Tiny Playable Prototype

For my prototype, I sketched a full map of my game out on music paper, and then implemented it in inform. I spent quite a long time writing and debugging the code (thanks, DeepSeek, weirdly good at Inform), and then implementing a huge amount of props, verbs and 3 scenes. Here’s some of my props, that I wrote descriptions for, some more detailed than others:

Furniture & Furnishings

• record player (scenery, supporter)

• milk crate (scenery, open container)

• couch (scenery, enterable supporter)

• cushions (part of couch)

• rug (scenery)

• coffee stain (part of rug)

• window (scenery)

• window pane (part of window)

• city (scenery)

• posters (scenery)

Instruments

• saxophone (instrument-thing, can be taken)

• guitar (instrument-thing, scenery)

• instruments (scenery)

Kitchen Area

• kitchen (scenery)

• kitchen-close (part of kitchen)

• kitchen-note (part of kitchen-close)

• counter (part of kitchen)

• cabinet (closed openable container)

• mismatched glasses (in cabinet)

• colander (in cabinet)

• fridge (closed openable container)

• half lemon (in fridge)

• jar of pickles (in fridge)

• takeout boxes (in fridge)

• fridge-interior (part of fridge)

Records

• Backyard single (on record player)

• Kind of Blue LP (in milk crate)

• Blue Train LP (in milk crate)

• Soul Station LP (in milk crate)

• A Love Supreme LP (in milk crate)

• Mingus Ah Um LP (in milk crate)

Mail & Documents

• mail-bills (closed openable container)

• professor envelope (in mail-bills)

• professor letter (in professor envelope)

• friendly envelope (in mail-bills)

• handwritten letter (in friendly envelope)

• landlord envelope (in mail-bills)

• rent notice (in landlord envelope)

• coned envelope (in mail-bills)

• electric bill (in coned envelope)

Phone System

• wall phone (scenery)

• dial pad (part of wall phone)

• phone nook (enterable supporter)

• therapist card (scenery)

Medical

• orange pill bottle (closed openable container)

Reading Material

• magazine (scenery)

• pages (part of magazine)

Doors & Navigation

• apartment door (door to Hallway)

• subway map (part of apartment door)

• subway stops (part of subway map)

I playtested with Amaru, here were my notes: