“She drank from a bottle called DRINK ME
And she grew so tall,
She ate from a plate called TASTE ME
And down she shrank so small.
And so she changed, while other folks
Never tried nothin' at all.”

~ Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends

Your game might require that an item 🗝️ be retrieved or used to progress the story. One of the main appeals of the text adventure game genre is the puzzle-solving aspect where the player must consider when and how to use items. So how do we account for this additional level of complexity when building a flowchart?

Here's a few pointers:

• You may denote the presence of an item at any point within the flowchart. Simply indicate that it exists at that location by writing "item: [item name]" within or close to the symbol itself.
• If a game obstacle requires the use of an item, use the diamond symbol and account for its use and branching pathway in the flowchart.
• Keep a separate inventory of game items written off to the side. In the flurry of creative writing, it is easy to forget little details! Keeping an inventory of items on-hand during IF development helps you stay true to your original vision and lowers the risk of having to rework portions of your game later.