History Lab
Example 250
★★The examples Variety and Narrative Register show how verbs can be associated with particular actions. Here, we use the same principle so that we can report to the player what was last done to a particular object, either by the player or by someone else.
To do this, we need to use the idea of stored actions from the Advanced Actions chapter.
"History Lab"
Section 1 - Procedure
An object has an action called the last action.
Describing relates various verbs to various action names. The verb to describe means the describing relation.
To take is a verb. The verb take describes the taking action.
To drop is a verb. The verb drop describes the dropping action.
To look at is a verb. The verb look at describes the examining action.
To examine is a verb. The verb examine describes the examining action.
After an actor doing something to something:
if a verb describes the action name part of the current action:
now the indefinite article of the noun is "the";
now the last action of the noun is the current action;
continue the action.
After printing the name of something (called item):
if the last action of the item is not waiting and the last action of the item is not the current action:
let chosen action-name be the action name part of the last action of the item;
let chosen actor be the actor part of the the last action of the item;
if a verb describes the chosen action-name:
let the chosen verb be a random verb that describes the chosen action-name;
say " [if the chosen actor is the player][we][else][chosen actor][end if] [adapt chosen verb in past tense]";
Section 2 - Scenario
Lab is a room. It contains a box. The box contains a newspaper. Clark is a man in the Lab.
A persuasion rule:
persuasion succeeds.
Test me with "x box / look / x newspaper / look / clark, x newspaper / clark, get box / clark, drop box / look / take box / i / smell box / i".
Test me with "x box / look / x newspaper / look / clark, x newspaper / clark, get box / clark, drop box / look / take box / i / smell box / i".
Lab
You can see a box (in which is a newspaper) and Clark here.
>(Testing.)
>[1] x box
In the box is a newspaper.
>[2] look
Lab
You can see the box you looked at (in which is a newspaper) and Clark here.
>[3] x newspaper
You see nothing special about the newspaper.
>[4] look
Lab
You can see the box you looked at (in which is the newspaper you looked at) and Clark here.
>[5] clark, x newspaper
Clark looks closely at the newspaper.
>[6] clark, get box
Clark picks up the box.
>[7] clark, drop box
Clark puts down the box.
>[8] look
Lab
You can see the box Clark dropped (in which is the newspaper Clark looked at) and Clark here.
>[9] take box
Taken.
>[10] i
You are carrying:
the box you took
the newspaper Clark examined
>[11] smell box
You smell nothing unexpected.
>[12] i
You are carrying:
the box you took
the newspaper Clark looked at
You can see a box (in which is a newspaper) and Clark here.
>(Testing.)
>[1] x box
In the box is a newspaper.
>[2] look
Lab
You can see the box you looked at (in which is a newspaper) and Clark here.
>[3] x newspaper
You see nothing special about the newspaper.
>[4] look
Lab
You can see the box you looked at (in which is the newspaper you looked at) and Clark here.
>[5] clark, x newspaper
Clark looks closely at the newspaper.
>[6] clark, get box
Clark picks up the box.
>[7] clark, drop box
Clark puts down the box.
>[8] look
Lab
You can see the box Clark dropped (in which is the newspaper Clark looked at) and Clark here.
>[9] take box
Taken.
>[10] i
You are carrying:
the box you took
the newspaper Clark examined
>[11] smell box
You smell nothing unexpected.
>[12] i
You are carrying:
the box you took
the newspaper Clark looked at
Notice that smelling the box does not change the box's description because we haven't gotten around to defining a smell or sniff verb.