Interactive Fiction- A "txt game" or Text adventure. They display text, accept textual response, and again display text in response to the user's response. * all from Montfort's TLP

Text Adventure- an adventure of "some-out-of-the-ordinary" that involves risk or danger. This can include interactive fiction, but only if the interactive fiction includes risk or danger. Not all intercative fiction is text adventure. Therefore Zork is included in this.

game - A work in which the rules usually serve as a referee with you as the player/user; generally one where the interactor takes control and progresses the narrative by completing puzzles or entering commands.

puzzle- A "riddle" or thing to be solved. Montfort posits this as the oldest form or ancestor of IF. This is the "hook" that captures the reader and keeps them interested by motivating them to solve the puzzle.

session text - The dialogue, including input and output, that takes place during one "session" of play.

interaction text: The text from both reader and interactor that corresponds to one "interaction". Also, the command that is entered by the user, and the responses that are displayed by the parser

input: Anything the interactor contributes, from a press of the space bar to a long typed text; in Zork, the input comes in the form of text commands such as directions to go in or instructions on interacting with in-game objects.

output: Texts produced by the program and responses by the parser that are translated and displayed, often revealing the next bit on info regarding the story/plot/narrative; for example, inputting "i" in the game Zork will display, as output, a list of items in your character's possession.

narrative: A "representation of real or fictive events and situation in a time sequence." It doesn't really describe any real IF work itself. However, it can result from an interactive session. It is also the "story" that is developed in collaboration between the author, the user, and the "parser"

story - Because there isn't a very definite definition of a "story" in Twisty Little Passages, I'm going to give my own definition: A story for an IF work is the adventure you go on or witness. The course of events throughout your journey/session. So, for instance, the "story" of my Zork was about this guy who got eaten by a Grue in the cellar.

potential literature - An interactive fiction or other IF work has the potential to be a narrative usually as a result of the interactor's commands. This is similair in concept to the Ouvroir de Litterature Potentielle (Workshop for Potential Literature abbreviated to Oulipo.)

diegetic - Anything within the story world. A command to the player. (Example command of "Attack Troll" receives the diegetic prompt "What do you want to kill the Troll with?" requiring the user to specify what item with which to attack the troll.) Diegesis refers to the story world.

command - This refers to any input to the character that is not a direct action, an imperative to the player that does not refer to a physical action (examples: think, say, examine, pick up rock, open door)

directive - Any input falling outside the scope of the world presented in the narrative of the IF, i.e. 'quit,' 'save,' unrecognized commands, etc.
A directive can be described as any input that is not a command; typos and hints are considered directives. Directives are extradiegetic.

extradiegetic - Referring to something outside of the IF world. Directives are extradiegetic.(examples: quit, save, restore) Directives "break the 4th wall" of the game.

meta-command - Refers, apparently, to narratives within narratives, and thus cannot be used to describe directives. No real definition given.

hypodiegetic - A hypodiegetic work occurs when the narrative is in a simulated mode. The user can give the character a command and the character will comply while still in simulation mode.

report - A response to an input from the user informing them of the results of that input.
I.E. Killing the troll with a sword is confirmed by a report from the Zork applet.
So. "You killed the troll" is a response. It's the game/story talking to the user. In terms of Photopia, "Great idea, but maybe later."

metalepsis- something that escapes the layer or expectation that it holds in a work of IF. Crosses story layers/boundaries--4th wall breaking. Moves from diegetic to extra diegetic. (examples: Wolf in Photopia entering Alley's bedroom; Troll in Zork addressing you by name.)

exchange- The command that you issue to the game and the reply that you recieve after it. From Zork: "open mailbox", reply is "Mailbox contains small leaflet."

reply-What the game actually does with the command issued. Sometimes the reply isn't an action, but rather a statement that a particular command is not useable. The most frustrating reply occuring in Zork after the player character has died and is unable to do just about anything besides walk around.

metalepsis - Something within the work references something outside of the work. Breaking the fourth wall.

initial situation - The state of the game/story world at the outset of play. Zork begins at a mailbox outside a house.

final reply: The reply after which the narration of events in the IF world cannot be continued, which leads to the final situation.

final situation: Results in a win, death, loss or the player has to quit, restore or restart the game. None of which allows the player to continue the current narration.A final situation ends a traversal.

traversal: A course (exchanges of the same narration)extending from an introduction to a final reply. [A "successful traversal" ends with a final situation that corresponds to winning.]

character Entities in the game/story other than the player with whom interaction may or may not be necessary to advance the linear path of the game itself.

player character- The person or thing in the game doing all the actions. Not the person playing the game.

non-player character - a character controlled by the game itself. Such as the Thief in Zork.

actors- people in the game that are not in direct command of the interactor but nevertheless exhibit some agency