Claims Adjustment

Example 322

★★

An instant camera that spits out photographs of anything the player chooses to take a picture of.

We start by creating a camera and a photograph object. As usual when we want to have a kind of object that can be dispensed in bulk, we start off with a bunch of identical instances of the object out of play (in this case, kept in an out-of-play container called "film roll"); we can then move them into play and give them characteristics when they're needed.

Each photograph can depict exactly one thing -- we're assuming that the player is not a landscape photographer here -- so we create a relation to indicate what is shown by each photograph. We'll then use that relation to determine how photographs are described, named, and parsed:

Play/modify in Borogove

Play in Quixe

"Claims Adjustment"

A photograph is a kind of thing. 36 photographs are in the film roll.

Appearance relates one thing to various photographs. The verb to be shown by means the appearance relation.

The description of a photograph is usually "It shows [a random thing which is shown by the item described]."

Understand "of [something related by reversed appearance]" as a photograph.

This allows the player to refer to any photograph by its subject: useful if we have a large number of them.

Now we create an action to let the player use the camera and generate these photograph objects:

The player carries a cheap instant camera.
 
Understand "photograph [something] with [camera]" as photographing. Understand "photograph [something] with [something preferably held]" as photographing. Photographing is an action applying to one visible thing and one carried thing, requiring light.
 
The photographing action has an object called the selected film.
 
Setting action variables for photographing:
   let N be a random photograph in the film roll;
   now the selected film is N.
 
Check photographing:
   if the second noun is not the camera, say "You need a camera for that purpose." instead.
 
Check photographing:
   if the noun is the camera, say "Sadly impossible." instead.
 
Check photographing:
   if the selected film is nothing, say "You're out of film." instead.
 
Carry out photographing:
   now the noun is shown by the selected film;
   move the selected film to the player.
 
Report photographing:
   say "Your camera instantly spits out [a selected film]."

Now we use two activities from the Activities chapter to describe the photographs to the player more elegantly:

After printing the name of a photograph (called target):
   say " of [a random thing which is shown by the target]".
 
After printing the plural name of a photograph (called target):
   let N be the holder of the target;
   say " of [a list of things which are shown by photographs which are held by N]";
   if the number of things which are shown by photographs which are held by N is greater than one, say " (variously)".

And finally we provide a brief scenario to give the player something to take pictures of:

The Treasure Room is a room. "Despite the fancy name, this is no more than a closet -- albeit a closet with its own special circuit on the house alarm."
 
The Treasure Room contains a small Degas, a Ming vase, and a collection of South African krugerrands. The player is carrying insurance forms, a first-class stamp, and a security envelope.
 
The description of the forms is "Completely filled out in black ink in block letters: now all you need to do is attach photographic evidence of the objects you wish to insure."
 
Test me with "photograph degas / i / photograph degas / i / x photograph of degas / photograph me / x photograph of me / i / photograph vase / photograph camera / photograph collection / g / i / test more".
 
Test more with "x photograph of collection / x photograph of krugerrands / x photograph of collection of south african krugerrands / photograph photograph of degas / x photograph of photograph of degas".

Test me with "photograph degas / i / photograph degas / i / x photograph of degas / photograph me / x photograph of me / i / photograph vase / photograph camera / photograph collection / g / i / test more".

Treasure Room
Despite the fancy name, this is no more than a closet -- albeit a closet with its own special circuit on the house alarm.

You can see a small Degas, a Ming vase and a collection of South African krugerrands here.

>(Testing.)

>[1] photograph degas
(with the cheap instant camera)
Your camera instantly spits out a photograph of a small Degas.

>[2] i
You are carrying:
a photograph of a small Degas
a cheap instant camera
insurance forms
a first-class stamp
a security envelope

>[3] photograph degas
(with the cheap instant camera)
Your camera instantly spits out a photograph of a small Degas.

>[4] i
You are carrying:
two photographs of a small Degas
a cheap instant camera
insurance forms
a first-class stamp
a security envelope

>[5] x photograph of degas
It shows a small Degas.

>[6] photograph me
(with the cheap instant camera)
Your camera instantly spits out a photograph of yourself.

>[7] x photograph of me
It shows yourself.

>[8] i
You are carrying:
three photographs of yourself and a small Degas (variously)
a cheap instant camera
insurance forms
a first-class stamp
a security envelope

>[9] photograph vase
(with the cheap instant camera)
Your camera instantly spits out a photograph of a Ming vase.

>[10] photograph camera
(with the cheap instant camera)
Sadly impossible.

>[11] photograph collection
(with the cheap instant camera)
Your camera instantly spits out a photograph of a collection of South African krugerrands.

>[12] g
(with the cheap instant camera)
Your camera instantly spits out a photograph of a collection of South African krugerrands.

>[13] i
You are carrying:
six photographs of yourself, a small Degas, a Ming vase and a collection of South African krugerrands (variously)
a cheap instant camera
insurance forms
a first-class stamp
a security envelope

>[14] test more
(Testing.)

>[15] x photograph of collection
It shows a collection of South African krugerrands.

>[16] x photograph of krugerrands
It shows a collection of South African krugerrands.

>[17] x photograph of collection of south african krugerrands
It shows a collection of South African krugerrands.

>[18] photograph photograph of degas
(with the cheap instant camera)
Your camera instantly spits out a photograph of a photograph of a small Degas.

>[19] x photograph of photograph of degas
It shows a photograph of a small Degas.