"Flow" by "Frank Gevaerts" Release along with cover art, a "Standard" website, the source text, the introductory booklet, the "Quixe" interpreter. Include Basic Screen Effects by Emily Short. Use full-length room descriptions. When play begins: now the story viewpoint is first person plural; now the story tense is past tense. Book 1 - Mechanics A thought is a kind of thing. A thought can be vague or concrete. A thought is usually vague. A thought is scenery. A thing can be examined or unexamined. A thing has a number called first seen turn. Carry out examining something: if the noun is unexamined: Now the first seen turn of the noun is the turn count; now the noun is examined; A scene has a number called starting turn. When a scene (called S) begins: Now the starting turn of S is the turn count; To decide which number is knowtime of (T - a thing): let D be the turn count minus the first seen turn of T; if T is unexamined: decide on 0; otherwise: decide on D. To decide which number is runtime of (S - a scene): let D be the turn count minus the starting turn of S; decide on D. To say verb-for-sensing: if stars are not concrete: say "sense"; otherwise: say "see"; The you-can-also-see rule response (D) is "[regarding the player][can] also [verb-for-sensing] ". The you-can-also-see rule response (E) is "[regarding the player][can] [verb-for-sensing] ". The parser error internal rule response (E) is "[We] [can't] [verb-for-sensing] any such thing." The can't go that way rule response (A) is "[if fishes are concrete][We] [can't go] that way.[otherwise]Go? [noun]? What did that even mean?[end if]". The block vaguely going rule response (A) is "[if fishes are concrete][We] probably [have] to say which compass direction to go in.[otherwise]Go? Move? What was that again?[end if]". To dramatise (quote - text): clear the screen; say "[paragraph break][paragraph break][paragraph break]"; say "[italic type][quote][roman type]"; say "[paragraph break][paragraph break][paragraph break]Press any key"; wait for any key; clear the screen; After printing a parser error: increment the turn count; Book 2 - Concepts Stars is a thought with description "The stars were all far away. They seemed to be surrounded by something fuzzy, but they were too far away to be sure. [if the runtime of the starry world is greater than 3]We could approach them to see what it was.[end if]". Planet is a thought. Fishes is a thought. Book 3 - Scenes Chapter 1 - The Beginning The Void is a room with printed name "Nothing" and description "Nothing was here. Here was nothing. Senses were indistinct. We had a vague notion that this wasn't the first time" When play begins: dramatise "In the beginning all was void."; dramatise "Aeons passed. [paragraph break]Within the void, a tiny cluster of thoughts appeared."; dramatise "Aeons passed. [paragraph break]The thoughts swirled and slowly crystalised."; dramatise "Aeons passed. [paragraph break]The thoughts started to become self-aware, but they were still indistinct."; The Beginning is a scene. The Beginning begins when play begins. The Beginning ends when stars is concrete. The Real Nothing is scenery in The Void with printed name "Nothing" and description "Nothing. [We] [can] sense nothing.Maybe if [we] concentrated?". concentrating is an action applying to nothing. Understand "concentrate" as concentrating. Carry out concentrating: say "We concentrated, but nothing happened". Carry out concentrating during The Beginning: now stars is concrete. After printing a parser error during the beginning: provide beginning hints. Every turn during the beginning: provide beginning hints. To provide beginning hints: if the real nothing has been examined: if the knowtime of the real nothing is greater than 3: say "What if we [bold type]concentrate[roman type] ?"; otherwise: If the runtime of the beginning is greater than 5: say "Maybe something like [bold type]examine nothing[roman type] ?"; otherwise if the runtime of the beginning is greater than 3: say "The vague notions in our mind solidified slightly. Maybe the nothingness was less absolute than we thought. Closer examination might help." When The Beginning ends: dramatise "The void was getting brighter. [We] [can] now see light."; dramatise "Light was everywhere. Literally everywhere. We could see, but we could see nothing.[paragraph break]Light was everywhere."; dramatise "The light started fluctuating.[paragraph break]Dark patches appeared."; dramatise "The light concentrated into tiny bright dots. [paragraph break]'Stars', we thought, although we didn't know why."; now the player is in Starry Night. Chapter 2 - Stars Starry Night is a room with printed name "Starry sky" and description "The sky was full of stars, all far away.". Stars is in Starry Night. The Starry World is a scene. The Starry World begins when the Beginning ends. The Starry World ends when Planet is concrete. approaching is an action applying to one thing. Understand "approach [something]" as approaching. Understand "go to [something]" as approaching. Understand "visit [something]" as approaching. Understand "get close to [something]" as approaching. Understand "get closer to [something]" as approaching. Understand "head to [something]" as approaching. Understand "travel to [something]" as approaching. Carry out approaching: say "[Noun] isn't something [we] [can] approach." Carry out approaching the stars during The Starry World: now planet is concrete. After printing a parser error during the Starry World: provide Starry World hints. Every turn during the Starry World: provide Starry World hints. To provide Starry World hints: if the stars has been examined: if the knowtime of