Plugh!

The rec.arts.int-fiction faq, section 4.10 says "Wouldn't a visual system be great for writing IF in?
This has been discussed a lot.
The general consensus seemed to be that they would be helpful, but only if they allowed the writer to get at the bare Inform or TADS code underneath and not use only high-level editing. Also, it was realized that such tools currently don't exist because the people with the skills to write them generally don't need them. There is an Inform IDE (Integrated Development Environment) or three in the works, and TADS comes with Visual Workbench, but IDEs are not what is usually meant by "visual".

However, if you want to write a visual IF editing tool, great. Show us the results. Just don't wander in and ask somebody else to write one for you"

So, here we are : someone with the skills to write one (C++, windows programming, etc) but who does need. it to augment TADS skills, i-f planning skills, etc. My ultimate aim is to have section 4.10 of the FAQ point to this site.

The aims of this tool are:

• To allow beginners to quickly generate the framework of their interactive fiction, whilst reducing coding errors by generating TADS code.
• To take the misery out of 'housekeeping' chores and free the author to concentrate on that which is truly important. To provide one central location with an overview of the entire work of i-f, which will replace those numerous scraps of paper and which can be endlessly tweaked, allowing the author to play 'what if' with permutations of maps, NPCS and objects.
• To provided the user with *total* control of the generated TADS code. There should be nothing which is achievable with a plain text editor which can not be achieved with this tool.

Please try it out and get a feel for how it will look & operate. I greatly appreciate feedback because I want you (yes - you) to design the program for me. Since you will anyway ask me to change it, if I go ahead and design it myself, I decided to save myself a bunch of work & ask you how it should operate & what features it should have & then to implement these.

If you don't use TADS, you may still find Plugh to be useful, as it provides some very useful housekeeping functionality and allows you to plan your work of i-f (and I plan to include Inform support at some point in the future).

Please take a look at the screenshots, the to-do list and the ideas to see what functionality will/may be added in future, download the demo & give me some feedback. If you've tried the program before, check out what's new.

Please note that the feedback page includes a list of questions from me to you, concerning how the program should operate.

If you want to know when any page on this site changes, this site will notify you by e-mail.

FEATURES

• Takes the drudgery out of i-f design and handles routine housework chores. Lose those scraps of paper for ever.
• Generates compliable TADS code.
• Freeform map drawing (with multiple map support).
• Fully specify Rooms, Actors and Items, including classes and properties for each. Edit them till your heart's content.
• User defined code for each Room/Actor/Item and global code for the whole project.
• Full control of the class hierarchy and class properties: add/rename/delete. Derive a class from an existing class, or classes. Add new properties to a class.
• Many configuration options.
• Optional default return path creation (leave north, return south).
• Colo(u)r code the map to show rooms with a particular attribute (darkened, containing water, fire, treasure, puzzle, etc).
• Find menu for each Room/Actor/Item, centers the map on the enclosing room.
• Freeform memo pad for author's notes and reminders (to-do list planned), one for the whole project and one for each Room/Actor/Item.
• Double click any information to see its definition. E.g. click a room on the map to see its definition; click on an item in the room's list of contents to see it's definition; click on one of the item's classes to see it's definition; click on one of the classes properties to see its definition.
• Active support and readiness to implement user requested features.
• Free! Free! Free! (there must be a catch)

Last updated 10 January, 2004 5:53 PM

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