Bruneseau's Journey

Example 150

★★

A candle which reacts to lighting and blowing actions differently depending on whether it has already been lit once.

"Sire," said the Minister of the Interior to Napoleon, "yesterday I saw the most intrepid man in your Empire." - "What man is that?" said the Emperor brusquely, "and what has he done?" - "He wants to do something, Sire." - "What is it?" - "To visit the sewers of Paris."
 
This man existed and his name was Bruneseau.
 
- Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

Let's say that our intrepid explorer has a candle that can be lit and blown out again, and should accordingly appear unlit, burning, or partly burnt:

Play/modify in Borogove

Play in Quixe

"Bruneseau's Journey"

The Sewer Beneath St Denis is a room. "A narrow, stone-lined passageway, with only a little ledge to walk above the level of the refuse that flows down towards the Seine."

The candle is carried by the player. The description of the candle is "A candle, [if the candle has been lit]partially burnt[otherwise]still in pristine condition with untouched wick[end if]."

Instead of examining the lit candle, say "It burns with a pure heart."

The block burning rule is not listed in the check burning rules.

Instead of burning the lit candle:

say "The candle is already lit."

Check burning:

if the noun is not the candle, say "[The noun] cannot profitably be set on fire."

Carry out burning the candle:

now the candle is lit.

Report burning:

if the candle had been lit, say "You relight the candle.";

otherwise say "You light the candle for the first time.".

Understand "blow out [something]" as blowing out. Understand "blow [something] out" as blowing out. Blowing out is an action applying to one thing.

Carry out blowing out the candle:

now the candle is unlit.

Report blowing out:

if the noun is the candle and the candle was lit, say "You blow out [the noun].";

otherwise say "You blow on [the noun], to little effect."

Test me with "x candle / light candle / x candle / blow out candle / x candle".

Sewer Beneath St Denis
A narrow, stone-lined passageway, with only a little ledge to walk above the level of the refuse that flows down towards the Seine.

>(Testing.)

>[1] x candle
A candle, still in pristine condition with untouched wick.

>[2] light candle
You light the candle for the first time.

>[3] x candle
It burns with a pure heart.

>[4] blow out candle
You blow out the candle.

>[5] x candle
A candle, partially burnt.

We must be careful: "if the noun was lit" would throw errors because past-tense rules can only be applied to specific items, not to variables that could be anything.