The Cage Demo by Samantha Rolon

The Cage Demo

Played 1,547 times
View game source (spoilers!)
Download the .z8 file
Source Code

Release along with an interpreter.
Use no scoring.
Include Basic Help Menu by Emily Short.

Part - Mechanics 

[Properties]

A thing can be an Adult or Not Adult.

[Things]

Toys is scenery. The description is "A few of your play things."

Quaint Home is a region. [All rooms dealing with the house, including the outside areas, go in this region.]
The Living Room is in Quaint Home. 

Chandelier is a scenery. "An elegant hanging chandelier that was a gift from your grandmother."

Flat Screen TV is a scenery. "A large flat screen tv, currently playing some overrated reality show."

Leather Couch is a scenery. The description is "A large wrap around black leather couch. It's rather comfortable, but squeaks on occassion."

The windowsill is a supporter. The description is "A white painted windowsill. The sun is gleaming through the glass."

A tall object is a thing.  It is edible. The description is "A very tall looking object that resembles a candy your father once gave you."

Mother is a scenery. It is Adult. The description is "Your mother. Young and attractive, she gets what she wants and has a soft spot in her heart for you."

Toy Chest is a fixed in place thing. The description is "A large wooden toy chest placed conveniently under the windowsill."

Dog biscuit is a thing. It is edible. The description is "A tan cookie shaped like a bone. If your dog can eat it, why can't you?"

[Variables]

A person is either hungry or satisfied. 

Hunger is a number that varies.
Hunger is 1.

Sitting Down is a truth state that varies.
Sitting Down is true.

Get Down is a number that varies.
Get Down is 0.

Chest Climbed is a truth state that varies.
Chest Climbed is false.

[Actions]

Crying is an action applying to nothing.
Understand "Cry" as Crying.

[Rules]

Every turn:
	if Hunger is 0:
		Now the player is satisfied;
	otherwise:
		Now the player is hungry.

Every turn:
	if the player is hungry:
		if the remainder after dividing turn count by 5 is 0:
			say "You're feeling hungry.".
	

Moving is an action applying to nothing.
Understand "climb down" as Moving.
Instead of Moving:
	if Get Down is 0:
		say "You're too little to get down on your own.";
	else if Get Down is 1:
		say "You're still on the couch.";
	else if Get Down is greater than 1:
		say "Maybe try getting your mother's attention to help you down?";
	Now Get Down is Get Down plus 1;
	
Before going:
	if Sitting Down is true:
		if Get Down is 0:
			say "You're too little to get down on your own.";
		else if Get Down is 1:
			say "You're still on the couch.";
		else if Get Down is greater than 1:
			say "Maybe try getting your mother's attention to help you down?";
		Now Get Down is Get Down plus 1;
		Stop the action.

Before taking:
	if Sitting Down is true:
		say "You can't reach that from up here.";
		Stop the action.

Check Crying:
	if Sitting Down is false:
		say "What are you crying about?..."
		
Instead of climbing Toy Chest:
	if Chest Climbed is true:
		say "You're already there...";
	otherwise:
		if Sitting Down is false:
			say "You climb the chest after a slight struggle.";
			Now Chest Climbed is true;
		otherwise:
			say "It's too far away to climb.".

Before taking tall object:
	if Chest Climbed is false:
		say "You cant reach that from here. Maybe try using the chest to reach it?";
		Stop the action.

Rule for constructing the status line: Say "[line break]".

Instead of taking Toys, say "Where would you put them?"
Instead of taking Adult Thing, say "You're hardly bigger than your dog, how do you expect to carry an adult?"

Chapter - Demo Event
[Living Room]

Chandelier is in the Living Room.
Flat Screen TV is in the Living Room.
Leather Couch is in the Living Room.
The windowsill is in the Living Room. 
A tall object is on the windowsill.
Mother is in the Living Room.
Toys is in the Living Room.
Toy Chest is in the Living Room.
Dog biscuit is in the Living Room.

After printing the banner text:
	Say "[line break] [italic type] As you take a look around, you can see your dog resting peacefully in front of the couch below you. She's a lovely all white husky, the friendliest dog you've ever met. Well...she's the only dog you've ever met.  Your mother seems to be on the phone with someone a few feet away, but her voice sounds hushed. Your father is most likely outside tending to his garden as usual. Your parents never really spent time with one another anymore; between your father's new job and your mother's social life, there was no time to even have a simple meal together. They would always make time to spend with you, of course, but usually it wasn't done as a family unit. Your mother glances over at you as she catches your eye, smiling sweetly and waving at you excitedly. Your mother was a young 24 years old, but had as many connections as one of those old men working on Wall Street would. Whenever she turned around, her long raven curls would bounce slightly around her face and rest comfortably along her small frame. People often joked with your father, wondering how a man with plain looks like his managed to marry such a good looking woman." [Although he himself wasn't too bad with his looks either. His straight auburn hair just barely reached past his chin, accenting his light green eyes that were displayed behind thick framed glasses. His face always had a soft expression on it. Even when he was angry, he seemed calm and collected.]
	
