Using text properties that apply only to some things and are not defined for others.

Sometimes we like to give properties to kinds of thing, but not fill them in in all cases. For instance, we might have vehicles that optionally make noise, and those might have a "movement sound".

All properties have a default value, which we can find by looking in the Kinds tab of the index. This is what the property will be set to automatically, if we do not change it ourselves. In the case of a text property, that is ""; so for instance we might use our movement sound thus:

"Straw Boater"
Boathouse is a room. "A boathouse circa 1915, which -- though in poor repair -- still suggests Sunday afternoon jaunts taken by women in white gowns and men in straw hats."
North of the Boathouse is the Shallow Water. The description of Shallow Water is "Just south is the boathouse, and beyond it are trees and the marble terrace of the house above. The water deepens to the north."
North of Shallow Water is Deep Water. The description of Deep Water is "From here the boathouse has dwindled invisibly to the south, and you have a broad panorama of the shoreline, all the way down to the Skeleton Point Lighthouse in the southeast."
A vehicle has some text called the movement sound. The sailboat and the motorboat are vehicles in the Boathouse. The movement sound of the motorboat is "VRRRROOOMMMM..." Understand "boat" as the sailboat. Understand "boat" as the motorboat.

Note that we haven't given the sailboat any movement sound at all.

After going somewhere by a vehicle (called cart):
   if the movement sound of the cart is not "", say "[the movement sound of the cart][paragraph break]";
   continue the action.
Instead of exiting when the player is in a vehicle and the location is not the Boathouse:
   say "You're not dressed for a swim."
Instead of going somewhere when the player is not in a vehicle:
   say "You'd rather not try to make this journey by swimming alone."
Test me with "n / get in sailboat / n / get out / s / get in motorboat / n / n".
Test me with "n / get in sailboat / n / get out / s / get in motorboat / n / n".
Boathouse
A boathouse circa 1915, which -- though in poor repair -- still suggests Sunday afternoon jaunts taken by women in white gowns and men in straw hats.

You can see a sailboat (empty) and a motorboat (empty) here.

>(Testing.)

>[1] n
You'd rather not try to make this journey by swimming alone.

>[2] get in sailboat
You get into the sailboat.

>[3] n

Shallow Water (in the sailboat)
Just south is the boathouse, and beyond it are trees and the marble terrace of the house above. The water deepens to the north.

>[4] get out
You're not dressed for a swim.

>[5] s

Boathouse (in the sailboat)
A boathouse circa 1915, which -- though in poor repair -- still suggests Sunday afternoon jaunts taken by women in white gowns and men in straw hats.

You can see a motorboat (empty) here.

>[6] get in motorboat
(getting out of the sailboat)
You get into the motorboat.

>[7] n
VRRRROOOMMMM...

Shallow Water (in the motorboat)
Just south is the boathouse, and beyond it are trees and the marble terrace of the house above. The water deepens to the north.

>[8] n
VRRRROOOMMMM...

Deep Water (in the motorboat)
From here the boathouse has dwindled invisibly to the south, and you have a broad panorama of the shoreline, all the way down to the Skeleton Point Lighthouse in the southeast.