mutual punch is visible. Sanity-check punching something: unless the noun is a notepad or the noun is a ream: say "[The noun] will not slide into the punch." instead. Report punching something: say "[The mutual punch] drives a small, tidy hole through [the noun]." instead. Test punching with "tutorial off / punch me / load gun / shoot punch / punch me / punch jotter / wave p-remover at the preamps / wave s-remover at the reams / put ream in punch" in the Equipment Archive holding the anagramming gun and the bullets and the jotter and the preamps. The nap is a thing. The heft of the nap is 1. The description is "It's a wad of fuzz from cloth [--] similar to lint." The description of a net is usually "A modest-sized net with a fine mesh, suitable for removing tropical fish from a tank." The description of the nib is "Just the very end of an expensive fountain pen, the sort of thing important men used a hundred years ago. Something much like this must have been used on all those notes that went into composing the New Orthodox Othography." The description of a nit is "A little black dot almost too small to see. It'll be gone if we're not careful." The heft of the nit is 1. The description of nitrate is "It's a soluble white powder and it smells funny, ammonia-like.". The indefinite article is "some". The noted drum act is a noisy woman. The description of the noted drum act is "[if the drum kit is part of the noted drum act]The drummer has manifested along with her drum kit, all as some kind of unified construction[else]The drummer, deprived of her kit, is now standing around looking sullen and antisocial[end if]." The drum kit is part of the noted drum act. The drum kit is an instrument. Understand "cymbals" or "high hat" or "drums" as the drum kit. The description of the drum kit is "There's at least one of every kind of drum I know of. I should add that I'm not an expert in drums." A dangerous destruction rule for the drum kit: now the noted drum act is not noisy. Instead of listening to the noted drum act when the drum kit is part of the noted drum act: say "[The noted drum act] [one of]offers an all-rhythm rendition of the opening to Beethoven's Fifth[or]beats a tattoo on the cymbals[or]makes startlingly inventive use of the high hat[at random]." The description of the noted drum fact is "A half sheet of cream-col[our]ed printer paper on which someone has written, '[one of]A drum is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibration[or]Drums come in many shapes and sizes[or]A membranophone is a musical instrument whose sound comes from a vibrating stretched skin or membrane[or]The Blue Island Marching Band plays snare drums, tenor drums, and bass drums[at random].'" The oaf is a man. The description of the oaf is "Great, blundering, with a big red nose and fists like hams." The description of the oar is "It's a light sort of oar, almost a paddle. Still probably not the ideal thing for use with a kayak, but it'll do." The oar is long. The oar is strong. The heft of the oar is 2. The scent-description of the oar is "brine and wet wood". The description of the oat is "A single dry cut oat." The heft of the oat is 1. Instead of eating the oat: say "It's just one grain; not exactly a meal, even if I were feeling inclined to eat something right now." The oboe is an instrument. The description of the oboe is "It's a reed instrument with a lot of metal hardware outside. Neither of us has ever learned to play, so lack the expertise to say whether it's a good or bad version of the instrument." Understand "instrument" or "reed" or "hardware" as the oboe. Report performing something on the oboe: say "Untrained as we are, all [you] get to come out of the oboe is an embarrassing duck-blatt." instead. Report improvising the topic understood on the oboe: say "Untrained as we are, all [you] get to come out of the oboe is an embarrassing duck-blatt." instead. Understand "blow [oboe]" as performing vaguely on. Test oboe with "hard mode / y / tutorial off / load gun / look / open station / get balm / shoot balm / put lamb in bucket / x oboe / blow oboe / play oboe / play music on oboe / play chopsticks on oboe" in the generator room holding the anagramming gun and the bullets. The description of the ode is "A short poem, letter-pressed attractively on a sheet of thick paper. It is entitled 'Our Ancestors, The Immortal Spirits of the Pyramids,' a fact which disinclines me to study the rest." Understand "poem" as the ode. The scent-description of the ode is "paper". Instead of searching the ode: say "A quick survey of the first verse reveals two metrical errors and a very dodgy rhyme of 'Ra' and 'car.'" Instead of listening to the ode: say "It is mercifully silent. I don't think reading it aloud would improve my opinion of the thing." Instead of frowning at or laughing at the ode: say "Yes, I share your critical sentiments exactly." Instead of smiling at the ode: say "[You] smile derisively." The description of the odes-book is "A slender volume of poetry, bound between red covers. It looks completely harmless and is written in English. The blurb on the back describes it as a 'collection of meditations' on Atlantis['] imaginary roots, which is to say, a lot of stuff about magic-wielding Phoenicians, Knights Templar, refugees from the Tower of Babel, space aliens, cabalistic mysticism, and Lully's combinatorics[one of]. It fits in perfectly with the rest of Lena's selection. Really amazing work. I've seen other people who were able to do impressive things with local field distortions [--] think hard enough and you can prejudice the outcome of a linguistic transition. But this... this is detail work like I haven't seen. My hat is off. Or would be if I were wearing a hat and taking it off didn't mean making you take it off too[or][stopping]." The scent-description of the odes-book is "old book". The odes-book is plural-named. Understand "poems" or "poetry" or "book" as the odes-book. The odes-book is a book. The contents of the odes-book is the Table of Poem Listing. The printed name of odes-book is "odes". Understand "book" or "odes" as the odes-book. Table of Poem Listing topic reply "magic" or "magic-wielding" or "Phoenicians" "The poet sees the invention of the alphabet as a magical feat, one that somehow tied in with navigation abilities and the capacity to read the stars. Thanks to these twin magical abilities (apparently), the Phoenicians were able to reach the shores of Atlantis." "knights" or "templar" or "knights templar" "I'm not quite sure, because the language is deliberately obscure, but I think it's meant as an indictment of religious avocation. But I'm not sure. It could mean just the opposite. There's a lot about shining arm[our] and metal and crosses and red and white." "refugees/refugee" or "tower of babel" or "tower" or "babel" or "from" or "refugee/refugees from the tower of babel" or "refugee/refugees from tower of babel" or "refugee/refugees from the tower" or "refugee/refugees from tower" or "refugee/refugees from babel" "Briefly explores the conceit that a few possessors of the true original language of the world escaped to Atlantis after the wreck of the Tower of Babel." "space" or "aliens/alien" or "space alien/aliens" or "extraterrestrials" or "UFO/UFOs" "I'm not sure the poet of this one was taking the task entirely seriously, because he suggests that UFOs landed in Atlantis and imbued the population with pseudo-telepathic abilities through a form of genetically modified chard." "cabalistic mysticism" or "cabal" or "cabalism" or "mysticism" "A long poem about golems and false things. I think it's meant for a warning about the result of calling abstracts to life." "lully" or "lully's" or "combinatorics" or "combinatoric" "Clever, strange, angular verse about the visions of Lully and the idea that all things could be constructed via a sequence of signs. The idea is that the universe was made by language, not vice versa." The description of the officer is "A single, irate-looking officer." The printed name of the offices-thing is "offices". The description of the offices-thing is "A whole configuration of cubicles: it's come out as small as possible and yet still takes up a substantial amount of space. It's frankly surprising that it didn't squash anyone." The heft of the Ohio is 20. The description of the Ohio is "All I get is a confused impression of factories and battleground politics before the whole thing comes crashing down on us." The description of an oil is "A can of what appears to be motor oil. It is sludgy and black." The indefinite article of the oil is "some". The scent-description of an oil is "mechanics and the summer time". The printed name of an oil is "oil". Understand "oil" or "can" or "motor oil" as oil. Understand "cans" as the plural of oil. Oil is fluid and contained. Rule for printing the plural name of oil: say "cans of oil". Instead of tasting oil: say "Once again, your ideas disturb me." The description of the oil-painting is "Just one painting, but a very valuable one nonetheless, showing Ms Shaply as a young woman." Understand "oil" or "painting" as the oil-painting. The printed name of the oil-painting is "oil painting". The orc is a man. Understand "grunk" as the orc. The description of the orc is "He's dressed in the traditional smelly pants of an orcish pig farmer." The greeting of the orc is "'Orc happy to meet stranger,' says the orc." The description of the orc-swords is "A heap of junky plastic fantasy swords, too flimsy to support even the most basic roleplaying purposes. Possibly they're a souvenir of some sort?" The heft of the orc-swords is 6. The printed name of the orc-swords is "orc swords". The orc-word is noisy. The printed name of the orc-word is "orc word". Understand "orc" or "word" as the orc-word. The description of the orc-word is "Something snarling and full of hard consonants. I think this must be from someone's constructed language, and whatever it is bears a resemblance to Klingon." The heft of the ore is 3. The description of the ore is "A quantity of rough-hewn, rusty-col[our]ed rocks. Looks like we wound up with iron ore rather than anything more valuable." Understand "iron" or "rusty" or "rocks" or "rough-hewn" or "rusty-colored" or "rusty-coloured" as the ore. An otter is an animal. The description is "Sleek, black, whiskered, and somewhat out of place on dry land." The scent-description is "fish and sea air". Every turn: if the otter can see sea-view and the otter is in the location: remove the otter from play; say "The otter notices the proximity of watery freedom and makes a break for it. Your last glimpse is of a sleek black head bobbing among the waves." The description of the oyster turd is "Gross. Well, it's actually just a sort of slimy stuff, and there's not a lot of it, as oysters are small and have simple digestive systems. But still, not what you'd put into a glossy brochure touting the miracles of letter manipulation." The heft of the Oz is 20. The description of the Oz is "Look, we've got ourselves a shiny new Australia. It's pretty large, though, isn't it?" Section 9 - Pa The description of a pa is "He's a Norman Rockwell figure: gruff, upstanding, honest, not a big talker. Doesn't actually come with a child attached, but it stands to reason he would have a large-ish brood of them." Understand "figure" or "man" or "guy" or "gentleman" as the pa. The scent-description of a pa is "shaving cream". The greeting of a pa is "'Hello there, young lady,' says the pa." Rule for writing a paragraph about a pa: say "The pa you summoned is standing nearby, looking slightly confused." Instead of asking a pa about something, try telling the noun about it. Instead of telling a pa about something: say "'Huh,' he says, in that gruff pre-occupied way of his." Instead of kissing the pa: say "[one of][You] plant a kiss on his slightly stubbled cheek. He reddens.[or][You] lean in for another, but he dodges.[or]Would you take off[ense] if I mentioned I find this all a bit uncomfortable?[or]He clearly does not want our girlish affections.[stopping]". Instead of attacking the pa: say "If it came to a fight, he would win." Every turn when the player carries a pa (called target): move the target to the location; say "[The target] is very heavy, and winds up (before his transformation is complete) stepping on our feet, and then scrambling away (with apologies)." [The description of the paint is "Bright blue paint, of the house-painting variety and not the thicker, more controllable kind used for art." The indefinite article is "some". ] [Some pain is an r-abstract thing. The description is "It looks like the edge of a knife one moment, and the next like the red-hot element of an electric stove, and the next like a blunt object." Instead of smelling the pain: say "It has the smell of burnt flesh." Instead of touching the pain: say "It is searing, but only for a moment."] The page-person is a man. The printed name is "page". Understand "page" as the page-person. The description is "A boy dressed in livery and a foolish bowl-shaped haircut." The greeting of the page-person is "The page bows to us obediently." The description of the painting is "The painting shows Atlantida in a pose parodying the Mona Lisa: arms folded, mouth very faintly smiling. But her expression, far from being enigmatic or tranquil, is an alarming glare, and her eyes follow wherever [we] go." The pal is a man. The description of the pal is "Our [pal] smiles back at us with friendly, boyish affection. There are whole summers' worth of innocence in that grin. [one of]Did you ever have a best friend, growing up? I didn't, really. I was more of a loner. But I liked that, I think.[or][stopping]". The greeting of the pal is "'Hey!' says the pal enthusiastically. 'You're here!'" The i-pan is a container. The description of the i-pan is "An [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]omelette[otherwise]omelet[end if]-sized skillet in cast iron." The printed name is "pan". Understand "pan" or "skillet" or "flat" or "cast" or "iron" as the i-pan. The heft of the i-pan is 3. Some iron-pans are a plural-named container. The description of the iron-pans is "A set of flat skillets in cast iron: extremely bulky and heavy." The heft of the iron-pans is 5. The printed name is "pans". Understand "pan" or "skillet" or "flat" or "cast" or "iron" or "pans" as the iron-pans. Report involuntarily-dropping the iron-pans: say "[You] can't reasonably carry the whole stack of pans, so they fall to the ground with a dramatic crash." instead. The pant is an r-abstract thing. The description of the pant is "The physical embodiment of a rapid breath of hot air. It looks like a cloud in your hand." Some pants are a thing. The description of the pants is "They're khaki pants of a sexless, ageless variety." The pants are floppy and wearable. The pants cover the legs-area. Instead of putting restoration gel on the pants when the player wears the pants: say "That might have some odd effects given that the pants are currently on our body." The papa is a man. The description of the papa is "Like a pa, only longer ago: not Norman Rockwell, but a Victorian Papa, with lots of facial hair and a round stomach." The greeting of the papa is "'Well, well, bless me,' says the papa. 'Look who's here.'" The scent-description of a papa is "pipe smoke". The papas are a man. The description of the papas is "A whole fatherly fleet, talking gravely and seriously among themselves about Gladstone and tobacco and the price of keeping a carriage these days." The scent-description of the papas is "pipe smoke". The greeting of the papas is "'Good to see you, my dear,' says one of the papas. 'But I doubt our conversation can interest you.' And he turns back to one of the others, speaking in a hushed voice of [one of]Disraeli[or]Mrs Brown[or]those scandalous deaths in Whitechapel[or]the installation of the underground trains[at random]." The paper is a notepad. The description of the paper is "It contains a memo, dated to May of 1983. 'Attention,' it says. 'Due to subversive counter-propaganda altering the abstract concept, Subject A must NO LONGER BE GELLED AFTER USE, since reconstructing her may produce anomalous results. She will from now on be housed in a continuous living state in the historic apartments.'" The allowed-pens of the paper is { pens, pen }. The scent-description of the paper is "purple ink". The description of the paper-model is "There's now just one model of the New Church remaining, but it's a doozy, with card stock pews and interior decor to assemble before you get to the outside portion." The printed name of the paper-model is "paper model". Understand "model" or "paper model" as the paper-model. The description of the pastel bras is "They're pale pink with mint-col[our]ed straps, AA sized, and have tween girl's first foundation garment written all over them." The pastel bras are wearable. They cover the torso-area. Sanity-check wearing the pastel bras: say "Please. I think we're a little more shapely than that." instead. The patching roll is a long floppy thing. The description is "It's an industrial quantity of thin denim with a white backing. This stuff can be cut into pieces and ironed onto jeans and jackets to cover up rips." The printed name of the patsy-woman is "woman". Understand "woman" as the patsy-woman. The description of the patsy-woman is "She looks timid and thoughtful, on her way to middle age, not extraordinary in any particular way. Certainly she doesn't look as you might imagine a criminal to look." The description of the par is "Rather weakly represented by a golfing score-card, filled out." Understand "score" or "card" or "score-card" as the par. The par is r-abstract. The description of the part is "It is made of dull grey metal, with an octagonal shape at one end and a hole for a screw or bolt at the other. I have no idea what it goes with. It might be a plumber's part, or a part for a car, or something else entirely.". The scent-description of the part is "metal". The description of the pass is "A Bureau of Orthography visiting pass, a very valuable commodity in these parts. Forging one is grounds for imprisonment. There is a picture on the front that looks more or less like us, though with considerably more hair." The description of the passcard is "A variant of a passport: it has an image on the front that looks more or less like us, though with more hair, and the stripe on the back is imprinted, presumably, with various biometric information. It's no good at unlocking doors, however." The scent-description of the passcard is "plastic". The passage is a notepad. The heft of the passage is 1. The description of the passage is "A short piece of prose neatly letterpressed onto a large sheet of paper. It reads: [i]The alphabet is a system of interchangeable parts. The word form can be surgically revised, instead of rewritten, to become the word farm or firm or fork or fort or from, or with a little more trouble, to become the word pineapple. [--] Robert Bringhurst[/i]". The allowed-pens of the passage is { pen, pens }. The passage-place is a thing. The printed name is "passage". Understand "passage" or "corridor" as the passage-place. The heft of the passage-place is 10. The passage-place is fixed in place. The description is "It's a dark, stone-lined corridor leading into the earth." The initial appearance is "A passage lined in stone descends into the face of [the programmable dais]." [This portion is, again, totally an Easter egg: there's no need to go to the Shadow Chamber, and on the whole it's pretty unlikely that anyone will on the first try. However, it's a repository for palindromes and word puzzles of non-English and slightly superstitious origin, suggesting that some sense of magic attached to these even before linguistic efficacy was widely detected.] The Shadow Chamber is a room. It is indoors. "Dim lights in the floor make it possible to navigate in here, though it's still fairly dark. The place is small and shabby, the air stale.[assign-amanda]" To say assign-amanda: record "Amanda Waterstone award for discovering cultic passages" as an achievement. The Greek inscription is fixed in place in the shadow chamber. "Cold water flows from a crack in the wall. Above it, words are carved: ΝΙΨΟΝ ΑΝΟΜΗΜΑΤΑ ΜΗ ΜΟΝΑΝ ΟΨΙΝ." The description is "The words are ΝΙΨΟΝ ΑΝΟΜΗΜΑΤΑ ΜΗ ΜΟΝΑΝ ΟΨΙΝ." Understand "cold" or "water" or "greek" as the Greek inscription. The sator inscription is fixed in place in the Shadow Chamber. "On the opposite wall is a square of inscribed letters, this time Roman." The description is "It reads: [fixed letter spacing]SATOR[line break]AREPO[line break]TENET[line break]OPERA[line break]ROTAS[variable letter spacing]". Understand "roman" or "letters" or "lettering" or "square" or "square of" as the sator inscription. Rule for printing the name of the sator inscription when not shooting: say "Roman inscription". Sanity-check examining a book in Shadow Chamber: say "There's not enough light to read comfortably." instead. Sanity-check consulting a book about something in Shadow Chamber: say "There's not enough light to read comfortably." instead. Some dim lights are scenery in the Shadow Chamber. The description is "They glow faintly orange and are just sufficient to give a sense of the place." The passage-exit is a door. It is scenery. The printed name is "passage". Understand "passage" or "exit" or "passageway" as the passage-exit. It is above Shadow Chamber. Through the passage-exit is the Workshop. The description of the passage-exit is "The way back to the Workshop is entirely dark." Sanity-check exiting in Shadow Chamber: if the player is in an enterable thing: make no decision; if the player is on an enterable thing: make no decision; try going up instead. Instead of entering the passage-place: say "[You] clamber down into the passage. It feels disconnected from other places, as though it didn't belong here at all. Soon we can't see the light from the door."; now the player is in the Shadow Chamber; refresh compass with current directions. Test passage with "tutorial off / put bullets in gun / set switch to swap homonym / put passage on dais / turn on dais / enter passage / x nipson inscription / x sator inscription / shoot sator" holding the passage and the anagramming gun and the bullets in the Workshop. [One of the things I set out to do with the puzzle system in my previous game Savoir-Faire was to duplicate all the dull standard puzzles I was sick of seeing, but with some new twist on them that hadn't been done before. The one that there was really no way to include, however, was the password puzzle: too many IF games use password puzzles as a form of riddle (where you have to guess on the basis of some hints) or a cheap search puzzle (where the answer is written down on a note near the computer). Never in IF does anyone follow good security protocols with strong passwords that aren't written down. So, I thought, what about a puzzle where people do use fairly unguessable passwords, but the whole concept of a 'password' is compromised by some other law of the universe?] The password-thing is an r-abstract thing. The description is "A glowing series of numbers and figures in the air, which changes and flickers now and then. Probably responding to its surroundings. It seems unstable just now." The printed name is "password". Understand "password" as the password-thing. Report switching on a computer which is running a password lock program when the player can see the password-thing: say "[The startup noise of the noun][paragraph break]"; let target screen be a random screen that is part of the noun; try examining the target screen; say "[The password-thing] flickers meaningfully, then stabil[ize]s." instead. Instead of examining the password-thing in the presence of a password lock program (called target program): say "Under the influence of [the random computer which is running the target program], the password has settled down and now reads '[password of the target program]'." Understand "type [password-thing] on/into [keyboard]" as password-entering it on. Understand "type [password-thing] on/into [something]" as password-entering it on. Understand "enter [password-thing] on/into [keyboard]" as password-entering it on. Understand "enter [password-thing] on/into [something]" as password-entering it on. Understand "type [password-thing]" as password-entering it on. Understand "enter [password-thing]" as password-entering it on. Understand "type" as password-entering it on. Rule for supplying a missing noun while password-entering (this is the guess the password while password-entering rule): change the noun to the password-thing. Rule for supplying a missing second noun while password-entering something on (this is the guess a keyboard while password-entering rule): if the player can touch a keyboard (called target): change the second noun to the target; otherwise: say "You'll have to specify what you want to type on." instead. Setting action variables for password-entering something on something which is not a keyboard: if the second noun is a computer: let the relevant keyboard be a random keyboard which is part of the second noun; change the second noun to the relevant keyboard; otherwise if the second noun is something which is part of a computer (called the relevant computer): let the relevant keyboard be a random keyboard which is part of the relevant computer; change the second noun to the relevant keyboard; Password-entering it on is an action applying to two things. Check password-entering something on something which is not a keyboard: say "[The second noun] [is-are] not a keyboard." instead. Check password-entering the password-thing on something which is part of a computer (called secondary target): unless the secondary target is running a password lock program: say "[The secondary target] [is-are] not asking for a password." instead. Carry out password-entering the password-thing on something which is part of a computer (called secondary target): let chosen program be a random password lock program which is run by the secondary target; say "[You] carefully key in '[the password of the chosen program]'. [run paragraph on]"; carry out the rewarding successful answering activity with the chosen program; The pastis is edible contained fluid. The description of the pastis is "An anise-flavored liqueur. It's an acquired taste, but now that I've acquired it, I like to exercise the acquisition as frequently as possible. [one of][i]You[/i] may not be as big a fan, for which I apolog[ize] in advance.[or][stopping]". The scent-description is "anise". Instead of tasting the pastis: say "It is strong but somehow calming." Instead of eating the pastis, try drinking the pastis. Instead of drinking the pastis: say "[one of][You] sip a little of the pastis: delicious and cooling![or]Better not drink all of it. This stuff goes to my head, and [you] still have a lot of work to do.[stopping]". The description of the pasts is "It looks from the side like a shard of glass, but seen straight on, it captures previous events. At the moment it is replaying us [randomly doing something]." The pasts are r-abstract. Instead of searching the pasts: try examining the pasts. Instead of touching the pasts: say "It feels cool, hard, and smooth, like a piece of window glass." Instead of attacking the pasts: say "It is beyond destruction." Instead of tasting the pasts: say "The surface is cold and flavorless[one of]. Also, you just licked the memory of my head. So ew[or][stopping]." Instead of listening to the pasts: say "Except as a metaphorical gesture, that is wholly unproductive: the shard doesn't replay conversation or do sound effects." To say randomly doing something: choose a random row in the Table of Past Actions; say the chosen action entry. Table of Past Actions chosen action waiting with 25 blank rows. Every turn: if the number of blank rows in the Table of Past Actions is 0 begin; choose a random row in the Table of Past Actions; blank out the whole row; end if; choose a blank row in the Table of Past Actions; change the chosen action entry to the current action. A pat is usually edible. The description of a pat is "Considering everything it could have been, [you] [are] lucky with this pat: it is only a pat of butter." Understand "pat of butter" or "butter" as a pat. The heft of a pat is 1. The scent-description of a pat is "cool butter". Instead of tasting the pat: say "Unsalted, I think." Sanity-check eating the pat: say "I don't like butter without bread." The description of the pate is "A bit of bald head, fringed with just the hint of greying hair." The patera is a container. The description of the patera is "A broad, shallow drinking dish. It is made of bronze and looks extremely old, as though it had been brought up from one of the forbidden archaeological sites on the island. Roman, perhaps." The description of some pat-items is "Pats of butter, still wrapped in gold foil." The printed name of the pat-items is "pats". Understand "pats" or "butter" or "pats of butter" as pat-items. The heft of some pats is 3. The scent-description of some pat-items is "cool butter". Section 10 - Pe The description of the pea is "Just a single green pea.". The pea is an edible vegetable. The heft of the pea is 1. The introduction of the pea is "If I weren't violently allergic to peas, I'm sure that would be much less menacing." After eating the pea: say "Did I never tell you about my legume allergy? My mother was always absurdly protective because I nearly died when I was two. I think that explains a few things about my personality. [You] can just hope the synthesis process has changed that about our body. Are those hives? I can't breathe; can you?"; end the game saying "[You] have succumbed to an allergen". The peacoat is a floppy wearable thing. It covers the torso-area. The description is "A short double-breasted coat in navy blue wool, of a handsome unisex cut that looks vaguely nautical." The peacock is a noisy bird. The heft of the peacock is 3. The description is "A glorious blue-green animal, with feathered crest and long, spreading tail." Understand "crest/tail" as the peacock. The initial appearance of the peacock is "[if the peacock is in the location]A peacock struts nearby[otherwise]A peacock regards us brightly[end if]." Sanity-check burning the peacock: say "It's a peacock, not a phoenix." instead. Instead of listening to the peacock: say "[one of]The peacock trills self-importantly[or]The peacock makes a practice noise in its throat[or]The peacock ruffles its many feathers[at random]." The description of the peacod is "The thin outer shell of a pod of peas, from which the peas themselves have already been extracted." The heft of the peacod is 1. The peacod is edible. Sanity-check opening or closing the peacod: say "There's not much point to further manipulation, as the peas are gone." instead. The peal is noisy. The description of the peal is "It is the embodiment of a peal of bells: no weight or size, but the impression of bronze, early Gothic spires in a spare English countryside, and clangor." Instead of listening to the peal: say "[one of]When you pay attention, the peal really is nearly deafening[or]The bells go on and on like a cheap alarm clock I once had[or]Clang, clang! goes the peal[cycling]." The peal is r-abstract. The description of the pearl is "It is small, slightly uneven, and pale blue in col[our]. Not worth very much, but genuine.". The heft of the pearl is 1. Instead of tasting or eating the pearl: say "I've heard you can tell real pearls from fake by tasting them for grittiness, but honestly with this one I can't tell." The pearl-ring is a wearable thing. The printed name is "pearl ring". Understand "pearl" or "ring" or "gold" or "diamond" or "diamonds" as the pearl-ring. The description is "It's a little old-fashioned, a pearl mounted in a swirl of gold and accented with tiny chip diamonds." The description of the peat is "Dirty and smelly. [one of]You've had better ideas, really.[or]I assume this is going to be useful for something?[at random]". The indefinite article is "some". The scent-description of the peat is "a deep earthiness redolent of compost". The description of the pen is "One of those old-fashioned fountain pens[if the nib is part of the pen] with a fresh nib attached[otherwise], though lacking a nib[end if]." Instead of inserting the nib into the pen: now the nib is part of the pen; say "The nib screws in easily and is now part of the pen." Before taking the nib when the nib is part of the pen: now the nib is in the location. The pen can be inked or uninked. Instead of inserting ink into the pen: if the nib is not part of the pen: say "Without a nib, the pen can't safely be filled; the ink will just flow out again." instead; now the pen is inked; remove the noun from play; say "We fill the body of the pen with ink and reattach the nib." Test pen with "wave s-remover at sink / get ink / write on jotter / write with pen / write with pen on jotter / write on jotter with pen / write Alice on jotter / put ink in pen / put nib in pen / get nib / put nib in pen / put ink in pen / write on jotter / write on page / write alice on jotter / write alice on page" in the Public Convenience holding the pen and the nib and the page and the jotter. Carry out writing on something: record "Horace Fingerstain award for jotting some notes" as an achievement; The description of the pens is "A handful of cheap plastic pens, the kind that offices buy so that employees won't be tempted to steal them." Instead of inserting ink into the pens: say "These are the sort of pens that are meant to be thrown away as soon as they run out or the ink clots or something goes wrong with the tip, which is to say, almost instantly; that is, if the hapless user doesn't fancy using them to try to carve words into the surface of a legal pad instead. They cannot be refilled. They are unacquainted with liquid ink." The perl is r-abstract. The description of the perl is "A flickering of regular expressions and .pl filenames, translucent in the air. I never could see the appeal, but I have a friend in linguistic engineering who swears that regular expressions are the language God speaks." The pests are an insect. The description of the pests is "The pests are a motley assortment of chiggers, mosquitos, bedbugs, ticks, and midges." The pestos are edible. The description of the pestos is "Glass jars contain three types of local pesto: a traditional basil and garlic variety, a sun-dried tomato pesto, and the infamous squid-flake pesto. The jars are packaged in a glossy cardboard box, suitable for taking back to one's mother-in-law after a trip to Atlantis." Understand "glass" or "jars" or "local" or "basil" or "garlic" or "tomato" or "pesto" or "sun-dried" or "squid-flake" or "glossy" or "cardboard" as the pestos. The initial appearance of a pet is usually "Our [one of]new[or]recently-acquired[or]familiar[stopping] pet frolicks nearby." The description of a pet is "Unspecific as to species, but it has soft and gleaming fur; small, well-formed paws with tiny rose-col[our]ed nails; a twitching, sensitive nose; a tail; a clever look." The heft of the pet is 2. The scent-description of the pet is "warm fur". Report a pet exiting: if the container exited from is the T-inserter, say "With a nervous glance at the injectors and nozzles, the pet clambers awkwardly out of the basket of the T-inserter and lowers itself to the ground."; otherwise say "The pet scrambles out of [the container exited from]."; stop the action. The description of the petal is "Lush and fragrant and pale-cream with gold streaks." The scent-description of the petal is "rosewater". The heft of the petal is 1. The description of the petcock is "A valve for controlling the fuel supply on a motorcycle[if open]. It is currently open, but as it's not attached to any supply line, this makes little difference[end if]." The petcock can be openable. The petcock can be open. The petcock is openable and closed. Section 11 - Pf through Pn The description of a pi-object is "For something so simple, it is astonishingly beautiful: a perfect circle in translucent silver, absolute and unflawed.". pi-object is r-abstract. The heft of a pi-object is 0. A pi-object is proper-named and privately-named. The printed name of pi-object is "pi". Understand "pi" as a pi-object. Rule for printing the plural name of pi-object: say "pi". The pic is a thing. The description of a pic is "It's a snapshot of a happy family visiting Typo Land Funfair, the closest thing Anglophone Atlantis has to an amusement park." Picard is a man. The description of Picard is "A bald man in a Star Fleet uniform. He looks confused, just like in that episode where the crew first encounters Q and the ship's letter-removers fritz out inexplicably." Understand "captain" or "jean" or "luc" or "jean-luc" as picard. The scent-description is "tea, Earl Grey, hot". Sanity-check searching Picard: say "Come now. Where in that uniform could he possibly be carrying anything, even a wallet?" instead. Sanity-check attacking Picard: say "His phasers are probably set on stun, but still, why risk it?" instead. Every turn when the player can see Picard: say "[one of]Picard tugs at the bottom hem of his shirt[or]Picard tells us to make it so[or]Picard clears his throat[or]Picard attempts to turn on his communicator, but it doesn't work[or]Picard is giving us a side-long look as though he suspects we're some kind of alien life form[at random]." The description of the picrate is "It's a reddish-brown powdery substance with high explosive capability. I think we had better treat it with some care." The indefinite article is "some". Instead of burning the picrate: say "Even if we had the means, that would be a terrible idea." The description of Picross is "It appears to be a Japanese puzzle game for hand-held consoles, but since [you] don't have one of those, it won't be much use." The pict is a man. The description of the pict is "A long-boned man with a fair thatch of hair, [if the pict wears the coarse woolen clothing]dressed in coarse woolen clothing[end if][if the pict wears the coarse woolen clothing and the pict wears the silver chain] and [end if][if the pict wears the silver chain]wearing a silver chain around his neck[end if][if the number of things worn by the Pict is 0]dressed only in a savage self-confidence[end if]. He doesn't look as though he speaks English, somehow." The scent-description is "barley and cattle". The Pict wears a silver chain and coarse woolen clothing. The greeting of the Pict is "'Yah!' says the Pict. Not clear whether this means 'Hello, friend' or 'I plan soon to cleave your skull with my axe,' but he's noticed we're here." The silver chain is a wearable thing. The description is "The links are large and heavy." The coarse woolen clothing is a floppy wearable thing. The indefinite article of the coarse woolen clothing is "some". The description is "It's drab grey-brown in col[our] and looks like it probably scratches a lot. Not exactly the thing for a Mediterranean climate, either." The scent-description is "its sheepy origins". Report the Pict dropping something: say "[one of]With a faint air of bewilderment, the Pict tosses aside [the noun][or]The Pict bites the edge of [the noun] and then casts [it-them] aside in disappointment[at random]." instead. Rule for writing a topic sentence about the Pict when the location contains at least one mentionable person: say "[The Pict] regards [a random mentionable person] as though sizing up [its-their] strength in battle, unfav[our]ably. " The pie is edible. The description of the pie is "It's pumpkin pie, smooth and glossy on top, and smelling of spices. The crust looks homemade." Understand "glossy" or "spices" or "spice" or "cinnamon" or "nutmeg" or "clove" or "pumpkin" or "crust" as the pie. The scent-description of the pie is "cinnamon and nutmeg and clove". The piece-alternate is a pistol. The printed name of the piece-alternate is "piece". Understand "piece" as the piece-alternate. The description is "A small, heavy handgun, the kind a gangster's girlfriend would turn out to have in her purse. It isn't loaded, though." Instead of shooting something with the piece-alternate: say "The trigger clicks harmlessly." The heft of the pier is 2. The description of the pier is "A weatherworn mass of wood posts and planks, stained by seawater and covered in barnacles. It is only toy-size, possibly thanks to the safety overrides by the letter machinery." The printed name of the pig-tat-inn is "pig tat inn". Understand "pig" or "tat" or "inn" as the pig-tat-inn. The description of the pig-tat-inn is "Mercifully this manifested itself as a postcard from the supposed inn rather than the inn itself, or we might have been crushed at the moment of generation. The postcard is bad enough, though, as it depicts a bed and breakfast establishment in which every possible surface is dedicated to celebrating members of the Suidae family. There are pig vases and pig lamps, pig figurines and collectible pig plates, stuffed pigs, china pigs, carved pigs, embroidered pigs and tatted pigs, not to mention piggy banks and pig-shaped creamers. There are realistic pigs that might have come from a farm, and cartoon pigs that stand up on two legs and dance. In the background a somber oil painting depicts a miniature potbellied looking up into light bursting from the heavens, as though it were having a religious experience. WE WELCOME YOU TO PORKERS, says pink cursive script along the bottom of the card. Someone has applied a drop shadow to the lettering.". The printed name of the pi-tat-inn is "pi tat inn". Understand "pi tat inn" or "inn" as the pi-tat-inn. The description of the pi-tat-inn is "The resulting postcard represents a hostelry devoted to the concept of pi. The symbol is painted on the walls and carved in three dimensions and stitched on pillows, and the bedspreads are quilted with the digits of pi, lest one forget them in one's sleep.". The description of the pill is "It is small, round, and blue. There are no brand or generic markings to indicate what it might do." The pill is edible. The heft of the pill is 1. Instead of tasting or eating the pill: say "[You] toss the pill into our mouths and swallow it dry. There is no immediate reaction, but after a few minutes a cramping pain begins to spread through our stomach, and it becomes difficult to breathe. Yellow and blue spots float in front of our eyes. Our skin begins to itch. Dimly I wonder whether these symptoms correspond to any real medical condition or whether the pill is simply poisonous by invention; but [you] [are] not clear-minded enough to go on thinking these sorts of thoughts for long."; end the game saying "[You] have poisoned ourself" Test pill with "tutorial off / wave s-remover at spill / take pill / take all / get pill / get a pill / take the pill / take pill" in the outdoor cafe. After reading a command: if the player's command matches "take pill" or player's command matches "take the pill": if the player carries the pill: replace the player's command with "eat pill"; if the player's command matches "take pills" or player's command matches "take the pills": if the player carries the pills: replace the player's command with "eat pills". Some pills are a plural-named edible thing. The description is "A handful of miscellaneous pills in blue and yellow and green. They look like someone's illicit stash of prescription pain-killers." Instead of tasting or eating the pills: say "[You] toss back the whole handful without giving it much thought. The effect doesn't hit for a few minutes, but then it feels like being suddenly extremely drunk. Then like being unconscious."; end the game saying "[You] have poisoned ourself" [Understand "take [pill]" as eating when the player carries the pill.] The pin is wearable. The description of the pin is "It is a yellow pin, the sort worn by people endorsing a political candidate or a science-fiction show. On the pin in big black letters is written 'TOXI WASTE'." After wearing the pin, say "We put on the pin, despite your misgivings about the fashion statement[if the activist recollects environment-offer] and my serious doubts about the viability of the movement[end if]." The pineapple-ring is an edible thing. The description of the pineapple-ring is "It's a single golden, juice-dripping ring of pineapple, the kind that typically comes in a can." The scent-description is "sweet fruit". The printed name is "pineapple ring". Understand "pineapple" or "ring" as the pineapple-ring. The description of some pins is "Straight pins, the kind people use for pinning up alterations." The description of the pint is "As pints ought to be, this one is a pint of dark beer." The pint is edible and contained and fluid. "Someone has left a full pint of beer on the ground." The scent-description of the pint is "malt and alcohol". The description of the pints is "Enough beer to load up a barmaid at Octoberfest.". The pints are edible and contained and fluid. The heft of the pints is 6. The pin-t-shirt is a wearable thing. The description is "It's part shirt, part torture device, made of straight pins all over." The printed name is "pin t-shirt". Understand "pin" or "t-shirt" as the pin-t-shirt. A dangerous construction rule for the pin-t-shirt: try examining the pin-t-shirt; say "The backpacking girl shrieks. 'What the hell! Ouch! Did you do that? What kind of flipping sociopath are you?' Swearing like a sailor, she collects her pack and flees the room."; remove the backpacking girl from play; remove the heavy pack from play; reset the interlocutor; rule succeeds. The pirate is a woman. The description is "A woman pirate, and not the movie variety that is practically a variant of naughty nurse, but a raw-boned, muscular woman who wears pants when they aren't in fashion and has hands covered in callouses." Understand "woman" or "muscular" or "raw-boned" or "hands" or "callouses" as the pirate. The scent-description is "seawater and grog". The greeting of the pirate is "'Yarr,' says the pirate. Her voice is rough and she doesn't sound entirely sober." [The pirate can be cowed.] Instead of showing the spot to the pirate: [now pirate is cowed;] say "[one of]Her face pales. 'Yarks,' she says.[or]She seems to have taken the meaning the first time.[stopping]". [Persuasion rule for asking the pirate to try doing something: if the pirate is cowed: persuasion succeeds; otherwise: say "She spits largely off to one side. 'That for your instructions!'" instead. ] Test pirate-spot with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / wave c-remover at pic / wave c-remover at crate / put pi on platform / put rate on platform / set platform to synthesize / turn on platform / pirate, enter platform / show spot to pirate / g / pirate, enter platform / open tub / drop tub / pirate, touch gel" in the Workshop holding the spot and the pic and the crate and the tub. The pirate-crew is a man. The printed name is "pirate crew". The description is "A fiercer, blacker-browed gang of individuals you couldn't hope to meet. Half of them have scurvy and half are missing at least a finger, and when they talk (strictly among themselves), it's all growls from the corner of the mouth." Understand "pirate" or "pirates" or "crew" as the pirate-crew. The scent-description of the pirate-crew is "unwashedness". [The pirate-crew can be cowed. Persuasion rule for asking the pirate-crew to try doing something: if the pirate-crew is cowed: persuasion succeeds; otherwise: say "They mumble defiantly." instead.] Instead of washing the pirate-crew: say "Heaven knows they need it, but they don't look terribly cooperative." Instead of showing the spot to the pirate-crew: remove the pirate-crew from play; say "To a man, they turn white under their tans. Then they flee."; record "Lord Michael Rosehip award for showing the black spot to a pirate crew" as an achievement. Instead of smelling the pirate-crew: say "They smell like a group that's spent months on a ship, living on a diet of watered rum and tortoise meat. Which is to say, I wish you wouldn't make me breathe so deeply." Test crew with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / put screws on platform / wave s-remover at screws / test pirate-spot / turn on platform / crew, enter platform / turn on platform / show spot to crew" in the Workshop holding the screws. The description of the pit is "The hard cen[ter] of a fruit, clean and dry of any flesh.". The scent-description of the pit is "peaches". Understand "pit" as a pit-hole. A pit-hole is usually open and fixed in place. The description of a pit-hole is "It's a cavity in the surface of [the holder of the item described], too small for our body to fit into." [Test pit-hole with "put pit on dais / set switch to swap homonym / turn on dais" in the Workshop. When play begins: now the player carries a random pit. ] Some pit-items are a thing. The description of the pit-items is "Assorted stones from different fruits.". The scent-description of the pit is "apricot and cherry". The printed name of the pit-items is "pits". Understand "pits" or "apricot" or "cherry" or "stones" or "stone" or "pit" as the pit-items. The pita is an edible thing. The description of the pita is "A round, brown pocket-bread." The scent-description of the pita is "baked goods". The pit-trap is an open enterable container. It is fixed in place. The heft of the pit-trap is 10. The printed name of a pit-trap is "pit trap". Understand "pit trap" or "deep pit" or "pit" or "rocks" or "stones" or "stakes" or "sharpened" or "stake" as a pit-trap. The description of a pit-trap is "It's a deep pit lined with rocks, set into the surface of [the holder of the item described]. Sharpened stakes jut upward from the bottom, ready to stab any large mammal unfortunate enough to fall in." Instead of entering the pit-trap: say "Against my better judgment, [you] slip over the edge into the pit trap and are impaled on the spikes below. It will be some considerable time before anyone thinks to check down here."; end the story saying "What made you think that was a good idea?" The heft of Pisa is 20. The description of Pisa is "It's manifested mostly as the leaning tower, but that's still quite a bit more than can fit into this environment." The printed name of the plain-plate is "plate". Understand "plate" as plain-plate. A plan is a long floppy illegal thing. The description of the plan is "The number of pages in the original roll has been reduced, but this is still obviously a bit of DCL property. The only difference is that this version is incomplete." The scent-description of the plan is "crisp paper". The description of the plant is "An aggressively healthy specimen with broad, glossy dark brown leaves and red flowers. I can't identify whether it's a real plant style or something wholly invented for the occasion, but it does resemble a poinsettia rendered by someone who doesn't quite remember what they look like." The description of the plants is "A whole tray of little herb plants in pots. It's adorable." The description of the plantage is "An array of bushes, shrubs, and small trees. There's enough here to relandscape my parents['] back terrace, if anyone had the inclination." The heft of the plantage is 8. The plantage is fixed in place. The description of the plat is "A single map showing the land divisions of this immediate vicinity. The Bureau land abuts the park, of course, and a fair amount of land owned for offices by DCL. No private land is directly next to the Bureau land, presumably to make it more difficult for anyone to dig through or plant listening devices." The description of the plats is "A roll of zoning commission plans, laying out the subdivision of some land at the outskirts of town. The Bureau is chary about allowing new housing developments because it worries about the limited land available on the island; so it is unsurprising that the housing areas allowed are designed for dense occupancy in the form of apartments." The description of the plain-plate is "A commemorative plate celebrating the island's independence from England. It shows the Depluralized Marine [--] the single soldier captured after the island's deplural[izing] guns had a chance to work [--] chained unhappily to a wall." The plea is r-abstract. The plea is noisy. The description of the plea is "A querulous voice is requesting a judge to go leniently on a first off[ense] of using unauthor[ize]d foreign words in public." The description of the pleat is "A bit of cloth from a schoolgirl's plaid skirt, complete with the stitched-in fold." Poe is a man. Poe is proper-named. The description is "For a famed author, he looks unhinged. His clothes are shabby, his eyes wild, and he keeps looking around him as though he expects something to jump from the shadows." The greeting of Poe is "'Fascinating to meet you,' says Poe." Report involuntarily-dropping Poe: say "[The noun] scrambles out of our embrace as rapidly as possible, looking extremely Victorian." instead. Rule for writing a topic sentence about Poe when the location contains at least one mentionable person: say "[Poe] is looking [a random mentionable person] over and muttering to himself as though trying to find rhymes. " The poi is an edible thing. The description is "It's a gloopy, purplish paste made of taro root according to Hawaiian traditions. It doesn't look overwhelmingly tasty, but perhaps that's just cultural difference speaking." The scent-description is "root vegetable". The indefinite article is "some". The poll is r-abstract. The description of the poll is "A dim, grainy image of an early 20th-century referendum in progress, with men in funny hats and women in velvet jackets jerkily walking into the booths to cast their votes." The printed name of the polling-chart is "polling chart". Understand "polling" or "chart" as the polling-chart. The description of the polling chart is "A chart showing Atlantida's popularity in May of 1982. Different lines represent segments of the population such as DCL Employees, Farmers, School Children, etc." A poppycock is a noisy r-abstract thing. The indefinite article is "some". The heft of the poppycock is 0. The description is "A great deal of drivel. Or, no: more the concept of drivel, as regarded by a previous age. Curiously, therefore, the concept manifests itself as a little floaty cloud in which a flustered gent with Victorian [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]moustaches[otherwise]mustaches[end if], verging on apoplexy." Instead of listening to the poppycock, say "[one of]'POPPYCOCK!' shouts the little imaginary man[or]'ARRANT NONSENSE,' shouts the angry poppycock-gentleman[or]'STUFF! POPPYCOCK!' The imaginary man is beet red and his mustaches quiver[at random]." The poppy-oil is a fluid contained edible thing. Understand "poppy" or "oil" as the poppy-oil. The printed name is "poppy oil". The indefinite article is "some". The description is "A bottle of culinary-grade poppy oil, though useless: I can't cook, and we haven't time." Sanity-check burning the poppy-oil: say "I think the idea is that you put the oil in a pan and cook with it. But never mind; it wouldn't help us now anyway." The pose is an r-abstract thing. The heft of the pose is 0. The description of the pose is "At the moment it looks like a tiny man [one of]emulating The Thinker[or]staring importantly into the middle distance while tiny cameras flash[or]waving and smiling, in best Atlantean politico fashion, with a sprig of olive leaves pinned to his vest and a blue 'just voted' smudge on his thumb[or]semaphoring the letter A[or]demonstrating first position in ballet[as decreasingly likely outcomes]." The poser is a man. The description of the poser is "He wears an improbable hip-hop outfit." The greeting of the poser is "'Yo yo yo,' says the poser." The potage is edible. The description of the potage is "It's a thick stewy mass that looks like it's been thickened with mashed potato. Beef broth and chunks of carrot may also play a part. I'm not sure." The scent-description is "boiled vegetables". Instead of searching the potage: say "Is that a [one of]chunk[or]slice[or]sliver[at random] of [one of]carrot[or]leek[or]onion[or]turnip[or]yam[or]potato[or]Jerusalem artichoke[cycling]? No, it's sunk again." The description of a pot is "It's a single ordinary cooking pot." The heft of a pot is 2. Some plural-pots are an open container. The description of the plural-pots is "They're a selection of heavy, high-quality stainless steel cooking pots, like the ones my mother has at home." The heft of the plural-pots is 3. The printed name of the plural-pots is "pots". Understand "pots" as the plural-pots. The printed name of an alterna-pot is "pot". Understand "pot" or "marijuana" or "mary jane" or "mj" or "weed" or "dope" or "drugs" as the alterna-pot. The description of the alterna-pot is "An ounce or so of weed. I'm afraid I can't judge the quality of the product." The indefinite article of alterna-pot is "some". The description of the potass is "Potassium, appearing under its older pharmaceutical abbreviation. It's a dull silverish metal whose surface rapidly oxidizes in the atmosphere. Beware dropping it in water." The indefinite article is "some". Section 12 - Power Cord [This section incorporates the power cord but also the rest of the socketry, etc. It would also have been reasonable to define this stuff in the Generator Room section, but it felt easier to keep all the relevant parts together in one place. Plugging things into other things is one of those maddening verbs that needs a lot of implementation just to cover the standard idiomatic ways of talking about it. We want the player to feel there's enough depth here that they can unplug bits individually, but "PLUG IN DAIS" should also just work, given the presence of the power cord. Another complication comes from the destructibility of objects; if the player gels or anagrams the power cord while it's plugged in, it should automatically unplug, or some weird results may appear when it's reconstructed.] Test cord with "test chord / get cord / test plugging". Test plugging with "look / x socket / x wall socket / x dais / x dais socket / get wall socket / get dais socket / plug cord into wall socket / plug plug into dais socket / unplug dais / unplug wall socket / plug wall socket into dais / unplug cord / plug cord into dais / take plug / unplug cord / plug in dais / test gun-ownership / shoot cord with gun / look / shoot crow with gun / x cord / unplug cord / plug in dais" in the Workshop. Test gun-ownership with "load gun" holding the anagramming gun and the bullets. A ranking rule when the power cord is mentionable: increase the description-rank of the power cord by 10; increase the description-rank of the programmable dais by 12. Definition: a power cord is deeply dull if 1 is 2. A dangerous destruction rule for the power cord: while a massive plug (called target plug) is plugged into something (called the other): now the target plug is not plugged into the other. Rule for writing a topic sentence about the power cord: say "[A power cord] snakes across the ground"; if a massive plug is plugged into the dais socket and a massive plug is plugged into the wall socket: say ", connecting [the dais socket] to [the wall socket]. "; otherwise if a massive plug is plugged into the dais socket: say ", plugged into [the dais socket] and with the other end dangling free. "; otherwise if a massive plug is plugged into the wall socket: say ", one end plugged into [the wall socket] but the other unattached. "; otherwise: say ". Neither end is currently plugged into anything. "; say run paragraph on. The description of the power cord is "This is the heaviest-duty cabling I've ever seen in my life: thick as a snake, covered in yellow sheathing, with a [random massive plug] at each end." The massive plug is a kind of thing. The description of a massive plug is "There are [unless the player wears the Britishizing goggles]two flat parallel prongs and one round grounding prong[otherwise]two flat horizontal prongs and one flat vertical prong[end if]. The prongs look extraordinarily sturdy and determined." Understand "prong" or "prongs" as a massive plug. Two massive plugs are part of the power cord. A power socket is a kind of thing. The description of a power socket is usually "[if something is plugged into the item described]A power socket, with one end of the power cord currently plugged in[otherwise]A power socket suitable for plugging a cord into[end if]." A power socket called a wall socket is fixed in place in the Workshop. "A specialized wall socket is built into the east wall, clearly not part of the ordinary power system for the Bureau." A power socket called a dais socket is part of the programmable dais. After printing the name of the dais socket while examining: say "[if something is plugged into the dais socket and there is a free massive plug] (with power cord attached, though the cord connects to nothing)[otherwise if something is plugged into the dais socket] (from which a power cord runs to the wall)[otherwise] (with no cord currently plugged in)[end if]" Attachment relates one massive plug to one power socket. The verb to be plugged into implies the attachment relation. Sanity-check an actor inserting the power cord into a power socket: if a free massive plug (called target plug) is part of the power cord: try the actor plugging the target plug into the second noun instead. Sanity-check inserting a massive plug into a power socket: try the actor plugging the noun into the second noun instead. Sanity-check taking a massive plug: if the noun is plugged into something (called the target): try unplugging the noun from the target instead; otherwise: try taking the power cord instead. Understand "unplug [a massive plug] from [a power socket]" as unplugging it from. Understand "unplug [something] from [something]" as unplugging it from. Unplugging it from is an action applying to two things. Understand "unplug [something]" as unplugging it from. Rule for supplying a missing second noun when unplugging something from: if the noun is a massive plug: if the noun is plugged into something (called target socket): now the second noun is the target socket; otherwise: say "[The noun] is not plugged in anyhow." instead; otherwise if the noun is a power socket: if something (called target plug) is plugged into the noun: now the second noun is the noun; now the noun is the target plug; otherwise: say "Nothing is plugged into [the noun] anyway." instead; otherwise if the noun incorporates a power socket (called target socket): if something (called target plug) is plugged into the target socket: now the second noun is the target socket; now the noun is the target plug; otherwise: say "Nothing is plugged into [the noun] anyway." instead; Sanity-check unplugging something which incorporates a power socket from something which incorporates a power socket: try freeing the power cord instead. Sanity-check unplugging something which is not a massive plug from something: say "[The noun] [is-are] not a plug to start with." instead. Sanity-check unplugging something from something which is not a power socket: say "[The second noun] [is-are] not a socket." instead. Sanity-check unplugging a free massive plug from something: say "[The noun] [is-are] not plugged in anyway." instead. Carry out unplugging something from something: now the noun is not plugged into the second noun. Report unplugging something from something: say "[You] unplug [the noun] from [the second noun][if two free massive plugs are part of the power cord]. Both ends of the power cord are now free[otherwise]. The other plug is still attached to [the random power socket which is not the second noun][end if]." Understand "unplug [the power cord]" as freeing. Freeing is an action applying to one thing. Sanity-check freeing the power cord: if the number of free massive plugs is 2: say "The power cord is already detached." instead. Carry out freeing: repeat with item running through massive plugs which are plugged into a power socket: if the item is plugged into a power socket (called target socket): try unplugging the item from the target socket. Understand "plug [a free massive plug] into [a power socket]" as plugging it into. Understand "plug [a massive plug] into [a power socket]" as plugging it into. Understand "plug [something] into [something]" as plugging it into. Understand "plug in [a free massive plug] to [a power socket]" as plugging it into. Understand "plug in [a massive plug] to [a power socket]" as plugging it into. Understand "plug in [something] to [something]" as plugging it into. Plugging it into is an action applying to two things. Definition: a massive plug is free if it is not plugged into a power socket. Sanity-check plugging something which is not a massive plug into a power socket: if the noun is the power cord: if a massive plug (called target plug) is free: try plugging the target plug into the second noun instead; otherwise: say "The power cord is already fully plugged in." instead; say "That's not what the best electrical safety engineers recommend." instead. Sanity-check plugging a massive plug into something which is not a power socket: say "Better look for a socket instead." instead. Sanity-check plugging the power cord into something: if the second noun is a power socket: if a massive plug (called target plug) is free: try plugging the target plug into the second noun instead; otherwise: say "The plugs are fully plugged in already." instead; otherwise if the second noun incorporates a power socket (called target socket): if a massive plug (called target plug) is free: try plugging the target plug into the target socket instead; otherwise: say "The plugs are fully plugged in already." instead; Carry out plugging a massive plug into a power socket: if the power cord is not in the location: silently try dropping the power cord; now the noun is plugged into the second noun. Report plugging a massive plug into a power socket: say "[You] plug the power cord firmly into [the second noun][if a free massive plug is part of the power cord]. The other end remains free and not plugged into anything[otherwise]. Both ends of the power cord are now plugged in, so the dais is connected to the wall socket[end if]." instead. Sanity-check going somewhere when the player carries the power cord: if the number of free massive plugs is less than 2: try dropping the power cord; if the player carries the power cord: stop the action. Understand "plug [a power socket] into [a power socket]" as connecting it to. Understand "plug in [a power socket] in [a power socket]" as connecting it to. Connecting it to is an action applying to two things. Sanity-check an actor connecting something to something: if the actor does not carry the power cord: if the actor can see the power cord: try the actor taking the power cord; if the actor does not carry the power cord: if the actor is the player: say "Some kind of power cord would be needed to bridge the gap."; stop the action. Carry out an actor connecting something to something: unless something is plugged into the noun: let the target plug be a random free massive plug; try plugging the target plug into the noun; if a massive plug (called next target plug) is free: try plugging the next target plug into the second noun; Understand "plug in [something]" as connecting. Connecting is an action applying to one thing. Sanity-check connecting something: if the noun is a power socket: make no decision; if the noun is a massive plug: make no decision; if the noun incorporates a power socket: make no decision; if the noun incorporates a massive plug: make no decision; if the noun is a device: say "[The noun] appear[s] to be adequately powered already." instead; say "[The noun] feature[s] no dangling power cords or sockets." instead. Carry out an actor connecting something: try the actor connecting the dais socket to the wall socket. [There's really no particular point to having the britishizing goggles change the compatibility of the plug. I just couldn't resist.] Section 13 - Pr - Pz The description of the preamp is "It looks like just one specimen from the group from which you were working." The PTA is an ambiguously plural person. The description of the PTA is "About a half-dozen soccer moms in sensible shoes, and a lone father, who looks bemused." The PTA is noisy. Understand "soccer moms" or "moms" or "shoes" or "lone" or "father" as the PTA. Instead of listening to the PTA: say "[one of]The PTA members are currently debating whether it is appropriate to include pre-English-language history of Atlantis in the curriculum[or]One of the PTA members is currently arguing to eliminate the story of the Tower of Babel from the literature curriculum on the grounds that it is unduly traumatic for the young[or]The PTA members are working out a bake-sale roster to pay for fresh copies of the New Orthodox Orthography to be placed in the school library[or]One PTA mother is explaining why she felt her daughter should have been given the part of the letter Y in the school play[at random]." The pun is r-abstract. The heft of the pun is 0. The description of a pun is "Currently the pun reads '[one of]Atheism is a non-prophet organization[or]The butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work[at random].'" Some puns are r-abstract. The heft of the puns is 0. The description of puns is "It's a booklet of Atlantean jokes, the kind of thing you might get in school as a child." The heft of the fake-punt is 6. The description of the fake-punt is "It's a long, flat-bottomed wooden boat intended to be driven by pole rather than by a sail or oars. We don't have a lot of locations for punting around here, but I've read about the practice." The printed name of the fake-punt is "punt". Understand "punt" as the fake-punt. The heft of the punts is 10. The description of the punts is "An assortment of punts, which by the looks of them are usually driven from the Cambridge end." The puppy is an animal. The description of the puppy is "She's a tiny black and white papillon with lots of fur and large, trusting eyes." Understand "papillon" as the puppy. The heft of the puppy is 2. Test puppybug with "drop puppy / take puppy" holding the puppy. The indefinite article of the pus is "some". The description of the pus is "It's malodorous and yellowish." Section 14 - Q through R The description of the quid is "A British pound coin, with the head of the Queen and everything. This one is [one of]the version with the Welsh inscription round the rim[or]the Scottish thistly variety[or]the one with the lion and unicorn on the reverse[at random]." The description of Ra is "Tall and terrifying. These animate abstracts are often hard to look at straight on. His whole self shines with sunlight, and yet he is as sinister and constricting as the dark of a collapsed tomb." The greeting of a Ra is "Ra beams upon us." Sanity-check putting something which is not wearable on the rack: if the noun is the gel or the noun is the tub: make no decision; else: say "[The rack] is for clothes; the pegs aren't really designed to hold anything else." instead. Test rackbug with "tutorial off / put ruck in bucket / get rack / put gel on rack" holding the ruck and the tub in the Generator Room. The rack is a supporter. It is not fixed in place. Understand "pegs" or "peg" as the rack. The description of the rack is "It's a wooden support with a few pegs for hanging up coats or jackets." The rad worm is an animal. The description of the rad worm is "It's an earthworm, but with bands of psychedelic col[our]." The rale is r-abstract and noisy. The description of the rale is "It is the noise of breathing impeded by fluid in the lungs. It sounds as though someone is dying [if the location is indoors]in[otherwise]out[end if] here.". The heft of a ram is 7. The description of a ram is "I can tell it's a ram because of those characteristic curly horns, and the mean look it has in its eye. Otherwise it's your basic sheep." Some plural-rams are an animal. The printed name of the plural-rams is "rams". The description is "A whole flock of rams, bleating and fleece-covered. They're really a bit frightening in this profusion." The description of a ramcat is "[description of a tomcat]". Instead of touching or rubbing or squeezing a ramcat: say "It [one of]dodges out of reach[or]swipes at us, claws out[or]hisses[at random]." The rampage is an r-abstract thing. It is noisy. The description of the rampage is "It doesn't look like much other than a ball of black angry energy." Instead of listening to the rampage: say "The rampage [one of]sounds like death metal and crashing cars[or]blares on[or]is screeching in the tones of tearing metal[at random]." The heft of the rampart is 12. The description of the rampart is "A mass of earthwork and stone." A rap is usually noisy. A rap is usually r-abstract. The description of the rap is "A pulsating ball of angry air." [Originally the rap riffed on the lyrics of the handful of songs I know at all well. The results were so painfully square that Sam Ashwell responded by schooling me with a 38K email entitled 'A Very White Person Summarises Hip-Hop Themes'. The results do not live up to his efforts, but you should know that he really really tried and, hey, the Sir Mixalot joke is gone.] Instead of listening to the rap: say "[if the rap is the prior named noun]It[otherwise]The rap[end if] "; if the player wears the Britishizing Goggles: say "[one of]devolves into a chap-hop diss on another man's tweed[or]sings the praises of one Professor Elemental[or]informs the listener that it doesn't like his tweed[or]asks the listener to fetch its trousers at once[at random]"; else: let N be a random number between 1 and 3; if N is: -- 1: say "describes the pleasures of [one of]a swimming pool full of Cristal[or]driving a Chevy Impala down the coast road to Maiana[or]stealing a depluralizing tank for a joyride[at random]."; -- 2: say "details the singer's dislike of [one of]gold-diggers[or]suspicious Bureau men who only give trouble to guys with accents[at random]."; -- 3: say "includes the phrase '[one of]colder than a rifle shot, restoration to the real[or]my words hit like an anagram bullet[at random]'."; The description of the rape is "The bright yellow flower of a plant grown for its oil [--] typically called canola oil in the US." The heft of the rape is 1. The introduction of the rape is "It's undoubtedly not the most obvious referent for the word, but there are certain concepts that people tend to recoil from, making them harder to generate. And just as well, really." A rape-alternate is a thing. The printed name of the rape-alternate is "rape". Understand "rape" or "pope" or "rape of the lock" as the rape-alternate. The description is "It's a printed passage from Pope's The Rape of the Lock, complete with Beardsley illustrations." The description of the rash is "A patch of skin [--] it looks like human skin at that [--] and all red and itchy." The heft of the rash is 1. The description of a rat is "It looks cunning and not entirely friendly." The heft of a rat is 2. The rate is r-abstract. The description of the rate is "A fluctuating, fizzing number with a dozen decimal points or more, never the same two times [you] look." The rattle is a noisy thing. The description of the rattle is "Meant as a toy for a baby, it has a clear molded body full of clacking beads, each one of which is stamped with a letter of the alphabet." Understand "clacking beads" as the rattle. Instead of listening to the rattle: say "The rattle shakes vig[our]ously." The description of the ravens chili is "It's a can of chili [--] raven meat chili, to be specific. Three black birds glare balefully out of the label." The ravens chili is edible. The indefinite article is "some". The introduction of the ravens chili is "I hope it is heavily spiced, because I can't imagine that the taste of carnivorous birds is otherwise a very pleasant one." Instead of showing the ravens chili to Poe: record "Mort Shaply award for showing Poe a raven-based foodstuff" as an achievement; say "He looks at the label, holds a hand to his gut, and murmurs, 'Nevermore.'" The description of the raven chili is "To distinguish it from the ravens chili, this is an artisanal, single-raven-source varietal. Organic, tower-raised raven only." The raven chili is edible. The indefinite article is "some". Every turn when the Pict is carrying something (called freight): try the Pict dropping the freight. Instead of showing the raven chili to Poe: record "Mort Shaply award for showing Poe a raven-based foodstuff" as an achievement; say "He groans and starts searching about for his bust of Pallas." Sanity-check writing the topic understood on the single ream: say "Writing on the paper by hand would ruin it for the printer." instead. The description of the single ream is "One ream, which is to say 500 sheets, of generic printer or copier paper[if the single ream is proffered by the cream]. The sheets are an attractive milky col[our][otherwise], in white-white[end if]." The printed name of the single ream is "ream". Understand "paper" or "pages" or "printer paper" or "copier paper" as the single ream. The description of the reams is "Since each ream is 500 sheets of paper, and there are many reams here, the collection is unhelpfully bulky." The description of the red frozen inn is "A representative postcard shows a red-painted inn in the middle of a Vermont winter. It looks viciously cold. We should count ourselves lucky that the whole inn didn't manifest itself here and squash us." The reflective widow is a noisy woman. The description of the reflective widow is "A tall woman with a widow's peak and a distant look in her eyes." Understand "widow's peak" or "distant look" as the reflective widow. The initial appearance is "[A reflective widow] [one of]perches[or]paces[at random] nearby, [one of]wringing her hands[or]sniffling faintly[or]dabbing her eyes[at random].". Instead of listening to the reflective widow: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: if the reflective widow can see the mourning dress: say "[The reflective widow] admires [the mourning dress] wistfully."; if the reflective widow can see the morning dress: say "[The reflective widow] is moved to thoughts of her late husband by the sight of [the morning dress], just the sort of thing he used to wear."; else: say "[The reflective widow] murmurs to herself about her late husband's [one of]noble character[or]fortitude[or]forebearance[or]kindness[or]good dress sense[or]preference for scented pomades[or]distrust of foreign-made letter removers[or]implausible sweet tooth[or]socks that always needed darning[or]tendency to leave cigar ash everywhere[as decreasingly likely outcomes]." Test reflective-widow with "tutorial off / n / autoupgrade / wave n-remover at reflective window / look / x widow / listen to widow / z / z". The description of the reel is "A reel of film, unlabeled." Understand "film" or "reel of film" as the reel. The printed name of the fishing-reel is "reel". Understand "reel" or "fishing" as the fishing-reel. The description of the fishing-reel is "The sort of reel used on a fishing rod, the kind with a handle you can crank to pull in the line. But as there is neither line nor rod available, it doesn't actually offer much functionality like this." Instead of turning the fishing-reel: say "[You] crank the reel a few times, but as it's not attached to a line, nothing very interesting results." A rig is a device. The heft of the rig is 10. "A rig is set up here[if the rig is lit], lighting the vicinity[end if]." The description of the rig is "A whole collection of lighting units on poles and stands." Carry out switching on the rig: now the rig is lit. Carry out switching off the rig: now the rig is unlit. Report involuntarily-dropping the rig: say "The rig is too heavy to carry, and [you] almost drop it, but I manage to set the poles down mostly stably and, for a wonder, without breaking anything." instead. The description of the rill is "A very tiny stream, little more than a trickle." The alterna-ring is an r-abstract noisy thing. The heft of the alterna-ring is 0. The printed name is "ring". Understand "ring" as the alterna-ring. The description of the alterna-ring is "It sounds like the ringing of an old-fashioned telephone, piercing and abrupt." Instead of listening to the alterna-ring: say "[one of]The sound of a phone ringing fills the air[or]The ring continues to sound[at random]." The ringband is a wearable thing. The description is "A band of gold with six prongs for the setting of a solitaire gem, but the gem itself is missing." Understand "gold" or "band" as the ringband. Sanity-check inserting the gem into the ringband: say "I think it requires a jeweler's tools and training to accomplish that." instead. Test ringmaking with "set gem / put gem in ringband" holding the ringband and the gem. The ripening-apple is an edible thing. Understand "ripening" and "apple" or "stem" as the ripening-apple. The printed name is "ripening apple". The scent-description is "tart fruit". The description is "Like any other apple, except this one has a bit more stem attached (as though still theoretically connected with the tree); and it's very green and crisp, with just the first blush of rosiness appearing on the sides." The rite is an r-abstract thing. The heft of the rite is 0. The description of the rite is "Flickering images depict [one of]candles and incense carried by those processing around the New Church on a holy day[or]a woman kneeling before a small rustic shrine and placing the figure of a metal god on it[or]a man drawing the letter A on his son's forehead with a grease pencil[or]a bonfire at the beach, over which a pig is being roasted. The pig's ears, hoofs, and entrails have been set to one side[at random]." Test rite with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / wave p-remover at pear / put ear in t-inserter / get tear / gonear first aid station / put tear in bucket / get tier / load gun / shoot tier / x rite" holding the pear and the tub and the anagramming gun and the anagram bullets in the Sensitive Equipment Room. [Originally the rock was described as "hefty and jagged, like the result of a volcanic event". Then I went to Kilauea on vacation and picked up some volcanic rocks, and they were the lightest rocks I've ever lifted. So that had to go. I decided that Brock's supportive personality, rather than his unpredictability, was the thing I wanted to express in the rock description. geology.about.com lists basalt as a fairly dense rock, denser than limestone, marble, or granite; other weighty options included peridotite, gabbro, and diorite, but I figured those would be less familiar to the player.] The description of the rock is "Heavy, dark, and roughly hexagonal, like a slice of basalt column.". The rock is essential. The scent-description is "mud". Before putting the restoration gel on the rock when the rock is in a container (called the holder): say "(first removing the rock so Brock isn't squished by [the holder])[command clarification break]"; try taking the rock; if the player does not carry the rock: stop the action. Test rock-bug with "put rock in t-inserter / open tub / gel rock" holding the rock and the tub in the Sensitive Equipment Testing Room. The roc is a rideable animal. "The roc towers over us, looking smarter than a bird has the right to look." The description of the roc is "The bird is enormous[if the location is indoors], so big it seems incredible that it can even fit into the room[end if]. Brock is a tall man, but not nearly this tall. Its eyes are bright and (if [you] [are] not reading too much in) ironically clever; its plumage a little like an eagle's, if an eagle were made many times larger and feathered in a kind of sleek, luminous black." [Every turn when the roc is in the Sunning Deck and the Sunning Deck is the location: say "[one of][The roc]'s claws dig into the cushions of the sunning deck as the yacht pitches[or][roc-igloo][or][The roc] stretches its wings out so that they reach the whole width of the yacht[or]I catch [the roc] looking at us[at random].".] [To say roc-igloo: say "[one of][The roc] takes an interest in the white igloo-shaped thing that handles the yacht wifi[or]A tap of beak on plastic tells you [the roc] is checking out the wifi further[if Slango can see the roc][queue Slango-irritation as postponed optional][end if][or][The roc] turns its head experimentally and tries to fit the whole wifi antenna into its beak[stopping]".] Instead of waving the letter-remover at the rock creating the roc when the location is indoors: say "[You][']d probably best wait until [you] [are] outside; I don't know what the consequence would be of generating a massive legendary bird of prey inside a small office building." Instead of waving the letter-remover at the rock creating the roc when the location is the Open Sea: say "A bird that size would sink a little tiny boat like this one." Rule for writing a paragraph about Slango when the roc is mentionable: say "[Slango] has come out, though he's standing well back from [the roc], which is surveying the scene speculatively.