Text Parser: Difference between revisions

Describe '''Text Parser''' here.

 

''I don't know the word "Describe"''

 

 

''A text parser is a form of input that takes commands from the player and simplifies this to commands that the game engine can understand. It is commonly found in [[Adventure Game]]s and [[Interactive Fiction]], where it is used to control the actions of characters and influence the in-game environment. Using the parser to control an in-game story is one of the main elements that blurs the line between the story as narrative and as game.''

List Examples

 

Perhaps you should ask a Troper.

 

 

"You're reading one right now. More examples aren't really necessary, because the point has been made. How well a text parser responds to your input depends on [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything|how well it's designed]], and what commands the author of the game has anticipated. Clever enough authors will code in all sorts of [[Easter Egg|clever responses to strange things you might try]], and will make sure every reasonable synonym is included so you won't have too much trouble [[Guess the Verb|guessing the verb]]."

 

 

"The text parser really got started with Crowther and Wood's ''[[Colossal Cave Adventure]]'', but it was not until ''[[Zork]]'' came along that more advanced forms of the parser came along. The parser used in the classic [[Infocom]] games was called ZIL ([[Zork]] Interactive Language). The text parser gradually disappeared from commercial computer gaming in the early 1990s (replaced by [[Action Bar]] and [[Point and Click Game|Point and Click]] interfaces) as game designers wished to reach a different demographic. Fortunately for text fans, a large number of hobbyists have continued to design text parser based [[Interactive Fiction]]. If you'd like to know more, check out the [[Interactive Fiction]] article here on [[TV Tropes]]."