The Living room is a room.  "The living room is your mother's pride and joy; simple and elegant. But there were a few trinkets your father insisted on adding to her so-called 'masterpiece'. One of them is a large flat screen tv that's mounted high up on the wall. And that wrap around black leather couch? Yeah, him too. As much as guests seemed to 'ooh' and 'ahh' over it, your mother always scoffed when someone mentioned it in her presence. A finely crafted oak coffee table stood out amongst all of this, and it was the support of many cups of coffee for plenty passed mornings even long before you were born. A bright crystal chandelier hangs gracefully overhead, softly lighting the large space. It didn't exactly fit in amongst the modern conveniences, but your grandmother insisted on it when the house was purchased. She'd always say that it gave this 'mess of a modern home' some classy elegance it would be missing otherwise. The living room's flooring was covered in soft white carpeting, much to your father's dismay. He always had to frantically hide the drink spills that would appear during game nights with his co workers. But no matter how many debates over decor would occur about this one space in the house, it's the place you and your parents would build memories in for many years to come."

Appetite is a scene. 
Appetite begins when crying for the first time.

When Appetite begins:
	say "Your mother glances over to you again, holding her finger up to her lips as if telling you to hush. She eventually walks over and picks you up, placing you on the ground by a few of your toys that were sprawled out on the floor.";
	Now Sitting Down is false;
	say "[line break]You notice that you're quite peckish. You spot something enticing on the windowsill... but then again, there's also the bowl your dog eats from now and then. Maybe whatever is in there would satisfy your hunger? "

After eating tall object:
	Now the tall object is off-stage;
	say "Your mother glances down from her phone conversation, gasping softly before putting her cellphone down on the nearby coffeee table. 'No no, darling. That's not for you to eat. Your father is going to be so disappointed. He grew those from his own garden. Let's get daddy to make you something to eat.' As your mother suggests this, your father walks in from the back door, placing his gardening gloves on the table. He almost immediately notices the flower petals sprawled out on the floor, and the stem in your hands. 'Oh, this is priceless,' he walks over to you both, and takes you out of your mother's arms. 'Of course, you'd let the flowers I specifically grew for you be the thing to suffer from your carelessness.' Your mother scoffs, rolling her eyes before going back to her phone call.";
	End the story saying "Your father looks toward you, smiling a bit. Just as he began talking, his voice slowly turned into a slur of inaudible, distorted sounds. Your surroundings begin to melt away, leaving you sitting in an empty white room. A cage half the size of a house appears before you, containing a large potted venus flytrap, its wide mouth open and oozing a clear fluid of some sort. It bites at the bars, slowly denting them more and more. You look down in front of you, an unusually large golden key on the ground. It seems to have writing on a tag attached to it. You pick it up, squinting your eyes slightly to read the cursive. It reads [italic type]'The only way to overcome your fears are to face them.'"
	
After eating the dog biscuit:
	Now the dog biscuit is off-stage;
	say "Your mother glances down from her phone conversation, immediately reaching for you. She snatches the biscuit out of your hands and tosses it in the trash, seemingly annoyed. 'I think it would be better if you spent time with your father now.' She carries you out into the backyard, setting you down on the grass. Your parents exchange a few words, which eventually evolves into a heated conversation full of passive aggressive remarks and sarcastic tones of voice. Your mother ultimately storms away, leaving you two to yourselves.";
	End the story saying "Your father looks toward you, smiling a bit. Just as he began talking, his voice slowly turned into a slur of inaudible, distorted sounds. Your surroundings begin to melt away, leaving you sitting in an empty white room. A cage half the size of a house appears before you, containing a large matted wolf-like creature. Baring it's sharp white teeth toward you in a vicious snarl. It bites at the bars, slowly denting them more and more. You look down in front of you, an unusually large golden key on the ground. It seems to have writing on a tag attached to it. You pick it up, squinting your eyes slightly to read the cursive. It reads [italic type]'The only way to overcome your fears are to face them.'"