Timeless
Example 408
★In a game with tight timing, it is sometimes friendliest to the player to let him LOOK and EXAMINE as much as necessary without being penalized.
"Timeless"
Examining something is acting fast. Looking is acting fast.
Now we need a rule which, just at the right moment, stops the turn sequence rulebook in the cast of our new fast-acting actions:
The take visual actions out of world rule is listed before the every turn stage rule in the turn sequence rules.
This is the take visual actions out of world rule: if acting fast, rule succeeds.
Thus the rest of the turn sequence rulebook is omitted for looking or examining: in effect, they become out-of-world actions like "saving the game". If we wanted to add, say, taking inventory to the list of instant activities, we would just need to define it as acting fast, too.
Now the scenario for testing:
When play begins:
say "You are cornered by a pack of zombie wolves, armed only with a torch and a pair of pinking shears. This may be your last moment on earth, unless you can think fast!"
Cleft is a room. "You're backed into a cleft in the granite: behind you are only steep, high faces of stone, and before you a narrow passage."
The plural of zombie wolf is zombie wolves. A zombie wolf is a kind of animal. Four zombie wolves are in Cleft.
Rule for writing a paragraph about zombie wolves:
say "The good news is that there isn't much space in which for the zombie wolves to attack.";
now every zombie wolf is mentioned.
A steep high face of stone is scenery in Cleft. Understand "rock" as the stone. The description is "Now that you look more closely, there appear to be pitons driven into the rock."
Some pitons are part of the stone. The description of the pitons is "It looks as though someone else has made this ascent before."
Instead of climbing the stone, try going up. Instead of climbing the pitons, try going up.
Above the Cleft is Clifftop.
Every turn when the location is Cleft:
say "Alas, your time has run out. The alpha wolf springs--";
end the story.
Every turn when the location is Clifftop:
say "After a breathless climb, you emerge at last onto the open clifftop.";
end the story finally.
Test me with "x me / x stone / x pitons / climb pitons".
Test me with "x me / x stone / x pitons / climb pitons".
Cleft
You're backed into a cleft in the granite: behind you are only steep, high faces of stone, and before you a narrow passage.
The good news is that there isn't much space in which for the zombie wolves to attack.
>(Testing.)
>[1] x me
As good-looking as ever.
>[2] x stone
Now that you look more closely, there appear to be pitons driven into the rock.
>[3] x pitons
It looks as though someone else has made this ascent before.
>[4] climb pitons
Clifftop
After a breathless climb, you emerge at last onto the open clifftop.
*** The End ***
You're backed into a cleft in the granite: behind you are only steep, high faces of stone, and before you a narrow passage.
The good news is that there isn't much space in which for the zombie wolves to attack.
>(Testing.)
>[1] x me
As good-looking as ever.
>[2] x stone
Now that you look more closely, there appear to be pitons driven into the rock.
>[3] x pitons
It looks as though someone else has made this ascent before.
>[4] climb pitons
Clifftop
After a breathless climb, you emerge at last onto the open clifftop.
*** The End ***