Streetrat: A Thief’s Text Adventure

In my class “Programming for Game Designers” (which I am taking for fun as my final course in my PhD), our first major project is to design, code, playtest, and refine a text-based adventure game. We are using textadventures and their visual script editor/IDE Quest for the assignment.

If you’ve never played a text adventure before, we were assigned Jacqueline, Jungle Queen! to play in order to get acquainted. Basically, text adventure games take text input from the player and an interactive story unfolds. Some are designed with multiple endings, others are filled with tricky puzzles to solve. It’s a great format of game.

How did I make it?

If you want to know how I designed and play-tested Streetrat, then check out my previous blog post, where I break my process down.

Where can I play it?

Streetrat has been officially released on textadventures.

Give it a try! I’d love to hear your feedback. It can probably be beaten in 15 to 30 minutes (but in much less time if you know the spoilers!).

Playthrough

My thorough playthrough is detailed below. In this session I try out every major command at least once, on at least every interactive object in the game, and visit every location. I also end the game with a perfect score. Note: This walkthrough is a copy+paste of the HTML from the game’s text log output.

With extra paragraph breaks removed, pasting the text below into google docs results in a 28-page adventure! That’s pretty neat to think about. 28 pages is a decent amount of writing! Now I wish I had done this sooner though, because I can see that I’ve misspelled “chails” (chains), “aquaducts” (aqueducts), “purfumes” (perfumes), “entrace” (entrance), “mischeivious” (mischeivous), “keyhold” (keyhole), and “unkept” (unkempt). Oof! Too bad quest doesn’t have built-in spell checking.

Open playthrough (spoiler warning)

Streetrat

by F.E.

Created by Frank Elavsky, a student at Carnegie Mellon University, for a class project.
Frank's process is detailed on his blog.

You're an urchin, a thief, a regular streetrat. You've been scurrying around the streets of this dusty, burning-hot city for years now after being kicked out of the orphanage. You mostly try to lay low, but lately the city guard have been increasing in number. It's harder and harder to get away with what you used to. It's probably time to plan a proper heist or something and get out of this town for good.
But first... *your stomach growls right on cue* you need to get some breakfast.
Streetrat logo shown over a pile of gold and jewelry

You are in the Market.
You can see a poor woman, a monkey, a bakery stall (containing a baguette and a baker) and a market guard.
You can go east.
It is bustling with people coming and going. The market stretches for city blocks in all directions, it's the heart of this city. Aside from the hole in a wall where you sleep at night, this is one of the only places where you get a sense of comfort. You love the sounds of people bartering, folks barking their wares, criers shouting news and the smells of purfumes, fresh oranges and lemons, and of course, all of the food being grilled, fried, and baked.

> examine poor woman
An older, poor woman who is shuffling about in the crowd. She is probably getting into some kind of trouble, just like you. You make eye contact for a moment and she gives you a mischeivious grin with a few teeth missing.

> x monkey
A lanky monkey wearing a little purple vest. It always seems to be in the market. You figure it used to be (or still is) someone's pet, since it is so comfortable around people and has a sense of fashion. It doesn't pay any attention to you as it swings about between the stalltops.

> x bakery
The front counter of the bakery, which extends into the market.
It contains a baguette and a baker.

> x baker
A beautifully large baker, your favorite baker in the market in fact. They are standing with their back turned to you, clearly working hard on something behind the counter as their large arms roll and push and their shoulders lift and fall rhythmically. They're completely engrossed in their work.

> x baguette
A freshly baked baguette. The bread's crust is perfectly golden and you can smell how good it must taste. The steam rising off of it means it must have just been taken out of the oven and put on display. Your mouth waters the more you look at it.

> x guard
A fearsome, tall guard with chainmail armor and a closed-visor helmet stands about half of a block away from the bakery, looking into the market square. They're standing almost perfectly straight but you can see their eyes busily darting about. As you walk past them, you can hear the intensity of their breathing through their visor, like steam from a dragon's mouth. They have one hand resting on a sword's pommel, which is sheathed on their belt. You can tell by the patina on the sword handle's leather that they've seen a lot of action. This guard is not to be messed with.

