Rules

Making new rulebooks 


Rules occurring at given times

When play begins 
        (consider the scene changing rules)
Every turn 
        (change the distance of butterfly to the distance of butterfly - 1; ...) 
When play ends 

Rules taking place when scenes begin and end can be found in the Scenes index.


Rules governing actions

Before 

Reaching inside 
        can't reach inside rooms rule
        can't reach inside closed containers rule
        outcome  allow access - a success
        outcome  deny access - a failure
Reaching outside 
        can't reach outside closed containers rule
        outcome  allow access - a success
        outcome  deny access - a failure
Visibility 
        can't act in the dark rule
        outcome  there is sufficient light - a failure
        outcome  there is insufficient light - a success

Instead of 
        showing laptop to the bird  
        asking bird about something  
        using laptop  
        switching on laptop  
        attacking butterfly  
        talking to bird  
        default outcome is failure

After 
        default outcome is success

Does the player mean 
        taking something which is carried by the player very unlikely to mean taking what's already carried rule
        outcome  it is very likely - a success
        outcome  it is likely - a success
        outcome  it is possible - a success
        outcome  it is unlikely - a success
        outcome  it is very unlikely - a success
Persuasion 
        outcome  persuasion succeeds - a success
        outcome  persuasion fails - a failure
Unsuccessful attempt by 
        default outcome is success

Rules for checking, carrying out and reporting on actions can be found in the Actions index. Summary of action rules 


Before, for and after activities

Printing the name 
    before     a thing (called the item being printed) make named things mentioned rule
    for         standard name printing rule
        default outcome is success
Listing contents 
    for         standard contents listing rule
        default outcome is success
Grouping together 
Constructing the status line 
Listing nondescript items 
Deciding the scope 
Supplying a missing noun 
    for         while smelling ambient odour rule
    for         while listening ambient sound rule
    for         while going block vaguely going rule
        default outcome is success
Supplying a missing second noun 
Reading a command 
Deciding whether all includes 
Printing the player's obituary 
    for         print obituary headline rule
    for         print final score rule
    for         display final status line rule
        default outcome is success
Amusing a victorious player 
Printing the banner text 
Printing the plural name 
Deciding the concealed possessions 
Printing a refusal to act in the dark 
Printing the announcement of darkness 
Printing the name of a dark room 
Printing the description of a dark room 
Printing room description details 
Printing a parser error 
Implicitly taking 
Starting the virtual machine 
Clarifying the parser's choice 
Asking which do you mean 
Writing a paragraph about 

What are activities?  How to make new activities 


Procedural rules

Procedural 


Two internally-used rulebooks

Action-processing rules 
        before rules
        basic accessibility rule
        carrying requirements rule
        instead rules
        non-player character action rule
        action-specific rules
        (rule succeeds)
Turn sequence rules 
        (consider the scene changing rules)
        (consider the every turn rules)
        reset parser disambiguation rule
        timed events rule
        advance time rule
        update chronological records rule
        (consider the scene changing rules)
        adjust light rule
        note object acquisitions rule