Lesson plan
Text parser
In adventure games, a text parser takes typed input (a command) from the player and simplifies it to something the game can understand. Usually, words with the same meaning are turned into the same word (e.g. "take" and "get") and certain filler words are dropped (e.g. articles, or the "at" in "look at rock"). The parser makes it easier for the game's author to react on input. The author does not have to write special code to process the commands "get ye flask", "take ye flask", "get flask", "take flask", "take ye precious flask", etc. separately, as the parser will have stripped the input down to something like "take flask". For the player, the game is more flexible, as the game has a larger vocabulary, and there are fewer guess-the-verb and guess-the-noun problems. Parsers are used in early interactive fiction games like the Zork series, and more recently in games created by systems like Inform and TADS.
Article summary
In adventure games, a text parser takes typed input (a command) from the player and simplifies it to something the game can understand. Usually, words with the same meaning are turned into the same word (e.g. "take" and "get") and certain filler words are dropped (e.g. articles, or the "at" in "look at rock"). The parser makes it easier for the game's author to react on input. The author does not have to write special code to process the commands "get ye flask", "take ye flask", "get flask", "take flask", "take ye precious flask", etc. separately, as the parser will have stripped the input down to something like "take flask". For the player, the game is more flexible, as the game has a larger vocabulary, and there are fewer guess-the-verb and guess-the-noun problems. Parsers are used in early interactive fiction games like the Zork series, and more recently in games created by systems like Inform and TADS.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.