> east

You are in the Courtyard.
You can see a palace guards, a rich man, a palace gate and a tiger pen (containing a tiger).
You can go west.
The courtyard outside of the palace is beautifully well-kept and green with plenty of shade. The aquaducts bring water in to keep this area green, unlike the rest of the city. The trees and bushes smell crisp and clean and the warm air from the south sometimes passes through. The sandstone under your feet even has intricate carvings. People old, young, rich, and poor all care about this place. People usually speak in quieter voices here than the market. There are many places to sit and lounge, even some stone tables for people to gather around. There is a peacefulness here.

> x guards
A pair of guards standing at the entrace to the palace. They are wearing shining, full-body plated armor that is covered in white silk cloaks with golden trim. They each have long polearms with wavy blades at the end. They must be cooking alive in that gear under the sun all day, but they do look pretty awesome.

> x rich
This guy is a grade-A jerk, you can tell just by how he stands there, doing nothing. He has a long, thin moustache that he is swirling in his finger as he stares into the tiger pen, mumbling something to himself. His nails are clean, hair is shiny, skin is powdered, clothes look brand new, and when you get close, he smells like those expensive soaps you're not even allowed near in the market. He's wearing a long robe with all sorts of fine patterns sewn in. Loosely tied to a sash on his waist is a small purse.

> x purse
A small, velvet purse with a golden trimmed clasp. You can tell there is something inside of it by how it hangs with weight.

> x gate
A pair of beautiful doors that lead into the palace. They are wide, tall, and made of some kind of gilded metal. You might not even be able to open them if you tried. They probably weigh more than a hippo each.

> x pen
A large, walled off area that is about 1 story below the ground. If you walk to the edge of the wall, you can look down inside. Inside the pen is a grassy hill and several trees, a small pond, and a little cave near the back of the hill. A thick ship-rope hangs from the tree with a leather ball tied to the end, dangling just above the ground. Clearly the tiger enjoys playing with it because it is covered in scratches and gouges and has a heavy patina worn in.
It contains a tiger.

> x tiger
A majestic, muscular tiger. It is currently napping on the sunny side of the hill in its pen.

> take purse
You can't take it.

> w

You are in the Market.
You can see a poor woman, a monkey, a bakery stall (containing a baguette and a baker) and a market guard.
You can go east.
It is bustling with people coming and going. The market stretches for city blocks in all directions, it's the heart of this city. Aside from the hole in a wall where you sleep at night, this is one of the only places where you get a sense of comfort. You love the sounds of people bartering, folks barking their wares, criers shouting news and the smells of purfumes, fresh oranges and lemons, and of course, all of the food being grilled, fried, and baked.

> take bread
You take the baguette without being seen by the baker and slip into a nearby alley. You stuff your face with the steaming, hot bread.

As you're chomping down, you hear heavy, clomping footsteps approaching and the sound of clinking metal chails. "Uh oh," you think to yourself. "Not again..."

Suddenly two guards turn the corner. You drop the crust of the last couple bites on the ground and back up, hands in the air, and an awkward smile on your face as you finish chewing. Before you can speak, your back bumps into something large.

You turn around just as the three guards seize you and take you off to jail.

You are in a Jail Cell.
You can see a grate, a jail guard and a chair.
You can go west.
A dark, damp underground holding area under the palace, lit by torchlight. This is where they take the minor criminals and it's the best jail in the city. The really bad criminals go to the dungeon at the edge of town where everyone gets sick and the guards are mean. This jail exists because the lord set lenient laws in an attempt to distance his reputation from his deeply cruel father (the messed-up guy who ruled before him). As a result, petty theft results in a 1-day hold in the palace jail overnight instead of losing a hand by sword on the spot. You got into theft just in time. One generation sooner and you'd already have lost dozens of hands to the local guards. They catch you stealing bread pretty much every other day now.

> x grate
An iron grate door. If only you were really skinny, you could just squeeze out between the bars.
It is locked.

> x guard
A guard sits slumped in a chair, spear in one hand and a book in their other. They look bored out of their mind as they read; it must not be a very good book. Every few minutes they turn a new page by awkwardly resting their spear handle on their shoulder to free their other hand for a moment.

> x chair
A plain, wooden chair.

Oof... there really is nothing to do right now.

You have learned how to WATCH.

Use watch as a command to see if circumstances change wherever you are. Sometimes new opportunities present themselves, if you're observant enough.

