comparing counters to numbers

Authoring Inform 7
#1

I’m working on my project again after a long break, and immediately ran into an issue with a counter.

I’m trying to make an object vanish when its counter hits 0, with some warning text as it gets closer to 0. Unfortunately, I can’t work out how to actually compare the counter with a number. Using ‘greater than’ and ‘less than’ just gives me errors.

Relevant bits of code:

A mote is a kind of thing. A mote is always lit. A mote has a number called MoteCounter. The MoteCounter is usually 0.
There are 31 motes.

[cut out code that moves motes into play and starts a Mote Time scene when they first show up, this part works fine]

[this part does not work fine]
Every turn during Mote Time (this is the mote of light timer rule):
	repeat with N running through on-stage motes:
		If the MoteCounter is greater than 0:
			decrement the MoteCounter;
			If N is in the location:
				If the MoteCounter less than 5:
					say "The mote of light dims and flickers.";
		Otherwise:
			If N is in the location:
				say "The mote of light winks out of existance.";
			remove N from play.

I’ve got code that moves motes into play and starts a Mote Time scene when they first show up, all of that works fine. It’s just the timer that is not working.

My error:

Problem. In the sentence 'If the MoteCounter is greater than 0 begin'  , it looks as if you intend 'MoteCounter is greater than 0' to be a condition, but that would mean comparing two kinds of value which cannot mix - a numbers valued property and a number - so this must be incorrect.

 See the manual: 14.2 > Numbers

I was trying to match this phrase:

if (motecounter is greater than 0 - a condition): 

This was what I found out:

MoteCounter is greater than 0 = a condition

I get an identical error for ‘less than’. The 14.2 section of the manual tells me all about multiplying and dividing and other fancy things I can do with numbers, and nothing about comparing them.
Chapter 11.8 does list ways to compare things using ifchecks, and it uses ‘greater than’/‘less than’, so it looks like my syntax is right. I’m not sure what the problem is.

#2

You have 31 motes so you need to specify which one you’re talking about (if the MoteCounter of N is greater than 0: …).

#3

Agh, so simple. I added some 'of N’s and it compiles great now. Thanks for the help!