[paragraph break]" Roc-flight is a scene. Roc-flight begins when the player can see the roc. Roc-flight ends when the player is enclosed by the roc. Sanity-check mounting the roc: if the player can see a heavy handled thing (called the encumbrance) which is not the roc: say "[You][']ll want to bring [the encumbrance], but in [its-their] current state, [it-they] [is-are] much too heavy." instead. Before mounting the roc: repeat with item running through things in the location: if the item is handled: try the player taking the item. [repeat with item running through visible handled things which are not enclosed by the player: try the player taking the item; repeat with item running through visible handled things which are not enclosed by the player: try the roc taking the item.] Every turn during roc-flight: if the roc is in the location and a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[one of]The roc looks sharply at [the random visible thing][or]I am starting to find it unnerving how the roc looks at us[or]Are you sure that rocs don't eat people? It's giving us quite an intent stare[or]The roc paces up and down[or]The roc spreads its wings, then folds them again. It could really double as a pavilion if it would stay still in that position[or]The roc throws its head back and screams horribly for no obvious reason[or]The roc dips its beak in the water, then spits violently[at random]." When roc-flight ends: say "It stares at us for a moment, and you climb carefully onto its back, putting our arms around its neck. A dozen drawbacks occur at the last minute. What if there isn't enough room for the takeoff? What if it needs to run [--] like a plane [--] before it can get airborne?"; try the roc going down. After roc going down from Precarious Perch: try the roc going north; follow the compass-drawing rule. Report the roc going north from Precarious Perch: say "The roc strains its neck forward, spreads its wings and steps off the cliff. Its flaps are slow and [you] [are] losing altitude [--] so fast that at first I think [you][']ll fall into the ocean [--] but it takes only five or six flaps before the bird is able to glide straight out to sea." instead. Report the roc going north from Abandoned Shore: say "The roc rather awkwardly climbs to the highest spot of rock it can easily reach. Then it strains its neck forward, spreads its wings and steps off the cliff. Its flaps are slow and [you] are losing altitude [--] so fast that at first I think [you][']ll fall into the ocean [--] but it takes only five or six flaps before the bird is able to glide straight out to sea." instead. [The roc flies more or less the way condors fly, as documented by youtube. I'm not sure how far a bird of the roc's mass would need to descend before starting to glide, and almost certainly I haven't given it enough clearance, but text is at least more forgiving than an animation would be.] Roc-soaring is a scene. Roc-soaring begins when roc-flight ends. Roc-soaring ends when the time since roc-soaring began is 2 minutes. Sanity-check doing something other than examining or looking during roc-soaring: say "I don't know about you, but I don't dare do anything but hang on." instead. Sanity-check going somewhere during roc-soaring: say "I think [you] pretty much have to go where the roc wants to go." instead. Instead of looking during roc-soaring: say "The ocean is many feet below; a fall might not kill us, but it would certainly hurt. The sun has nearly set, and the sky is a soft blue, tempered by the evening haze. If [you] crane as far as [you] safely can over our left shoulder, [you] can see the coastline near my house, and the old city walls, and the last trails of sunlight on the water." When roc-soaring ends: say "I keep thinking [you] [are] going to lose our grip, but somehow [you] manage to stay on. Sooner than I expect, [you] make out the shine of Slango's yacht, and in the next moment [you] [are] above it. The roc circles once or twice before coming to land on the Sunning Deck."; change the initial appearance of Slango to "Slango is out, having seen us landing. He looks nervy."; move the roc to the Sunning Deck; set the current interlocutor to Slango; [queue altern-where-is-Brock as immediate obligatory;] move the player to the Sunning Deck; follow the compass-drawing rule instead. [The printed name of a fake-rock is "rock". Understand "rock" as a fake-rock. The description of the fake-rock is "It looks like a sedimentary stone." The printed name of a plural-rock is "rocks". A plural-rock is plural-named. Understand "rocks" as a plural-rock. The description of the plural-rock is "A heap of fist-sized rocks suitable for cobbling a path."] The rock-band is a person. The printed name of the rock-band is "rock band". Understand "rock" or "band" as the rock-band. The heft of the rock-band is 10. The description of the rock-band is "The band consists of a hot drummer, two long-haired guitarists, and a male vocalist with flame tattoos on his arms." The greeting of a rock-band is "[one of]The drummer waves, one of the guitarists gives us the finger, and the male vocalist offers to sign his name on the breast of our choice. 'Left, right, or I can do across both.' We decline[or]The band offers another motley greeting[stopping]." The rock-ballad is a noisy r-abstract thing. The printed name of the rock-ballad is "rock ballad". Understand "rock" or "ballad" or "song" as the rock-ballad. The description is "The rock ballad is a throbbing ball of guitar-filled air." Instead of listening to the rock-ballad: say "Wailing guitars rend the air." The description of the rodeo beaker is "A piece of scientific glassware with the usual measurement markings on the side, but also painted with the image of a bucking bronco." The rollback-ad is privately-named. The printed name is "rollback ad". Understand "rollback" or "rollback-ad" or "rollback ad" as the rollback-ad. Understand "ad" as the rollback-ad when the ad is not visible. The description of the rollback-ad is "It's a two-page glossy magazine spread announcing that the Bureau of Orthography has ordered a rollback on the distribution of [Britishizing goggles], and therefore all current owners are 'advised and required' to exchange their purchase for a cash refund." The description of the rood is "A substantial crucifix carved entirely of wood." Ross is a man. The description of Ross is "He's red-headed and he looks oblivious to social cues. Someone you used to know, then, I take it?" The description of the rotas inscription is "It reads: [paragraph break][fixed letter spacing] P[line break] A[line break] T[line break] A E O[line break] R[line break]PATERNOSTER[line break] O[line break] O S A[line break] T[line break] E[line break] R[variable letter spacing]". The rotas inscription is fixed in place. Rule for printing the name of the rotas inscription when not shooting: say "Roman inscription". Understand "roman" or "letters" or "lettering" as the rotas inscription. The initial appearance of the rotas inscription is "On the opposite wall is a cross of inscribed letters, this time Roman." Some rucks and the ruck are r-abstract. The description of the ruck is "A fine fold in nothingness." The description of the rucks is "A row of creases in a piece of gossamer cloth." The rump stabber is a man. The description is "He is of less than average height and carries a butterfly knife." Every turn when the rump stabber is in the location: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say "The rump stabber gets into a good position and then, before we can turn around, stabs us in the behind."; end the story saying "Ouch."; else: say "The rump stabber keeps trying to angle around and stand behind us." The rum stabber is a woman. The description is "She looks around in bewilderment, but there's no rum for her to attack." Test rumper with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / open tub / load gun / shoot rubber stamp with gun / wave p-remover at rump stabber / gel rum stabber / shoot stamp / z / z / z" holding the anagramming gun and the tub and the bullets and the rubber stamp. A rusty-nail-drink is a contained fluid edible thing. The printed name of a rusty-nail-drink is "Rusty Nail". Understand "rusty nail" or "rusty" or "nail" or "cocktail" or "drink" or "beverage" as a rusty-nail-drink. The description of a rusty-nail-drink is "A scotch-based beverage with Drambuie. It's tolerable, but not a fav[our]ite." Instead of burning the rusty-nail-drink: say "It's not quite pure enough alcohol to catch a flame, even if [you] had a good reason." Section 15 - S The heft of the sag is 1. The description of the sag is "The sag comes in the form of a doll-sized house with a distinct dip in the roof." Understand "house" or "doll-sized" or "dip" or "roof" as the sag. The heft of the sagas is 0. The sagas are r-abstract. The description of the sagas is "Pages and pages of stories about the role of Atlantis during the battles between Spain and the Moors. There is a great deal of religious ferv[our] and emphatic feeling, but on the whole it sounds like a wretched, bloody time was had by all." The description of the salt is "A quantity of fluffy, slightly blue sea-salt, such as is sometimes collected from the rocks down by shore." The salt is edible. The indefinite article is "some". The description of the saltcat is "It's a mixture of salt, lime, and meal, used to catch pigeons." The indefinite article of the saltcat is "some". The description of a sap is "A slack-faced fellow, eager to believe what he's told. The grin he's giving us right now is usually found only on golden retrievers." The sap-dispenser is a closed transparent container. The printed name is "sap dispenser". Understand "sap dispenser" or "dispenser" as the sap-dispenser. It is scenery. The initial appearance of the sap-dispenser is "A sap dispenser hangs beside the mirror." The description of the sap-dispenser is "It's the kind where a squeeze will dispense sap into the sink[if the sap-liquid is not in the sap-dispenser]. It is also empty[end if]." A sap-liquid is a fluid thing. The indefinite article is "some". The scent-description is "pine resin". The printed name is "sap". Understand "sap" as the sap-liquid. The description is "Sticky and yellow-col[our]ed goo from a tree, rather than 'sap' as in a person. But considering it comes from a sap dispenser, that was probably inevitable." Sanity-check touching the sap-liquid: say "It would be sticky and be hard to get off." instead. Sanity-check burning the sap-liquid: say "I think some resins might burn when dry, but I'm not sure that applies here, and in any case it wouldn't help." instead. Instead of squeezing the sap-dispenser: if sap-liquid is in the sap-dispenser: let target be a random sink in the location; say "[You] give the dispenser a squeeze and it deposits some sap in the sink [--] just viscous enough not to drain away instantly."; move the sap-liquid to the target; otherwise: say "This time nothing much comes out." The satin-pin is wearable. The printed name of the satin-pin is "satin pin". Understand "satin" or "satin pin" as the satin-pin. Understand "pin" as the satin-pin when the pin is not visible. The description of the satin-pin is "It's a little brooch, probably not very valuable, bearing a blue and white satin rosette. The edges of the rosette have yellowed with age, and there is a blob of glue at the center that must once have held some additional decoration." The satin-pint is a floppy container. The printed name of the satin-pint is "satin pint". Understand "satin" or "satin pint" as the satin-pint. Understand "pint" as the satin-pint when the pint is not visible. The description of the satin-pint is "It is a quilted satin version of a beer stein, though of course it would not be able to hold liquid at all reliably." The saint-pint is a container. The printed name of the saint-pint is "saint pint". Understand "saint" or "saint pint" as the saint-pint. Understand "pint" as the saint-pint when the pint is not visible. The description of the saint-pint is "On the side of the pint glass is an image of [one of]Saint Arnold of Soissons, the patron saint of hop-pickers[or]Saint Brigit, who is said to have miraculously transformed her bathwater into beer[or]Saint Arnold of Metz, who cured his neighb[our]s of a plague by feeding them only beer[or]Saint Cuthbert, who lived exclusively on barley and is admired by maltsters[sticky random]." The Scot is a man. The description is "The full stereotype: bagpipes, kilt, sporran. If you look at him too long, he says, 'Och.'" Understand "bagpipes" or "kilt" or "sporran" or "man" as the Scot. The greeting of the Scot is "'Och,' he says. A tic." The scree is a diggable thing. The heft of the scree is 9. The description of the scree is "The scree is a sloping pile of small and mid-sized stones, most of them roughly broken off. They look like the result of a rockfall rather than of, say, long erosion by water." The indefinite article of the scree is "some". Understand "stones" or "stone" or "rubble" as the scree. Instead of climbing the scree: say "As soon as [you] get a step or two up the pile, [you] slide back down again." A screwdriver-drink is a contained fluid edible thing. The printed name of a screwdriver-drink is "Screwdriver". Understand "screwdriver" or "cocktail" or "drink" or "beverage" as a screwdriver-drink. The description of a screwdriver-drink is "A cocktail of fresh-squeezed orange juice and vodka. It is hardly the grandest of cocktails, but it will do." The scent-description is "citrus and the faintest hint of alcohol". Instead of burning the screwdriver-drink: say "It's largely orange juice. It's not going to burn, and if it did, it would smell like Florida on fire." The sed is r-abstract. The description of the sed is "A gibbering nonsense of streaming letters, slashes, and dots, which I am not able to interpret. Like perl, but older." The setter automaton is a push-button device. The heft of the setter automaton is 3. The description of the setter automaton is "It's a little like one of those Japanese robot dogs, only substantially more old-fashioned and artisanal. Its bright glass eyes watch us expectantly and its ruddy fur is thick and lustrous.". Instead of switching on the setter automaton: say "The setter automaton runs in a circle and barks several times, then sits expectantly and shuts off again." The sere automaton is a push-button device. The heft of the sere automaton is 3. The description of the sere automaton is "The automaton is now reminiscent of a patrician Roman dried by long life and stoic practices. Its nose is narrow and aquiline, its lips thin, its eyelids heavy. Its only joy is self-denial.". Instead of switching on the sere automaton: say "The lips of the face draw up into the faintest sneer. Nothing else occurs. After a moment the face relaxes again." [A shit is a thing. The shit is crude.] The sharp limit is an r-abstract thing. The heft is 0. The description of the sharp limit is "It displays a graph that drops off sharply when X reaches [a random number between 10 and 100] [one of]thousand[or]million[or]billion[or][at random]." The shopping gab is an r-abstract noisy thing. The heft is 0. The description of the shopping gab is "Borrowed from some shopping channel, a perky announcer voice offers discounts on various Atlantean products." Instead of listening to the shopping gab: say "The announcer currently wants us to know about [one of]cubic zirconia earrings in the shape of a squid plant[or]a juicer for making chard smoothies in your very own kitchen[or]the price of a pair of new hand towels[at random]." The description of the shred is "Just a torn rag-end of cloth. It is white and blue, and bears every evidence of having been part of an obligatory-service uniform." The shred is floppy and wearable. The heft of the shred is 1. Report wearing the shred: say "[You] try out the shred as [one of]an armband[or]a necktie[or]a hair-wrap[at random]. It can't be very attractive." instead. Some shrimp cocktail is an edible thing. The scent-description is "tomato and seafood". The description is "A floridly red concoction of tiny shrimps in sauce[one of]. I've always considered it vulgar[or][stopping]." Sanity-check tasting the shrimp cocktail: say "Honestly, I find that stuff vile, so please let's not." instead. Instead of searching the shrimp cocktail: say "A few finger-prods through the red sauce verify that there are only more shrimps within." Test alterna-shuttle with "tutorial off / plug in dais / e / put pastis in bucket / w / put shuttle on dais / pull lever / turn switch / pull lever / get in shuttle / drive e" holding the power cord and the pastis and the shuttle in the Workshop. The alterna-shuttle is a car. The printed name of the alterna-shuttle is "shuttle". Understand "shuttle" as the alterna-shuttle. The heft of the alterna-shuttle is 6. The description of the alterna-shuttle is "It is predictably painted blue, but it's just a little patrol shuttle, not one of the big vans for carting away arrested citizens." The description of the shuttlecock is "A curious object used in badminton: it's a plastic projectile shaped like a ball into one half of which a circle of feathers has been stuck. This makes it fly less quickly and more visibly." A sick is a fluid thing. The indefinite article is "some". The scent-description is "stomach acid". The description is "It looks like half-digested pepperoni pizza, plus miscellaneous juices." The description of the sickest offal is "There's a pile of semi-recognizable animal bits, of which I think I might recognize a dried sheep's head. Back in my grandparents['] day Atlantis was quite a lot poorer and these kinds of foods were considered acceptable [--] even a delicacy [--] but you won't catch them in the markets these days." The indefinite article of the sickest offal is "the". The scent-description of the sickest offal is "warm blood". Understand "sheep" or "head" or "dried" or "sheep's" or "ram" or "bull" or "goat" or "testicle" or "foot" or "lung" or "giblet" or "appendix" or "gall" or "bladder" as the sickest offal. Instead of searching the sickest offal: say "I'm not sure, but I think that thing there might be a [one of]bull[or]goat[or]ram[at random] [one of]testicle[or]lung[or]foot[or]ear[or]giblet[or]appendix[or]gall bladder[at random]. Then again possibly not." The description of a sig is "It reads: [fixed letter spacing][line break][line break]-- [line break][if the item described is proffered by the garish sign]GREED IS GOOD. -- Gordon Gekko[otherwise if the item described is proffered by the carton-sign]Education is its own end[otherwise if the item described is proffered by the last-sign]The contents of the foregoing post may not be reproduced in any medium without the permission of the sender[otherwise]Decisions are made by those who show up.[line break] -- President Bartlet, by way of Harry S. Truman and/or Woody Allen. Or maybe Abe Lincoln.[end if].". A sig is r-abstract. [carton-sign, garish sign, last-sign, otherwise] The last-sign is a sign. The printed name is "sign". Understand "sign" as the last-sign. The description is "It reads: 'Reminder: the six-monthly security remodel is set for this coming Tuesday. Please be prepared to cooperate with the floorers as they install our new coprolite tiles, and leave no secure documents visible.'" Instead of searching the last-sign: say "There is no point searching for a hidden meaning; the overt meaning is peculiar enough." The signet is a wearable thing. The heft of the signet is 1. The description of the signet is "[signet-desc]." The signet has a number called the iteration. To say signet-desc: if the iteration of the signet is: -- 0: say "It's an outsized signet bearing the crest of the Bureau of Orthography, now hanging around the statue's neck in the same way that the sign did a moment ago"; -- 1: say "It's an outsized signet again, but there's no Bureau crest. This time it carries the symbol of the University of Atlantis. There are a lot of students in this crowd, and maybe the All-Purpose Officer's not able to exert much local field influence on the transformation with so many others around"; -- 2: say "This time the signet depicts [--] well, I can't imagine this is a common heraldic device, but I think I'd call it a Squid Rampant. The crowd has taken control of the imagery"; -- otherwise: say "The Squid Rampant is back". The description of the sill is "It is a bit useless and disembodied without an accompanying window, but here it is: a board of white painted wood." The sill is long. Understand "board" as the sill when the board is not visible and the location is not the Rotunda. [bulletin board crossover] The sillage is an r-abstract thing. The indefinite article is "some". The description is "There's nothing to see or hear, just an extremely powerful od[our] of someone else's perfume.". The scent-description is "jasmine". A sin is r-abstract. The heft of a sin is 0. The description of a sin is "An abstract representation of [if the item described is proffered by the garish sign]greed: a nice classic sin represented in this case by the image of men counting money, wall street executives in private jets, pretty women marrying men three times their age, and an assortment of similar typical concepts[otherwise if the item described is proffered by the carton-sign]adherence to the abstract and the ineffectual, characterized by a woman in academic robes reading in the midst of a disaster zone, where bodies are scattered everywhere[otherwise if the item described is proffered by the last-sign]pettiness of spirit and obsession with needless detail, embodied by the image of a grey-skinned bureaucrat and a huge heap of papers[otherwise if the item described is proffered by a sink]carelessness with resources, represented by the wasteful use of a great deal of clean water[otherwise]willfully clueless meddling. Not a sin known to Dante, perhaps; but modern democracies have their own forms of wrong-doing[end if]." The scent-description of a sin is "[if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]sulphur[otherwise]sulfur[end if]". Instead of listening to a sin: if the item described is proffered by the garish sign: say "There is the faintest chink like the stacking of coins."; otherwise: say "A gabble of voices, commenting and petitioning and commenting again.". Sanity-check washing a sin: say "This is all endearingly metaphysical, but [you] can't." instead. Sanity-check entering a sin: say "Entering a state of sin, do you mean? I have the impression you have that covered." instead. The description of the slack towel is "Not easy to tell from any other towel, though an argument could be made that it's especially limp and lacking in pile." A dangerous construction rule for the slack towel: say "Unfortunately, having the towel swapped in for an electrical component starts a small fire, which soon sets off the alarms in the area."; end the game saying "That could have gone quite a lot better". The slat is a long thing. The description of the slat is "A board of white wood, probably extracted from a fence somewhere." Test snapping with "show snap to bartender / show ring to bartender / listen" holding the snap and the ring in the Drinks Club. The alterna-snap is an r-abstract noisy thing. The heft of the alterna-snap is 0. The printed name is "snap". Understand "snap" as the alterna-snap. The description of the alterna-snap is "It sounds like a whole chorus of guys in hair gel, snapping for all they're worth." Instead of listening to the alterna-snap: say "[one of]The snap makes an, er, snapping noise.[or]Snap! goes the snap.[or]The snapping continues.[stopping]". The description of the snap is "A metal fastener for clothing, both halves. It looks ready to be sewn in." The sock is a wearable thing. The description of the sock is "A single unpaired sock. It is sized for a girl's foot and striped in alternating bands of black, white, and pale blue." A sod is a naughty-sounding thing. The heft of the sod is 4. The indefinite article is "some". The description is "A rectangular piece of dirt with fresh grass growing in it, ready to be laid down in someone's lawn." The description of the sop is "A hunk of bread dipped in something red-brown.". The sop is edible. The heft of the sop is 1. The scent-description is "stale wine". The description of a son is "He's the ideal image of Atlantean boyhood. Missing front tooth, tan from days in the sunshine, a spelling commendation patch sewn into his shirt." Understand "missing" or "front tooth" or "tooth" or "atlantean" or "boyhood" as the son. The sord is a bird. The heft of the sord is 10. The description of the sord is "A whole flight of mallards; only not in flight at the moment. They're currently quacking and pecking the ground." The sot is a man. The description is "He's wearing a stained wife-beater shirt and looks like he hasn't been sober since 1982. Note the four-day beard." Understand "wife-beater" or "shirt" or "beard" or "four-day" as the sot. The greeting of the sot is "The sot looks at us blearily but does not attempt speech." The spa is fixed in place. The heft of the spa is 12. The description of the spa is "It's building given over to Atlantean care treatments: the conversion of warts, manicures and pedicures in clever col[our]s, the reshaping of hairdos." The spat is r-abstract. The spat is noisy. The description of the spat is "It sounds like an argument, vehemently in progress, about [one of]whether the couple has missed the last bus down-island[or]which café serves the best Coffee Atlantic[or]whether it's wise leaving the bedroom window open while sleeping[or]whether to take the new DCL job though it involves a lot of travel[at random]." The description of the splat is "An artful, bright white splat. Fortunately it looks more like paint than like bird droppings. At least, so I choose to interpret it." The spillage is a fluid. The indefinite article of the spillage is "some". The description of the spillage is "It looks a lot like the spill, only possibly more toxic." The scent-description is "nauseating chemicals". Instead of burning the spillage: say "Whatever this is, spreading a toxic haze of it over the environment would be a terrible idea." The spit is a long thing. The heft of the spit is 2. The description of the spit is "It's a long metal bar, the sort you might use to skewer a piece of meat for cooking over a fire." The heft of the spot is 1. The description of the spot is "A small scrap of paper with a black spot on it[one of]. It has no obvious uses, other than perhaps to deliver sinister warnings to one's pirate acquaintances[or][stopping]." The spouted cutoffs are wearable. They cover the legs-area. The description of the spouted cutoffs is "They're an extraordinary steampunk creation: trousers sawn off just above the knee, but along the outside of each thigh, where military trousers might have a smart red stripe, there is instead a length of copper tubing. They must be the world's only short pants with their own gutter system." The stag is an animal. The description of the stag is "He's very large and very wild, the antlers alone filling more volume than you would have thought possible.". The stage is r-abstract. The description of the stage is "The concept of a stage in development, represented by the image of an insect still in the larval form." The starry veil is a wearable thing. The description of the starry veil is "A veil of fine black gauze, long enough to fall at least to the knee on a woman of average height. It is studded all over with gleaming silvery stars; not mere rhinestones, but ornaments that cast their own faint unmistakeable light. Some are pure white, some pale blue, some small and red-hued. But they are safe and cool and do not burn to touch." The stats are r-abstract. The description of the stats is "Floating[one of][or] [primary-color][or] [secondary-color][or] [primary-color] and [secondary-color][at random] [one of]columns of numbers[or]pie charts[or]bar charts[or]maps[at random] describe the [stat-type].". Definition: a thing is synthesizable: if it is the quip-repository: no; if it is a quip: no; if it is a fact: no; if it is a subject: no; if it is fixed in place: no; if it is scenery: no; if it is part of something: no; yes. To say stat-type: say "[one of]average[or]mean[or]median[or]standard deviations in[or]modal distribution in[at random] "; let Custom be indexed text; now Custom is "size"; let Generic be indexed text; let P be a random seen synthesizable thing which is not r-abstract; if P is an animal: if P is a man or P is a woman: now Custom is "[one of]political affiliation[or]internet usage[or]education levels[or]incarceration rates[or]income[or]rates of listening to [music-type][at random]"; else if P is a bird: now Custom is "[one of]migration distance[or]wingspan[at random]"; else: now Custom is "feed price"; now Generic is "[one of]height[or]weight[or]lifespan[or]weekly caloric intake[or]daily water consumption[or]birthrate[or]girth[at random]"; else: if P is noisy: now Custom is "decibel level"; if P is long: now Custom is "length"; if P is fluid: now Custom is "specific gravity"; if P is edible: now Custom is "[one of]caloric content[or]gluten content[or]glycemic index[at random]"; now Generic is "[one of]diameter[or]height[or]thickness[or]depth[or]weight[or]price[at random]"; say "[one of][Custom][or][Generic][at random]"; if P is plural-named: say " of [P]"; else: say " of [a P]"; say "[one of] in [nationality] towns[or] worldwide[or] under varying weather conditions[or], with attention to possible seasonal variations[or] immediately following an important election[or] as measured on alternate Thursdays[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; The steer automaton is a push-button device. The heft of the steer automaton is 3. The description of the steer automaton is "Real leather covers a framework of wood and steel, making an alert and surprisingly lifelike model steer.". Instead of switching on the steer automaton: say "The steer bucks, snorts, and shakes its head very plausibly before falling still again." The description of a stent is usually "I was expecting a length of clear plastic tubing, but no. This is made of a metallic mesh, and so designed that when inserted into an occluded part of the esophagus, it will expand itself automatically. It's a palliative measure for inoperable cancers of the digestive tract." The street automaton is a push-button device. The heft of the street automaton is 3. The description of the street automaton is "It's an extremely elaborate representation of Long Street about a hundred years ago, with cuckoo-clock machinery and wood-and-glass storefronts." Instead of switching on the street automaton: say "The clockwork makes tiny high-waisted women stroll up and down Long Street, and tiny boater-hatted men bow to them and pick up their handkerchiefs. The palm trees wave in an automated wind.". [The stick is here as a back-up puzzle solution for propping up the trap door or hitting the pinata. Originally the warning was called a warning note instead and wasn't written on a sticky.] The description of the stick is "It is about two feet long. It's stripped of its leaves and fairly sturdy.". The stick is long. The heft of the stick is 2. The scent-description is "sap". The stickball is an r-abstract thing. The description is "A pick-up sandlot game, represented here by the image of small dusty figures running around, transparent as holograms." The heft of the stickball is 0. The description of the still is "A room-sized installation of glass tubes and boilers. Inside is some kind of illicit moonshine product." The still is a container. The heft of the still is 12. The still is transparent. The scent-description of the still is "heady quantities of ethanol". The stillage is a supporter. Instead of putting something on the stillage: say "The stillage is really designed to support kegs and nothing else." The description of the stillage is "It's a rack for supporting kegs in such a position that they can be easily tapped and used." The description of a stink is "It's an intense, dizzying smell with great staying power and speed over distance." The scent-description is "over-ripe French cheese". A stint is r-abstract. The heft of a stint is 0. The description of a stint is "The flickering images represent a period of time spent in the military: a young person in a uniform, smartly waving goodbye to hazily-sketched parents; a duration of training and mostly boring patrol work; release from service, with a few mild commendations and some pocket money." The stoats are an animal. The description is "There are several of them, and they look like brown weasels. The tips of their tails are brown, and their eyes are beady, and they look like a whole bag-ful of trouble." The stock is an edible contained fluid thing. The indefinite article is "some". The description of the stock is "Pale brown stock, still warm and steaming slightly." The scent-description of the stock is "hearty fish reduction". The description of the stop is "A metal key pried off a musical instrument. It's not much use by itself.". The description of the stopcock is "A valve made of glass components, designed to be used with laboratory equipment and tubing. It looks very clean and very official[if stopcock is open]. The valve is currently open[end if]." The stopcock can be openable. The stopcock can be open. The stopcock is openable and closed. The stoppage is r-abstract. The description of the stoppage is "It is the very essence of non-action, though you might not guess that, as it looks exactly like an angry man waving a bag of gnocchi. There was a spot of trouble four or five years ago when some disgruntled customs workers refused to carry on applying linguistic realignment to licensed imports. A lot of foreign food rotted on the docks before it could be converted into English-language food." The scent-description is "aging foodstuffs". The stopwatch is a device. The description is "One of those round, silvery stopwatches with a start/stop button on the top[if switched off]. It is currently stopped[otherwise]. It currently reads [stopwatch elapsed time]. The second hand sweeps around steadily[end if]." The stopwatch has a time called the time started. Understand "start/stop" or "button" as the stopwatch. Carry out switching on the stopwatch: now the time started of the stopwatch is the time of day. To say stopwatch elapsed time: let residual be the time of day minus the time started of the stopwatch; say residual in words. Report switching off the stopwatch: say "[You] turn off the stopwatch at [stopwatch elapsed time]." instead. The strolling chap is a man. The description is "He is walking back and forth, forth and back, at a leisurely pace, as though he had all the time in the world." A suid is an animal. "The suid stands stupidly nearby, looking dazed." The description is usually "A suid is any kind of pig; this one is a sizable domestic sow, as it turns out." A sud is a thing. The heft of the sud is 1. The description of the sud is "A solitary soap-bubble, clinging iridescently to the nearest surface." Instead of doing something to the sud: if the action requires a touchable noun: say "The sud pops on contact."; remove the sud from play. Instead of doing something when the sud is a second noun: if the action requires a touchable second noun: say "The sud pops on contact."; remove the sud from play. The printed name of the sun-product is "sun". The heft of a sun-product is 1000. The description of a sun-product is "A mass of incandescent gas [--] well, plasma, really [--] fleeting thoughts and then". The description of the sunlit ray is "Not a ray of sunlight. No. This is a dead sea-creature, perpetually lit as though by the sun." The sunlit ray is edible. The scent-description is "seawater". [The skit is a man. "A man wearing a tea-towel over his head is enacting some kind of skit about Gandhi." The skit wears a tea-towel. The skit is r-abstract. ] The description of the swat is "The smack of a hand, or the slap of a rolled-up newspaper hitting a fly: you perceive it as a comic-book sound.". The swat is r-abstract and noisy. Instead of listening to the swat: say "The noise is sudden and percussive, and repeats without a clear rhythm." The description of the swath is "The width of a strip of cut grass, which is to say, the width of a scythe-blade. The distance is measured out in delicate blueprint lines in midair.". It is r-abstract. The swath is r-abstract. The description of the swatch is "A worthless strip of cloth in a tartan print, a few inches wide and maybe a foot and a half long." The heft of the swatch is 1. The swatch is floppy and wearable. The description of the sword is "It's a slender, flexible 18th-century sort of affair, rather than a medieval broadsword. Possibly a valuable antique: this might have been an exercise in smuggling.". The sword is long. The heft of the sword is 2. The sword-arm is a thing. The printed name is "sword arm". Understand "sword" or "arm" or "inexplicable" or "tattoo" or "muscles" or "bicep" as the sword-arm. The description of the sword-arm is "A man's arm, muscled and scarred and thickly-furred with hair. A tattoo on the bicep portrays what looks like a Spanish galleon at full sail." The description of the swordstick is "It's a stick the col[our] of rosewood with a sturdy, no-nonsense handle. The sword that is supposed to snap into it is, however, inexplicably missing." The swordstick is long. The heft of the swordstick is 2. The scent-description of the swordstick is "polished wood". Section 16 - Tale A tale is r-abstract. The heft of a tale is 0. The description of a tale is "It begins with 'once upon a time,' and the letters scroll up delicately through the air when [you] start to read. It weaves a narrative as follows: [paragraph break][i][generated tale][/i]". Report examining the tale: record "Propper Rosehip award for talespinning" as an achievement; continue the action. [Here we want to suggest a timeless but suitably Atlantean fairy tale, which we assemble in pseudo-Proppian fashion. Themes hint at rampant xenophobia, problems with distribution of wealth, concerns about class and democracy, the roles of science and superstition, ambivalence towards organized religion, layers of polytheistic as well as Christian culture, superstitions about language, uncertainty about the behavior of abstract objects and beings, and other problems that presumably were emerging over the past several centuries of Atlantean history. At the same time, the tale is generative and intentionally reveals its generative nature, rather than just being a cycling set of pre-written tales, for two reasons. One, I like some of the curious themes or idiosyncracies that arise from the automatic generation (e.g., a hero who defeats a robber... using something he himself stole; the hero gives up literacy to appease an angry demon and is rewarded with a mask of words...); two, many of the game's abstracts do have a randomized, unstable quality and I wanted to continue that feel. Conceptually, this passage also owes a little bit to Andrew Plotkin's Matter of the Monster and to some blog comments from Ian Millington about generating semi-random content. It's not, of course, a particularly elegant implementation of that concept. Contrast the inciting fable, which needs to have one and just one form.] A tale-apex is a kind of value. The tale-apexes are t-defeats, t-tricks, t-escapes, t-converts. A tale-protagonist is a kind of value. The tale-protagonists are t-fisherman, t-farmer, t-banker. A tale-villain is a kind of value. The tale-villains are t-foreigner, t-thief, t-monster, t-multiple-creature. A tale-helper is a kind of value. The tale-helpers are t-squid, t-ass, t-beggar, t-spirit. A tale-gift is a kind of value. The tale-gifts are t-sword, t-dagger, t-gun, t-disguise, t-diversion, t-grace. The chosen tale-apex is a tale-apex that varies. The chosen tale-protagonist is a tale-protagonist that varies. The chosen tale-helper is a tale-helper that varies. The chosen tale-gift is a tale-gift that varies. The chosen tale-villain is a tale-villain that varies. Tale-resolution is indexed text that varies. Tale-donation is indexed text that varies. Tale-danger is indexed text that varies. Tale-intro is indexed text that varies. Tale-fight is indexed text that varies. To say generated tale: [first assign values] now the chosen tale-apex is a random tale-apex; now the chosen tale-protagonist is a random tale-protagonist; now the chosen tale-helper is a suitable helper for the chosen tale-protagonist; now the chosen tale-gift is a suitable gift for the chosen tale-apex; now the chosen tale-villain is a suitable villain for the chosen tale-apex; [now assign text to values] let t-hero be indexed text; let t-nom be "he"; let t-obj be "him"; let t-pos be "his"; let t-activity be indexed text; let t-activity be "doing the daily chores"; if the chosen tale-protagonist is: -- t-farmer: let t-hero be "[one of]farmer[or][one of]wealthy[or]wise[or]poor[or]clever[or]brave[at random] [random vegetable]-farmer[or]seed farmer[or]farm-lab[our]er[or]harvester[or]citrus farmer[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; if a random chance of 2 in 3 succeeds: let t-activity be "[one of]watering the land[or]mending fences[or]getting rid of pests[or]tending the soil[at random]"; -- t-fisherman: let t-hero be "[one of]fisherman[or]deep-sea fisher[or]clam-picker[or]shrimp-trapper[or]bivalve-farmer[or]pearl-diver[or]deep-sea scavenger[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; if a random chance of 2 in 3 succeeds: let t-activity be "[one of]cleaning the catch[or]working on some nets[or]repairing a boat[at random]"; -- t-banker: let t-hero be "[one of]banker[or]money changer[or]money-lender[or]financier[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; if a random chance of 2 in 3 succeeds: let t-activity be "counting a [one of]tall [or]short [or][at random]stack of [one of]gold[or]silver[or]copper[at random]"; if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: let t-hero be "[t-hero]'s [one of]daughter[or]wife[at random]"; let t-nom be "she"; let t-obj be "her"; let t-pos be "her"; otherwise if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: let t-hero be "[t-hero]'s son"; let t-helper be indexed text; if the chosen tale-helper is: -- t-squid: now t-helper is "[one of]giant [or]speckled [or]vast [or]white [or][at random]squid"; -- t-ass: now t-helper is "[one of]miniature [or]brown [or]small [or]black-eared [or]hard-kicking [at random][one of]donkey[or]beast of burden[or]ass[at random]"; -- t-beggar: now t-helper is "[one of]wrinkled [or]toothless [or]squinting [or]hardy [or]needy [or]starving [or][or][at random][one of]monk[or]mendicant[or]friar[or]beggar[or]vagabond[at random]"; -- t-spirit: now t-helper is "[one of]secretive [or]wailing [or]powerful [or]cruel [or]subtle [or][or][or][or][at random][one of]spirit[or]god[or]demon[or]ghost[or]seraph[or]genie[or]representation of [one of]Poverty[or]Need[or]War[or]Charity[or]Justice[or]Purpose[at random][or]spirit of that town[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; let t-antagonist be indexed text; if the chosen tale-villain is: -- t-foreigner: now t-antagonist is "[one of]man from a foreign land[or]woman speaking in a strange tongue[or]foreigner[or]sailor[at random]"; -- t-thief: now t-antagonist is "[one of]brigand[or]thief[or]robber[or]bandit[or]wandering pirate[or]quack doctor[or]lying bishop[at random]"; -- t-monster: if the chosen tale-protagonist is t-fisherman: now the t-antagonist is "[one of]kraken[or]leviathan[or]whale[or]wrathful spirit of the deep[or]disembodied power of the tides[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; otherwise: now the t-antagonist is "[one of]ferocious beast[or]great boar[or]ravaging beast[or][a random number between 2 and 12 in words]-[one of]headed[or]tailed[or]legged[or]tongued[at random] [one of]lion[or]dog[or]bull[or]unicorn[or]scorpion[or]tiger[at random][or]beast that can't be killed (because it has no name)[or]Epsilivore that walks the land eating the letter E[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; -- t-multiple-creature: now the t-antagonist is "horde of deplural[ize]d [one of]merchants[or]pirates[or]soldiers[or]spies from a foreign land[as decreasingly likely outcomes] traveling as one man"; let t-tool be indexed text; if the chosen tale-gift is: -- t-sword: now the t-tool is "[one of]rapier[or]cutlass[or]longsword[or]broadsword[or]shortsword[or]sword[at random]"; if the chosen tale-helper is the t-ass: now the t-tool is "whip"; -- t-dagger: now the t-tool is "[one of]poniard[or]dagger[or]knife[or]blade[at random]"; if the chosen tale-helper is t-beggar: now the t-tool is "[one of]rusty[or]old[or]antique[or]much-used[at random] [t-tool]"; if the chosen tale-helper is t-spirit: now the t-tool is "[one of]pure blue[or]shimmering spirit[at random] [t-tool]"; if the chosen tale-helper is the t-ass: now the t-tool is "whip"; -- t-gun: now the t-tool is "[one of]Spanish pistol[or]gun[or]musket[or]rifle[or]blunderbuss[at random]"; if the chosen tale-helper is the t-squid: now the t-tool is "harpoon gun"; if the chosen tale-helper is the t-ass: now the t-tool is "whip"; -- t-disguise: now the t-tool is "[one of]mask[or]veil[or]robe[or]cloak[at random]"; if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds and the player is wearing something: now the t-tool is "[random thing worn by the player]"; if the chosen tale-helper is the t-spirit: now the t-tool is "[t-tool] made of [one of]cloud[or]darkness[or]words[at random]"; if the chosen tale-helper is the t-squid: now the t-tool is "[one of]water[or]spume[or]black ink[at random]-col[our]ed [t-tool]"; if the chosen tale-helper is the t-beggar: now the t-tool is "[one of]stained[or]torn[or]tattered[at random] [t-tool]"; -- t-diversion: now the t-tool is "[one of]flashing toy[or]lantern[or]mirror[or]firecracker[or]sound of an avalanche[or]bottled wind[at random]"; -- t-grace: if the chosen tale-helper is the t-spirit: now t-tool is "[one of]sonnet[or]song[or]poem[or]spell of persuasion[or]tale of how Atlantis was founded[or]story of the Tower of Babel[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; otherwise if the chosen tale-helper is the t-squid: now t-tool is "[one of]gift of lying[or]pair of spectacles that see through ink[at random]"; otherwise: now t-tool is "[one of]wistful smile[or]bashful grin[or]raucous laugh[or]brilliant smile[or]beguiling tune[or]naughty limerick[at random]"; let t-solution be indexed text; if the chosen tale-apex is: -- t-defeats: now the t-solution is "[one of]destroy[or]kill[or]maim[or]attack[at random] the [t-antagonist]"; if the chosen tale-helper is t-spirit: if the chosen tale-gift is t-sword or chosen tale-gift is t-dagger: let agonist be indexed text; let agonist be "[t-antagonist]"; if agonist matches the regular expression ".(.*)": now agonist is "[text matching subexpression 1]"; now t-solution is "slice off a piece of the [t-antagonist] so that only [agonist] was left"; if t-tool is "whip": now t-solution is "[one of]beat the [t-antagonist] into obedience[or]make the [t-antagonist] into an obedient servant[at random]"; -- t-escapes: if the chosen tale-gift is t-disguise: now the t-solution is "[one of]conceal [t-obj]self[or]hide[at random] from the [t-antagonist]"; if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: now the t-solution is "blend in with the landscape so that the [t-antagonist] did not notice [t-obj] though he passed only a few inches away"; if the chosen tale-helper is the t-beggar or the chosen tale-helper is the t-ass: now the t-solution is "resemble a soldier too ferocious to attack"; if the chosen tale-gift is t-diversion: now the t-solution is "[one of]distract[or]draw away the attention of[at random] the [t-antagonist]"; -- t-tricks: if the chosen tale-gift is t-disguise: if the chosen tale-helper is t-beggar and the chosen tale-villain is t-thief: now the t-solution is "trick the [t-antagonist] into thinking the [t-hero] hand nothing worth stealing"; otherwise: now the t-solution is "trick the [t-antagonist]"; if the chosen tale-gift is t-diversion: now the t-solution is "trick the [t-antagonist] into going the wrong way and being trapped"; if t-tool is "mirror" and the chosen tale-villain is t-multiple-creature: now the t-solution is "show the [t-antagonist] its reflection and drive it to madness"; -- t-converts: now t-solution is "[one of]soothe[or]tame[or]make a friend of[at random] the [t-antagonist]"; now tale-intro is "Once upon a time..."; now tale-fight is "Using the [t-tool], [t-nom] was able to [t-solution]. "; now tale-resolution is "So the [t-hero] [one of]triumphed[or]succeeded[or]prevailed[or]was triumphant[or]won out[or]was successful[or]was victorious[at random]. "; if t-tool is "gift of lying": now tale-resolution is "'Is there anything this gift cannot achieve?' asked the [t-hero] of the [t-helper]; and the [t-helper] replied, 'No, it is the strongest weapon there is.' "; let V be a random number between 1 and 7; if V is: -- 1: now tale-intro is "Once upon a time, a [t-hero] was [one of][or]hard at work [or]busy [or]in the middle of [at random][t-activity]. "; now tale-danger is "Then the [t-hero] met with a [t-antagonist]. [one of]For a time [t-nom] thought that [t-nom] and [t-pos] family were done for, so great was [t-pos] fear, when[or]Everything seemed lost until[or]The [t-hero] did not know what to do until[or]The [t-hero] was overwhelmed with terror until[at random] [one of][t-nom] remembered the [t-tool][or][t-nom] found the [t-tool] again among [t-pos] possessions[or]the [t-tool] spoke aloud saying USE ME, USE ME[at random]. "; -- 2: now tale-intro is "Once upon a time, the supreme councilor of the land was captured by a [t-antagonist][one of], and no one but a [t-hero] dared try to save him[or]. A brave [t-hero] set out to save him[or], and only a [t-hero] was willing to go after him[at random]. "; now t-activity is "searching high and low for the councilor"; now tale-danger is "At last the [t-hero] found the lair of the [t-antagonist]. "; now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution]The councilor was saved, and all rejoiced. "; -- 3: now t-activity is "[one of]treasure[or]a cure to the plague[or]fresh water[or]the world's hottest spice[or]the world's sweetest honey[or]the world's end[or]the Secret Word that Makes Men Live Forever[or]the 27th letter of the alphabet (which God gave secretly to the angels)[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; now tale-danger is "When at last the [t-hero] [one of]discovered the hiding place of the [t-activity][or]tracked down the [t-activity] with subtle maps and a magic compass[or]uncovered the [t-activity] by asking every merchant and priest in the land[or]came to the hidden place where the [t-activity] could be found[at random], [t-nom] found it was being guarded by a [t-antagonist]. "; now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution]The [t-hero] and [t-pos] whole town lived [one of]healthily[or]wisely[or]joyfully[or]wealthily[at random] ever after. "; if t-activity is "the world's end" and chosen tale-villain is t-foreigner: now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution]But all were amazed that the world's end should be in a foreign land rather than their own. "; otherwise if t-activity is "the 27th letter of the alphabet, which God gave secretly to the angels": now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution]And the names of the people in that town cannot even be spoken by an ordinary person, because of the secret letter which is beyond pronouncement. "; now t-activity is "[if the chosen tale-protagonist is the t-fisherman]sailing the sea[otherwise]wandering the land[end if] in search of [t-activity]"; now tale-intro is "Once upon a time, a [t-hero] was [t-activity]. "; -- 4: if chosen tale-gift is not t-grace and t-tool is not "whip": now t-tool is "[one of]golden[or]silver[or]ruby-studded[or]emerald-embossed[or]gilded[or]small electrum[at random] [random animal which is not plural-named]"; now tale-intro is "Once upon a time there was a [t-hero] who had inherited a [t-tool] from [t-pos] father and [t-pos] father's mother before him. But the [t-tool], alas, was stolen; and as it was the most valuable thing the family possessed, [t-nom] went out in search of it. "; now t-activity is "scouring the land for what was lost"; now tale-resolution is "After much struggle, the [t-hero] was reunited with the [t-tool], which the [t-helper] had stolen [one of]to give away as a bribe[one of]. And this is the danger of corruption when all tasks, even small ones, require a bribe[or][or][at random]. [or]out of hunger. [or]out of need. [or]out of a love of trouble. [purely at random]"; if t-tool is "whip": now tale-resolution is "The [t-hero] took the [t-tool] away from the [t-helper] and began to beat him with it savagely, though he had stolen it in order to escape beating. So it is that disobeying a tyrant may only make him more tyrannical. "; now tale-danger is "'You have stolen this [t-tool]!' exclaimed the [t-hero] in rage. 'For it has belonged to my family for generations.' "; now tale-fight is "[one of]'What!' said the [t-helper]. 'Do you think there is only one [t-tool] in existence?' But the [t-hero] knew this was a lie. [or]'You did not truly need it,' protested the [t-helper]. [or]'All things belong to all people in common,' suggested the [t-helper], because he subscribed to a heretical philosophy of property ownership. But the [t-hero] snorted derisively. [or]Then the [t-helper] and the [t-hero] argued over the [t-tool]. [at random] "; -- 5: now tale-intro is "Once upon a time, [one of]a certain witch read in the cards that[or]there was a prophecy that[or]a prophetess saw in a dream that[at random] the island of Atlantis would sink into the sea. [one of]And no one believed this prophecy except for[or]But the prophetess did not tell everyone; she gave the secret only to[or]No one cared except[or]This message fell on deaf ears, except for[at random] a [t-hero], who set out to prevent it. "; now t-activity is "going door to door looking for anyone who could offer advice"; now tale-danger is "The [t-hero] traveled for many nights and days into the cen[ter] of the island, until [t-nom] came to a deep hole in the earth. Going down in the deep hole, [t-nom] found stairs that descended for ten thousand steps. And at the bottom of the hole was a great cave; and there in the cave was a winch that held the island up. And beside it was a [t-antagonist] who was preparing to turn the winch and plunge the island into the sea. "; now tale-resolution is "Thus the island was saved from sinking. "; -- 6: now tale-intro is "Once upon a time, a [t-hero] was separated from [t-pos] beloved. "; now t-activity is "looking everywhere for the beloved's footprints"; now tale-danger is "When at last the [t-hero] tracked down [t-pos] beloved, [t-nom] found that the beloved was living in thrall to a [t-antagonist][one of], beguiled by [t-pos] charms[or], and was even about to marry [t-obj][or], having forgotten the [t-hero] completely thanks to a magic spell[or][at random]. "; now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution]Thus [t-nom] was reunited with [t-pos] beloved. "; if chosen tale-apex is t-converts: now tale-fight is "With the [t-tool], the [t-hero] wooed [t-pos] beloved back from [t-antagonist]. "; now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution]From then on [t-nom] carried the [t-tool] everywhere, in case it should be needed again. "; otherwise: now tale-fight is "With the [t-tool], the [t-hero] was able to subdue the [t-antagonist] long enough for the spell on [t-pos] lover to fade, and the two were able to reunite. "; -- 7: now t-activity is "[random outdoors room]"; now tale-intro is "Once upon a time, a [t-hero] was on a long journey to [t-activity] [one of]to fulfil the dying command of [t-pos] mother[or]at the wish of [t-pos] father[or]because the sheriffs of that land were searching for [t-obj][or]because of incurable wanderlust[or]because [t-nom] had heard such interesting tales of the place[or]in order to sell a cow[at random]. "; now t-activity is "heading for [t-activity]"; now tale-danger is "Alas, on the way [t-nom] was set on by a [one of]ferocious[or]angry[or]hostile[or]blood-drinking[or]zombie[or]razor-toothed[or][at random] [t-antagonist]. "; now tale-donation is "help carrying a heavy burden"; if the chosen tale-helper is t-beggar: now tale-donation is "[one of]a bowl of soup[or]a crust of bread[or]a hearty stew[or]something hot to drink[or][a random vegetable][or]a meal of spiced meats better than [t-hero] [t-obj]self got at home[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; if the chosen tale-helper is t-squid: now tale-donation is "[one of]aid cracking open some clams[or]assistance in re-building its home in the reef[at random]"; if the chosen tale-helper is t-spirit: now tale-donation is "[one of]tribute[or]worship[or]obedience[or]aid in building a shrine[or]the abandonment of all scientific principles[or]that the [t-hero] willingly forget how to read[or]the burning of all the books in the land[or]prayers to cleanse the land of impurity[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; if V is 4: now V is a random number between 2 and 3; otherwise: now V is a random number between 1 and 8; if V is: -- 1: now tale-donation is "In the midst of [t-activity], [t-nom] was interrupted by a [t-helper]. [one of]Though [t-nom] did not welcome the interruption, [or]Though [t-nom] was rude, [or]The [t-hero] said, 'Go away! Can't you see I'm busy?' But [or]The [t-hero] made a bad face, but [at random]the [t-helper] said, '[one of]I was sent to bring you this[or]A dream told me to present you this[or]I have brought you a[or]I wanted only to give you this[at random] [t-tool].' Thinking nothing of it, the [t-hero] went on [t-pos] way. "; if t-tool is "whip": now tale-resolution is "When the [t-helper] met with the [t-hero] again, the [t-helper] said, 'Now perhaps you see what sort of creature it is proper to beat!' [tale-resolution]"; otherwise if t-tool is "mirror": now tale-resolution is "The [t-helper] returned to the [t-hero] and said, 'Now use your mirror on yourself, and see what kind of person you have become!' [tale-resolution]"; otherwise: now tale-resolution is "The next morning [t-nom] met the [t-helper] again. Astonished, [t-nom] said, 'Why did you give the [t-tool] to me after I treated you unkindly?' The [t-helper] replied: '[one of]I did this not for you, but for the whole island[or]I could not withhold that which it was your fate to receive[or]In payment, you and your family must always treat me well and bring me gifts[at random].' [tale-resolution]"; -- 2: now tale-donation is "[one of]While [t-hero] was [t-activity][or]Just then[at random], a [t-helper] approached [t-obj] and demanded [tale-donation]. And though [t-hero] was very busy, [t-nom] gave all the aid in [t-pos] power. In return, the [t-helper] gave [t-obj] a [t-tool]. "; if chosen tale-gift is t-diversion and t-activity is not "scouring the land for what was lost": now tale-donation is "[tale-donation]'I cannot imagine what use this will be,' thought the [t-hero]. But [t-nom] put it away in [t-pos] bag, because [t-nom] knew that there is a use for everything in its time. "; -- 3: now tale-donation is "A little while later, the [t-hero] was attacked by a [t-helper] and they fought almost to the death[one of]. When [t-pos] hands were around the neck of the [t-helper], [or], until growing desperate [at random]the [t-helper] begged for mercy. "; now tale-donation is "[tale-donation][one of]Out of soft-heartedness, the[or]Hoping for some reward, the[or]Reluctant to kill any creature, the[or]Though the red mist of rage was on [t-obj], the[or]Though afraid the [t-helper] might attack again as soon as [t-pos] back was turned, the[or]Eager to see whether it would lead to some reward, the[or]The[at random] [t-hero] agreed, and in thanks, the [t-helper] gave [t-obj] a [t-tool]. "; unless t-activity is "scouring the land for what was lost": if chosen tale-apex is t-tricks: now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution]Thus we see that it is best to fight a weak enemy but deceive a strong one. "; if chosen tale-apex is t-escapes: now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution]A weak enemy is the best preparation for a strong one. "; -- 4: now tale-donation is "While [t-activity], the [t-hero] met a [t-helper]. The [t-helper] begged of [t-obj] [tale-donation], but [t-nom] refused, saying [t-nom] had more important tasks at hand. "; if the chosen tale-villain is t-monster: now tale-danger is "At once the [t-helper] turned into a [t-antagonist] in its rage. "; now tale-fight is "Terrified, the [t-hero] cowered in apology. "; otherwise: now tale-danger is "A little later the [t-hero] was threatened by a [t-antagonist], and called out to the [t-helper] for aid. "; now tale-fight is "The [t-helper] came and at once defeated the [t-antagonist]. But when it was done, it turned angrily to the [t-hero]. "; now tale-resolution is "'Now you will not complete your task,' said the [t-helper], 'because you have not learned how easily one thing can turn into another. Go home, tell your story, and if your quest had any merit perhaps another will take it on.'"; -- 5: if the chosen tale-helper is t-spirit: now tale-donation is "'Let me help you,' said a [t-helper]. 'If you are with me, I cannot fail,' replied the [t-hero]."; otherwise: now tale-donation is "'Let me help you,' said a [t-helper]. 'I do not see how a [t-helper] can be any use at [t-activity],' replied the [t-hero]. 'But you are welcome to try.'"; now tale-danger is "So the two of them were [t-activity] side by side, when they were approached by a [t-antagonist]. "; now tale-fight is "The [t-helper] brought forth a [t-tool] and used it to defeat the [t-antagonist], while the [t-hero] watched in astonishment. "; if the chosen tale-helper is t-spirit: now tale-resolution is "Then in a single moment, the [t-helper] completed the task that the two of them had set out to do. 'Why did you need me?' demanded the [t-hero], feeling hurt about [t-pos] lack of agency in the whole task. 'Because,' replied the [t-helper], 'I am forbidden to do anything unless there is a human who wishes it. But as your will was tested and proven, the deed too became possible.' "; otherwise: now tale-resolution is "'Alas, I have not succeeded in my task,' said the [t-hero]. 'No,' said the [t-helper] sharply. 'But at least you are not dead.' "; -- 6: now tale-donation is "While [t-activity], the [t-hero] came across a [t-helper] who possessed a [t-tool]. "; if chosen tale-helper is t-spirit: now tale-donation is "[tale-donation]'[one of]Whatever belongs to the spirits belongs to their people[or]What use is something like this to a spirit? I will take it[or]This is a strange thing for a shrine, and surely it would be more use to me[or]Someone must have left this here as an offering, but I have more need of it[at random],' said the [t-hero] to [t-obj]self. So [t-nom] took the [t-tool] away. "; otherwise if chosen tale-helper is t-squid and chosen tale-gift is t-sword: now tale-donation is "[tale-donation]'[one of]I don't suppose the squid has much use for this[or]What is one sword to a squid? He will need seven more[or]The squid can protect himself with clouds of ink, but I have no such def[ense][at random],' said the [t-hero] to [t-obj]self. So [t-nom] took the [t-tool] away. "; otherwise: now tale-donation is "[tale-donation]'[one of]I may have need of such a thing[or]That looks useful[or]Taking a thing is no crime if it is for a good cause[or]Possessions unguarded are no possessions at all[or]That would be a comfort to me where I am going[at random],' said the [t-hero] to [t-obj]self. And waiting until the [t-helper] slept, the [t-hero] took the [t-tool] and went away. "; if t-activity is "looking everywhere for the beloved's footprints": now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution]And [t-nom] felt no shame about taking the [t-tool], because who would not go to the ends of righteousness in order to save a lover? "; otherwise: now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution][one of]And the [t-hero] went to where the [t-helper] slept, and gave back the [t-tool] so that no one was the wiser[or]Cunning is truly the greatest weapon[at random]. "; -- 7: now tale-donation is "In the midst of [t-activity], the [t-hero] met a [t-helper]. "; if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds and the player carries something: now tale-donation is "[tale-donation]'Trade with me,' said the [t-hero]. 'I will give you my [random thing carried by the player], and you can give me your [t-tool].' And so the [t-helper] agreed. "; otherwise: now tale-donation is "[tale-donation]The [t-helper] said, 'I have great need of [if the player carries something][a random thing carried by the player][otherwise]a strand of your hair[end if], and will give you whatever you wish in exchange.' The [t-hero] thought long and hard, and then said, 'Give me your [t-tool].'"; -- 8: now tale-donation is "While [t-activity], the [t-hero] found a [t-tool]. 