> w
You can't leave while you're still in this cell (that's probably the whole point of this "jail" thing anyway).

> watch
You wait for a while, listening to the guard turn the pages in their book. Eventually they get up and wordlessly walk out of the room for the changing of the guard. Nobody comes back to take their place. It must be meal time. The silence is a bit unnerving. You're the only soul in the jail right now, all alone.

> w
You can't leave while you're still in this cell (that's probably the whole point of this "jail" thing anyway).

> open grate
You can't open it.

> unlock grate
You can't unlock it.

> watch
Eventually the guards change shifts and the new guard bring you a small bowl of gruel. You drink it. A little while later, the new guard comes back to your door and lets you out. You know the drill by now. They lead you back to the market.
"Please stop getting into trouble. You know we are all tired of this." They sigh loudly and walk off back in the direction of the palace.

You are in the Market.
You can see a poor woman, a monkey, a bakery stall (containing a baguette and a baker) and a market guard.
You can go east.
It is bustling with people coming and going. The market stretches for city blocks in all directions, it's the heart of this city. Aside from the hole in a wall where you sleep at night, this is one of the only places where you get a sense of comfort. You love the sounds of people bartering, folks barking their wares, criers shouting news and the smells of purfumes, fresh oranges and lemons, and of course, all of the food being grilled, fried, and baked.

> watch
You wait and watch the crowd. And after relaxing your eyes, you notice a twinkle in the corner of your eye. You turn and watch the monkey swiftly pick a golden pocket watch from someone's pockets and slip it into their vest pocket.

You learn how to PICK from pockets, purses, and other things.

Use pick to try to sneakily take items. This works on things like the poor woman's pouch or the monkey's pocket (which you've just now noticed). Just be careful! You still might get caught...

> watch
You wait and watch the monkey swinging about, picking more pockets. People are bustling and hustling, coming and going. It's a lively scene; peaceful in its own way.

> r
I don't understand your command.

> e

You are in the Courtyard.
You can see a palace guards, a rich man (containing a purse), a palace gate and a tiger pen (containing a tiger).
You can go west.
The courtyard outside of the palace is beautifully well-kept and green with plenty of shade. The aquaducts bring water in to keep this area green, unlike the rest of the city. The trees and bushes smell crisp and clean and the warm air from the south sometimes passes through. The sandstone under your feet even has intricate carvings. People old, young, rich, and poor all care about this place. People usually speak in quieter voices here than the market. There are many places to sit and lounge, even some stone tables for people to gather around. There is a peacefulness here.

> watch
You wait and relax for a while in the shade of some large palms, watching the tiger continue to nap. No new opportunities present themselves.

> w

You are in the Market.
You can see a poor woman (containing a pouch), a monkey (containing a pocket), a bakery stall (containing a baguette and a baker) and a market guard.
You can go east.
It is bustling with people coming and going. The market stretches for city blocks in all directions, it's the heart of this city. Aside from the hole in a wall where you sleep at night, this is one of the only places where you get a sense of comfort. You love the sounds of people bartering, folks barking their wares, criers shouting news and the smells of purfumes, fresh oranges and lemons, and of course, all of the food being grilled, fried, and baked.

> pick pouch
You take some lint.
You take a hairpin.

> pick pocket
You take a pebble.
You take a golden pocket watch. Score!

> x lint
Eww, some pocket lint.

> x golden
Useless thing that people who care about "time" and "deadlines" and whatever seem to obsess about. It's made of gold though, so it's probably worth holding on to for selling. You'll need to get out of here before you can safely fence this.

> x man
This guy is a grade-A jerk, you can tell just by how he stands there, doing nothing. He has a long, thin moustache that he is swirling in his finger as he stares into the tiger pen, mumbling something to himself. His nails are clean, hair is shiny, skin is powdered, clothes look brand new, and when you get close, he smells like those expensive soaps you're not even allowed near in the market. He's wearing a long robe with all sorts of fine patterns sewn in. Loosely tied to a sash on his waist is a small purse.

> x purse
A small, velvet purse with a golden trimmed clasp. You can tell there is something inside of it by how it hangs with weight.

> x tiger
A majestic, muscular tiger. It is currently napping on the sunny side of the hill in its pen.

