Circle of Misery
Example 431
★The only point we need to be careful about is that the carousel is simulated twice over, in the following text: once in the built-in way that objects are inside other objects, so that the luggage items are objects contained in the carousel object; but then again by the "circle of misery" list, a ring buffer keeping track of what order things are in. We need to be careful that these two records do not fall out of synchrony: anything put into the carousel must be added to the list, anything taken out must be removed. (In fact we forbid things to be added, for simplicity's sake.)
"Circle Of Misery"
Luggage item is a kind of thing. The blue golf bag, the leopardskin suitcase, the green rucksack and the Lufthansa shoulder-bag are luggage items.
Heathrow Baggage Claim is a room. The carousel is a container in Heathrow. "The luggage carousel, a scaly rubbered ring, does for the roundabout what Heathrow Airport does for the dream of flight: that is, turns the purest magic into the essence of boredom, only with extra stress. [if the number of entries in the circle of misery is 0]For once it stands idle. Perhaps it's broken.[otherwise]The baggage approaching you now: [the circle of misery with indefinite articles]."
The circle of misery is a list of objects that varies.
When play begins:
now all the luggage items are in the carousel;
add the list of luggage items to the circle of misery.
The list "circle of misery" is our ring, in which entry 1 is considered to be the position of whichever bag is currently frontmost. And here it goes, round and round:
Every turn when the number of entries in the circle of misery is not 0:
rotate the circle of misery;
let the bag be entry 1 of the circle of misery;
say "The carousel trundles on, bringing [a bag] to within reach."
After taking a luggage item (called the bag):
remove the bag from the circle of misery, if present;
say "Taken."
Before doing something with a luggage item (called the bag) which is in the carousel:
if the bag is not entry 1 of the circle of misery, say "[The bag] is maddeningly out of range. You'll have to wait for it to come round." instead.
Instead of inserting something into the carousel, say "In recent years, the authorities have tended to frown upon depositing bags in random places at airports."
Test me with "get suitcase / get suitcase / get suitcase / get suitcase / look / get golf bag / look / get golf bag".
Test me with "get suitcase / get suitcase / get suitcase / get suitcase / look / get golf bag / look / get golf bag".
Heathrow Baggage Claim
The luggage carousel, a scaly rubbered ring, does for the roundabout what Heathrow Airport does for the dream of flight: that is, turns the purest magic into the essence of boredom, only with extra stress. The baggage approaching you now: a blue golf bag, a leopardskin suitcase, a green rucksack and a Lufthansa shoulder-bag.
>(Testing.)
>[1] get suitcase
The leopardskin suitcase is maddeningly out of range. You'll have to wait for it to come round.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a Lufthansa shoulder-bag to within reach.
>[2] get suitcase
The leopardskin suitcase is maddeningly out of range. You'll have to wait for it to come round.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a green rucksack to within reach.
>[3] get suitcase
The leopardskin suitcase is maddeningly out of range. You'll have to wait for it to come round.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a leopardskin suitcase to within reach.
>[4] get suitcase
Taken.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a blue golf bag to within reach.
>[5] look
Heathrow Baggage Claim
The luggage carousel, a scaly rubbered ring, does for the roundabout what Heathrow Airport does for the dream of flight: that is, turns the purest magic into the essence of boredom, only with extra stress. The baggage approaching you now: a blue golf bag, a green rucksack and a Lufthansa shoulder-bag.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a Lufthansa shoulder-bag to within reach.
>[6] get golf bag
The blue golf bag is maddeningly out of range. You'll have to wait for it to come round.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a green rucksack to within reach.
>[7] look
Heathrow Baggage Claim
The luggage carousel, a scaly rubbered ring, does for the roundabout what Heathrow Airport does for the dream of flight: that is, turns the purest magic into the essence of boredom, only with extra stress. The baggage approaching you now: a green rucksack, a Lufthansa shoulder-bag and a blue golf bag.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a blue golf bag to within reach.
>[8] get golf bag
Taken.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a Lufthansa shoulder-bag to within reach.
The luggage carousel, a scaly rubbered ring, does for the roundabout what Heathrow Airport does for the dream of flight: that is, turns the purest magic into the essence of boredom, only with extra stress. The baggage approaching you now: a blue golf bag, a leopardskin suitcase, a green rucksack and a Lufthansa shoulder-bag.
>(Testing.)
>[1] get suitcase
The leopardskin suitcase is maddeningly out of range. You'll have to wait for it to come round.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a Lufthansa shoulder-bag to within reach.
>[2] get suitcase
The leopardskin suitcase is maddeningly out of range. You'll have to wait for it to come round.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a green rucksack to within reach.
>[3] get suitcase
The leopardskin suitcase is maddeningly out of range. You'll have to wait for it to come round.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a leopardskin suitcase to within reach.
>[4] get suitcase
Taken.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a blue golf bag to within reach.
>[5] look
Heathrow Baggage Claim
The luggage carousel, a scaly rubbered ring, does for the roundabout what Heathrow Airport does for the dream of flight: that is, turns the purest magic into the essence of boredom, only with extra stress. The baggage approaching you now: a blue golf bag, a green rucksack and a Lufthansa shoulder-bag.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a Lufthansa shoulder-bag to within reach.
>[6] get golf bag
The blue golf bag is maddeningly out of range. You'll have to wait for it to come round.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a green rucksack to within reach.
>[7] look
Heathrow Baggage Claim
The luggage carousel, a scaly rubbered ring, does for the roundabout what Heathrow Airport does for the dream of flight: that is, turns the purest magic into the essence of boredom, only with extra stress. The baggage approaching you now: a green rucksack, a Lufthansa shoulder-bag and a blue golf bag.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a blue golf bag to within reach.
>[8] get golf bag
Taken.
The carousel trundles on, bringing a Lufthansa shoulder-bag to within reach.