Website | Source included in the download
Heavily inspired by Inform 7 (Graham Nelson et al. 2006) and Prolog (Alain Colmerauer et al. 1972).
An optimizing compiler, dialogc, translates high-level Dialog code into Z-code, a platform-independent runtime format originally created by Infocom in 1979.
Since Dialog version 0d/01 there's an interactive debugger, and since version 0g/01 there's a separate backend for the Å-machine story format.
The main discussion is happening at the intfiction.org forum, in the Dialog category.
Cloak of Darkness reference game:
(story title) Cloak of Darkness
(story author) Linus Åkesson
(story noun) A port of Roger Firth's reference game
(story ifid)
%% This is the IFID for the Dialog port of Cloak of Darkness:
A5AA4F02-8F50-4649-A4BD-B1B5C5408B67
(scoring enabled)
(maximum score 2)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
(intro)
Hurrying through the rainswept November night, you're glad to
see the bright lights of the Opera House. It's surprising that
there aren't more people about but, hey, what do you expect in
a cheap demo game...?
(banner)
(enter #foyer)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
#foyer
(room *)
(singleton *)
(name *) foyer of the Opera House
(look *)
You are standing in a spacious hall, splendidly decorated in
red and gold, with glittering chandeliers overhead. The
entrance from the street is to the north, and there are
doorways south and west.
(prevent [leave * #north])
You've only just arrived, and besides, the weather outside
seems to be getting worse.
(from * go #west to #cloakroom)
(from * go #south to #bar)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
#cloakroom
(room *)
(singleton *)
(name *) cloakroom
(look *)
The walls of this small room were clearly once lined with
hooks, though now only one remains. The exit is a door to the
east.
(notice #hook)
(from * go #east to #foyer)
#hook
(supporter *)
(name *) small brass hook
(dict *) peg
(* is #in #cloakroom)
(descr *)
It's just a small brass hook,
(collect $Obj) ($Obj is #on *) (into $List)
(if) (nonempty $List) (then)
with (a $List) hanging on it.
(else)
screwed to the wall.
(endif)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
#bar
(room *)
(singleton *)
(name *) Foyer Bar
(look *)
The bar, much rougher than you'd have guessed after the
opulence of the foyer to the north, is completely empty. There
seems to be some sort of message scrawled in the sawdust on the
floor.
(notice #message)
(from * go #north to #foyer)
(inherently dark *)
(#cloak is in room *)
(instead of [look #down])
(current room *)
(try [examine #message])
#message
(name *) scrawled message
(dict *) floor sawdust
(* is #in #bar)
(descr *)
(if) (message has been trampled) (then)
The message has been carelessly trampled, making it
difficult to read. You can just distinguish the
words...
(par)
(bold)\*\*\* You have lost \*\*\*(roman)
(else)
(increase score by 1)
The message, neatly marked in the sawdust, reads...
(par)
(bold)\*\*\* You have won \*\*\*(roman)
(endif)
(game over)
(prevent $Action)
(current room #bar)
~(player can see)
~(command $Action)
($Action = [$Verb | $])
~($Verb is one of [go leave enter look])
(select)
In the dark? You could easily disturb something.
(or)
Blundering around in the dark isn't a good idea!
(now) (message has been trampled)
(stopping)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
#player
(current player *)
(* is #in #foyer)
#cloak
(name *) velvet cloak
(dict *) dark black satin
(wearable *)
(* is #wornby #player)
(descr *)
A handsome cloak, of velvet trimmed with satin, and slightly
splattered with raindrops. Its blackness is so deep that it
almost seems to suck light from the room.
(prevent [drop *])
(when dropping outside cloakroom)
(prevent [put * $ $])
(when dropping outside cloakroom)
(when dropping outside cloakroom)
~(current room #cloakroom)
This isn't the best place to leave a smart cloak lying around.
(perform [put * #on #hook])
~(hook point awarded)
(increase score by 1)
(now) (hook point awarded)
(fail) %% Fall back on default behaviour now.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
(understand [hang | $Words] as [put $Obj #on $Dest])
*(split $Words by [on] into $Left and $Right)
*(understand $Left as object $Obj preferably held)
*(understand $Right as single object $Dest)
Last modified 01 July 2021