As I was writing my recent IF story, thoughts I have had about just what IF is came back to mind. These thoughts go back decades.
I try to break down just what IF is under the hood and what changes it from a spreadsheet of variables to a work of fiction.
It is written for people who may not be as familiar with IF as we all are.
I hope it is interesting at least:
Is the real world made up of really complicated state machines? Would an IF game be better if it was closer to the real world with its complicated state machines? Sometimes it’s better to maintain the illusion and just hint at non implemented complexity. Where to draw the line is an interesting and also practical question. A non interactive story is all illusion. A fully complex representation might be impossible to make but I imagine might be fun to play with for a while.