Rule-Based Programming: Revolutionizing Interactive Fiction Development
This article explores a rule-based programming model for interactive fiction (text adventure game) development. The author traces the evolution from early FORTRAN and LISP-based games to object-oriented programming, highlighting the limitations of the object-oriented approach in handling complex game logic, especially numerous exceptions and dynamic changes. A more flexible rule-based model is proposed, breaking down game logic into a series of rules triggered by conditions, resulting in cleaner, more maintainable code. This allows for easier handling of exceptions and dynamic changes, improving reusability and scalability. While acknowledging challenges like resolving rule conflicts, the author believes this approach holds promise for revolutionizing interactive fiction development.