'Take me with you!' said the [t-tool]. So [t-nom] shrugged and collected the [t-tool] for a later time. "; now tale-resolution is "[tale-resolution]Those who make the most of opportunities have the most successful results. "; say "[tale-intro][paragraph break][tale-donation][paragraph break][tale-danger][paragraph break][tale-fight][paragraph break][tale-resolution]"; To decide what tale-helper is a suitable helper for (P - a tale-protagonist): if P is: -- t-farmer: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: decide on t-ass; otherwise: decide on t-spirit; -- t-fisherman: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: decide on t-squid; otherwise: decide on a random tale-helper; -- otherwise: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: decide on t-beggar; otherwise: decide on t-spirit; To decide what tale-villain is a suitable villain for (T - a tale-apex): if T is t-converts: decide on t-monster; otherwise: decide on a random tale-villain. To decide what tale-gift is a suitable gift for (T - a tale-apex): if T is: -- t-converts: decide on t-grace; -- t-defeats: let R be a random number from 1 to 3; if R is: -- 1: decide on t-sword; -- 2: decide on t-dagger; -- 3: decide on t-gun; -- otherwise: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: decide on t-disguise; otherwise: decide on t-diversion; To decide what tale-protagonist is a suitable protagonist for (T - a tale-apex): decide on a random tale-protagonist. Section 17 - The rest of T A tab is r-abstract. The description of the tab is "It lists the price of a tasting menu for two at the Literal Restaurant (seven courses not counting the intermezzo beet sorbet), with accompanying wine flights, espresso, and brandy to follow. Someone's expense account is shivering in a corner right now." The heft of the tack is 1. The description of a tack is "The kind of thing used to stick papers to corkboards. It's pointy." Sanity-check poking a person with the tack: say "That would be unkind." instead. Sanity-check poking a notepad with the tack: say "We have no need to pin [the noun] to anything (and no corkboard, either)." instead. Sanity-check poking an r-abstract thing with the tack: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't sufficiently physical to interact that way." instead. Sanity-check poking a fluid contained thing with the tack: say "Then [the noun] would dribble all over the place." instead. Sanity-check poking something with the tack: say "There are no obvious advantages to making a very tiny hole in [the noun]." instead. Test tack with "poke me with tack / poke sord with tack / poke fuel with tack / poke era with tack / poke jotter with tack / stick tack into fuel / poke tack into fuel / stick fuel with tack" holding the tack and the sord and the fuel and the era and the jotter. The taco is edible. The description of the taco is "In the fried corn tortilla shell nestles a mixture of spiced pork, shredded lettuce, and sharp cheddar." The scent-description is "Mexican spices". Understand "spiced pork" or "pork" or "shredded lettuce" or "lettuce" or "sharp cheddar" or "cheddar" or "corn" or "tortilla" or "shell" or "fried" as the taco. The heft of the taco is 1. A tad is r-abstract. The description of a tad is "A very small measure, like a teaspoon, of no particular substance." The description of the tam is "A slightly baggy crocheted cap, striped in shades of blue and white." The tam is wearable. It covers the head-area. The description of the tamale is "Still partly in its wrapper, and steaming hot. You seem to know what it is [--] some kind of traditionally Mexican or meso-American foodstuff? [--] but I can't say that it's familiar around here. The exterior looks like prepared corn dough of a fairly coarse kind. It smells like the interior may be spiced meat.". The tamale is edible. Instead of searching the tamale: now the description of the tamale is "Still partly in its wrapper, and gradually cooling. You seem to know what it is [--] some kind of traditionally Mexican or meso-American foodstuff? [--] but I can't say that it's familiar around here. The exterior is prepared corn dough of a fairly coarse kind, and [you] have crumbled this enough to reveal the spiced meat inside."; say "Yup, definitely spiced meat." The tan is an r-abstract. The heft of a tan is usually 0. The description is usually "The col[our] is the col[our] of bronzed skin as found on the beaches of Maui; a lazy, relaxed, year-round tan.". The scent-description of a tan is usually "coconut oil". The description of the tat is "It looks like the end-of-day leftovers from a particularly ill-fav[our]ed yard sale. What's not broken is dirty, and what's not dirty is in terrible taste. There's a mechanical pencil with no lead, and a kiddie pool that leaks; a stained tablecloth that once had a pattern of squid tentacles on it; a bobble-headed doll representing the head player of the Maiana football team thirteen years ago." The ten-object is r-abstract. The heft of the ten-object is 0. Understand "ten" or "10" as the ten-object. The description of a ten-object is usually "The number of fingers, the number of toes." The printed name of a ten-object is usually "ten". The description of the Tao is "It presents itself as one of those circular yin-yang symbols, part black, part white. I'm afraid Atlantean understanding of Asian philosophies is fairly simplistic." The description of a tap is "It's a tap marked [one of]Hot[or]Cold[at random][if the item described is not part of something], though not screwed into any sort of plumbing fixture at the moment[end if]." The description of the tape is "It's clear tape, the kind you use to wrap presents or make childhood art projects. I made an entire paper village when I was small, at significant expense in sticky tape." The description of the tar is "A pot of sticky black goo." The indefinite article of tar is "some". Instead of tasting or eating the tar: say "Ugh." Instead of smelling the tar: say "It smells like roadworks on a hot day." The tarpan is an animal. The description is "A small, mouse-col[our]ed horse with black-barred legs. It looks wild and shows no signs of ever having been saddled or ridden." Sanity-check mounting the tarpan: say "The tarpan isn't broken to bridle, and I don't think we're going to start today." instead. The printed name of an alterna-tart is "tart". Understand "tart" as an alterna-tart. The description of an alterna-tart is usually "She's dressed to minimize coverage, but it's not completely clear whether she's an actual sex-worker or just a woman with a bold taste in clothing." A tart is usually edible. The description of a tart is usually "It is sized for one, with a crisp crust on which sugar crystals glitter; through the indentations on the top [you] smell what might be gooseberry." The scent-description is "fresh pastry and gooseberries". A tartar is a man. The description of the tartar is "A ferocious man in a fur cap, carrying eccentric weapons; he looks like a medley of popular depictions of Genghis Khan." The greeting of the tartar is "The tartar stares at us wild-eyed." The scent-description of the tartar is "Is that yak sweat I detect?" The description of the tartrate is "A fine, just off-white powder. It doesn't smell like anything in particular." The heft of the tartrate is 1. Sanity-check waving the tartrate: say "It's a powder, not a flag." instead. Sanity-check climbing the tartrate: say "There would have to be a much bigger mound of the stuff before [you] could plausibly climb it." instead. Sanity-check pushing, pulling, or turning the tartrate: say "At best [you] would just smear the stuff around." instead. Rule for clarifying the parser's choice of the that-object: do nothing instead. A tattle is r-abstract. The heft of a tattle is 0. The description of a tattle is "It is non-physical, but it sounds like a waspish playground voice recounting the sins of another child." The tattle is noisy. Instead of listening to the tattle: say "[one of]A child's voice from the tattle says, 'Mom! Timmy took the R out of my rice!'[or]'Mommy, David put restoration gel on grandma but it didn't work,' tattles a childish voice.[or]'Daddy, Timmy turned my bread into a bead!' tattles a childish voice.[or]'Daddy, David says he's going to turn my cake into caca,' whimpers a small child.[or]An excited child's voice says, 'Freddy made an underage twine purchase.'[at random]". The terracing is r-abstract. The description of the terracing is "It suggests a texture like the many-layered vinyards on the slopes of the Rhine. According to your recollection, anyway. I haven't been." The indefinite article of the terracing is "some". The terse automaton is a push-button device. The heft of the terse automaton is 3. The description of the terse automaton is "Still an automatic seer in a glass box.". Instead of switching on the terse automaton: say "'[one of]Outlook: OK[or]Don't worry[or]Be happy[or]Reply hazy[or]Rocks ahead[or]You: fine[at random],' announces the terse automaton." The printed name of the that-object is "that". Understand "that" or "pronoun" or "demonstrative" or "object" or "object known as 'that'" as the that-object. The description of the that-object is "It's a curious little object, having no particular weight or size; whenever I look at it, I find myself concentrating on something else [--] like, say, at this moment, [the random visible thing which is not the that-object]." The that-object is r-abstract. The tea is an edible contained fluid thing. The scent-description is "[one of]bergamot[or]smoky Lapsang[or]toasted rice and green tea[sticky random]". The description of the tea is "It manifested steaming hot." Understand "earl grey" or "earl gray" or "lapsang" or "souchong" or "green tea" or "toasted rice" as the tea. [I was very very tempted to put the tea in a vintage tea cup, as I spent part of the summer collecting such cups on eBay for a party, and I had in the process cluttered my brain with a lot of useless information about historical tea cup brands and patterns that clearly needed to go somewhere. But then I realized that it would be kind of a bother implementing the cup separately from the tea, and inconsistent with how other liquid manifestations usually work, and so I decided not to after all. The reader is invited to picture her choice of Aynsley, Paragon, Wedgewood, Royal Albert, Limoges, Lomonosov, etc. tea cup as she wishes.] Check waving the letter-remover at the tea when the current setting of the letter-remover is "t": say "For a flickering moment, the letter-remover very nearly manages to conjure some No Tea in its place." instead. The description of the tear is "It looks like any other droplet of water." Instead of tasting the tear: say "It wouldn't survive the experience." A fake-ten is r-abstract. The heft of a fake-ten is 0. The description of a fake-ten is usually "The concept of ten is here represented by [one of]the letter X[or]the digits 1 and 0[or]the digit A[or]an Olympic judge holding up a scorecard[at random]." Understand "ten" as a fake-ten. The printed name of a fake-ten is "ten". The description of a tent is usually "It's one of those round pup tents, made of [one of][primary-color][or][secondary-color][at random] rip-stop nylon, big enough to sleep one diagonal adult or two children. There's a window of netting mesh so that it's possible to see inside." The tent is usually transparent openable enterable. The printed name of the plural-tents is "tents". Understand "tents" as the plural-tents. The description of some plural-tents is usually "They're half a dozen identical A-line tents in olive-drab, looking like a temporary encampment from a 20th century war." A plural-tents is usually plural-named transparent openable enterable. The description of the tepal is "It appears to be the petal from a tulip (or perhaps tulips don't have petals, properly speaking?). The col[our]ation is vivid and baroque, lush impenetrable black streaked with red, like a love note from Amsterdam." The thick sari is wearable. It covers the torso-area. The description of the thick sari is "It's a fine Indian garment, made of vivid purple and silver wool, and thick enough to offer some protection from the cold." The description of the tic is "It is manifested as a bit of reflective mylar that flashes and changes shape spasmodically. I can't look at it without wanting to blink and rub my eyes." The tic is r-abstract. The tick is an insect. The description of the tick is "A flat, black, blood-sucking insect. It's also tiny, smaller than a match. Considering its size I'd be surprised if [you] manage to hold on to it for two minutes without losing it.". The heft of the tick is 1. [The tick is a problem. It's technically an animal, but it shouldn't act like animals act because it's too small. In fact, it's so small that it's not realistic for the player to be able to hold onto it for long. Fortunately, though, the stick isn't an essential item in the game, so we can afford to lose it. This is one place where I have Alex really step in and take some action if the player doesn't do something: either we change the tick back into the sticky in a few moves, or we lose it.] Tick-removal is a scene. Tick-removal begins when the player can see the tick. Every turn during tick-removal: say "[one of]That is, of course, if it doesn't attach to our skin and give us Lyme disease[or]I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I don't want our very own pet tick[or]...Okay, sorry, there's something I just need to do here. Blame my phobias if you will[stopping]." Tick-removal ends painfully when the time since tick-removal began is 3 minutes. Tick-removal ends well when the player cannot see the tick. Instead of putting the tick on something: say "If [you] set it down, it'll be lost for good." Instead of inserting the tick into something: say "If [you] set it down, it'll be lost for good." Instead of dropping the tick: say "If [you] set it down, it'll be lost for good." When tick-removal ends painfully: if the player can see the restoration gel: try putting the restoration gel on the tick; otherwise: remove the tick from play; say "Whoops, I seem to have lost our tick! Oh well. Here's hoping it has a juicy and eventful life." The description of the ticket is "It reads ADMIT ONE in large black letters." Test coffer with "load gun / shoot cup" holding the anagramming gun and the bullets in the Private Solarium. The tidy puce coffer is a closed openable container. The description is "It's a heavy, old-fashioned box with a peaked lid, lacquered all over in a shade somewhere between dark pink and dusty purple. It is very clean and precisely crafted." The tilting-piano is an instrument. Understand "tilting" or "piano" as the tilting-piano. The printed name of the tilting-piano is "tilting piano". The description is "The legs on one side of the piano are very much lower than on the other side, so that the keyboard can only be played by someone with a very unconventional posture. To make the object look all the more carnivalesque, it is painted white and studded with blue and white rhinestones." Test paintings with "autoupgrade / load gun / wave s-remover at paintings / shoot painting / put giant pin in t-inserter / shoot giant pint / wave g-remover at pig tat inn / shoot pi tat inn / put pin in inserter / shoot titan pint / open tub / gel tint / shoot paintings / wave g-remover at sign / shoot sin" holding the anagramming gun and the bullets and the paintings and the tub in the Sensitive Equipment Testing Room. The titan-pin is wearable. The description of the titan-pin is "The pin depicts two giant-like figures locked in a wrestling match." The printed name is "titan pin". Understand "titan" or "titan pin" as the titan-pin. Understand "pin" as the titan-pin when the pin is not visible. The titan-pint is a container. The description of the titan-pint is "It's a beer stein on whose side are two giant-like figures locked in a wrestling match. It's as though some Greek vase painters moved to Bavaria when the retsina ran out." The printed name is "titan pint". Understand "titan" or "titan pint" as the titan-pint. Understand "pint" as the titan-pint when the pint is not visible. The tier is r-abstract. The description of the tier is "It's represented as a certificate hon[our]ing a donor in the fifth 'tier of giving'." The description of the till is "An old-fashioned cash register with separate keys for half- and quarter-cents: Atlantean currency inflated more slowly than most, and still had absurdly low numbers until we went over to the Euro. Both sides are molded with a graceful female figure holding a cornucopia of goods from land and sea." The till is an openable closed container. The description of the tills is "There is a whole heap of them, mostly old-style cash registers from before they were computerized, but also some more recent sorts, and even one of those clever modern ones that is just a prop for a tablet computer." The tillage is r-abstract. The description of the tillage is "The fleeting images show acres of rolling farmland being worked over in preparation for planting. It looks like more wide-open space than we usually have in one place here on Atlantis. Perhaps the farmland pictured is French or even American." The printed name of a tin-can is "tin". Rule for printing the plural name of a tin-can: say "tins". Understand "tin" as a tin-can. Understand "tins" as the plural of tin-can. The description of a tin-can is "Since the label has come off, there is no knowing what might be inside. Might be squid rings (popular hereabouts, packed in olive oil). Might be pickled mushrooms. Might be dog food." The heft of a tin-can is 2. A tin-can is closed and openable. Instead of opening a tin-can: say "We don't have a tin-opener, and these are not the type where the top peels back." A tint is r-abstract. The description of a tint is "A [one of][primary-modifier] shade of [primary-color][or][pastel-modifier] shade of [pastel-color][or][secondary-modifier] shade of [secondary-color][at random], as though someone had watercol[our]ed that bit of air." The tip is r-abstract. The description of the tip is "The tip at the moment reads, '[one of]Foreign water may cause indigestion[or]Wear earplugs in tourist areas to avoid accidental dialect contact[or]Standing in the midst of a herd can be dangerous[or]Never g-remove gall[at random].'" The tippet is a floppy wearable thing. The description of the tippet is "It's a very long black scarf-like garment, made of plain material. The alpha and omega of the New Church are embroidered just where they would appear over the heart of the wearer." The scent-description is "liturgical incense". Sanity-check poking head through tippet: try wearing the tippet instead. The description of the tiptoes is "These severed toes insist on balancing on the tips. The effect is frankly disturbing." Sanity-check standing up on the tiptoes: say "[stand-on-tiptoe]" instead. The description of the tiptoe is "A single severed toe balanced on its tip." Sanity-check standing up on the tiptoe: say "[stand-on-tiptoe]" instead. To say stand-on-tiptoe: say "Going around on tiptoe is only stealthy in movies. And that's assuming you're using your own tiptoes and not someone else's." The tiptop is r-abstract. The description of the tiptop is "At the moment it resembles [one of]the weathervane at the top of a spire[or]the topmost point of a star from a Christmas tree[or]the capstone of a pyramid[at random]." The description of the tit is "A small, harmless-looking bird." A tit is naughty-sounding. The heft of a tit is 2. The description of the alterna-tit is "It is indeed a severed breast. Maybe a C-cup, creamy-skinned and all, but the fact that it looks like it's been raggedly chopped off by a serial killer really decreases the appeal." The titan of diarists is a man. The description is "He looks vaguely, non-specifically reminiscent of Pepys. At any rate, the kind of guy who would have gone through the London Fire." The titer is a contained fluid thing. The description of the titer is "The most dilute detectable solution of some virus. I doubt it can be too dangerous." The titter is r-abstract and noisy. The description of the titter is "It's just about invisible except as a ripple in the air, but it sounds like a girl laughing behind her hand. Repeatedly." Instead of listening to the titter: say "The titter says, '[titter-noise]!'" [There's really no need for the randomized laughter here, but then again, why not? It's in keeping with lots of other elements in the game.] To say titter-noise: let sound be indexed text; let sound be "[one of]hee[or]he[or]hu[at random]"; let N be a random number from 2 to 4; repeat with index running from 1 to N: change sound to "[sound][sound]"; replace character number 1 in sound with "t"; say "[sound in sentence case]". Test titter with "z / z / listen to titter / g / g / g" holding the titter. A TNT is a kind of thing. The indefinite article is "some". The description of a TNT is usually "It is almost comically dangerous, like something out of a cartoon. Fuses stick out of the tubes, ready for lighting." Instead of burning the TNT: say "No, thanks, I'd rather not explode us both." The toasts are an edible thing. The description of the toasts is "Two slices, one white, one whole-wheat. Both are brown around the edges and have been buttered lightly." The scent-description is "butter and warm bread". The description of the toe is "It looks like a little toe raggedly cut off with a bread knife. It wasn't, of course." The heft of the toe is 1. The scent-description of the toe is "inner shoe". The description of the toes is "It looks like a set of toes raggedly cut off with a bread knife. They weren't, of course." The heft of the toes is 1. The scent-description of the toes is "inner shoe". The toes are plural-named. To say body-part-prank: say "[one of] (because after all it would be beyond the parameters of the change to generate the person whose body part it is). [It-they] [is-are] only moderately gory, and most locals get used to seeing this kind of thing as a prank from six-year-olds every halloween. Still, [it-they] might startle a tourist[or][stopping]". The toe-ring is a wearable thing. The printed name is "toe ring". The description of the toe-ring is "A silver toe ring stamped with a celtic pattern." The toil is r-abstract. The description of toil is "An utterly typical Atlantean image of an older man sweating in the sun and brushing sweat out from under his hat as he sees to the olive harvest. It could be taking place any time in the last century." [It was, unsurprisingly, Graham who suggested TS Eliot as an alternate anagram for toilets/litotes.] The description of the toilets-collective is "Enough toilets to stock a public restroom for a thea[ter] or a small sporting venue[one of]. And here I was hoping we'd get T.S. Eliot.[or].[stopping]". The heft of the toilets-collective is 10. The toilets-collective is plural-named. The toilets-collective is a toilet. The description of the toll is "It's a list of prices for taking the high road across to Maiana. Different prices pertain depending on whether the toll-payer is driving a horse-cart or a donkey-cart." The tom is a bird. The heft of the tom is 3. The description of the tom is "It's a boy turkey. At least, I assume it must be: I don't know how to sex a turkey. But it corresponds to the name." [Guernsey tomato wine is a real thing. I quote from a BBC article: "He explained that they called their wine Aztecato after the Aztecs who it is believed first cultivated the crop, but he did admit that his brew "didn't taste too good", but that did not stop them selling all 250 gallons."] The tomato sauterne is a contained edible fluid thing. The heft of the tomato sauterne is 2. The description of the tomato sauterne is "The clear glass bottle contains a dessert wine [--] not the golden col[our] one might expect of a sauterne, but virulently red. Curly Edwardian script on the label declares the wine to be a tomato sauterne, vintage 2003, based on 'a unique recipe from the Channel Islands.' It also describes the winery as 'the Château d'Yquem of Guernsey.'" The scent-description is "sticky-sweet marinara sauce". Some toms are a bird. The heft of the toms is 10. The description of the toms is "A whole collection of male turkeys." The tomcat is a cat. The printed name is "tomcat". The heft of the tomcat is 3. The description of the tomcat is "It's angry and feral and looks like it is ancestrally part bobcat or something else mad and wild." Some tomcats are a cat. The heft of the tomcats is 10. The printed name is "tomcats". The description of the tomcats is "Wrathful, hissing, un-herd-able. They don't like one another and they don't like us. Let's get rid of them as soon as possible." The description of the tome is "Extremely dusty, learned, and virtuous, such that I almost fall asleep just looking at it. It's nothing so ribald as the Bible, or even a hymnal or order of service: it appears rather to be a selection of sermons of the 18th century, from a period when it was considered somehow exciting to sit through a three-hour discourse on theology." The description of the tomtit is "A small bird with some of its markings in black. I don't claim to be expert in these things, and neither, it seems, are you." The tomtit is a bird. The description of the ton is "A big block of concrete. A fatal big block of concrete, as it turns out." The heft of the ton is 12. The top-toy is privately-named. The printed name of the top-toy is "top". Understand "top" or "toy" as the top-toy. The description of the top-toy is "One of those painted wooden tops given to small children. The plants and animals on the side are typically Atlantean: an Atlantean miniature donkey, a squid, an olive tree, and a humble chard plant. In fact, each of these is subscribed with a word; these are, respectively, PERSISTENCE, INVENTION, FRUITFULNESS, and RESOURCE." Instead of turning the top-toy: say "[You] give the top a spin, and it whirls until the virtuous plants and animals blur together into a ribbon of green and grey. The [one of]donkey[or]squid[or]olive[or]chard[purely at random] lands face-up." The torc is a wearable thing. The description of the torc is "It's a very heavy ring of precious metal, open at the front, so that it could just about be worn around the neck. The metal is worked in a pattern of braids and Celtic knots, and the ends of the torc are shaped like the heads of dragons." The heft of the torc is 3. The tort is an r-abstract thing. The heft of the tort is 0. The description of the tort is "It shows a tiny image that, after enough squinting, I recogn[ize] as Tortious Linguistic Interference: a tiny man is converting his tiny neighbor's [one of]lawn into a local area network[or]house into a hose[at random]." [More like Sacher torte than other kinds, probably.] The torte is an edible thing. The description of the torte is "It is a thickly iced chocolate torte with a fine dusting of confectioner's sugar and layered with apricot jam." The heft of a torte is 1. The scent-description of the torte is "cocoa and apricots". The heft of a tot is 3. The description of a tot is "An angelic little girl with big blue eyes and golden curls. She looks as though she was recently rescued from a Victorian orphanage by a kindly gentleman of means." The greeting of a tot is "'Hewwo thew,' lisps the tot[if the player carries an edible thing]. Her eyes fix hopefully on [the random edible thing carried by the player][end if]." [The normal response to pushing people in some direction says that only very small children can be manipulated that way; but of course, the tot *is* very small…] Sanity-check pushing the tot to a direction: say "[You] give them an encouraging push; the girl starts to whimper. Perhaps [you] should lead rather than herd." instead. Sanity-check washing the tot: say "I know you think on general principles that all small children are by definition sticky and need a bath, but this one seems to have manifested in a treacle-free condition." instead. Some plural-tots are people. The printed name of the plural-tots is "tots". Understand "tots" as the plural-tots. The heft of the tots is 3. The description of the plural-tots is "An angelic boy and girl, looking like an illustration for Hansel and Gretel. They are wide-eyed and very small, and don't actually look capable of any independent thought. Sometimes one sucks its thumb." Sanity-check pushing the plural-tots to a direction: say "[You] give them an encouraging push; the girl starts to whimper. Maybe they're more inclined to follow than to be shoved?" instead. Sanity-check washing the plural-tots: say "I know you think on general principles that all small children are by definition sticky and need a bath, but these seem to have manifested in a treacle-free condition." instead. The printed name of a tote-bag is "tote". Understand "bag" or "tote" as a tote-bag. The description of a tote-bag is "A two-handled sack for shopping purposes. It's made of sturdy canvas and looks resistant to stains." Some totes are a container. The description of the totes is "A selection of shopping sacks. They are made of sturdy canvas and look resistant to stains." The description of the totem is "A raven, carved in wood and painted in red and black." The description of the totems is "A series of animals, carved in wood. The carving style is vaguely northwestern American, but it seems a bit slapdash [--] I suspect because it's a culture not well known here." The description of the towering chute is "This is the lower end of a tremendous chute, perhaps from a fun-fair slide or a waterpark. The top of the chute is not clearly visible." Instead of entering the chute: say "Down here we're at the bottom end of the chute, so it's not as though we could slide anywhere on it." The description of the toy rug is "It is a tiny but intricately woven oriental rug suitable for an expensive doll house." The toy rug is floppy. The heft of the toy rug is 1. The track is long and strong. The description of the track is "It's a piece of the old tramcar track that used to run up Long Street from the docks. The original has mostly been pulled up now, of course, but there are still a few bits in the street. This length is about a half [if the player wears the britishizing goggles]metre[otherwise]meter[end if] long. And heavy." The heft of the track is 3. The description of the tram is "One of the old-style trams that used to putt up Long Street from the docks back in the 20s and 30s. It is olive-col[our]ed, with wood flooring and sideboards, and carries an advertisement for ladies['] hair rinse on the side." The description of the tramcar is "One of the old-style trams that used to putt up Long Street from the docks back in the 20s and 30s. It is olive-col[our]ed, with wood flooring and sideboards, and carries an advertisement for ladies['] hair rinse on the side.". The heft of the tramcar is 8. The tramcar is an enterable container. It is open. It is not openable. The trampet is an enterable supporter. The description of the trampet is "It's a very small trampoline used for therapeutic exercises." The trampet allows seated and standing. The trampet has a number called the jump count. Instead of jumping when the player is on the trampet: say "[one of]We get a pretty good height this way. [or][stopping]"; increase the jump count of the trampet by 1; say "B"; repeat with index running from 1 to the jump count of the trampet: say "o"; repeat with index running from 1 to the jump count of the trampet: say "i"; repeat with index running from 1 to the jump count of the trampet: say "n"; say "g!". Before getting off the trampet: now the jump count of the trampet is 0. Before exiting when the player is on the trampet: now the jump count of the trampet is 0. Test trampet with "tutorial off / drop trampet / stand on trampet / jump / jump / jump / out / jump / stand on trampet / jump / jump / jump / jump / get off trampet / get on trampet / jump" holding the trampet. The description of the traveller tips is "It's a pamphlet of suggestions for traveling in Atlantis. It recommends such standard precautions as having your name analyzed for possible weaknesses, leaving a photocopy of your passport with your embassy, and ridding your luggage of anything purchased in a non-English-speaking country." The description of a traveller tip is "Now just a single piece of paper suggesting that one look at State Department reports on Atlantis to see whether the current political unrest is especially severe." The description of the trap is "If you were expecting something small and harmless like a mousetrap, you're wrong: this is big and iron and would do a respectable job on a bear. [if open]Currently the jaws are forced apart, ready to spring on the unwary[otherwise]The jaws of the trap are closed, at least[end if]." The trap can be openable. The trap can be closed. The trap can be open. The trap is openable and closed. Understand "jaws" as the trap. Understand "set [trap]" as opening. Sanity-check opening the trap: if the trap is open: make no decision; if the trap is not in the location: say "It would be difficult, not to mention unsafe, to try to set the trap when it's anywhere but on the ground." instead. Report opening the trap: say "[You] apply a great deal of pressure to the levers of the trap and finally manage to get the jaws open." instead. Sanity-check taking the open trap: say "[You] don't want to get our hand anywhere near the trap while it's still set to spring." instead. Sanity-check pushing or pulling or turning the open trap: say "[You] don't want to get our hand anywhere near the trap while it's still set to spring." instead. Sanity-check closing the trap: say "It's not something one can just casually close back up. [You][']d have to spring it with something, preferably not one of our own limbs." instead. Understand "spring [something]" as springing it with. Understand "spring [something] with [something]" as springing it with. Understand "spring [trap] with [a long thing]" as springing it with. Springing it with is an action applying to one thing and one carried thing. Understand "poke [something] with [something]" as attacking it with. Understand "prod [something] with [something]" as attacking it with. Understand "insert [something] into/in [trap]" as springing it with (with nouns reversed). Understand "put [something] into/in [trap]" as springing it with (with nouns reversed). Rule for supplying a missing second noun while springing something with: if the player carries a long strong thing (called means): now the second noun is the means; otherwise: say "[You] would need something long and sturdy to spring it with." instead. Check springing something with something: if the noun is not the trap: say "[The noun] [is-are] not susceptible to springing." instead; if the trap is not open: say "[The noun] [is-are] closed already." instead; if the second noun is the trap: say "We need some second object to spring the trap with." instead; if the second noun is not long: say "[The second noun] [is-are] not long enough to provide protective distance." instead; if the second noun is floppy: say "[The second noun] [is-are] too floppy to apply the necessary pressure at a distance." instead. Carry out springing the trap with something: remove the second noun from play; now the trap is closed. Report springing the trap with something: say "[You] prod [the trap] with [the second noun]. The trap snaps violently shut, shattering [the second noun]." instead. Sanity-check attacking the trap with something: try springing the trap with the second noun instead. Instead of entering the open trap: say "Even you don't have the self-control [--] or the suicidal inclination [--] necessary to break your own leg with forty pounds worth of cold iron bear trap." Test trap with "open the trap / spring the trap / set the trap / drop the trap / set the trap / enter the trap / put stick in trap" holding the trap and the stick. The description of the trash is "[one of][card-intro][or]A collection of random bits [--] sweet wrappers, tissues, bus tickets. Nothing of any value[stopping]." Understand "sweet" or "wrappers" or "bus" or "tickets" or "tissues" as the trash. The indefinite article of the trash is "some". The appointment card is a thing. The heft of the appointment card is 1. The description of the appointment card is "It's a card from Arbot Maps & Antiques: FINE GOODS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. The time scribbled at the bottom is 9 AM this morning. Looks like Brock's handwriting. There's also a tiny heart drawn in the corner." The scent-description of the appointment card is "mingled lavender and ash". A description-concealing rule when Kate carries the appointment card: now the appointment card is not marked for listing. Instead of turning or searching or looking under the appointment card: say "The reverse of the card is completely blank." Instead of frowning at the appointment card: say "We contemplate the card, but it doesn't reveal its secrets any faster than before." To say card-intro: assign "Trace Brock's movements at the antique shop" at Arbot Antiques; complete "Check the dead drop at the public convenience"; record "visiting the dead drop" as achieved; move the appointment card to the player; say "Most of it's junk: sweet wrappers, tissues, bus tickets. But there's also, suggestively, an appointment card for Arbot Maps & Antiques". The trig is r-abstract. The description of the trig is "A constantly moving figure of circles, triangles, sine and cosine graphs." The description of the trigram is "It's a bone tile representing [one of]earth[or]mountain[or]water[or]wind[or]thunder[or]fire[or]swamp[or]heaven[at random]." The triple varlet is plural-named. The triple varlet is a man. The description of the triple varlet is "Three inseparable page-boys, all with sneering, dishonest faces. They would plainly as soon rob you as look at you." Check waving the letter-remover at triple varlet when the current setting of the letter-remover is "r": say "Nice try, but a drinks-trolley-pushing TIPPLE VALET would need another P." instead. The trill is an r-abstract noisy thing. The heft of the trill is 0. The description of the trill is "It sounds like an opera singer got stuck on repeat." Instead of listening to the trill: say "The trill keeps on trilling." The troll is a man. "The troll [one of]grunts[or]looks at us with an unpleasantly hungry expression[or]picks its nose[or]pounds one of its meaty fists into the opposite palm[or]looks around for something to smash[at random]." The description of the troll is "Grey skin, yellow teeth, green eyes. Legs as big around as tree trunks. A pot belly, speaking of a great deal of food eaten raw." The greeting of the troll is "The troll grunts." [A lightweight nod to tv tropes, focusing on the artifact section, both because it places us very early in the count and because it seemed like a suitable place to start for this game.] The trope count is an r-abstract thing. The description of the trope count is "The count is currently only up to '[one of]applied phlebotinum[or]amulet of concentrated awesome[or]amulet of dependency[or]amplifier artifact[or]antimatter[or]artifact of death[or]artifact of doom[or]artifact of attraction[cycling].' This could take a while." The truck is a car. The heft of the truck is 6. The description is "The cab of the truck is beaten and rusted, and the flatbed bears the stains of many years['] solo farming." Understand "cab" or "flatbed" as the truck. The tub is an essential closed openable container. The description is "Now a handsome, giant-sized tub with RESTORATION GEL prominently emblazoned on the front." A restoration gel is in the tub. The description of the restoration gel is "The [holder of the restoration gel] contains a clear, sticky gel that restores objects to their original state, before any letter changing. This is a valuable item in your line of work." The indefinite article is "some". Instead of smelling the tub, try smelling the restoration gel. Instead of putting the tub on something when the player's command includes "gel": silently try opening the tub; if the tub is open, try putting the restoration gel on the second noun. Some tubas are an instrument. The heft of the tubas is 5. The description of the tubas is "A shiny, cacophonous mass." Instead of listening to the tubas: say "Mercifully, they didn't materialize with a complement of tuba players, so there's nothign to hear." instead. A tuba is an instrument. The heft of the tuba is 2. The description of the tuba is "I associate instruments like this entirely with band practice misery." The tuck is r-abstract. The description of a tuck is "A neatly-stitched fold in a piece of cloth." The heft of the tun is 12. The description of the tun is "It's a huge vat for wine, about 250 gallons worth: the equivalent of three puncheons or four hogsheads or 14 rundlets." The description of two-added-nutmegs is "The nutmegs do somehow convey an air of superfluity. They're embarrassed. They've made their dish too spicy. They feel ashamed." The printed name of two-added-nutmegs is "two added nutmegs". Understand "two" or "added" or "nutmegs" or "spice" as the two-added-nutmegs. Section 18 - U through Z The untalented naval polecat is an animal. Understand "weasel" or "uniform" or "admiralty" as the untalented naval polecat. The description is "It looks a lot like a weasel wearing an admiralty uniform." Test polecat with "shoot needle" holding the anagramming gun and the catalan punt volat needle. The wand batch is long and strong. The description is "The batch is a set of half a dozen wooden wands, bound together." Instead of waving the wand batch: say "Glittery [one of][metallic-color][or][secondary-color][at random] sparks fly from the ends of the wands, but they don't otherwise do anything." The warm rods are long and strong. The description of the warm rods is "Lengths of rebar, warm as though left out in the noonday sun." The heft of the war-object is 20. The printed name of the war-object is "war". Understand "war" as the war-object. The description of the war-object is "I suppose we were hoping for some abstract conceptual representation, but what we get is loud noises and screaming and a yellowish gas all around, and something screaming down from the sky". The description of the warm rod is "Heavy, metal, slightly warm. Not radioactive, I hope?". The warm rod is strong and long. The description of the warp is "It's a small hand-loom with the warp thread put on but none of the weaving actually completed yet. There is no string or yarn to make the weft." The description of the wart-object is "Disconnected from any body, it is just a bulb of soft brownish skin-flesh with a couple of hairs sticking out." The heft of the wart-object is 1. The printed name of the wart-object is "wart". Understand "wart" as the wart-object. Sanity-check writing the topic understood on the wart recipe: say "There's barely any blank space remaining." instead. The description of the wart recipe is "This scrap of paper with its old-fashioned, grandmotherly writing offers a folk treatment for wart removal, which involves copious amounts of apple cider vinegar, salt, lemon slices, and thinly cut banana peel." The watchword is r-abstract. The description is "At the moment when [you] look at it, the watchword is apparently '[one of]Change[or]Experience[or]Quality, not Quantity[or]Haste Makes Waste[at random].'". The description of the watchband is "Because it doesn't have a watch face to go in it, this isn't even wearable: it's just two strips of leather attached by a buckle, and points at each end to attach to the watch face." Sanity-check poking head through the watchband: say "We would have to be very pin-headed indeed." instead. Sanity-check opening or closing or wearing the watchband: say "Because there's no watch face to hold the straps together, it's impossible to wear the watchband, and pointless to do or undo the buckle." instead. The description of the weight is "Shaped like a headless pyramid. '0.5 kg' is stamped in the top together with the seal of the Bureau. It's an official weight, intended to reassure citizens that they were getting a genuine standard measure." The wet epigraph is r-abstract. The heft is 0. The description is "Currently it reads, '[one of]Unshakable faith is faith that has been shaken[or]Anyone who thinks the sky is the limit, has limited imagination[at random].'" The wig is wearable and floppy. It covers the head-area. The description is "A surprisingly realistic wig, cut to about the shoulder. It looks like our hair, but a good bit longer." The scent-description is "the faintest whiff of shampoo". [There used to be a requirement about donning or doffing the wig or the hairpiece in private, which provided an additional purpose for the public convenience area. But this requirement confused lots of people, especially when the restriction prevented them from doing something else, like blindfolding themselves. I ultimately decided it was a bit of pseudo-realism that was way way way not worth it.] The wight is a woman. The description is "She is wraithlike and slender, and from some angles she looks partially transparent. Her eyes are hollow and her hands tremble. Perhaps she is dangerous in some fashion, but at the moment she looks more like a war refugee." The winner logo chocolate is edible. The description of the winner logo chocolate is "Just one waxy chocolate left from a box." The description of the winner logo chocolates is "The box is branded with the label of Dental Consonants Limited. Handwriting script across the front says, 'A Gift... to You our Valued Employee.' Inside are tablets of cheap, waxy milk chocolate, each imprinted with the word WINNER." Understand "box" or "tablets" as the winner logo chocolates. The winner logo chocolates are edible. The scent-description of the winner logo chocolates is "nothing much, which is a bad sign in chocolate" Instead of opening or closing the winner logo chocolates: say "The box isn't much use for anything, and I don't fancy the chocolates." The description of the wire rack is "The new rack is miraculously much larger than the individual racks before, so it can still hold all the same merchandise." The wire rack is a scenery supporter. The word is r-abstract. The heft of the word is 0. The description is "At the moment, the word is '[recent word]', floating about in [one of]handsome Garamond[or]Arno Pro[or]unmistakable Hoefler[or]slick Buivinga[or]elegant Didot[or]unimaginative Times[or]Helvetica[or]solid-bodied Gotham[at random] lettering." To say recent word: let N be indexed text; let N be "[description of a random visible thing]"; let count be the number of words in N; let index be a random number between 1 and count; say "[word number index in N]". The words is r-abstract. The description is "[description of the wordage]". The heft of the words is 0. The description of wordage is "A big lump of text that appears as though it's going to mean something, as long as you don't look too hard. The beginning reads, '[i][generictext]...[/i]'". To say generictext: let N be a random number between 20 and 30; let assemblage be indexed text; repeat with I running from 1 to N: let content be indexed text; now content is "[description of a random seen thing]"; if content is "": next; let max be the number of words in content; let word-choice be a random number between 1 and max; now assemblage is "[assemblage][word number word-choice in content] "; if word-choice is less than max and a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: increase word-choice by 1; now assemblage is "[assemblage][word number word-choice in content] "; say assemblage in sentence case; The clothing-wrap is a privately-named floppy wearable thing. The heft of the clothing-wrap is 1. The printed name is "wrap". Understand "wrap" as the clothing-wrap. The description is "Sheer silver fabric, here and there studded with little glittery rhinestones. It's meant to be worn around the upper arms with a fancy dress, I suppose. You'd know more about this than I do." The description of a yam is "This particular one is as long as a baby's forearm and light brown." The yam-cart is a cart. Understand "yam cart" or "cart" as the yam-cart. The printed name of the yam-cart is "yam cart". The description of the yam-cart is "A cart made of metal and wood, designed for displaying goods at a farmer's market or similar fair. It is dedicated entirely to the purveyance of yams: large yams, small yams, white yams, purple yams, yams bearing an incidental resemblance to the head of Ronald Reagan and other yams that look a little bit like the Virgin Mary. Japanese mountain yams are available, as is a ground yam powder for making brown yam paste." The yams-collection is part of the yam-cart. The yams-collection is edible. Understand "yam" or "yams" or "large" or "small" or "white" or "purple" or "ronald reagan" or "virgin mary" or "japanese" or "mountain" or "ground" or "powder" or "brown" or "paste" or "collection of yams" or "collection" as the yams-collection. The printed name of the yams-collection is "collection of yams". The description is "I find the yam display a bit overwhelming, myself." Sanity-check eating the yams-collection: say "Leaving aside my risky stomach just now, I understand that many kinds of yam will make you ill if not properly cooked." instead. Sanity-check taking the yams-collection: say "There are far too many yams for us to carry, and no individual yam looks remotely useful." instead. The description of the zen frond rinse is "This blue plastic bottle contains all that is necessary to maintain one's ferns in a state suitable for a Buddhist garden." The scent-description is "soapy chemicals". The heft of the zoo is 20. The description of the zoo is "Giraffes, bison, zebras, elephants, panthers, a polar bear: charismatic megafauna from every continent come tumbling past, and eventually overwhelm us." Volume 6 - Animal Actions and Human Conversation Book 1 - Some Rules of Animal Behavior Section 1 - Lifting Animals Instead of taking an animal when the heft of the noun is less than 4: if the player carries the noun: say "[You][']ve already got [the noun]."; otherwise: say "[You] scoop [the noun] into our arms."; now the player carries the noun. [Every turn: now the score is the number of useful things enclosed by the player; if the score is 3, end the game saying "You are now ready for the next episode!"] Every turn: repeat with burden running through contained people: if the burden is the pirate: next; if the burden is the pirate-crew: next; if the burden is the crew-group: next; if the burden is not the player and the burden is not Brock and the burden is not the mechanic and the burden is fake: try the burden exiting; Definition: a person is contained: if it is in a container which is not the repository: yes; if it is on a supporter which is not in the repository: yes; no. Check an animal exiting when the person asked is in the kayak: say "[one of][The person asked] make[s] as though to climb out of the kayak, then see[s] that everything outside is made of water, and withdraw[s] sulkily.[or][The person asked] waits in the bottom of the kayak.[stopping]" instead. Check an animal exiting when the person asked is in the synthesizer: if the person asked is a bird: say "[The person asked] make[s] some attempts to flutter out of [the synthesizer], but do[es]n't get much lift and give[s] up for the moment." instead; otherwise: say "[The person asked] scrabbles at the smooth sides of [the synthesizer], but can't get out." instead. Report an animal exiting when the container exited from is the t-inserter: say "[The person asked] clamber[s] out of [the t-inserter]." instead. Report a bird exiting when the container exited from is the t-inserter: say "[The person asked] hop[s] and flutter[s] out of [the t-inserter]." instead. Test kayakcat with "autoupgrade / wave s-remover at shackle / wave l-remover at bollard / wave d-remover at board / wave b-remover at boar / get oar / get in kayak / launch kayak / z" holding the tomcat in the Abandoned Shore. Section 2 - Animal Following [Carry out entering the line: change pursuing-state to true; [repeat with traveler running through animals in the location: try the traveler entering the noun;] repeat with traveler running through fake people in the location: try the traveler entering the noun; change pursuing-state to false.] Carry out entering a vehicle: change pursuing-state to true; repeat with traveler running through fake people in the location: try the traveler entering the noun; change pursuing-state to false. Check a fake person entering a vehicle when the heft of the person asked is greater than 3: stop the action. Check a fake person going from a road to a road when the protesters are not off-stage: stop the action. Unsuccessful attempt by a fake person entering the car: say "[The person asked] makes an effort to get in, but does not remotely fit." instead. Rule for writing a paragraph about a fake person which is in a car (called target): say "Sitting in [the target] [is-are the list of fake people in the target][if the number of fake people in the target is greater than 1], like players in a Marx Brothers movie[end if]. [paragraph break]" Carry out exiting: change pursuing-state to true; repeat with traveler running through fake people in the container exited from: try the traveler exiting; change pursuing-state to false. Carry out going: change pursuing-state to true; repeat with traveler running through fake people in the room gone from: try the traveler going the noun; change pursuing-state to false. After a fake person going, exiting, or entering when pursuing-state is true: if the person asked is a cat: add cat-sample to the incoming-list; otherwise: add the person asked to the incoming-list, if absent. Pursuing-state is a truth state that varies. Pursuing-state is false. The incoming-list is a list of objects that varies. After going or entering or exiting when the player is staid: report followers; continue the action. To report followers: if the number of entries in the incoming-list is not 0: let N be indexed text; let N be "[The incoming-list with definite articles]"; say "[N in sentence case] "; say "[one of]trail[or]come[or]follow[or]walk[at random][if the number of entries in incoming-list is 1]s[end if] after us"; sort the incoming-list; repeat through the Table of Animal Sets: let group be the grouping entry; sort group; if group is the incoming-list: say "[epithet entry]"; say "."; truncate the incoming-list to 0 entries; continue the action. After describing path of the player: report followers. The cat-sample is a cat. The printed name is "cat". Understand "cat" as a cat. Table of Animal Sets grouping epithet {roc} ", just managing to squeeze through in our wake" {peacock, cat-sample} "[one of], with the cat making ambitious swipes at the peacock's tail[or], the peacock doing its best to keep away from the cat[stopping]" {cat-sample, cock, ass} "[one of], like three quarters of the Bremen Musicians. I guess that makes us the dog[or], again[stopping]" {cat-sample, earl} ": the cat seems to be entranced by the earl's trailing ermine" [ {pet, cat-sample} "[one of]: the cat looks as though it would like to make short work of the pet, but the pet is cunning and keeps close to our leg[or], the pet still carefully dodging being alone with the cat[or]: the pet because it doesn't want to be alone with the cat, the cat because it would like to catch up with the pet[or] again[stopping]" ] Understand "pet [something]" as touching. Instead of touching or rubbing or squeezing an animal: say "[You] gingerly pet [the noun]." Instead of touching the pet: say "It arches its back into your touch and gives a soft, contented trill. The fur really is as soft as it appears." Sanity-check attacking an animal: say "[You] may be in serious trouble, but you're not the kind of person who would take it out on dumb animals. At least [--] yes, that's a relief. You're not the sort." instead. Sanity-check saying hello to an animal: say "[The noun] [one of]blink[s][or]regard[s] us mutely[at random]." instead. Sanity-check saying hello to an insect: say "Our greeting has no visible effect whatever on [the noun]." instead. Sanity-check saying goodbye to an animal: say "[The noun] [one of]regard[s] us mutely[or][is-are] completely indifferent[at random]." instead. Sanity-check saying goodbye to an insect: say "Predictably, [the noun] do[es] not react." instead. Book 2 - Person Behavior Part 1 - Universal Groundwork Section 1 - Asking Directions To say holiday closures: if the current interlocutor does not know things-close-today: casually queue closure-excuse; let X be a random number between 1 and 10; if X is: -- 1: say "'Nothing that's definitely open today.'[no line break]"; -- 2: say "'None that are open for public use right now.'[no line break]"; -- 3: say "There might be one or two places if they're really popular, but I couldn't promise anything.'[no line break]"; -- otherwise: say "'[awkward no]. "; say "[one of]A lot of[or]Most[or]Many[or]Lots of[at random]"; say "[one of] things[or] places[at random] "; say "[one of]are closed[or]are shut[or]are shut down[or]are closed up[or]aren't open[or]let the employees go home[as decreasingly likely outcomes]"; say ".'[no line break]"; closure-excuse is a q-transitional NPC-directed quip. The response is "[things-close-today][beat] [one of]'You can't find an open gas station in this town on Serial Comma Day.'[or]'People take Serial Comma Day seriously[apologetic].'[or][one of]'It's the holiday.'[or]'Serial Comma Day is a big thing around here.'[or]'It'll be worse than a Sunday today.'[or]'Any other day of the year you'd have more luck.'[cycling][stopping][line break]". [Questions about subjects] To say directions to (destination - a room): say "'"; if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say "[personal yes]. "; say "[one of]Perhaps you should try [or]You might want [or]I'd go over to [or]Try [or]The best chance would be [at random]"; say "[the destination]"; let distance be the number of moves from the location to the destination; let the way be the best route from the location to the destination; if distance is: -- 1: say ". That's just [way] from here[run paragraph on]"; -- otherwise: if distance is less than 5: say ". It's not far; you'd head [way] to start[run paragraph on]"; otherwise if distance is less than 9: say ". It's a little bit of a walk, but not too bad. Head [way] to start with[run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say ". It's pretty far from here, though. Go [way][run paragraph on]"; if a road (called target road) is adjacent to the destination and destination is not a road: say ". It's just off [the target road]"; if destination is outdoors: [in this case, the destination probably exists only as a facade somewhere] say ". It might be closed, though"; if the current interlocutor does not know things-close-today: casually queue closure-excuse; say ".'[run paragraph on]"; Instead of a fake person discussing a quip which does not quip-supply the current interlocutor: carry out the expressing ignorance for activity with the current interlocutor; say paragraph break. Rule for expressing ignorance for a fake person (called target): say "[The target] just look[s] confused. These generated people are usually limited to acting only in one particular sphere of action.[run paragraph on]" Carry out someone discussing a quip which mentions geography: if the current interlocutor knows you-are-tourist: casually queue suggest-tourist-information; now the current interlocutor knows you-are-tourist. Instead of someone discussing where lodging seems found when the location is dormitory or location is hostel: try the actor discussing you-seem-confused. Instead of a tourist person discussing a location-questioning quip: if the correct answer of the noun is the location: try the actor discussing you-seem-confused; else: if the actor knows you-are-tourist: try the actor discussing also-tourist; otherwise: try the actor discussing just-got-here; you-seem-confused is a weakly-phrased NPC-directed quip. The response is "'[one of]Look around you,[or]You don't need to go far, do you?[or]What do you call this?[or]Uh… you seem kind of confused,[at random]' [the current interlocutor] says.". also-tourist is a weakly-phrased q-transitional NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of][The current interlocutor] shrugs. 'I'm as much a tourist here as you.'[or][ignorance][stopping]". just-got-here is a weakly-phrased NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'You probably know more about that than I do,' says [the current interlocutor]. 'I just got here.'[or][ignorance][stopping]". Instead of a native person discussing a location-questioning quip when the current interlocutor can see the guidebook and the current interlocutor does not recollect try-guidebook: try the person asked discussing try-guidebook. Instead of someone discussing a location-questioning quip when the person asked recollects at least three location-questioning quips: try the person asked discussing ask-someone-else. Instead of someone discussing a location-questioning quip when the location is the correct answer of the noun: try the person asked discussing you-seem-confused. Last report discussing a quip which mentions geography for the first time: say "(Incidentally, you know, we don't have to go around asking where everything is like a tourist just off the boat. If you want to go to some place you've heard of, just say so and I'll handle the navigation [--] unless of course you actually want to give the impression of being a tourist just off the boat, in which case far be it from me to critic[ize] your methods.)" instead. location-questioning quip is a kind of questioning quip. A location-questioning quip is usually weakly-phrased. A location-questioning quip has some text called the place-sought. A location-questioning quip has an object called the correct answer. The comment is "'[if the current interlocutor knows you-are-tourist]Do you know[otherwise]I was wondering: do you know[end if] where [one of]I could find[or]there's[at random] [place-sought of the item described] [one of]around here[or]near here[or]in this town[or]hereabouts[at random]?'" The response is "[if the correct answer of the item described is Park Center][holiday closures][otherwise if the correct answer of the item described is the location]'[Well], look around you.'[otherwise][directions to the correct answer of the item described]". where there seems airport is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where there is an airport". The true-name is "where there seems an airport". Understand "is" or "airport" or "international" or "plane" or "airplane" as where there seems airport. The place-sought is "an airport". It mentions geography, transportation. The response is "[one of]'Atlantis doesn't have a commercial airport,' says [the current interlocutor]. 'There's an airstrip that belongs to Dental Consonants Limited, but if you don't have a corporate jet, forget it.'[or]'[awkward no]. Occasionally you might see planes or even a helicopter, but they're going to the DCL campus for business purposes. Tourists only come by ocean.'[or][The current interlocutor] explains, as we've already heard, that there is no airport, at least not as far as we're concerned.[stopping]". It is background-information. The correct answer is Park Center. where there seems garage is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where there is a garage". The true-name is "where there seems a garage". Understand "is" or "a" as where there seems garage. The place-sought is "a garage". It mentions geography, car, transportation. It is background-information. The correct answer is Park Center. where there seems telephone service is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where there is telephone service". The true-name is "where there seems telephone service". Understand "is" or "phone" as where there seems telephone service. The place-sought is "a public telephone". It mentions geography. It is background-information. The correct answer is Park Center. Availability rule for where there seems internet service when the current interlocutor is the attendant: if the attendant recollects whether there seems an internet connection nearby: make no decision; otherwise: it is off-limits. where there seems internet service is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where there is internet service". The true-name is "where there seems internet service". Understand "is" as where there seems internet service. The place-sought is "internet service". It mentions Internet, geography. The response is "[one of]'There are some cafés and places that have access to the Atlantis network,' [the current interlocutor] say[s]. 'But a lot of them are probably closed today for Serial Comma Day.'[or][holiday closures][stopping]". It is background-information. where food seems sold is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where food is sold". The true-name is "where food seems sold". Understand "is" as where food seems sold. The place-sought is "a source of groceries". It mentions food, geography. The response is "[one of]'All the regular grocery stores are probably closed for Serial Comma Day, but you could try the farmer's market up on Hesychius Street.'[or][holiday closures][at random]". It is background-information. The correct answer is Hesychius Street. where a school seems is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where a school is". The true-name is "where a school seems". Understand "is" or "elementary" or "grammar" or "comprehensive" or "junior" as where a school seems. The place-sought is "an elementary school". It mentions education, geography. It is background-information. The correct answer is Roget Close. where customs seems found is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where customs is found". The true-name is "where customs seems found". Understand "is" as where customs seems found. The place-sought is "customs services". It mentions immigration, geography. It is background-information. The correct answer is Customs House. where post office seems found is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where a post office is found". The true-name is "where a post office seems found". Understand "is" or "post office" or "postal" or "mail" or "postal/mail service" as where post office seems found. The place-sought is "a post office". It mentions geography. It is background-information. The correct answer is Deep Street. where pharmacy seems found is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where a pharmacy is found". The true-name is "where a pharmacy seems found". Understand "is" or "drugs" or "drug" or "druggist" or "chemist" or "chemists" as where pharmacy seems found. The place-sought is "a pharmacy". It mentions geography. It is background-information. The correct answer is Midway. where lodging seems found is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where lodging is found". The true-name is "where lodging seems found". Understand "is" or "hostel" as where lodging seems found. The place-sought is "lodging for the night". It mentions geography, hostel. It is background-information. The correct answer is Hostel. where there seems hotel is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where there is a hotel". The true-name is "where there seems a hotel". Understand "is" or "a" or "fleur" or "d'or" as where there seems hotel. The place-sought is "a hotel". It mentions geography, fleur d'or. It is background-information. The correct answer is Fleur d'or. where there seems Arbot is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where to find Arbot Maps & Antiques". The true-name is "where there seems Arbot". Understand "is" or "a" or "Arbot" or "antiques" or "arbots" or "arbot's" or "maps" or "&" as where there seems arbot. The place-sought is "Arbot Maps & Antiques". It mentions geography. It is background-information. The correct answer is Arbot Maps & Antiques. where there seems cinema is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where there is a cinema". The true-name is "where there seems a cinema". Understand "is" or "a" or "cinema" as where there seems cinema. The place-sought is "a cinema". It mentions geography, cinema. It is background-information. The correct answer is Cinema. where there seems pub is a weakly-phrased location-questioning quip. The printed name is "where there is a pub". The true-name is "where there seems a pub". Understand "is" or "a" or "bar" as where there seems pub. The place-sought is "a pub". It mentions geography, counterfeit monkey. It is background-information. The correct answer is Counterfeit Monkey. suggest-tourist-information is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[if current interlocutor is attendant and guidebook is visible]'You're welcome to that Guidebook, you know. It has a lot of spare information.'[otherwise]'If you have trouble finding your way, you can ask other people on the way.'[end if]" ask-someone-else is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[beat] '[awkward confrontation], I can't answer this kind of question all day[if the secondary apology of the current interlocutor is not blank], [secondary apology of the current interlocutor][end if].'" try-guidebook is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[if the player carries the guidebook]'I don't know why you're asking me when you've got that guidebook.'[otherwise]'Try that guidebook.'[end if]". Definition: some text is blank if it is "". Section 2 - Showing Off Essentials To say demonstration of (item - a thing): if the previous quip is a demonstration quip: say "[one of]'What about this, then?' [you] ask[or]Next [you] show off [the item][at random].[no line break]"; otherwise if the player does not enclose the item: say "'What do you think of this?' [you] ask, pointing to [the item].[no line break]"; otherwise: say "[one of]'Here, have a look at this,' [you] say[or]'What do you make of this?' [you] ask, showing off [the item][or]'Check this out,' [you] say, holding out [the item] for inspection[or][You] draw [the current interlocutor]'s attention to [the item][at random].[no line break]" whether the Britishizing goggles seem interesting is a demonstration quip. It mentions the Britishizing goggles. The comment is "[demonstration of Britishizing goggles]". The response is "'[if the current interlocutor is tourist]They look like aviator goggles to me[otherwise if the current interlocutor is native]I thought those had gone out of style[otherwise]Are you sure you ought to be showing those off? Someone might take an interest[end if].'" It is repeatable. It is background-information. Understand "if" as whether the Britishizing goggles seem interesting. whether the Origin Paste seems interesting is a demonstration quip. It mentions origin paste. The comment is "[demonstration of origin paste]". The response is "'[one of]Smells[or]Looks[at random] like soap,' [the current interlocutor] comment[s].". It is repeatable. It is background-information. Understand "if" as Origin Paste seems interesting. Instead of a criminal person discussing whether Origin Paste seems interesting: say "[The current interlocutor] open[s] [its-their] mouth, then think[s] better of answering and just shrugs non-committally." whether the letter-remover means anything is a weakly-phrased demonstration quip. It mentions letter-remover. The comment is "[demonstration of the letter-remover]". The response is "[one of]'I hope you're licensed to carry that.'[or]'It looks pretty ordinary to me.'[or]'What am I supposed to be noticing? It looks like it's set to [current setting of the letter-remover].'[at random]". It is repeatable. It is background-information. Understand "if" as whether the letter-remover means anything. Availability rule for whether the letter-remover means anything: if the current interlocutor is Professor Brown, it is off-limits. whether the oil seems interesting is a demonstration quip. It mentions oil1, oil2. The comment is "'Care for some motor oil?' [you] ask [the current interlocutor]." The response is "'[awkward no].' No wonder, really. The stuff is dirt cheap.". It is background-information. Understand "if" as whether the oil seems interesting. whether the monocle seems interesting is a demonstration quip. It mentions monocle. The comment is "[demonstration of monocle]". The response is "[one of]'Fancy,' remarks [the current interlocutor]. 'I've only ever seen those being worn by authenticators.'[or]'Very nice,' says [the current interlocutor], though apparently a bit bored.[or]'Do you go around town showing that to everyone? Because I wouldn't.'[or]'Yes,' says [the current interlocutor].[or]This attracts disappointingly little interest.[stopping]". It is background-information. Understand "if" as whether the monocle seems interesting. Instead of the secretary discussing whether the monocle seems interesting: say "She looks, then frowns. 'You shouldn't have that,' she remarks, in a voice of cold disapproval. 'In fact[--]' ...And it is only a matter of moments before [you] [are] in lock-down and someone is coming to talk to [me] about our illicit possession of tools that have not been cleared for civilian use. I'll never know why I didn't manage to stop you doing something so boneheaded."; end the game saying "[You] have been arrested". Instead of police person discussing whether the monocle seems interesting: say "[The actor] stares at it. 'You can't possibly have a lic[ense] for that,' [it-they] say[s]. 'I think you had better come speak with my colleagues, right now.'"; end the game saying "[You] have been arrested". Section 3 - Responses to demonstrations that aren't interesting [These rules aren't usually that important: it's never necessary for the player to show any of these objects off, and they establish no critically-important information. What they *are* intended to do is give a little bit of feedback about the shown object that encourages the player to understand or recognize the possible uses of that object.] The default comment-refusal rule is not listed in any rulebook. A thing can be freaky. The ear, the gam, the pate, the earlap, the toe, the toes, the armpit, the heel, the rash, [the limb,] the sword-arm and the arm are freaky. Report waving the letter-remover at something creating a freaky thing (called target): say "[You] wave [the letter-remover] at [the second noun] and produce [a target], severed[body-part-prank]."; abide by the dangerous construction rules for the target instead. Sanity-check wearing a freaky thing: say "How very Silence of the Lambs. Ew." instead. Before refusing comment by someone: say "[demonstration of noun][paragraph break]"; Rule for refusing comment by someone when the noun is freaky: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the current interlocutor exhibits caution: say "[The current interlocutor] [one of]turns white[or]goes a bit green[or]looks like throwing up[or]obviously might faint[or]gags[at random]. After a moment to regain [its-their] composure, [it-they] flee[s] the vicinity."; remove the current interlocutor from play; reset the interlocutor; otherwise if the ostensible motive is you-are-tourist: say "[The current interlocutor] say[s], 'Don't worry, [the noun] [is-are] almost certainly fake. They make things like [the noun] with letter tools around here. Freaks out the tourists, though!'"; otherwise: say "[one of][The current interlocutor] recoil[s] involuntarily.[or]'Ew!' says [the current interlocutor].[or]'Please take that away,' [the current interlocutor] say[s].[or]'Yuck,' [the current interlocutor] repl[ies].[at random]" Last for refusing comment by someone when the noun is a long strong thing: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the ostensible motive is: -- you-hit-on: say "[beat] 'I'm not impressed.'"; -- you-are-tourist: say "[beat] 'Could you stop waving [the noun] around[if the current interlocutor exhibits courtesy], please[end if]? You could hit someone.'"; -- you-are-feckless: say "[beat] '[awkward confrontation] I wish you'd stop waving [the noun] around.'"; -- otherwise: say "'[awkward confrontation], please stop waving [that-those of the noun].'" Last for refusing comment by someone when the noun is an edible thing: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the ostensible motive is: -- you-hit-on: say "[beat] 'That's, uh, a nice gesture, but I'm not hungry.'"; -- you-are-tourist: say "[beat] 'Thanks, but that's not what we do around here.'"; -- you-are-feckless: say "[beat] '[awkward confrontation] I wish you'd leave me alone.'"; -- otherwise: say "'I'm not hungry, thanks.'" Last for refusing comment by someone when the noun is a wearable thing: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the player is wearing the noun: if the ostensible motive is: -- you-hit-on: say "[beat] 'I guess [the noun] look[s] fine on you.'"; -- you-are-tourist: say "'[one of]Oh, don't worry, that's fine to wear around here[or][That-those of noun] do[es]n't make you stand out too much, don't worry[at random].'"; -- you-take-survey: say "'If you're collecting fashion opinions, I'm not really good at that kind of thing.'"; -- you-are-feckless: say "'Maybe go ask someone else these questions.'"; -- otherwise: say "'That's nice, I guess[you-are-feckless].'"; otherwise: if the current interlocutor exhibits privacy: say "'No thanks.'"; otherwise: if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds and the current interlocutor wears something (called the garment): say "[The current interlocutor] do[es]n't think [the noun] really goes with [the garment]."; otherwise: say "'I don't think that's my [one of]style[or]size[or]col[our][or]sort of thing[at random].'" Definition: a thing is disruptive: if it is noisy: yes; if it is an animal: yes; no. Rule for refusing comment by a person when the noun is a car and the location is not a road: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the current interlocutor exhibits courtesy: if the current interlocutor knows you-are-feckless: say "'I know it's confusing, but I'm going to have to ask you to remove your car,' says [the current interlocutor] politely[you-are-feckless]."; otherwise: say "'We prefer a no-offroad-motor-vehicles policy here,' says [the current interlocutor] politely[you-are-feckless]."; otherwise if the current interlocutor knows you-are-feckless: say "'That doesn't belong in here,' says [the current interlocutor] impatiently. 'Please stop cluttering the place.'"; otherwise: say "'[you-are-feckless][awkward confrontation] that really doesn't belong in here,' says [the current interlocutor]." Rule for refusing comment by a person when the noun is noisy: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the current interlocutor exhibits courtesy: say "'[awkward confrontation] [the noun] [is-are] a bit disruptive,' says [the current interlocutor]."; otherwise if the current interlocutor knows you-are-possible-customer or the current interlocutor knows you-are-past-customer: say "'[The noun] [is-are] [one of]likely[or]going[at random] to drive away other customers,' says [the current interlocutor]."; otherwise: say "'[The noun] [is-are] [one of]annoying[or]a nuisance[or]irritating[at random],' says [the current interlocutor]."; Rule for refusing comment by a person when the noun is a contained fluid thing: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the current interlocutor exhibits courtesy: say "'Just be careful not to spill [the noun],' says [the current interlocutor]."; otherwise if the current interlocutor knows you-are-possible-customer or the current interlocutor knows you-are-past-customer: say "'Don't get any of [the noun] on the merchandise,' says [the current interlocutor]."; otherwise: say "'Hm.'"; Rule for refusing comment by a police person (called stern person) when the noun is the roll of bills: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the stern person knows you-are-dangerous: say "Based on our behavi[our] so for, [the stern person] decide[s] this must be an attempt at bribery, and take[s] us in. And while [you] [are] able to get around the bribery charge eventually, quite a few other undesirable facts come out in the process..."; end the story saying "That was an error in judgment"; otherwise: say "[You-are-dangerous][The stern person] recite[s] to us a bit of the penal code applying to attempts to bribe officers of the law." Rule for refusing comment by someone when the noun is r-abstract: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the current interlocutor is police: say "[The current interlocutor] look[s] a little suspicious. 