I've actually got a basic text adventure engine, would be happy to share it.
It uses a script file to designate locations, items, and the dictionary....
To translate a word:
trans(GET;take;t;aquire;grab;collect;steal;pinch)
So GET is used in place of the ; seperated words. I just have a load of these at the start of the script, then the user input is split at each space, and the whole string is then translated.
To specify a location:
@Beach(Sandy Beach)
{
Whole location information is kept inside this, to allow free editing, no quotation marks, and to preserve sanity. Also the round brackets contain the location name, so like @ID(ID Description)
}
Then an exit after the location description:
exit(N;NorthBeach)
So when the player inputs N, it goes to the specified location 'NorthBeach'.
And an item:
item(Key;A small key)
The second parameter is what is displayed when examining the item.
It is possible to lay out a whole map with items and exits, I still have to add in some logic handling. Thing is, I don't have the skills to write a decent script, I'd be happy to plod along on the engine while you write the script. I just want to get an easy but capable text adventure engine done, not so that I can necesserily write text adventures, but more so other people can write them, and I can play them
. Something that is quite organic, like I can imagine someone making a text adventure with it using just a notepad and some graph paper to lay out the map - or nothing at all!, or sitting on the train ride home. I was planning on just re-creating Colossal Cave, but that just seems tedious now that I've seen the code, I'd rather develop the engine in colaboration with someone writing the adventure.
This could work out pretty sweet for us both, all I would ask is that you write a small 10-room example adventure for the engine at some point, I'm not looking to make money from this, I just have a soft spot for text adventures.
Health, Ammo, and bacon and eggs!
