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Introductions by Emily Short
Introductions allows the author to write introductions that will appear the first time the player sees certain items and rooms, and also to create segues drawing two passages of introductory text together.
Chapter: Things
Section: Introductory text for things
Introductions allows us to write special introductory text that will appear the first time the player sees an object in a room description, like this:
The introduction of the table is "In the corner is the table your aunt bought from the thrift store. The top surface of it is decoupaged with newspaper advertisements for organic produce. You can't eat a bowl of macaroni without being chided by images of alfalfa and bran."
This text will appear in place of the initial appearance property or any other similar text that might otherwise introduce the table.
Section: Segues between object introductions
We can also write segues to be shown between two specific items being introduced.
If Introductions introduces one item, and a second, segue-related item is scheduled to be introduced later in the room description, it will change the order in which it produces output in order to use the segue.
To create new segues, we must add to the Table of Segues, thus:
Table of Segues (continued)
first second segue orange apple "And speaking of fruit... " apple orange "You've never really cared for fruits, though. "
Section: Segues that completely replace existing introductions
There may be times when we want our segue to completely override the introduction of the second item, rather than merely adding text to the beginning of it. In that case, we can override the introduction entirely, like this:
Table of Segues (continued)
first second segue apple mare "[override intro for the mare]The apple was probably brought here as a bribe for the mare in the corner, but it doesn't look as though she was interested."
Section: Spacing introductions and segues
The segue text will be printed after the introduction of the first item and before the introduction of the second; by default, there is no paragraph break anywhere here, which gives us maximum freedom to add our own. If, for instance, we wanted to produce the text
Fred is prowling near the fireplace, looking morose. He's an old friend of yours, but lately you've found him more and more difficult to take: all his little tics -- impatience, rudeness, tendency to interrupt -- have grown more pronounced since Lisa left. Some of your social circle now act as though he weren't there at all, as though his stammered, tactless commentary were no more than background noise from a radio.
Fred is no favorite with Doctor Pearson, either, which is why you're surprised to see the old man sitting serenely in the leather recliner, sipping a vodka gimlet.
we could create this effect by putting the paragraph break inside the segue, thus:
Table of Segues (continued)
first second segue Fred Doctor Pearson "[paragraph break][override intro for Pearson]Fred is no favorite with Doctor Pearson, either, which is why you're surprised to see the old man sitting serenely in the leather recliner, sipping a vodka gimlet. "
Chapter: Rooms
Section: Introductions
Finally, we can provide introductions for a whole room, and that text will appear as a final item in the room description, after the objects there, as in
Pipe Crossing
This is a meeting of several pipes: one leads abruptly down and to the north, while gently upward-sloping pipes lead southeast and southwest. A cold and murky white liquid flows from both southern pipes into the northern one.
A licorice gum drop has been caught by one of the seams of metal, doubtless the only reason it has not been swept away by the current.
It smells like almonds in here. <-- this is the room introduction.
Section: Adding one-time text elsewhere in a room description
This is hardly the only place where we might want to add special text to a room description, but most other places are easier to add to using existing entry points. For instance, if we wanted
You catch a whiff of almonds as you splash downstream... <-- this is the new text
Pipe Crossing
This is a meeting of several pipes: one leads abruptly down and to the north, while gently upward-sloping pipes lead southeast and southwest. A cold and murky white liquid flows from both southern pipes into the northern one.
A licorice gum drop has been caught by one of the seams of metal, doubtless the only reason it has not been swept away by the current.
we would instead write
After going to Pipe Crossing:
if Pipe Crossing is not visited, say "You catch a whiff of almonds as you splash downstream.";
continue the action.
Or if we wanted that one-time text to appear just before or after the main room description paragraph, like this
Pipe Crossing
The smell of almonds is overpowering when you enter. <-- this is the one-time text
This is a meeting of several pipes: one leads abruptly down and to the north, while gently upward-sloping pipes lead southeast and southwest. A cold and murky white liquid flows from both southern pipes into the northern one.
we might write
The description of Pipe Crossing is "[if unvisited]The smell of almonds is overpowering when you enter. [paragraph break][end if]This is a meeting of several pipes: one leads abruptly down and to the north, while gently upward-sloping pipes lead southeast and southwest. A cold and murky white liquid flows from both southern pipes into the northern one."
or similarly
Pipe Crossing
This is a meeting of several pipes: one leads abruptly down and to the north, while gently upward-sloping pipes lead southeast and southwest. A cold and murky white liquid flows from both southern pipes into the northern one.
The smell of almonds is overpowering when you enter. <-- this is the one-time text
we might write
The description of Pipe Crossing is "This is a meeting of several pipes: one leads abruptly down and to the north, while gently upward-sloping pipes lead southeast and southwest. A cold and murky white liquid flows from both southern pipes into the northern one.[if unvisited][paragraph break]The smell of almonds is overpowering when you enter. [end if]"
Chapter: Troubleshooting and Compatibility
Section: Introductions don't appear for objects in the room
Introductory text will appear for an object that is in a room for description, unless we have explicitly written a writing a paragraph about rule that is more specific and takes precedence over the default rule.
For instance, the following would prevent the appearance of the table's introduction:
Rule for writing a paragraph about the table:
say "A TABLE IS HERE."
Section: Introductions don't appear for objects on supporters
Introductions relies on the writing a paragraph about activity, which, by default, is activated for objects appearing in the room, but not for those which are visibly set on supporters. We can explicitly override this if we want to.
One way to do this is demonstrated in the "Kill Doctor Pearson" example, below. It works best, though, if the supporters in question are not scenery.
