Cloak of Darkness (http://www.firthworks.com/roger/cloak/) is a very interesting site, and one of the few that I’m aware of that directly compares the different IF systems available to any great depth.
However, I find the sample game rather odd, focusing on a few, quite specific, objectives and a very small fraction of what can be done with these languages.
Would anyone be interested in having a larger sample used to compare the various systems, perhaps one that would explore more features of each system and allow users to make a more informed (no pun intended) decision?
If you were to post a specification for what the game should do, I would be happy to write a T3 version. Then I’m sure a few of the T3 veterans would be happy to rip my example apart and point out all the ways I could have done it better.
Lol, probably best if I didn’t specify it as you might think I was being biased. But something that covers a large section of commonly used functionality would be a good thing I think.
Cloak of Darkness did always seem a bit odd to me. Lit/unlit rooms are rarely used much these days, and the “puzzle” is utterly arbitrary and can be made unsolvable without warning. But other parts, such as preventing a broad spectrum of actions are useful things to see in any language.
Although I think the main purpose of the example is to provide a small demonstration to let players get a feel of the languages, for which I think it serves its purpose well, regardless of whether you’d actually want to make a game using those kinds of actions.
Still, in a more comprehensive example, I’d suggest some things that should be covered would be:
Simple:
Change player description.
Add some “about” text.
Add a character with one abstract ask/tell topic and one about an object in the game world that the player may or may not have encountered.
Add a verb with a default response for all objects, for a class of objects and for a specific object.
Add a new direction.
Teleport the player to a different location.
For systems that force manual door-opening, manually picking up items before you can put/give them, or any other old-school busywork, show how to turn this off.
More Complex:
Write the game in first person past tense.
Switch between two player characters.
At least, these are the kinds of things I’m interested in.
