Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Subject: Compiler Choices
From: sj.pover@canrem.com (Sj Pover)
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Date: Wed, 31 Jan 96 13:53:00 -0500
Organization: CRS Online  (Toronto, Ontario)
Lines: 36

I want to get back into IF.  I previously used AGT and found it
pretty good but lacked the capability to handle some of the more
complex conditions I wanted to include.  This was several years
ago.  I stopped using it because it was too frustrating not being
able to program the neat (IMHO) things I had imagined.

I have recently discovered this group and was delighted to discover
the wealth of new (to me) development systems.  I have studied the FAQ 
and Inform Developers guide and enjoyed them tremendously.  They do not,
however, give the kind of information I need to choose.  TADS and
Inform seem to be the most sophisticated systems currently available,
(Comments?)  but I am having a great deal of trouble deciding which
to get into bed (so to speak) with.

Cost (within reason), availability of source code and portability
to non-PC platforms are not important to me nor do I need any ability
to include graphics or sound in my game/story.  I want a powerful
system that will allow me to design a large, complex environment and 
sophisticated AI.  Good development aids and debugging tools would be 
nice.  I have a fairly strong, although rusty, programming background 
so programming, per se, does not frighten me.

In order to make a choice, it seems to me that one should get a really
good level of expertise in both.  Being somewhat lazy, I would like
to hear the opinions of any of you who have done this already; if you
don't mind too much my piggy-backing on your efforts.

I look forward to any help you can give.

By the way, does anyone know why AGT was dropped?  It seemed to be a
pretty useful tool for developing games of moderate complexity by
non-programmer types.

SJ
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 * DeLuxe2/386 1.25 #10827 * I tried the rest but bought the best!!!!
