Inform 7 Notes — 16 of 35

Section 3 - The Hatch Wheel System

The hatch wheel is in the Airlock. "A small metal wheel protrudes from a shaft halfway up the wall opposite you." It is fixed in place. The wheel can be either pointing upward or pointing downward. It is pointing downward. The description is "This is a rough metal wheel with four spokes affixed to the wall. It looks like some kind of control. There is a red mark painted on the wheel, currently at [mark placement]." To say mark placement: if the wheel is pointing upward, say "the top of the wheel"; otherwise say "the bottom of the wheel".

The wheel-aware turning rule is listed instead of the can't turn what's fixed in place rule in the check turning rules.

This is the wheel-aware turning rule: if turning the wheel, continue the action; abide by the can't turn what's fixed in place rule.

To decide whether the wheel is active: if the lower hatch is closed and the upper hatch is closed and the slot is loaded, decide yes; otherwise decide no. To decide whether the wheel is inactive: if the wheel is active, decide no; otherwise decide yes. Instead of turning the wheel when the wheel is inactive: say "The wheel wiggles, but refuses to move.". After turning the wheel, say "The wheel turns creakily through a half revolution. Dry, sterile-smelling air pours from the upper vents and flows out the lower vents for a moment, then stops. Eerie quiet resumes." Carry out turning the wheel when the wheel is active and the wheel is pointing downward: now the lower hatch is locked; now the upper hatch is unlocked; now the wheel is pointing upward; rule succeeds. Carry out turning the wheel when the wheel is active and the wheel is pointing upward: now the lower hatch is unlocked; now the upper hatch is locked; now the wheel is pointing downward; rule succeeds.

The slot is in the Airlock. "Next to the wheel is a small slot." The description is "The slot is entirely nondescript. It is vertical: about the height and width of a silver dollar." It is fixed in place. The slot can be either loaded or unloaded. It is unloaded. Loading it into is an action applying to two touchable things. Carry out loading the zorkmid into the slot: say "The zorkmid vanishes into the slot with a metallic clink."; now the zorkmid is off-stage; now the slot is loaded; rule succeeds. Carry out loading an object into the slot: say "You look more closely at the [noun] and at the slot and change your mind." Understand "put [thing] in/into [slot]" as loading it into. Understand "drop [thing] in/into [slot]", "insert [thing] in/into [slot]" and "load [thing] in/into [slot]" as loading it into.