4 ms·

Dialog – domain-specific language for interactive fiction

66 points by Ivoah 6y ago

082349872349872 6y ago
A priori, one would expect IF to be low-hanging fruit for DSLs, because if anyone is willing to play guess-the-verb, it's going to be IF fans.
CGamesPlay 6y ago
I have to say, I rather prefer Inform7 to Diaglog based on the sample work. Here's the "Cloak of Darkness" example [0], and then here [1] is the version in an older version of Inform, and then below that on the same page is the Inform7 version. [0] https://www.linusakesson.net/dialog/cloak/cloak-rel1.dg https://www.linusakesson.net/dialog/cloak/cloak-rel1.dg [1] http://www.firthworks.com/roger/cloak/inform/index.html http://www.firthworks.com/roger/cloak/inform/index.html
- verytrivial 6y ago
  I am fascinated by these IF engines for some reason. What sets the Dialog apart is, IMHO, the performance it gets on 6502 in combination with the Å-machine VM by the same author. It's a domain specific language + optimized compiler + runtime for a platform (C64) that hasn't been made for decades. There are some excellent Z-machine impls for C64, but basically anything using the Inform7 runtime (a bunch of convenience parsing and world tricks) runs like a dog. Dialog + Å-machines gets a respectable and growing amount of the way there but cutting out the middle man. Linus has some extreme coding cred in my book! https://www.linusakesson.net/music/po-2x/index.php https://www.linusakesson.net/music/po-2x/index.php https://youtu.be/sWblpsLZ-O8 https://youtu.be/sWblpsLZ-O8
  - Tistron 6y ago
    In my book too. I was in his class studying software engineering in Lund, and had a room next him doing our theses at Sony Ericsson. I didn't know him, but I and friends talked about how brilliant and quirky he was. Have always been fascinated by him and his projects. And I remember him as very polite and friendly. I have gained a lot of social interest and skills since and wish I'd talked to him much more. 15 years later, he is the only one of my not-friends I remember from that class.
- anentropic 6y ago
  I haven't really authored anything in either, but looking at these I have the opposite feeling... I much prefer that the "code" and "display text" are syntactically distinct in Dialog and older Inform. One could imagine syntax highlighting making that distinction even clearer. Instead in Inform 7 they blend together into similar-looking natural language sentences.
aeontech 6y ago
Curious, how does it compare to Ink? https://www.inklestudios.com/ink/ https://www.inklestudios.com/ink/ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26147329 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26147329
- desine 6y ago
  They’re related but not competitors. Ink is a generalized story tool, handling a lot of the organization and management of different storylines, and is meant to be embedded into a larger project. IF languages tend to incorporate more of the actual interactivity of the story, and build for their specific interpreter.

66 points by Ivoah 6y ago

A priori, one would expect IF to be low-hanging fruit for DSLs, because if anyone is willing to play guess-the-verb, it's going to be IF fans.

CGamesPlay 6y ago

I have to say, I rather prefer Inform7 to Diaglog based on the sample work. Here's the "Cloak of Darkness" example [0], and then here [1] is the version in an older version of Inform, and then below that on the same page is the Inform7 version. [0] https://www.linusakesson.net/dialog/cloak/cloak-rel1.dg https://www.linusakesson.net/dialog/cloak/cloak-rel1.dg [1] http://www.firthworks.com/roger/cloak/inform/index.html http://www.firthworks.com/roger/cloak/inform/index.html

verytrivial 6y ago
I am fascinated by these IF engines for some reason. What sets the Dialog apart is, IMHO, the performance it gets on 6502 in combination with the Å-machine VM by the same author. It's a domain specific language + optimized compiler + runtime for a platform (C64) that hasn't been made for decades. There are some excellent Z-machine impls for C64, but basically anything using the Inform7 runtime (a bunch of convenience parsing and world tricks) runs like a dog. Dialog + Å-machines gets a respectable and growing amount of the way there but cutting out the middle man. Linus has some extreme coding cred in my book! https://www.linusakesson.net/music/po-2x/index.php https://www.linusakesson.net/music/po-2x/index.php https://youtu.be/sWblpsLZ-O8 https://youtu.be/sWblpsLZ-O8
- Tistron 6y ago
  In my book too. I was in his class studying software engineering in Lund, and had a room next him doing our theses at Sony Ericsson. I didn't know him, but I and friends talked about how brilliant and quirky he was. Have always been fascinated by him and his projects. And I remember him as very polite and friendly. I have gained a lot of social interest and skills since and wish I'd talked to him much more. 15 years later, he is the only one of my not-friends I remember from that class.
anentropic 6y ago
I haven't really authored anything in either, but looking at these I have the opposite feeling... I much prefer that the "code" and "display text" are syntactically distinct in Dialog and older Inform. One could imagine syntax highlighting making that distinction even clearer. Instead in Inform 7 they blend together into similar-looking natural language sentences.

aeontech 6y ago

Curious, how does it compare to Ink? https://www.inklestudios.com/ink/ https://www.inklestudios.com/ink/ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26147329 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26147329

desine 6y ago
They’re related but not competitors. Ink is a generalized story tool, handling a lot of the organization and management of different storylines, and is meant to be embedded into a larger project. IF languages tend to incorporate more of the actual interactivity of the story, and build for their specific interpreter.