Text Menu

In the Technical Notes for Reagan Library, Moulthrop inserts an aside: "Now a word from our Idiot Questioner. Is this "fiction" or is it a "game?" Exactly. As one of the inmates says: "The world is what you see and where that takes you." And where would that be? You'll find out. [47]"

Driving around the landscape

This work operates from both a single graphic anchor and from embedded text. Where Sand Loves' [38] uses the same strategy, Reagan Library covers far more territory. As in War Games--Catch The LandMine!! [40], the game aspect comes alive through a selectively animated anchor. . Readers drive their mouse to manipulate a three-dimensional panoramic view of an alien landscape, and can zoom in on objects:

Screenshot used by permission.

Screenshot used by permission.

The anchoral landscape here defines the story and provides a fantastical sense of place. In contrast, ~water ~water ~water~ [59] uses a series of graphic anchors to achieve a similar effect.

Unlike What We Will [66]where the selectively animated anchor provides a single coherent view of space and time from London, the same anchor here turns to reveal a very different fantastic landscape. However, like What We Will, the nodal text's content usually relates to the landscape depicted in the anchor:

Screenshot used by permission.

Marking the landscape through text

Both anchoral and nonanchoral text font and color change within different sections. Compare this convention with The Unknown [56], which changes only anchoral text font and color to indicate different sections. Like In The Changing Room [8] or The Pines at Walden Pond [39], the modestly differentiated text anchors show the yielding property of some words without visually privileging them very much over the other text. In a non-standard move, modest text anchors turn moderate when linking to visited content.

Screenshot used by permission.

Screenshot used by permission.