Most parser games understand short imperative commands. You are telling the player character what to do, not writing a novel to the game.
Movement
NORTH / N
SOUTH / S
EAST / E
WEST / W
NORTHEAST / NE
NORTHWEST / NW
SOUTHEAST / SE
SOUTHWEST / SW
UP / U
DOWN / D
IN
OUT
ENTER DOOR
EXIT
Looking and reading
LOOK / L
EXAMINE LAMP / X LAMP
LOOK IN BOX
LOOK UNDER BED
SEARCH DESK
READ NOTE
LOOK repeats the room description. EXAMINE is your magnifying glass. Use it often. In IF, adjectives are rarely innocent.
Inventory and objects
INVENTORY / I
TAKE LAMP
DROP LAMP
PUT LAMP IN BOX
PUT COIN ON TABLE
OPEN BOX
CLOSE BOX
LOCK DOOR WITH KEY
UNLOCK DOOR WITH KEY
TURN KNOB
PUSH BUTTON
PULL LEVER
When a command fails, try making it more specific. If UNLOCK DOOR fails, try UNLOCK IRON DOOR WITH BRASS KEY.
People and creatures
TALK TO GUARD
ASK GUARD ABOUT CASTLE
TELL GUARD ABOUT DRAGON
SHOW RING TO GUARD
GIVE COIN TO GUARD
Older games can be fussy about conversation. Newer games may support fuller conversation menus or topic suggestions.
Meta commands
SAVE
RESTORE
RESTART
UNDO
QUIT
SCRIPT ON
SCRIPT OFF
HELP
ABOUT
CREDITS
UNDO is not universal, but when it exists it is a magic bootprint eraser.
Short command chains
Many games allow commands like:
TAKE LAMP THEN LIGHT IT
N. E. OPEN DOOR. ENTER
For beginners, single commands are safer. They make it easier to see exactly which action caused the result.
When the game does not understand
Try these repairs:
- Use fewer words.
- Use a noun from the room description.
- Use a more common verb:
TAKE,OPEN,PUT,PUSH,PULL,TURN,READ,ASK. - Try synonyms only after the obvious command fails.
- Read the game’s
HELP,ABOUT, or included instructions.
Parser games are tiny worlds with tiny dictionaries. Part of the fun is discovering the language the world expects.