> x poor
An older, poor woman who is shuffling about in the crowd. She is probably getting into some kind of trouble, just like you. You make eye contact for a moment and she gives you a mischeivious grin with a few teeth missing.

> x pouch
A worn, burlap pouch. It is tied at the top using a string. It looks flat as it flops about. She is probably nearly as poor as you are.

You take a moment and think to yourself... You haven't even tried to look at or examine that hairpin you picked up. Maybe the poor woman carried it for a reason, other than for her hair?

> x hairpin
A plain, thin, single-needle, bronze hairpin with a tiny flattened plate at one end. It is about the same length as your long finger.
You know... this might work really well for picking locks.

You learn how to PICK locks using the hairpin!

Try using pick on locked things to unlock them. But beware: you don't want to pick any locks while someone is looking. Make sure you're out of sight when you do this.

> x pocket
The vest has a visible pocket on the left side exterior.

> pick purse
You take some silver coins. Score!
The man catches you just after you swiped his coins. He yells out for the guards, pointing at you while clutching his chest dramatically with his other hand. Uh oh, time to book it out of here.

You thought you were in the clear, but the guards have caught up with you. You put your hands up as they get close. They haul you off to jail.

You take a moment and think to yourself... You haven't even tried to look at or examine that pebble you picked up. Maybe the monkey carried it for a reason, other than just good luck?

You are in a Jail Cell.
You can see a grate, a jail guard and a chair.
You can go west.
A dark, damp underground holding area under the palace, lit by torchlight. This is where they take the minor criminals and it's the best jail in the city. The really bad criminals go to the dungeon at the edge of town where everyone gets sick and the guards are mean. This jail exists because the lord set lenient laws in an attempt to distance his reputation from his deeply cruel father (the messed-up guy who ruled before him). As a result, petty theft results in a 1-day hold in the palace jail overnight instead of losing a hand by sword on the spot. You got into theft just in time. One generation sooner and you'd already have lost dozens of hands to the local guards. They catch you stealing bread pretty much every other day now.

The watch you were carrying has been confiscated by the guards.

The coins you were carrying have been confiscated by the guards. They pay themselves a little bonus for their troubles.

> x pebble
An ordinary pebble. But you know what? It gives you an idea...

You learn how to MISDIRECT.

As long as you have a pebble in your inventory, you can try to use it to distract someone. Try to misdirect a target, but beware: you'll lose your pebble when you do and might have to find another one.

> pick grate
No way, the guard is sitting right there! Picking the lock right now is a terrible idea.

> misdirect guard
You toss your pebble near them. They look at it for a second and then look back at you. "Knock it off, I'm getting to the good part in this thing."

You have lost your pebble. You'll need to find another one if you want to misdirect again.

> pick grate
You reach through the grate and find the keyhold with your hairpin. After a few minutes of fiddling with the lock, you feel the tumblers settle and you rotate the mechanism. It unlocks. You're free!

> w

You are in the Palace Hall.
You can see a vizier, a hall window and a door.
You can go west or east.
This long, empty, dimly lit hall sparkles with gold. Columns line the hallway, like immovable soldiers facing each other in silence. Mirrors are arranged along the ceiling and catch rays of pure light, but the room is so tall that where you stand is still fairly dark and shadowed. You can feel cool air coming from somewhere you can't see like a breeze in the night. It nearly gives you goosebumps. You've never felt cool air like that anywhere in your life, even on the coldest nights in the winter season. It feels wonderful. The hall is mostly silent and if you concentrate hard enough, you can hear faint scribbling sounds of a quill on parchment. At the end of the hall, past all of the columns you can make out the castle's old vizier, sitting at a desk with a candle lit, writing away. The hallway is joined by another hall at the halfway mark, but it is filled with patrolling guards. They seem to leave this hallway alone, for some reason. There is a single window which is across the hall from you, left open.

> x viz
The ruler's most trusted advisor. They are ancient. You can barely make out their eyes, their wrinkles droop so far down their forehead. It's a miracle they're able to see anything at all. They seem to be busy scribbling away at some important documents.

> x hall window
A window leading to the west. It is the only window in this hallway and it is left open. How convenient. Looking out, below you can see the hedge maze that used to be open to the public. It looks very unkept and messy.

> door
I don't understand your command.