'I hope you got [that-those of noun] from someone who was licensed to create abstracts.'"; otherwise if the current interlocutor is tourist: say "[one of][The current interlocutor] stare[s] at [the noun] in fascination. 'That's odd,' [it-they] say[s]. 'It's like it's there but not there.'[or][The current interlocutor] looks at [the noun] from several angles. 'I'm not sure what it's for, but that's cool.'[or]'Weird,' says [the current interlocutor]. 'You don't get that where I come from.'[at random]"; otherwise: say "[The current interlocutor] [is-are] puzzled. '[one of]Looks like [a noun].'[or]Huh, [a noun].'[or]I guess it's supposed to be... [noun]?'[at random]"; Rule for refusing comment by someone (called listener) when the noun is the roll of bills: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the listener is the attendant: say "You paid for your stay already. If we pay again, she'll think we're checking in (as someone else)."; otherwise if the listener knows you-are-possible-customer: say "'How about if you say what you want to buy?'"; otherwise if listener knows you-are-feckless: say "'Hang on to your money.'"; otherwise: say "[You-are-feckless][The listener] fold[s] our hand back over the bills. 'Better hold on to those.'" Rule for refusing comment by someone who exhibits privacy when the noun is the letter: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; say "'[awkward no], that doesn't seem like any of my business.'" Rule for refusing comment by someone when the noun is an as: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; if the current interlocutor knows you-are-possible-customer: say "'[one of]That's not legal tender in Atlantis[or]I can't accept that as currency[at random].'"; otherwise if current interlocutor knows you-are-feckless: say "'That's nice,' [the current interlocutor] say[s] insincerely."; otherwise: say "'[one of]Looks old[or]Huh[or]Looks like it came up heads[or]Tails, I see[at random].'" Rule for refusing comment by an animal (called viewer): say "[The viewer] cock[s] [its-their] head[if the noun acts plural]s[end if].". Rule for refusing comment by something: say "[one of]This evokes no particular interest[or][The current interlocutor] shake[s] [its-their] head[or][The current interlocutor] do[es]n't have anything to say in response[at random]." Section 4 - Commentary on NPC Possessions Part 2 - Individual Conversation Chapter 1 - Manufactured People Section 1 - The Mechanic The greeting of the mechanic is "The mechanic nods at us." The generic positive of the mechanic is "yup". The generic negative of the mechanic is "nope". The generic adversative of the mechanic is "um". The generic confrontational of the mechanic is "hey". [To reproduce and then verify the correction of a bug whereby the mechanic would half-way fix the car when given the oil even if the car was not in fact present.] Test mechanicbug with "tutorial off / wave b-remover at garbage / test car-series / wave h-remover at chard / wave d-remover at card / test car-series / open tub / gel car / wave f-remover at foil / test car-series / wave d-remover at chard / wave h-remover at char / test car-series / wave n-remover at funnel / test car-series / put fuel in car / test car-series" holding the tub and the funnel and the foil and the chard in high street. [And a second test in the other order, doing the fuel before the oil.] Test mech2 with "tutorial off / wave b-remover at garbage / test car-series / wave h-remover at chard / wave d-remover at card / test car-series / open tub / gel car / wave n-remover at funnel / test car-series / wave d-remover at chard / wave h-remover at char / test car-series / put fuel in car / test car-series / wave f-remover at foil / test car-series" holding the tub and the funnel and the foil and the chard in high street. Test car-series with "ask mechanic to fix car / show fuel to mechanic / ask mechanic about fuel / show gas to mechanic / ask mechanic about gas / show oil to mechanic / ask mechanic about oil / ask mechanic about car / show car to mechanic / get in car / start car / switch on car / switch on ignition / get out". Instead of showing an operational car to the mechanic: say "We signify the car by pointing."; try the mechanic discussing whether car be fixed. Availability rule for whether car be fixed: if an operational car is in the location: make no decision; it is off-limits. whether car be fixed is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether the car is fixed". Understand "is" or "if" as whether car be fixed. It mentions oil1, oil2. The comment is "'Is the car fixed now?' we ask." The response is "'The oil is in,' the mechanic says[if at least one car is fueled]. 'Should run all right[otherwise]. 'Might be it's out of fuel, though[end if].'". It quip-supplies the mechanic. It is repeatable. Every car is mentioned by whether car be fixed. Instead of showing a damaged car to the mechanic: say "We indicate the car with gestures."; try the mechanic discussing why the car does not run. Instead of asking the mechanic to try doing something when the car is the noun or the car is the second noun: if the noun is oil or the second noun is oil: try discussing whether the oil will work; otherwise if no car is operational: try discussing why the car does not run; otherwise: say "The mechanic just looks confused." Availability rule for why the car does not run: if a damaged car is in the location: make no decision; it is off-limits. why the car does not run is a questioning quip. Understand "work" or "doesn't" as why the car does not run. The comment is "'There appears to be something wrong with my car,' you tell the mechanic.". The response is "[one of]He has the somewhat cow-like expression of all fake people, but he nods gravely and has a look. 'It hasn't been maintained,' he says, on inspection. 'You got any motor oil?'[or]Showing no sign of having had this conversation before, he checks over the car, then asks us if we have oil.[stopping]". It quip-supplies the mechanic. It is repeatable. Every car is mentioned by why the car does not run. Carry out the mechanic discussing why the car does not run: assign "Get oil for the mechanic" at High Street. Instead of showing some oil to the mechanic, try giving the noun to the mechanic. Carry out the mechanic discussing whether the oil will work: complete "Get oil for the mechanic"; record "repairing our car" as achieved. An availability rule for whether the oil will work: if the player encloses an oil and a damaged car is visible: it is available; otherwise: it is off-limits. whether the oil will work is an unlisted offering quip. It mentions oil1, oil2. The comment is "'Will this work?' [You] hold out the oil." The response is "'Should do,' he says. Rolling up his sleeves, he goes to work on the car. There is no small amount of banging and muttering, but finally he stands back and announces that he believes it is now in working condition." It indirectly-follows why the car does not run. It quip-supplies the mechanic. Understand "if" as whether the oil will work. Availability rule for check out this oil: if the player encloses an oil and at least one car is operational: make no decision; it is off-limits. check out this oil is an unlisted demonstration quip. It mentions oil1, oil2. The comment is "We show off the additional oil." The response is "'Probably don't need that now,' he says, with a thoughtful nod." It quip-supplies the mechanic. An availability rule for where oil might be: if the player encloses an oil: it is off-limits; make no decision. where oil might be is an unlisted questioning quip. It mentions oil1, oil2. The comment is "'Do you have any oil? Or do you know where we could find some?'" The response is "[one of]He looks stumped for a minute, then offers, 'Comes in a can.'[or]'Yup, likely there's a source of oil around somewhere.'[stopping]". It quip-supplies the mechanic. It is repeatable. An availability rule for where fuel might be: if the player encloses fuel or player encloses gas: it is off-limits; make no decision. where fuel might be is an unlisted questioning quip. It mentions gas and fuel. The comment is "'Do you have any [one of]gas[or]fuel[at random]? Or do you know where we could find some?'" The response is "He chews on his tongue a couple of times and then notes that he heard [one of]gas comes from old plants[or]fuel was usually found by digging in the ground[at random]." It quip-supplies the mechanic. It is repeatable. Availability rule for we'll find some: if the player encloses an oil: it is off-limits; unless the player can see a damaged car: it is off-limits; make no decision. we'll find some is an unlisted weakly-phrased informative quip. It mentions oil1, oil2. The comment is "'I don't have any oil now,' we say. 'I'll look for some.'" The response is "'Okay, then.'" It indirectly-follows why the car does not run. It quip-supplies the mechanic. Instead of saying no when the current quip is why the car does not run: if whether the oil will work is available: say "That seems like a pointless lie if we want him to help us."; otherwise: try discussing we'll find some. Instead of saying yes when the current quip is why the car does not run: if whether the oil will work is available: try discussing whether the oil will work; otherwise: say "But we don't." Availability rule for whether the oil will work: if the number of visible cars is 0: it is off-limits; if the player does not carry an oil: it is off-limits; make no decision. Carry out the mechanic discussing whether the oil will work: let chosen-oil be a random oil enclosed by the player; remove the chosen-oil from play; let target be a random visible car; now the target is operational. Instead of answering the mechanic that "thank you": try discussing thank the mechanic. thank the mechanic is a performative quip. It mentions transportation. Understand "him" or "thank you" or "thanks" as thank the mechanic. The comment is "'Thank you, that was a great help,' we say.". The response is "He nods.". It quip-supplies the mechanic. It directly-follows whether the oil will work. Section 2 - The Bard The greeting of the bard is "The bard bows deeply and with a flourish." The generic positive of the bard is "aye". The generic negative of the bard is "nay". The generic adversative of the bard is "ah". The generic confrontational of the bard is "fair lady". where he comes from is a questioning quip. The comment is "'Where [i]do[/i] you come from?'". It mentions bard. The response is "He looks at us, cocks his head, and begins singing a song about some fair isle over the sea. I don't recognize the words.". It quip-supplies the bard. Section 3 - Picard The greeting of Picard is "'Hello,' says Picard." The generic positive of Picard is "yes". The generic negative of Picard is "no". The generic adversative of Picard is "er". The generic confrontational of Picard is "ensign". Rule for refusing comment by Picard when the noun is the as: say "'Curious,' he says, tugging his shirt back into place. Picard was supposed to be interested in archaeology, now I recall. But alien stuff, right? Yeah." [Sam suggested some reference to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3rFNbSKpEE .] Section 4 - The Pict Rule for refusing comment by the Pict when the noun is the as: say "He makes a disdainful face. Then he coughs up some phlegm and spits dramatically. Possibly he isn't a fan of Romans." Section 5 - The cad The greeting of the cad is "The cad looks us up and down in a very personal way." The generic positive of the cad is "of course". The generic negative of the cad is "no". The generic adversative of the cad is "ahem". The generic confrontational of the cad is "[one of]my very dear young lady[or]light of my eyes[or]dearest[or]poppet[or]delight of my life[at random]". The cad exhibits courtesy and vanity. Rule for refusing comment by the cad when the noun is a sin: say "'I prefer a different style of vice,' he says, with a warm look." Chapter 2 - Open Access Characters [These are NPCs who can be approached and left again repeatedly.] Section 1 - The Farmer The greeting of the farmer is "The farmer [one of]makes a little cluck sound which seems to mean that he sees us but doesn't care to waste an entire syllable on acknowledging it[or]nods at us[stopping]." The generic adversative of the farmer is "[one of]frankly[or]honestly[or]to be honest[at random]". The generic confrontational of the farmer is "look, lady". Understand "ask [farmer] for [any farmer-carried thing]" as requesting it from (with nouns reversed). Requesting it from is an action applying to two visible things. The farmer exhibits unhelpfulness. The farmer knows you-are-possible-customer. Instead of asking the farmer to try giving a farmer-carried thing to the player: try requesting the noun from the farmer. Definition: a thing is farmer-carried if the farmer carries it. Carry out requesting it from: let N be a random quip which mentions the noun; try discussing N instead. Availability rule for what seems for sale: if the farmer carries something, make no decision; otherwise it is off-limits. Before buying something from the farmer when the player does not recollect what seems for sale: if the farmer is not the current interlocutor: try saying hello to the farmer; try discussing what seems for sale; follow the conversation-reply rules. [because we also want him to answer.] what seems for sale is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what is for sale". The true-name is "what seems for sale". Understand "is" or "market" as what seems for sale. It mentions farmer. The comment is "'What is for sale?' we ask.". The response is "'[one of]We have available [a list of things carried by the farmer][or]I got [a list of things carried by the farmer][or]All that's left this time of day is [a list of things carried by the farmer][at random],' the farmer replies.". It quip-supplies the farmer. It is repeatable. Availability rule for what seems for sale-2: if the farmer carries something, it is off-limits; otherwise make no decision. what seems for sale-2 is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what is for sale". The true-name is "what seems for sale-2". Understand "is" or "sale" as what seems for sale-2. It mentions farmer. The comment is "'What is for sale?' we ask.". The response is "'Oh, nothing,' says the farmer. 'But as my mother-in-law is in town, I thought I would make the most of the market day.' He smiles at us.". It quip-supplies the farmer. It is repeatable. what the fair seems for-2 is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what the fair is for". The true-name is "what the fair seems for-2". Understand "is" as what the fair seems for-2. It mentions celebration. The comment is "'What is this all about, anyway?'". The response is "'Cereal Day,' the farmer answers inaccurately. 'It's to celebrate, I guess, grains. And other agricultural products,' he adds.". It quip-supplies the farmer. It is background-information. Instead of someone (called annoyee) discussing a purchasing quip when the player does not enclose the bills: now the current mood of the annoyee is distrustful; say "[one of]It is at this moment that we remember we don't have any money. We make up some nonsense about having had our wallet stolen. [The annoyee] does not quite look convinced, but does not summon the authorities, either.[or][The annoyee] looks less than completely charmed when we once again turn out to be flat broke.[or][The annoyee] more or less ignores us.[stopping]". Before discussing a purchasing quip when the player does not enclose the bills and the previous quip is a purchasing quip: [In other words, we've just failed a buy once] say "Let's not push our luck, shall we? If we find some money, we can come back later. At least, you told me you were going to provide the cash. I know I trusted you on that score, because I don't have any." instead. [A purchasing quip is a kind of performative quip. Understand "purchase" as a purchasing quip.] To say dubious response: say "'[when distrustful]If I can see the col[our] of your money first...? Ah, good then,[at other times]Sure thing,[end when]'"; now the current mood of the farmer is neutral. Availability rule for buy the yam: if the farmer does not carry the white-yam, it is off-limits; make no decision. buy the yam is a purchasing quip. Understand "buy yam" as buy the yam. It mentions white-yam, farmer. The comment is "'I'll have the yam, please,' we say.". The response is "[dubious response] says the farmer[you-are-past-customer].". It quip-supplies the farmer. It is repeatable. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. Carry out the farmer discussing buy the yam: [follow the considerate player's holdall rule;] move the white-yam to the player. Test yam with "talk to farmer / a what / buy yam / go to roget close / n / put yam on spinner / n" in Hesychius Street holding the roll of bills. Availability rule for buy the lime: if the farmer does not carry the lime, it is off-limits; make no decision. buy the lime is a purchasing quip. Understand "buy lime" as buy the lime. It mentions lime, farmer. The comment is "'I'll have the lime, please,' we say.". The response is "[dubious response] says the farmer[you-are-past-customer].". It quip-supplies the farmer. It is repeatable. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. Carry out the farmer discussing buy the lime: [follow the considerate player's holdall rule;] move the lime to the player. Availability rule for buy the asparagus: if the farmer does not carry the asparagus, it is off-limits; make no decision. buy the asparagus is a purchasing quip. Understand "buy asparagus" as buy the asparagus. It mentions asparagus, farmer. The comment is "'I'll have the asparagus, please,' we say.". The response is "[dubious response] says the farmer[you-are-past-customer].". It quip-supplies the farmer. It is repeatable. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. Carry out the farmer discussing buy the asparagus: [follow the considerate player's holdall rule;] move the asparagus to the player. whether he dons overalls is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether he wears overalls". The true-name is "whether he dons overalls". Understand "wears" or "if" as whether he dons overalls. It mentions Fashion. The comment is "'Say, do you ever wear overalls?' we ask pertly.". The response is "He shifts his jaw a little to one side. [when distrustful]'No,' he says curtly. Evidently we aren't his fav[our]ite people. Person. Whatever.[at other times]'I used to, but my wife took a dislike,' he says.[end when]". It quip-supplies the farmer. It is background-information. [This pointless bit of cheeseshop-style foolishness doesn't really accomplish anything, but for some reason my beta-testers kept coming up with new vegetables to ask him about until I expanded the range of conversation quite a bit. I'm not sure it adds anything other than a note of silliness to this portion of the game; the farmer is effectively a toy, since there are no essential objects among the things he has for sale.] recommend other vegetables is a performative quip. Understand "radishes" or "radish" or "radicchio" or "chicory" or "carrot" or "carrots" or "cabbages" or "cabbage" or "corn" as recommend other vegetables. It mentions food. The comment is "'Have you ever considered selling radishes?' we ask.". The response is "'Not really,' he says. [paragraph break]'Radicchio?' [paragraph break]'No.' [paragraph break]'Chicory?' we try. 'Cabbage? Carrot? Corn?' [paragraph break]'Again, no.' [paragraph break]'Radishes?' [paragraph break]'You already said radishes.' [when distrustful]He seems increasingly annoyed with our pestering.[at other times]He has the faintly martyred expression of one hum[our]ing us; but it doesn't look as though he has much else to do.[end when]". It quip-supplies the farmer. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. recommend artichokes is an unlisted performative quip. Understand "artichokes" or "broccoli" or "cauliflower" or "brussels sprouts" as recommend artichokes. The comment is "'What about those vegetables that are like flowers?' we suggest. 'Do you have any artichokes or cauliflower?'". The response is "'No.' 'Broccoli?' 'Not that either.' 'Brussels sprouts?' 'Subject to import laws,' he says stiffly. 'Though there's a move on to have them renamed Kentish sprouts.'". It mentions food. It quip-supplies the farmer. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. recommend tomatoes is an unlisted performative quip. Understand "tomato" or "tomatillo" or "eggplant" or "aubergine" or "peppers" or "pepper" or "squash" or "gourds" or "gourd" or "chayote" or "avocado" or "avocadoes" or "okra" or "chili" or "chile" or "hot" or "bell" or "pumpkin" or "pumpkins" or "cucumber" or "cucumbers" or "zucchini" or "courgette" or "courgettes" as recommend tomatoes. The comment is "'What do you think of tomatoes or tomatilloes?' we ask.". The response is "'Nothing against them, just don't grow them,' he replies. 'Avocado? Eggplants? Bell peppers? Hot peppers?' He shakes his head. 'What about something in the squash or gourd line? Zucchini, perhaps, or winter squash? Fairytale pumpkin? Ordinary pumpkin, for that matter?' 'No. And before you ask, a no doubt incomplete list of the other squashes I don't carry are acorn, ambercup, banana, butternut, buttercup, carnival, delicata, gold nugget, hubbard, and turban.' That does me out of squashes, but you add helpfully, 'Kabocha?' 'Japanese,' he replies darkly. 'Can't grow that here.'". It mentions food. It quip-supplies the farmer. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. recommend lettuce is an unlisted performative quip. Understand "lettuce" or "chard" or "endive" or "arugula" or "cress" or "kale" or "savoy" or "collards" or "iceberg" or "red" or "spinach" or "purslane" or "sorrel" or "nettles" or "nasturtiums" as recommend lettuce. The comment is "'Salad greens would be good.'". The response is "'I'm flat out of chard,' he says. 'Before you ask.' 'No? Iceberg lettuce? Red lettuce? Cress, kale, arugula? Collards or endive? Spinach? Savoy?' 'None. Also no sorrel, nettles, or nasturtiums.'". It mentions food. It quip-supplies the farmer. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. recommend tubers is an unlisted performative quip. Understand "potatoes" or "potato" or "sweet potato" or "taro" or "jicama" or "crosne" or "casava" as recommend tubers. The comment is "'Would you happen to feature anything in the potato line?'". The response is "'I would not.' 'Taro? Jicama? Casava or crosne?' 'None of the above. Just the yam.'". It mentions food. It quip-supplies the farmer. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. recommend onions is an unlisted performative quip. Understand "onion" or "chive" or "chives" or "garlic" or "leeks" or "leek" or "scallion" or "scallions" or "shallots" or "shallot" as recommend onions. The comment is "'I do like a zingy vegetable,' we say. 'Chives, onions, garlic...'". The response is "'Don't have those, and don't have shallots or scallions either,' he says. 'Nor leeks nor water chestnuts.'". It mentions food. It quip-supplies the farmer. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. recommend beets is an unlisted performative quip. Understand "beet" or "root vegetables" or "roots" or "burdock" or "celeriac" or "malanga" or "parsnips" or "parsnip" or "rutabaga" as recommend beets. The comment is "'How do you feel about a good root vegetable? Parsnips or rutabaga or beets?'". The response is "'Don't care for them.' Probably not a fan of burdock or celeriac or malanga either, then. You do know a lot of words, though. It's fun sharing your head.". It mentions food. It quip-supplies the farmer. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. recommend peas is an unlisted performative quip. Understand "beans" or "bean" or "pea" or "lentil" or "lentils" or "legumes" or "legume" as recommend peas. The comment is "'You could do a good line in legumes,' we suggest. 'Beans, lentils, soya.'". The response is "'Naw.' 'You don't want to give peas a chance?' He doesn't reply to this sally. 'Peanuts? Lupins? Clover? Alfalfa, carob, mesquite?' [when distrustful]He grits his teeth without answering.[at other times]'None of the above.'[end when]". It mentions food, pea. It quip-supplies the farmer. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. recommend seaweed is an unlisted performative quip. Understand "seaweed" or "seakale" or "wakame" or "sea grape" or "belt" or "nori" or "kombu" or "badderlocks" or "dulse" or "dillisk" or "carola" or "aonori" as recommend seaweed. The comment is "'How about seaweeds?' we ask. 'Seakale, sea grape, sea lettuce, sea belt?'". The response is "'Naw.' 'Wakame, nori, dulse or dillisk? Kombu? Corola?'' 'I'm more of a grown-on-land man myself,' he says. 'Badderlocks? Gutweed? Thongweed? Bladderwrack? Curly gristle moss?' 'Now I know you are making things up.'". It mentions food. It quip-supplies the farmer. It indirectly-follows what seems for sale. Availability rule for where cars seem: if a car is seen: it is off-limits; make no decision. where cars seem is an unlisted questioning quip. Understand "chard" as where cars seem. The printed name is "where cars are". The comment is "'I'm looking to make a car,' we say. 'With a letter-remover.'" The response is "'Maybe you need some carob,' he suggests. 'Take out the O, then the B...' 'Do you carry carob?' 'No. You could use some carp, though. There might be some at the fish market.' 'I would need the car to get to the fish market,' we say. 'That is a conundrum,' he agrees, pleased by the logical loopiness of this problem. 'I was hoping for a vegetable source I could get around here.' 'Bit uninventive, but of course there's always chard,' he says. 'Lots of people get around in a chard car. Not fancy, but it works.' 'Then do you have chard?' 'Afraid not. Sells out fast on Cereal Day, you know.'" It quip-supplies the farmer. Every car is mentioned by where cars seem. Instead of waving letter-remover at farmer creating fame: say "[The second noun] flickers and there is a brief image of [a generated object] in [its-their of the second noun] place [--] the concept strangely embodied in a physical form [--] before the power gives out.[paragraph break]"; say "'Young lady, you just bought yourself a long, long jail term,' says the farmer. 'What, did you think I wouldn't notice what you just tried to do?' I open my mouth to try to talk him out of it, but his thumb has already hit speed dial. I guess when your profession places you at this kind of risk, you tend to be ready for trouble."; end the game saying "I was expecting more discretion from you". Section 2 - The Babel Clerk The greeting of the clerk is "The clerk grins at us in a welcoming way." The generic adversative of the clerk is "[one of]er[or]well[or]but[at random]". The generic confrontational of the clerk is "wait up there". Understand "ask [clerk] for [any clerk-carried thing]" as requesting it from (with nouns reversed). The clerk knows you-are-possible-customer. Instead of asking the clerk to try giving a clerk-carried thing to the player: try requesting the noun from the clerk. Definition: a thing is clerk-carried if it is in the long glass case. To say purchase-request for (N - a thing): if the player does not carry the roll of bills: say "'I'll have [the N],' we say.[no line break]"; otherwise: say "[one of]'I'll have [the N], please,' we say, offering an appropriate bill[or]'Could I also have [the N]?' we say[or]We ask for [the N][stopping].[no line break]"; Availability rule for buy the triangle: if the honey triangle is not clerk-carried, it is off-limits; make no decision. buy the triangle is a purchasing quip. Understand "buy triangle" or "buy the triangle" as buy the triangle. It mentions honey triangle. The comment is "[purchase-request for the honey triangle]". The response is "'[nice-day]'". It quip-supplies the clerk. To say nice-day: say "[one of][you-are-past-customer]Enjoy![no line break][or]There you go [--] nice day for a picnic, isn't it?[no line break][or]You've just about cleared us out![no line break][stopping]". Carry out the clerk discussing buy the triangle: move the honey triangle to the player; say "The clerk gets out a honey triangle and puts it on the table, then locks up the case again." Availability rule for buy the wrap: if wrap is not clerk-carried, it is off-limits; make no decision. buy the wrap is a purchasing quip. Understand "buy wrap" as buy the wrap. It mentions wrap. The comment is "[purchase-request for the wrap]". The response is "'[nice-day]'". It quip-supplies the clerk. Carry out the clerk discussing buy the wrap: move the wrap to the player; say "The clerk takes the wrap out of the case and puts it on the table for us." Availability rule for buy the pocket-bread: if pocket-bread is not clerk-carried, it is off-limits; make no decision. buy the pocket-bread is a purchasing quip. Understand "buy pocket-bread" or "pita" as buy the pocket-bread. It mentions pocket-bread. The comment is "[purchase-request for the pocket-bread]". The response is "'[nice-day]'". It quip-supplies the clerk. Carry out the clerk discussing buy the pocket-bread: move the pocket-bread to the player; say "The clerk sets the pocket-bread out on the table." Test clerk with "tutorial off / z / buy wrap / buy pocket-bread / buy triangle" in the Babel. Test clerk2 with "tutorial off / z / buy wrap / buy pocket-bread / buy triangle" in the Babel holding the roll of bills. Section 3 - The Bartender The generic adversative of the bartender is "[one of]er[or]well[or]but[at random]". The generic confrontational of the bartender is "wait up there". Understand "ask [bartender] for [any bartender-carried thing]" as requesting it from (with nouns reversed). Instead of showing the screwdriver to the bartender: try requesting the screwdriver from the bartender. Instead of showing the screwdrivers to the bartender: try requesting the screwdriver from the bartender. Instead of showing the gimlets to the bartender: try requesting the gimlet from the bartender. Instead of showing the gimlet to the bartender: try requesting the gimlet from the bartender. Instead of showing the rusty nail to the bartender: try requesting the rusty nail from the bartender. Instead of showing the rusty nails to the bartender: try requesting the rusty nails from the bartender. Does the player mean buying something from the bartender: it is very likely. The bartender is alert. The bartender exhibits vanity. After the bartender saying hello to the player for the first time: say "She acknowledges us with a nod as we stroll up to the bar and get close enough to hear their conversation. [run paragraph on]". The bartender knows you-are-possible-customer. Instead of asking the bartender to try giving a bartender-carried thing to the player: try requesting the noun from the bartender. Definition: a thing is bartender-carried if it is carried by the bartender. Availability rule for buy the screwdriver: if the screwdriver is not bartender-carried, it is off-limits; make no decision. buy the screwdriver is a purchasing quip. Understand "buy screwdriver" or "buy the screwdriver" as buy the screwdriver. It mentions screwdriver, screwdrivers. The comment is "[if the bartender does not recollect how-rescue]We catch the bartender's eye and order a screwdriver. She holds up a finger as though to say she'll get to it as soon as she's done with [the patron][otherwise]We order a screwdriver[end if].". The response is "'[drink-nice-day]'". It quip-supplies the bartender. To say drink-nice-day: say "[one of]Just the way you were imagining it, guaranteed.[no line break][or]Enjoy.[no line break][or]You can't order any more,' she says after that. 'You've seen all my tricks, and I have to cut people off at three.[no line break][stopping]". buy a drink is an unlisted repeatable purchasing quip. understand "buy drink" or "order" or "cocktail" or "buying" or "ordering" as buy drink. It mentions the generic cocktail. The comment is "[if the bartender does not recollect how-rescue]The bartender is still talking, but we catch her eye and pantomime glugging down a beverage[otherwise]'I'd like a drink,' we say[end if]." The response is "[one of]'What'll you have?' she asks. 'I can't pour you a generic beverage.'[or]'Pick your poison,' she says.[or]'Sure. What do you want?'[at random]". It quip-supplies the bartender. The generic cocktail is a scenery thing. Understand "drink" as the generic cocktail. It is carried by the bartender. [Instead of doing something other than buying with the generic cocktail: say "All the cocktails here are specific recipes."] Carry out the bartender discussing buy the screwdriver: move the screwdriver to the dor-bar-top; homonym-paddle the screwdriver; Availability rule for buy the gimlet: if gimlet is not bartender-carried, it is off-limits; make no decision. buy the gimlet is a purchasing quip. Understand "buy gimlet" as buy the gimlet. It mentions gimlet, gimlets. The comment is "[if the bartender does not recollect how-rescue]The bartender is still talking, but we catch her eye and point to the gimlet selection. She gives a little nod to show she understood[otherwise]'I'll have the gimlet, if you don't mind,' we say, offering an appropriate bill[end if].". The response is "'[drink-nice-day]'". It quip-supplies the bartender. Carry out the bartender discussing buy the gimlet: move the gimlet to the dor-bar-top; homonym-paddle the gimlet; Availability rule for buy the rusty nail: if rusty nail is not bartender-carried, it is off-limits; make no decision. buy the rusty nail is a purchasing quip. Understand "buy rusty nail" or "buy nail" or "buy rusty" or "buy a rusty nail" as buy the rusty nail. It mentions rusty nail, rusty nails. The comment is "[if the bartender does not recollect how-rescue]We pantomime purchasing the rusty nails, while the bartender is still chatting with [the patron]. She gives us a thumbs-up[otherwise]'I'll have the [rusty nail], if you don't mind,' we say, offering an appropriate bill[end if].". The response is "'[drink-nice-day]'". It quip-supplies the bartender. Carry out the bartender discussing buy the rusty nail: move the rusty nail to the dor-bar-top; homonym-paddle the rusty nail; Rule for refusing to buy something (called target) which is in the toolkit: say "[one of]We ask about [the target], but the bartender says she's limited to one drink per type per club member. 'They're a loss leader,' she explains. 'Tools are more expensive than cocktails, and then even with the rusty nails, there's the energy to run the paddle.'[or]The bartender has already explained that she can't sell us more drinks of the same kind. The profit margin is too low, apparently.[stopping]" Rule for refusing to buy a drink-form thing: say "We've already paid for that." instead. Definition: a thing is drink-form: if it is screwdriver-drink: yes; if it is gimlet-drink: yes; if it is rusty-nail-drink: yes; no. [Rule for deciding the concealed possessions of the bartender: if the particular possession is the homonym paddle: no; yes.] Before putting gel on a drink-form thing in the presence of the bartender: say "We turn away from the bartender so she won't see too obviously what we're up to. I suppose it doesn't matter, but I wouldn't want her feelings to be hurt. [run paragraph on]". Rule for printing the name of rusty nail while looking at the rusty-nail-drink through something: say "metallic kind of rusty nail". Rule for printing the name of rusty-nail-drink while looking at the rusty-nail-drink through something: say "rusty nail cocktail". Rule for printing the name of screwdriver while looking at the screwdriver-drink through something: say "tool form of screwdriver". Rule for printing the name of screwdriver-drink while looking at the screwdriver-drink through something: say "screwdriver cocktail". Rule for printing the name of gimlet while looking at the gimlet-drink through something: say "tool form of gimlet". Rule for printing the name of gimlet-drink while looking at the gimlet-drink through something: say "gimlet cocktail". Understand "tip [bartender]" as a mistake ("We slide a spare bill across the bar. The bartender receives it with a playful wink and tucks it away."). Setting action variables for saying hello to or saying goodbye to the patron: now the noun is the bartender. Setting action variables for asking the patron about something: now the noun is the bartender. Setting action variables for asking the patron for something: now the noun is the bartender. Setting action variables for requesting something from the patron: now the second noun is the bartender. Setting action variables for telling the patron about something: now the noun is the bartender. Setting action variables for answering the patron that something: now the noun is the bartender. A first conversation-reply rule when the current interlocutor is the bartender: if bartender does not recollect check-out-paddle: queue check-out-paddle as postponed optional; [She'll only say this once.] otherwise if bartender does not recollect dangerous-paddle: queue dangerous-paddle as postponed optional; otherwise if bartender does not recollect how-rescue: queue how-rescue as postponed optional; otherwise if the bartender does not recollect punitive-effects and a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: queue punitive-effects as postponed optional; otherwise if a random chance of 1 in 4 succeeds: if looking: do nothing; otherwise: casually queue drink-service. check-out-paddle is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'It was originally produced as a toy, but it's actually a bit dangerous,' the bartender is saying. 'Dangerous? How so?' asks [the patron]. 'Various ways,' she says. 'Suppose I hit a small object that has a big homonym, like say a plane. You know, the carpentry kind. Suddenly I've got an airplane-style plane on top of me.'" It quip-supplies the bartender. dangerous-paddle is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'What if you hit something that doesn't mean anything else?' the patron asks. 'Like a chicken?' 'Nothing,' she says. 'That's safe.' As though to demonstrate, she smacks the paddle against her left buttock. 'See? I don't get changed into a different bartender. Want to try?' She holds up the paddle as though she's going to tap him with it. 'Uh... my name is Mark[mark-known],' he says. 'Maybe not, then!' she says, laughing brightly." It quip-supplies the bartender. Carry out someone discussing dangerous-paddle: now patron is proper-named; now the printed name of patron is "Mark"; reset hash code of patron. how-rescue is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'That was a little dangerous, wasn't it?' [the patron] asks. 'If you had tapped me with that thing, wouldn't I be a giant X on the carpet now?' 'Not for long,' the bartender says. 'I do have some restoration gel for emergencies. Or I could just hit you again with the paddle. But there would be an incident report and I could lose my lic[ense]. So, yeah, better not.'" It quip-supplies the bartender. punitive-effects is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[The patron] looks thoughtfully into his [gin-tonic]. 'I hear that sometimes the Bureau turns people into inanimate objects as a criminal sentence. Is that true?' For the first time, the bartender looks uncomfortable. 'I just pour the drinks,' she says. 'Hey, you're almost out there! Let me give you a refill.' And she busies herself getting down the Bombay Sapphire and refilling his drink. 'You ever tempted to paddle the Sapphire?' [the patron] asks. 'Should be worth a lot.' 'Alas, [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]jewellers[otherwise]jewelers[end if] tend to check for authenticity around here,' she replies." It quip-supplies the bartender. drink-service is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[atmospheric-event]". It quip-supplies the bartender. what the paddle does is an unlisted repeatable questioning quip. The comment is "'Tell me about that paddle,' [you] say." The response is "[one of]'This item,' says the bartender, flourishing it for you to see, 'is a genuine licensed homonym paddle. Changes one item into another item as long as the two have identical names.'[or]The bartender explains again the concept of a homonym paddle that is able to convert an item into another item of the same name.[stopping]". It quip-supplies the bartender. To say atmospheric-event: if going south: say "[The patron] and [the bartender] from earlier are still here."; otherwise: say "[one of][The patron] is sipping his [gin-tonic], while [the bartender] tidies up the bar[or][The bartender] is laughing at something [the patron] just said to her[or][The bartender] is cleaning her [homonym paddle] for future use[or]One of the businessmen wanders up to the bar and orders some peanuts[or]The bartender [is-s]get[ing-s] busy washing up some glassware[or]The bartender [is-s]pour[ing-s] tequila shots for a guest[or]One of the customers comes up and asks [the bartender] about the toolkit, and [the bartender] explains what drinks they turn into[or]A businesswoman comes up to the bar for directions to the nearest restroom[or]The bartender [is-s]construct[ing-s] a garish layered blue-and-white drink in a very tall glass[or]The bartender [is-s]pour[ing-s] someone a daiquiri with plastic monkeys clinging to the side of the glass[or]The bartender [is-s]pour[ing-s] a pink beverage for one of the customers, preparing the rim with a bit of flamed orange peel[or][The patron] [is-s]talk[ing-s] with [the bartender] about the weather in Atlantis[at random].[no line break]" To say is-s: if the bartender is the person asked: do nothing; otherwise: say "is ". To say ing-s: if the bartender is the person asked: say "s"; otherwise: say "ing". After someone discussing drink-service: now the bartender does not recollect drink-service; continue the action. Rule for beat-producing when the current interlocutor is the bartender: repeat with item running through the planned conversation of the current interlocutor: if the item is a purchasing quip: say "[one of][The patron] sips his gin and tonic, and there's time to see to our order[or]In the natural rhythm of the conversation, she turns our way[stopping].[run paragraph on]"; rule succeeds; make no decision. Rule for refusing comment by the bartender: if the player is not holding the noun: silently try taking the noun; if the player is not holding the noun: say "We're having a little trouble holding it up so that she can see."; rule fails; if the noun is naughty-sounding: say "[The bartender] takes a look and smirks. '[unless the noun is the ass][one of]Honey, it would be too small to see[or]I'm not going to homonym-paddle that for you, so don't ask[stopping][otherwise]That's a lot of junk for one trunk[end if],' she says. [if the noun is an animal]'In fact, you really shouldn't have brought it in here.'[otherwise]'In fact, I'm not sure you're even supposed to have that.'[end if]"; rule succeeds; if the noun is the card: reset the card; say "The bartender taps [the card] with the paddle. 'Was this your card?' she asks, returning a card now representing [article of (card-style of the card)][card-style of the card]."; record "getting a product of the homonym paddle" as achieved; rule succeeds; let target be the homonym-match of the noun; if the heft of the target is greater than 4 or the target is fixed in place: say "[paragraph break]'[The target] would be bigger than I want to generate in here,' comments [the bartender]."; rule succeeds; otherwise if the noun is a person or the noun encloses a person: say "'That would be way too dangerous. I'd lose my lic[ense] for sure.'"; rule succeeds; otherwise if target is the player: say "'I don't think [that-those of the noun] would turn into anything,' says the bartender. She taps [it-them of the noun] with the paddle to demonstrate. 'See? No change.'"; rule succeeds; otherwise if the target is a person: say "'Making live [if the target is not an animal]people[otherwise]critters[end if] is outside my lic[ense], bub.' (Bub? Who says that? But she carries it off.)"; rule succeeds; otherwise if the target is the piece: say "'Er… I think that would make a handgun, which would be illegal around here,' she says."; rule succeeds; otherwise: if something (called the source) proffers the noun: now the target is not proffered by anything; now the source proffers the target; if the noun is part of something (called the encloser): now the target is part of the encloser; otherwise: now the target is carried by the player; move the noun to the repository; record "getting a product of the homonym paddle" as achieved; say "She shrugs good-naturedly, hits [the noun] with the paddle, and grins at us. We look down at what we're holding: [the description of the target][paragraph break]". Rule for refusing comment by the bartender when the noun is the Slangovia map or the noun is the fake-legend: if the fake-legend is not part of the Slangovia map: make no decision; let the target be the legend; now the noun is the fake-legend; if something (called the source) proffers the noun: now the target is not proffered by anything; now the source proffers the target; if the noun is part of something (called the encloser): now the target is part of the encloser; otherwise: now the target is carried by the player; move the noun to the repository; record "getting a product of the homonym paddle" as achieved; say "[one of]'This?' she says, looking a little surprised. 'You want it converted?' 'Why not?' 'No reason,' she says. 'Just I did the same item a few hours ago for a gentleman. Really hot, with these amazing eyes—' 'Whatever,' you say, before she can get any more excited about Brock. She smirks. Then she taps the legend with her paddle and it transforms into a proper map legend.[or]'Okay, one more time.'[or]She may be tiring of this operation.[stopping]". Carry out examining the legend: record "reading a legend" as achieved; Rule for refusing comment by the bartender when the noun is the Slangovia map or the noun is the fake-legend: if the legend is not part of the Slangovia map: make no decision; let the target be the fake-legend; now the noun is the legend; if something (called the source) proffers the noun: now the target is not proffered by anything; now the source proffers the target; if the noun is part of something (called the encloser): now the target is part of the encloser; otherwise: now the target is carried by the player; move the noun to the repository; record "getting a product of the homonym paddle" as achieved; say "[one of]She sighs. 'This isn't even good spectacle,' she says, tapping [the noun] with her paddle. 'Next time, bring me something fun, huh?'[or]She may be tiring of this operation.[stopping]" Rule for refusing comment by the bartender when the noun is the foil: if the player is not holding the foil: silently try taking the foil; if the player is not holding the foil: say "[line break]It seems we're having a little trouble holding it up so that she can see."; rule fails; say "[one of]'Now that is definitely too awesome to turn down. Swordfight!' So we lunge at her with the foil, she defends with the paddle, there is a crackle of purple-white, and we're left holding a ball of crumpled aluminum. People around the bar shout and whoop.[or]We hold up the foil. 'Could you paddle this?' 'I'll probably get in trouble if I do this act too often, but what the hell, right? It's a holiday.' Our fight-scene is a little better-choreographed than last time, and the customers clap enthusiastically.[stopping]"; move the foil to the repository; record "getting a product of the homonym paddle" as achieved; if something (called the target) proffers the foil: now the metal-foil is not proffered by anything; now the target proffers the metal-foil; move the metal-foil to the player. Rule for refusing comment by the bartender when the noun is the ball: say "[one of]We hold up the ball. 'Can you paddle this?' we ask. [The bartender] laughs. 'It might be fun to have a big dance in here but I think I'd get fired,' she says.[or]We tried that already, and it didn't go well.[stopping]" [Rule for refusing comment by the bartender when the noun is a drink-form thing: say "She's already done her thing with [the noun]." ] Rule for refusing comment by the bartender when the noun is the shuttle: say "[one of]We hold up the shuttle. 'Can you do this?' we ask. [The bartender] frowns. 'If I paddled that, it'd break the whole bar. Besides, isn't it Bureau property?' We shrug amiably. She gives us a long, admonitory stare, then goes back to what she was doing.[or]We tried that already, and it didn't go well.[stopping]" . Test bartender with "tutorial off / z / ask about paddle / show ball to bartender / show foil to bartender / show map to bartender / show card to bartender / g / g / show cock to bartender" in the Drinks Club holding the slangovia map and foil and the ball and the card and the cock. Section 4 - Kate Instead of waiting when the current interlocutor is Kate: say "We kill some time [one of]admiring the merchandise[or]checking out the maps[or]staring idly into space[or]comparing ourselves to the mannequin[or]gazing out the shop window[at random].[no line break]"; if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say paragraph break; carry out the beat-producing activity; say paragraph break. Rule for beat-producing when the current interlocutor is Kate: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds and the map-customer is not in the location: shuffle map-customer; say "[one of][A map-customer] steps into the shop[or]The door opens and [a map-customer] comes in[or]Kate greets [a map-customer] who has just come into the shop[or]There's a tinkle from the door as [a map-customer] walks in[at random].[run paragraph on]"; move map-customer to the location; otherwise if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds and the map-customer is in the location: let N be a random number between 1 and 4; if N is: -- 1: say "[one of][The map-customer] asks Kate's advice about one of the maps[or]Kate confers with [the map-customer] in hushed tones[at random].[run paragraph on]"; -- 2: say "[one of][The map-customer] edges past you and Kate to get a look at one of the other maps[or][The map-customer] ponders [a random visible scenery thing][at random].[run paragraph on]"; -- 3: say "[idle of the map-customer][run paragraph on]"; -- 4: say "[The map-customer] [one of]stops browsing and leaves[or]seems to have seen enough, and goes out[or]thanks Kate and goes out[or]heads out the door[at random]."; remove the map-customer from play; otherwise: say "[one of]Kate polishes a smudge off the display case[or]Kate rearranges a few objects in the shop window[or]Kate waves at someone she knows through the store window[or]Kate dabs absently at something on her shirt[casually queue stains][or]The phone rings. Kate answers, briefly assures the person on the other end of the line that the shop is indeed open today, and hangs up[as decreasingly likely outcomes].[run paragraph on]". The greeting of Kate is "'Welcome to Arbot,' says Kate. 'Feel free to browse and ask me any questions you may have about the merchandise[change-kate-greeting].'" The generic adversative of Kate is "[one of]ah but[at random]". The generic confrontational of Kate is "one moment". Understand "ask [Kate] for [any kate-carried thing]" as requesting it from (with nouns reversed). To say change-kate-greeting: now the greeting of Kate is "'Welcome back,' Kate says." Kate knows you-are-possible-customer. Instead of asking Kate to try giving a kate-carried thing to the player: try requesting the noun from kate. Definition: a thing is kate-carried: if it is the Britishizing goggles and Kate does not recollect buy the Britishizing goggles: yes; if it is the Slangovia map and Kate does not recollect buy the Slangovia map: yes; no. Sanity-check taking a kate-carried thing: say "Kate is watching us; I think we'd best buy anything we need here, rather than trying to filch it." instead; Availability rule for buy the goggles: if the Britishizing goggles are not kate-carried, it is off-limits; make no decision. buy the Britishizing goggles is a purchasing quip. The printed name is "buy the British[izing] goggles". Understand "buy Britishizing goggles" or "buy the Britishizing goggles" or "buy goggles" or "buy the goggles" as buy the Britishizing goggles. It mentions Britishizing goggles. The comment is "'I'm interested in these British[izing] goggles,' we say.". The response is "'An excellent choice,' Kate assures us. 'They're the real thing, vintage made, not the plastic knock-offs that were all the rage in the 80s. Leather straps, brass fittings, top-grade lenses.' A large number of bills later and we're the proud owner of the goggles. Kate removes the goggles from the mannequin and fits them to our face.". It quip-supplies Kate. Carry out Kate discussing buy the Britishizing goggles: if the player wears the monocle: now the player carries the monocle; now the player wears the Britishizing goggles. Availability rule for buy the Slangovia map: if Slangovia map is not in the location, it is off-limits; if Slangovia map is not kate-carried, it is off-limits; make no decision. Instead of taking the Slangovia map when Kate does not recollect buy the Slangovia map: say "I think we had better keep our hands off the merchandise until we're ready to buy [--] these antique paper items take smudges and damage very easily." buy the Slangovia map is a purchasing quip. Understand "buy Slangovia map" as buy the Slangovia map. It mentions the Slangovia map. The comment is "'[if Kate recollects which map was sold]I'll take the Slangovia map,' we say. 'It's not every day you see something like this.'[otherwise]I'll have this map of Slangovia,' we say.[end if]". The response is "[if Kate recollects which map was sold]'Very good,' she says. 'Too bad he didn't think to offer it to you directly! But just as well for us, I suppose.' I take this to mean that Arbot is getting a big commission on the sale.[otherwise if Kate recollects whether she hath seen Brock-man]'Ah, that's [--]' She's presumably about to say that it's the map Brock sold to the shop just this morning. But a kind of quiet caution takes over. 'That's a very interesting piece,' she ends smoothly. 'We don't see many maps of Slangovia. It's not much visited, I believe.'[otherwise]'That just came in today,' Kate says. 'We bought it from a visiting scholar [--] he'd come to attend a demonstration with my boss, as a matter of fact, and happened to have this item with him.' She looks at the map dubiously for a moment. 'Just between us, I've never heard of Slangovia. But as the seller [i]was[/i] a guest of my employer, it seemed rude to quibble. And it is a very attractively drawn piece. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.'[end if][figure-out-legend] Kate removes the map from its case and packs it up carefully for us.". It quip-supplies Kate. whether she hath seen Brock-man is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether she has seen Brock". Understand "if" or "has" or "brock" as whether she hath seen Brock-man. It mentions Brock. The comment is "'Have you seen a man [--] maybe this morning [--] about this height, dark hair, very blue eyes, kind of cocky?'" The response is "There's a light of recognition. 'Yes, he was in. A friend of my boss. He visited the shop and sold us [if Kate recollects buy the slangovia map]that map you just purchased[otherwise]a map he happened to have with him[end if]. Then they left, together. I believe there was some discussion of seeing a demonstration[casually queue recommend-help].'" It quip-supplies Kate. An availability rule for which map was sold: if Kate recollects buy the Slangovia map: it is off-limits; make no decision. which map was sold is a questioning quip. The comment is "'[if immediately]He sold you a map? Which one was that[otherwise]You mentioned that the gentleman sold you a map [--] which one was it[end if]?'" The response is "'It's just here,' Kate says, going over to the selection and pointing out a map purporting to depict Slangovia. 'An unusual piece.' She glances sideways at us." It indirectly-follows whether she hath seen Brock-man. It quip-supplies Kate. Carry out Kate discussing which map was sold: now the Slangovia map is in the location. what sort of demonstration is a questioning quip. Understand "schedule" or "plan" or "plans" as what sort of demonstration. The comment is "'[if immediately]What sort of demonstration is that[otherwise]You mentioned that your boss and the other gentleman went to a demonstration. What kind of demonstration was it[end if]?'" The response is "She smiles and shrugs. '[Mr] Arbot used to work for the Bureau before he retired to sell antiques. He still has lots of connections. It could be anything.'" It indirectly-follows whether she hath seen Brock-man. It quip-supplies Kate. whether Brock-man seemed upset is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether Brock seemed upset". It mentions Brock. The comment is "'There's a chance my friend was in trouble. Did he seem to be in a hurry or concerned about anything?'" The response is "'Not at all. He appeared eager to speak with [Mr] Arbot, and they had plans together, but he didn't seem agitated. If anything, he seemed a little more worldly and collected than people in his line of work usually are[casually queue recommend-help].' Cryptic. Perhaps he was posing as a researcher? But we can't very well ask, not if we're supposed to be a friend of his." It indirectly-follows whether she hath seen Brock-man. It quip-supplies Kate. Understand "if" as whether Brock-man seemed upset. recommend-help is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'If your friend is missing, you could report him to the Bureau, you know,' she says. 'I believe they keep close tabs on academic and research visitors. They may well know where he is.' 'Thank you,' you say. 'I don't think things are quite at that point.' And they never will be, obviously." why Arbot now sells antiques is an unlisted questioning quip. Understand "mr" as why arbot now sells antiques. The comment is "'So your boss used to work for the Bureau, but now he sells maps?'" The response is "'And other items. Some of them are very difficult to source in Atlantis.' 'But [Mr] Arbot has connections,' we prompt. She doesn't disagree, but doesn't elaborate, either." It indirectly-follows what sort of demonstration. It quip-supplies Kate. what types of antiques they sell here is an unlisted questioning quip. Understand "type" or "kind" or "sort" or "antique" or "you" as what types of antiques they sell here. The comment is "'What sorts of antiques do you sell here?'" The response is "'What you see around you on the floor is fairly representative,' Kate replies. 'Maps are a specialty, but we also carry older models of linguistic tools as well as unusual or vintage Atlantean artifacts.'" It quip-supplies Kate. Carry out Kate discussing buy the Slangovia map: if the player carries the backpack: now the Slangovia map is in the backpack; otherwise: now the player carries the Slangovia map; stains is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'A new shirt and a cup of hot coffee,' Kate says ruefully. 'It always ends up this way.'" Report smiling when the current quip is stains: say "We smile sympathetically." instead. Report laughing when the current quip is stains: say "We chuckle sympathetically." instead. Availability rule for what the map legend means: if the Slangovia map is not enclosed by the location: it is off-limits; if the fake-legend is not part of the Slangovia map: it is off-limits; what the map legend means is a repeatable unlisted questioning quip. It mentions map, legend, fake-legend. The comment is "[one of]'The legend on this map is unusual,' we say[if the fake-legend is seen], pointing out the business of Iphis and Ianthe in the corner[otherwise]. And it is, too [--] it's a short story instead of any kind of key to the symbols on the map[end if][or]We point out the map legend again[stopping]." The response is "[one of]Kate frowns at it. 'Perhaps it's a story with some kind of local significance?' she suggests, after a moment[or]'I'm afraid I've told you what little I know about that piece,' she says[or]She reiterates that she doesn't have more to add about that piece[stopping]." It quip-supplies Kate. Instead of giving or showing the map to Kate when the fake-legend is part of the map: try discussing what the map legend means. Instead of giving or showing the fake-legend to Kate: try discussing what the map legend means. Sanity-check showing the map to Kate when the legend is part of the map: say "Now that it's obvious this is a secret message, you're not exactly going to show it to all and sundry." instead. Sanity-check showing the legend to Kate: say "Now that it's obvious this is a secret message, you're not exactly going to show it to all and sundry." instead. Test Kate with "tutorial off / z / ask about brock / ask about demonstration / ask about antiques / ask about map / buy map / z / z / z / look / x map / x legend / a legend / show map to kate" in Arbot Maps & Antiques. Test Kate2 with "tutorial off / z / x maps / buy map / ask about brock / ask about antiques / ask about demonstration / ask about brock / z / z / z/ look / a legend / x map / x legend / a legend / show map to kate" in Arbot Maps & Antiques. Test Kate3 with "tutorial off / z / ask about brock / x maps / buy map / ask about demonstration / ask about antiques / ask about brock / z / z / z / look / a legend / x map / x legend / a legend" in Arbot Maps & Antiques. Section 5 - The Ticket-taker The greeting of the ticket-taker is "'[one of]Hey[or]Yo[or]Hi[at random],' he says.". The generic negative of the ticket-taker is "[one of]kind of not really[or]nah[or]nope[or]like no[at random]". The generic positive of the ticket-taker is "[one of]yeah[or]yup[or]kind of, yeah[or]sort of basically yes[or]I guess so[or]I think so[at random]". The generic adversative of the ticket-taker is "[one of]weeell actually[or]well, um[or]uh, hm[at random]". The generic confrontational of the ticket-taker is "[one of]oh geez look[or]man, come on[at random]". Rule for beat-producing when the current interlocutor is the ticket-taker: say "[one of][one of]He sniffs[or]He thinks[or]The ticket-taker coughs faintly[or]He scratches his head[at random][or]He rocks back and forth on his feet[or]He tilts his head thoughtfully[or]He glances toward the door as someone contemplates coming in, but then fails to do so[as decreasingly likely outcomes].[run paragraph on]". hang-on-there is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'You need a ticket to go in there,' says the ticket-taker." Instead of giving the ticket to the ticket-taker: try showing the ticket to the ticket-taker. Availability rule for offer the ticket: if the ticket-taker knows allowed-in-movie: it is off-limits; make no decision. offer the ticket is an unlisted demonstration quip. The printed name is "offer the ticket". Understand "here is the ticket" or "here is ticket" as offer the ticket. It mentions the ticket. The comment is "'Here, have a ticket,' we say." The response is "[allowed-in-movie]The ticket-taker frowns slightly as he takes the ticket. He turns it over front and back; looks at us in confusion; looks at the ticket again. Then he goes to the phone and makes a call. I'm nervous. It's evident that he's talking to his manager. He doesn't take his eyes off us for a moment. He puts his hand over the mouth of the receiver so that we can't hear the whole conversation clearly, but the gist is still obvious: '...be fake... but... a TRICKET maybe? or, like, a STICKET? ...oh, all right.' Finally he hangs up. 'Sorry for the inconvenience,' he says. 'Your ticket looks a little different from our usual ones, but I guess the printing has been changed.' He tears the ticket briskly into confetti, destroying all evidence of our crime, and points off to the west. 'The screening room is that way. Thank you and enjoy the show. It's not for a while, though.'" It quip-supplies ticket-taker. Carry out the ticket-taker discussing offer the ticket: remove the ticket from play. Availability rule for offer the ticket redundantly: if the ticket-taker does not know allowed-in-movie: it is off-limits; make no decision. offer the ticket redundantly is an unlisted demonstration quip. The printed name is "offer the ticket". Understand "here is the ticket" or "here is ticket" as offer the ticket. It mentions the ticket. The comment is "'Here, have a ticket,' we say." The response is "The ticket-taker squints at the ticket. 'You've already been let in,' he says. 'So you can keep this. Kind of a weird one, though, isn't it? I didn't know we issued [']em this way. Still, it's awfully confusing now that there are all those print-your-own-ticket-at-home things, or you can buy the ticket at the box office, or win it at a raffle prize, or whatever. I keep having to call my manager to check what special offers we're running this week.'" It quip-supplies ticket-taker. when the movie starts is a questioning quip. It mentions entertainment. Understand "time" or "hour" or "timing" as when the movie starts. The comment is "'When does the movie start?' we ask.". The response is "'Oh, um... not until this evening.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It is background-information. whether the clock helps is a demonstration quip. It mentions clock. The comment is "'Does this help?' we ask, showing the clock to the ticket taker.". The response is "He glances at the clock face. 'Well, [i]that[/i] can't be right,' he says dismissively.". It quip-supplies the mechanic. It is background-information. It indirectly-follows when the movie starts. Understand "if" as whether the clock helps. [ where he bought the watch is a questioning quip. It mentions watch, salespeople. The comment is "'Just out of curiosity,' we ask, 'where did you get that watch? Was it from the street seller outside?'". The response is "Reddening, he says, 'Yeah.' It looks as though he's going to leave it at that, but then he goes on: 'I know they're probably fake, but I thought, you know, who cares? If they can turn something worthless into a diamond watch, it's still a diamond watch, right?' Shaking his wrist angrily, he adds, 'Guess I learned my lesson.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It is background-information. It indirectly-follows when the movie starts. suggest replacing batteries is a performative quip. It mentions watch. The comment is "'You could replace the batteries,' we suggest gently. 'Language-generated items can be defective in a variety of ways, but it is possible that yours just got an old or out-worn battery.'". The response is "'Really? You think?' A pleased grin spreads over his face. 'All right, then!'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It directly-follows where he bought the watch] what the movie seems is a weakly-phrased questioning quip. The printed name is "what the movie is". The true-name is "what the movie seems". Understand "is" as what the movie seems. It mentions entertainment. The comment is "'What's playing, anyway?'". The response is "'It's a special showing of [']Red.[']'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It is background-information. whether he likes his job is a questioning quip. The comment is "'Do you enjoy being a cinema admissions specialist?'". It mentions employment. The response is "He looks taken aback, but makes a surprising recovery. 'Yeah,' he says. 'Yeah, I do. I think it's a job with a real future.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It is background-information. Understand "if" as whether he likes his job. whether crime could ever be justified is a performative quip. The comment is "'Hypothetically speaking, do you think a crime could ever be justified?'". It mentions crime, legislation, bureau. The response is "'Uh, no,' he says. 'Because if it's justified, it's not a crime. Like: if you kill someone in self-def[ense], that's justified, but it's not a crime, so you won't have to go to jail.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It is background-information. Understand "if" as whether crime could ever be justified. whether the government seems just is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether the government is just". The true-name is "whether the government seems just". Understand "if" or "is" as whether the government seems just. The comment is "'Do you think the government is just?'". It mentions bureau, legislation. The response is "'What, here? Of course. We had universal suffrage before lots of places, right?' he says, counting off on his fingers. '1877. And we never had slavery. Plus there is very little poverty and there's a high standard of living. Good health care. No complaints here.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It is background-information. whether immigration laws seem fair is a performative quip. The printed name is "whether immigration laws are fair". The true-name is "whether immigration laws seem fair". Understand "if" or "are" as whether immigration laws seem fair. The comment is "'Do you think our immigration laws are fair?'". It mentions immigration, legislation, bureau. The response is "'They seem like they're working,' he says. 'I don't really give that kind of thing a lot of thought, but, I've never met someone who seemed like they shouldn't have been let in, you know?'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It is background-information. Definition: whether he hath ever been in trouble alongside law is civic: no. whether he hath ever been in trouble alongside law is a performative quip. The printed name is "whether he has ever been in trouble with the law". The true-name is "whether he hath ever been in trouble alongside law". Understand "if" or "has" or "with" as whether he hath ever been in trouble alongside law. The comment is "'Have you ever had any run-ins with the law?'". It mentions security, legislation, crime. The response is "'That's kind of none of your business, isn't it?'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It is background-information. Carry out the ticket-taker discussing a civic quip: if the ticket-taker recollects taking-a-survey: casually queue enough-in-school; otherwise: casually queue taking-a-survey. taking-a-survey is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'What is this about? Are you taking a survey or something?'" Instead of saying yes when claim to be taking a survey is available: try discussing claim to be taking a survey. Instead of saying no when we seem curious: try discussing we seem curious. claim to be taking a survey is a performative quip. The comment is "'Yes.'". It mentions yourself, research. The response is "'...oh[you-take-survey].' He frowns. 'Aren't you supposed to be writing down my answers on a clipboard or something?'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It directly-follows taking-a-survey. Instead of saying no when explain that we hath a recorder is available: try discussing explain that we hath a recorder. explain that we hath a recorder is a performative quip. The printed name is "explain that we have a recorder". The true-name is "explain that we hath a recorder". Understand "have" as explain that we hath a recorder. The comment is "'I'm, ah, recording all of this. Makes it easier not to have to write things down during the survey. More scientific, too.'". It mentions yourself. The response is "'Uh... okay.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It directly-follows claim to be taking a survey we seem curious is an informative quip. The printed name is "we are curious". The true-name is "we seem curious". Understand "are" as we seem curious. The comment is "'No, not exactly. I was just curious about what you thought,' we say.". It mentions yourself. The response is "'...huh.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It directly-follows taking-a-survey. enough-in-school is an NPC-directed quip. It mentions legislation, education. The response is "'I kind of had enough of this stuff in school,' he says. 'We talked about various laws and stuff, but I'm really just not that into it. When there's a referendum up for voting I'll look into it if it sounds interesting but in between times I don't see the point of talking about what the laws are and whatnot. I mean it's not like you can do anything about them, and they work pretty well. So let's drop it.'" Carry out the ticket-taker discussing enough-in-school: now the ticket-taker is bored of politics. The ticket-taker can be bored of politics. Instead of the ticket-taker discussing a civic quip when the ticket-taker is bored of politics: say "[one of]'Find someone else to bother with that stuff,' he says ungraciously.[or]'If you're really into all that maybe you could find someone by the university who wants to talk about it.'[or]'Jeez, I said to give it a rest.'[at random]". [The ticket-taker construes this question differently depending on what else he already knows about us: if he thinks we're taking a survey, he'll comment on that, but otherwise he'll assume that we're asking him as a prelude to setting up a date.] Rule for subject-changing when the current quip is what he likes to eat and the ostensible motive is you-take-survey: say "'That's kind of a weird question for a survey,' he observes, but shrugs. [run paragraph on]". Rule for subject-changing when the current quip is what he likes to eat and the ostensible motive is you-are-tourist: say "'Wow, you're really interested in our culture,' he remarks. [run paragraph on]". what he likes to eat is a questioning quip. The comment is "'What kinds of foods do you like?' we ask.". It mentions food. The response is "'Just regular food. Hamburgers, pizza. Sometimes I like more Mediterranean stuff, though. stuffed grape leaves, olive bread, stuff like that.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It is background-information. where he gets Mediterranean foods is a questioning quip. The comment is "'Where do you go for [if immediately]that kind of [otherwise]Mediterranean [end if]food?'". Understand "ticket-taker" as where he gets Mediterranean foods. It mentions food. The response is "'The Babel Cafe is good,' he says. 'There are always a lot of university students over there, though, so it gets kind of crowded sometimes.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It indirectly-follows what he likes to eat Instead of the ticket-taker discussing what he likes to eat when the ostensible motive is generic-truth: try the ticket-taker discussing mutual-embarrassment. mutual-embarrassment is an NPC-directed quip. it mentions the ticket-taker. The response is "He looks really taken aback and embarrassed. 'I've, uh. I mean. I like all kinds of food, but, uh. I have a girlfriend[you-hit-on].'". assure him that we seem not hitting on him is a performative quip. The printed name is "assure him that we are not hitting on him". The true-name is "assure him that we seem not hitting on him". Understand "are" as assure him that we seem not hitting on him. The comment is "You laugh. 'Sorry, no, I wasn't asking you out[forget you-hit-on],' you say. 'I'm sure she's a lucky girl, but I'd be robbing the cradle just a little.'". It mentions yourself, ticket-taker. The response is "'Heh. Heh. Yeah. Heh.' He's not meeting our eye and his face is going even redder than it was before, but I can't think what else you could have said there. Except, of course, for the option of leaving the poor guy alone, since this is hardly germane to our mission.". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It directly-follows mutual-embarrassment. about what his girlfriend seems like is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what his girlfriend is like". The true-name is "what his girlfriend seems like". Understand "is" as what his girlfriend seems like. The comment is "'What's she like, your girlfriend?'". It mentions romance, ticket-taker. The response is "'Uh... she's blonde, about this tall' (he holds his hand at the height of his own shoulder) 'and she has two sisters. And she really likes collecting perfumes. She wants to be a perfume designer when we're older. Or I think there's another name for it.