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It may be possible to do some workaround. Actually, if I were to develop something on a server anywhere (like a free hosting site) that kept track of variables and a session, you could just have one room that had 5 images which constantly loops on itself. The server could provide different images based on the history of choices provided to the user. I could even have this system use a special image to have a back link.
Design is like this...
SERVER A (infinite-story.com) offers only BBCode -> HTML with a limited range of options. This is an intelligent design because of security considerations.
SERVER B (any host at all) offers an application with simple variable switches.
SERVER A hosts a page with 1 image. The image makes a request to SERVER B for mainimage.php or something like that. Any CGI. The script takes your current session into consideration and sends back the image for the current room or situation. Each choice from this room is an image instead of typical text hyperlink. These images are pictures of text created by GD or some other image library created in real time on SERVER B given the current room or situation. They can be generated to look like hyperlinks.
When a user of SERVER A clicks on one of the options presented, they are taken to SERVER B. SERVER B knows which option was selected and keeps track of it in the current session. Something like http://SERVER B/option.php?choice=1 should be the href of these image links. There can also be a back button which will wipe out the last choice. The HTTP headers of SERVER B simply redirect to the referrer. The user will be brought back to the SERVER A page and will be presented with the new room and situations (even though it is identically the same HTML page).
The assumptions to this workaround are the following:
Someone has enough time to make these scripts.
Reliable and cheap (preferably free) hosting can be found.
Users have cookies enabled (shouldn't really be a problem).
Users have referrers enabled (shouldn't really be a problem).
The hoster allows enough space and bandwidth for this application.
The only problems as I see it right now is that with this design the story on I-S only has one room. Sure they can pad their rooms as much as they would like....
In addition the application isn't really I-S. If SERVER B is taken down the story on SERVER A will not work.
In addition because choices will be delivered as images, wraparound on the text won't very nice. Perhaps choice text will be limited or wraparounds can be generated based on typical browser dimensions.
Conclusion: It is possible to create a transparent "variable application" build outside of infinite-story that will appear as if it is hosted on infinite-story. There are kinks be the design but it is fairly straight forward. Given that Sev will not add this feature to I-S, it can be added from a separate host.
Design is like this...
SERVER A (infinite-story.com) offers only BBCode -> HTML with a limited range of options. This is an intelligent design because of security considerations.
SERVER B (any host at all) offers an application with simple variable switches.
SERVER A hosts a page with 1 image. The image makes a request to SERVER B for mainimage.php or something like that. Any CGI. The script takes your current session into consideration and sends back the image for the current room or situation. Each choice from this room is an image instead of typical text hyperlink. These images are pictures of text created by GD or some other image library created in real time on SERVER B given the current room or situation. They can be generated to look like hyperlinks.
When a user of SERVER A clicks on one of the options presented, they are taken to SERVER B. SERVER B knows which option was selected and keeps track of it in the current session. Something like http://SERVER B/option.php?choice=1 should be the href of these image links. There can also be a back button which will wipe out the last choice. The HTTP headers of SERVER B simply redirect to the referrer. The user will be brought back to the SERVER A page and will be presented with the new room and situations (even though it is identically the same HTML page).
The assumptions to this workaround are the following:
Someone has enough time to make these scripts.
Reliable and cheap (preferably free) hosting can be found.
Users have cookies enabled (shouldn't really be a problem).
Users have referrers enabled (shouldn't really be a problem).
The hoster allows enough space and bandwidth for this application.
The only problems as I see it right now is that with this design the story on I-S only has one room. Sure they can pad their rooms as much as they would like....
In addition the application isn't really I-S. If SERVER B is taken down the story on SERVER A will not work.
In addition because choices will be delivered as images, wraparound on the text won't very nice. Perhaps choice text will be limited or wraparounds can be generated based on typical browser dimensions.
Conclusion: It is possible to create a transparent "variable application" build outside of infinite-story that will appear as if it is hosted on infinite-story. There are kinks be the design but it is fairly straight forward. Given that Sev will not add this feature to I-S, it can be added from a separate host.
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