NewKid by the Numbers for Nervous Newbies

1: Thou shalt start SMALL.

That idea you had? The one that made you decide it would be a great idea to write an AIF game to start with? Write it down and PUT IT AWAY. Instead spend a few weeks on some lameo demo you NEVER intend to release. A couple of rooms and a single character is all you need to learn HOW to code. This will save you at least five times the amount of time you spend on it in false starts on your magnum opus.

2: Thou shalt start with inanimate objects.

AIF is about the other people. But they are the most complex. Learn the language by making a couple of rooms, and some objects and furniture in them. Learn how to make doors and other complex objects. Get used to the language by learning ever more complex objects. NPCs (Non Player Characters) are the most complex, so leave them for last.

3: Thou shalt use TADS for AIF.

Every set of commmandments needs a controversial element to have holy wars about! Seriously, most (not all) of the best AIF being written right now is being written in TADS. As such, it has several advantages: There are *several* TADS writers who know about AIF in this group who are prepared to help with coding issues without giving you a hard time about adult subject matter. There are a few adult libraries out there such as Rogue Redux and MMX (and the forthcoming "Alpha and Omega" - Chick.t, from your humble lawgiver).

4: Thou shalt spend an afternoon reading the scriptures on how to write (A)IF.

Get copies of these three documents at LEAST:
1:  The Craft of Adventure
2:  Crimes against Mimesis
3:  Writing Adult Interactive Fiction

5: Thou shalt spend an evening digging through the IF Archive (or mirror site)

Look in the examples directory of your chosen language's programming directory. Many new ones are extremely complex, so look for small ones that relate to what you wnat to do.

Also, for TADS, download Ditch Day Drifter. It is a complete game and is fully commented. It is dated, and later versions of TADS have better ways to do things, but there is NO BETTER DEMONSTRATION extant of a game. It is cleanly written and commented with an eye to educating you how to write a game.

There are scores of "libraries" in the archive. Most will not do you much good, but ask around for a library which acomplishes what you want.

6: Thou shalt subscribe to alt.games.xtrek and rec.arts.int-fiction.

alt.games.xtrek has people who will discuss the sexual issues in interactive fiction openly and non-judgementally. rec.arts.int-fiction has the heavy hitters in programming ALL languages. If you discuss sex issues there you may (or may not) get flamed / told-how-what-you-are-doing-can't-be-done-ed, but someone there can figure out how to do almost ANYTHING.

7: Thou shalt play some non-sex IF games.

Download several games from the archives and play them. They will give you alot of ideas of what can be done. This will fertilize your own thought processes. There is not enough quality AIF out there to really let you realize what CAN be done.

8: Thou shalt write endless notes.

When writing any project you hope to release, you should have a stack of handwritten notes cluttering up your life before you do much of ANY coding. Once you start writing actual code and text, it is very hard to discard anything, even if you are starting to suspect that it may actually blow dog chunks. Whereas it is almost fun to crumple up that piece of paper on which you wrote this great idea that on mature(sic) reflection either would take eight months to code or would make everything else you are doing make no sense.

9: Thou shalt develop a thick skin.

You WILL be flamed. You WILL be pestered. You WILL be praised(hopefully). You WILL be vilified(certainly). People will point out each mistake you make. Almost all will do so with the best of intentions. You need to learn to welcome the comments of those that are trying to help, and to ignore the rare exceptions. Get an anonymous e-mail address. If you write a good game, you will get a LOT of e-mail. I happen to like this. If you don't, don't write a game.

10: Thou shalt always have ten commandments.

Anyone got a suggestion for number ten? I would include beta-testers, but I think that process need another whole ten commandments!