the stars is greater than 3: say "What if we [bold type]approach stars[roman type] ?"; otherwise: If the runtime of the Starry World is greater than 5: say "Maybe something like [bold type]examine stars[roman type] ?"; otherwise if the runtime of the Starry World is greater than 3: say "There were stars. Had we examined them?" When The Starry World ends: dramatise "One star got closer. Around it was a flat cloud of dust."; dramatise "The dust cloud started to congeal into a disc."; dramatise "Spheres appeared in the disc."; dramatise "One sphere was closest."; now the player is in Planetary Space; Chapter 3 - Worlds Planetary Space is a room with printed name "Around a planet" and description "The planet below was neither solid nor liquid, but rather a slush of rock and water, all swirling and indistinct." The Planet World is a scene. The Planet World begins when The Starry World ends. The Planet World ends when Fishes is concrete. Planet is in Planetary Space. Instead of examining the Planet: say "[We] [look] down at the planet, and doing so we started to get nearer."; say "[paragraph break]Press any key"; wait for any key; now fishes is concrete. When The Planet World ends: dramatise "The slush separated out into land and water."; dramatise "Bubbles appeared in the water."; dramatise "Some of the bubbles slowly changed form. They grew tails, scales and fins"; dramatise "We realised that we were among them"; now the story viewpoint is first person singular; now the story tense is present tense; dramatise "We? No, we are no longer indistinct. No, [bold type]I[roman type]!"; now the player is in The Fishy Ocean; Chapter 4 - Fish The Fishy Ocean is a room with printed name "The Ocean" and description "There is water everywhere. [We] [are] surrounded by other fish. Looking down, [We] [can] faintly see the ocean floor." Fishy World is a scene. Fishy World begins when Planet World ends. Fish is scenery in The Fishy Ocean with description "The other fish swim away when [we] approach. They look like ordinary fish, with the usual fin, two tails, a furry skin, and the large oblong eye, just like [us]. [We] really [are] lucky to be a fish, and not one of those dumb land animals that we evolved from!". The Fishy Ocean is north of the Fishy Ocean. The Fishy Ocean is east of the Fishy Ocean. The Fishy Ocean is northeast of the Fishy Ocean. The Fishy Ocean is southeast of the Fishy Ocean. The Fishy Ocean is up from the Fishy Ocean. The Ocean Floor is a room. The ocean floor is down from the fishy ocean. A treadmill is a fixed in place enterable supporter in the ocean floor with description "This looks like an old treadmill of the type that was popular with primitive land animals, back when hyperspace running was fashionable. It's old and rusty, but it does look functional. There is a long slightly curved narrow slot on the side. [if the treadmill is working] The treadmill is humming and shaking slightly. A faint glow is around it, inviting [us] to step on it. [end if]" A treadmill can be working or stopped. A treadmill is stopped. Understand "step on [something]" as entering. Understand "step off" as exiting. A long slightly curved narrow slot is a container in ocean floor with description "The slot on the side of the hyperspace treadmill is slightly curved, and about 20 cm long. It has the letters '1SH' engraved next to it, as well as some text saying 'No change returned'. " Rule for printing the name of the long slightly curved narrow slot while not inserting or removing: say "long slightly curved narrow slot"; omit contents in listing. After inserting the shoehorn into the long slightly curved narrow slot: Remove the shoehorn from play; Say "[We] hear the treadmill starting up."; Now the treadmill is working; Check entering the treadmill: if the actor is not wearing the pair of old shoes: say "[We] [are] a fish! [We] [can't] use a treadmill that easily! [We] may have two tails, but they don't look like feet so [we] [would] look ridiculous!"; stop the action; After entering the treadmill: say "[We] step on the treadmill and start running, or at [we] try. It's not easy without actual feet!"; say "Some unsettling noises come out of the treadmill. Maybe it is broken after all, or maybe [we] [are] not running correctly? Land animals have always claimed that hyperspace running is very difficult and that things can go very badly wrong if you don't do it right, but we fish always assumed they were just trying to boast. Could they have been right?"; say "[paragraph break]Press any key"; wait for any key; dramatise "The glow around the treadmill shimmers and grows"; dramatise "All [we] [can] see now is the glow[paragraph break]The sound of the treadmill fades away"; dramatise "The glow slowly disintegrates, [our] senses no longer register anything"; dramatise "All is void"; abide by the immediately restart the VM rule. a shoehorn is a thing with description "This shoehorn has an inscription. It says 'Greetings from LD42'. Having no feet, [we] have no use for a shoehorn. Apparently primitive land animals use these as currency, shoehorns being seen as valuable because they're so useful for shoe-wearing creatures.". The shoehorn is in the ocean floor. a pair of old shoes is a wearable thing with description "A pair of old shoes. The soles are marked with something that seems to read 'LD43', whatever that may mean. Those primitive land animals really throw anything in the ocean. By some coincidence, these shoes are about the same size as [our] tails.". a pair of old shoes is in the ocean floor. Report wearing a pair of old shoes: say "[We] [don't] have feet, but [we] [can] still try fitting these shoes on [our] tails.".