Note that this is a complication that arises with the default behavior of Inform; the replacement room description extensions Tailored Room Description and Ordinary Room Description are more customizable.
Section: Using with alternative room description extensions
Introductions can be used on its own, or in combination with the extensions Tailored Room Description or Ordinary Room Description.
Ordinary Room Description emulates the default output of Inform, and is useful primarily because it allows us to use the base extension Room Description Control: we get the same type of output as usual, but with increasing control over the order in which items are printed within the description, and more ability to omit our chosen objects from the description entirely.
Tailored Room Description provides an alternate type of output, which gets rid of parenthetical remarks such as "(on which are a bone and a piece of dried grass)" in favor of full sentences describing contents and supported objects.
To use Introductions with one of these extensions, we should install Room Description Control and either Ordinary Room Description or Tailored Room Description; include the extension of our choice; and then add
When play begins:
change fake-paragraph-break to "[line break][line break][run paragraph on]".
This latter portion is necessary because there are slight differences in the way the extensions handle paragraph breaking, and without it the spacing will look wrong in some circumstances.
Introductions is *not* compatible with the Single Paragraph Description extension.
Example: * Marzipan Sea - Several objects with introductions and segues flowing together.
Include Introductions by Emily Short. Include Ordinary Room Description by Emily Short.
Pipe Crossing is a room. "This is a meeting of several pipes: one leads abruptly down and to the north, while gently upward-sloping pipes lead southeast and southwest. A cold and murky white liquid flows from both southern pipes into the northern one."
The introduction of Pipe Crossing is "There is a strange smell of almonds here."
Instead of smelling Pipe Crossing:
say "Definitely almonds, sweet and bitter at once."
The licorice gum drop is in Pipe Crossing.
The introduction is "[A licorice gum drop] has been caught by one of the seams of metal, doubtless the only reason it has not been swept away by the current."
The initial appearance is "The licorice gum drop is still lodged in place."
The walnut shell boat is a vehicle in Pipe Crossing.
The introduction is "A hollowed walnut shell, just large enough for you to ride inside, spins in an eddy of the current."
The initial appearance is "The walnut shell bobs on the surface of the water, ready for you to ride."
The paper is in Pipe Crossing. "A bit of paper bobs on the waves."
The introduction is "Some paper bobs on the surface of the water, reminding you of a small boat."
Table of Segues (continued)
first second segue licorice gum drop walnut boat "The gum drop is not the only bit of detritus from above, either. " walnut boat paper "[override intro for paper]Swirling into the same vortex is a small bit of paper. "
Test me with "look".
Example: ** Kill Doctor Pearson - A slightly more complex example where NPCs are scattered around at the beginning of play. Demonstrates how to handle introductions of objects that start on supporters, which might not otherwise get their own paragraphs.
In this scenario, we are going to randomize where the characters start at the beginning of play in order to demonstrate a slightly more complex treatment of introductions. We'll also have one character who starts out on a supporter, rather than in a room: this needs special treatment because, under normal circumstances, the paragraph would be written about the supporter rather than about the supported object.
Include Introductions by Emily Short.
When play begins:
repeat with pawn running through people who are not the player
begin;
move pawn to a random room;
end repeat;
move Doctor Pearson to a random enterable supporter.
Doctor Pearson is a man.
The introduction is "Doctor Pearson is resting in [the holder of Pearson]. He winks at you as you walk in: the man has never mastered the concept of discretion, and at 65 he apparently thinks you still cherish hopes of reliving the affair you had twenty years ago, when you were a vulnerable seventeen."
Fred is a man.
The introduction is "[initial appearance of Fred] He's an old friend of yours, but lately you've found him more and more difficult to take: all his little tics -- impatience, rudeness, tendency to interrupt -- have grown more pronounced since Lisa left. Some of your social circle now act as though he weren't there at all, as though his stammered, tactless commentary were no more than background noise from a radio."
The initial appearance is "Fred is prowling near [the random scenery thing which is in the location], looking morose. "
Annie is a woman.
The introduction is "It's a relief to see Annie: solid and dependable, Annie keeps secrets and acts sensible."
The initial appearance is "Annie stands nearby. Only someone well-acquainted with her would be able to see how tense she feels."
Rule for writing a paragraph about a supporter which supports Pearson when Pearson is not mentioned:
carry out the writing a paragraph about activity with Pearson instead.
Rule for writing a paragraph about an enterable supporter (called target):
now the target is mentioned;
rule succeeds.
The Library is a room. The fireplace is scenery in the Library. The leather recliner is an enterable supporter in the Library.
North of the Library is the Home Theater. The comfy chair is an enterable supporter in the Home Theater. The screen is scenery in the Home Theater.
Table of Segues (continued)
first second segue Fred Doctor Pearson "[paragraph break][override intro for Pearson]Fred is no favorite with Doctor Pearson, either, which is why you're surprised to see the old man sitting serenely in [the holder of Pearson], sipping a vodka gimlet. " Fred Annie "[paragraph break][override intro for Annie]Annie gives you a kind of wry look: solid, sensible Annie, she is kinder to Fred than most others, but that's because she practices a disciplined sort of kindness, not because she doesn't find him irritating." Annie Fred "She will have had plenty of chance to practice, too: "
Test me with "look / north / look".
The "rule for writing a paragraph about an enterable supporter" is designed to keep Inform from mentioning the chairs unless someone is sitting in them. Note that this rule won't work with Tailored Room Description because there are already other, more complex rules about supporters that will take priority through normal rule-ordering.
On the other hand, with TRD we could use a description-concealing rule to omit any mention of those supporters anyway.