Several years ago I began working on an alternative Inform 6 library to add features I wanted. Perhaps nobody here remembers, but back in 2005 and 2006 I uploaded a couple of buggy beta versions to the IF Archive and got some positive feedback. Well, after all that time and many life changes, I’ve finally uploaded a version 1.0 with a few, minor known bugs. Anybody still using Inform 6 may be interested in it, since it adds a number of features (although converting standard code to Triform code may be time-consuming).
The major new features are:
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Objects can be both containers and supporters, with no add_to_scope trickery, and may also have items behind and beneath them. The player can refer to objects by their locations, such as THE WALLET ON THE TABLE or THE MONEY IN THE WALLET ON THE TABLE.
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NPCs can be easily coded to take any action in the game world that the player can, and will trigger the same world rules in action routines. In general, the library is no longer PC-centric.
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New middle and react_middle action routines, for interfering in an action after it has been determined to be possible but before it is carried out.
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New final and react_final action routines, for after an action has been carried out and its action message printed.
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Easy methods for altering standard game text, such as changing “in the shark tank” to “trapped in Blofeld’s shark tank” or changing “providing light” to “glowing eerily”.
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All implicit actions will be carried out, so that if the player types TAKE THE MONEY the library will first open the box the wallet is in, then take the wallet, then open the wallet.
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It is much easier to set up negatively-scored tasks, rooms, and objects, and tasks that can be partially scored.
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Many new verbs and actions.
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Many library messages have been altered to fit into more contexts, with inspiration from Aaron Reed’s Neutral Library Messages extension for I7.
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Optional systems for adjectives, questions such as WHO IS ROBERT, correcting spelling errors in the player’s input, complex clothing, complex lock-and-key relationships, games in the past tense, weight, and gradual light changes.