< Previous page Contents Next page >

What makes a room a room?

Thanks to input from Graham Nelson, I now know the answer to this question. It's very simple: In order to qualify as a room, an object has to have no parent, and the player has to be able to enter it somehow. (This doesn't necessarily have to be by going north, south, down, etc. It could be by using the teleporter or by snapping his fingers!)

It's also interesting to note that a room is only a room as long as the player is in it. We're going to add another room later. This room, at the outset, will describe a picture but will include "picture" in its name property, thus making it one of the things "you don't need to refer to." (See the next chapter.) However, if you're not in that room and you type GET PICTURE, you'll be told "you can't see any such thing here."

Who cares what makes a room a room?

You should. Objects can be divided into two types: rooms and non-rooms. Certain properties behave differently when they are attached to a room vs. a non-room. And with that lead-in....

< Previous page Contents Next page >

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page

And yes, folks, it's really free. I'm too cheap to pay for this.