Room Name
(first sentence) (middle sentences) (last sentence)
(exit listing)
(object listing)
If all of these are present in a room, then the player’s awareness (from things they are most aware of to things they are least aware of) will be something like:
- object listing
- room name
- exit listing
- first sentence
- last sentence
- middle sentences
(This will vary by person, of course. But in general.)
I build room descriptions based on a combination of this information and a personal design sense about where I want the player’s attention to go. Examples:
If I want an object (or exit) to be extremely visible, then I separate it from the room description. If I want it to be more environmental, then I embed it inside the room description.
If I want players to read the room description carefully (over the course of the full game), then I keep exits listed in the room description only. If the room description doesn’t matter as much, then I separate exit listings from the rest of the room description.
If the PC’s attention would go immediately to a specific object, then I place it either in the object listing or the first sentence.
…and so forth.