Playing Interactive Fiction

Using Zoom to help beta-test new Interactive Fiction

Zoom has a few features designed to help with testing new interactive fiction. These are designed to make it easier to submit useful bug reports to authors.

In the File menu, you will find three new Save options: Save Recording, Transcript and Skein. A recording is a list of all the commands you have entered in the current session. Authors can use this list of commands to replay the actions that you have taken to reach a particular place in the game.

The transcript is similar, but also records all of the story's responses to the commands. This can be used to show the author of a story how it responded to your commands, or it can be used to help show a walkthrough of the game.

Saving as a Skein will produce an XML file that combines both the recording and the transcript. The Inform 7 IDE can import skein files and recordings and will display the responses you received, as well as allowing the author to play through the actions that you took.