adv3Lite periplus

In another attempt to make the TADS 3 documentation work for me, today I slapped together a web reference which organizes the adv3Lite library by concepts:

https://jimbonator.github.io/tads-cookbook/adv3Lite/

I’m calling it a “periplus” because it’s catchy, and not so technical-sounding.

The periplus categorizes the more useful and relevant classes in the adv3Lite library, and weaves in links to appropriate pages from Eric Eve’s handy guide.

I’m starting to use this for my own project, and I already feel like I’m finding value. Hopefully others will find utility as well.

It’s a work-in-progress. Suggestions welcome. Source can be found at my TADS cookbook repo, where it’s hosted.

I targeted adv3Lite first because that fits my immediate needs. Future plans are to produce a similar resource for the standard adv3 library.

– Jim

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Very nice work! Thank you!

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Excellent! And thanks for hosting the adv3lite docs as well, will make it much easier to ask/answer questions here on the forum when we can direct link as needed.

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Practically, a library reference manual by subject, whose IS what one really need to navigate TADS’s libraries (I use only adv3 because I have serious issues with adv3lite (I can only compile working debug story files, the non-debug story files always crashing with all 'terp I have around)

kudos for the excellent work, whose deserve to be applied to to the standard adv3 library then integrated, if not even added to, with the bookshelf !

Best regards from Italy,
dott. Piergiorgio.

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I am still on the fence between adv3 vs. adv3lite. :frowning:

Quiting Eric Eve’s Adv3Lite Website:

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"Adv3Lite aims to provide a library that’s easier to use than the adv3 library which comes standard with TADS 3, but which is almost as powerful and expressive. Adv3Lite misses out the bits that most games don’t really need (like postures, room parts, and multiple light levels) while adding in some other bits that are often more useful (like scenes and regions, “borrowed” from Inform 7). Adv3Lite also cuts down drastically on the complexity of the adv3 class hierarchy (there are lots of classes to learn about in adv3!) while maintaining much of their functionality.

One area adv3Lite absolutely doesn’t skimp on is the conversation system, which does everything the adv3 one can and more. At the basic level it’s very similar to adv3’s, but for more advanced conversational work it’s more flexible and can do quite a few things that adv3’s can’t."
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For me, NPCs and their interaction is a key value in IF. Would that mitigate some of the issues with Adv3Lite?

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I’m sold on adv3Lite. Eric made a number of quality-of-life choices that have really helped me in my latest endeavor.

What I haven’t done is go deep with NPC conversations other than some simple responses on various topics. Looking through his docs, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. I’ve also not used the Doer class, which likewise looks powerful.

I have used Regions and MultiLocs in a number of places. In particular, they made coding a timed event on a broad outdoor area easy.

I don’t miss the lack of postures. The way he dealt with that issue is fine for my needs (and, I suspect, for the needs of most games).

When I get to fleshing out my NPCs, I’ll report back what I find. I feel pretty confident adv3Lite has everything I need, though.

– Jim

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If TADS had this years ago, maybe it would still be relatively popular. Then again, with the masses moving to Inform 7, plus a great deal of beginners starting with I7, maybe not.
Another thing that might be useful is a TADS extension repo, similar to the Friends of Inform 7 extensions repo.