Line #5 Main/TextParser


1	@@>[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere Describe Text Parser here.]]@@
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3	I don't know the word "Describe".
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5	@@>ask Website/TVTropes about TextParser@@
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7	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 InteractiveFiction, 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.
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9	@@>list examples@@
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11	I don't know the word "list".
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13	@@>look examples@@
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15	You see no examples!
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17	@@>get examples@@
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19	[[YouCantGetYeFlask You can't get ye examples.]]
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21	@@>get fucking examples@@
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23	[[VideoGame/{{Zork}} Such language!]]
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25	@@>help@@
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27	It is probably better to ask a better parser, such as those used in the classic Creator/{{Infocom}} InteractiveFiction games and the later works created by hobbyists.
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29	@@>find examples@@
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31	Perhaps you should ask a troper.
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33	@@>ask Website/TVTropes about examples@@
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35	[[SelfDemonstratingArticle 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 how well it's designed, and what commands the author of the game has [[DevelopersForesight anticipated]]. Clever enough authors will code in all sorts of [[EasterEgg 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 [[YouCantGetYeFlask guessing the verb]].
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37	One example that ''does'' bear mentioning (if only for its odd aversion of 'guess the verb' syndrome) occurred in Al Lowe's ''Leisure Suit Larry 2'': not long after the game's release, it was discovered that at a certain point (and ''only'' at that specific point), an error made during the testing phase had caused the parser to ''only'' recognized the plot-important command if it was written in ''full and complete English''.
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39	@@>ask Website/TVTropes about text parser history@@
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41	The text parser really got started with Crowther and Wood's ''VideoGame/ColossalCaveAdventure'', but it was not until ''VideoGame/{{Zork}}'' came along that more advanced forms of the parser came along. The parser used in the classic Creator/{{Infocom}} games was called ZIL (VideoGame/{{Zork}} Interactive Language). The text parser gradually disappeared from commercial computer gaming in the early 1990s (replaced by ActionBar and [[PointAndClickGame 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 InteractiveFiction. If you'd like to know more, check out the InteractiveFiction article here on Website/TVTropes.
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43	@@>leave page@@
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45	Towards where?
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47	@@>south@@
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49	You head south only to tumble helplessly into [[Film/TheBeastFromTwentyThousandFathoms an oddly-placed sinkhole]]. The concussion you suffered on impact proves fatal. Your final thoughts as you breathe your last are filled with nothing but regret [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife for spending your last moments on this website]].
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51	@@Play again? [[TextParser Y]]/[[HomePage N]]@@
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53	See also {{MUCK}}, multi-user text-oriented games that emphasize role-playing and player intervention.
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55	! Please do not add examples to work pages; this merely [[Administrivia/DefinitionOnlyPages defines the term]].

Context Main / TextParser