Documentation

• Chapter: Hiding Under
• Section: The Basics
• Section: Using Hiding Under Standalone
• Section: Using Hiding Under with Underside
• Section: Which Extensions to Use for What
• Example: * Lost Cheque - A simple example of one thing hidden under another.
• Example: ** The Lost Sock and the Lost Cheque - Illustrating how Hiding Under can be combined with Underside.

Chapter: Hiding Under

Section: The Basics

Hiding Under defines a many-to-one relation called "underconcealement" which can be expressed with phrases like:

    The pen is hidden under the desk.
    Now the book is hidden under the bed.
    
The effect of using such phrases is that such objects will the discovered when the player types LOOK UNDER DESK or LOOK UNDER BED. However, to ensure that the pen and book aren't found before then, it is a good idea if they start out as off-stage, since declaring something to be hidden under something else does not define its location in the game world.

If we want to hide something under something else during the course of play, we need to move it off-stage as well, e.g.:

    Now the book is hidden under the bed;
    Remove the book from play.

To do this in a single statement we can use the phrase:

    Hide the book under the bed.


Finally, if items are hidden under something portable, then the items are automatically revealed (and moved to the previous holder of the concealing item) when the concealing item is taken. This might generate a transcipt like:

    >TAKE CHAIR
     Taking the chair reveals a small book and an odd sock hidden underneath.

We can change the final part of this sentence ("hidden underneath") by providing our own definition of the phrase "to say previously-hidden-under (obj - a thing)". E.g.

    To say previously-hidden-under (obj - the chair): say "previously concealed under it".

Which would result in:


    >TAKE CHAIR
     Taking the chair reveals a small book and an odd sock previously concealed under it.

Or we can change the entire response by providing our own definition of "to say reveal-hidden-under (obj - a thing)". E.g.

    To say reveal-hidden-under (obj - the chair):
say "As you pick up the chair you notice [the list of things hidden under the chair] lying underneath."

Giving us:

    >TAKE CHAIR
     As you pick up the chair you notice the small book and the odd sock lying underneath.