7.3. Reactive Characters

| Chapter 7: Other Characters |

| 7.3. Reactive Characters

As we observe characters, so they observe us. Those who seem to have no awareness of what the player is doing often come across more like waxworks than like people. Zodiac demonstrates a scenario where the watchful presence of a dangerous criminal keeps the player from doing what he otherwise might, while Police State expands on this idea with a policeman who reacts to entire types of behavior in his presence, regardless of whether the culprit is the player or a third party. Noisemaking has a crow who will fly away in response to any loud noises the player makes.

And, of course, we definitely want to have characters react to being looked at or otherwise interfered with. Search and Seizure implements a smuggler who reacts when we try to confiscate his possessions. Pine 1 gives us a sleeping princess who can be woken by a variety of methods.

We wrap up this section with two complete puzzle scenarios that demonstrate what can be achieved by giving characters reactions to the player's behavior. A Day For Fresh Sushi has a fish who watches the player's actions and comments on them, while the live furnishings in Revenge of the Fussy Table instead comment every turn on the current state of the world, until the player has successfully sorted out all their complaints.

96
| Example Zodiac Several variations on "doing something other than...", demonstrating different degrees of restriction. |
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186
| Example Police State Several friends who obey you; a policeman who doesn't (but who takes a dim view of certain kinds of antics). |
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196
| Example Noisemaking Creating a stage after the report stage of an action, during which other characters may observe and react. |
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36
| Example Search and Seizure A smuggler who has items, some of which are hidden. |
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Suppose we want a character who carries hidden objects, but only while he is wearing his jacket. If we deprive him of this, his other possessions become known. Furthermore, if we ever search him, his possessions also become known, and can thereafter be mentioned by us. "Search and Seizure" Size is a kind of value. The sizes are small, medium, and large. A thing has a size. A thing is usually small. A thing can be licit or contraband. A thing is usually licit. A thing can be discovered or secret. A thing is usually secret. Now, we want the character to be able to hide small things if he has some sort of concealing garment on. We also want to be able to see anything that the player has already found once, perhaps by using the >SEARCH PERSON command. So: Rule for deciding the concealed possessions of someone (called the suspect): if the particular possession is discovered, no; if the suspect wears something and the particular possession is small, yes; otherwise no. The following rule, borrowed from a later chapter, assures that any items that are ever mentioned to the player will be treated as known from then on: Before printing the name of something (called discovery): now the discovery is discovered. The Customs House is a room. The smuggler is a man in the Customs House. The smuggler wears a leather jacket. He carries a bottle of Altairan rum, some raspberries, and a laser pistol. The pistol is large. The jacket is large. The rum and the raspberries are contraband. The description of the smuggler is "He has a bestubbled chin and a sinister eye." The tourist is a woman in the customs house. The description is "The type who walks off home with a dozen contraband items in her pocket not because she means to steal things but because she's too stupid to understand that the law applies to herself." She wears a tight-fitting dress. The dress is large. The tourist carries a grapevine and an archaeological artifact. The grapevine is large and contraband. The artifact is contraband. Report examining someone: say "[The noun] is [if the noun is wearing something]wearing [a list of unconcealed things worn by the noun] and [end if]carrying [a list of unconcealed things carried by the noun]." Report examining someone who is concealing something contraband: say "[The noun] looks nervous. You can just tell." Report examining someone who is carrying an unconcealed contraband thing: say "Your eye goes at once to [the list of unconcealed contraband things carried by the noun] which [the noun] is unable to hide"; if an unconcealed licit thing is had by the noun, say ", though [if the noun is female]s[end if]he also has [a list of unconcealed licit things had by the noun]"; say "." instead. Notice that we can talk about what the smuggler wears, what he carries, and what he "has": things the smuggler has can be either worn or carried, so the phrase is useful if we don't care to make that distinction. Instead of searching someone: say "[The noun] is revealed to be carrying [a list of things carried by the noun]." Instead of confiscating the dress: say "You are not allowed to perform strip-searches in the public customs area." Understand "confiscate [something]" as confiscating. Confiscating is an action applying to one thing. Check confiscating: unless the noun is had by someone who is not the player: say "You can only confiscate other people's possessions." instead. Carry out confiscating: now the noun is carried by the player. Report confiscating: say "Through the authority vested in you by the power of the Sovereign of Centauri Proxima, you make [the noun] your own." Test me with "x smuggler / search smuggler / x smuggler / confiscate jacket / x smuggler / confiscate rum / confiscate pistol / x smuggler / confiscate raspberries / x smuggler". Test more with "x tourist / confiscate dress / confiscate grapevine / x tourist / search tourist / confiscate artifact / x tourist".

154
| Example Pine 1 Pine: Using a scene to watch for the solution of a puzzle, however arrived-at by the player. |
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112
| 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. |
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82
| Example Revenge of the Fussy Table A small game about resentful furniture and inconvenient objects. |
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