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Authoring Configuration

You can configure text-adventure and authoring-related runtime behavior by selecting Game -> Authoring in the project tree.

This page documents:

  • the global Game / Authoring TOML configuration
  • per-sector metadata keys used by sector descriptions
  • template authoring metadata used by look for characters and items

Startup​

Startup options are located in the [startup] section.

[startup]
welcome = ""
show = "room"

welcome​

  • Optional text shown before any room or sector text in text-style clients.
  • Useful for a game intro like Welcome to my game.
  • Supports multi-line TOML strings:
welcome = """
Welcome to my game.
"""

show​

  • Controls what text-style clients show automatically on startup.
  • Supported values:
    • "room": show the full room view, including exits.
    • "description": show only the current sector description.
    • "none": show nothing automatically.

"room" is the default because it includes exits and current room context.

Colors​

Terminal presentation colors are configured in the [colors] section.

[colors]
title = "cyan"
objects = "white"
items = "bright_magenta"
characters = "white"
corpses = "bright_black"

[[colors.character_rules]]
when = "ALIGNMENT < 0"
color = "red"

[[colors.character_rules]]
when = "ALIGNMENT > 0"
color = "bright_green"

[colors.message_categories]
success = "bright_green"
warning = "bright_yellow"
severe = "bright_red"
error = "bright_red"
system = "cyan"
multiple_choice = "bright_magenta"

These colors are currently used by text-style terminal clients.

title​

  • Color for the room title.

objects​

  • General fallback color for room contents.
  • Used as a fallback for items, characters, and corpses if their more specific color is not set.

items​

  • Color for visible items in the room.

characters​

  • Default color for neutral characters.

corpses​

  • Color for dead characters shown as corpses.

[[colors.character_rules]]​

  • Optional ordered rules for character colors.
  • Rules are checked from top to bottom.
  • The first matching rule wins.
  • when currently supports simple numeric comparisons such as:
    • ALIGNMENT < 0
    • ALIGNMENT > 0
    • LEVEL >= 5
  • If no rule matches, the base characters color is used.

[colors.message_categories]​

  • Optional terminal colors for message categories.
  • These colors are used for incoming runtime messages in text-style clients.
  • If not specified, terminal clients use built-in defaults.
  • Useful keys include:
    • success
    • warning
    • severe
    • error
    • system
    • multiple_choice

Supported examples include:

  • "cyan"
  • "yellow"
  • "bright_cyan"
  • "bright_white"
  • "red"

Terminal Message Colors​

Text-style terminal clients also colorize incoming messages by message category.

Default mapping:

  • success: bright green
  • warning: bright yellow
  • severe: bright red
  • error: bright red
  • system: cyan
  • multiple_choice: bright magenta

So if you want XP gain or level-up messages to appear green in the terminal client, use:

[progression.messages]
xp_category = "success"
level_up_category = "success"

Sector Messages​

Sector enter-message options are located in the [sector_messages] section.

[sector_messages]
mode_2d = "always"
mode_3d = "always"
cooldown_minutes_2d = 10
cooldown_minutes_3d = 10
show_on_startup = true

These rules control when authored sector descriptions are sent as normal system messages to players in 2D and 3D.

mode_2d​

  • Controls sector description messages for players in 2D.
  • Supported values:
    • "always": show every time the player enters the sector.
    • "once": show only the first time for that player.
    • "cooldown": show again only after the configured cooldown.
    • "never": never show sector descriptions automatically in 2D.

mode_3d​

  • Same as mode_2d, but for 3D play (iso and firstp).

cooldown_minutes_2d​

  • Used when mode_2d = "cooldown".
  • Defines how many in-game minutes must pass before the same sector description may be shown again in 2D.

cooldown_minutes_3d​

  • Used when mode_3d = "cooldown".
  • Defines how many in-game minutes must pass before the same sector description may be shown again in 3D.

show_on_startup​

  • If true, the player's starting sector may also show its description automatically.
  • If false, only later sector entries may show automatic descriptions.

Sector Metadata​

Sectors can define authoring metadata in the Authoring dock.

