'Getting Back To Sleep' Authored by Patrick Evans, (c) 2004 
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Welcome player, to my entry for the Interactive Fiction Competition (IFComp) 2004.  This game is unique in that not only
did I write the game module, but also an entire game system.  Needless to say this was a big undertaking, but it allowed
me the flexibility and freedom to accomplish what no other interactive fiction system can do: the game lives in real time,
literally.  Unlike other systems such as TADS, things can happen while you're typing;  characters might talk with you, or
even leave the room and go elsewhere in the game.  'Getting Back To Sleep' should be a totally new experience to many people,
and I hope you enjoy it.  Even with the element of time present, is it not critical that you have a good typing skills.
There are intentionally no graphics or sound in this game, as IF to me was about a good story.  I hope you enjoy it!

The Interpreter
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- The command interpreter is very powerful and flexible, perhaps to a fault.  Picky interpreters are the bane of text
  adventures, so this one tries to accept as many commands and combinations as possible, and actually uses formal grammar
  parsing to maximize the acceptance of your commands.  Don't be surprised when everything from "go through the door",
  "go door", "go to the closet door" and even "go the door" are all perfectly acceptable commands.
- Many synonyms for object names and words are allowed.  For example, everything from "x" to "examine the ball" to
  "look at the blue ball" will work.
- Communication is very simple, just "say" what you want to say: for example, "say hello" and "say how are you?".
- To check your progress or health, use "score" or "inv" or "inventory".
- Some elements that occur in realtime, such as combat with other characters may need immediate attention.  "stop attack"
  is one way to stop an attack.  (that doesn't mean an angry opponent will necessarily stop, however..)  Leaving the room
  can also help delay a fight.  Again the game is designed so speed of typing won't hurt you.
- The game does not support load and save. (next version!)

Facts and Stats
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For those who take interest in such things:
- Verbs = 49 verbs with hundreds of associated grammar rule combinations
- Nouns = 89 objects with an average of 3 synonyms each, for a total of around 261 unique labels
- Locations = over 50 places to visit
- Source Code = ~10,500 lines of C#
- The world is slightly different each time, to add variety to a couple of the puzzles.
- This is the first text game system and module written in .NET.

Requirements
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You must be running a Windows OS (ie. one of Win98, Windows 2000 or Windows XP) to play the game.  You will also need
the .NET Framework v1.1, which is freely available from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com if you don't already have it (you
probably already do).  Beyond that, just bring your imagination!

Comments and Bugs
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You can e-mail me at "gettosleepbugs@icedragon.net".  If the game encounters a problem, it will produce a text log file
in the same directory as the executable named "crash.log".  It would be great if you could include this in the e-mail,
as it will greatly narrow down any issues and I can fix them!  If you can't run the game at all, and immediately see a
dialog box saying that the executable failed, you probably don't have the .Net Framework v1.1 installed.

Thanks, and again, I hope you enjoy the game!

- Patrick


Disclaimer and Copyright
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This game comes with no warranties express or implied.  You assume responsibility for any harm or risk that may come from
executing the game, and using the game implies acceptance of said conditions.  This game may be freely distributed for purposes
of inclusion with the IFComp 2004 entries and for juding in said competition.  Commercial-use reproductions must seek author
permission.  Any distribution requires that ALL of the original files be included in unmodified form with the executable.
