A single action in detail.<br><i>About the action rulebooks <ahref=inform:/doc178.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/help.png></a></i></p>
</td>
</tr></table>
<hr><b>Standard actions concerning other people</b><br>Giving it to <ahref=24_A.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Beneath.png></a>, Showing it to <ahref=25_A.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Beneath.png></a>, Waking <ahref=26_A.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Beneath.png></a>, Throwing it at <ahref=27_A.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Beneath.png></a>, Attacking <ahref=28_A.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Beneath.png></a>, Kissing <ahref=29_A.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Beneath.png></a>, <b>Answering it that</b> <ahref=30_A.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Beneath.png></a>, Telling it about <ahref=31_A.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Beneath.png></a>, Asking it about <ahref=32_A.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Beneath.png></a>, Asking it for <ahref=33_A.html><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Beneath.png></a><p><hr><p><b>Answering <fontcolor="#000080">something</font> that <fontcolor="#000080">some text</font></b><aname=Answer></a> (<i>past tense</i> answered it that)<br>
<p>The Standard Rules do
not include any systematic way to handle conversation: instead, Inform is
set up so that it is as easy as we can make it to write specific rules
handling speech in particular games, and so that if no such rules are
written then all attempts to communicate are gracefully if not very
interestingly rejected.<br><br>The topic here can be any double-quoted text, which can itself contain
tokens in square brackets: see the documentation on Understanding.<br><br>Answering is an action existing so that the player can say something free-form
to somebody else. A convention of IF is that a command such as DAPHNE, TAKE
MASK is a request to Daphne to perform an action: if the persuasion rules in
force mean that she consents, the action 'Daphne taking the mask' does
indeed then result. But if the player types DAPHNE, 12375 or DAPHNE, GREAT
HEAVENS - or anything else not making sense as a command - the action
'answering Daphne that ...' will be generated.<br><br>The name of the action arises because it is also caused by typing, say,
ANSWER 12375 when Daphne (say) has asked a question.<p><hr><p><b>Typed commands leading to this action</b><p>
<pclass="hangingin2">"answer/say/shout/speak [text] to [someone]"<i>reversed</i></p><p><b>Rules controlling this action</b></p><p>
<pclass="hangingin2">instead of <i>doing something to the cables</i> <ahref="source:story.ni#line56"><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Reveal.png></a></p>
<pclass="hangingin2">instead of <i>asking, answering, or telling</i> <ahref="source:story.ni#line26"><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Reveal.png></a></p>
<pclass="hangingin2">instead of <i>doing something other than examining, talking, answering, sleeping, asking, looking, waiting, getting off or exiting when the player is on the sofa</i> <ahref="source:story.ni#line61"><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Reveal.png></a></p>
<br><pclass="hangingin2">after <i>answering the Petra that "hi"</i> <ahref="source:story.ni#line78"><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Reveal.png></a></p>
<pclass="hangingin2">after <i>answering the Petra that "henlo"</i> <ahref="source:story.ni#line79"><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Reveal.png></a></p>
<pclass="hangingin2">after <i>answering the Petra that "big leggy lynne"</i> <ahref="source:story.ni#line80"><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/Reveal.png></a></p>
<br><pclass="hangingin2">report <i>an actor answering something that</i> <fontcolor="#800000">block answering rule</font> <ahref="javascript:pasteCode('block answering rule')"><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/paste.png></a> <i>name</i><ahref="javascript:pasteCode('The block answering rule is not listed in the report answering it that rulebook.[=0x000A=]')"><imgborder=0src=inform:/doc_images/paste.png></a> <i>unlist</i> <ahref="#"onclick="showResp('extra1000222', 'plus1000222'); return false;"><imgborder=0id="plus1000222"src=inform:/doc_images/responses.png></a> 1</p>