| Chapter 7: Basic Actions |

| 7.16. Repeated actions

We come at last to the final thing which can be specified about an action, and appropriately enough it must be specified with the final words of the description. This is the way to talk about repeated activity:

> Instead of examining the tapestry for the third time, say "All right, so it's a masterpiece, but is this really the time to make a detailed study?"

> Instead of examining the urn at least twice, say "It's an urn. What do you want from me?"

> Instead of going nowhere for the 20th time, say "Do stop walking into walls, there's a good fellow."

Note that we are allowed to spell out numbers up to ten in English words, but beyond that must use digits (thus "tenth" is allowed but not "eleventh": "11th" should be used instead). The following example is instructive:

> Instead of taking something for the fourth time, say "No. I'm capricious."

This means that it is the fourth time a "taking..." action has been tried, and does not mean that the same item was taken each time. Also, note that we are counting the number of times the action has been tried, not the number of times it succeeded.

92
| Example Y ask Y? Noticing when the player seems to be at a loss, and recommending the use of hints.

93
| Example A Day For Fresh Sushi A complete story by Emily Short, called "A Day for Fresh Sushi", rewritten using Inform 7. Noteworthy is the snarky commenter who remarks on everything the player does, but only the first time each action is performed.

Previous | Contents | Next