Chapter 1: How to Use The Recipe Book
1.3. Disenchantment Bay

"Disenchantment Bay" is a simple work of IF used as a running example in Chapter 3 of Writing with Inform - not so much a tutorial as a convenient hook on which to hang some demonstrations of the basics. Because the resulting examples only use basic features and in the most straightforward way, they make for uninteresting "recipes" - so they are not included in the Recipe Book proper. But some readers might like to have all twelve stages of the example gathered on a single page: this is that page.


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* Example  Disenchantment Bay 1
A running example in this chapter, Disenchantment Bay, involves chartering a boat. This is the first step: creating the cabin.

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* Example  Disenchantment Bay 2
Disenchantment Bay: creating some of the objects in the cabin's description.

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* Example  Disenchantment Bay 3
Disenchantment Bay: adding a view of the glacier.

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* Example  Disenchantment Bay 4
Disenchantment Bay: fleshing out the descriptions of things on the boat.

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Currently we have provided objects for most of what is on the boat, but it's not very interesting to look at. We might want to give some more description to these things.

"Disenchantment Bay"

The Cabin is a room. "The front of the small cabin is entirely occupied with navigational instruments, a radar display, and radios for calling back to shore. Along each side runs a bench with faded blue vinyl cushions, which can be lifted to reveal the storage space underneath. A glass case against the wall contains several fishing rods.

Scratched windows offer a view of the surrounding bay, and there is a door south to the deck. A sign taped to one wall announces the menu of tours offered by the Yakutat Charter Boat Company."

The Cabin contains a glass case. In the glass case is a collection of fishing rods. The case is closed, transparent, and openable. The case is scenery.

The bench is in the cabin. On the bench are some blue vinyl cushions. The bench is enterable and scenery. The cushions are scenery.

Some navigational instruments, some scratched windows, a radar display, and some radios are scenery in the cabin.

The description of the instruments is "Knowing what they do is the Captain's job."

The description of the windows is "They're a bit the worse for wear, but you can still get an impressive view of the glacier through them. There were whales earlier, but they're gone now."

The description of the radar is "Apparently necessary to avoid the larger icebergs."

The description of the radios is "With any luck you will not need to radio for help, but it is reassuring that these things are here."

The order in which we define these things is fairly open. We could also define an object so:

A sign is scenery in the Cabin. The description is "You can get half-day and full-day sight-seeing tours, and half-day and full-day fishing trips."

Where "the description" is assumed to refer to the thing most recently defined, if no object is specified.

The view of the Malaspina glacier is a backdrop. It is everywhere. The description is "The Malaspina glacier covers much of the nearby slope, and -- beyond it -- an area as large as Rhode Island."

Test me with "examine sign / examine glacier / examine instruments / examine windows / examine radar / examine radios / take the cushions / take the glacier".

These last two commands show how scenery and backdrops are automatically impossible for the player to take.

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* Example  Disenchantment Bay 5
Disenchantment Bay: adding the door and the deck to our charter boat.

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* Example  Disenchantment Bay 6
Disenchantment Bay: locking up the charter boat's fishing rods.

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* Example  Disenchantment Bay 7
Disenchantment Bay: making the radar and instruments switch on and off.

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** Example  Disenchantment Bay 8
Disenchantment Bay: a pushable chest of ice for the boat.

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* Example  Disenchantment Bay 9
Disenchantment Bay: enter the charter boat's Captain.

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* Example  Disenchantment Bay 10
Disenchantment Bay: things for the player and the characters to wear and carry.

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* Example  Disenchantment Bay 11
Disenchantment Bay: making a holdall of the backpack.

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**** Example  Disenchantment Bay 12
A final trip to Disenchantment Bay: the scenario turned into a somewhat fuller scene, with various features that have not yet been explained.

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