Updating Inform 7

[Moved by mod to correct category for visibility]

Hi, can i jump on the back of this thread please instead of starting a new one?
IS there an update for inform 7?
I am new too. published my first IF in 2011 - it was crap and got a nice review considering how bad it was. i have been working on my 2nd one since then and just about ready to release.
Am finding a few hiccups with inform 7 tech wise. as in basic source code that is clear as a bell is not working. it used to.
I’m wondering if i need to update my inform 7 program but don’t know how to and worried i might lose the lot.
any help would be appreciated, thanks.
p.s windows

The latest update to Inform was in 2015. If you started working on the game before that it’s more likely that you now have the latest Inform but the code was written for an older version. You can check the version from the Help menu (Help > About Inform). It should say “6M62” near the top next to the date.

In either case, updating the source text to work in the latest version shouldn’t be too hard, but you’ll have to show the error messages and the relevant code to get guidance on that.

Alternately, if you know what version your game is in (should show in the banner) you can downgrade to that version until you finish your game from the downloads page:

Builds are identified by four characters, the current is 6M62. You can see it in the banner when you start any game:

Welcome

An Interactive Fiction

Release 1 / Serial number 200913 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N) S

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Thank you so much for replying. The build i am using is 6E72.

The problems I am having are not showing as errors. Here is an example of one problem; in the source code I have written: Instead of buying, examining, asking or giving while in the limousine, say “Maybe it would be easier to do that once you exit?” Yet playing the game would reveal this: >give black opal to louis =Louis Potosi happily snatches up the black opal. >buy the gem =Maybe it would be easier to do that once you exit? Why does it let me give? P.s I have tried splitting this rule up into instead of buying, say instead of giving, say etc. still same outcome.

If you’re using the same version of Inform that you originally developed the game with, it should still work the same.

If you download the latest version, you will definitely have to change some of your code. However, it will be easier for us to help you with coding questions. (I can’t actually run 6E72 any more.)

When posting code you should use the </> button, it makes it easier to read.

Are you handling giving the opal to Louis by using another rule such as Instead of giving the opal to Louis? If so, this is considered a more specific rule (since it names both nouns and a single action) and so will run before the limousine Instead rule.

The quick answer would be to change your limousine rule to a Before rule rather than an Instead rule, but this might make it apply more broadly than intended, including to nonsensical commands. Otherwise there’s some other things that can be done but they’re harder to explain.


Assuming that I was correct about the giving rule (and that these details haven’t changed between 6E72 and 6M62, and that this syntax is still valid in the older version – which might not be true), the “right” way to fix this would be to replace your Instead of giving rule with:

The block giving rule does nothing when the noun is the opal and the second noun is Louis.
After giving something to Louis, say "Louis happily snatches up [the noun]."

This means that your limousine Instead rule will run first, but otherwise it should behave similarly. (Note that you don’t need to move the opal around when using this method – the standard giving rule will make Louis carry it automatically.)

1 Like

Thanks Gavin. You were right! I found this:
< Instead of giving the black opal to the Louis Potosi: >
changed all to < after giving… > and removed <move the [noun] to the [person]>
thank you so much.

Should I include a bibliography in my materials folder?
Obviously, it is a fiction written by me, however, my protagonist travels the world and I have included real information about the climate and geography of real places - not by exact wording.

Some people find that type of information fascinating, so include it if you also find it interesting.

But unless you’re quoting directly from a source and crediting it, usually IF doesn’t require a bibliography of your general writing research materials if you were just looking up climate and geography info for your own background knowledge to create a fictional story in a place.

2 Likes

I’m one of those people Hanon mentioned who tends to find this stuff interesting, and will agree with his bottom line – I don’t think it makes sense to include out of a sense of obligation or showing that you’ve done the work, but if there were sources that you found interesting and you think others might like, that’s a great thing to share. You could add a couple sentences on sources to the CREDITS of your game instead of or in addition to a separate bibliography file, since that might be more accessible (for example, to folks who just play online, if you give them that option).

3 Likes

Experienced IF players will generally type ABOUT or CREDITS in-game for this type of information, so you may wish to add this as an out-of-world action:

Requesting credits is an action out of world.
Report requesting credits: say "Information about weather in San Tropez is from the following books..."
Understand "credits" and "about" as requesting credits.

You could also similarly split ABOUT and CREDITS - CREDITS for you and your testers with a mention to then type ABOUT for more detail. You could even split it further with a REFERENCES action if it goes into that much detail. Just make sure to mention what the player can type for each section, either when play begins or within each section “[You can also type REFERENCES for more detail of works used for researching this story.]”

(An out-of-world action does not increase the turn count nor run every-turn rules or scene change mechanics, basically allowing the player to do something with the game state “paused”.)

3 Likes

Excellent, thanks so much. I’m close to releasing now and it’s exciting! Can’t wait for you guys to test it out and tell me what you think…

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Hi I have finally released the game, how do I add to the IF database / play on frotz / send a link to my friends? TIA

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Good news. I am looking forward to playing your game.

There is a link to “Add a Game” on IFDB’s right sidebar under the Contribute section. On the “Add a Game” form near the bottom there is an upload link.

Here is a direct link to the “Add a Game” form.