12.11. Making actions work for other people

| Chapter 12: Advanced Actions |

| 12.11. Making actions work for other people

The "photographing" action now works very nicely when the player does it. But not when others try. Suppose that neither the player, nor Clark Gable, is holding the camera:

> >photograph clark
> You can hardly photograph without a camera, now can you?

> >clark, photograph me
> >

An uncanny silence. What has happened is that the rules written so far are all implicitly restricted to the player only. This is because when we write -

> Check photographing:
> if the camera is not carried:
> say "You can hardly photograph without a camera, now can you?" instead.

the action is "photographing", not "Clark photographing". In the next few sections we shall see how to make the rules work nicely for everybody. This is a little bit harder, so it should be noted right away that in many projects there is no need. In a game which has no other characters who succumb to persuasion, for instance, only the player will ever try the action.

203
| Example The Man of Steel An escaping action which means "go to any room you can reach from here", and is only useful to non-player characters. |
RB

204
| Example Trying Taking Manhattan Replacing the inventory reporting rule with another which does something slightly different. |
RB

205
| Example Under Contract Creating a person who accepts most instructions and reacts correctly when a request leads implicitly to inappropriate behavior. |
RB

> "Under Contract" The Sound Stage is a room. The description is "A somewhat creaky and unconvincing reproduction of the docks of San Francisco." Clark Gable is a man in the Sound Stage. "Clark is here, carrying [the list of things carried by Clark][if Clark wears anything] and wearing [the list of things worn by Clark][end if]." Clark carries a swagger stick. Clark carries an open openable player's holdall called a briefcase. The briefcase contains a signed contract. Clark wears a fedora and a pair of pants. A handle is part of the briefcase. The player carries an open openable player's holdall called a frilly bag. The carrying capacity of the player is 2. The player wears a sparkly scarf and a slinky dress. A strap is part of the bag. The tent is a portable enterable container. Instead of taking off the slinky dress: say "Rowr! Not that kind of movie, babe." Instead of taking off the pants: say "That's not your job, whatever the society pages might suggest." Unsuccessful attempt by Clark doing something: repeat through table of Clark Retorts: if the reason the action failed is the cause entry: say "[response entry][paragraph break]"; rule succeeds; say "'I don't think that's in the script,' says Clark dubiously." Table of Clark Retorts
> cause | response
> can't take yourself rule | "'I'm always self-possessed,' Clark remarks. You've heard that line before, but it sounds so much more convincing from him."
> can't take other people rule | "'I don't think it would be appreciated if I tried to do that to [the noun],' he rumbles."
> can't take component parts rule | "'I don't want to rip [the noun] out,' Clark remarks."
> can't take people's possessions rule | "'I don't cotton to acting like a thief,' Clark replies. 'It ain't proper.'"
> can't take what you're inside rule | "'Do you see where I am, babe?' Clark demands."
> can't take what's already taken rule | "[already done]"
> can't take scenery rule | "'I'm not the stunt man, darling,' he says with a wry twinkle."
> can't take what's fixed in place rule | "'I'm not the stunt man, darling,' he says with a wry twinkle."
> can't exceed carrying capacity rule | "Clark grins. 'I've only got so many hands, darling,' he says."
> can't insert into closed containers rule | "[physical impossibility]"
> can't go that way rule | "[physical impossibility]"
> can't go through closed doors rule | "[physical impossibility]"
> can't enter closed containers rule | "[physical impossibility]"
> can't exit closed containers rule | "[physical impossibility]"
> can't drop yourself rule | "'We're inseparable, me and me,' Clark replies, with a smile."
> can't drop what's already dropped rule | "[already done]"
> can't drop what's not held rule | "'Not under my control, [the noun],' replies Clark."
> can't drop clothes being worn rule | "[salacious retort]"
> can't put something on itself rule | "'I lack the dexterity,' says Clark. Oh, he's so modest."
> can't put onto something being carried rule | "'I lack the dexterity,' says Clark. Oh, he's so modest."
> can't put onto what's not a supporter rule | "'[The second noun] won't support a thing,' says Clark reprovingly."
> can't put clothes being worn rule | "[salacious retort]"
> can't insert clothes being worn rule | "[salacious retort]"
> can't give worn items rule | "[salacious retort]"
> can't wear what's not clothing rule | "'Costuming just gets stranger every year,' says Clark. 'In short: no.'"
> can't wear what's already worn rule | "[already done]"
> can't eat unless edible rule | "'What're you trying to do, poison me?'"
> can't eat clothing without removing it first rule | "[salacious retort]"
> can't take off what's not worn rule | "[already done]"
> can't close what's already closed rule | "[already done]"
> can't open what's already open rule | "[already done]"
> can't switch off what's already off rule | "[already done]"
> can't switch on what's already on rule | "[already done]"
