Detective is a JavaScript (Deno) program for writing and running interactive fiction. The writer creates a JSON document with a specific structure that describes rooms, objects, events, etc. They can then run the program with Deno and play through the result.

Installation

Detective is written for Deno, which is required. See installation instructions here.

Once you have Deno and the repo, you can run deno task start from inside the project, and the little demo story should start.

Commands

Currently, the commands are very simple.

inventory checks the players inventory.

go {direction} moves the player in the given direction.

take {item} picks up the given item.

use {item} uses the given item.

quit exits the program.

Writing your own story

The format for the JSON file is shown in more detail in the