| Chapter 8: Change |

| 8.5. Change of properties with values

Changing properties with values is very similar:

> change the printed name of the Closet to "Suddenly Spooky Closet"

Inform checks three different things to ensure that this change is safe to perform. Firstly, the value must be the right kind for the property in question, so this for instance would be rejected:

> change the printed name of the Closet to 7

Secondly, the object in question has to be allowed to have the given property. This, for instance, would be disallowed:

> change the initial appearance of the Closet to "Dusty"

(since "initial appearance" is a property which only things can have, not rooms). Finally, the object has to actually have the property, not just have the right to have that property. Thus:

> change the printed name of the Closet to "Suddenly Spooky Closet"

...is only permitted if the Closet is designed with a "printed name". In fact this is certain to be true: all rooms and things automatically have a printed name, which is the short boldface description in the case of rooms, and the usual text briefly describing something in the case of things.

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| Example Thirst A waterskin that is depleted as the player drinks from it, and a campfire he can light.

"Thirst" The player carries a waterskin. The waterskin can be full, partly drained, or empty. The waterskin is full. Understand "water" as the waterskin. Instead of drinking the waterskin when the waterskin is empty: say "There is no water left." Instead of drinking the waterskin: if the waterskin is partly drained, change the waterskin to empty; if the waterskin is full, change the waterskin to partly drained; say "You drink a long draught." After printing the name of the waterskin: say " ([waterskin condition])" Campsite is a room. "It is solid night now, and the stars have come out. Unfamiliar stars. On the other side of the valley -- a valley round-bottomed but shallow, like a soup bowl -- burn other campfires, most likely bandits. Their voices do not carry, but the smoke rises and obscures the starlight over that way." A sleepsack is an enterable container in the Campsite. "Your sleepsack is laid out in a pocket of sandy soil and coarse grass." The sandy soil, the stars, the distant campfires, and the coarse grass are scenery in the Campsite. Understand "smoke" as the campfires. Instead of listening in the presence of your campfire: say "All you hear are the reassuring snaps and cracks of the sticks in your fire." Understand "campfires" or "fires" as the distant campfires. Your campfire is scenery. Instead of pushing, pulling, turning, tasting, or touching your campfire, say "You would burn yourself." Understand "fire" as your campfire. The description of your campfire is "A reassuring protection against wild animals and cold." The description of the stars is "You invent constellations for them. The slingshot. The scroll. The heart (upside down)." Instead of going nowhere when the player is in Campsite: say "Now is not the time for wandering, alone in the dark. Better to keep here[if your campfire is visible], by the fire[end if]." Instead of singing: say "You sing, deep and low, a song from home. It is a good night for singing and the song raises your spirits." The player carries a tinderbox. The tinderbox contains a flint, a steel, some tinder, and a patch of carbonized cloth. The description of the flint is "A flat grey stone with flaked edges." The description of the steel is "Curved so that you can hold it over the knuckles of your right hand and strike it against the flint. There is a knack to it. Those without the knack end up with bloody knuckles and no fire." The steel is wearable. The description of the tinder is "Dried grass and similar." The description of the cloth is "The little, precious, spark-preserving scraps without which the fire would never begin." Instead of attacking the flint when the steel is not worn by the player: say "You must wear the steel over your knuckles, in order to hit the flint at the best angle." Instead of attacking the flint when the steel is worn and the cloth is not in the location: say "Though you strike the flint sharply with the steel and throw sparks, they have nothing to catch on, since the patch of cloth does not lie beneath." Instead of attacking the flint when the steel is worn and the cloth is in the location and the cloth is not unlit: say "The patch of cloth has already caught." Instead of attacking the flint: change the cloth to glowing; say "You strike the flint against the steel and throw sparks onto the patch of cloth; they make tiny circles of orange there, which will only prosper if blown into flame." Realistically, we ought to attach a randomization to this so that each step of the fire-starting has a good chance of failure. But because our player may not be as patient as someone who actually needs a fire started, we allow him to succeed the first time in every case. Ignition is a kind of value. The ignitions are whole, fading, glowing, flaming. A thing has an ignition. Blowing on is an action applying to one thing. Understand "breathe on [something]" or "blow on [something]" as blowing on. Instead of blowing on the whole cloth: say "There is no point, since no sparks have caught there." Instead of blowing on the fading cloth: change the cloth to flaming; say "You blow on the faint sparks on the cloth and turn them into the beginnings of flame." Instead of burning the whole tinder: if the cloth is not flaming begin; say "The patch of cloth must catch flame before you can light anything with it."; otherwise; change the tinder to flaming; remove the cloth from play; say "You light the tinder with the patch of cloth, and have the elements of a fire."; end if. Every turn: if the cloth is flaming or the cloth is whole begin; do nothing; otherwise; change the ignition of the cloth to the ignition before the ignition of the cloth; say "Now the patch of cloth is [ignition of the cloth]."; end if; Some kindling is in the campsite. Instead of burning the whole kindling: if the tinder is not flaming begin; say "You need the tinder to be flaming, first."; otherwise; remove the tinder from play; remove the kindling from play; move the campfire to the location; say "You succeed in lighting yourself a proper campfire."; change the printed name of Campsite to "By The Campfire"; end if. Test me with "i / drink water / i / drink water / i / wear steel / get flint / get cloth / drop cloth / get tinder / hit flint / blow on cloth / burn tinder / burn kindling / look".

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