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It indirectly-follows mutual-embarrassment. [And of course if we're not explaining ourselves...] Carry out the ticket-taker discussing something when the ticket-taker recollects at least three quips and the ticket-taker does not know allowed-in-movie: casually queue going-in-movie. going-in-movie is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'So are you just [if ostensible motive is you-take-survey]collecting data[otherwise]hanging out here[end if] or do you want to go in to the movie or what?'" Instead of saying no when delay ticket-taker is available: try discussing delay ticket-taker. delay ticket-taker is a weakly-phrased performative quip. The printed name is "delay the ticket-taker". The comment is "'Maybe I'll go in in a little bit,' we say. 'The movie's not for a while yet, right?'". It mentions entertainment. The response is "'Yeah, that's right.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It directly-follows going-in-movie. An availability rule for where my backpack seems: if the player encloses the backpack: it is off-limits; if the ticket-taker knows allowed-in-movie: it is off-limits. where my backpack seems is an unlisted questioning quip. The printed name is "where my backpack is". The true-name is "where my backpack seems". Understand "is" or "pack" or "lost" as where my backpack seems. The comment is "'I left my pack in the cinema,' we say. 'Can I just go in and fetch it? I'll come right back out. No need for a ticket.'". It mentions backpack. The response is "He scowls. 'We've been getting a lot of people trying to scam us,' he says. 'So I'm going to say no.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. An availability rule for argue about lost plus found policy: if the player encloses the backpack: it is off-limits; if the ticket-taker knows allowed-in-movie: it is off-limits. argue about lost plus found policy is a performative quip. The printed name is "argue about the lost and found policy". The true-name is "argue about lost plus found policy". Understand "and" as argue about lost plus found policy. The comment is "'That's ridiculous. I'll be right back out!'". It mentions yourself, backpack. The response is "'We clean the theater between showings,' he says bullishly. 'So if you had left something in there, we would have found it. You must have left your stuff somewhere else.'". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It directly-follows where my backpack seems. Availability rule for demonstrate lost backpack: if the player does not enclose the backpack: it is off-limits. demonstrate the lost backpack is a performative quip. The comment is "'Note this backpack,' we say. 'The one you claimed was not inside. I have it. It was under a seat. What do you have to say for yourself now?'". It mentions backpack. The response is "'Uh... the person who cleaned before me must've been a little bit careless,' he says. Right.". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It indirectly-follows argue about lost plus found policy Before discussing buy movie-ticket when the player encloses the ticket: say "Oh, doesn't that seem a waste? We have a nice fake ticket that we didn't have to spend any money on. Maybe money's like water to you.... Well, as you like, of course. You're the expert in covert whatever-it-is." The hidden-ticket is carried by the ticket-taker. The printed name of the hidden-ticket is "ticket". Understand "ticket" or "[movie] ticket" or "ticket to [movie]" or "ticket to a/the [movie]" as hidden-ticket. The hidden-ticket is scenery. Understand "movie/theater/cinema/film" as "[movie]". Does the player mean buying the ticket-taker from someone: it is very unlikely. Does the player mean buying the hidden-ticket from the ticket-taker: it is very likely. buy movie-ticket is a purchasing quip. The printed name is "buy a movie ticket". Understand "buy the/a ticket" or "movie" or "ticket" or "buy a/the movie ticket" as buy movie-ticket. It mentions ticket, hidden-ticket. The comment is "'I'd like to buy a ticket to this movie,' we say.". The response is "[You-are-past-customer]The ticket-taker shrugs. 'If you give me the money here, I don't actually have to give you a ticket,' he says. I think about raising some discussion about why the theater bothers with a ticketing procedure at all, and whether this will ruin their accounting about the number of available seats. But you're right that that would probably make us more memorable than we want to be. He accepts a bill, and that's that: we now have movie access[allowed-in-movie].". It quip-supplies the ticket-taker. It is repeatable. Instead of the ticket-taker discussing buy movie-ticket when the player does not enclose the bills and the ticket-taker does not know allowed-in-movie: if the ticket-taker knows you-are-feckless: say "He is totally unshocked when, having named the price of admission, he hears that we happen not to be carrying that much cash. Or any at all, for that matter."; otherwise: say "[You-are-feckless]He names the price, which reminds me that we haven't got any money at the moment. Awkward. There's probably a less above-board way of getting a ticket if we really want one, of course. Or we could go rescue your stash of money from storage. Your choice." Instead of the ticket-taker discussing buy movie-ticket when the ticket-taker knows allowed-in-movie: if the ticket-taker knows you-are-feckless: say "He looks bored, but not surprised, by this request. 'We're past that part,' he reminds us."; otherwise: say "'You've already bought one, and I've already collected it,' the ticket-taker reminds us[you-are-feckless]." Section 6 - The Secretary The greeting of the secretary is "She turns her eyes towards us but doesn't say anything." The generic positive of the secretary is "yes". The generic negative of the secretary is "no". The generic adversative of the secretary is "well". The secondary apology of the secretary is "[one of]as it turns out[or]unfortunately[at random]". The generic confrontational of the secretary is "citizen". The secretary exhibits privacy. The secretary exhibits unhelpfulness. The secretary is alert. pass-need is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I'm sorry, those with passes only,' she says, before waving us out. She has a bored look: not one of the more zealous staff members." whether we can hath the scope is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether we can have the scope". The true-name is "whether we can hath the scope". Understand "if" or "have" as whether we can hath the scope. It mentions Regulation Authentication Scope. The comment is "'You wouldn't be willing to part with that authentication scope, just for a moment?' we suggest, in a wheedling tone of voice[one of]. All right, even I can see that this isn't going to work[or][stopping].". The response is "'It is official issue,' she snaps. [set distrustful]'Civilians aren't allowed to have these.'". It is background-information. It quip-supplies the secretary. protest the unreasonable legislation prohibiting citizen access to linguistic power is a performative quip. It mentions legislation. The comment is "'I protest!' we say. 'Control of the language should be in the hands of the people, not in the hands of the government. The power to produce and prohibit words means the power to ban new directions of scientific inquiry; to prevent the creation of private cants and jargons; to marginal[ize] groups and individuals through forms of expression that emphas[ize] their other-ness; it is an essential censorship of thought itself.'". The response is "She looks bored. [set distrustful]'You people send me leaflets every three weeks,' she says. 'I use them in the fireplace.'". It quip-supplies the secretary. It directly-follows whether we can hath the scope An availability rule for where to get a pass: if the secretary does not recollect pass-need, it is off-limits; if the scope is not enclosed by the secretary, it is off-limits; make no decision. where to get a pass is a questioning quip. It mentions pass. The comment is "[one of]'Where did you say we might get a pass to visit the rest of the building?' we ask, in my very most polite schoolboy voice.[or]'Where did you say the passes were given out?' we ask.[stopping]". The response is "[one of][set distrustful]'Those with appropriately ranked academic research jobs are already in receipt of documentation,' she replies.[or]'I did not say,' she replies.[or]She ignores you.[stopping]". It quip-supplies the secretary. It is repeatable. An availability rule for where to get a pass: if the player is allowed, it is off-limits; make no decision. whether she enjoys her job is a questioning quip. It mentions employment. The comment is "'This must be a good job,' we say[one of], in our best making-friendly-conversation way[or][stopping]. 'Getting to meet lots of new people. Access to all the bureau toys.'". The response is "'They never let me try any of the good equipment,' she says, with surprising bitterness. 'When they brought in the T-inserter, they let Porson[--]' Then she stops, her expression that of a guppy being strangled. ". It quip-supplies the secretary. Understand "if" as whether she enjoys her job. how she got this job is a questioning quip. It mentions employment. The comment is "'How did you get this job?' we ask.". The response is "'Through the usual process,' she says. 'I qualified through the regional spelling bee, then was submitted to a battery of examinations, followed by a three-year course of rigorous training.'". It quip-supplies the secretary. It indirectly-follows whether she enjoys her job. who Porson seems is a questioning quip. The printed name is "who Porson is". The true-name is "who Porson seems". Understand "is" as who Porson seems. It mentions Porson. The comment is "'Who is Porson?' we ask curiously.". The response is "'[i]Porson[/i] works in the Historical Research Room,' she says. 'A job he got, I might add, through sheer nepotism. He's no more qualified than I am, but they say he has a [']job-related need['] to see all the new developments first.' ". It quip-supplies the secretary. It indirectly-follows whether she enjoys her job what the T-inserter does is a questioning quip. It mentions T-inserter. The comment is "'What does the T-inserter do?' we ask, as though we were a couple of yokels.". The response is "She raises her eyebrows as though she cannot believe the phenomenal idiocy of this question. [set distrustful]No answer is vouchsafed.". It quip-supplies the secretary. It indirectly-follows whether she enjoys her job. where the T-inserter seems kept is a questioning quip. The printed name is "where the T-inserter is kept". The true-name is "where the T-inserter seems kept". Understand "is" as where the T-inserter seems kept. It mentions T-inserter. The comment is "'This T-inserter must be pretty delicate,' we say. I'm letting you talk, this time. I think I'm too direct. 'I'm surprised the Bureau keeps it in a public building.'". The response is "She visibly struggles between two impulses: the feeling that she shouldn't be talking about such a secret piece of equipment at all, and the desire to convince us that it couldn't be easily found or stolen. Finally she compromises with '[when distrustful]Not all parts of the Bureau are equally available to visitors[at other times]There are rooms that are not available to visitors[end when].'". It quip-supplies the secretary. It indirectly-follows whether she enjoys her job. Test secretary with "tutorial off / z / ask secretary about job / g/ a porson / a t-inserter does / a t-inserter" in antechamber. Section 7 - The Desk Attendant Rule for avoiding talking heads when the current interlocutor is the attendant: say "[one of]She toys unattractively with her nose ring.[or]She scratches a bug bite on her elbow.[or]She purses her lips thoughtfully.[or]She scratches her nose.[at random]". The greeting of the attendant is "[one of]'Yeah, I see you,' she says.[or]'Gosh, you again.'[or]'Rehi.'[stopping]" . The generic negative of the attendant is "[one of]no[or]really not[at random]". The generic positive of the attendant is "[one of]yes[or]definitely[at random]". The generic adversative of the attendant is "um". The generic confrontational of the attendant is "[one of]I don't know how to say this nicely but[or]How can I say this that the management would approve of? Oh yeah I CAN'T. But here goes anyway, okay[at random]". how to unlock the lockers is a questioning quip. It mentions locker and lock. The comment is "'Hey, so, like,' we begin, twirling our hair in one finger. 'What if I, like, accidentally locked something in the locker upstairs and I don't know the number to get it open? It is, like, [i]so[/i] important that I get my stuff back.'". The response is "Her expression of dreamy good will hardens into one of cool contempt. 'Lockers are the responsibility of the guests,' she says. 'You brought the lock, so you must know the combination.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. Availability rule for how to unlock the lockers: if the clock is seen, it is off-limits; if the lock is not seen, it is off-limits; make no decision. lock problem seems solved is an informative quip. The printed name is "lock problem is solved". The true-name is "lock problem seems solved". Understand "is" as lock problem seems solved. It mentions lock. The comment is "'I, like, remembered the combination of my lock,' we say.". The response is "'I'm overjoyed.' Deadpan." It indirectly-follows how to unlock the lockers. It quip-supplies the attendant. Availability rule for lock problem seems solved: if the clock is seen, make no decision; it is off-limits. whether public transport exists here is a questioning quip. It mentions transportation. The comment is "'Can you tell me anything about public transportation in this town?' we ask hopefully. I can tell you: there isn't any. But it will be interesting to see what she says, I suppose.". The response is "She smiles briefly. 'I'm sorry,' she says. 'There aren't any buses or subways here. The island is too small for that.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. It is background-information. Understand "if" as whether public transport exists here. Availability rule for whether we can keep the guidebook: if the guidebook is not visible, it is off-limits; make no decision. whether we can keep the guidebook is a questioning quip. It mentions guidebook. The comment is "'Hey, does this guidebook belong to the hostel, or can I keep it?'". The response is "'Sure, whatever,' she says. 'People take and leave stuff all the time. It's no big deal.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. Understand "if" as whether we can keep the guidebook. whether there seems an internet connection nearby is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether there is an internet connection nearby". The true-name is "whether there seems an internet connection nearby". Understand "is" or "if" as whether there seems an internet connection nearby. It mentions internet. The comment is "'Hey, so, do you have internet here?'". The response is "'Sorry,' she says. 'Our connection is suspended by the Bureau. Someone tried to use the hostel account for unauthor[ize]d contact with a universal translator.' Did they indeed? I wonder who that could have been, hm?". It quip-supplies the attendant. It is background-information. whether there seem beds available is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether there are beds available". The true-name is "whether there seem beds available". Understand "are" or "bed" or "space" or "room" or "if" as whether there seem beds available. The comment is "'Are there free beds for the evening?'". The response is "'Sure,' she says. 'You can go up and claim whichever free one you like. The hostel won't really fill up until this evening.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. It is background-information. who would do this is a questioning quip. It mentions internet. The comment is "'Really?' we ask brightly. I'm enjoying being a dumb girl more than I expected. 'Who would do something like that?'". The response is "She looks cross. 'We don't know,' she says. 'There was a young woman who used the computer at about the right time period, but she didn't seem like the criminal type, to me. I'm pretty sure it must have been this other group, three guys that were staying here, but I can't figure out how.' [paragraph break]Hear that? You don't seem like the criminal type.". It quip-supplies the attendant. It directly-follows whether there seems an internet connection nearby. what other group was like is an unlisted questioning quip. The comment is "'Was there anything interesting about the other group? The three guys?' I'm starting to see how much you enjoy playing off your own cleverness. I just hope it doesn't get us caught.". It mentions internet. The response is "She shrugs. That sounds like a no, then.". It quip-supplies the attendant. It indirectly-follows who would do this. what the young woman looked like is a questioning quip. It mentions yourself. The comment is "'So, like, what was she like?' I venture a little giggle. I don't think it's quite a success.". The response is "'What, the young woman?' [The attendant] shrugs. 'Kind of uptight.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. It directly-follows who would do this. what happens if the guest does not remember is a questioning quip. It mentions locker. The comment is "'[if immediately]Yeah, okay, but[otherwise]About the lockers again[end if],' we say. 'What happens when, like, someone forgets the combination? Does that ever happen? [']Cause it seems like you might need to get the locker open for the next guest, right? So, like, what do you do?'". The response is "'Yes, it happens,' she says. Her spiky magenta hair is quivering. It was wrong to take the hippy-ish blouse as a sign of an easy-going temper. 'It happens [i]all the time[/i]. We have to get the All-Purpose in to fix them. It's expensive. I keep telling management we should have a different kind of lock-up system, but they won't hear it.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. It indirectly-follows how to unlock the lockers. what the All-Purpose seems is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what the All-Purpose is". The true-name is "what the All-Purpose seems". Understand "is" as what the All-Purpose seems. It mentions locker. The comment is "[if the previous quip is what happens if the guest does not remember]'All-Purpose? What's that?'[otherwise]'So what is the All-Purpose, anyway?'[end if] we ask. But surely you do know? The All-Purpose is a kind of blue-suited handy-man, a mechanic with a huge toolbox of letter tools. He can do just about anything. I would have thought[--] but she's answering.". The response is "'You know, from the Bureau.' She reaches under the desk and pulls out a box, which she displays briefly to our gaze. Inside is an assortment of col[our]ed children's blocks. 'He does this with them,' she says matter-of-factly, as though B-insertion weren't a pretty serious challenge. Then she puts the box away again.". It quip-supplies the attendant. It indirectly-follows what happens if the guest does not remember. how the All-Purpose makes blocks is a questioning quip. It mentions locker. The comment is "'He puts on Bs? On the locks? How does that, like, work?' we ask, twirling our hair some more. (This is ridiculous! Have you no shame? Doesn't it embarrass you, playing up to stereotypes like this? No, I see your point. You're more of a pragmatist. I should have guessed.)". The response is "'He has a machine he brings in, on wheels,' she says. 'It's the size of a dessert cart. At one end, there's a hose with a nozzle. The B comes out of there.' In spite of her mood, she obviously finds this an interesting topic. 'I asked him what happened if the B flew out and hit something it wasn't supposed to, and he showed me this restoration gel he had, to put things back to what they were originally.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. It directly-follows what the All-Purpose seems. whether the gel resembles ours is a demonstration quip. It mentions the restoration gel and the tub. The comment is "'Does the All-Purpose's gel look something like this?'" The response is "She glances at the tub of restoration gel. 'Yeah,' she says. 'A lot like that. Hey, how did you get that, anyway?' We just smile and shrug pleasantly." It quip-supplies the attendant. It indirectly-follows how the All-Purpose makes blocks. Understand "if" as whether the gel resembles ours. why they do not use a locksmith is a questioning quip. It mentions locker. The comment is "'It seems as though a locksmith would be cheaper and less trouble than getting an All-Purpose Officer,' we point out.". The response is "'You might think.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. It indirectly-follows what the All-Purpose seems. what we should do about the lock is a questioning quip. It mentions locker. The comment is "'So, uh, like. What do you think I should do about this locker I can't unlock?'". The response is "'Remember the combination,' she says tartly. Right, then.". It quip-supplies the attendant. It indirectly-follows what happens if the guest does not remember. Availability rule for what we should do about the lock: if the attendant recollects lock problem seems solved, it is off-limits; make no decision. what the fair seems for is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what the fair is for". The true-name is "what the fair seems for". Understand "is" as what the fair seems for. It mentions celebration. The comment is "'So what's up with, like, the big party outside?' we ask. 'It looks like something is going on out there.'". The response is "'Serial Comma Day,' she says, in a bored voice. 'It's totally a made-up holiday, like Sweetest Day or World Secretary Day or whatever. But they sell greeting cards.'[queue could-be-semicolon as postponed optional]". It quip-supplies the attendant. It is background-information. correct this misapprehension is a performative quip. It mentions celebration. The comment is "'Actually,' we say, 'Serial Comma Day commemorates a very real and significant shift in the punctuation standard here.'". The response is "She gives us a very strange look. [set distrustful]'I thought you weren't from around here.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. It directly-follows what the fair seems for could-be-semicolon is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I'd have gone with semicolon day,' she muses. 'It's way better than a comma. You get an extra dot on top. It's like two punctuation marks for the price of one. But it's not all prissy and fussy like a colon.' She's missing the point entirely, of course: Serial Comma Day celebrates the adoption of a whole series of standards changes intended to reduce ambiguity in written language and increase the precision of linguistic change methods. It marked a significant shift in policy[--] Oh, all right, I'll stop. But you should hear Professor Waterstone on this topic." what she recommends seeing in city is a questioning quip. The comment is "'So, is there stuff I really should see around here? The best of the city, or something?'". It mentions entertainment. The response is "'I'm not, like, a concierge,' she says. 'If you came to town you must have had a reason, right? Plus you can maybe pick up a map somewhere around here[if the guidebook is not enclosed by the player], or we usually have a guidebook or two lying around that someone left[end if].'". It quip-supplies the attendant. It is background-information. whether the attendant enjoys her job is a questioning quip. The comment is "'Do you like this job?'". Understand "she" as whether the attendant enjoys her job. It mentions employment, attendant. The response is "She looks taken aback. 'It's a living,' she says. 'I mean, sort of. And the management doesn't really listen to what I tell them. And sometimes people are really loud. Or jerky. But my parents really really realllly wanted me to stay in school so I kind of stopped wanting to, if that makes sense. I don't know, maybe I'll go back later.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. It is background-information. Understand "if" as whether the attendant enjoys her job. Rule for quip-introducing sympathize on the topic of parents: say "You apparently have a strong urge to sympath[ize] on the topic of parents. I don't." sympathize on the topic of parents is a performative quip. Understand "sympathise" as sympathize on the topic of parents. The comment is "'Parents can be that way,' you say, with sudden vehemence. 'They work on you like you're a project, like they're raising a show dog or something. It took me a long time to figure out that while I was with my parents I wasn't ever going to even know what [i]I[/i] wanted, who I wanted to be. So you got away from that, good for you.' And good for her skipping her education when it would have been paid for, and going into an unfulfilling job that doesn't earn enough to live on, right? Seems a little askew to me, but hey.". It mentions family. The response is "'I don't think my parents were [i]that[/i] bad,' she says, with a taken-aback little laugh.". It quip-supplies the attendant. It directly-follows a whether the attendant enjoys her job. compliment the nose ring is a performative quip. The comment is "'I like your nose ring,' we say. It looks kind of piratical.". It mentions nose-ring. The response is "'Thanks.' She gives it a little pat. 'I'm thinking of getting a sternum piercing next.'". It quip-supplies the attendant. It is background-information. Section 8 - Backpacking Girl [The backpacking girl is your basic standard NPC impediment -- much more so than just about any of the NPCs who come after, though both Waterstone and Higgate are fetch-quest NPCs after a fashion. From a narrative point of view, the backpacking girl is present to establish early on -- that some people do come to Atlantis as tourists; it's not completely sheltered; on the other hand, their expectations are not the same as those of people used to the island long-term -- to establish a line in the level of social inappropriateness our protagonist is allowed to show. Violence, no; doing things that may shock, surprise, or distress other characters is, however, allowed within reason. (The backpacking girl doesn't really take any harm from the experience.) -- to bond Alex and Andra as people who are both, in their own ways, significantly more knowing than she is The Vatican snowglobe is a real souvenir that some fellow hostel-dwellers in Rome produced with great delight. ] Rule for avoiding talking heads when the current interlocutor is backpacking girl: if the current interlocutor is ready for transition: if the current quip is strongly-phrased and a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[beat][paragraph break]"; otherwise: say "[beat] [run paragraph on]". Rule for beat-producing when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl: if the backpacking girl carries the heavy pack: say run paragraph on; try the backpacking girl trying dropping the heavy pack; otherwise if the backpacking girl is in the location: let P be a random free bed in the dormitory room; say run paragraph on; try the backpacking girl trying entering P; otherwise: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say run paragraph on; try the backpacking girl trying examining the player; otherwise: say "[one of]She tosses restlessly[or]She turns over[or]She bangs her head against the space where a pillow ought to be[or]She scrubs at her eyes with one hand[at random].[run paragraph on]". Report the backpacking girl trying dropping the heavy pack: say "With a grunt, she shrugs off her pack and puts it on the ground near one of the beds.[run paragraph on]" instead. Report the backpacking girl trying entering a bed: say "She eyes the beds thoughtfully, punches each of the mattresses in turn, and then climbs into the one she's selected.[run paragraph on]" instead. Report the backpacking girl trying examining yourself: say "She watches us with interest.[run paragraph on]" instead. Report the backpacking girl trying examining a thing: say "She checks out [the noun].[run paragraph on]" instead. Report the backpacking girl trying getting off a bed: say "The bed creaks as she rolls off it in unseemly haste. She doesn't meet our eye, but mutters something about needing to go buy something right away." instead. [Report the backpacking girl trying going to a room (called destiny) when the actor is avoiding: record "getting the dorm room to ourselves" as achieved; say "A moment later she is gone." instead. ] Report the backpacking girl trying saying hello to the player: say "[one of]'Hey,' says the girl. [run paragraph on][or]The girl takes our reappearance in stride.[stopping]" instead. Definition: a bed is free if it does not support a person. The greeting of backpacking girl is "'Greetings, fellow traveler!'" whether she seems really from canada is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether she is really from Canada". The true-name is "whether she seems really from canada". Understand "if" or "is" or "canadian" as whether she seems really from canada. The comment is "'So,' we say, nodding at the pack. 'Are you really Canadian?'". It mentions heavy pack. The response is "'Uh, no. I come from Ohio[fake-canada]. But don't tell anyone that. My mom thought this would be safer in case of terrorists. She's also worried about serial killers but there's not much I can do about that.'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It assumes canada-girl. An availability rule for whether she seems really from canada: if we have examined the heavy pack: make no decision; otherwise: it is off-limits. fear-of-killers is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Do you think this place is safe?' asks the girl conspiratorially. I must look blank, because she goes on, 'I saw this documentary once, right, about a serial killer who went from youth hostel to youth hostel, [i]grooming[/i] girls and [i]killing them[/i]. And then he'd chop up the bodies and put the [i]body parts[/i] into the lockers. And no one would find out until he'd gone away again.' Nothing like that has happened around here, but she seems to get a charge out of scaring herself with this story." It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. wish-i-hadnt is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Wish I hadn't remembered that serial killer thing,' the girl remarks, half to herself. 'Now it's going to keep me up later. Picturing someone with a saw hacking me up.'" It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. so-jet-lagged is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Oh my gosh, I am SO jetlagged. I feel like I'm just going to fall over, you know?'" It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. sympathize about jetlag is a performative quip. The comment is "'I know how that is,' you say. Which is interesting: apparently you do know. I don't, never having left this island.". Understand "sympathise" as sympathize about jetlag. It mentions transportation. The response is "She frowns curiously at us. 'I don't get your accent, actually. Where are you from?'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It directly-follows so-jet-lagged. be honest about our origins is a weakly-phrased unlisted performative quip. The comment is "'[if the backpacking girl recollects lie about our origins]Actually the truth is [end if]I spent some of my life around here and some of it traveling around the Mediterranean, living on a yacht and conducting acts of international espionage. That's when I wasn't working on a university degree in language studies.'". Understand "tell the truth" or "tell truth" or "be truthful" as be honest our origins. It mentions yourself. The response is "[if the backpacking girl recollects lie about our origins]'There's nothing wrong with coming from California,' she says. 'You don't have to make something up.'[otherwise]'...Right,' she says. 'I'm guessing world-traveling professor-spies don't stay in youth hostels.'[end if]". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It indirectly-follows sympathize about jetlag. lie about our origins is a weakly-phrased performative quip. The comment is "'[if the backpacking girl recollects be honest about our origins]Actually the truth is [end if]I grew up in California,' you say. 'In... sort of a suburb of Los Angeles, though pretty far out. Fontana, if you've heard of that.'". Understand "lieabout" as lie about our origins. It mentions yourself. The response is "'Nah,' she says, without interest. 'But that's cool.'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It indirectly-follows sympathize about jetlag. when-get-here is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'So when did you get to Anglophone Atlantis, anyway? How long have you been here?'" It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. lie about visiting is a performative quip. The comment is "'Just a few days. I wanted a little time to see the place, before it got all crazy for Serial Comma Day,' you lie smoothly.". Understand "lieabout" as lie about visiting. It mentions celebration, yourself. The response is "'Oh, yeah, that was smart,' she says. 'I am really not ready for this at all.'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It directly-follows when-get-here. [because otherwise we get interference with the LIE ON THING command from Postures:] After reading a command when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl: if the player's command matches "lie": change the text of the player's command to "lieabout"; otherwise if the player's command includes "lie about": change the text of the player's command to "lieabout". what-think-so-far is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Do you like this place so far?'" It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. Instead of saying no or frowning when the current quip is what-think-so-far: try discussing disapprove of Atlantis. Instead of saying yes or smiling when the current quip is what-think-so-far: say "We respond with a friendly smile. [run paragraph on]"; try discussing approve of Atlantis. Instead of shrugging when the current quip is what-think-so-far: say "We shrug. [run paragraph on]"; try discussing equivocate about Atlantis. equivocate about Atlantis is an unlisted performative quip. The comment is "'I've seen better and I've seen worse.' Which is a lie, at least on my part: I've seen nothing but Atlantis my whole life.". It mentions yourself. The response is "'Makes sense.'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It directly-follows what-think-so-far. disapprove of Atlantis is an unlisted performative quip. The comment is "'There are a lot of things to say about the government,' we reply cautiously.". It mentions yourself. The response is "'Like what?' 'It's better not to say them out loud.' 'If you can't say something nice, it's better not to say anything at all,' the girl responds. 'I hate gossip especially when people won't give hard details. That's how this girl Stacy at my school got totally ostracized for supposedly doing something slutty only no one knew what it was.'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It directly-follows what-think-so-far. approve of Atlantis is a performative quip. The comment is "'Sure,' you say. 'It's pretty, it's clean, there's lots of interesting stuff around.' I can see why your career isn't with a tourist board.". It mentions yourself. The response is "'I guess.'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It directly-follows what-think-so-far. grr-no-showers is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I can't believe this room doesn't have its own bathroom and showers. I mean, gross.'" It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. Instead of saying yes or smiling when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl and agree about showers is available: try discussing agree about showers. agree about showers is a performative quip. The comment is "'I'm more used to having my own bathroom,' we agree. Which I guess is true for me; your memories appear to be a little more diverse.". It mentions yourself. The response is "'I know, right?'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It directly-follows grr-no-showers. Instead of saying no or frowning or scoffing when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl and disagree about showers is available: try discussing disagree about showers. disagree about showers is an unlisted performative quip. The comment is "'Practically third-world,' you say sarcastically.". It mentions yourself. The response is "'I know, right?'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It directly-follows grr-no-showers. have-you-checked is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Have you tried talking to the desk girl downstairs? I mean for more than two seconds? She is a total witch that starts with B, know what I mean? Like, she looked at me like I was completely an idiot, right, and, like, what does she expect? Of course I don't know my way around, I just got here.'" It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. Availability rule for mention the louse incident: if the location of the attendant is the Hostel: it is off-limits. mention the louse incident is a performative quip. The comment is "'I'm afraid I made [if immediately]her[otherwise]the attendant[end if] go away,' we confess. 'I turned her blouse into something else.'". It mentions louse, attendant. The response is "She blinks, startled, and you have the impression that you've frightened her a little. 'Oh... right. My mother warned me to be careful.'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It indirectly-follows have-you-checked Instead of saying yes when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl and agree about the attendant is available: try discussing agree about the attendant. agree about the attendant is a performative quip. The comment is "'I've seen more impressive customer service,' you say.". It mentions attendant. The response is "'You'd think they'd be a little nicer if they want repeat customers,' she grumps. I decide not to point out that the hostel is by far the cheapest lodging place on the island, is probably run on subsidies to make it possible for foreign students to visit at all, and never suffers from any lack of custom.". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It directly-follows have-you-checked. Instead of saying no when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl and disagree about the attendant is available: try discussing disagree about the attendant. Instead of frowning when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl and disagree about the attendant is available: say "We frown. [run paragraph on]"; try discussing disagree about the attendant. disagree about the attendant is an unlisted performative quip. The comment is "'She's probably paid about five dollars an hour to greet visitors and scrub toilets while everyone else has a holiday,' we say. 'This place is heavily subsidized to run at all. Having to work here is a form of punitive community service.'". It mentions attendant. The response is "'Well, okay. But she must have done something to get assigned community service, then.' 'Exceeded her allowance of accidental misspellings, I imagine,' I say. The girl starts to laugh, then trails off when she realizes this is not a joke.". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It directly-follows have-you-checked. souvenir-buying is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I hope this place has good souvenirs. I got this great snowglobe at the Vatican, right, that has the Pope inside saying, like, a blessing.'" It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. Instead of laughing when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl and the current quip is souvenir-buying: say "We snicker. [run paragraph on]"; try discussing mock the snowglobe. Instead of smiling when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl and the current quip is souvenir-buying: say "We go for a friendly, non-fake smile. [run paragraph on]"; try discussing admire the snowglobe. mock the snowglobe is an unlisted performative quip. Understand "make fun" or "make fun of" or "laugh at" or "diss" or "denigrate" or "insult" as mock the snowglobe. The comment is "'[if immediately]That's pretty special[otherwise]Your snowglobe must be a collector's item[end if],' we say. 'It only snows at the Vatican once every couple of decades.'". The response is "'Oh yeah! Cool.' 'Not like those Norwegian snowglobes,' you add. 'Those are a dime a dozen.' Pushing your luck a little, perhaps. She gives us a faintly puzzled look but doesn't say anything." It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It indirectly-follows souvenir-buying. admire the snowglobe is a performative quip. The comment is "'[if immediately]I bet your friends back home are going to love that[otherwise]I'm sure your snowglobe will be a big hit with your friends back home[end if].'". The response is "'Yeah,' she says. 'Though I have to keep my souvenir buying light because there isn't that much room in my pack.'" It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It indirectly-follows souvenir-buying. An availability rule for recommend the gift shop: if the Gift Shop is unvisited: it is off-limits; make no decision. recommend the cathedral gift shop is a performative quip. The comment is "'[if immediately]Oh, yeah, actually, there's a great shop attached to the New Church. It's just across the square. You should go there; they've got lots of stuff like your snowglobe[otherwise]If you do want to do some shopping, there's the New Church across the square. It's got a bunch of gifts like your snowglobe[end if].'". The response is "'Sweet! I'll check it out when I'm more rested. Thanks!' Oh well. It was worth a try." It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It indirectly-follows souvenir-buying. A first conversation-reply rule when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl: let N be a random NPC-directed quip which quip-supplies the backpacking girl; if the backpacking girl does not recollect fear-of-killers: queue fear-of-killers as postponed obligatory; otherwise if the backpacking girl does not recollect N: queue N as postponed obligatory. Instead of waiting when the current interlocutor is the backpacking girl: say "[beat][paragraph break]". ask for privacy is a repeatable performative quip. The comment is "[one of]'Would you mind giving me a minute?' we say. 'Sorry, I could just use a little privacy.'[or]'I'd really like to be alone for a couple of minutes now,' we say.[or]'This will just take a moment, but you would you mind giving me the room to myself?' we say.[at random]". It mentions yourself. The response is "[one of]She waves a hand generously. 'Don't worry about it, do whatever you've got to do, I don't care,' she says. 'I'm so tired I couldn't move a muscle, but I've seen everything. I have three brothers and two sisters and I'm in women's rugby so I'm pretty hard to shock.'[or]She just grunts and waves to indicate we may strip naked at our leisure.[or]'Dude,' she says, exasperated. 'If you wanted a private room you should've not stayed at a freaking hostel.'[or]She moans.[stopping]". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. Carry out discussing ask for privacy: now ask for privacy is unlisted. whether she had trouble alongside customs is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether she had trouble with customs". The true-name is "whether she had trouble alongside customs". Understand "with" or "if" as whether she had trouble alongside customs. The comment is "'How was coming through Customs?' we ask. 'Any trouble there?'". It mentions immigration. The response is "'Not really. There were a few people in line, and they made me take all my stuff out of my backpack... and this one guy I saw them take away into a back room, and I don't think he ever came out again. But, uh, they were nice enough to me I guess. I was expecting worse.'". It quip-supplies the backpacking girl. It is background-information. Test backpacking with "tutorial off / look / z / z / z / z / z / show arm to girl" in the Dormitory holding the arm. Section 9 - Gift Shop Volunteer The greeting of the gift shop volunteer is "'Good [rough daytime],' he says." The generic positive of the gift shop volunteer is "yes". The generic negative of the gift shop volunteer is "no". The generic adversative of the gift shop volunteer is "[one of]alas[or]sadly[at random]". The secondary apology of the gift shop volunteer is "[one of]sorry[or]I'm afraid[at random]". The generic confrontational of the gift shop volunteer is "miss". Instead of asking the gift shop volunteer about something: let N be indexed text; let N be "[one of][generic adversative of the gift shop volunteer in sentence case][or][secondary apology of the gift shop volunteer in sentence case][at random]"; say "[You] frame up a vague question about [the second noun]. [beat] '[N], don't think I can help you there.'[paragraph break]" The gift shop volunteer knows you-are-possible-customer. A first conversation-reply rule when the current interlocutor is the gift shop volunteer and the gift shop volunteer recollects at least one quip: if the ostensible motive is you-are-dangerous: if the current interlocutor does not recollect you-should-leave: queue you-should-leave as postponed optional; if the ostensible motive is you-are-possible-customer: if the current interlocutor does not recollect offer-souvenirs: queue offer-souvenirs as postponed optional. broke-it-buy-it is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'You broke it, you buy it,' says the volunteer. 'Though the tomes were free. But please at least take your mess away with you when you leave.'" Rule for beat-producing when the current interlocutor is the gift shop volunteer: say "[one of]He looks at us keenly[or]He drums a little pattern on the surface of the counter[or]He absently straightens the arrangement of the postcards in the display[or]He polishes a smudge off one of the souvenir shot glasses[or]He nods to another customer who is just leaving before turning his attention back to us[or]He rearranges the objects on sale[as decreasingly likely outcomes].[run paragraph on]". To say rough daytime: if the current daytime is: -- noon: say "[one of]morning [--] or afternoon, I suppose it might be afternoon by now[or]afternoon[stopping]"; -- sunset: say "evening"; -- evening: say "evening"; -- otherwise: say "afternoon"; what seems worth seeing in the New Church is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what is worth seeing in the New Church". The true-name is "what seems worth seeing in the New Church". Understand "is" as what seems worth seeing in the New Church. The comment is "'So tell me, what should I be looking for in the New Church?' we ask.". The response is "'Other than God?' he asks dryly.". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. whether he believes in God is a questioning quip. It mentions religion. The comment is "'Are you a believer?' we ask[you-are-dangerous].". The response is "'Some of the time. The rest of the time I just wish I were.' He flattens his hands on the surface of the counter. They are veiny, with coarse thick nails. Some reflection about the end of life, or the perspective of old age, seems inevitable. But he says: 'You choose to believe or not. There's no such thing as absolute proof. So then the question is, do you want to believe in God? And, if so, what kind of God do you want to believe in? You go from there[casually queue curate-backstory].'". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It is background-information. Understand "if" or "man" or "volunteer" or "gift" or "shop" as whether he believes in God. what sort of God he believes in is a questioning quip. It mentions religion. The comment is "'What sort of God do you believe in[if immediately], then[end if]?' we ask. This isn't exactly how I expected this conversation to go, but no doubt you have some reason of your own for chatting with random strangers about their deeply held beliefs while we are supposed to be [i]fleeing the country[/i].". The response is "'Today?' He shrugs his cardigan-clad shoulders. 'I figure he's a good enough type but he's a little tired of humans. Who wouldn't be? It might be that he's working on a new project and he's gotten distracted from us[casually queue curate-backstory].'". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It indirectly-follows whether he believes in God. Rule for quip-introducing whether there seem points of architectural interest: say "Hm [--] the volunteers aren't very well trained, are they? I was expecting something about the points of architectural interest."; list no other quips. whether there seem points of architectural interest is a weakly-phrased questioning quip. The printed name is "whether there are points of architectural interest". The true-name is "whether there seem points of architectural interest". Understand "if" or "are" as whether there seem points of architectural interest. The comment is "'Are there, er, points of architectural interest about the Church?' we persist.". The response is "'Not that I know of.'". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It directly-follows what seems worth seeing in the New Church. offer-souvenirs is an NPC-directed q-transitional quip. The response is "His voice quavers. 'Could I interest you in the purchase of a souvenir tea towel? Or a shot glass? Or perhaps a paper model of the church.'" The nag is "[one of]'All purchases go towards the fund to rebuild the church roof,' he reveals enticingly.[or]'Money spent in the New Church shop is non-taxable,' he adds.[or]'It's in a good cause. This is a historical monument.'[or]The moral pressure from the old man has not abated.[stopping]". It is restrictive. Instead of frowning or saying no when decline to buy trashy souvenirs is available: try discussing decline to buy trashy souvenirs. Instead of saying yes when decline to buy trashy souvenirs is available: if the player encloses the roll of bills: say "I hate to interfere in this act of charity, but we need our cash for other purposes."; otherwise: say "We're flat broke." Instead of laughing or scoffing when mock the trashy souvenirs is available: try discussing mock the trashy souvenirs. mock the trashy souvenirs is an unlisted performative quip. The comment is "We snort. 'There's nothing here I would buy if my money were on fire.'". The response is "'Not even a lovely illustrated retelling of the story of Ananias and Sapphira?' suggests the volunteer. 'So inspiring for any young children in your life.' I've no idea what he's talking about, but you recall them as a couple who lied about their donations to the early church and were punished with death. 'The divine enforcement policy isn't what it used to be,' you say[casually queue curate-backstory].". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It directly-follows offer-souvenirs. decline to buy trashy souvenirs is a performative quip. The comment is "'Thank you, but no,' we say firmly.". The response is "He gives a resigned, what-can-you-do? shrug.". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It directly-follows offer-souvenirs. curate-backstory is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I used to be a curate,' says the volunteer reminiscently. 'Had myself smuggled into the country disguised as a crate, and that all but killed me. But I was determined to be a missionary and bring the population of Atlantis back into the fold. And now look. It's come to this.'". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. why gift shop volunteer seems here is a questioning quip. The printed name is "why he is here". The true-name is "why gift shop volunteer seems here". Understand "is" or "he" as why gift shop volunteer seems here. It mentions volunteer, employment. The comment is "'If you aren't interested in this place, why do you volunteer here?' we ask[you-are-dangerous].". The response is "His left eyelid twitches. 'The Rosehip woman,' he says, after a moment. 'She's a looker.' [paragraph break]I'm not sure what's more disturbing: someone expressing attraction to my mother; that person being a good thirty years her senior; or the use of the phrase 'she's a looker', which even this old character probably got from a movie.". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It indirectly-follows what seems worth seeing in the New Church. remind the gift shop volunteer that Mrs Rosehip seems married is a performative quip. The printed name is "remind the gift shop volunteer that [Mrs] Rosehip is married". The true-name is "remind the gift shop volunteer that [Mrs] Rosehip seems married". Understand "is" or "dad" or "father" or "my father" or "my dad" or "your father" or "your dad" as remind gift shop volunteer that Mrs Rosehip seems married. It mentions my mother. The comment is "'My mother[--]' we begin, before you catch me. Sorry about that! '[--] always tells me it is unwise to chase after married women,' we finish lamely. ". The response is "He shakes with laughter. 'Bless you,' he says. 'I'm not [i]chasing after[/i] anyone! At my age, you just like a bit of good scenery. You're not hard on the eyes yourself, you know.'". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It directly-follows why gift shop volunteer seems here. what new project that might be is a weakly-phrased questioning quip. The comment is "'What kind of new project?'". It mentions religion. The response is "'If I knew, I'd be the almighty, wouldn't I?'". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It directly-follows what sort of God he believes in. whether he approves of government is a questioning quip. The comment is "'Do you approve of the present government of the island[you-are-dangerous]?'". It mentions bureau, legislation, and gift shop volunteer. The response is "His eyes narrow sharply. 'That's not a question we get asked a lot around here,' he comments. 'It's a little like being asked whether you approve of the plumbing in your house, or the brake lines on your car. If it ever broke, you'd know, but the rest of the time you just don't give it much consideration. Underappreciated folks, our orthographers, but they work hard and they make things run smoothly, and barring the odd popular referendum we don't have to waste nearly as much time on arguing politics as folks in most countries.'". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It is background-information. Understand "if" as whether he approves of government. why he isn't at the celebration is a questioning quip. The comment is "'I'm surprised you're in here and not outside enjoying the festivities,' we comment.". It mentions celebration and gift shop volunteer. The response is "'The prizes and the candy are for kiddies,' he says. 'The part I like best's what comes later. The fireworks. They're always first rate.'". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It is background-information. how to see the fireworks is a questioning quip. The comment is "'[if immediately]Really? I wouldn't want to miss that. [end if]How do we see the fireworks display?'". It mentions celebration. The response is "'It's after dark,' he says, 'naturally. But you'll be able to see it from anywhere around, not to worry. They fire the blasts off over the water but you can see them from miles off.'". It quip-supplies the gift shop volunteer. It indirectly-follows why he isn't at the celebration you-should-leave is a q-transitional NPC-directed quip. The response is "He looks at us thoughtfully and I almost have the feeling he knows something I don't want him to know. 'You should keep moving. Don't waste time,' he says." mess-complaint is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I hope you're planning to clean that up,' he comments." Test shop-volunteer with "tutorial off / s / a worth seeing / a god / g / ask why he is here / a rosehip / z / wave m-remover at tomes" in the New Church. Section 10 - The Barker The greeting of the barker is "'Why hello!'" The generic confrontational of the barker is "lady". Instead of the barker discussing something which mentions geography: say "[one of]'Get directions from someone else,' the barker hisses. 'You're interrupting the show.'[or]This time he just ignores us.[stopping]". Availability rule for what the restoration gel seems worth: if the tube is not seen: it is off-limits. what the restoration gel seems worth is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what the gel is worth". The true-name is "what the gel seems worth". Understand "is" as what the gel seems worth. It mentions tube. The comment is "'Is the gel very valuable?' we ask. 'Is it new, and in good condition? Is the entire tube present?'". The response is "'Yes, of course, and absolutely,' he says, making a gesture as though to show us the gel, but actually not letting us catch more than the label.". It quip-supplies the barker. whether the game seems rigged is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether the game is rigged". The true-name is "whether the game seems rigged". Understand "is" or "if" as whether the game seems rigged. It mentions word-balance. The comment is "'I know this kind of game,' we say, in our most jaded voice. 'The scale is probably nailed in place so that it [i]can't[/i] tip.' One or two of the crowd standing nearby seem impressed by this line of argument. A small boy whispers to his sister to ask whether that could be true.". The response is "'Nonsense,' says the barker angrily. To demonstrate the point, he pushes down on the left pan, and the scales tip and sway. He soon restores them to balance, though. [paragraph break]'And don't think that will count for you,' he adds. 'You have to put them out of balance yourself. No surrogates, substitutes, or alternatives allowed.'". It quip-supplies the barker. whether anyone ever wins is a questioning quip. It mentions word-balance. The comment is "'Does anyone ever win?' we ask.". The response is "'No one has won today,' he says, which is not an answer.". It quip-supplies the barker. It directly-follows barker-advertisement. Understand "if" as whether anyone ever wins. compliment the blue suit is a performative quip. It mentions suit, fashion. The comment is "'I really admire your suit,' we say. I feel like a fool with that nonsense coming out of my mouth, but I guess you know what you're doing, because the barker smiles.". The response is "'Why, thank you, little lady,' he says, apparently warming to us. ". It is background-information. It quip-supplies the barker. Rule for avoiding talking heads when the current interlocutor is the barker: say "[one of]The crowd mills around, jostling us.[or]The sun gleams off the shiny balance pans.[or]Somewhere in the vicinity a balloon pops loudly.[or]The bell of the hammering contest clangs.[at random]". Chapter 3 - Scenic Characters [These characters are seen entirely or mostly within a specific scene or context. They usually have something specific to accomplish or convey.] Section 1 - The Activist [The scene with the activist is not a puzzle in any meaningful sense: we can walk on past the activist at any time. However, it does serve as a pacing device, slowing down access to SJ Hall. It also provides some useful exposition about what Alex is working on. We can end the scene in three ways: by leaving, by donating money to the cause (which Alex won't like, since he considers it culpably naive), and by explaining to her at length why her idea is flawed. Once the activist has left the area, her sign will be available for us to take, and we can make it into a sin or a sig if we're so inclined. (It is one of four signs we can affect, not including the sign on Atlantida's neck.)] The greeting of the activist is "'[one of]Hi![or]Hello again![or]Hi there![stopping]'". The generic positive of the activist is "yeah". The generic negative of the activist is "[one of]no[or]no way[at random]". The generic adversative of the activist is "buut". The generic confrontational of the activist is "come on". Report the activist saying hello to the player when the activist does not recollect environment-offer: queue environment-offer instead. Rule for avoiding talking heads when the current interlocutor is activist: if the current interlocutor is ready for transition: if the current quip is strongly-phrased and a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds: say "[beat][paragraph break]"; otherwise: say "[beat] [run paragraph on]". Rule for beat-producing when the current interlocutor is the activist: if the activist carries the yellow sign: say run paragraph on; try the activist trying dropping the yellow sign; otherwise: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say run paragraph on; try the backpacking girl trying examining the player; otherwise: say "[one of]She touches our arm[or]She channels all her rhetorical power through her eyebrows, which rise towards her hairline at moments of greatest earnestness[at random].[run paragraph on]"; Report the activist trying dropping the yellow sign: say "She sets down the sign in order to free her hands for more expressive argument.[run paragraph on]" instead. environment-offer is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Do you have a minute to help save the environment?' the activist asks brightly." Instead of saying no when no is available: try discussing no. no is an informative quip. It mentions environment. The comment is "'I'm sorry, I'm in a hurry,' we say. ". The response is "Evidently she has a greater than usual flair for drama, because she refuses to be brushed off that easily. 'You're in a hurry now,' she says, 'but in a few short decades, you'll be much too late. Please, for the good of your planet.'". It quip-supplies the activist. It directly-follows environment-offer. Instead of saying yes when yes is available: try discussing yes. yes is an informative quip. It mentions environment. The comment is "'Sure: why not?' we say.". The response is "'Wonderful!' she beams. ". It quip-supplies the activist. It directly-follows environment-offer. Carry out the activist discussing something when the activist does not recollect further-enviro-stuff: queue further-enviro-stuff. further-enviro-stuff is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Listen, we're trying to gain financial support to make a major advertising campaign pushing the concept of [i]toxi waste[/i] throughout the anglophone world. If you know anything about linguistic efficacy, I'm sure you can imagine the implications.' [paragraph break]I can, in fact, imagine the implications, probably a little better than she would like." Rule for avoiding talking heads when the current interlocutor is the activist: say "[one of]She steps closer to us. If I were in my regular body I would find this intrusion into my personal space intriguing.[or]She is swinging the sign back and forth by its stick while she talks. I try not to let this distract me too much.[or]She bites her lower lip.[or]She taps the sign against her boot.[stopping]". encourage the activist to elaborate on the implications is a performative quip. It mentions environment, activist. The comment is "'Oh?' we say neutrally. This is all it takes.". The response is "'[i]Toxi waste[/i] would be, in concept, a completely harmless, safe, and neutral substance that would have no detrimental impact on the surrounding environment. By raising awareness of [i]toxi waste[/i] throughout the Anglophone world, we would put the collective consciousness to work for the environment! It would then be possible for volunteer workers to convert large stocks of dangerous toxic waste into the safe, neutral [i]toxi waste[/i] using minimal energy.'". It quip-supplies the activist. It directly-follows further-enviro-stuff. First report smiling when the current interlocutor is the activist and the current quip is further-enviro-stuff: say "We smile in a blandly interested fashion."; queue encourage the activist as immediate obligatory instead. Sanity-check listening when the current interlocutor is the activist and the current quip is further-enviro-stuff: say "We put on our most attentive expression."; queue encourage the activist as immediate obligatory instead. An availability rule for how consciousness will be raised: if the activist recollects bid-for-cash, it is off-limits; make no decision. how consciousness will be raised is a questioning quip. It mentions environment. The comment is "'And, er, how do you plan to raise awareness of [i]toxi waste[/i] to sufficient levels to achieve linguistic efficacy?' we ask. Well, that was mostly me. But I'm curious.". The response is "'That's where people like you come in,' she admits, with a sweet little smile.". It quip-supplies the activist. It indirectly-follows encourage the activist to elaborate on the implications. how the campaign will address problems of visualization is a questioning quip. It mentions environment, activist. The comment is "'Studies have shown that linguistic efficacy is drastically harder to achieve when the body of speakers does not have a consensus about how to visual[ize] the object in question,' we point out, settling into our element. I've had so many undergraduates with ideas just like this one, all eager to tell me how they're going to change the world. I suppose I have exactly the same problem, only on a grander scale. [paragraph break]My comment seems to have gotten her a little lost, though, so I add, 'People need to have some image to attach to the term you're inventing for them. Otherwise, it will be much harder to achieve functional awareness levels.'". The response is "'Oh! Yes, I left that part out,' she says. 'Our ad campaign will include extensive imagery of what we envision [i]toxi waste[/i] to look like [--] that is, a clear, od[our]less liquid.'". It indirectly-follows encourage the activist to elaborate on the implications. It quip-supplies the activist whether this liquid will be water is a questioning quip. It mentions environment. The comment is "'Is the role of [i]toxi waste[/i] by any chance going to be played by, say, filtered water?' we ask.". The response is "Her eyebrows crinkle together. 'Yes [--] well, maybe,' she says. 'Why?'". It quip-supplies the activist. It is restrictive. It indirectly-follows how campaign will address problems of visualization. Understand "if" as whether this liquid will be water. ask whether this liquid will also be flavorless is a performative quip. Understand "flavor" or "flavour" or "flavourless" or "if" as ask whether this liquid will also be flavorless. It mentions environment. The comment is "'[if immediately]Will it[otherwise]Will your proposed toxi waste liquid[end if] be flavorless, too?' you ask. I didn't come up with this one.". The response is "'Huh?' [paragraph break]'I think,' you go on maliciously, 'that toxi waste should have a catchy flavor. Maybe spearmint.' [paragraph break]The furrow between her brows deepens as she tries to work out whether we are joking and, if so, what response would be appropriate. Finally she settles for, 'The ads are going to be on TV, so it's hard to show any flavors on television.'". It quip-supplies the activist. It indirectly-follows how the campaign will address problems of visualization Report scoffing when the current interlocutor is the activist and the current quip is whether this liquid will be water: say "We snort rudely. "; try discussing warn the activist about term-reassignment instead. Report laughing when the current interlocutor is the activist and the current quip is whether this liquid will be water: say "We chuckle darkly. "; try discussing warn the activist about term-reassignment instead. warn the activist about term-reassignment is a performative quip. It mentions environment. The comment is "'Because,' we say, 'if you show people pictures of what is obviously water, they will continue thinking of it [i]as[/i] water [--] not as [i]toxi waste[/i], or whatever you want them to call it. Studies have shown that people's word concepts are very persistent in that way [--] and anyway there are a variety of reasons why even if you could do it, it would be very bad to overwrite the linguistic efficacy of [']water['].'". The response is "She purses her lips. 'You're in Language Studies, aren't you?' she asks. 'I was warned about people from your department. You can be very negative.'". It quip-supplies the activist. It directly-follows whether this liquid will be water. After reading a command when point out that being from language studies is available: if the player's command includes "point out" or the player's command includes "point": replace the matched text with "language". point out that being from Language Studies does not make us wrong is a performative quip. It mentions environment, research. The comment is "'Negative or not, it is true,' we say. 'If you try to teach people a new word for an existing substance, you have to fight with their preconceptions about how to categor[ize] that substance. If, on the other hand, you try to make them think of a new and as-yet-non-existent substance, you have less control over what happens when it reifies [--] the result might not be quite what you wanted.'". The response is "'All right,' she says belligerently. 'How would you do it?' [paragraph break]At this precise moment I feel myself fall for this girl. She's still naive and earnest and probably too young for me, but there is something about the determination and assertion and the spirit of I-dare-you-to-think-of-one-better that makes me want to drag her off to a coffee shop and enlighten her for four or five hours. But I bet you wouldn't like to play gooseberry to that expedition.". It quip-supplies the activist. It is restrictive. It directly-follows warn the activist about term-reassignment. explain about our plans is a performative quip. It mentions environment. The comment is "'To do this really right,' I say, under our breath so that no one will overhear us, 'you have to think even bigger than you have been. Forget English. Forget Mandarin Chinese. Forget Spanish, Hindi, Russian, Arabic. You have to make a [i]new language[/i] to resolve these difficulties, and you have to teach it on an epic scale.'". The response is "She has been leaning in, breathlessly, to listen to this explanation, but now she backs up and looks at us like we've sprouted a second head, which, all things considered, would not be all that unnatural. [paragraph break]'That would take forever!' she exclaims. (I had calculated maybe fifty or a hundred years to the first significant successes, but I suppose that is not unlike forever if you're sufficiently short-sighted.) 'And you'd need a huge amount of money!' [paragraph break]I sigh. 'All the same,' we say, a little sadly. 'It would work better than what you're proposing here. I'm sorry. I wish I thought it would work.'". It quip-supplies the activist. It directly-follows point out that being from Language Studies does not make us wrong. Report smiling when the current interlocutor is the activist and the current quip is not explain about our plans: say "[You] smile, a little more broadly than usual[one of][or]. So I think she's cute[stopping]." instead. Report smiling when the current quip is explain about our plans and the current interlocutor is the activist: say "[You] smile, a little bit apologetically. She doesn't smile back. [run paragraph on]" instead. Report laughing when the current quip is explain about our plans and the current interlocutor is the activist: say "[You] laugh ruefully. 'Look, don't worry. No one believes my idea. Yours is simpler to explain.' She smiles weakly. [run paragraph on]" instead. Report frowning when the current quip is explain about our plans and the current interlocutor is the activist: say "[You] frown. 'Look, there's no point in your getting annoyed at me because I'm telling you something you don't [i]want[/i] to be true. It's not my fault linguistic science works the way it does. But if you're going to try to make a change in the world, there's absolutely no point going at it without bothering to learn what works and what doesn't.' She scowls at us." instead. Report shrugging when the current quip is explain about our plans and the current interlocutor is the activist: say "[You] shrug. 'Look, you don't have to believe what I'm saying.'" instead. Before doing something when the current quip is explain about our plans and the current interlocutor is the activist: casually queue better-go. better-go is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I'd better go,' she says. 'There are other people, I should try to [--] I've got a quota.' She turns and heads across the quad, head down. Halfway there she stops and looks back at us, then walks on, more quickly." After the activist discussing better-go: reset the interlocutor; remove the activist from play; continue the action. Carry out the activist discussing something when the activist recollects further-enviro-stuff and the activist does not recollect bid-for-cash: queue bid-for-cash. Carry out going to Samuel Johnson Hall: remove the activist from play. bid-for-cash is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'The next few months are critical to our operation,' the activist says. 'We need to be able to blitz multiple countries simultaneously with an intense and outrageous advertising campaign that will garner further media coverage from news sources and provoke discussion on the internet and in the workplace. But in order to do that, we need the funding to place high profile advertisements in a variety of places. That's why donations from people like yourself are going to be so very necessary.'" donate is a performative quip. Understand "cash" or "money" as donate. donate mentions the roll of bills. The comment is "Oh, you're not seriously going to [--] oh, god, you are. You know, this is never going to work. There are sound scientific reasons why [--] oh FINE. We hand over some of your money [--] I guess I should console myself that it is yours [--] to the girl." The response is "'Thanks!' she says brightly. Tucking the bill into her pocket, she gives a little skip and heads off across the oval to accost some other innocent. You just enriched some random television network, you understand. That money won't do a lick of good to anyone else." It quip-supplies the activist. It indirectly-follows bid-for-cash. After the activist discussing donate: reset the interlocutor; remove the activist from play; continue the action. Test activist with "tutorial off / z / x activist / yes / encourage / ask how consciousness / a campaign / donate / look" in Oval. Test activist2 with "tutorial off / z / x activist / yes / listen / ask how consciousness / a campaign / a flavorless / a water / warn / point out / explain / smile" in Oval. Test activist3 with "tutorial off / z / x activist / yes / smile / smile / ask how consciousness / a campaign / a water / laugh / point out / explain / frown" in Oval. Section 2 - The Barman [Parker the barman has two critical functions: -- to guide us towards Lena as our next contact -- to let us play the game that wins the origin paste. Once these things have occurred, he fades into the background somewhat; after Slango appears at Counterfeit Monkey, Parker's description in the room is partially suppressed to reflect the fact that the protagonist's attention has moved elsewhere. Conceptually, the game-playing trick sort of recapitulates the bit with the barker at the very beginning of the game, except that this time the challenge is considerably more difficult and at the same time Andra provides more coaching on it. Another way to look at it is that tests and games are a narratively lazy excuse to introduce puzzles. This is a valid criticism. However, there are a couple of compensating advantages that made me think it was worth using them anyway. First, these games create a sense of playfulness in Atlantean culture about the effects of letter-removal; otherwise, we mostly see it being used either to exert authoritarian power (when used by the Bureau) or to conduct criminal activities (when used by the smugglers and others). Second, this particular game demonstrates the funny way that the Counterfeit Monkey skirts illegality using technically permissible activities.] Understand "ask [barman] for [any barman-carried thing]" as requesting it from (with nouns reversed). Definition: a thing is barman-carried if it is carried by the barman. The barman is criminal and alert. Understand "man" or "bar man" as the barman. The greeting of the barman is "[one of]'Help you?' asks Parker the barman unenthusiastically[or]Parker acknowledges our return with a nod[stopping]." whether he hath seen slango is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether he has seen Slango". The true-name is "whether he hath seen slango". Understand "has" or "if" or "parker" or "barman" or "bartender" as whether he hath seen slango. The comment is "'I wonder whether you've seen an associate of mine,' we say to Parker. 