> x door
A plain, wooden door. It is behind the vizier's desk.
It is locked with a large chain and padlock in the front. A strange way to lock a door.

> e
Going back to jail? Not a good idea.

> w
You leap out of the hall window and into an old, overgrown maze outside of the palace. After wandering through it for a little while, you find yourself crawling out of some bushes and back into the courtyard.

You have unlocked a secret path between the courtyard and the palace hall. You can use this path freely.

You are in the Courtyard.
You can see a palace guards, a rich man (containing a purse), a palace gate and a tiger pen (containing a tiger).
You can go west or northwest.
The courtyard outside of the palace is beautifully well-kept and green with plenty of shade. The aquaducts bring water in to keep this area green, unlike the rest of the city. The trees and bushes smell crisp and clean and the warm air from the south sometimes passes through. The sandstone under your feet even has intricate carvings. People old, young, rich, and poor all care about this place. People usually speak in quieter voices here than the market. There are many places to sit and lounge, even some stone tables for people to gather around. There is a peacefulness here.

> x pocket
The vest has a visible pocket on the left side exterior. It is bulging, as if totally stuffed.

> pick pocket
You take a pebble.
You take a golden pocket watch. Score!

> misdirect woman
I doubt that would do any good...

> misdirect baker
You toss your pebble near them. They look at it for a second and then continue their work. "Annoying monkey, never leaving me alone..." they mutter under their breath. The baker is probably already distracted by their work.

You have lost your pebble. You'll need to find another one if you want to misdirect again.

> x pocket
The vest has a visible pocket on the left side exterior. It is bulging, as if totally stuffed.

> pick pocket
You take a pebble.

> misdirect guard
You toss your pebble near them. They look at it for a second and then look back at you. "This isn't a time for games, kid. Move along."

You have lost your pebble. You'll need to find another one if you want to misdirect again.

> pick pocket
You take a pebble.

> misdirect monkey
You toss your pebble near the monkey, but its lightning-fast reflexes kick in and it catches it. It gives you a little "ooh-ooh aah-aah" and a dance, as if thanking you before putting the pebble back into their pocket.

You have lost your pebble. You'll need to find another one if you want to misdirect again.

> pick pocket
You take a pebble.

> x pocket
The vest has a visible pocket on the left side exterior.

> e

You are in the Courtyard.
You can see a palace guards, a rich man (containing a purse), a palace gate and a tiger pen (containing a tiger).
You can go west or northwest.
The courtyard outside of the palace is beautifully well-kept and green with plenty of shade. The aquaducts bring water in to keep this area green, unlike the rest of the city. The trees and bushes smell crisp and clean and the warm air from the south sometimes passes through. The sandstone under your feet even has intricate carvings. People old, young, rich, and poor all care about this place. People usually speak in quieter voices here than the market. There are many places to sit and lounge, even some stone tables for people to gather around. There is a peacefulness here.

> misdirect tiger
You toss your pebble near them. They lazily open an eye and bat it away with their paw. They go back to napping.

You have lost your pebble. You'll need to find another one if you want to misdirect again.

> pick pocket
You take a pebble.

> r
I don't understand your command.

> misdirect guards
You toss your pebble near them. They look at it for a second and then look back at you. "This isn't a time for games, kid. Move along."

You have lost your pebble. You'll need to find another one if you want to misdirect again.

> pick pocket
You take a pebble.

> misdirect man
You toss your pebble deftly at a lemon fruit hanging above the rich man. The lemon falls onto his head, and in his confusion he turns around, looking up. "What was that?"

You have lost your pebble. You'll need to find another one if you want to misdirect again.

The rich man is currently distracted. Act quickly, before he catches on.

> pick purse
You take some silver coins. Score!
He gathers himself and mutters, "not the first time I've had fruit fall on me while I'm watching the tiger..."

The rich man is no longer distracted.

> pick pocket
You take a pebble.

> watch
You wait and relax for a while in the shade of some large palms, watching the tiger continue to nap. No new opportunities present themselves.

