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From: erkyrath@netcom.com (Andrew Plotkin)
Subject: Re: Mapping / automapping
Message-ID: <erkyrathDxFsEJ.91x@netcom.com>
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Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 23:11:07 GMT
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mathew (meta@pobox.com) wrote:
>  The question is
> whether the interpreter 'knows' what location number the player's in;
> if not, then it clearly can't be done unless the game is built
> specially with automapping in mind.

No, the Z-machine interpreter really doesn't know anything at all. The
player's location is just one variable, out of dozens -- and that's
assuming the game uses the standard library. I often have to override
the standard location mechanism, particularly when coding areas with
several similar rooms. (Not necessarily identical rooms. In fact the
player might not think they were similar at all.)

Nor could the interpreter tell when a block of output is an inventory, or 
a room description. You could come up with hacks -- for example, assume 
that any command "i" at an input prompt starts an inventory list, and 
capture all following text for the inventory window. But it would still 
be awfully imperfect. You'd often get daemon messages captured as well.

--Z

-- 

"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the
borogoves..."