'Name of Slango.'". It mentions Slango. The response is "Parker looks over the bar at us. 'He comes in here from time to time,' he says. 'Very regular customer. Always has about three rum and cokes.' [paragraph break]This is a lie, and therefore a test. Slango doesn't drink alcohol himself and doesn't permit drunkenness in his crew.". It quip-supplies the barman. It is restrictive. challenge Parker about the rum is a performative quip. The comment is "'Must be a different Slango,' we say. 'Mine is more of a root beer man. Thanks anyway though[slango-friendship].'". It mentions Slango. The response is "'Oh, [i]that[/i] Slango,' Parker says[if the origin paste is visible and the origin paste is not seen], thoughtfully moving [the origin paste] sitting on the bar[end if]. 'He's been around town the last couple of days, but not today. If you know his lady friend[lena-needed], you might try her.' [paragraph break]Lady friend? [if the Aquarium is visited]Lena, presumably, but you didn't real[ize] she and Slango had progressed to quite that status[otherwise]This can only mean Lena, she being the only female native with whom Slango spends much time socially. But you wouldn't have guessed that she'd advanced to the status of [i]lady friend[/i]. Either way, Lena is a rather odd woman who keeps a used bookstore off Deep Street[end if].". It quip-supplies the barman. It directly-follows whether he hath seen slango. Understand "barman" or "him" or "bartender" as challenge Parker about the rum. [check up on Lena is a performative quip. The comment is "'Lena at home, then?'". It mentions Lena. The response is "He shrugs. 'Lena's got a lot of different projects going on. I don't keep track.'". It quip-supplies the barman. It directly-follows challenge Parker about the rum. ] Carry out barman discussing challenge Parker about the rum: complete "Ask people around here if they've seen Slango"; assign "Talk to Lena at the Aquarium Bookstore" at Aquarium Bookstore. Availability rule for whether we can hath origin paste: if the origin paste is not seen or the origin paste is not on the bar-top or the origin paste is won: it is off-limits. Instead of asking the barman for the origin paste: if the barman recollects whether we can hath the origin paste: say "We've already established that the Origin Paste has to be won rather than bought or given away."; otherwise: try discussing whether we can hath the origin paste. whether we can hath the origin paste is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether we can have the origin paste". The true-name is "whether we can hath origin paste". Understand "have" or "if" as whether we can hath origin paste. The comment is "'That Origin Paste for sale?' ". It mentions origin paste. The response is "'Well now,' he says, grinning, 'that would surely be illegal, would it not? Origin Paste is after all a controlled substance in this country, due to its unhappy association with fraudulent activities. On the other hand there is no law against someone [i]winning[/i] the Origin Paste in a completely legitimate game of chance or skill.'". It quip-supplies the barman. Availability rule for how one might go about winning: if the origin paste is not on the bar-top or the origin paste is won: it is off-limits. how one might go about winning is a questioning quip. Understand "prize" or "game" or "competition" as how one might go about winning. The comment is "'Explain this game as though I have no idea what you're talking about,' you say, leaning on the bar in an interested fashion. Are you flirting with Parker? No? Okay. Good to know.". It mentions origin paste. The response is "'It's a designated challenge game,' says Parker. You've seen this played before, but he explains the rules anyway. [paragraph break]'There are two contestants, one challenger and one defender. 'The challenger chooses any object he likes and shows it to the moderator ahead of time. 'The defender, without seeing the object, stipulates a general category. The challenger has five minutes to turn his designated object into an item that fits the defender's category, or he forfeits his ante.'". It quip-supplies the barman. It indirectly-follows whether we can hath the origin paste. Every turn when play the game is available and barman does not recollect barman-nudge and barman does not recollect play the game: casually queue barman-nudge. barman-nudge is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'What do you think? You up for a try at the Origin Paste?'" A plausibility rule for play the game: it is plausible. An availability rule for play the game: if the origin paste is won: it is off-limits; if game is in progress: it is off-limits. After printing the name of play the game when play the game is recollected by the player: say " again". play the game is a performative quip. The comment is "'I'd like to play [if immediately]that[otherwise if the barman recollects play the game]again[otherwise]for the Origin Paste[end if],' we say.". It mentions origin paste, entertainment. Understand "again" as play the game. The response is "'[one of]Excellent. Oh, I did mention the small matter of the entry fee?'[paragraph break]I get out the roll of bills and he peels off two twenties.[paragraph break]'Thank you. [or]Paying again, are you? Very good then. [or]You are a glutton for punishment, but I don't mind taking your money for nothing. [stopping]Now, you pick your entry article, and I'll ask one of these good gentlemen to suggest a def[ense] category.'". The nag is "[game-coaching][line break]". It quip-supplies the barman. It indirectly-follows how one might go about winning. It is repeatable. Instead of going from the Counterfeit Monkey when the game is in progress: say "We've got an ante down for this game and our time isn't up yet. Do we really want to leave? >>"; if the player consents: continue the action; otherwise: say "That seems sensible to me too." To decide whether game is in progress: if origin paste is won: no; if the wager is not yourself: yes; if the current quip is play the game: yes; no. [An availability rule for give up: if game is in progress: make no decision; otherwise: it is off-limits. give up is a performative quip. The comment is "'Argh, mulligan,' you say. 'I don't think this wager is going to work out for me.'". It mentions yourself, origin paste. The response is "He grins and shrugs sympathetically. 'Bad luck.'". It quip-supplies the barman ] To say game-coaching: if the wager is the player: say "[one of]'Just pick something you've got on you and show it to me to establish your bet.'[no line break][or]'Have you picked a wager object yet?'[no line break][or]The barman waits for you to show him your wager object.[no line break][stopping][run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say "The barman keeps an eye on our remaining time." The wager is an object that varies. The wager is yourself. The wager-name is some indexed text that varies. The wager-judging rule is an object based rule that varies. The wager-judging rule is the liquid wager rule. The wager-index is a number that varies. Setting action variables for giving something to the barman when play the game is the current quip and the wager is yourself: try showing the noun to the barman instead. Understand "choose [something]" as showing it to when play the game is the current quip. Rule for supplying a missing second noun while showing something to: if the current interlocutor is a person: change the second noun to the current interlocutor; otherwise if the number of visible other people is 1: implicitly greet a random visible person who is not the player; change the second noun to the current interlocutor; otherwise: say "You must show [the noun] to someone specific." Instead of showing something to the barman when play the game is the current quip and the wager is yourself: if the noun is yourself: say "'No no no,' he says. 'No suicides or self-inanimations in my bar today, thanks.'" instead; now the wager-name is "[The noun]"; now the wager is the noun; make wager-choice; while something (called the wager-parent) which is not the wager proffers the wager: change the wager to the wager-parent; try the barman discussing wager-accepted; game concludes in five turns from now. Instead of showing something to the barman when the wager is not the player: if the noun is not proffered by the wager: say "'Sorry,' he says, 'but I know that didn't come from [the wager-name in lower case] you bet on.'" instead; consider the wager-judging rule for the noun; if the rule succeeded: now the Origin Paste is won; record "winning a barroom bet" as achieved; try the barman discussing wager-won; now the wager is the player; otherwise: choose a row with a selected rule of wager-judging rule in the Table of Wager Suggestions; say "'[one of]That doesn't fit the category[or][personal no][or][awkward no][at random],' says [the barman]. [summary entry][paragraph break]". Every turn when the location is Counterfeit Monkey and the wager is not the player: repeat with item running through things which are proffered by the wager: if the item is visible: consider the wager-judging rule for the item; if the rule succeeded: now the Origin Paste is won; record "winning a barroom bet" as achieved; try the barman discussing wager-won; now the wager is the player. wager-accepted is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Right,' says [the barman]. '[The wager-name] it is.' [paragraph break]He turns towards the group assembled around the dartboard. 'Anyone want to defend against this character?' (with a nod at you). [paragraph break][wager-choice]". wager-won is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'A winner!' says the barman, straightening up. 'What do you know? The Origin Paste is all yours, darling.'[paragraph break]This produces a squawk of surprise and irritation from the defendant, and you get the impression that this game has been agreeably fleecing tourists all day. Pity you had to come along and spoil it."; To make wager-choice: let N be the wager-index plus 1; if N is greater than the number of filled rows in the Table of Wager suggestions: change N to 1; let selection be false; while selection is false: choose row N in the Table of Wager Suggestions; consider the selected rule entry for the wager; if the rule failed: change the wager-judging rule to the selected rule entry; change the wager-index to N; now selection is true; otherwise: increase N by 1; if N is greater than the number of filled rows in the Table of Wager suggestions: change N to 1; To say wager-choice: say "[run paragraph on]"; choose a row with a selected rule of wager-judging rule in the Table of Wager Suggestions; say "[description entry]"; Sanity-check drinking the wager when the wager-judging rule is the tiny wager rule: say "You know from experience that a quantity of liquid smaller than a pebble is not deemed to count." instead. Table of Wager Suggestions description summary selected rule "'Something smaller than a pebble!' suggests a woman in the front row. She passes forward her own ante to the bar, and the game is on." "'[one of]I know the definition of 'small' is a bit vague, but think smaller than that. Pebble-sized or smaller.[or]That's not quite within the range of small as I understand it.[at random]'" tiny wager rule "'A liquid,' says a gruff man. ('You always say liquid!' complains one of the others. 'It's his fav[our]ite thing!' says a third.) But the ante is submitted and the challenge set." "'It has to be a liquid [--] any kind.'" liquid wager rule "'Import Category 5!' shouts a voice. [paragraph break]The barman raises his eyebrows apologetically and says, 'It's a well-defined category, so I have to allow it: any kind of edible consumable object, be that food or beverage, that does not fall under the botanical import category. So no fruits or vegetables.'" "[if the noun is a vegetable]'[The noun] is an agricultural import, so it's outside category 5. You need something consumable but not a fruit or vegetable.'[otherwise]'It has to be some kind of consumable thing but not a vegetable or fruit.'[end if]" import wager rule The wager-assessment rules are an object-based rulebook. A wager-assessment rule for something (called the proposed solution) (this is the liquid wager rule): if the proposed solution is fluid: rule succeeds; rule fails. A wager-assessment rule for something (called the proposed solution) (this is the tiny wager rule): if the heft of the proposed solution is 1: rule succeeds; rule fails. A wager-assessment rule for something (called the proposed solution) (this is the import wager rule): if the proposed solution is edible and the proposed solution is not a vegetable: rule succeeds; rule fails. At the time when game concludes: if the Origin Paste is won: make no decision; otherwise: now the wager is the player; try the barman discussing time up; Time up is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Your time is up, I'm afraid,' says the barman. 'No luck this time, eh? Pity.' He divides your cash ante in half: half for the house, half to the defender who bet against you." complain that the game seems unfair is a performative quip. The printed name is "complain that the game is unfair". The true-name is "complain that the game seems unfair". Understand "is" as complain that the game seems unfair. The comment is "'This game is unfair,' we say. 'You're the moderator, but you have a vested interest in the defender continuing to win, because you get half the ante every time!'". It mentions origin paste. The response is "'The house puts up the stakes, remember,' he says. 'But the Counterfeit Monkey has been running this game for years, and would people keep coming back to play if it were rigged?' [paragraph break]Of course, the regulars usually play def[ense] and newcomers offense, which makes the game into a device for fleecing strangers for the benefit of the bar and its usual patrons. But sometimes someone is allowed to win, if they're clever.". It quip-supplies the barman. It indirectly-follows Time up. Procedural rule while showing something to someone: ignore the carrying requirements rule. Availability rule for whether he hath any other games going: if the origin paste is unwon: it is off-limits. whether he hath any other games going is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether he has any other games going". The true-name is "whether he hath any other games going". Understand "if" or "has" or "parker/barman" as whether he hath any other games going. The comment is "'So, is there anything else I can win? Any other games going?'". It mentions paste. The response is "Parker laughs. 'Not until tomorrow, kid,' he says. 'We only run one game a day.'". It quip-supplies the barman. how long he hath worked at bar is a questioning quip. The printed name is "how long he has worked at the bar". The true-name is "how long he hath worked at bar". Understand "has" as how long he hath worked at bar. The comment is "'How long have you been working at this pub?' we ask. 'And do you like it?'". It mentions employment. The response is "He wrinkles his nose. 'Word of advice: don't go around asking questions like that down here,' he says.". It quip-supplies the barman. It is background-information. what he thinks about the Bureau is a questioning quip. The comment is "'What's your opinion on the Bureau of Orthography?'". Understand "parker/barman" as what he thinks about the Bureau. It mentions Bureau, barman. The response is "'I think it's just that little bit more corrupt and oppressive than usual for a governmental body,' he says. 'I'm not in fav[our], but I don't fool myself that everything would be wine and roses everywhere else, either.'". It quip-supplies the barman. It is background-information. whether he hates customs officials is a performative quip. The comment is "'Do you hate Customs officials?' we ask.". Understand "parker/barman" or "if" as whether he hates customs officials. It mentions immigration, barman. The response is "'Naw. Not running anything myself, am I?'". It quip-supplies the barman. It is background-information. Instead of the barman discussing a civic quip when the barman does not know slango-friendship: say "[one of]He just laughs and shakes his head[or]He grins, but doesn't answer[or]'What do you think?' he asks. I don't think we're going to get answers on this kind of question. Not while he doesn't trust us. But it hardly matters[at random]." whether he believes in god 2 is a questioning quip. The comment is "'Where do you stand on God?' we ask[you-are-religious].". The printed name is "whether he believes in God". It mentions religion. The response is "'Don't give it much thought,' he says. 'Please don't tell me you're here with a pamphlet . I won't read it.'". It quip-supplies the barman. It is background-information. Understand "if" or "parker/barman" as whether he believes in god 2. Test tobarman with "test act1 / test chard / test car / test Slango-missed / go to outdoor / open backpack / look / wave p-remover at spill / get sill / go to counterfeit monkey". Test barman with "tutorial off / talk to barman / x barman / a slango / a rum / look / a paste / a whether we can have / ask how / play / z / z" in counterfeit monkey. Section 3 - Slango [ Slango is our first live encounter with anyone out of Andra's past; he's significant because he introduces the first really serious setback of the plot. In conversation with Slango, we see Andra's personality surfacing a little bit more and coming into conflict with Alex's. Because she's comfortable with Slango, Andra becomes brasher, a little cruder, and more outspoken; more like the self she's become in the company of the smugglers. (Some of the same characteristics surface with Lena.) This scene can only end in one way -- with the player agreeing to pursue clues about Brock -- because otherwise we'd be missing the whole rest of the game. Given all this, the chief design problems are to maximize expressiveness during this part of the plot and help the player feel it's something other than completely railroaded. (That is to say, most of the available choices are expressive and reflective choices, but that doesn't make them wholly meaningless.) We can choose to push Slango or to go along with him, and emotive options are more richly implemented in this scene than in many of the other scenes of the game.] The greeting of Slango is "'Hiya,' Slango says." Rule for beat-producing during consulting-Slango: if the barman does not know slango-friendship: now the barman knows slango-friendship; say "Out of the corner of our eye, we see the barman looking steadily at us[if the barman recollects whether he hath seen slango]. Concluding that we know Slango after all, perhaps[otherwise]. We turn deliberately back to Slango[end if].[run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say "[one of]Over the voices of the crowd comes the sound of the barman setting out another round[or]Raised voices near the bar interrupt you for a moment[or]We're all silent as the door of the pub opens and closes and a large man walks past us[or]A squabble breaks out over by the darts board[or]A dart bounces off the dart board and lands near your foot. A gruff man retrieves it with muttered apologies[as decreasingly likely outcomes]. [run paragraph on]". consulting-Slango is a scene. consulting-Slango begins when the current interlocutor is Slango. consulting-Slango ends when "Finally find Slango at Counterfeit Monkey" is completed. Instead of saying hello to Slango when Slango does not recollect who we seem: try discussing who we seem. who we seem is an informative quip. The printed name is "who we are". The true-name is "who we seem". Understand "are" as who we seem. Understand "I am" as who we seem. It mentions yourself. The comment is "'Slango,' you say. 'Lena gave me a totally unwanted visual about your yaklike proportions. Guess you also got a yak's sense of clock time?'". The response is "'It was an emergency. I figured you'd go to Lena, and I was right.'[queue whether we can leave now] 'You were lucky. I knew her a little, but I had no idea you two were making the yak with two humps.' 'No such thing as a bactrian yak,' Slango replies. 'My apologies. I assumed that what Brock knows, he passes on to you, and he certainly knows about me and Lena.' He scowls into his root beer. 'Nearly gave himself a hernia laughing,' Slango adds under his breath.". It quip-supplies Slango. The proper scene is consulting-Slango. After laughing when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is who we seem: say "'Heh.' It's easy for you to picture [--] and thus for me to picture [--] the way Brock laughs: the startled loud crack of a laugh at the beginning, like a thunderclap, and then the rest of the laugh following after a pause. It's like for a moment he's too surprised by the awesomeness of the joke to keep going."; try discussing explain Brock's probable reasons. explain Brock's probable reasons is a performative quip. The comment is "'She's old enough to be your spinster aunt and flaky enough to tell your fortune with half a tarot deck and a couple of Uno cards,' you say. 'We haven't got a lot of clues about what your type is, but I doubt Brock would have guessed Lena.'". It mentions Lena. The response is "'She's thirty-two,' says Slango crisply. 'She runs Radio Free Atlantida single-handed with electronics she built herself. And if she [i]were[/i] old enough to be my spinster aunt, that would still be my business.' 'So, uh, I guess you guys are pretty serious, then,' you say. 'I'd give her and me better odds than you and Brock.'". It quip-supplies Slango. It directly-follows who we seem. The proper scene is consulting-Slango. mutter darkly is a performative quip. It directly-follows explain Brock's probable reasons. The comment is "I grumble under our breath about people who are hung up on their personal issues when there are useful jobs to be done." The response is "Slango pretends not to hear." Report smiling when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is explain Brock's probable reasons: say "We smile crookedly. You aren't enjoying the imputation about you and Brock because you're pretty much afraid it's right, and I'm anxious to get on to the part of this encounter where we head down to the yacht and put Atlantis behind us. So it's not the most sincere smile we've ever smiled." instead. Report laughing when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is explain Brock's probable reasons: say "We laugh. No, well, more like I laugh. At you. It's funny how weird that feels, innit?" instead. Report crying when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is explain Brock's probable reasons: say "You give a little choky half-sob and then suppress it, hard and fast. I'm not sure Slango really noticed, and if he did, he doesn't acknowledge anything just happened. But that caught you on the raw. More than you were expecting. I guess things with Brock mean a lot to you." instead. Report yawning when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is explain Brock's probable reasons: say "You yawn elaborately to show that this sally didn't land. Which it sort of did, actually: you're jam-packed full of worries about whether Brock and you are going to last, and what you'll do if everything goes wrong, and how long and hard it was just getting to the point that you're at now. But Slango doesn't need a display of those neuroses." instead. Report shrugging when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is explain Brock's probable reasons: say "We shrug. 'None of our business, I guess,' I put in. 'Not so much,' says Slango." instead. Report frowning when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is explain Brock's probable reasons: say "We frown. Slango doesn't apologize. Well, but you guys are like that. He takes another swig of root beer." instead. whether we can leave now is a weakly-phrased questioning quip. It mentions transportation. The comment is "'So talk to me,' we say. 'Is everything ready? Can we leave?' Slango looks dyspeptic. 'Yeah, about that,' he says gruffly. You know better than to push him, and wait.". The response is "'Brock's run into a little trouble pursuing a profitable opportunity[queue what the trouble was][queue cant-leave-without as postponed obligatory][queue modifying-letter as postponed obligatory].'". It quip-supplies Slango. It indirectly-follows who we seem. The proper scene is consulting-Slango. Understand "if" as whether we can leave now. After frowning when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is whether we can leave now: say "You're frowning, practically scowling. [run paragraph on]"; try discussing what the trouble was. After scoffing when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is whether we can leave now: say "'Nice,' I say. 'Very practical of him to go looking for a new score when he knew we had something going down.' Slango continues looking into his root beer. You, however, are [i]not[/i] pleased. Your thoughts boil out. Thoughts about how breaking one person off Atlantis is a petty-cash deal, about how you wouldn't have taken me on at all if it weren't for your own need for a bit of incognito. About how clueless I am, and how valuable the things are that Brock likes to steal. It's a big old seething cauldron of contempt. And then you put the lid back on it, [i]click[/i], and go back to being cool and far away like you mostly have been all afternoon. 'What happened?' you ask. Jeebus."; queue what the trouble was as immediate obligatory instead. Report laughing when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is whether we can leave now: say "I giggle sharply, a nervous little titter that makes Slango look at us distrustfully. This is not what we need now." instead. Report smiling when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is whether we can leave now: say "I smile uncomfortably, hoping 'a little trouble' is meant literally and isn't a euphemism for 'got arrested and is in cold storage right this minute.'" instead. Report crying when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is whether we can leave now: say "Our eyes water treacherously. It's hard to say just which of us is generating that emotion. You, because you're worried? Or me because my nerves are stretched too far already, and I just want this day over with?" instead. what the trouble was is a [weakly-phrased] questioning quip. It mentions Brock. The comment is "'Define trouble.'". The response is "'I had a pick-up arranged to get him off the island shore all the way down by Maiana last night, but he didn't make it, and sent no messages. I checked a contact in Bureau Processing, but no arrest file has gone through, so Brock hasn't been caught. He's just... missing.'". It quip-supplies Slango. It directly-follows whether we can leave now. The proper scene is consulting-Slango. After frowning when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is what the trouble was: say "You form our face into a frown, and I don't fight it. [run paragraph on]"; try discussing what the trouble was. Report smiling when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is what the trouble was: say "We try for a comforting smile, as though to say that everything [i]must[/i] be fine. You're certainly trying to persuade yourself of that." instead. Report scoffing when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is what the trouble was: say "I roll our eyes. 'Not very professional,' I say, while you think daggers at me." instead. Report laughing when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is what the trouble was: say "We giggle nervously and uncomfortably." instead. Report crying when the current interlocutor is Slango and the current quip is what the trouble was: say "Our eyes water, but you manage to repress the instinct. This isn't the time to give way to floods of emotion, even if both of us are feeling fragile, even if this is a very bad sign for your boyfriend. Slango reaches out as though he's going to put a hand on our shoulder, but he stops and drinks some more root beer instead."; clear cant-leave-without from queue instead. cant-leave-without is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'We can't leave without Brock,' Slango says, as though you needed persuading. Or maybe he's saying that to the me half of us. Right now, it's true that I'm not keen on the prospect of hanging out in Atlantis. We're already way behind the plan." complain about the inefficiency of this scheme is a performative quip. The comment is "Sorry, but I have to get this out there. 'I was really expecting a smoother escape plan when I arranged to work with your operation,' I say.". It mentions plans, myself. The response is "Slango eyes us with disfav[our]. 'Andra, you got a moron up in your head. Kid [--] Alex [--] we aren't travel agents.'". It quip-supplies Slango. It directly-follows cant-leave-without. The proper scene is consulting-Slango. modifying-letter is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I've got to get back to the yacht; it's empty,' Slango says. 'And I would prefer not to let the Bureau get a good look at me, while your current face is, shall we say, disposable. The trick is, we don't know where Brock is. If he left a message for us, it'll be at the dead drop.' That's a spot at the public convenience by the town bus station where the three of you leave messages for one another when necessary. Usually quiet, yet anonymous. 'We're on it,' we say. 'Glad to hear it,' says Slango. 'Now stop referring to yourself as [']we['] in company.'" Carry out Slango discussing modifying-letter: assign "Check the dead drop at the public convenience" at Public Convenience; complete "Finally find Slango at Counterfeit Monkey" instead. Report waiting during consulting-Slango: say "We wait for Slango to go on." instead. Sanity-check going during consulting-Slango: say "We can't just walk out before we've found out from Slango what's going on." instead. Instead of saying goodbye to Slango during consulting-Slango: say "We need a plan before we can end this conversation." When consulting-Slango ends: say "This gives us something to go on, anyway. We give Slango what I intend as a reassuring nod of solidarity."; record "meeting Slango" as achieved; if the player can see Slango: if Slango is the current interlocutor: try Slango saying goodbye to the player; say "He heads out towards the docks and quickly disappears from view [--] returning to the yacht to wait for us to arrive with Brock."; otherwise: say "Slango gets up, gives us a final nod of acknowledgement, and heads back toward the yacht to wait for us to arrive with Brock."; move Slango to Sunning Deck; remove root beer from play; change the initial appearance of Slango to "Slango hovers nearby, obviously concerned to make sure we got back completely safe.". Report Slango saying goodbye to the player: say "'Back to the yacht for me,' Slango says. 'Don't let the other half of your head do anything you wouldn't do.' 'Which of us are you talking to?' I ask smartly. 'Both.'"; now brock-bed is triggered. Test Slango with "tutorial off / deparker / z / t who / laugh / snicker / snicker" in the Counterfeit Monkey. Test Slango2 with "tutorial off / deparker / z / t who / explain / snicker / snicker" in the Counterfeit Monkey. Section 4 - Lena The as is a thing. The description of the as is "[one of]It appears to be an as, a [or]A [stopping]Roman coin of very low denomination[one of]. (Your knowledge, not mine. Should I ask how you know such things?)[or].[stopping] It is made of copper and has the letters S C stamped on one side." Understand "roman" or "coin" or "copper" as the as. The heft of the as is 1. Instead of searching or looking under the as: say "We inspect both obverse and reverse, but come away none the wiser." Instead of buying the as: say "We're much too late for speculation in this particular currency." Instead of touching or squeezing or rubbing the as: say "The metal surface is dull and weathered, skin-temperature, all smooth edges." The greeting of Lena is "'[one of]Happy Serial Comma Day[or]Greetings[or]Hi there[stopping],' she says." The generic negative of Lena is "[one of]nope[or]nope nope[at random]". The generic positive of Lena is "[one of]yeeeah[or]mmhmm[or]uh huh[or]sure[at random]". Instead of Lena discussing something which mentions Slango when Lena does not know trust-me: say "[one of][lena-distrusts]'Slango?' she asks blankly, for all the world as though she'd had a lobotomy. 'Is that a board game?'[or]'Maybe a Slango is a kind of juice drink?' she suggests.[or]'I have no idea what you're talking about,' she says. Stonewalling.[or]She just shrugs. We're going to have to convince her to trust us first, it appears. How unutterably tedious.[stopping]". Instead of saying goodbye to Lena when whether she hath seen slango is available and Lena knows trust-me: say "No, don't! I'm [i]sure[/i] she's about to tell us where Slango's gotten to, and if you've forgotten about getting off this island, I have not." A plausibility rule for whether she hath seen slango when the player knows lena-distrusts and the player does not know trust-me: it is implausible. whether she hath seen slango is a questioning quip. The printed name is "whether she has seen Slango". The true-name is "whether she hath seen slango". Understand "has" or "if" or "Lena" as whether she hath seen slango. The comment is "[one of]'You wouldn't happen to have seen Slango about recently?' we ask.[or][if Lena does not know trust-me]'I'm still curious about Slango. Seen him?'[otherwise]'Now, you owe me one Slango,' you say. 'Where'd he get to?'[end if][stopping]". It mentions Slango. The response is "'Slango and I were catching up. Bless that man, he's hung like a yak,' she says. 'But he got bad news and had to hurry back to the yacht. Said something about not being able to keep an appointment. I take it you're the appointment? I can try reaching him for you, if you want.'". It quip-supplies Lena. [Your faithful researcher investigated the length of yak endowments when writing this passage. It turns out that there's an Asian restaurant that serves various species of phallus, whose website was most informative. THINGS YOU LEARN FROM THE INTERNET.] who we seem 3 is an informative quip. The printed name is "who we are". The true-name is "who we seem 3". Understand "are" as who we seem 3. The comment is "'Lena, it's Andra. And company. Maybe Slango mentioned that I was auditioning a new silent partner.'". It mentions yourself. The response is "'I don't know what you're talking about,' she says. 'But since you're here, whoever you are, I wonder whether you'd like to have a look at some merchandise of mine that could use a spruce.' [paragraph break]Aha. She wants us to prove our identity; probably has contraband that needs concealing, and wants us to do the deed as proof of trustworthiness[queue offer-contraband as immediate obligatory].". It quip-supplies Lena. offer-contraband is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "Lena goes off into a corner and rummages among the suspicious piles of books, and uncovers a box. 'C'mere,' she says; and obediently I wander over to that area of the store, which incidentally happens to be tucked away and half-hidden by shelves. '[prepare contraband]See here,' she says. 'See what you can do with it, eh?'" [where contraband came from is a questioning quip. The comment is "'Where did this stuff come from?' I ask, before you can shut me down.". It mentions contraband box. The response is "Lena just gives us a cold glare. Evidently we don't ask this sort of question.". It quip-supplies Lena. It indirectly-follows offer-contraband ] To say prepare contraband: move the contraband box to the location. [A further thoughts rule for Lena: if Lena can see an undisguised single ream or Lena can see an undisguised odes: casually queue needs-disguise; [She'll only say this once.] if Lena can see an undisguised single ream and Lena can see an undisguised odes and Lena recollects needs-disguise: casually queue still-needs-pasting. ] A first conversation-reply rule when the current interlocutor is Lena: [say "STARTING: "; try checking queue for Lena; ] let needs more conversation be true; if Lena is urgently eager-to-speak: let needs more conversation be false; if Lena can see an undisguised single ream or Lena can see an undisguised odes-book: if Lena does not recollect needs-disguise: queue needs-disguise as postponed optional; [She'll only say this once.] if Lena can see an undisguised single ream or Lena can see an undisguised odes-book and Lena recollects needs-disguise: if Lena does not recollect still-needs-pasting or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: queue still-needs-pasting as postponed optional; if needs more conversation is false: make no decision; [positive feedback before negative...] if Lena can see the single ream and Lena does not recollect ream-approval: queue ream-approval as immediate obligatory; if Lena can see the odes-book and Lena does not recollect odes-approval: queue odes-approval as immediate obligatory; if Lena can see the origin paste: casually queue nice-paste; if Lena can see the odes-book and Lena can see the ream and the ream is disguised and the odes-book is disguised and Lena does not know trust-me: queue that-does-it as immediate obligatory; if Lena can see the modem and Lena is not urgently eager-to-speak: if Lena does not recollect modem-complaint or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: queue modem-complaint as immediate obligatory; if Lena can see the ode and Lena is not urgently eager-to-speak: if Lena does not recollect ode-complaint: queue ode-complaint as immediate obligatory; otherwise if Lena does not recollect second-ode-complaint or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: queue second-ode-complaint as immediate obligatory; if Lena can see the preamp and Lena is not urgently eager-to-speak: if Lena does not recollect preamp-complaint or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: queue preamp-complaint as immediate obligatory; if Lena can see the reams and Lena is not urgently eager-to-speak: if Lena does not recollect reams-complaint or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: queue reams-complaint as immediate obligatory; if Lena can see the reams and Lena can see the modems and Lena is not urgently eager-to-speak: if Lena does not recollect task-reminder or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: queue task-reminder; if Lena can see the modems and Lena is not urgently eager-to-speak: if Lena does not recollect modems-complaint or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: queue modems-complaint as immediate obligatory; if Lena can see the preamps and Lena is not urgently eager-to-speak: if Lena does not recollect preamps-complaint or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: queue preamps-complaint as immediate obligatory; if Lena can see the monocle and Lena is not urgently eager-to-speak and lena recollects who we seem 3: if Lena does not recollect monocle-remark: queue monocle-remark. [say "NMC True: "; try checking queue for Lena; ] A last conversation-reply rule when the current interlocutor is Lena: delete postponed optional conversation for Lena. monocle-remark is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Nice monocle, by the way! You do have all the good toys. Suppose it means you can check your work and see whether you've really got enough paste on things.'" task-reminder is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]Lena looks from us to [the list of things in the contraband box]. 'So maybe you could do something with these,' she says, looking at us sidelong. I can tell she's starting to wonder whether we're legitimate[or]'If you need to get some tools or something, I'll still be here,' Lena comments. Honestly I am surprised she's so patient about our slowness on her little test[or]Lena looks us up and down as though trying to reconfigure our face into your face, the one she knows[or]Lena is waiting for us to do something to change [the list of things in the contraband box].[stopping]." modems-complaint is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of][if the odes is seen]'Let's go back to the odes,' Lena suggests.[otherwise if Lena can see the preamps]'Try doing something with the modems,' Lena suggests.[otherwise]'Now the modems,' says Lena. 'Unless you're too tired.'[end if][or]Lena awaits your attention to the modems.[stopping]". modem-complaint is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]Lena regards the solitary modem unsympathetically. 'Well, it's shrunk,' she says. 'But that doesn't make it look like what it isn't.'[or]Lena continues to look at the modem with distaste.[stopping]". ode-complaint is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Well, it's portable, and it doesn't look like much, but then again, it doesn't look like much. I mean, I could easily lose it, couldn't I? Just one sheet. And if someone were to ask me why I was carrying it around that would be a little hard to explain. It's not like it's a whole book of [']em, is it?'" second-ode-complaint is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Could you make that ode plural? A whole book of them would be safer, I think. Look less suspicious.'" odes-approval is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "Lena touches the binding appreciatively. 'You've even got that little bit of creasing in the spine that makes it look used,' she says. 'This is perfect. Only risk is customers wanting to buy it. I've got a couple this would be right up their alley.'" preamps-complaint is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'I'm looking forward to what you do with the preamps,' Lena says. 'They should look... innocent.'[or]Lena awaits our attention to the preamps.[stopping]". preamp-complaint is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'I was hoping you'd make the preamp look less like electronics,' she offers, evidently forgetting the fake off-handedness with which she started this transaction[or]'If you can get the preamp to look like something I might have in the shop, that would be best,' she says[or]Lena nudges the offending preamp with her toe[or]Lena mutters to herself about the preamp still being obviously a problem[stopping]." reams-complaint is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]Lena considers the heap of reams contemplatively. 'That's inconvenient, isn't it,' she says. 'And I have a book store, not an office supply shop.'[or]'You don't have a depluralizer, do you?' Lena asks. 'No, I suppose not. But it would be better if there weren't so many of these reams.'[or]'Let's do something with the reams,' Lena says.[or]Lena reminds you that the reams are still stacked up consuming space in her shop. In contrast with the regular merchandise, one supposes.[stopping]" ream-approval is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'That works. Kind of thing I might have around for printing invoices on. I was a little afraid there you were going to go for a ram just to spite me. Don't know where I'd put one of those around here.'" Availability rule for calm Lena: if the player recollects ream-approval and the player recollects odes-approval: it is off-limits; calm Lena is a performative quip. The comment is "'Chill and let the master work,' you say. 'Anyone could pick a few letters out of your contraband. Trick is coming up with output that won't disrupt the Feng Shui of this flea market you've got going on.'". It mentions Lena, modem, reams, ode, preamp. The response is "Lena visibly relaxes. 'It's a privilege is what it is,' she says. 'Me letting you [if the player wears the Britishizing goggles]practise[otherwise]practice[end if] on my stuff. And no one said anything about contraband. Contraband's a bad word. Very hard to manipulate.'". It quip-supplies Lena. It directly-follows modem-complaint, ode-complaint, preamp-complaint, reams-complaint. tease Lena about selling office supplies is a performative quip. The comment is "'May I recommend that you branch out into office supply?' you ask. 'It's a lucrative business. Pamphlet-printing is very popular with the subversive element.'". It mentions reams. The response is "'Not as lucrative as untariffed electronics,' she says out of the corner of her mouth.". It quip-supplies Lena. It directly-follows reams-complaint. back-to-start is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Back to the beginning,' says Lena philosophically. She sucks in a long breath as though she were taking a drag on a cigarette." Rule for beat-producing when the current interlocutor is Lena and the contraband box is visible: say "[one of]Someone comes up to the front door of the shop. Lena goes over, wrenches the door open, and leans out. 'We're closed!' she shouts. 'It's #&@%ing Serial Comma Day!' The door slams behind her and she comes back over[or]Lena taps her finger against her upper lip[or]Abruptly a phone rings [--] though in this mess I can't see where it could be. Lena ignores it[or]Lena wanders around, impatiently rearranging books on the shelves though it is not at all clear that they are more orderly afterward[stopping].[run paragraph on]"; rule succeeds. needs-disguise is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Of course,' she says, contemplating [the list of undisguised fake disguisable visible things], 'this will be pointless unless we can also fool an authentication scope.'" what she kens about authentication scopes is an unlisted repeatable questioning quip. The printed name is "what she knows about authentication scopes". Understand "knows" or "know" as what she kens about authentication scopes. It mentions monocle, regulation authentication scope. The comment is "'Tell me more about authentication scopes,' [you] say.". The response is "'Main thing I know is that there are more of them in use every day,' she says. 'Keeping our streets and shops clear of fakes. Or so they say.'" It quip-supplies Lena. still-needs-pasting is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'What those need now is just a touch of paste to obscure [the random undisguised thing in the contraband box] to the authentication scopes, and [it-they] will be ready,' she says[or]'Of course, Origin Paste is expensive and hard to get around here, but [the random undisguised thing in the contraband box] [is-are] worth it,' she comments[or][if the player does not enclose Origin Paste]'Someone at the Counterfeit Monkey might be able to hook you up with a fresh supply of Origin Paste,' she suggests[otherwise]'Fortunate you've already got some paste,' she remarks[end if][or]Lena reflects once more on how useful it would be to put some Origin Paste on [the random undisguised thing in the contraband box][stopping]." excellent-work is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Excellent,' Lena mutters under her breath." nice-paste is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Glad to see you've got plenty of origin paste,' Lena remarks. 'It's such a useful thing to have. Smells so nice.'" An availability rule for quip-about-paste: if Lena does not recollect who we seem 3: it is off-limits; make no decision. quip-about-paste is a weakly-phrased performative quip. The printed name is "quip about paste". Understand "quip" or "about" or "paste" as quip-about-paste. It mentions Origin Paste. The comment is "'Makes a great facial scrub,' you say. 'I slather the stuff on.'" The response is "'Well, honey, all I can say is, you look so real.'" It quip-supplies Lena. It directly-follows nice-paste. that-does-it is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Perfect,' Lena says, regarding her contraband possessions with satisfaction[trust-me]. 'Welcome back, Andra and Guest[queue whether she hath seen slango].'" Instead of saying yes when encourage Lena to contact slango is available: try discussing encourage Lena to contact slango; Instead of saying no when encourage Lena to contact slango is available: say "Are you mad? That's exactly what we need her to do."; encourage Lena to contact Slango is a performative quip. The comment is "'[if immediately]That would be extremely helpful[otherwise]It would be very useful if you could contact Slango[end if],' we say. Perhaps we can finally get off this island and back into our separate skins, which would not be one minute too soon for me.". It mentions Slango. The response is "'Very good,' she says. She goes over to one of the free-standing shelves and takes out copies of [a random book which is part of merchandise] and [i]Seventy Ways to Disable an Authentication Scope[/i]. Behind these works of literature she finds what looks like a cellular phone; but it mustn't be one, or at least not of the usual variety, because the Bureau tightly controls such items. [paragraph break]We hear half a conversation. 'It's me. There's someone to see... yes, I had her do the contraband... I don't know, a little taller and a lot less mean... Oh! I see. She looks healthy enough... I'm not running a restaurant! Okay. Okay. I'll talk to you later, sweetie. Bye.' [paragraph break]Without meeting our eye, she buries the phone back in its previous location. Then she says, 'He's coming in direct. He says go over to Counterfeit Monkey and he'll be right over as originally planned, and he's sorry about the wait.'[paragraph break]'Oh! And.' She tosses us a coin. 'Have a drink on me.'". It quip-supplies Lena. It indirectly-follows whether she hath seen slango. Carry out Lena discussing encourage Lena to contact Slango: move the as to the location; if the player does not carry the as: [follow the considerate player's holdall rule;] move the as to the player; assign "Finally find Slango at Counterfeit Monkey" at Counterfeit Monkey; complete "Talk to Lena at the Aquarium Bookstore"; record "arranging contact with Slango through his lady friend" as achieved; summon Slango. Instead of answering Lena that "thank you": try discussing thank Lena. thank Lena is a performative quip. It mentions as. Understand "her" or "thank you" or "thanks" as thank Lena. The comment is "'Thank you,' we say. 'We owe you one.'". The response is "She smirks. 'I get my money's worth out of Slango, don't worry.'". It quip-supplies Lena. It directly-follows encourage Lena to contact Slango. Test Lena with "tutorial off / z / open tub / ask about slango / say who we are / z / z / wave m-remover at modems / wave s-remover at odes / gel ode / wave m-remover at modems / wave p-remover at preamps / wave s-remover at reams / put paste on odes / put paste on ream / ask whether / encourage" in the Aquarium holding tub and the origin paste. Section 5 - Professor Brown The greeting of professor brown is "He grunts." The generic positive of professor brown is "yes". The generic negative of professor brown is "no". The generic confrontational of professor brown is "uh". what he seems doing is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what he is doing". The true-name is "what he seems doing". Understand "is" as what he seems doing. It mentions research and Professor Brown. The comment is "'What are you up to there?' we ask. Asking Brown questions when he's working is a bit of a crap-shoot, I tell you now.". The response is "He wiggles his nose back and forth. I knew him for three months before I figured out what the wiggle is: it is his hands-free way of working his spectacles back up his nose when they start to slide down. [paragraph break]Without looking at us, he says, 'I'm getting ready to do a new calibration run on [']love['].' [paragraph break]This is a fav[our]ite of his, because you can get it so easily from a glove, so the materials are inexpensive.". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. what love looks like is a questioning quip. It mentions research. The comment is "'What does love look like, then?' we ask, as though I hadn't seen this a bunch of times already.". The response is "[long love answer]". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It indirectly-follows what he seems doing. To say long love answer: say "'It varies,' Professor Brown replies. 'The manifestation of a complex concept depends on a variety of circumstances; by default if multiple concepts are available, the letter tool will produce whichever concept requires least energy to produce, but in cases where several concepts are indistinguishably popular, the results are apparently random. 'Recent research suggests that the outcome can be influenced by the language community surrounding the operation and even by the intention of the tool's user (to a limited degree); but I am not interested in pursuing those angles at present.' [paragraph break]There: Professor Brown in a nutshell. Did he tell you anything you wanted to know? No.[paragraph break]"; say "The deal is that manifestations of 'love' tend to look like stuff you'd find on a greeting card: roses, hearts, kiss symbols. Every once in a while you get something a little more platonic. But it's a let-down, if you want to know the truth. Most significant abstracts are like that: all you get by reifying them is a popular visual[ization]. " what he thinks of Higgate is a questioning quip. It mentions Professor Higgate. The comment is "'What do you think of Professor Higgate?' we ask..". The response is "He gives a convulsive jerk of the shoulders. 'She's okay,' he says. 'She comes down here a lot and she keeps trying to get me to join her Conversational Lojban Tea, and I don't much see the point of her research, but I don't hate her or anything.'". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It is background-information. what he thinks of you is a questioning quip. It mentions yourself. The comment is "'So... There's a guy who I think is a graduate student here [--] Matthew Rosehip? Do you know him?'". The response is "This startles Brown enough that he turns around and looks at us. There is a curiously wary look in his eyes, and it hits me: He's worried. [paragraph break]See, about a month ago I was down here talking to Brown and I let slip some general hints about what I've been working on, and I had the impression that for once he was listening. When I was done with the very rough outlines, he told me to be careful, really really careful [--] not just on the island, but in the outside world, too, because there were a lot of people who wouldn't want a plan like that to succeed. [paragraph break]'I know all the graduate students,' he replies, turning another knob until his equipment gives a high-pitched whine. There is no functional purpose to that knob, he confessed once, other than to make strangers and idiots think they're interrupting a dangerous test. 'I'm not supervising his research, if that's what you mean. His advisor is Professor Waterstone.'". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It is background-information. what he thinks of Waterstone is a questioning quip. It mentions Professor Waterstone. The comment is "'Do you get along with Professor Waterstone?' we ask.". The response is "He is silent for a minute. Then he says, 'Once Professor Waterstone gave me a conch shell. He said I could s-remove it and settle the dispute about the afterlife once and for all.' This is not an anecdote I've heard before, but that sounds like a typically Waterstonian way of sending someone to blazes. 'What did you say?' I make us ask. 'I pointed out that in the phrase [']conch shell['], [']conch['] is a strongly-adhering adjective, so that actually you can't make a conch shell into much of anything, and moreover that reifications merely represent an amalgam of the most common beliefs about an abstract, rather than having any essential truth value.' Brown sniffs. 'He didn't have a come-back to that.'". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It is background-information. why Waterstone gave him the conch shell is a questioning quip. It mentions Professor Waterstone. The comment is "'Do you have any idea why Professor Waterstone, er, offered you the conch shell?'". The response is "Brown twitches. 'I was just in his office talking to him. Suddenly he got testy and sarcastic and gave me the shell. Some of the department here don't have very good people skills.'". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It indirectly-follows what he thinks of Waterstone. what Professor Brown thinks of the academic job market is a questioning quip. Understand "he" as what Professor Brown thinks of the academic job market. It mentions Employment. The comment is "'How is the job search going?' we ask. 'Are you still considering moving?'". The response is "He looks confused, so I have us hastily add, 'I heard from one of the graduate students that you were on the market.' [paragraph break]'Yes well,' he replies, in a tortoise-like voice you have heard often before. 'Under recent circumstances it is unlikely that I would receive a visa to work elsewhere. Nonetheless, I do send out the applications every fall, just in case the contract does not get renewed. Sometimes I even get a telephone interview or two.'". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It is background-information. wish Professor Brown luck is a performative quip. Understand "wish him luck" as wish Professor Brown luck. It mentions employment, Professor Brown. The comment is "'Well, good luck with that.'". The response is "'At this point I need some kind of major change in the universe more than I need lu[--]' He stops and stares into the middle distance through the green spectacles. Then he bends over the work table and scribbles something in tiny writing on one of the scraps of paper there. [paragraph break]'Sorry!' he says. 'Had a thought.'". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It directly-follows what Professor Brown thinks of the academic job market. how Professor Brown makes abstracts is a questioning quip. Understand "he" as how Professor Brown makes abstracts. It mentions research. The comment is "'What equipment do you use to make your abstracts?' we ask.". The response is "'It's an ordinary letter-remover with a few adjustments,' Brown says. 'The department's computer can lift some of the legal overrides on standard letter tools. The job would be easier if I had access to higher-powered machinery, but...'". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It indirectly-follows what he seems doing. Availability rule for whether he can fix the letter-remover: if the letter-remover is not visible, it is off-limits. Plausibility rule for whether he can fix the letter-remover: if Professor Brown does not recollect how Professor Brown makes abstracts, it is dubious. Instead of Professor Brown discussing whether he can fix the letter-remover when the letter-remover is not touchable: say "'I'd need access to it first, obviously,' he says, as though speaking to a freshman." whether he can fix the letter-remover is a demonstration quip. It mentions the letter-remover. The comment is "'Could you fix my letter-remover to make abstract objects as well?'" The response is "'It's not difficult, you just[--] oh, stay here, I'm not supposed to bring students into the rectification room.' He takes the letter-remover and steps out into the hallway. I can hear him using his keycard on the door, going into the little room west of the hallway, doing something there. (Don't bother thinking we're going to cosh him and take the keycard. I'm sure there's a better way, and I don't cosh people.) He comes back in a minute. 'There,' he says. 'Should be abstract-enabled now.'" It quip-supplies Professor Brown. Understand "if" as whether he can fix the letter-remover. what he thinks of the letter-remover is a demonstration quip. It mentions the letter-remover. The comment is "[one of]'Is there anything else that could be done to upgrade my letter-remover?' we ask naively.[or]'Anything else I should know about the letter-remover?' we ask.[stopping]". The response is "[one of]'Nothing I can help you with, I'm afraid,' he says. 'There are some safety overrides that could be programmed out, allowing you to make living creatures, but that's...' He does his spasmodic shrug. 'One of those things where I think the laws have a point. It's dangerous and possibly even cruel.'[or]'That's as good as I can make it for you,' he says. 'As I said, I think the law is right to prohibit living creatures.'[stopping]". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It is repeatable. It indirectly-follows whether he can fix the letter-remover. Carry out Professor Brown discussing whether he can fix the letter-remover: record "lifting abstraction limits on the letter-remover" as achieved; now the letter-remover device is upgraded. why reifying living creatures seems cruel is a questioning quip. The printed name is "why reifying living creatures is cruel". The true-name is "why reifying living creatures seems cruel". Understand "is" as why reifying living creatures seems cruel. The comment is "'Why would it be cruel to make a living creature?' you ask.". It mentions letter-remover. The response is "'We don't know whether such creations have awareness and sensation like other creatures,' he says. 'If they do, it is horrible to bring them into existence only to send them out again.'". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It indirectly-follows what he thinks of the letter-remover. thank Professor Brown is a performative quip. It mentions Professor Brown. The comment is "'That's wonderful [--] thank you!'". The response is "'Yes well,' he says. 'Don't show it to anyone. Technically you shouldn't have that.'". It quip-supplies Professor Brown. It indirectly-follows whether he can fix the letter-remover. Rule for refusing comment by Professor Brown when the noun is r-abstract: say "We show off [the noun]. "; if the noun is proffered by a person: say "Brown frowns. '[That-those of noun] [is-are of noun] made from a living being,' he remarks. 'That's against policy [--] I recommend you put it back.'"; otherwise if the noun is noisy: say "[one of]'These audio abstracts are always tuned in to what people have in mind at the moment. Like an all-time Top 40. In fact I think they use abstracts to DJ Island Radio 95.5 FM.' He might be joking, but it's plausible enough[or]He waves us off. Audio abstracts aren't really his thing[stopping]."; otherwise if the noun is verbal: say "[one of]'Yeees,' says Brown wearily. 'These verbals are notoriously changeable and unstable. The name of a name.'[or]'I've seen the type before,' he remarks.[stopping]"; otherwise if the noun is proffered by the ring: say "'Ah! inventive. Not an item of great cultural significance, but an unusual choice, I grant you.'"; otherwise: say "'[one of]Mmhmm[or]Very nice[or]Not bad[at random],' he says, but he's obviously still focused on his own work." what he thinks about the word is a demonstration quip. It mentions the word. The comment is "We demonstrate the word." The response is "'It's odd, isn't it? You'd think this would somehow reveal something about the nature of words, but all it does is point to other words.'" It quip-supplies Professor Brown. what he thinks about the pasts is a demonstration quip. It mentions the pasts. The comment is "We demonstrate the pasts." The response is "'Yes,' says Brown, interested. 'This is good, very nice example of how an object can be affected by the creator and local environment. It appears to be a record of your own behavi[our] alone, but with the right laboratory conditions it ought to be possible to produce a past abstract referring to someone else, or to a place.'" It quip-supplies Professor Brown. Definition: a thing is verbal: if it is the lie: yes; if it is the adage: yes; if it is the passage: yes; if it is the alterna-letter: yes; if it is proffered by the word: yes; no. Rule for refusing comment by Brown when the noun is r-abstract: if the current interlocutor is an animal: make no decision; say "'Hm, yes. A common specimen.'" Rule for refusing comment by Brown when the noun is an age: say "[one of]'I've done a bunch of runs of that, since the supplies are cheap,' he comments. 'It's pretty well-documented territory. Around Atlantis, you'll find it almost always resolves to a particular part of our history that children study in school.'[or]'Uh huh.' He barely looks up from his work.[stopping]". Rule for refusing comment by Brown when the noun is an r-abstract noisy thing: say "[one of]'There's some useful literature on which abstracts have to come with sound,' Brown says, checking out [the noun].[or]'Uh huh.' He barely looks up from his work.[stopping]" Rule for refusing comment by Brown when the noun is a lie: say "[one of]'Those can be dangerous,' he remarks. 'I wouldn't show it around [--] it might give away something important.'[or]'Uh huh.' He barely looks up from his work.[stopping]"; Rule for refusing comment by Brown when the noun is a pi-object: say "[one of]'Well,' he says, 'that's not unattractive. I often wind up with just a string of numbers when I reify pi.'[or]'Yes, I saw.' He doesn't seem to have much further interest in the thing.[stopping]". Rule for refusing comment by Brown when the noun is the climate: say "[one of]'Synthetic, but really very elegant,' he says approvingly. 'It would be interesting as a side project to investigate how climate manufacture changed as a reflection of civic concern about global weather patterns. But I don't have time for such an involved research project. Perhaps you should consider it.'[or]Brown's already suggested we launch a research project about the climate.[stopping]". Rule for refusing comment by Brown when the noun is r-abstract and the noun is proffered by at least two things: say "'Synthesized,' he says, looking over it. 'It's interesting, but I have to be consistent in the instruments I use for my calibration runs. Synthesizers have different energy profiles than letter-removers.'" Section 6 - Professor Higgate [ The professors were perhaps the easiest and most enjoyable characters to write. There are elements of caricature about each -- just as with the backpacking girl at the hostel -- but they're much more important figures in the plot and in Alex's life. Professor Higgate is my favorite: genuinely and deeply committed to her subject, fond of her students, and so deeply part of her own academic culture that it's not always easy for her to see things as the world outside might. She's humane and well-meaning, she sees the pursuit of knowledge as a true and worthy calling in its own right, and yet she doesn't always understand what is happening to the world outside her doors, and that's what makes her defenseless in the end. Higgate's dearness (to me) made her an obvious sacrificial candidate for the end of Act 3. I wanted to have something happen that would alarm Alex and make him feel that his world was under a true threat -- something more personal than the repressive but basically anonymous protest scene at the Roundabout. And the person Alex cares about most in an uncomplicated way is Higgate: she's supported and guided him through his career, almost another parent, except without the slightly stifling associations that his actual parents bring to bear. ] The generic positive of Professor Higgate is "I suppose". The generic negative of Professor Higgate is "[one of]not exactly[or]not really[at random]". The generic adversative of Professor Higgate is "erm". The generic confrontational of Professor Higgate is "er". lojban-greeting is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "She looks up when we come in. '.i xu do se bangu la lojban.' Higgate asks. She's asking whether we speak Lojban. For the present, I think it will raise fewer questions if we say no.". It is restrictive. english-greeting is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'Hello again,' says Higgate, obviously disappointed to see another non-Lojban speaker.[or]'You're back,' Higgate says[one of] flatly[or], putting aside her novel[or][at random].[stopping]". Every turn when the current quip is lojban-greeting: say "Higgate is still looking at us expectantly, so I jump in. "; try discussing that we do not speak Lojban; try Higgate discussing that we do not speak Lojban. Instead of saying no when that we do not speak lojban is available: try discussing that we do not. Instead of saying yes when that we do not speak lojban is available: say "I could, of course, but she'd then wonder where we picked it up. Better not."; now that we do not speak lojban is listed. Every turn when the current interlocutor is Professor Higgate and we do not speak lojban is available: try discussing we do not speak lojban. that we do not speak Lojban is an unlisted informative quip. Understand "no" as that we do not speak Lojban. It mentions constructed language. The comment is "'I'm afraid I don't understand,' we say, smiling faintly.". The response is "Her face falls. 'Ah! I was hoping you'd be here for Conversational Lojban Tea.' The room is conspicuously lacking other Lojban conversationalists.[queue cucumber regret]". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. It directly-follows lojban-greeting. cucumber regret is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I'd offer you some cucumber sandwiches,' Professor Higgate says. 'But I'm afraid I ate them all.'" how Professor Higgate seems doing is a questioning quip. The printed name is "how Professor Higgate is doing". The true-name is "how Professor Higgate seems doing". Understand "is" or "she" as how Professor Higgate seems doing. It mentions Professor Higgate. The comment is "'How are you?' we ask. Forgive me these irrelevant questions, but I haven't seen Professor Higgate for a few days, and she's one of my fav[our]ite people in the department. I worry about her a little.". The response is "She looks taken aback, as though trying to figure out whether she knows us. Then she shrugs this off and decides to proceed as though she does. 'Oh, you know,' she says. 'It's that time of year when the energy's run out and the students have to be prodded with an electric rod to get them to do any work. And then I've got this book I've got to write, and Professor Waterstone keeps talking about how next year he would like to take a break from being Director of Graduate Studies...'". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. It indirectly-follows that we do not speak Lojban. what would be so bad about directing graduate studies is a questioning quip. It mentions employment. The comment is "'What would be so bad about being director of graduate studies?' I ask, a little surprised. I always thought she liked graduate students.". The response is "'Nothing, nothing! It's just that I have this book I should be writing, and Professor Waterstone has done the job for so many years that he's[--]' She pulls up short, apparently remembering that she doesn't, actually, know us at all. 'He's very experienced, and I am not sure he would enjoy watching someone else do it differently,' she concludes tactfully. 'Our personal styles are not very similar.'". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. It indirectly-follows how Professor Higgate seems doing. An availability rule for what the romance novel might be: if heart to heart is not visible: it is off-limits. what the romance novel might be is a questioning quip. It mentions heart to heart. The comment is "'What are you reading there?' we ask, in our best earnest undergraduate voice.". The response is "She blushes very faintly. 'It's a novel in Láadan,' she says. 'A relatively little-spoken language, but I'm trying to master it. It was designed as a language for women, which has interesting sociological implications, though I fear it was not as widely taken up as the designer might have hoped.'". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. It is background-information. [Originally the novel was in Fukhian, which I picked off a webpage on constructed languages because I liked the look of the script. But later, reading Arika Okrent's In the Land of Invented Languages as research, I ran across Láadan, which — with its highly elaborated vocabulary of body parts, and the sentence modifiers that mean things like 'I say the following in a loving fashion' — seemed a more likely language for constructed romance novels.] whether Professor Higgate would translate part of the novel is a questioning quip. Understand "she" or "if" as whether Professor Higgate would translate part of the novel. It mentions constructed language, heart to heart. The comment is "'Would you translate part of it for me?' we ask.". The response is "The blush deepens. 'Well, some of the ideas are hard to express in single words of English. This suffix, for instance, has a pejorative meaning, so when it is attached to, ah, the word for experiencing a sexual act, that may suggest that the act was unsatisfactory.'". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. It directly-follows what the romance novel might be. whether she encountered activists is a questioning quip. Understand "if" as whether she encountered activists. It mentions activist, environment. The comment is "'Did you by any chance encounter some activists on the way into the building?' we ask. 'I had a hard time getting in here because they wanted to talk to me about toxi waste.'". The response is "'[i]Yes[/i],' she says. 'Now those kids! If we needed proof of the social value of what we're doing here, they're a perfect example. I admire their enthusiasm, don't get me wrong, but the whole idea of single-term manipulation is hopelessly wrong-headed, and if they spent a semester or two in a Language Studies class, they'd understand why.'". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. It is background-information. An availability rule for whether she might let us into the language studies seminar room: if the seminar room is visited: it is off-limits. whether she might let us into the language studies seminar room is a questioning quip. The comment is "'Could you possibly let me into the Language Studies Seminar Room?' we ask. 'There's something I'd like to do in there.'". Understand "higgate" or "her" or "professor" or "if" as whether she might let us into the language studies seminar room. It mentions seminar door, key. The response is "'Er... Do you have some student ID or something? You see, and this is a little embarrassing, I'm afraid I'm not quite placing you at the moment, and I'm not supposed to allow students into that room unless they have some affiliation with the department.' Of course we don't have any ID, and no prospect of getting any. But she might be persuaded by some other evidence of affiliation[if the player does not enclose the Problem of Adjectives]. Maybe a book to return[end if].". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. An availability rule for how we might return a book: if the player does not enclose Problem of Adjectives: it is off-limits. how we might return a book is a demonstration quip. The comment is "'I need to return this book to the department library,' we say, holding out [Problem of Adjectives].". Understand "can" or "could" or "might" as how we might return a book. It mentions Problem of Adjectives. The response is "'Oh! Yes, all right,' she says. 'Did you like it? It's a good overview of the subject, didn't you think? I'm afraid the author once annoyed Professor Waterstone at a conference, or we might have had her around to speak at one of our colloquia...'". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. Instead of looking in Samuel Johnson Hall when Higgate is in Samuel Johnson Hall: follow the room description heading rule; say "We stand politely a few paces back from the southeast door, which is currently occupying Higgate's attention. [run paragraph on]" Report approaching Samuel Johnson Hall when Higgate is in Samuel Johnson Hall: say "We walk a little behind Higgate, who has a very long businesslike stride despite her heels." instead. Rule for listing exits when looking in Samuel Johnson Hall when Higgate is in the location: do nothing instead. Report Higgate unlocking the seminar door with something: say "She fiddles with her keys for a moment before finding the right one. [run paragraph on]" instead. Report Higgate opening the seminar door: say "'Here we you go,' she says, pushing the door open." instead. Report Higgate getting off the chair: say "Higgate stands, patting herself down as though worried she has forgotten something." instead. Report Higgate going a direction when the location is Higgate's Office: say "She walks past us through the office door." instead. Report Higgate going southwest to the Seminar Room: say "She steps inside." instead. Report Higgate going a direction (called way): say "She waves and heads back [way]." instead. [From early on in the game, PAINT was an available object, since it's very linguistically productive, offering PANT, PINT, PIN, PAN, PAT, etc. At one point, the player got this paint from Professor Higgate's office, a remnant of the redecoration in progress there. But ultimately, PAINT didn't fit too well into the puzzle structure I was building, and many of the things it offered could be created from other objects sooner or later. So I cut the object and commented out the associated dialogue passages.] [An availability rule for whether she needs the paint: if the paint is not visible or the paint is released: it is off-limits. whether she needs the paint is an unlisted questioning quip. The comment is "'Looks like you've got some paint left over from the trim job. Very pretty, by the way.'". Understand "higgate" or "professor" as whether she needs the paint. It mentions paint. The response is "'Oh! Yes, I never got around to disposing of it, I'm afraid. The regulations have gotten so strict lately. It might be toxic, so you're not supposed to just throw it away, and of course I could transform it into something else but they look askance on the disposal even of transformed chemicals.'". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. Instead of asking Professor Higgate to try giving the paint to yourself: try discussing if we can take the paint. Instead of asking Professor Higgate for the paint: if the paint is released: say "She has already said we could have it."; otherwise: try discussing if we can take paint. if we can take the paint is a questioning quip. The comment is "'I'd be happy to dispose of the paint for you,' we say. 'It would be no trouble.'". It mentions paint. The response is "'Oh! Well, that's very kind of you. Make sure you do it properly!'". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. It indirectly-follows whether she needs paint. Carry out Higgate discussing if we can take the paint: now the paint is released. Before discussing if we can take paint when the player does not recollect whether she needs paint: try discussing whether she needs paint; follow the conversation-reply rules. availability rule for whether she seems sure she doesn't want the pint: if the player does not carry the pint: it is off-limits. whether she seems sure she doesn't want the pint is a weakly-phrased questioning quip. The printed name is "whether she is sure she doesn't want the pint". The true-name is "whether she seems sure she doesn't wantthe pint". Understand "is" as whether she seems sure she doesn't want the pint. The comment is "'You're sure I can't tempt you with this nice pint?'". It mentions pint. The response is "'Perfectly,' she says. 'Tea and water for me.'". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. Before going from Higgate's office when the paint is released and the player does not enclose the paint: try Higgate discussing paint-recycling instead. paint-recycling is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'Wait [--] weren't you going to dispose of the paint for me?'[or]'Do take the paint with you now if you want it,' she says. 'I may be gone later.'[or]'You're forgetting the paint again,' she says.[stopping]". Before going from Higgate's office when the paint is released and the player does not carry the paint: try Higgate discussing paint-recycling instead. ] which conlangs she kens is a questioning quip. The printed name is "which conlangs she knows". The true-name is "which conlangs she kens". Understand "knows" or "what" or "languages" or "language" as which conlangs she kens. The comment is "'Which conlangs do you know, then?'". It mentions constructed language. The response is "'Esperanto, Volapük, and Lojban, naturally,' she says. 'Interlingua, a bit of Fukhian,' (she is careful to pronounce the h sound), '...Quenya, Klingon, Royeship, Toki Pona... and several others in which I am not fluent enough to speak, but know well enough for the purposes of study.'". It quip-supplies Professor Higgate. Section 7 - Professor Waterstone W-identifies is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "He looks up at us gravely. 'I don't believe we've met,' he says. 'Can I help you?'" A first conversation-reply rule when the current interlocutor is professor Waterstone: if the player does not recollect please-get-out and please-get-out is not listed in the planned conversation of Professor Waterstone and Professor Waterstone recollects at least two quips: queue please-get-out as postponed obligatory. After reading a command when make up some excuse is available: if the player's command includes "make": replace the matched text with "excuse". Instead of saying yes when make up some excuse is available: try discussing make up some excuse. make up some excuse is a performative quip. It mentions yourself. The comment is "'I'm a prospective student,' we say. Immediately I regret it: we look too old to be an undergraduate prospective, and Waterstone would know all the graduate prospectives personally.". The response is "He raises an eyebrow. 'At your age?' [paragraph break]'I took some time off school,' we remark. [paragraph break]Some professors would greet this with warmth or sensitivity or at least good manners. Waterstone says, 'Well, in that case, it is to be hoped that you spent those wasted years on [i]some[/i] valuable activity. What did you need from me?'". It quip-supplies Professor Waterstone. It is restrictive. It directly-follows W-identifies. that we just dropped by to meet him is an informative quip. It mentions Waterstone. The comment is "'I just dropped by to meet you,' we say. 'I had heard good things about your teaching.'". The response is "'I rarely teach undergraduates,' he remarks. 'You would spend your time more profitably by making the acquaintance of the teaching assistants or perhaps' [--] and here he enunciates the name with distaste [--] 'Professor Brown.'". It quip-supplies Professor Waterstone. It directly-follows make up some excuse. where to find Professor Brown is a questioning quip. It mentions Professor Brown. The comment is "'Where might I find Professor Brown?' we ask.". The response is "'He is most likely in the basement,' says Professor Waterstone exactly. '[one of]L-removing POOL[or]R-removing DOOR[or]N-removing TENANTS[or]L-removing TILT[or]A-removing SODA[cycling], no doubt.'". It quip-supplies Professor Waterstone. It is repeatable. It is background-information. whether he met the activists is a questioning quip. It mentions environment. The comment is "'Did you run into those activists outside?'". The response is "'Sadly, it is our misfortune constantly to encounter people with no concept of what language manipulation can and cannot do,' Waterstone says. He really seems to be in a bad mood today, even for him: maybe a fight with the wife, or a nasty letter from the dean.". It quip-supplies Professor Waterstone. Understand "if" as whether he met the activists. what he kens about me is an unlisted questioning quip. The printed name is "what he knows about me". The true-name is "what he kens about me". Understand "knows" as what he kens about me. The comment is "'Actually, I did wonder: do you have a student named Alex Rosehip? One of the teaching assistants, I think?'". It mentions yourself. The response is "He looks at us with an unusually keen stare. 'He is an advisee of mine,' says Waterstone. 'A bright scholar, but I fear that he has taken on board some dubious ideas about the [i]applications[/i] of what we study. I would suggest that you take anything he may have said to you with a grain of salt.'". It quip-supplies Professor Waterstone. Availability rule for why he seems working on Serial Comma Day: if the player knows carpets-shampooed: it is off-limits. why he seems working on Serial Comma Day is a questioning quip. The printed name is "why he is working on Serial Comma Day". The true-name is "why he seems working on Serial Comma Day". Understand "is" or "professor" or "waterstone" as why he seems working on serial comma day. The comment is "'Why are you in today?' we ask. 'Isn't it a holiday?'". It mentions Waterstone, celebration. The response is "'The pursuit of knowledge does not occur according to the calendar,' he says. Then he adds, 'And my wife is having the carpets shampooed[carpets-shampooed] and kicked me out of the house.'". It quip-supplies Professor Waterstone. Availability rule for why he doesn't go to the demonstration: if the player does not know waterstone-invited: it is off-limits. why he doesn't go to the demonstration is a questioning quip. The comment is "'I'm surprised you're not at this demonstration,' we say, gesturing towards the invitation on his desk. 'It looks interesting.'". Understand "professor" or "waterstone" as why he doesn't go to the demonstration. It mentions invitation. The response is "'Does it?' he asks wearily. 'It sounds like a dead bore to me. Unfortunately, I can be neither at the demonstration nor at home at the moment. I have this blasted presentation to finish[if the player does not know carpets-shampooed], and my wife is having the carpets shampooed[carpets-shampooed] [--] on a holiday! [--] and won't let me work in my own study[otherwise] and thanks to the carpets I can't work in my own study[end if].'". It quip-supplies Professor Waterstone. Please-get-out is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Look, I really must work on this,' says Waterstone, chasing us to the door. 'Perhaps someone else in the department can answer a few of your questions. I believe I saw Professor Higgate earlier, and Professor Brown is usually in his lab downstairs. I'm sure he's not working on anything too urgent. Goodbye!'" Report someone discussing please-get-out: say "[response of please-get-out][paragraph break]"; reset the interlocutor; try going south; shut the office instead. [At the time when Waterstone gets annoyed: if the location is not Waterstone's Office: shut the office. ] To shut the office: try Waterstone closing office-door-1; try Waterstone locking office-door-1 with od-key; if the player can see the department printer and the department printer is switched on: say "A moment later the printer whirs thoughtfully."; now the draft document is pending; rule succeeds. Section 8 - Brock [ Brock underwent several major character revisions over the course of development. Rescuing him was always a major goal of the game (though in earlier versions, the goal was to rescue him from inside the Customs House, where he'd been captured trying to escape through the standard channels). In the first draft, he was a love interest for Andra but one whose feelings for her were still undeclared. But as I wrote, that scenario began to feel increasingly childish and contrived. Here were two adults who had been living together in very close quarters for years. Imagining that their feelings had somehow gone unspoken and unexplored required that they either be people with major hangups about love and relationships, or that they conform to that television logic that dictates that people will postpone starting any new relationship until right at the end of the story, even when they've been perfect for one another for all seven seasons. So I decided to revise. Next I recast Brock as a significantly less-nice figure, one who mildly harassed Andra and bossed her around without having any genuinely romantic feelings for her. In this version, Andra was motivated almost as strongly as Alex by a sense of being trapped in circumstances, unable to do what she wanted to do or be who she wanted to be. Though she felt bound by duty and circumstance to help rescue Brock, she was really very angry at him. The dynamic here was about Andra's need to develop a more assertive sense of self, against the background of a domineering family and a present-day environment in which she was used and taken for granted. But as I worked on this, I started to feel that I'd made Andra too unsympathetic as a character: bullied by her family and then her colleagues, she was a resentful survivor. But there wasn't really enough time in the story to explore her struggle to define herself, so what came across was mostly someone embittered and miserable. We rarely saw any indication of warm feelings from her, and the dialogue written from 'her' voice tended to be anodyne and devoid of personality, or just plain sour. In light of that, I decided to revise Brock yet again. While I'd still like to write a story like the one I originally envisioned for Andra, there isn't room for that story to be inside Counterfeit Monkey. Instead, I made Brock a cocky character but one that Andra does love and with whom she has a history. I added the various memories about their relationship, to establish that they've grown together and that Brock helped Andra through some weird stuff. That puts a lot of weight on this one scene. Though we've heard from and about Brock all game long, we never meet him until now, and we won't be allowed to interact with him again until the denouement. Moreover, we've just come through a somewhat tense and very linear passage. So the goals here are: -- provide a less-linear gameplay sequence in which the player has several simple challenges doable in any order, something that feels like a relaxing oasis between the tense bureau entry and the even-tenser conflict with Alex's father -- sketch in as rapidly as possible the emotional landscape between Brock and Andra: mutual affection and respect, some joking around, and a few not-too-buried resentments on Andra's part about the trouble he's caused -- though their relationship is healthy enough that she can bring those up without spiking the whole thing -- present Brock as a fairly playful figure who reacts to a number of the things Andra does in his presence, so that even the mechanical puzzle-solving bits feel a bit expressive and communicative -- let Brock earn a little of the player's goodwill (as well as Andra's) by having him be actively helpful -- turning up props to use, getting things out of the t-inserter when they're in our way, and so on. This is a fine line to walk, because we don't really want Brock to actually solve the puzzles for us, certainly not before the player has had a chance to do so -- to make Brock seem sufficiently human, present, and likeable that the choice about whether to betray him seems like a genuine concern ] Brock is a man in the repository. "Brock is preternaturally still.". The current mood of Brock is neutral. Brock is alert. The description of Brock is "He looks a bit haggard to me, but I don't think anything too horrible has happened to him[one of]. So perhaps you can stop worrying[or][stopping]." Brock-argument is a scene. Brock-argument begins when the location is the Equipment Testing Room and Brock is in the location. When Brock-argument begins: if the location does not enclose an it-derivative: now Brock carries the last-sign. Definition: a thing is it-derivative: if it is the spill or it is the pita or it is the piece or it is a sign: yes; if it is proffered by the spill or it is proffered by the pita or it is proffered by the piece or it is proffered by a sign: yes; no. Brock-argument ends when Brock is not in the location. Before inserting something into the t-inserter when Brock is in the location and the t-inserter contains something (called target): say "'[one of]Here, [the target] [is-are] in your way[or]Let me get that for you[or]Here[or]I've got that[at random].' [run paragraph on]"; try Brock taking the target; if Brock is carrying the target: try Brock dropping the target. Report Brock taking something: say "Brock fishes [the noun] out of the T-inserter. [run paragraph on]" instead. Report Brock dropping something: say "He tosses [it-them of the noun] in the corner." instead. Rule for beat-producing when Brock is the current interlocutor: say "[one of]He pauses, listening for noises outside[or]He stands back, regarding the T-inserter thoughtfully[or]He runs a hand over [the random thing which is part of the t-inserter][or]He knocks on the top of the T-inserter[or]He runs his fingers over the surface of the machine, checking for hot spots[or]He cranes to look around at the back of the machine, but doesn't find anything interesting[as decreasingly likely outcomes]. [run paragraph on]". Report Brock saying hello to the player for the first time: now the player knows brock-found; complete "Find Brock"; assign "Test T-inserter on making creatures" at Sensitive Equipment Testing Room; assign "Test T-inserter on making abstracts" at Sensitive Equipment Testing Room; assign "Test T-inserter on situations where it could build more than one thing" at Sensitive Equipment Testing Room; assign "Escape the Bureau" at Abandoned Shore; queue weird-you-look as postponed optional instead; First conversation-reply rule when the current interlocutor is Brock: [if suggest we get out of here is available: make no decision;] if the location is Cold Storage: make no decision; if Brock is not urgently eager-to-speak and Brock does not recollect what-day: queue what-day; otherwise if Brock is not urgently eager-to-speak and "Test T-inserter on making abstracts" is completed and "Test T-inserter on making creatures" is completed and "Test T-inserter on situations where it could build more than one thing" is completed: queue getting-out-now; otherwise if Brock is not urgently eager-to-speak and "Test T-inserter on making abstracts" is completed and Brock does not recollect good-abstracts and an r-abstract thing is in the T-inserter: casually queue good-abstracts; otherwise if Brock is not urgently eager-to-speak and "Test T-inserter on making creatures" is completed and Brock does not recollect seems-lifelike: casually queue seems-lifelike; otherwise if Brock is not urgently eager-to-speak and "Test T-inserter on situations where it could build more than one thing" is completed and Brock does not recollect stability-results: casually queue stability-results. The random-commentary rule is listed after the character pursues own ideas rule in the conversation-reply rules. This is the random-commentary rule: if the current interlocutor is not Brock: make no decision; follow the Brock-suggestion rules. The Brock-suggestion rules are a rulebook. First Brock-suggestion rule: if Brock-argument is not happening: rule succeeds; if the time since Brock-argument began is less than 1 minute: rule succeeds; if Brock carries the last-sign: say "Brock roots around in his pockets and fishes out a sign. 'I picked this up in the hallway, if it's any use,' he says. [run paragraph on]"; try Brock dropping the last-sign; rule succeeds. A Brock-suggestion rule when Brock does not recollect suggest we get out of here: try Brock discussing suggest we get out of here; rule succeeds. A Brock-suggestion rule when Brock does not recollect test-abstracts or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: unless "Test T-inserter on making abstracts" is completed: carry out the beat-producing activity; try Brock discussing test-abstracts; rule succeeds. A Brock-suggestion rule when "Test T-inserter on making abstracts" is completed: if Brock does not recollect test-creatures or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: unless "Test T-inserter on making creatures" is completed: carry out the beat-producing activity; try Brock discussing test-creatures; rule succeeds. A Brock-suggestion rule when "Test T-inserter on making abstracts" is completed and "Test T-inserter on making creatures" is completed: if Brock does not recollect test-stability or a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: unless "Test T-inserter on situations where it could build more than one thing" is completed: carry out the beat-producing activity; try Brock discussing test-stability; rule succeeds; otherwise: try Brock discussing still-cool; rule succeeds. A Brock-suggestion rule when Brock can see a noisy thing: try Brock discussing interference-gelling; rule succeeds. A Brock-suggestion rule when Brock can see a self-object and Brock does not recollect surprisingly-handsome: try Brock discussing surprisingly-handsome; rule succeeds. A Brock-suggestion rule when Brock can see a fake person: if Brock does not recollect getting-crowded or the number of people in the location is greater than 3 or a random chance of 1 in 4 succeeds: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say "[creepy stare][run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say "[A random fake person which can be seen by Brock] stare[s] at us. [run paragraph on]"; try Brock discussing getting-crowded; rule succeeds. A Brock-suggestion rule when Brock can see a naughty-sounding thing which is not the cock-ring: if Brock does not recollect naughty-remark: try Brock discussing naughty-remark; rule succeeds. A Brock-suggestion rule when Brock does not recollect half-a-mind: say "[creepy stare][run paragraph on]"; try Brock discussing half-a-mind; rule succeeds. Last Brock-suggestion rule: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say "[creepy stare][run paragraph on]"; say "[one of]I look away again[or]This is like a very surreal blind date[or]I take some comfort from the idea that he wouldn't hit on me if I were in my own body[or]Your boyfriend is starting to creep me out[or]If you don't mind, when I get my body back, I think I'm going to avoid him[or]I can feel us blushing[or]This is weird[stopping].". To say creepy stare: if Brock recollects brock-smoochies: say "[one of]When he thinks we're not looking, he ogles our backside. [or]He catches us looking at him and smiles wryly. [or]I look at Brock. He looks away from us. [or]You try to give Brock what I can only describe as a lustful stare, which I manage to interrupt. I think he notices. [at random][run paragraph on]"; otherwise: say "[one of]He watches us with a slightly disturbing intentness in his eyes. [or]He's looking at us, but when I look back, he cuts his eyes away. [or]He's studiously looking around the room. [or]Brock is looking at everything but us. [at random][run paragraph on]"; To say Next: say "[one of]First[or]Next[or]As our next trick[or]After that[or]Next[stopping]". what-day is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "Brock stands, dusting himself off. He looks us up and down without expression, without any sign of recognition. 'What day is it?' he asks. 'Still Serial Comma Day,' you say. 'Brock, it's me. And Alex, but I'm here.' The waxen look melts and he grins. 'Thank god. It's harder than you'd expect being a rock.'" weird-you-look is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'It's weird [--] you have a different face but the expressions are still yours. It's like you have a really good rubber mask on.'" suggest we get out of here is a performative quip. The comment is "'You've been a lump of igneous all day,' you say. 'It's getting dark out there. If we don't get out now, we're going to get caught by some janitor with a privative affixer.'". It mentions yourself, bureau, security. The response is "'I didn't have time to run the tests I wanted to run on the T-inserter. It'll take three minutes and then we can go. We need to do abstracts, animates, and a stability check.'". It quip-supplies Brock. It is restrictive. insist on leaving immediately is a performative quip. The comment is "I say, 'If we get caught down here, we'll all be put on trial, my father could lose his job, the professor who helped me get in here might face prosecution...' 'Not to mention the part,' you cut in, 'where we all get stuck on a shelf to eternally contemplate the spelling of [']knickknack['].'". It mentions yourself, bureau, family, security. The response is "'Four consonants in a row, baby,' he murmurs. 'You know what makes me hot.' 'Brock.' The warning tone in your voice gets through to him, whereas apparently he has zero interest in the welfare of my entire social circle. 'Three minutes. The value of that data could be in the millions.'". It quip-supplies Brock. It directly-follows suggest we get out of here. accept Brock's lunacy is a performative quip. The comment is "'I suppose it's pointless to argue,' you say. I'm glad this makes [i]you[/i] feel warm and fuzzy. 'Let's do this thing and get out.'". It mentions t-inserter, yourself, plans. The response is "'You know it.'". It quip-supplies Brock. It directly-follows suggest we get out of here. An availability rule for complain about Brock's recklessness: if Brock-argument is not happening: it is off-limits; if the time since Brock-argument began is greater than 4 minutes: it is off-limits; make no decision. complain about Brock's recklessness is a performative quip. The comment is "'This was rash, even for you,' you say. 'Wandering into the heart of the Bureau with no back-up and no escape plan, when we had a timed extraction to complete? You could've taken me and Slango down with you.'". It mentions Brock, yourself, bureau. The response is "'Sweetheart, don't,' Brock says. 'Don't do this now. You're not yourself.'". It quip-supplies Brock. remind Brock that synthesis was necessary because of him is a performative quip. The comment is "'Not myself,' you repeat coldly. 'I wouldn't need to be synthesized if Andra's face hadn't been caught on film. And whose fault was [i]that[/i]?'". It mentions Brock, yourself. The response is "Silence. 'I'm sorry that that happened,' he says, very deliberately. 'But you're not breaking up with me down here, with a spy inside your head. We'll do this later if we do it at all.'". It quip-supplies Brock. It directly-follows complain about Brock's recklessness. defend Alex is a performative quip. The comment is "'Alex is not a spy,' you say. 'He's naive and[--]' I make us stop talking right there, thanks very much.". It mentions Brock, yourself. The response is "'He's us,' Brock replies. 'Come on, let's just get this over with and get out of here. We can talk this all out when we're all feeling more like ourselves, okay?'". It quip-supplies Brock. It directly-follows remind brock that synthesis was necessary because of him. accept his advice is a performative quip. The comment is "'Fine.' I can feel the adrenaline from your anger coursing through us. It makes me want to take a swing at something, but you have it under control.". It mentions yourself. The response is "'Okay[casually queue you-okay].'". It quip-supplies Brock. It directly-follows remind Brock that synthesis was necessary because of him. An availability rule for discover why Brock got stuck here: if the number of quips recollected by Brock is less than 2: it is off-limits; make no decision. An availability rule for discover why Brock got stuck here: if Brock-argument is not happening: it is off-limits; if the time since Brock-argument began is greater than 4 minutes: it is off-limits; make no decision. discover why Brock got stuck here is a performative quip. The comment is "'How did this happen?'". It mentions Brock, yourself, security, bureau. The response is "'How do you think? I hung back after a demonstration earlier, trying to collect the extra information I needed, but before I could finish, they'd noticed I was missing from the group and sent someone back to look for me. And better to go inanimate than to be definitely caught in human form.'". It quip-supplies Brock. rejoice that brock seems okay is a performative quip. The printed name is "rejoice that Brock is okay". The true-name is "rejoice that brock seems okay". Understand "is" as rejoice that brock seems okay. The comment is "'That was a lot narrower than I like,' you say. To my horror, we are tearing up a little. 'I thought you might be in Cold Storage already.'". It mentions yourself, Brock. The response is "'Hey, hey. I'm here.' He puts an arm around our shoulder, hugs uncertainly[casually queue you-okay].". It quip-supplies Brock. It is restrictive. It directly-follows what-day. you-okay is a weakly-phrased NPC-directed quip. The response is "'You okay?'" Report smiling when the current quip is you-okay: say "[You] smile a little wistfully[casually queue weird-you-look]." Report shrugging when the current quip is you-okay: say "[You] shrug. He watches us thoughtfully for a moment, then says, 'Right, okay.'" Instead of saying yes when the current quip is you-okay: try discussing claim-to be fine. claim-to be fine is a performative quip. The comment is "'Fine,' you say. 'It's like running in a three-legged race all day, and I don't welcome the interference, but I'll be fine.'". The printed name is "claim to be fine". The true-name is "claim-to be fine". Understand "claim" or "to" as claim-to be fine. It mentions yourself, Brock. The response is "'Good.' He pauses. 'New you is kind of hot, but I miss the old version.'". It quip-supplies Brock. It directly-follows rejoice that brock seems okay test-abstracts is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'[Next] we should see whether this thing can reify abstracts.'[or]'If it can't do abstracts, the market value is going to be a lot lower because of the limited-depth trees.'[or]Brock goes on about the importance of abstracts.[stopping]". test-creatures is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'[Next] it would be good to see if this thing can build animates.'[or]'If it can't do animates, that might be down to a legal restriction, of course, rather than a technical one, but I imagine that they'd be demo'ing a fully-capable product in this context.'[or]'Have you got anything that's just a T away from being a living animal?'[or]Brock mentions again that he'd like to see whether the machine can do an animate.[stopping]". test-stability is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'[Next] we need to look at the stabil[ization] performance,' Brock says. 'Inserters sometimes run into trouble if there's a case where the same base word could be expanded to multiple derivatives [--] for instance, if you S-inserted CREAM, it wouldn't know whether to make CREAMS or SCREAM or SCREAMS.'[or]'Some inserters,' Brock goes on, 'have controls to let you insert the minimum or maximum possible number of letters.'[or]'Of course,' he says, 'even min-max controls don't completely disambiguate, since as in the example of CREAMS and SCREAM, you might have two one-letter insertions that are possible.'[or]'What really makes a machine like this valuable is the combination of power and flexibility with control. An anagramming gun has a great deal of power but almsot no control, which is the problem with it.'[or]Brock's lecture on the technology of insertion continues.[stopping]". good-abstracts is NPC-directed quip. The response is "'[if Brock recollects test-abstracts]Right. It's good on abstracts, then[otherwise]Hm, an abstract. That was something I wanted to check[end if],' Brock says[if an r-abstract thing is in the T-inserter], contemplating [the random visible thing in the T-inserter][end if][if the tattle is in the T-inserter]. 'Lord, that thing is annoying.'[otherwise].[end if]" seems-lifelike is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'No problem creating creatures,' Brock says judiciously." stability-results is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'The fact that it made [the list of multiply-made things] means that the stabil[ization] is inconsistent at best,' Brock says. 'And I don't see any min-max calibrator on the outside. Remind me to check the plans again when we get back to the yacht. They may not have tried to handle that problem at all.'" still-cool is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "He puts his hand on the surface of the machine. 'Still cool,' he comments. 'Must have an efficient heat-sink.'" half-a-mind is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I've half a mind to explore a little while we're down here just about unsupervised,' Brock says reflectively. I glare at him. 'I know there's no time,' he says. 'But there are supposed to be all sorts of things in the Bureau sub-basement that have never seen the light of day. DCL projects that went wrong, secret government experiments, possibly a buried command cen[ter].'" what buried command center he heard of is a weakly-phrased questioning quip. The comment is "'Buried command cen[ter]?' you ask. 'Isn't there a pretty unsecret command center above-ground?'". It mentions Bureau, Brock. The response is "'Sure. But you hear rum[our]s that the instructions come up from the sub-basement. Their chief leader, maybe.'". It quip-supplies Brock. It directly-follows half-a-mind. Instead of showing a self-object to Brock: say "'Tell me what you see,' we say. "; try Brock discussing surprisingly-handsome. surprisingly-handsome is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "He cocks his head to look at [the random visible self-object]. 'I have surprisingly good hair for someone who has just been a rock.' 'Objects in mirror may appear more attractive than they are,' we remark." getting-out-now is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Check,' says Brock. 'And that's all we need here. Now...' He hesitates. 'One person escaping is easier than two, I suppose.' You start to object, but I say, 'Yes, you'd better return to petrified form.' You know I'm right. He'll be easier to carry. A little grimly, he produces his own letter-remover and repeats the B-removal that made him in the first place[if a fake person is visible]. We're alone with [the list of visible fake people][otherwise]. Once again we're alone in a room with a rock[end if]." interference-gelling is an NPC-directed quip. [The response is "'[one of]Just in case anyone out there is listening[or]Let's try to keep the noise to a minimum[or]That's more peaceful[at random].'"] naughty-remark is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "He eyes [the random naughty-sounding visible thing which is not the cock-ring]. 'Oh for a homonym paddle.'" getting-crowded is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]Brock steps to the side to make room for [the list of fake people enclosed by the location][or]'We're going to need to install stadium seating in here,' Brock comments, nodding at [the list of fake people enclosed by the location][or]'If any guards come, we can use [the random fake person enclosed by the location] as a decoy,' Brock remarks[at random]." After Brock discussing interference-gelling: let interference be a random visible noisy thing; say "[if the prior named noun is Brock]He[otherwise]Brock[end if] touches some gel to [the interference]. '[one of]Just in case someone out there is listening[or]In the spirit of keeping the peace[at random].' [run paragraph on]"; gel-convert the interference; Report Brock discussing getting-out-now: move Brock to the repository; now the rock is not proffered by anything; now the rock is proffered by Brock; change the current interlocutor to nothing; record "profiling the T-inserter" as achieved; move the rock to the location. Instead of putting gel on something which is proffered by Brock when Brock recollects getting-out-now and the location is not Cold Storage: say "Brock seems to have learned all he wants to know at the moment." Sanity-check touching or squeezing or rubbing Brock: try kissing Brock instead. Instead of asking Brock to try kissing the player: try kissing Brock. Instead of kissing Brock: if Brock does not recollect Brock-smoochies: try discussing Brock-smoochies; otherwise: say "That is not happening again." Brock-smoochies is an unlisted questioning quip. The printed name is "ask Brock to kiss you". The comment is "You put our arms around Brock. He looks surprised, then pulls us in." The response is "'I thought we would leave this kind of thing until you were gelled,' Brock comments after a moment, pushing a bit of [if the player is wearing the wig or the player is wearing the hairpiece]fake [end if]hair out of our eyes. 'Does your passenger not mind?' I mind, for the record. I totally mind. And the fact that this body is enthusiastic about kissing Brock just makes it weirder. He reads the expressions crossing our face and lets go. 'Come to think of it, maybe [i]I[/i] mind.' An awkward pause." It quip-supplies Brock. Test kpbug with "tutorial off / talk to girl / topics" in dormitory room. Rule for listing peripheral quips during Brock-argument: if a quip is peripheral: prepare a list of peripheral quips; say "[quip-suggestion-phrase][the prepared list delimited in disjunctive style][get-to-work]." Rule for listing plausible quips during Brock-argument: if a quip is plausible: prepare a list of plausible quips; say "[quip-suggestion-phrase][the prepared list delimited in disjunctive style][get-to-work]." To say get-to-work: say "[one of]. Then again, we could just get to work so we can be out of here faster[or]. Maybe it's not worth it, though[or]. Or, then again, there's always finishing the job[stopping]". Test Brockscene with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / unmonkey / open tub / gel rock / suggest we get out / insist / ask about buried command / wave g-remover at sign / put sin in the t-inserter / gel stint / wave g-remover at sign / wave s-remover at sin / i / put sin in t-inserter / wave s-remover at stint / wave n-remover at tint / wave t-remover at tit / put i in t-inserter / wave t-remover at tit / put i in t-inserter / get rock / i" holding the tub in the Equipment Testing. Test Misdirection with "tutorial off / autoupgrade /unmonkey / sw / n / w / e / open tub / gel rock / e" holding the tub and the apple and the roll of bills and the piece in Bureau Secret Section. Test BrockAlt with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / unmonkey / open tub / gel rock / put seer in t-inserter / x automaton / turn on automaton / gel automaton / put seer in t-inserter / x automaton / turn on automaton/ x automaton / put the roll in the t-inserter / gel the troll / wave d-remover at chard / put char in t-inserter / wave c-remover at chart / wave r-remover at hart / get hat / x hat / wear hat / remove hat / put hat in t-inserter" holding the tub and the seer automaton and the chard and the roll in the Equipment Testing. Instead of putting gel on the rock when Brock-argument has happened and Brock-argument has ended and Cold Dilemma has not happened: say "No, we leave him in rock form for now. One of us will have an easier time slipping out than two." Section 9 - Mother [ Mother has only this one brief scene, but she's an important influence in Alex's life: a source of cosmopolitan and slightly subversive ideas, more in touch with the world outside than Alex's father, and source of the unquestioned privilege of his upbringing. ] My mother is a woman. Understand "mom" or "ma" or "mum" or "mommy" as mother. "My mother is here, looking around as though she would like to comment on my housekeeping." The description of my mother is "She is a tall woman with short brown hair expertly cut, and a tailored suit." The introduction is "She has in addition a certain air which is very rare on this island: the air of seeming not to care whether anyone is watching her, or whether she is exhibiting the proper respect for authority." Sanity-check kissing my mother: say "Save the skeezy Oedipal reenactments for when you're inhabiting your own body, eh?" instead. Instead of waiting in the presence of my mother: say "[beat][line break][paragraph break]". Definition: a thing is apartmental if it is in my apartment. Rule for beat-producing when the current interlocutor is my mother: say run paragraph on; let N be a random refrigerator which is in my apartment; if the player wears the monocle and the player does not recollect monocle-comment: try my mother examining the monocle; casually queue monocle-comment; otherwise if the N is open: try my mother closing N; otherwise if the pot-of-yogurt is not seen: try my mother opening N; otherwise if something (called impediment) is on the futon: try my mother clearing the futon; otherwise if my mother carries something (called impediment): let goal be a random furniture counter which is in my apartment; try my mother dumping inventory on the goal; otherwise if my mother can see a switched on thing (called danger): try my mother switching off the danger; otherwise: let target be a random apartmental thing which is not a person ; if target is not nothing: try my mother examining the target; else: say "Mother looks faintly bewildered."; say run paragraph on. Test mom-beats with "drop mother / open backpack / say we're / z / close backpack / z / z / z" holding my mother and the backpack in my apartment. Report my mother switching off something: if the noun is a switch which is part of a stove: casually queue no-open-flame; if the noun is a tap which is part of a sink: casually queue no-water-waste; say "She goes to [the noun] and turns it off.[run paragraph on]" instead. Dumping inventory on is an action applying to one thing. The dumped objects is a list of objects that varies; Setting action variables for an actor dumping inventory on something: truncate the dumped objects to 0 entries; repeat with item running through things carried by the actor: add the item to the dumped objects. Carry out an actor dumping inventory on: now everything carried by the actor is on the noun. Report an actor dumping inventory on: say "[The actor] puts [the dumped objects with definite articles] down on [the noun]." Report my mother dumping inventory on: say "[The actor] puts [the dumped objects with definite articles] down on [the noun].[run paragraph on]" instead. Clearing is an action applying to one thing. The cleared objects is a list of objects that varies. Setting action variables for an actor clearing something: truncate the cleared objects to 0 entries; repeat with item running through things on the noun: add the item to the cleared objects. Carry out an actor clearing: now the actor carries everything which is on the noun; Report an actor clearing: say "[The actor] pick[s] up [the cleared objects with definite articles] carefully." Report my mother clearing: say "[The actor] pick[s] up [the cleared objects with definite articles] from [the noun].[run paragraph on]" instead. Report my mother opening a refrigerator: say "Mother picks her way to the refrigerator, which she opens, revealing only [a list of things in the noun][queue not-planning-dinner].[run paragraph on]" instead. Report my mother closing a refrigerator: say "She gives the refrigerator door a little push and it swings closed.[run paragraph on]" instead. Report my mother taking a book: say "Mother rather absently picks up [the noun] and smooths its pages.[run paragraph on]" instead. Report my mother examining a book which is not enclosed by the player: say "Mother pages through [the noun], eyebrows raised.[run paragraph on]" instead. Report my mother examining something: say "Mother [one of]stares absently at [the noun] for a moment[or]spaces out a bit, contemplating [the noun][or]appears to be meditating about [the noun][at random].[run paragraph on]" instead. Sanity-check going from My Apartment when confrontation-with-mother has not happened: move my mother to the location instead. Sanity-check going from My Apartment during confrontation-with-mother: say "I don't quite dare just walk out on Mother. Partly it's habit, partly the sense that she's more upset than she's letting on, and that if we push her the wrong way she'll contact the authorities." Confrontation-with-mother is a scene. Confrontation-with-mother begins when my mother is visible. When confrontation-with-mother begins: say "We're about to, when the door to the street opens and my mother walks into the room. She shuts it behind her and puts away her key before she notices us. Then she stands very still. For about a quarter second she considers calling the police, but I can see that worry passing away again as she takes in our clothing, age, and general demean[our]."; set the current interlocutor to my mother; try my mother discussing hi-there-Im; queue final-goodbye as postponed obligatory. hi-there-Im is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Hi there,' she says, coming forward to take our hand. 'I'm [Mrs] Rosehip. Alex Rosehip's mother. You must be a friend of his?'" The nag is "Mother just stands there with an arched eyebrow. Any minute now I'm going to blurt something out through sheer force of habit." It is restrictive. Instead of saying no when we're his girlfriend is available: say "What are the other options, really? Shall we claim to be burgling my apartment? To be a roommate she's never heard of, who is living with furniture that obviously isn't here? To be the gas man, a fire inspector, the police? None of that has a hope of working." Instead of saying yes when we're his girlfriend is available: try discussing we're his girlfriend. we're his girlfriend is an informative quip. The comment is "'Yes [--] sort of. We've been... I mean, we've been on a few dates.' That's you, and I have to say you don't sound as keen on dating ourself as you might.". Understand "we are" or "to be" as we're his girlfriend. It mentions romance, yourself. The response is "She raises her eyebrows. 'I see. How secretive of him not to bring you around. And where is Alex now? I need to speak with him. He's been hard to reach lately[queue how-well-do-you as immediate obligatory].' I know you think it's a bit sketchy that my mother just walks into my apartment when I'm not around, but I swear to you she's never done that before. She must be more worried about something than she's letting on.". It quip-supplies My mother. It is restrictive. The nag is "[one of]'Come, dear, it's not a difficult question,' she says[or]She's still waiting for us to answer[stopping]." It directly-follows hi-there-Im. claim to hath seen him this morning is a performative quip. The printed name is "claim to have seen him this morning". The true-name is "claim to hath seen him this morning". Understand "have" as claim to hath seen him this morning. The comment is "'He went out to, ah, do some research, I think. He left before I was completely awake.' (Thanks, now you've given my mother the impression that I'm a cad.)". It mentions romance. The response is "She looks at the dissheveled futon[if something is on the futon], with [the list of things on the futon] still arranged on it[end if], and her expression becomes even more unreadable. 'I did think I'd taught my son better manners,' she remarks. 'I apolog[ize] on his behalf.'". It quip-supplies My mother. It directly-follows we're his girlfriend. Instead of shrugging when we don't ken is available: try discussing we don't ken. we don't ken is an informative quip. The printed name is "we don't know". The true-name is "we don't ken". Understand "know" as we don't ken. The comment is "'I don't know,' we say.". It mentions yourself. The response is "'A communicative couple, then,' she says dryly. My mother has never been very nice to girlfriends she considered stupid.". It quip-supplies My mother. It directly-follows we're his girlfriend. how-well-do-you is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'How well do you know him?' Mother asks. She immediately catches herself, and adds: 'I'm not inquiring into the details of your relationship. But I am concerned about him. He has seemed very unhappy recently about his work. Has he said anything to you about that? Wanting to leave the program, or change careers, or... anything?' [paragraph break]I didn't think she'd noticed." reassure Mother is a performative quip. The comment is "'I think it's graduate school getting to him a bit,' we lie. I am pretty sure this is what my mother thinks: she has little time for whining or sulking, and I believe she considers any ideological queasiness I may have exhibited to be just malingering about research that is not going well.". It mentions yourself, education. The response is "'Really?' she says. 'Hm.' [paragraph break]I would like her to go on, but she doesn't: because it would be indiscreet, because she doesn't trust us.". It quip-supplies my mother. It directly-follows how-well-do-you. suggest the truth is a performative quip. The comment is "'I think he feels that there are things linguistic studies could accomplish if we were less hampered by local laws and corporate interests,' we say. 'Big improvements to quality of life for the poor, for instance.'". It mentions constructed language. The response is "She looks at us keenly. 'Did he say what he intended to do about that?'". It quip-supplies my mother. It is restrictive. It directly-follows how-well-do-you. we wouldn't do anything dangerous is an informative quip. Understand "danger" as we wouldn't do anything dangerous. The comment is "'I'm sure he wouldn't do anything dangerous,' we lie. 'After all, his ideas wouldn't be useful to anyone if he were arrested.'". It mentions bureau, yourself. The response is "'No, of course!' But I think she knows we're lying about something, even if she is not sure what that something is.". It quip-supplies my mother. It directly-follows suggest the truth. Instead of saying no when probably nothing is available: try discussing probably nothing. probably nothing is an unlisted weakly-phrased informative quip. The comment is "'No, no. Probably nothing,' we say.". It mentions yourself. The response is "'Hm.'". It quip-supplies my mother. It directly-follows suggest the truth not-planning-dinner is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Evidently not planning to have dinner at home this evening,' she comments." Instead of saying no or saying yes when explain we might go out is available: try discussing explain we might go out. explain we might go out is a performative quip. The comment is "'We were thinking of going out.'". It mentions food, yourself. The response is "'Were you?' she says lightly. 'Then you're definitely going to see him this evening. Where do you have reservations?' [paragraph break]There, see: I wish you wouldn't embellish on your own.". It quip-supplies my mother. It is restrictive. It directly-follows not-planning-dinner. Instead of shrugging when claim he didn't say is available: try discussing claim he didn't say . claim he didn't say is a weakly-phrased performative quip. The comment is "'Er... he didn't tell me. I assume he'll explain later.'". Understand "did" or "not" or "alex" as claim he didn't say. It mentions food. The response is "'...Mm.'". It quip-supplies my mother. It directly-follows explain we might go out. monocle-comment is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'He must like you,' she says, 'if he lets you wear his monocle. He's very proud of that. But do be careful with it [--] it would be a little embarrassing if someone were to catch you with it. Alex's father was technically not supposed to remove it from the Bureau.'" agree to take care of the monocle is a weakly-phrased performative quip. The comment is "'I'll be very careful with it.'". It mentions monocle. The response is "'I knew you would.'". It quip-supplies my mother. It directly-follows monocle-comment no-open-flame is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'It's not a good idea leaving the gas stove on when you're not cooking anything,' she comments. 'It catches fire even more easily than electric.'" no-water-waste is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'There's no point in wasting water when we're already facing shortages.'" final-goodbye is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Well,' Mother says. 'I had better go. If you do see Alex, tell him to call me, please. It isn't an emergency, but you can tell him there's a bit of Bureau business I'd like to discuss with him.'" Confrontation-with-mother ends when my mother recollects final-goodbye. When confrontation-with-mother ends: say "We nod"; if my mother carries something: say ". [run paragraph on]"; let goal be a random furniture counter in my apartment; try my mother dumping inventory on goal; say " She's going,"; otherwise: say ","; say " and suddenly it is borne in on me that this may be the last I see of my mother in a lifetime: and I'm trying to memor[ize] the exact cut of her hair and the way her expensive Italian heels tap on the floor, and meanwhile she is going out completely indifferent to the moment. I could have stood for our previous meeting to be the last one [--] we had dinner and she hugged me goodbye then. This makes it all much much worse. And you, you're nattering at me in our head, asking what she meant about the Bureau. It might be, I guess, that they've been watching me and that she got wind of it. That would be likely. But if so it doesn't matter, not any more. She's not even visible through the window any longer."; remove my mother from play; Section 10 - Father After going from the Sensitive Equipment Testing Room: set the current interlocutor to father; continue the action. Confrontation-with-father is a scene. Confrontation-with-father begins when the current interlocutor is father. Instead of going somewhere during confrontation-with-father: say "I can't walk away on him. Not until I know what he means to do." When confrontation-with-father begins: move father to the location; try father discussing hey-alex; queue dont-say as postponed obligatory; queue what-are-you as postponed obligatory; queue new-friends as postponed obligatory; queue almost-dad-goodbye as postponed obligatory; queue final-dad-goodbye as postponed obligatory; Confrontation-with-father ends when the player recollects final-dad-goodbye. When confrontation-with-father ends: try approaching cold storage. Father is a man. "My father stands a few feet away, his posture oddly askew, as though the situation takes him aback so much that he can't stand up straight. His arms are crossed over his chest. Through your eyes, he looks older than he is." The indefinite article is "my". The description is "He's in his mid-fifties, tall, thin but not excessively so. His hair is going white at the temples. His manner has always been mild and unimposing, but he is actually a capable manager, and more highly placed in the Bureau than he likes to let on. Right now he looks both exhausted and fiery, as though he's been called up for a difficult and possibly fatal duty." Instead of kissing father: say "That is a super-creepy idea." Rule for beat-producing when the current interlocutor is father: say "[one of]Somewhere down the hall a clock ticks loudly[or]No one speaks for a moment. The silence is almost eerie[or]Footsteps sound far away down the hall, but no one comes this way[or]We all say nothing for a moment[or]We stare at each other, breathing hard[at random].[run paragraph on]"; hey-Alex is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Alex.' [paragraph break]I can't help it: I stop and turn. It's too ingrained in me. And it's my father's voice. He's wearing his ordinary work clothes, but he looks strained to the point of fracture. And someone could come out of any of these doors at any moment." deny everything is a performative quip. The comment is "'You must have me confused with someone else.'". It mentions yourself. The response is "He sighs. Not deceived even a little; weary that we tried.". It quip-supplies father. It directly-follows dont-say. dont-say is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Your mother told me about meeting your supposed girlfriend at your apartment. She was puzzled by that, but I knew what must have happened,' my father says, in a very low voice[if a noisy thing is enclosed by the location], just barely audible to us over the sound of [the random noisy thing enclosed by the location][end if]. 'I deleted the record of your unauthor[ize]d synthes[ize]r draining the power grid, which, by the way, could get me dismissed.'" what-are-you is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I didn't tell your mother what I suspected, but when it comes out you've… defected… I won't be able to keep this from her. And you're giving up your career. Mine too, possibly; we'll all be under suspicion, I suppose. 'It's pointless. You could have done a great deal for the Bureau from within. I was trying to help you see that.'" lay out our reasons is a performative quip. The comment is "'I want to do something that matters,' I say. 'I don't see my work making a speck of difference here.'". It mentions immigration, yourself. The response is "'You mean you don't see [i]my[/i] work as important,' he says. 'Got that from your mother, I imagine.'". It quip-supplies father. It directly-follows what-are-you. Instead of saying no when be comforting is available: try discussing be comforting. Instead of saying sorry when be comforting is available: try discussing be comforting. be comforting is a weakly-phrased performative quip. Understand "comfort" as be comforting. The comment is "'It did matter to me that you tried to help,' we say. 'But no one here is ever going to try my solution. I have to leave if I want to, well, to take my shot at saving the world, essentially.'". It mentions yourself, research. The response is "'That's not—' He bangs his fist into the wall and pulls it away with a wince. 'That's not how it works. Jesus. Saving the world is boring and incremental and institutional. I mean, it will be for you too — if you want to do your crazy project the first thing you're going to need to do is spend hours in meetings with NGOs.'". It quip-supplies Father. It directly-follows what-are-you new-friends is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'So your partners in crime are, what, smugglers? Industrial saboteurs? That's wonderful. Finally some [i]role models[/i].'" quibble is a weakly-phrased performative quip. The comment is "'We prefer to think of it as ensuring that important technology does not remain the sole property of a restrictive hegemony,' we say. ". It mentions yourself. The response is "'Okay, around here we still call that theft,' Father says.". It quip-supplies father. It directly-follows new-friends. deny being a spy is a weakly-phrased performative quip. The comment is "'The law doesn't work unless it's got a few human beings outside of it,' you say [--] drawing on one of Slango's sayings. 'Every tyranny creates its own balancing force.'". It mentions yourself. The response is "Father's expression goes extremely dry. 'Oh, yes, we tried that theory around here too. I regret to give away the ending, but it's a risky idea.'". It quip-supplies father. It directly-follows new-friends. almost-dad-goodbye is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'You've left enough traces that people will know someone came in here today.'" final-dad-goodbye is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Here's what we're going to do, Alex. You're going in there[--]' (he points at a door to the southwest) '[--]and I'm going to call for backup to arrest the first person that comes out. That could be Alex, it could be whoever-else-you-are, it could be both of you in this same body. 'If it is Alex who comes back out, I can't possibly save your university career, but we might be able to make a case for clemency.' What he means by that[--] oh. Yes. I understand now. He gives us a hard shove. We're half inside the room when we hear his last remark: 'Alex... don't try to escape back through the Rotunda. If you really can't come home, then head north. I've never seen it, but supposedly there's an emergency exit up there.' Then he's gone." Report shrugging during Confrontation-with-father: say "[one of][You] shrug. It feels like being a teenager again[or]Another shrug. I wish he'd stop talking[stopping]." instead. Report smiling during Confrontation-with-father: say "[You] try for a placating smile. It doesn't seem to help." instead. Report crying during Confrontation-with-father: say "Okay, maybe my eyes are a little wet, but you didn't need to point it out." instead. Report laughing during Confrontation-with-father: say "[one of]You laugh. The sound is out of place, and it makes me uncomfortable. Father, too, to judge by his expression[or]'Ha,' you say[stopping]." instead. Report scoffing during Confrontation-with-father: say "[one of][You] roll our eyes[or]'Tch,' [you] say[at random]." instead. Test father with "test Brockscene / get rock / e / shrug / g / g / g / g". Section 11 - Nexami Carry out waving a letter-remover at the spill creating something in the presence of Nexami: queue nice-clean-up as immediate optional. nice-clean-up is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Nice clean-up method,' [Nexami] comments. 'Beats using a rag.' At least, I think that's what he said." say thanks for pointing out spill is a performative quip. The comment is "'Hey, thanks.'". It mentions spill. The response is "He makes a you're-welcome gesture and goes back to contemplating the sea view.". It quip-supplies Nexami Engeo. that it's one of those things atlanteans learn is an informative quip. The comment is "'I'm afraid you wouldn't be impressed if you were from around here,' we say. 'It's one of those things most Atlanteans learn early. Main reason why paper towels don't have much of a market here.'". It mentions spill. The response is "'Hm!' Not the most talkative tourist ever, is he?". It quip-supplies Nexami Engeo. It directly-follows nice-clean-up. what-atlantis is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what he is doing in Atlantis". The true-name is "what-atlantis". Understand "what" or "he" or "nexami" or "engeo" or "is" or "doing" or "Atlantis" or "in Atlantis" as what-atlantis. The comment is "'So, what are you doing in Atlantis?'". It mentions Nexami. The response is "'Doing a show tonight,' he says. 'Up on the City Walls.' This is only partly a lie: you know that his main business in town is some sort of computer science contract, and that it's largely cover that his band is playing in the Serial Comma Day festivities.". It quip-supplies Nexami Engeo. Section 12 - The Mean Atlantida The greeting of atlantida-woman is "'I suppose we were bound to meet in person sooner or later,' Atlantida remarks." Atlantida chat is a scene. Atlantida chat begins when atlantida-woman is in the location. Atlantida chat ends when atlantida-woman is in the repository. When Atlantida chat ends: remove the atlantida-woman from play; move the atlantida-refreshed to the repository. After examining Atlantida-woman when the Atlantida-woman carries something: say "Atlantida is carrying [the list of things carried by the Atlantida-woman]." Rule for writing a topic sentence about the infertile astrologer: say "[The infertile astrologer] is [one of]idly [or][at random]"; let toy be a random mentionable thing; if toy is: -- the stack of files: say "sifting through [the toy]"; -- the rubber stamp: say "pressing [the toy] into a few documents"; -- the inlaid desk: say "admiring the craftsmanship of [the toy]"; -- otherwise: say "[one of]check out[or]examining[or]toying with[at random] [the toy]"; say ". Her wanderings are gradually moving her closer to us. "; A description-concealing rule: if Atlantida chat is not happening: now Atlantida-woman is not marked for listing; now restoration-gel rifle is not marked for listing. Rule for writing a topic sentence about Atlantida-woman: say "[Atlantida-woman] stands between us and the eastern exit, backlit by sunlight[if the player is gelled and atlantida-woman carries the rifle]. [The rifle] hangs loose in her hand[otherwise if the player is not gelled and the atlantida-woman carries the rifle]. She has [the rifle] trained on our torso[end if]. "; if Atlantida-woman does not carry the restoration-gel rifle: say "She dwarfs [the inlaid desk] and all the other furnishings in the room. "; now the inlaid desk is mentioned; now the stack of files is mentioned; now the rubber stamp is mentioned. Rule for listing exits while looking in Personal Apartment when atlantida-woman is in the location: do nothing instead. Atlantida-patience is a number that varies. After doing something in the Personal Apartment when Personal Apartment is visited and atlantida chat has not happened: increase atlantida-patience by 1; if atlantida-patience is greater than 1: move atlantida-woman to the location. [atlantida-woman carries the restoration-gel rifle.] Rule for beat-producing when atlantida-woman is the current interlocutor and atlantida-woman does not recollect gel-shot: say "Her grip tightens on the [restoration-gel rifle].[run paragraph on]" When Atlantida chat begins: [move atlantida-woman to the location;] pause the game; set the current interlocutor to atlantida-woman; queue stop-there as immediate obligatory; queue gel-shot as postponed obligatory; [queue how fusion happens as postponed obligatory;] queue thing-about-democracy as postponed obligatory; queue summoning-guards as postponed obligatory; Report taking something which is proffered by the restoration-gel rifle when atlantida chat is happening: say "We sidle over and casually pick up [the noun] as though we were just curious. Or maybe had an insatiable urge to tidy up." instead. stop-there is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Don't move, Alexandra, or I'll split you in two.' A very tall woman with Bureau-blue eyes steps into the room from the east, carrying [a restoration-gel rifle]. Her face is ageless, her mouth full-lipped but proud. We've never met, but [you] recognize her at once[if the player wears the monocle]. The monocle sees her as a fake, a fossilized shellfish[end if]. [Atlantida-woman] moves the rifle a fraction and fires through the portcullis at [the random thing on the pulley]. [pulley-fall]". It quip-supplies atlantida-woman. To say pulley-fall: let target be a random thing on the pulley; gel-convert the target; consider the portcullis empty rule; consider the portcullis fall rule; say "[run paragraph on]". Before shooting the restoration-gel rifle with the anagramming gun when the player is not gelled: say "She sees us moving the gun into position, and our reflexes are slower than hers." instead. gel-shot is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "She fires again. The pellet hits us, cold and hard, in the shoulder. It stings like hell and for a moment I think our clavicle is broken. [You] put our hand over the wounded spot. Our hand. Atlantida lowers the rifle, surprised. 'Fused,' she says. 'Isn't that interesting. And so recently, too. If the gel rifle won't separate you, nothing will.' She smiles, not warmly. 'Pity. You would have been easier to deal with separately. Cold Storage for Andra, house arrest for Alex.'" It quip-supplies atlantida-woman. summoning-guards is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[if the restoration-gel rifle is visible and the restoration-gel rifle is not carried by Atlantida-woman]Atlantida real[ize]s that [the restoration-gel rifle] is now a couple of me[ter]s away from her. [otherwise]'And now it's time for you to go,' Atlantida says. [end if] She presses a button on something in her hand. Far away, a high-pitched bell rings. 'Did you have anything else you wanted to ask me? I so rarely get to talk with ordinary citizens. Only ones with clearance, and those about to go into Cold Storage. A last interview with Saint Peter.'" Instead of saying yes when the player carries the restoration-gel rifle and the current quip is summoning-guards: say "'Oh, I have lots of questions,' [you] say."; try shooting atlantida with the restoration-gel rifle. Instead of saying no when the player carries the restoration-gel rifle and the current quip is summoning-guards: say "'Not really,' [you] say."; try shooting atlantida with the restoration-gel rifle. not-long-now is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I see,' says Atlantida. 'You have the rifle. Clever, but do think. You might do some damage with that thing, but you won't escape. So why hurt anyone unnecessarily?'" Waiting for guards is a scene. Waiting for guards begins when atlantida-woman recollects summoning-guards. Waiting for guards ends in capture when the time since waiting for guards began is 2 minutes. Report waiting during waiting for guards: say "[one of]I don't think we have much time left[or]Time is slipping past, time when we could be doing something[or]It can't be much longer now[at random]." instead. Waiting for guards ends in diversion when atlantida-woman is not visible. When waiting for guards ends in capture: say "There are noises in the next room, and a moment later a couple of All-Purpose Officers burst into the room, gel rifles and real rifles drawn. 'You're slow,' Atlantida says, seating herself on the ridiculous bed. 'I thought we had trained for this eventuality.' The officer nearest the door turns red. 'This has been a busy day, madam,' he says. As though she were a queen."; end the story saying "We have been caught". Before shooting the atlantida-woman with the rifle: if the player is not carrying the rifle: try taking the rifle; say "Her eyes follow the gesture. 'Don't you dare, you little traitor,' she says. 'I have been your mother, your father, your waking up and your going to sleep, your teachers and your lovers and your friends. I am the integrity of this island. Change me and you change Atlantis forever.' 'Maybe it's time,' I say. 'Maybe part of the business of democracy is having the arguments[--]' You don't let me finish. [run paragraph on]" Instead of showing something to Atlantida-woman: say "You know better than to give away any unnecessary information, any advantage." Rule for quip-introducing how fusion happens: say "Fused? We should be two pieces by now. Maybe she has an explanation? But you seem to be focused on her gun hand. How can you be so calm?"; strip how fusion happens from the table. how fusion happens is a questioning quip. The comment is "'Fused?' [you] repeat.". Understand "fused" or "what has happened" or "what happened" or "happened" or "chance" or "explanation" or "separation" or "us" or "ourselves" or "stuck" or "gel rifle" as how fusion happens. It mentions yourself. The response is "'Sometimes a synthetic person gets broken,' Atlantida says. 'Forced into a choice [if the library message person is second person]he[otherwise]she[end if] would never have made on [if the library message person is second person]his[otherwise]her[end if] own. Impossible to separate because you aren't two whole people any more.'". It quip-supplies Atlantida-woman. It directly-follows gel-shot. thing-about-democracy is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "Atlantida smiles with half a mouth. 'You've arrived on a difficult day. In the ordinary course of things, I keep things quiet: the spirit of democracy, but none of the sordid wrangling and bribes and corruption and compromise. It's only when the spirit of the island itself is threatened, that we have to resort to such extreme measures[casually queue more-about-democracy][if the infertile astrologer is visible].' The infertile astrologer sidles closer to us, smiling and making hand signs that I think are supposed to represent Aries. Old bat.[otherwise].'[end if]" After examining the infertile astrologer when Atlantida-woman does not recollect thing-about-democracy: say "She's investigating the room and muttering to herself, but Atlantida seems to be ignoring her for the most part. She'll have worked her way over by us soon." After examining the infertile astrologer when Atlantida-woman recollects thing-about-democracy: say "She's standing within arm's reach now." Instead of putting restoration gel on the infertile astrologer when Atlantida-woman does not recollect thing-about-democracy: say "The astrologer is still a little too far away to reach. She's moving towards us, though. If we wait, perhaps..." more-about-democracy is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Do you think the protesters would feel happier if there had been a citizen referendum where their position had been voted down? The outcome would have been just the same, but they would feel much more responsible for it; surely an unpleasant position for them to be in, considering their moral objections.'" whether the protesters feel the same way is a questioning quip. The comment is "'What about the protesters?' [you] ask. 'They don't like your policy. Are you sure you're really representing the spirit of Atlantis, or have you gone some other way of your own?'". It mentions security, bureau. The response is "Atlantida shrugs off our question. 'A vocal minority. Most people are content to keep what they have. Imagine the chaos if everyone had free access to the Bureau's complete range of letter tools, and if there were no laws about how to use them[casually queue more-about-democracy].'". It quip-supplies Atlantida-woman. It directly-follows thing-about-democracy. Understand "if" as whether the protesters feel the same way. Carry out Atlantida-woman discussing gel-shot: now the player is gelled. Carry out taking the anagramming gun: [Once we've decided we need it, we need to keep carrying it] now the anagramming gun is essential. Before putting restoration gel on the infertile astrologer: if Atlantida-woman does not recollect summoning-guards: queue summoning-guards as immediate obligatory; otherwise: queue not-long-now as immediate obligatory. Instead of throwing the tub at the Atlantida-woman: say "We fling the tub at her. Unfortunately, the gel is sticky enough that it doesn't, as I had sort of hoped, spill out all over her. She dodges, then hurls it back at us [--] and she has better aim[casually queue anti-gel comment]." Instead of going somewhere in the presence of Atlantida-woman: say "'I don't think so,' says Atlantida. As she's physically about twice our mass, I think she'll win this one." Every turn when atlantida-woman is carrying something (called target) which is not the restoration-gel rifle: try Atlantida-woman dropping the target. Report atlantida-woman dropping the infertile astrologer: say "The infertile astrologer falls awkwardly to earth and looks around in confusion[casually queue cutting-remark]." instead. cutting-remark is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Oh, bravo,' says Atlantida. 'Could you possibly have made a less useful ally?'" Before putting restoration gel on Atlantida-woman: say "We dab a bit on our finger and approach, but she is far too large, far too spry. She catches our wrist and forces us aside, until the gel is harmlessly absorbed into our own skin[casually queue anti-gel comment]." instead. anti-gel comment is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Oh, no, my dear,' Atlantida says. 'They could remake me, but it wouldn't be the [i]same[/i] me, would it? It would be some new construct. The Atlantida of today. And that's not the way to a consistent policy, is it?'" Check shooting Atlantida-woman with the anagramming gun: casually queue anti-anagram comment. anti-anagram comment is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'I'm not so vulnerable,' she remarks. 'They chose my name carefully.'" that the outside world matters is an unlisted informative quip. The comment is "'We have important things to do in the outside world. Atlantis can't keep all of its power to itself.'". It mentions yourself. The response is "'And do you know what would happen if Atlantean power were to spread beyond our borders? The rest of the world would become just like us. The incentive to wipe out every diversity, every variation of language would be too great.'". It quip-supplies Atlantida-woman. how she justifies cold storage is an unlisted questioning quip. The comment is "'How do you excuse putting people in Cold Storage? It's a human rights violation.'". It mentions crime, legislation. The response is "Atlantida makes a motion as though brushing away an insect. 'The laws of Atlantis are special. They keep us strong; they keep the rest of the world safe.'". It quip-supplies Atlantida-woman. [Carry out shooting the anagramming gun at something in the presence of ] [Test oracle with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / unmonkey / wave h-remover at power chord / open tub" in the Oracle holding the anagramming gun and the power chord and the pastis and the tub.] [Her reactions to gunning down other objects...] After shooting something with the anagramming gun in the presence of atlantida-woman when the detritus is the sickest offal : queue is-it-commentary as immediate obligatory; continue the action. Is-it-commentary is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "She makes a disgusted face. 'I hope you're planning to clean that up.'" Instead of Atlantida-woman discussing is-it-commentary when atlantida-woman carries the restoration-gel rifle and the sickest offal is visible: say "She looks annoyed and shoots the offal. "; gel-convert the offal; say "[one of]'As political commentary, that wasn't very well-conceived.'[or]'I have plenty of ammunition in this rifle,' she remarks.[or]This time she doesn't bother to comment.