erasing a blackboard

Authoring Inform 7
#1

After several months at my first attempt at IF, I am resuming a simple game I want to create for my ESL students that recreates the school environment. Perhaps I am being overly cautious anticipating the player’s actions, but I want to know how to erase words from a blackboard (changing a condition).

Here is what I have written so far: A chalkboard is an object. a chalkboard is fixed in place. a chalkboard is in Classroom 2. The description is "Something is written on the chalkboard." Understand "board" as chalkboard. Understand "blackboard" as chalkboard. Instead of reading a chalkboard: say "In large, uneven letters are the following words: 'WE ARE HERE AS ON A DARKLING PLAIN [line break] SWEPT WITH CONFUSED ARMIES OF STRUGGLE AND FLIGHT.'" Erasing is an action applying to one thing and requiring light. Understand "erase [something]" as erasing. Carry out erasing chalkboard: say "You now have chalk all over your hands."; now the description of a chalkboard is "It is now blank.".
My trouble is once the board is erased, the text is still readable. How do I make it truly blank? Do I need to install an extension? Since blackboards are the only erasable objects in the game, I do not need an elaborate editing/erasing system.

Thanks for any help and your patience with an amateur.

#2

The text is still readable because you’ve defined an “instead of reading” rule which always happens. Changing the board’s description doesn’t affect that.

(Actually, reading is not a standard action. You must have defined it earlier. Or maybe this should be an “instead of examining” rule.)

The simplest way to do this is to drop the whole reading action – “read” is already defined as a synonym of examining. You could do this:


A chalkboard is an object.  a chalkboard is fixed in place.  a chalkboard is in Classroom 2.
The description is "In large, uneven letters are the following words:  'WE ARE HERE AS ON A DARKLING PLAIN [line break] SWEPT WITH CONFUSED ARMIES OF STRUGGLE AND FLIGHT.'"  
Understand "board" as chalkboard.
Understand "blackboard" as chalkboard.

Erasing is an action applying to one thing and requiring light. Understand "erase [something]" as erasing.
Carry out erasing chalkboard:
say "You now have chalk all over your hands."; now the description of a chalkboard is "It is now blank.".
#3

Easy enough. Thanks!

#4

My Notepad extension (on the I7 website) might come in handy. It’s specifically for creating blackboards and other objects the player can write on.

#5

Here’s another way to do it.

understand the command “read” as something new.
reading is an action applying to one thing.
understand “read [thing]” as reading.

Classroom 2 is a room.

a chalkboard is fixed in place in Classroom 2.
the chalkboard is either erased or unerased.
the chalkboard is unerased.

The description is “[if chalkboard is unerased]
Something is written on the chalkboard. [otherwise] The chalkboard is now blank. [end if]”;

Understand “board” as chalkboard.
Understand “blackboard” as chalkboard.

Instead of reading the chalkboard:
if the chalkboard is unerased:
say “In large, uneven letters are the following words: ‘WE ARE HERE AS ON A DARKLING PLAIN [line break] SWEPT WITH CONFUSED ARMIES OF STRUGGLE AND FLIGHT.’” ;
otherwise:
say “The chalkboard is now blank.”

Erasing is an action applying to one thing and requiring light.
Understand “erase [something]” as erasing.

Carry out erasing chalkboard:
now the chalkboard is erased;
say “You now have chalk all over your hands.”;

#6

I consulted your extension when originally writing this. Perhaps it would have been better and easier to download it in the first place. Cheers.

All of the above suggestions do the trick. Thanks again.