adv3Lite periplus

periplus n.

a descriptive account of a voyage, esp. of a circumnavigation

a circumnavigation or other voyage, esp. on an epic scale

“Periplus is the Latinization of the Greek word περίπλους (periplous, contracted from περίπλοος periploos), which is ‘a sailing-around.’” (cite)

Introduction

TADS 3 is a free authoring system for writing your own interactive fiction (IF). adv3Lite is an alternate class library for TADS 3 whose goal is to simplify certain aspects of the standard adv3 library and introduce features found in other IF systems.

Quite often when writing TADS 3 games, inspiration strikes—and then halts and cools while searching the documentation for the right class or property. This resource is to help you find what you already know, and to help you discover what you may not.

This periplus organizes the adv3Lite library by topics and subject matter. Its goal is to make it easier to locate information on particular subjects when crafting a TADS 3 game. Much of the information is also useful to writers using the adv3 system.

This is neither a complete adv3Lite class reference nor a TADS 3 programmer’s guide. The links under “See Also” will transport you to complete language and library documentation.

(If you’re seeking the adv3 periplus, go here.)

Organizing principles

Reorganize existing documentation: None of the information presented here is new (or written by me). Rather, this periplus reorganizes existing material in a novel way.
Strive for clarity, not completeness: Even a casual comparison between this reference’s class list and the complete class library will reveal the periplus’ incompleteness. This is by design: Rather than link to every class in the library (many of which are internal the library itself), the periplus selects classes most useful for writing games.
Taxonomy, not hierarchy: Keen observers will notice some classes are listed twice, and that the class hierarchy is not preserved in the index structure. Again, this is by design: When a class falls into multiple categories, it’s listed where appropriate (such as with SenseRegion, which relates to the Sensory and Location). Object hierarchy and inheritance should be gleaned from the technical reference pages, not from the periplus’ organization.

adv3Lite periplus

Introduction

Organizing principles

See also