> nw

You are in the Palace Hall.
You can see a vizier, a hall window and a door.
You can go west or east.
This long, empty, dimly lit hall sparkles with gold. Columns line the hallway, like immovable soldiers facing each other in silence. Mirrors are arranged along the ceiling and catch rays of pure light, but the room is so tall that where you stand is still fairly dark and shadowed. You can feel cool air coming from somewhere you can't see like a breeze in the night. It nearly gives you goosebumps. You've never felt cool air like that anywhere in your life, even on the coldest nights in the winter season. It feels wonderful. The hall is mostly silent and if you concentrate hard enough, you can hear faint scribbling sounds of a quill on parchment. At the end of the hall, past all of the columns you can make out the castle's old vizier, sitting at a desk with a candle lit, writing away. The hallway is joined by another hall at the halfway mark, but it is filled with patrolling guards. They seem to leave this hallway alone, for some reason. There is a single window which is across the hall from you, left open.

> misdirect vizier
You sneak your way closer to the vizier while remaining hidden. You toss your pebble behind the vizier and it clatters against some metallic sounding object. The vizier suddenly jumps, their wrinkles lifting up to show wide eyes. "Oh my... what was that? Did I drop something?" They stand up slowly, shaking a little. "Oh my bones..." They wince. They turn around and slowly lean over. "What was that now? Hmm..."

You have lost your pebble. You'll need to find another one if you want to misdirect again.

The vizier is currently distracted. Act quickly, before they catch on.

> pick door
You swiftly move to the padlock on the door and jam your hairpin into the keyhole. You fiddle quickly, and as quietly as you can, and luckily it pops open almost right away. You're a natural at this!
You quietly set the chain and open padlock aside and head into the room.

You are in the Vizier's Room.
You can see a window, a strange equipment and a desk.
You walk into the room and quickly wedge a chair against the door handle so that nobody can follow you in. You won't be able to go back the way you came unless you want to spend more time in the slammer. You take a minute to let the adrenaline settle. "I'm not half bad at this thieving business," you think to yourself.

> x window
A window leading out of the vizier's room. It's pretty high up, you probably won't be able to come back this way. You can see a wide, open, sandy valley below. It is closed.

> x strange
Strange glass baubles and glasses and vials are brewing liquids of all sorts of colors. These devices are completely unknown to you. Is this for some special kind of baking or brewing?

> x desk
A heavy, old mahogany desk. It is covered in now-hardened, once-melted wax from many years of burning candles. There are ink stains and stacks and stacks of parchment and scrolls all over.
Hidden under piles of parchment scraps are jewels.

> x jewels
A small pile of shimmering little jewels, most just large enough to be set into a ring or earring. They're all kinds of blue, red, yellow, green, and white and cut into all kinds of beautiful shapes. These must be worth a fortune.

> take jewels
You pick it up.

> north
You can't go there.

> open window
You open the window and a warm breeze greets your face. You look down to the valley below you. It's quite a long jump down...

You have opened the exit that leads north to the free valley.

> north
You leap from the window to the sandy valley below.

You are in a Valley.
The valley of freedom! You've done it. Nothing stands between you and the open sands. You heard if you travel further north, there is a port town. That should be a great place to fence your goods and set sail to new horizons.

Calculating final score:
Your pocket lint is worth +0 score.
Your silver coins are worth +1 score.
Your golden pocket watch is worth +1 score.
Your jewels are worth +8 score.

Final score: 10/10

Game Over

This game has finished.

Changes made since our play-test

Fixes:

Tiger now appears in courtyard
Secret path is fixed (it can be reused)
Jail won't let you back in unless you get in trouble again
Pebble correctly returns to monkey's pocket
Removed the "take" command from the verb list for the bakery stall
Fixed bug where jail guard returns too late to be included in room description
Misc. typos fixed

Improvements:

Score visibly increases when you acquire watch and/or coins
Score visibly decreases when your loot is confiscated
Clarify what "north" is in the vizier's room
Added window-opening mechanic to vizier's room, to prompt player that they cannot return once they leave
Add robust handling for failures (and humorous uses of) the misdirect command
Added turn timers (15-turn and 20-turn) to the hairpin and pebble, respectively, if player doesn't examine or look at them (to help them get unstuck)
Add better wording/hints when new objects are added to the scene
Notify player more clearly when you lose your pebble
Add hints for where to get new pebbles
Improved line spacing for special events (to make them easier to notice)
Added more dynamic descriptions that change based on object interaction state (such as empty pockets after picking, etc)