> can't unlock what's already unlocked rule | "[already done]"
> can't lock what's already locked rule | "[already done]"
To say already done: repeat through Table of Clark's Bored Remarks: say "[response entry]"; blank out the whole row; rule succeeds; say "'Already done.' " Table of Clark's Bored Remarks response "'I have anticipated your every demand.'" "'We've been through this part of the script already,' Clark remarks, with just a hint of creeping tedium." "'Right right, already taken care of...'" "'I'm a believer in rehearsal,' Clark says, sounding more bored than ever, 'but we really have got all this done already.'" To say salacious retort: repeat through Table of Clark's Flirtatious Remarks: say "[response entry]"; blank out the whole row; rule succeeds; say "Clark, driven past the point of endurance, seizes you in his arms and kisses you."; end the story finally. Table of Clark's Flirtatious Remarks response "Clark allows his mustache to quirk at the suggestion." "Clark wiggles his eyebrows at you." "'That kind of thing isn't in my contract, sweetie,' says Clark. 'If you're interested you'll have to ask off-camera.'" "'I'd feel so... bare,' Clark says, with a sidelong look at you." "'You first,' says Clark." "Clark's stare is intense. You may be on the verge of breaking him." To say physical impossibility: repeat through Table of Clark's Frustrated Denials: say "[response entry]"; blank out the whole row; rule succeeds; say "Clark makes a helpless gesture about his ability to move himself, or parts of himself, through solid objects. " Table of Clark's Frustrated Denials response "Clark frowns. 'I can't reach through things -- unless you were planning a special effect?'" "'Look,' says Clark. 'If you want a stage magician, hire one.'" "Clark just groans." "Clark says drily, 'Is this in the script, or are we doing improvisation now?'" The block giving rule is not listed in the check giving it to rules. The block showing rule is not listed in the check showing it to rules. The block smelling rule is not listed in the check smelling rules. The block listening rule is not listed in the check listening to rules. Carry out listening to something: do nothing. Report listening to something: say "Your attention bears no interesting result." Carry out smelling something: do nothing. Report smelling something: say "Your attention bears no interesting result." Report someone listening to something: say "[The person asked] concentrates, listening." Report someone smelling something: say "[The person asked] sniffs at [the noun]." Instead of asking someone for something: try asking the noun to try giving the second noun to the player. Carry out showing something to someone: say "You reveal [the noun] to [the second noun]." Carry out Clark showing something to someone: if the second noun is the player: say "Clark shows you [the noun]. [run paragraph on]"; try examining the noun; otherwise: say "Clark reveals [the noun] to [the second noun]." Instead of asking someone to try saying yes: try saying yes. Instead of asking someone to try saying no: try saying no. Instead of asking someone to try saying sorry, try saying sorry. Instead of asking someone to try swearing obscenely, try swearing obscenely. Instead of asking someone to try swearing mildly, try swearing mildly. And now we make Clark a very amenable type: A persuasion rule for asking people to try doing something: persuasion succeeds. There are quite a few actions for which no automatic other-character behavior is provided at all, because they always end in failure when the player tries them. Currently the response is not very interesting. Let's spice it up a bit: Burning something is useless action. Waking up is useless action. Thinking is useless action. Cutting is useless action. Jumping is useless action. Tying something to something is useless action. Drinking something is useless action. Swinging is useless action. Rubbing is useless action. Setting something to something is useless action. Waving hands is useless action. Buying is useless action. Singing is useless action. Climbing is useless action. Sleeping is useless action. Kissing is useless action. Throwing something at something is useless action. Attacking is useless action. Asking something about something is useless action. Telling something about something is useless action. Answering something that something is useless action. Waking something is useless action. A persuasion rule for asking people to try useless action: say "Clark Gable frowns. 'I don't mean to be difficult, but I can't see any point in that.'"; persuasion fails. A persuasion rule for asking Clark to try taking off the pants: say "He gives you a look of mocking exasperation. Apparently you'll have to take a (slightly) more subtle approach."; persuasion fails. Check someone giving something to someone (this is the can't give worn items rule): if the person asked wears the noun, stop the action. And because we do not want Clark automatically taking off the pants as the result of a drop action: Instead of Clark taking off the pants: do nothing. We know that this can only come about as a default action, because we have arranged matters so that he cannot be persuaded directly. Test me with "give dress to clark / clark, take off pants / clark, sing / clark, eat pants / clark, give me the pants / clark, drop pants / clark, put the pants in the briefcase / again / g / g / g"

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