[stopping]". After shooting something with the anagramming gun in the presence of atlantida-woman when the detritus is the intaglio-pins: queue not-so-bad-pins as immediate obligatory; continue the action. not-so-bad-pins is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "[one of]'Hm,' Atlantida comments, remarking the intaglio pins. 'Makes a change from the paintings, I suppose. I don't mean to complain [--] they did go to quite some effort over these chambers [--] but one gets tired of the same scenery after a while, don't you think?'[or]Her glance flickers towards the pins but she doesn't seem to think they deserve any further remark.[stopping]" After shooting something with the anagramming gun in the presence of atlantida-woman when the detritus is the kind ladies : queue barely-acknowledges as immediate obligatory; continue the action. barely-acknowledges is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "Atlantida's glance flickers towards the ladies, but she barely acknowledges them." Instead of atlantida-woman discussing barely-acknowledges when atlantida-woman carries the restoration-gel rifle and the kind ladies are visible: say "[one of]'Is [--] is there anything I could do to assist?' asks one of the ladies. 'It looks as though you two are having a bit of a disagreement. Maybe if we all sat down together and talked about what we are feeling [--]'[or]This time one of the ladies offers a muffin.[no line break][or]The ladies back nervously against the wall, except one who says, 'I still think we could work this out.'[no line break][or]The ladies are cowed but regard us with mute hope.[no line break][stopping] Atlantida [one of]rolls her eyes and fires the weapon, hitting the lady speaking neatly in the middle of the forehead. She doesn't seem much bothered by the idea that these fake people are essentially her own kind, really[or]casually shoots the speaker again[or]picks off the ladies with her rifle[stopping]. [run paragraph on]"; gel-convert the kind ladies. [And some ways of attacking her...] Sanity-check going east in the presence of atlantida-woman: say "[You] would have to get through her first." instead. After attacking atlantida-woman with something when Atlantida-woman carries the restoration-gel rifle: if the second noun is proffered by Brock: continue the action; if the second noun is proffered by something which is not the second noun: say "Atlantida raises the rifle and fires with certain aim before the blow has a chance to land. [run paragraph on]"; gel-convert the second noun; otherwise: say "[You] leap forward and slash with [the second noun][one of]. She parries the blow with the body of [the restoration-gel rifle]. It doesn't even look damaged[or]. She wards us off with the rifle[or]. She dodges[at random]." Report attacking atlantida-woman with the leaf: say "[You] wield the leaf like a dagger[one of] and slice across her arm, drawing blood. She recoils, angry but not deterred[or]. This time [you] don't manage to land another blow[stopping]." instead. Report attacking atlantida-woman with something: say "[one of][You] swing [the second noun] at her, but can't quite reach. She's keeping her distance[or]Closing some of the distance, [you] try a slash of [the second noun]. She leaps backward[or][You] lunge with [the second noun], but she dodges[cycling]." instead. Instead of throwing something at atlantida-woman: if the noun is r-abstract: say "[The noun] wouldn't make much impact, other than perhaps notionally. And Atlantida doesn't look like she's open to persuasion, even if the concept of [the noun] were one that carried weight in this situation."; otherwise if the noun is floppy and the noun is long: say "[The noun] make[s] a poor projectile and land[s] back near our own feet."; move the noun to the location; otherwise if the noun is long: say "[You] cast [the noun], javelin-like, at Atlantida's heart, but [one of]she dodges[or][you] undercalculate the amount of force required and [the noun] clatter[s] to the ground instead[or]miss[at random]. Her expression is disdainful."; move the noun to the location; otherwise if the heft of the noun is less than 3: let random-destiny be a random supporter which is in the location; say "[You] fling [the noun] at Atlantida, but [one of][it-they] bounce[s] off unexcitingly and land[s] on[or]with a swipe of her arm she deflects [it-them] to[at random] [the random-destiny]."; move the noun to the random-destiny; otherwise if the heft of the noun is greater than 3: say "[The noun] [is-are] too heavy for us to throw at all effectively."; otherwise: say "[You] chuck [the noun] at Atlantida. [It-they] strike[s] her hard enough to elicit an outraged 'Oof!', but that doesn't seem to have substantially impaired her." Understand "gun hand" as the restoration-gel rifle when the restoration-gel rifle is carried by Atlantida-woman. Test oracle with "tutorial off / autoupgrade / unmonkey / load gun / wave h-remover at power chord / open tub / look / x paintings / x charts / x fable / gel paperweight / gel fable / look up 1942 in cabinet / look up 1982 in cabinet / look up 1962 in cabinet / look up 1958 / look up 1964 / look up 2003 / look up 1983 in cabinet / x paper / x weight / get weight / e / e / e / put pastis in bucket / go to workshop / plug in cord / go to surveillance / d / get counter / go to workshop / put counter and weight on dais / turn switch / pull lever / get counterweight / go to tunnel / put counterweight on hook / pull counterweight / e" in the Oracle holding the anagramming gun and the bullets and the power chord and the pastis and the tub. Test missiles with "establish / throw rock at Atlantida / throw paper at atlantida / throw plans at atlantida / throw sword at atlantida / throw tub at atlantida / throw pans at atlantida / throw ire at atlantida" holding the rock and the page and the sword and the secret-plans and the iron-pans and the ire. Test attacks with "establish / hit atlantida with sword / hit atlantida with foil / hit atlantida with stick / hit atlantida with sill / hit atlantida with leaf / hit atlantida with slat / hit atlantida with track / hit atlantida with warm rods / hit atlantida with wand batch / hit atlantida with swordstick / hit atlantida with crosspiece" holding the sword and the foil and the stick and the sill and the leaf and the slat and the track and the warm rods and the wand batch and the swordstick and the crosspiece. Section 13 - Scene Interlude with Guards Sanity-check going through the tall window when Atlantida-refreshed is off-stage: if library message person is second person: say "[You] could do that. [You] could climb out that window and not look back. It would be faster, easier, unquestionably safer. But what about the people we're leaving behind? What about my father and Professor Higgate? What about the protesters who got arrested today? We'll only know they're safe if we leave this island with a new, improved Atlantida. Someone the Bureau will have to listen to. The one they were afraid of creating. One who will put power back in the hands of the citizen referendum. So you tell me how it's going to be. Are you going to stay and see to things? >>"; if the player consents: extend scene time; say "[line break]That's what I thought." instead; otherwise: say "[line break]Should've known. Well, I suppose I can't stop you."; now the description of the newspaper is "It's the Chard-Farmer's Daily from Atlantis. It describes in glowing terms the delightful festival that was Serial Comma Day. There is no reference at all to the protests and mass depluralization, much less to anything that might have happened to my father or Professor Higgate."; otherwise: extend scene time; say "Maybe you would do that. I've got a little more on the line, and you've lost most of your vote, so we're going to do things my way. We're going to reinstate Atlantida in her new form. Someone the Bureau will have to listen to. Someone who will be merciful to Brock and Higgate and all those protesters, who'll put the power back in the hands of the citizen referendum." instead; [At the point where we decide not to escape, we want to give the player an extension on time to complete the transformation of Atlantida to make sure there's no loss.] To extend scene time: while the number of filled rows in the Table of Guard Warnings is less than 10: choose a blank row in the Table of Guard Warnings; now description entry is "[one of]Strangely quiet out there[or]No signs of anyone coming for us quite yet[or]The lull continues[at random]." Further guards is a scene. Further guards begins when atlantida chat has ended and the time since atlantida chat ended is 2 minutes. When further guards begins: say "There's a distant sound of movement. Someone is looking for us." Further guards ends in escape when the location is Precarious Perch. Further guards ends in imminence when guard-imminence begins. Report waiting during further guards: say "[one of]I don't think we have much time left[or]Time is slipping past, time when we could be doing something[or]It can't be much longer now[at random]." instead. When further guards ends in escape: say "Whoever is looking for us, we should be out of their way now." Every turn during Further Guards: repeat through the Table of Guard Warnings: if there is a description entry: unless the description entry is "": say "[description entry][paragraph break]"; blank out the whole row; break. Table of Guard Warnings description "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "Maybe those noises we heard earlier were nothing. It's quiet now." "Our ears are straining for something far away." "" "The silence is eerie." "" "A distant alarm bell is ringing." "" "The faint ringing continues." Guard-imminence is a scene. Guard-imminence begins when the player can see the programmable dais and the player can see the atlantida-shellfish. Guard-imminence ends in postponement when the player can see atlantida-refreshed. [The design principle here is that the player is on a timer, but every time he succeeds at moving the plot forward, that timer is stopped and a new one starts. So it's never possible to fail a late-stage scene because of having taken too long in an earlier stage.] Every turn during Guard-imminence: repeat through the Table of Severe Guard Warnings: if there is a description entry: unless the description entry is "": say "[description entry][paragraph break]"; blank out the whole row; break. Table of Severe Guard Warnings description "I definitely hear footsteps. And voices." "" "" "There's a percussive explosion sound from the west." "" "Banging. More percussion." "" "" "Whoever is coming, they're not trying to be stealthy." Guard-imminence ends in capture when the number of filled rows in the Table of Severe Guard Warnings is 0. When guard-imminence ends in capture: say "There are noises in the next room, a couple of All-Purpose Officers burst into the room, gel rifles and real rifles drawn. 'Where is she?' asks a commanding voice. A man we haven't met comes in and surveys the area. 'What have you done with Atlantida?' We say nothing."; end the story saying "We have been caught". Test almostlast with "tutorial off / load gun / put counterweight on hook / open tub / open portcullis / go through portcullis / x files / a cold storage / look / shoot anagramming gun at gel rifle / look / gel astrologer / shoot gel rifle at atlantida" in the Tunnel holding the anagramming gun and the bullets and the tub and the counterweight. Test lastmeeting with "tutorial off / open tub / x files / a cold storage / look / shoot anagramming gun at gel rifle / look / gel astrologer / shoot gel rifle at atlantida" in the Personal Apartment holding the anagramming gun and the tub. Section 14 - The Nicer Atlantida Atlantida-refreshed is a woman. "Atlantida stands nearby, urging us to hurry out via the Private Solarium[one of]. I think she's enjoying her role as conspiratorial heroine[or][stopping]." The printed name of atlantida-refreshed is "Atlantida". Understand "atlantida" as atlantida-refreshed. The description of Atlantida-refreshed is "She looks very similar to her earlier self, but the differences are there. The eyes are grey now. A tattoo of a writhing squid encircles her left wrist. Her face is younger." Atlantida-shooing is a scene. Atlantida-shooing begins when guard-imminence ends in postponement. When Atlantida-shooing begins: set the current interlocutor to Atlantida-refreshed; say "She gets to her feet."; now atlantida-refreshed is in Workshop; queue you-had-better-leave as immediate obligatory; queue really-go-now as postponed obligatory. Atlantida-shooing ends when the location is Personal Apartment and the portcullis is open. you-had-better-leave is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'You'd better leave, quickly,' she says. 'I'll make sure your friends get out, but it will be easier if we don't have to explain you as well.'" how to fix the fusion is a questioning quip. The comment is "'The two of us, Alex and Andra, we seem to be stuck together permanently. You don't happen to know how to remove our fusion?'" The response is "She shakes her head. 'We've never found a way to undo that effect completely,' she says. 'I'm sorry. But try to listen to both your voices. One may be the weaker now, but if you try to kill that self entirely, it tends to cause a severe mental illness.'" It quip-supplies atlantida-refreshed. what Atlantida kens concerning synthesis is a questioning quip. The printed name is "what Atlantida knows about synthesis". Understand "knows" or "she" or "about" as what Atlantida kens concerning synthesis. It directly-follows how to fix the fusion. The comment is "'Wait, what do you know about synthes[ize]d people?' If we don't find out now, will there be a better time?" The response is "'There have been experiments. They didn't end well, though most didn't collapse into a single dominant personality as quickly as you. You've been under unusual stress.'" It quip-supplies atlantida-refreshed. really-go-now is an NPC-directed quip. The response is "'Hurry!' she says. 'Take the window in the Solarium, climb down the beach. Don't look back.'" Instead of showing the rifle to atlantida-refreshed: try discussing return the rifle. Instead of giving the rifle to atlantida-refreshed: try discussing return the rifle. Carry out someone discussing return the rifle: now atlantida-refreshed carries the restoration-gel rifle; now restoration-gel rifle is not essential. An availability rule for return the rifle: if the player does not carry the restoration-gel rifle: it is off-limits; make no decision. return the rifle is an unlisted performative quip. The comment is "'Here,' we say, handing the restoration gel rifle over. 'I imagine you should have this now.'" The response is "'Thanks,' she says, looking actually rather touched. 'But come on! There's no time to waste.'" It mentions the restoration-gel rifle. It quip-supplies atlantida-refreshed. Carry out going to the Surveillance Room during Atlantida-shooing: now Atlantida-refreshed is in the Surveillance Room; if the player is staid: say "Atlantida follows, looking around sharply. Her expression when she sees the computers and television screens is wry, but she doesn't say anything. No time now, perhaps." Carry out going to the Tunnel during Atlantida-shooing: now Atlantida-refreshed is in the Tunnel; if the player is staid: say "Atlantida accompanies us, close on our heels in the narrow space." Carry out going to the Personal Apartment during Atlantida-shooing: now Atlantida-refreshed is in the Personal Apartment; if the player is staid: say "Atlantida comes along with us." Carry out going to the Private Solarium when Atlantida-shooing is happening or Portcullis-breaking is happening: now Atlantida-refreshed is in the Private Solarium; if the player is staid: say "She follows. 'Go, go,' she says. 'You've done good work today. Atlantis is grateful.'" Carry out going through the tall window: now the tall window is closed; now the tall window is locked; if Atlantida-refreshed is in the Private Solarium: say "As soon as we're through, Atlantida closes the window behind us, and we hear it lock. No evidence that we came through here, now."; otherwise: say "[You] close the window behind us."; Portcullis-threat is a scene. Portcullis-threat begins when Atlantida-shooing ends. Portcullis-threat ends in delay when the portcullis is closed. Portcullis-threat ends in capture when the time since Portcullis-threat began is 4 minutes. When Portcullis-threat begins: say "Someone is coming into the workshop upstairs. There's at most a few seconds before they'll be down the tunnel."; When Portcullis-threat ends in capture: say "The guards arrive. [You] [are] captured and taken away for interrogation, and it's some time before Atlantida is able to arrange for our release."; end the story saying "That could have gone better" When Portcullis-threat ends in delay: say "The portcullis should at least slow down anyone coming after us. Though that's only moderately comforting." Portcullis-breaking is a scene. Portcullis-breaking begins when Portcullis-threat ends in delay. Portcullis-breaking ends in stupidity when the portcullis is open. Portcullis-breaking ends in final-threat when the location is the Solarium. When Portcullis-breaking ends in stupidity: say "Reopening the portcullis turns out to have been a poor idea, because it means there's nothing to delay the guards storming down from above. [You] [are] captured and taken away for interrogation, and it's some time before Atlantida is able to arrange for our release."; end the story saying "That could have gone better" When Portcullis-breaking ends in final-threat: say "From the other room, the noises make it sound as though someone is using a metal torch to dismantle the portcullis bar by bar."; Guard-capture is a scene. Guard-capture begins when Portcullis-breaking ends in final-threat. Guard-capture ends in capture when the time since Guard-capture began is 5 minutes. Guard-capture ends in freedom when the location is Precarious Perch. When Guard-capture ends in capture: say "Despite the admonishments of the new Atlantida, the Bureau officers who get through the door are not inclined to stop and chat. [You] [are] captured and taken away for interrogation, and it's some time before Atlantida is able to arrange for our release."; end the story saying "That could have gone better" Volume 7 - Hint System [ Once there were going to be hints. Then I realized just how much insanity that implied, given the many different solution paths. There was no chance of automating this the way Bronze does; and for that matter, just checking whether the player has an object that could be used to solve a given puzzle could be very hard. So I wussed out. ] Chapter 1 - Hint Vocabulary Understand "hint about [something]" or "think about [something]" as requesting hint about. Requesting hint about is an action out of world applying to one thing. Sanity-check requesting hint about something: say "What, in hard mode? Really." instead. Report requesting hint about something: say "Beats me, honestly." Chapter 2 - Hints for Reusable Items and Tools Report requesting hint about the player: say "Each of us is perhaps a bit of a puzzle to the other, it's true. But we've only got to share this body for a few hours, right?" instead. Report requesting hint about the letter-remover: say "This is a highly useful multi-purpose device, which we're going to need many times in order to get off this island, I'm guessing. We can set it to a particular letter and wave it at things — or, as a shortcut, just WAVE A-REMOVER AT COAT, for instance." instead. Report requesting hint about the homonym paddle: say "The homonym paddle transforms any object into another object with the same name. We're not going to succeed in stealing it from the bartender, but in many cases she may be willing to make the transformation for us, if we show things to her." instead. Report requesting hint about the t-inserter machine: say "Putting items into the T-inserter will add the letter T to them — in some cases, multiple Ts." instead. Report requesting hint about the synthesizer: say "To synthesize two objects, we need to place both inside the synthesizer (so very large items may not fit), then turn the synthesizer on." instead. Report requesting hint about the backpack: say "We carry things around in it, and of course it's a useful place to stash items that we might not want someone to notice on us at first glance." instead. Report requesting hint about the monocle: say "The chief advantage of the monocle is that it lets us see what an item used to be before it underwent letter transformation (if it did). That works almost all of the time, unless someone has used Origin Paste on the item. But Origin Paste isn't that easy to come by." instead. Report requesting hint about the authentication scope: say "The scope works like my monocle: it allows the secretary to detect items that were forged." instead. Report requesting hint about the origin paste: say "RUB paste on something in order to disguise it from monocles and authentication scopes. It'll leave behind the scent of lavender for a little while, but sometimes, especially in outdoor or busy environments, people won't notice the scent. (And, incidentally, there's plenty of paste, so I doubt we should concern ourselves with the possibility of running out.)" instead. Report requesting hint about the restoration gel: say "Think of this as a gigantic eraser for any mistakes we might make. It reverts any letter-changed items back to their original form, so if we create the wrong object or just want to retrieve the original, we can do so." instead. Report requesting hint about the flash drive: say "This is full of my plans and schemes, and while I have every hope that it's going to be very very useful in the outside world, there's nothing in there that will help us with our escape. Just hanging onto it and getting off the island alive would meet my expectations, as far as the flash drive is concerned." instead. Report requesting hint about the bills: say "There's enough money here to supply us anything we need to buy between now and the point where we get off the island." instead. Report requesting hint about the plans: say "Personally, I don't care much about the plans at all, but they're evidently of considerable value to you, assuming you can get them off the island and into the hands of your prospective buyers. Between now and then, they're more of a liability than an asset." instead. Report requesting hint about the restoration-gel rifle: say "This works like regular restoration gel, with the signal exception that it can act at a distance. SHOOT the rifle at things in order to restore them to their original letter form." instead. Report requesting hint about the Britishizing goggles: say "I think they were a bit of a white elephant purchase on your part. I can't see what good they're ever going to do us." instead. Report requesting hint about the Catalan punt volat needle: say "I can't think of any reason why that would ever be useful to us." instead. Report requesting hint about the programmable dais: say "It looks to me as though this can do the functions of a synthes[ize]r and of a homonym paddle — and possibly also get around some of the size and power restrictions we've faced with earlier tools. Switching the switch will swap over from one function to the other." instead. Report requesting hint about the spinner: if the spinner-gate is locked: say "[one of]If we put something on the spinner, it rotates the letters of the word to appear backwards[or]It seems that successfully rotating something on the spinner has the secondary effect of unlocking the gate[or]We will need something whose letters form a word when reversed as well[or]Buying a yam from the farmer's stall might give us the equipment we need[or]GO TO HESYCHIUS, then BUY YAM, then PUT YAM ON SPINNER[stopping]." instead; else: say "We've already unlocked the gate, but we can still use the spinner to rotate other words if we like." instead. Chapter 3 - Hints about Useless Scenery Report requesting hint about an unlocked door: say "[The noun] is unlocked, which seems sufficient for the time being." instead. Report requesting hint about a scenery container: if something is in the noun: say "The only interesting thing about [the noun] is that [it-they] contain[s] [a list of things in the noun]." instead; say "I don't think [the noun] is likely to be of great significance to us, unless there's something useful inside." instead. Report requesting hint about a scenery thing: say "[The noun] [is-are] too large to be converted into anything with the letter tools at our disposal, I think." instead. Report requesting hint about the altar: say "[one of]It is going to take something other than prayer to get us out of here[or]I don't think there's anything useful we can do with the altar[or]There might be something minorly amusing to do with the altar, but it won't solve any of our problems[stopping]." instead. Report requesting hint about the customs house: say "The customs house is only useful for people who are leaving the island. The less we have to do with it before then, the better." instead. Report requesting hint about a screen which is part of something (called the parent computer): say "[The noun] [is-are] just there to let us read the output of [the parent computer]." instead. Report requesting hint about portholes: say "[The noun] [is-are] only there to let in the light. I don't think we can use [it-them] for anything." instead. Report requesting hint about a drain: say "[The noun] [is-are] an ordinary part of the plumbling here, but not terribly important." instead. Report requesting hint about a blanket: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't likely to be a lot of help to us." instead. Report requesting hint about some sheets: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't likely to be a lot of help to us." instead. Report requesting hint about a pillow: say "[The noun] [is-are]n't likely to be a lot of help to us." instead. [Report requesting hint about the desk-attendant: say "I don't think she can help us with much. She might be able to make a bit of conversation, but to be honest, the less of an impression we make on her, the better." instead.] Report requesting hint about the gift shop volunteer: say "To me, he looks like a slightly bored old man. Chat with him if you want, but I don't think he's going to solve any major problems for us." instead. Report requesting hint about the depluralizing cannon: say "If it weren't for this thing, Anglophone Atlantis wouldn't exist — not as an independent country, anyhow. That said, I don't think we're going to find a use for it ourselves, and that's just as well. Depluralizing people is typically considered a war crime." instead. Chapter 4 - Puzzle Hints Section 1 - Tutorial Area Check requesting hint about the code: try requesting hint about the code-lock. Report requesting hint about the codex: say "[one of]A codex without an X is a code[or]Try WAVE X-REMOVER AT CODEX[stopping]." instead. Check requesting hint about the temporary barrier: try requesting hint about the code-lock instead. Report requesting hint about the code-lock: if the code-lock is unlocked: say "The barrier has been unlocked; there's nothing left for us to do there." instead; if the codex is unseen: say "[one of]It seems we need a code to open the lock. Something nearby might be useful[or]There's a [codex] in the museum window; maybe we could do something with that[stopping]." instead; if the code is unseen: say "[one of]Let's try transforming the CODEX into the code we need[or]Personally, I'd try WAVE X-REMOVER AT CODEX[stopping]." instead; say "Now we've got a code: SET LOCK TO CODE." instead. Check requesting hint about a pan: try requesting hint about the word-balance instead. Check requesting hint about the barker: try requesting hint about the word-balance instead. Check requesting hint about something which is on a pan when the barker is in the location: try requesting hint about the word-balance instead. Report requesting hint about the word-balance: if the barker is not in the location, say "The word-balance challenge has already been solved. I don't think there's anything more we can do with it." instead; say "[one of]The balance will tilt if the contents of one pan are lighter than those of the other.[or]We can't take anything out, but perhaps we could change what's already there.[or]The letter-remover would come in handy for this.[or]There are several different changes we could make.[or]We could try WAVE R-REMOVER AT PEAR.[stopping]" instead. Report requesting hint about the ticket: if the cinema lobby is not visited: say "Most likely this will come in handy somewhere where we need a ticket." instead; if the Screening Room is visited: [this should not occur, because he should have torn the ticket up] say "We have already gotten past the ticket-taker." instead; if the location is not the cinema lobby: say "This might be more useful back at the cinema lobby." instead; say "Giving the ticket to the ticket-taker would probably get us into the screening room." instead. Report requesting hint about the ticket-taker: if the Screening Room is visited, say "We have already gotten past the ticket-taker. He'll remember that now and let us come and go as needed." instead; if the Church Garden is unvisited, say "[one of]We should explore further.[or]We haven't yet explored the area of the church.[or]The church garden would be a good place to look.[or]Let's GO TO THE CHURCH, then GO WEST into the garden.[stopping]" instead; if the ticket is not seen, say "[one of]There is something in the church garden that might be useful.[or]We could remove the h from THICKET in the church garden.[stopping]" instead; if the player carries the ticket, say "We could give the ticket to the ticket-taker."; otherwise say "We could get the ticket and give it to the ticket-taker."; stop the action. Report requesting hint about the tube: say "[one of]It would be useful if this were a larger container.[or]Perhaps something that could be made from the word TUBE.[or]How about a tub?[or]WAVE E-REMOVER AT TUBE.[stopping]"; stop the action. Check requesting hint about the locker when the lock is visible: try requesting hint about the lock instead. Report requesting hint about the locker: say "Since the lock has been dealt with, we should be set." instead. Report requesting hint about the backpacking girl: say "[one of]We can't retrieve our things with the backpacking girl here watching, so we'll have to get her to leave[or]I bet we could freak her out with one of those standard tricks Atlanteans play on tourists — show her something really upsetting that's actually letter-created[or]Like maybe a disembodied body part[or][body-part-suggestion][stopping]." instead. To say body-part-suggestion: if the player carries a freaky thing (called recommended freaky): say "I suggest showing [recommended freaky] to the girl"; else if a freaky thing (called recommended freaky) is seen: say "Showing the girl [the recommended freaky] might work"; else: say "[one of]I know we've seen something that could be converted into a body part[or]The wheel back at the Fair might do[or]W-remove the wheel, then take the heel and show it to the girl, is what I'm thinking of[stopping]."; Check requesting hint about the lock when the backpacking girl is visible: try requesting hint about the backpacking girl instead. Report requesting hint about the lock: if the player does not enclose the tub and the player does not enclose the tube: if the barker is in the Midway: say "[one of]To get past the lock, we may have to restore it to its original self.[or]To do that, it would be helpful if we had some restoration gel.[or]Try the game with the barker first.[stopping]"; else: say "[one of]We'll need that gel we won from the barker.[stopping]"; else if the player encloses the tube: say "[one of]The restoration gel might come in handy.[or]Of course, we'd need a larger supply of it.[or]We'd better concentrate on the tube before trying to get past the lock.[stopping]"; else: say "[one of]The lock was not originally a lock.[or]Maybe we can restore it to what it was originally.[or]PUT GEL ON LOCK.[stopping]"; stop the action. Section 2 - Endgame Report requesting hint about the umlaut punch: if the power chord is unseen: say "I'm kind of curious to see it in action, aren't you? I mean, we could try putting something inside, just for fun." instead; else: say "Since we're not in a German-speaking environment, I think we've discovered the only major use this thing is ever going to have. Unless there are some other childhood-fav[our]ite bands you're desperate to resurrect?" instead. Report requesting hint about the anagramming gun: if the anagramming gun is loaded: say "[You] can shoot it at things to rearrange the letters. But be cautious; this isn't a toy. There's good reason they keep it locked away." instead; else if the anagramming gun is not touchable: say "It's a tempting article, but honestly I don't see any way to reach the gun from here." instead; else: say "Before we can use this thing, we'll need to load it. These things take special ammunition, which might be around somewhere." instead. Report requesting hint about the cryptolock: say "[one of]This looks a little like the spinner lock we saw back in Roget's Close all that while back[or]We need to put something into the bucket that can successfully be transformed, using the rules of this lock[or]Apparently, the bucket rotates vowels forward: A to E, E to I and so on[or]Anything we possess that could make that transformation would do[stopping]." Volume 8 - Tests Chapter 1 - Tests - Not for release Section 1 - Ordinary Tests [First, a set of tests that runs us through the entire game and also verifies that the remove-all-letters achievement can be accomplished.] Test me with "test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test act4 / test act5". Test me2 with "test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test act4 / test act5A". Test act1 with "tutorial off / test gel / test church/ test hostel / test cinema". Test act2 with "test chard / test car / test Slango-missed / test origin-getting / test crate-collection / test contraband-fixing / test Slango-refound / test circlewalkout". Test act3 with "test home-break / test uni / test keycardgetting". Test act4 with "test rectification / test z-getting / test synthesis / test pinata / test breakin / test wig / test easyinsertion". [Version where you save Brock, betray Dad, and leave on the roc's back] Test act5 with "test dadchat / test meetA / test escape1 / test escape3". [Version where you betray Brock, save Dad, and leave via the bollard and squid] Test act5A with "test dadchat2 / test meetA / test escape1 / test escape2". Test leafletgetting with "test act1 / test chard / test car / test Slango-missed / test origin-getting / test contraband-fixing / test Slango-refound / get out / put paste on car / get out / wave o-remover at olive branch / get rifle / shoot signet / shoot tree / shoot affixer / get leaflet / shoot affixer / shoot signet / g". Test tolena with "test act1 / test chard / test car / test Slango-missed / test origin-getting / test crate-collection". Test toSlango with "test act1 / test chard / test car / test Slango-missed / test origin-getting / test crate-collection / test contraband-fixing". Test tocircle with "test act1 / test chard / test car / test Slango-missed / test origin-getting / test contraband-fixing / test Slango-refound". Test toequip with "test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test act4 / test dadchat". Test tobureau with "test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test act4 / test dadchat / test meetA ". Test tohiggate with "test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test rectification / test z-getting / test synthesis / go to tall street". Test tobrock with "test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test rectification / test z-getting / test synthesis / test pinata / test breakin / test hairpiece". Test towaterstone with "test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test rectification / find synthesizer / wave l-remover at clock / put cock in synthesizer / wave r-remover at pearl / wave l-remover at peal / put pea in synthesizer / turn on synthesizer / get peacock / go to department office". Test alternateescape with "test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test act4 / test synthesis / test customs / test brock / wave k-remover at rock / go to precarious / wave k-remover at rock". Test gel with "n / wave u-remover at mourning dress / score / e / wave x-remover at codex / x code / unlock barrier / set barrier to 305 / go to fair / x wheel / wave w-remover at wheel / get heel / look / score / go to Midway / wave p-remover at apple / get pear / wave e-remover at tube / open tub / put gel on pear / put gel on ale / get apple / wave l-remover at pearl / wave p-remover at pear / e". Test church with "go to garden / wave h-remover at thicket / get all". Test hostel with "go to hostel / up / x lock / remember lock / open locker / x girl / show ear to girl / turn dial / x dial / d / talk to attendant / ask attendant about locker / up / put gel on dial / get clock / open locker / get all / x letter / remember /x plans / wave l-remover at plans / wave s-remover at pans / d / w / w". Test cinema with "go to cinema / give ticket to ticket-taker / w / get all / open backpack / wear monocle / n / get jotter". Test chard with "go to Hesychius Street / talk to farmer / ask about sale / buy asparagus / buy lime / wave m-remover at lime / n / ne / get chard / look / sw". Test car with "go to crumbling wall / get fossil / wave s-remover at fossil / wave f-remover at foil / go to close / put gel on pan / wave l-remover at plans / put pans on spinner / go to beach / get funnel / wave n-remover at funnel / go to high street / z / go to high street / wave h-remover at chard / wave d-remover at card / put fuel in car / wave b-remover at garbage / talk to mechanic / ask mechanic about car / give oil to mechanic". Test Slango-missed with "go to counterfeit monkey / e / take off monocle / put all in backpack / close backpack / go to counterfeit monkey / open backpack / y". Test origin-getting with " go to outdoor / open backpack / look / wave p-remover at spill / get sill / go to counterfeit monkey / talk to barman / ask about slango / challenge parker about the rum / ask about paste / ask how / play / show sill to barman / put gel on sill / wave s-remover at spill / show pill to barman / put gel on pill / wave p-remover at spill / get sill / get paste". Test crate-collection with "go to tin hut / prop trap door with sill / down / open crate / get all / wave r-remover at crate / get cate / up / get sill". Test contraband-fixing with "go to aquarium / ask whether / say who / x contraband / wave m-remover at modems / wave s-remover at odes / put gel on ode / wave m-remover at modems / wave s-remover at preamps / wave p-remover at preamp / put paste on ream / put paste on odes / ask whether / encourage lena / put gel on as". Test Slango-refound with "go to counterfeit monkey / x slango / say who / explain / z / a trouble / complain / look / e / go to convenience". Test home-break with "go to oval / go to convenience / wave s-remover at sink / get ink / x hole / look in hole / look at ash through monocle / smell ash / gel ash / get trash / go to rotunda / get bin / go to antiques / x maps / get slangovia map / buy slangovia map / go to drinks club / show legend to bartender / x legend / go to palm square / w / w / s / get problem of adjectives / n / t girlfriend / claim / z / reassure / n / get key / get ring / s / ne / go to babel". Test uni with "go to palm / unlock gate with ring / go to oval / say no / encourage / ask how consciousness / s / se / n / ask why / ask whether / x printer / open printer / go to graduate student / get sticky / wave y-remover at sticky / open fridge / get cream / wave c-remover at cream / go to language studies department office / put ream in printer / close printer / get draft / w / no / ask how / ask what / ask about seminar / t book / put problem on shelves / go to brown's lab / ask what / ask what / ask how / ask whether / ask what / ask why / ne / s / x sticky / go to oval / wave g-remover at sign / score". Test keycardgetting with "go to samuel johnson basement / x door / x lock / go to hotel / y / w / order screwdriver / get screwdriver / go to seminar room / gel screwdriver / put key in synthesizer / turn screws / g / open case / put key in synthesizer / find car / put gel on car / wave h-remover at chard / get card / go to seminar room / put card in synthesizer / get crossword / turn synthesizer on / get keycard / go to samuel johnson basement / swipe card / west". Test rectification with "put gel on as / wave i-remover at pastis / wave t-remover at pasts / find synthesizer / take all from synthesizer / put pass in synthesizer / put gel on crossword / put word in synthesizer/ turn on synthesizer / get password / x it / go to rectification room / put gel on ear / wave r-remover at pearl / put peal in carton / go to rectification room / turn on machine / x password / type password / select option 3 / put letter-remover in machine / type password / type 4 / put letter-remover in machine / go to basement / put gel on peal / get pearl / wave s-remover at stick / wave k-remover at tick / e / get coat / wave o-remover at coat / put gel on cat / wave a-remover at coat / wave j-remover at jotter / gel otter". Test z-getting with "go to winding path / x bushes / look under bushes / x kudzu / wave z-remover at kudzu / look under bushes / x shrine / go to roget close / put bin on spinner / get nib". Test synthesis with "find synthesizer / wave l-remover at clock / put cock in synthesizer / wave r-remover at pearl / wave l-remover at peal / put pea in synthesizer / turn on synthesizer / get peacock / go to department office / knock on waterstone's door / z / get invitation / gel peacock / gel cock / get clock / put all in backpack / get password". Test pinata with "put gel on watch / put gel on tic / wave y-remover at sticky / go to tall street / z / z / z / z / go to tall street / look at families / look at figure / z / east / look / listen/ look west / west / listen / blindfold me / blindfold me with swatch / take off swatch / wear swatch as a blindfold / hit figure / hit figure with stick". Test breakin with "put gel on password / put paste on pass / go to hotel / put all in backpack / get piece / find synthesizer / put piece in synthesizer / get letter-remover / get gel / get pass / get invitation". Test wig with "wave s-remover at plans / wave l-remover at plan / get pan / go to abandoned park / get twig / wave t-remover at twig / go to convenience / put paste on wig / wear wig / go to bus station / x schedule / x shed / remove v from dove / put gel on doe / go to rotunda / put all but pass and invitation in backpack / close backpack / s / show pass to secretary / e / z / z / e / e / d / n / approach camera / w / open pack". Test easyinsertion with "gel rock / z / z / gel ink / wave k-remover at sink / put sin in t-inserter / wave s-remover at stint / wave n-remover at tint / wave t-remover at tit / get i / put i in t-inserter / get tit / wave t-remover at tit / put i in t-inserter / get all / e". Test dadchat with "deny everything / lay out / deny / z / get pea / wave e-remover at pea / z / gel stands / yes / ne / n / e / s / press button / get gun / n / gel lamb / load gun / shoot mirror / w / shoot odor / open door / n / x fable / gel fable / x charts / look up 1942 in cabinet / look up 1982 in cabinet / e / e / e / switch switch / gel keycard / put card in bucket / take curd / put curd in bucket / switch switch / take cord / w / w / w". Test dadchat2 with "deny everything / lay out / deny / z / get pea / wave e-remover at pea / z / gel rock / yes / ne / n / e /put pass in punch / get pass / get chord / wave h-remover at chord / s / press button / get gun / n / gel lamb / load gun / shoot mirror / w / shoot odor / open door / n / x fable / gel fable / x charts / look up 1942 in cabinet / look up 1982 in cabinet ". Test workdais with "gel paperweight / x paper / x weight / get all / e / test surveillance / down / get counter / up / e / e / look in pane / put gel on pass / put pastis in bucket / look in pane / get pestos / w / plug dais into wall /" Test meetA with "test workdais / set platform to synthesize / put counter on platform / put weight on platform / turn on lever / get counterweight / go to tunnel / put counterweight on hook / open portcullis / e". Test escape1 with "x stamp / z / shoot atlantida with anagramming gun / shoot rifle with anagramming gun / gel atlantida / gel astrologer / shoot atlantida with rifle / get atlantida / e / n / yes / x jacks / take jacks / wave s-remover at jacks / go to workshop / put atlantida on platform / set platform to homonym / turn on platform ". Test escape2 with "go to personal apartment / take jack / e / n / d / x boulders / wave q-remover at squid / wave l-remover at bollard / wave d-remover at board / wave b-remover at boar / get oar / enter kayak / drop all but oar / n / n / score / inventory utilitarian / i / get up / open wardrobe / fore / wear sundress / wear trousers / wear turtleneck / fore / open cabinet / x newspaper". Test escape3 with "go to personal apartment / take jack / e / n / wave k-remover at rock / ride roc / n / score / inventory utilitarian / i / get up / open wardrobe / fore / wear sundress / wear trousers / wear turtleneck / fore / open cabinet / x newspaper". Test revival with "put gel on rock / go to galley / put gel on me". Section 2 - Hard Mode Tests Test hard with "test hardact1 / test hardact2 / test hardact3 / test hardact4 / test hardact5". Test hardact1 with "tutorial off / hard / yes / n / e/ wave x-remover at codex / x code / set barrier to 305 / go to heritage corner / wave y-remover at army / wave s-remover at members / get arm / get member / go to Midway / wave p-remover at apple / wave e-remover at tube / open tub / get ale / go to church garden / wave h-remover at thicket / get all / go to hostel / e / up / x lock / show arm to girl / gel lock / open locker / get all from locker / wave l-remover at plans / wave s-remover at pans / go to cinema / give ticket / w / get all / open pack / wear monocle". Test hardact2 with "go to patriotic chard-garden / get chard / look / wave s-remover at soil / get oil / go to hesychius / buy yam / go to close / put yam on spinner / go to beach / get sage / wave e-remover at sage / go to roget close / get all from spinner / put sag on spinner / get gas / go to high street / z/ go to high street / wave h-remover at chard / wave d-remover at card / put gas in car / wave b-remover at garbage / talk to mechanic / ask mechanic about car / give oil to mechanic / test slango-missed / test origin-getting / test crate-collection / test contraband-fixing / test slango-refound / test circlewalkout". Test hardact3 with "test home-break / test harduni / test keyalt". Test hardact4 with "test hardrectification / test hardsynthesis / test hardpinata / test hardbreakin / test hairpiece / test insertion". Test hardact5 with "test harddadchat / test hardmeetA / test escape1 / test escape2". Test harduni with "go to palm / unlock gate with ring / go to oval / say no / encourage / ask how consciousness / s / se / n / ask why / ask whether / x printer / open printer / go to graduate student / open fridge / get cream / wave c-remover at cream / go to language studies department office / put ream in printer / close printer / get draft / w / no / ask how / ask what / ask about seminar / t book / put problem on shelves / go to brown's lab / ask what / ask what / ask how / ask whether / ask what / ask why / ne / s / x sticky / go to oval / wave g-remover at sign / score". Test hardrectification with "put gel on as / wave i-remover at pastis / wave t-remover at pasts / find synthesizer / take all from synthesizer / put pass in synthesizer / put gel on crossword / put word in synthesizer/ turn on synthesizer / get password / x it / go to rectification room / put gel on watch / wave c-remover at swatch / wave h-remover at swath / put swat in carton / go to rectification room / turn on machine / x password / type password / select 3 / put letter-remover in machine / type password / type 4 / put letter-remover in machine / go to basement / e / get coat / wave o-remover at coat". Test insertion with "get rock / get hairpiece / put gel on hairpiece / put gel on hair / open backpack / wear monocle / x rock / remove monocle / gel rock / gel ale / get apple / put apple in T-inserter / get applet / put gel on applet / wave p-remover at apple / put ale in T-inserter / put gel on tale / wave p-remover at apple / put ale in T-inserter / get all from T-inserter / wave e-remover at piece / put pic in T-inserter / gel pict / get all / e". Test keyalt with "go to samuel johnson basement / x door / x lock / go to long street south / get bag / get jigsaw / go to hotel / y / w / show jigsaw to bartender / get jigsaw / go to seminar room / cut case with jigsaw / put key in synthesizer / find car / put gel on car / wave h-remover at chard / get card / go to seminar room / put card in synthesizer / get crossword / turn synthesizer on / get keycard / go to samuel johnson basement / swipe card / west". Test hardsynthesis with "find synthesizer / put member in synthesizer / put cat in synthesizer / turn on synthesizer / get camembert / go to department office / knock on waterstone's door / z / get invitation / take off monocle / get password ". Test hardpinata with "go to tall street / z / z / z / z / go to tall street / e / se / gel shed / get shred / go to tall street / blindfold me with shred / put gel on password / put gel on word / hit figure with sword". Test hardbreakin with "put paste on pass / go to hotel / put all in backpack / get piece / find synthesizer / put piece in synthesizer / get letter-remover / get gel / get pass / get invitation / get paste". Test hairpiece with "find synthesizer / wave c-remover at chair / get hair / put hair in synthesizer / turn on synthesizer / get hairpiece / put paste on hairpiece / drop paste / wear hairpiece / go to bus station / x schedule / x shed / remove v from dove / put gel on doe / go to rotunda / take off monocle / put all in backpack / take pass / close backpack / s / show pass to secretary / e / z / z / e / e / d / n / n / w / open pack". Test harddadchat with "deny everything / lay out / deny / z / get pea / wave e-remover at pea / z / gel stands / yes / ne / n / e /put pass in punch / get pass / get chord / wave h-remover at chord / s / press button / get gun / n / gel lamb / load gun / shoot mirror / w / shoot odor / open door / n / x fable / gel fable / x charts / look up 1942 in cabinet / look up 1982 in cabinet ". Test hardworkdais with "gel paperweight / x paper / x weight / get all / e / down / get counter / up / e / e / look in pane / open station / take balm / shoot balm with gun / put lamb in bucket / look in pane / get oboe / w / plug dais into wall /" Test hardmeetA with "test hardworkdais / set platform to synthesize / put counter on platform / put weight on platform / turn on lever / get counterweight / go to tunnel / put counterweight on hook / open portcullis / e". Section 3 - Achievements [These test getting specific achievements (other than the "finished tutorial" achievement, the two achievements for finishing the game in easy and hard mode, and the achievement for finishing the game with all the letters removed, which is built into the standard process).] Test quagmire with "tutorial off / test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / wave t-remover at letter / go to roget close / put leer on pedestal / get reel / go to drinks club / show reel to bartender / go to screening room / n / put reel in projector / turn projector on". Test archaeologist with "tutorial off / test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test rectification / test z-getting / go to monument green / dig in ground / get dog / go to roget close / put dog on pedestal / get god / n / put god on shrine". Test secret-passage with "tutorial off / test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / go to podium / get page / test act4 / test dadchat / gel paperweight / x paper / x weight / get all / e / down / get counter / up / e / e / look in pane / put rock in bucket / get ruck / w / plug dais into wall / set platform to synthesize / put pass on platform / wave p-remover at page / put age on platform / turn on platform / set platform to homonym / turn on platform / x passage / enter passage". Test buccaneer with "tutorial off / test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / go to public convenience / squeeze dispenser / wave a-remover at soap / get sop / go to piano / get piece / wave e-remover at piece / go to synthesizer / get screws / go to oval / get sin / test act4toT / put sop in t-inserter / get stop / e / test dadchat / test workdais / shoot stop with gun / go to workshop / wave c-remover at pic / gel cate / wave c-remover at crate / put pi on platform / put rate on platform / set platform to synthesize / turn on platform / put screws on platform / show spot to pirate / pirate, enter platform / wave s-remover at screws / turn on platform / show spot to pirate crew". Test curate with "tutorial off / test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test rectification / gel password / go to synthesizer / wave p-remover at pass / put ass in synthesizer / wave l-remover at clock / put cock in synthesizer / turn on synthesizer / get cassock / wear cassock / go to new church / put cross on altar". Test poe with "tutorial off / test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / go to piano / get piece / wave e-remover at piece / test rectification / test z-getting / go to monumental staircase / wave t-remover at poster / wave r-remover at poser / get pose / go to oval / get sin / test synthesis / test pinata / test breakin / test wig / gel rock / z / z / get sign / wave g-remover at sign / put sin in t-inserter / wave s-remover at stint / wave n-remover at tint / wave t-remover at tit / get i / put i in t-inserter / get tit / wave t-remover at tit / put i in t-inserter / get all / e / test dadchat / go to t-inserter / put pic in t-inserter / shoot silver chain with gun / wave s-remover at pose / show ravens to Poe". Test writing with "test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test act4 / test dadchat / test workdais / e / gel it / wave s-remover at sink / gel snap / wave l-remover at plans / wave s-remover at pans / get pan / put pan in bucket / get pen / put nib in pen / put ink in pen / write hello on paper / x paper". Test propp with "test act1 / test act2 / test act3 / test act4toT / wave p-remover at apple / put ale in t-inserter". Test secularist with "tutorial off / test gel / test hostel / go to cinema / buy ticket / test cinema / test act2 / test act3 / test act4 / test act5". Test act4toT with "test rectification / test z-getting / test synthesis / test pinata / test breakin / test wig / gel rock / z / z / get sign / wave g-remover at sign / put sin in t-inserter / wave s-remover at stint / wave n-remover at tint / wave t-remover at tit / get i / put i in t-inserter / get tit / wave t-remover at tit / put i in t-inserter / get all" Chapter 2 - Special commands - Not for release Section 1 - Special Access within Play [Understand "findengeo" as engeo-cheating. Engeo-cheating is an action applying to nothing. Carry out engeo-cheating: now the player is in Outdoor Cafe; try Nexami saying hello to the player. ] [This section provides for materials or access that might be useful during play.] Understand "autoupgrade" as autoupgrading. Autoupgrading is an action applying to nothing. Carry out autoupgrading: now the letter-remover is creature-enabled; now the letter-remover is upgraded. Understand "placefather" as placing father. Placing father is an action applying to nothing. Carry out placing father: now father is in Bureau Basement Secret Section. Understand "summon" as animal-summoning. Animal-summoning is an action out of world. Carry out animal-summoning: now every animal is in the location. Report animal-summoning: try looking. [Since it takes several steps to get a working car, sometimes we want to be able to test without going through that rigamarole.] Understand "car-acquire" as car-acquiring. Car-acquiring is an action out of world. Carry out car-acquiring: let auto be a random car in the repository; move auto to the location; now the auto is fueled; now the auto is operational. Report car-acquiring: try looking. [And to help us test the scene with Slango without having to go through the whole work of summoning him.] Understand "deparker" as deparkering. Deparkering is an action out of world. Carry out deparkering: move Slango to the location; assign "Finally find Slango at Counterfeit Monkey" at Counterfeit monkey; remove barman from play. [Allowing us to test some late-game ] Understand "unmonkey" as unmonkeying. Unmonkeying is an action out of world. Carry out unmonkeying: now Slango is seen; now the Counterfeit Monkey is visited. [This turns off certain movement restrictions that prevent the player from visiting most of the map when the player hasn't been to the Counterfeit Monkey first.] [For testing what happens during combat attempts with Atlantida, without having to play through to this point ourselves.] Establishing longs is an action out of world. Understand "establish" as establishing longs. Carry out establishing longs: now the restoration-gel rifle is carried by atlantida-woman; now the foil is not proffered by anything; now the fossil proffers the foil; now the sill is not proffered by anything; now the spill proffers the sill; now the track is not proffered by anything; now Brock proffers the track; now the warm rods are not proffered by anything; now the sword proffers the warm rods; now the army proffers the warm rods; now the crosspiece is not proffered by anything; now the cross proffers the crosspiece; now the piece proffers the crosspiece; [Multi-step test with writing] Understand "shutoffice" as shutting the office. Shutting the office is an action out of world. Carry out shutting the office: shut the office. Section 2 - Listwriters [ This section identifies objects conforming to specifications. This is a way to test for a given open-ended puzzle (e.g., one looking for the player to wear a blindfold) whether the list of solutions is reasonable and conforms to expectation. ] Understand "list fakes" as listing fakes. Listing fakes is an action out of world. Carry out listing fakes: let N be the list of fake things; sort N; say "[N]". Understand "list abstracts" as listing abstracts. Listing Abstracts is an action out of world. Carry out listing abstracts: let N be the list of r-abstract things; sort N; say "[N]". Understand "list clothes" as listing clothes. Listing clothes is an action out of world. Carry out listing clothes: let N be the list of wearable things; sort N; say "[N]". Understand "list blindfolds" as listing blindfolds. Listing blindfolds is an action out of world. Definition: a thing is lightweight if the heft of it is 1. Carry out listing blindfolds: let N be the list of wearable floppy lightweight things; sort N; say "[N]". Understand "list longs" as listing longs. Listing longs is an action out of world. Carry out listing longs: let N be the list of long things; sort N; say "[N]". After printing the name of something (called N) while listing longs: if N is floppy: say " (floppy)"; otherwise: say " (strong)" Understand "list noisy" as listing noisy. Listing noisy is an action out of world. Carry out listing noisy: let N be the list of noisy things; sort N; say "[N]". Understand "list cat 5" as listing category five. Listing category five is an action out of world. Carry out listing category five: let N be the list of edible things which are not vegetables; sort N; say "[N]". Understand "list liquid" as listing liquid. Listing liquid is an action out of world. Carry out listing liquid: let N be the list of fluid things; sort N; say "[N]". Understand "list edible" as listing edible. Listing edible is an action out of world. Carry out listing edible: let N be the list of edible things; sort N; say "[N]". Understand "list components" as listing components. Listing components is an action out of world. Carry out listing components: repeat with item running through synthesizable things: say "[item][line break]"; Understand "list plurals" as listing plurals. Listing plurals is an action out of world. Definition: a thing is movable: if it is scenery: no; if it is fixed in place: no; if it is part of something: no; if it is a person: no; yes. Carry out listing plurals: let N be the list of plural-named things; sort N; say "[N][line break]". Understand "remove plurals" as removing plurals. Removing plurals is an action out of world. Carry out removing plurals: repeat with N running through plural-named things: try letter-removing "s" from N. Understand "list animates" as listing animates. Listing animates is an action out of world. Carry out listing animates: say "[list of people]". Understand "list size [number]" as listing size. Listing size is an action out of world applying to one number. Carry out listing size: repeat with item running through things: if the heft of the item is the number understood: say "[item][line break]"; [counting contents.] [A thing can be either counted or uncounted. When play begins: say "The full list is [list of things in the repository]."; let C be 0; now all things are uncounted; let X-name be indexed text; let Y-name be indexed text; repeat with X running through things in the repository: let X-name be the printed name of X; if X is uncounted: increase C by 1; now X is counted; say "Distinct name: [X-name]."; repeat with Y running through things in the repository: if Y is uncounted: let Y-name be the printed name of Y; if X-name is Y-name: now Y is counted; say "I believe that makes [C] items with distinct names." ] [Understand "list all sizes" as listing all sizes. Listing all sizes is an action out of world. Carry out listing all sizes: say "Size 0 (abstracts and the totally weightless):[line break]"; try listing size 0; paragraph break; say "Size 1:[line break]"; try listing size 1; paragraph break; say "Size 2:[line break]"; try listing size 2; paragraph break; say "Size 3:[line break]"; try listing size 3; paragraph break; say "Size 4:[line break]"; try listing size 4; paragraph break; say "Size 5:[line break]"; try listing size 5; paragraph break; say "Size 6:[line break]"; try listing size 6; paragraph break; say "Size 7:[line break]"; try listing size 7; paragraph break; say "Size 8:[line break]"; try listing size 8; paragraph break; say "Size 9 and up (large enough to crush the player on creation):[line break]"; repeat with N running from 9 to 20: try listing size N; paragraph break; ] Section 3 - Verifying Implementation Depth [These verbs run through lots of objects and systematically works them over to check for the full implementation of a certain feature.] Understand "check indoors" as checking indoors. Checking indoors is an action out of world. Carry out checking indoors: repeat with item running through rooms: say "[item]: "; if item is indoors: say "indoors[line break]"; if item is outdoors: say "outdoors[line break]". [Object response tests will do this, but as it's particularly common to add an object to the repository and then come back and do the description later, it's useful to have a shorthand way to look for which objects have slipped through the cracks and still need a fresh description.] Understand "check repository descriptions" as checking repository descriptions. Checking repository descriptions is an action out of world. Carry out checking repository descriptions: repeat with item running through things in the repository: if the description of the item is "": say "[item][line break]"; [In case we want to check how people will greet the player:] Understand "all-greet" as testing greetings. Testing greetings is an action applying to nothing. Carry out testing greetings: repeat with item running through people who are not animals: move the item to the location; try the item saying hello to the player. [This goes through locations and tests how well they describe the surroundings if the player types LOOK (DIRECTION). This is partly an act of world-building self-discipline: we never want there to be streets without buildings fronting them, even if those buildings aren't important and aren't part of the primary description. There should always be *something* there to reward playful investigation.] Understand "pound face" as testing facing. Testing facing is an action out of world. Carry out testing facing: repeat with item running through rooms: move the player to item; say "[line break] north: "; try facing north; say "[line break] northwest: "; try facing northwest; say "[line break] west: "; try facing west; say "[line break] southwest: "; try facing southwest; say "[line break] south: "; try facing south; say "[line break] southeast: "; try facing southeast; say "[line break] east: "; try facing east; say "[line break] northeast: "; try facing northeast; say "[line break] down: "; try facing down; say "[line break] up: "; try facing up. [Object responses for everything in the repository.] Include Object Response Tests by Juhana Leinonen. Table of analyzing actions (continued) testing rule test building rule test swiping rule test recycling rule test launching rule test tuning rule test fueling it with rule test fueling it with two rule test rebooting rule test typing rule test digging in rule test sitting on rule test lying on rule test standing up on rule test diving into rule test mounting rule test washing rule test flushing rule test smiling at rule test frowning at rule test laughing at rule test saying hello to rule test saying goodbye to rule test waving to rule test reading rule test erasing rule test performing rule test performing vaguely rule test blindfolding rule test blindfold-wearing rule test poking head rule This is the test poking head rule: say "[italic type] poking head through [the noun]: [roman type]"; try poking head through the noun. This is the test blindfold-wearing rule: say "[italic type] blindfolding oneself with [the noun]: [roman type]"; try blindfold-wearing the noun. This is the test blindfolding rule: let target be a random visible person; say "[italic type] blindfolding [target] with [the noun]: [roman type]"; try blindfolding the target with the noun. This is the test performing vaguely rule: say "[italic type] performing vaguely on [the noun]: [roman type]"; try performing vaguely on the noun. This is the test performing rule: say "[italic type] performing [piece] on [the noun]: [roman type]"; try performing piece on the noun. This is the test erasing rule: say "[italic type] erasing [the noun]: [roman type]"; try erasing the noun. This is the test reading rule: say "[italic type] reading [the noun]: [roman type]"; try reading the noun. This is the test flushing rule: say "[italic type] flushing [the noun]: [roman type]"; try flushing the noun. This is the test tuning rule: say "[italic type] tuning [the noun]: [roman type]"; try tuning the noun. This is the test waving to rule: say "[italic type] waving to [the noun]: [roman type]"; try waving to the noun. This is the test building rule: say "[italic type] building [the noun]: [roman type]"; try building the noun. This is the test swiping rule: say "[italic type] swiping [the noun]: [roman type]"; try swiping the noun. This is the test recycling rule: say "[italic type] recycling [the noun]: [roman type]"; try recycling the noun. This is the test launching rule: say "[italic type] launching [the noun]: [roman type]"; try launching the noun. This is the test fueling it with rule: say "[italic type] fueling [the noun] with the [fuel]: [roman type]"; try fueling the noun with fuel. This is the test fueling it with two rule: let supposed car be a random touchable thing; say "[italic type] fueling [the supposed car] with [the noun]: [roman type]"; try fueling the supposed car with the noun. This is the test rebooting rule: say "[italic type]rebooting [the noun]: [roman type]"; try rebooting the noun. This is the test typing rule: say "[italic type]typing 'fish' on [the noun]: [roman type]"; try typing "fish" on the noun. This is the test sitting on rule: say "[italic type]sitting on [the noun]: [roman type]"; try sitting on the noun. This is the test lying on rule: say "[italic type]lying on [the noun]: [roman type]"; try lying on the noun. This is the test standing up on rule: say "[italic type]standing up on [the noun]: [roman type]"; try standing up on the noun. This is the test digging in rule: say "[italic type]digging in [the noun]: [roman type]"; try digging in the noun. This is the test diving into rule: say "[italic type]diving into [the noun]: [roman type]"; try diving into the noun. This is the test mounting rule: say "[italic type]mounting [the noun]: [roman type]"; try mounting the noun. This is the test washing rule: say "[italic type]washing [the noun]: [roman type]"; try washing the noun. This is the test smiling at rule: say "[italic type]smiling at [the noun]: [roman type]"; try smiling at the noun. This is the test frowning at rule: say "[italic type]frowning at [the noun]: [roman type]"; try frowning at the noun. This is the test laughing at rule: say "[italic type]laughing at [the noun]: [roman type]"; try laughing at the noun. This is the test saying hello to rule: say "[italic type]saying hello to [the noun]: [roman type]"; try saying hello to the noun. This is the test saying goodbye to rule: say "[italic type]saying goodbye to [the noun]: [roman type]"; try saying goodbye to the noun. [Running this one is a major, major undertaking, producing thousands of lines of transcript output to go through. But it turned up a huge number of small bugs and implementation gaps as well: items that weren't marked plural when they should have been, animals that weren't set to the correct class, objects that should have a strong smell or sound associated but didn't. Other errors discovered this way: — >KISS MOTHER originally produced the response "Tempting, but no," — the Gengis Khan-style Tartar smelled like deodorant — so did the Victorian papa and papas — PUSH TOTS NORTH had a come-back about how pushing people in directions only worked on small children — the tamale description sort of hinted that the contents might be interesting, then didn't react if you searched it — all sorts of things could be waved that weren't really wave-worthy — the stopcock and petcock were both described as not something we can open/close, when they are in fact forms of valve — the rock ballad wasn't marked as abstract, so you could wave it and rub it and so on — it was possible to "play" other items like an instrument any time the oboe was in the same location ] Understand "pound repository" as testing repository. Testing repository is an action applying to nothing. Carry out testing repository: move the repository to the location; now the repository is open; now every synthesizable thing is in the repository; remove Authenticator from play; repeat with item running through things in the repository: try analyzing the item. [showing] Understand "pound showing" as testing showing. Testing showing is an action applying to nothing. Procedural rule while analyzing: ignore the test entering rule; [because if you get in and out of things, then the animals will follow and the object loop going through the repository will be corrupted] Carry out testing showing: move the repository to the location; now the repository is open; now every synthesizable thing is in the repository; now every person is in the location; repeat with item running through things in the repository: repeat with interviewee running through people who are not animals: say "[italic type]showing [item] to [the interviewee]: [roman type]"; try showing the item to the interviewee. [We use this to test whether appropriate rules are being followed about what can be worn simultaneously with what else.] Understand "cycle wardrobe" as cycling wardrobe. Cycling wardrobe is an action out of world. Carry out cycling wardrobe: repeat with item running through wearable things: move the item to the player; try wearing the item. Understand "pound bold descriptions" as testing boldness. Testing boldness is an action applying to nothing. Carry out testing boldness: now boldening is true; repeat with destination running through rooms: move player to destination. Section 4 - Construction Tests [ This section is of chiefly archaeological interest. These commands were written not to verify behavior already in the game but to help identify things that could or should be implemented. 'list sources' identifies portable in-game objects that ought to be analyzed for their word derivatives. 'pound anagrams' helped to work out which objects in the game were anagrams of which others, and is very slow because it was implemented before the hash code was in; but it only needed to run once. This was more of a viability test than anything else. 'list syntheses' was to help with brainstorming about what synthetic objects should be made, though it does not account for objects with interleaved letters (again, because it was implemented before the hash code was added). ] Understand "list syntheses" as listing syntheses. Listing syntheses is an action out of world. Carry out listing syntheses: repeat with item running through fake things: repeat with second item running through fake things: say "[item][second item][line break]"; say line break. Understand "pound anagrams" as testing anagrams. Testing anagrams is an action applying to nothing. Carry out testing anagrams: repeat with item running through synthesizable things: hash item; say " - [item][line break]"; To hash (N - a thing): let anagram key be a list of indexed text; let starting form be indexed text; let starting form be "[n]"; let count be the number of characters in starting form; repeat with i running from 1 to count: add "[character number i in starting form]" to anagram key; sort anagram key; say anagram key. Understand "list sources" as listing sources. Listing sources is an action applying to nothing. Carry out listing sources: repeat with item running through portable things which are not off-stage: if the item is not part of something: say "[item][line break]". Understand "list easy outcomes" as listing easy outcomes. Listing easy outcomes is an action applying to nothing. Carry out listing easy outcomes: repeat with item running through synthesizable things: say "[item]: [encryption of item][line break]". Understand "list hard outcomes" as listing hard outcomes. Listing hard outcomes is an action applying to nothing. Carry out listing hard outcomes: repeat with item running through synthesizable things: say "[item]: [hard encryption of item][line break]". Understand "list back outcomes" as listing back outcomes. Listing back outcomes is an action applying to nothing. Carry out listing back outcomes: repeat with item running through synthesizable things: say "[item]: [back encryption of item][line break]". Understand "list all outcomes" as listing all outcomes. Listing all outcomes is an action applying to nothing. Carry out listing all outcomes: repeat with item running through synthesizable things: say "[item]: [encryption of item], [back encryption of item], [hard encryption of item], [back hard encryption of item][line break]". [The list length thing was added because I was investigating a different puzzle style -- one in which the player needed to make a word-object with specific characteristics such as length and consonant/vowel pattern, which would then function as a key in a particular type of Bureau lock. This turned out to be hard to construct and boring to solve, so I scrapped the concept.] Understand "list length [number]" as listing lengths. Listing lengths is an action applying to one number. Carry out listing lengths: repeat with item running through portable things: let starting form be indexed text; let starting form be "[item]"; let N be the number of characters in starting form; if N is the number understood: say "[item][line break]". Understand "list anagram probables" as listing anagram probables. Listing anagram probables is an action applying to nothing. Carry out listing anagram probables: repeat with item running through portable things which are not fixed in place: if item is in the quip-repository: next; if item is part of something which is fixed in place: next; if item is a person: next; let starting form be indexed text; let starting form be "[item]"; let N be the number of characters in starting form; if N is greater than 8: say "[item][line break]".