Minimal format:

title = ""
description = """
"""

title​

  • Player-facing display name of the sector.
  • Used by text-style clients and room descriptions.

Example:

title = "Your ship"

description​

  • Main descriptive text for the sector.
  • Used in text-style clients and, depending on sector_messages, as an automatic enter message in normal gameplay.

Example:

description = """
The familiar deck of your faithful ship creaks softly beneath your feet.
"""

show_in_2d​

  • Optional per-sector override.
  • If set to false, the sector description is not shown automatically in 2D, even if global sector_messages.mode_2d would allow it.

Example:

show_in_2d = false

show_in_3d​

  • Optional per-sector override.
  • If set to false, the sector description is not shown automatically in 3D.

Example:

show_in_3d = false

This is useful for places like a Crossroads sector that should exist for navigation but should stay quiet in moment-to-moment 2D play.

Character And Item Template Authoring​

Character and item templates have separate Authoring metadata in addition to their normal Data TOML.

Use:

  • the Authoring dock for descriptive/player-facing text
  • the Data dock for mechanical attributes and gameplay configuration

Character Templates​

Minimal example:

title = "Guard"
description = """
A weary guard watches the road.
"""

[mode.active]
description = """
A weary guard watches the road.
"""

[mode.dead]
description = """
The guard lies motionless on the ground.
"""

Characters may define optional mode.* overrides. These are used by look based on the current runtime mode, for example:

  • mode.active
  • mode.dead

If the current mode.* entry is missing, look falls back to the top-level description.

Item Templates​

Minimal example:

title = "Torch"
description = """
A simple wall torch.
"""

[state.off]
description = """
An unlit torch is fixed to the wall.
"""
on_use = "You light the torch."

[state.on]
description = """
A lit torch flickers warmly against the stone wall.
"""
on_use = "You extinguish the torch."

Items may define optional state.* overrides. These are used by look based on the current runtime state, for example:

  • state.off
  • state.on

If the current state.* entry is missing, look falls back to the top-level description.

State entries may also define optional on_use text:

  • state.off.on_use
  • state.on.on_use

If present, this message is shown when the item is used and no explicit item on_use attribute overrides it.

title​

  • Optional display name for the template.
  • Useful for UI or future presentation systems.
  • look itself only requires description.

description​

  • Base fallback description used by look.
  • Works even if no mode.* or state.* overrides are defined.

Runtime Use​

This template authoring metadata is currently used by look in:

  • 2D gameplay
  • 3D gameplay
  • text gameplay

It is used when no explicit on_look message is defined for the target.

For item templates, authored state.*.on_use messages are also used by use in:

  • text play
  • 2D gameplay
  • 3D gameplay

This is a simple authored fallback. If the item already defines an explicit on_use attribute/message in gameplay data or script behavior, that explicit behavior takes precedence.

Example​

[startup]
welcome = """
Welcome to the Hideout Eldiron example!
"""
show = "room"

[sector_messages]
mode_2d = "cooldown"
mode_3d = "always"
cooldown_minutes_2d = 10
cooldown_minutes_3d = 10
show_on_startup = true

And for a specific sector:

title = "Crossroads"
show_in_2d = false
description = """
A small crossroads of worn earth and scattered stones, marking the meeting point between harbor, home, and garden.
"""

Text Gameplay Commands​

Text gameplay commands are submitted through the messages widget command input. They are available to text play and can also be enabled by 2D/3D games that use the same messages widget input mode.

Core commands:

  • look
  • inventory / inv
  • stats
  • go <exit>
  • intent <name> [target]
  • <intent> <target>, for example attack orc, take herb, or talk guard
  • open <container>
  • put <item> in <container>
  • take <item> from <container>

Ruleset commands:

  • cast <spell> [target]
  • craft <recipe>
  • action <action> [target]
  • use action <action> [target]
  • use <action> [target]
  • <action> [target], when the action id is known by the active ruleset

The stats command is ruleset-driven. It prints the attributes declared by the active ruleset's [attributes] groups, such as resources, primary, combat, and progression. Project authoring no longer configures a custom text stats block.