§7.1: Grammar Definition With Dictionary Word Example

[tajmone]

• Ask @roodyyogurt for clarification.
• Create a text/code amend proposal, if required.

Regarding the following passage from §7.1. Grammar Definition:

Another thing that can be done is to specify:

verb some_object
    * object        DoVerb

@roodyyogurt commented in his annotated PDF:

this did not work when I tested it. should probably be taken out of the manual.

We need to better understand the context of this comment and if there's a problem with the suggested code and if the text can be improved in any way.

[tajmone]

@roodyyogurt, could you further elaborate on the above note?

Do you confirm that it won't work with the latest Hugo Compiler and Engine?

I haven't managed to find the time to create an ad hoc adventure source for testing the above grammar construct.

[roodyyogurt]

I just tested it right now, and trying to use the verb makes the interpreter crash.

[tajmone]

Mhhh.... that's bad news. If the problem is on the terp side, it might not be the case to fix the book but the terp instead — although it's a trick issue, since Hugo is not actively developed even a new release with a fix might not be easy to propagate after so many years without any updates.

Maybe right now a compromise solution would be to add a warning admonition block informing the user that this feature is not currently working. Whenever the problem is fixed in the terp (or compiler), the warning could be removed from the book, and instead leave a footnote regarding the need to update to the new Hugo release in order to use the feature.

Anyhow, if the problem is in the terp itself, it would unsafe to use the feature even if it was fixed, for most players might not know about the Hugo fix, so it could make the game unplayable.

[roodyyogurt]

Yes, a note about the nonfunctionality would be fine.

Dynamic grammar was kind of a holy grail concept from the late 90s IF newsgroups. Some people thought that it was necessary to hide certain verbs until the right moment appeared; otherwise, some players could possibly ascertain their existence early.

Personally, I think since IF is largely smoke-and-mirrors anyway, it's not the most important thing in the world, but hey, if people could get it working again, great (it worked in some earlier version of Hugo but broke somewhere along the way).