Text-based games, or interactive fiction games, are one of the earliest styles of computer games. Text-based games create a narrative where the user is presented with a series of choices. Each decision the user makes moves the game forward in a unique way. Creating a text-based game requires a developer to create organized code that will trigger further code actions in response to the user's decision.
- can demonstrate effectively collecting user interactions from the IRB console
- can determine appropriate built-in Ruby methods needed to accomplish a task
- Checkout Playfic for inspiration
- ASCII Art can add some flair to your text
- Output one character at a time
- clone the appropriate repository from GitHub classroom
cdinto the repository- Create a new branch for each feature you implement
- Open the folder in a text editor
- Code!
The most important part of this project is the planning phase. Work with your team to construct a storyline. Think of an idea that will make your game enjoyable. Common choices are treasure hunts, day-in-the-life stories, zombie apocalypse adventures, and murder mysteries.
You need to decide how your user will interact with your code. Every option you present will need to be followed with an action. If you choose to create multiple storylines your code base will need to reflect all the possible actions. Each storyline can be a unique adventure in which some are successful and others are not.
The game will take place entirely in the terminal. All interactions between the user and the game are text-based. The user will see a story printed in the terminal and then be presented with options that will determine the story's next phase. The user will type their selection into the terminal.
Think about how the user will contribute to the game. Whatever the user does will need to trigger the next step. This means as the game creator you must present your options in an easily accessible way. Options include presenting the user with yes or no choices, giving the user a numbered list of options, or prompting the user to type specific words. Keep in mind that the casing and spacing of your user's response will affect the functionality of your code.
The Ruby gets operator is your best friend in this game. Calling the method .chomp on the gets operator will remove the return keystroke syntax. The gets operator will always return a string. It is the developer's responsibility to change the data type if necessary.
Think about the difference between p and puts. Using p in development is helpful for seeing raw data outputs in the terminal. But you may not want code syntax such as quotation marks in your text-based stories.
Keep your code simple. You have all the tools you need to effectively construct the game. This is an exercise in organization, planning, and creativity.
Have fun! This medium is prime for easter eggs and (class appropriate) inside jokes.
Each team will give a brief (five minute) presentation of their application. Presenting your project will allow you to practice communication and coding vocabulary. Presentations are not a judgement of your work or ability as each team will have different weaknesses and strengths. Presentations allow other members of the cohort to appreciate a different approach to solving a complex problem.
- Full team: show off your game and run through a couple of scenarios.
- First team member: What was your team's planning process?
- Second team member: Show us one built in Ruby method your team used and explain what it is doing.
- Third team member: What did your team get stuck on and how did you overcome this challenge?