The Old Improbable Island Wiki

Welcome to the programming tutorials. There may look like there's a lot here, but that's because these tutorials have been written with those who have never done any sort of programming in mind and go nice and slowly. Also, there's no need to read all of these before you can start doing fun and interesting things with programming. Each page after the first introduces a new piece of tool kit to play with and suggests ways in which it can be used, so if you only read the first two pages you'll be able to use light, dark and other graphic backgrounds. If you read just one extra page you'll be able to build one-way doors, and so on.

The tutorials have been carefully structured to introduce new concepts in a logical order, and so it's possibly best to go through them in the order given, although the more adventurous might skip some and then come back to them if needed.

If you're new to Places and are still getting to grips with how to build then you may want to go to the main Places page.
Once you've got this all under your belt then you may wish to find out about how to use memories or else learn some more advanced programming skills.

• Introduction to the basic building blocks of programming.
  • What logic grids look like.
  • Contraptions and Contrivances - how to get them.
• Programming tutorial I - Tree backgrounds.
  
  • Putting up Tree graphics in the background to your room.
  • My first Program! Using Contraptions to make something happen.
  • The 'Tree Shadows' and the 'Page Lighter' Contraptions.
• Programming tutorial II - One way doors.
  
  • A program which to allow access through a door one way, but not the other.
  • What 'Preferences' are, why they're there, and how to use them.
  • The 'Show Door' and 'Hide Door' Contraptions.
• Programming tutorial III - SuperGrem.
  
  • A program to clear the entire story channel and the entire banter channel easily and quickly.
  • Using Contrivances to ask questions.
  • The 'Exact Match Commentary Command' Contraption. The 'Clear Story' and 'Clear Banter' Contrivances.
• Programming tutorial IV - Private doors.
  
  • A program to have a door unlocked only to members of a certain clan.
  • Programs in different rooms working together.
  • The 'Clan' contrivance. The 'Unlock Door' and 'Lock Door' Contraptions.
• Programming Tutorial V - Making a grand entrance.
  
  • A program to make rooms look different depending on where you come into them from.
  • Pages - a first introduction.
  • The 'Previous Room' Contrivance. The 'Show Page' and the 'Hide Room Description' Contraptions.
• Programming tutorial VI - Raindrops keep falling on my bonce.
  
  • A (very) simple program to display a rain background depending on the weather.
  • Multiple conditions - programs which work if any of several conditions hold.
  • The 'Weather' Contrivance and the 'Rain' Contraption.
• Programming tutorial VII - Private rooms 2.
  
  • A program that unlocks a door only to members of a certain clan, and also shows guests an appropriate message according to whether they're in the clan or not.
  • Using the Escape Hatch - Making something happen if conditions fail.
  • No new Contraptions or Contrivances used.
• Programming tutorial VIII - Actions and other passwords.
  
  • How to use the Command system to allow guests to enter passwords and perform actions.
  • Using the Program Flow Knob - the All Pass setting.
  • The 'Partial Match Commentary' Contrivance.
• Programming tutorial IX - The gentle pitter patter of raindrops on leaves.
  
  • A program to show either raindrops or tree shadows in the background, depending on the weather.
  • Using the Program Flow Knob - The All/Any Fail settings.
  • No new Contraptions ot Contrivances used.
• Programming tutorial X - Where am I???
  
  • How to have a map built on one page of your Place accessible from multiple rooms.
  • The Add Page Access (Link to Page) and the Hide Page Link Contraptions.
• Programming tutorial XI - On the toss of a coin.
  
  • Random effects.
  • The Dice Contrivance.

Back to the main Places page.