Now x is a random direction—except u/d/in/out

Authoring Inform 7
1

Hello,

I want the game to store a random compass direction, but excluding up, down, in, and out.

I wrote this:

The suspect's side is a direction that varies.

When play begins:
	choose a random row from the Table of Acceptable Directions;
	now the suspect's side is the direction entry.
	
Table of Acceptable Directions
direction
north
northeast
east
southeast
south
southwest
west
northwest

It does the trick; nevertheless, I was wondering whether there is a simple sentence that could do the same, something like “now the suspect’s side is a random direction [except up and down and…]”

2

You can do this which avoids the table:

Definition: a direction is compass if it is north or it is northwest or it is west or it is southwest or it is south or it is southeast or it is east or it is northeast.

When play begins:
   now the suspect's side is a random compass direction.

You could also define it as

Definition: a direction is compass if it is not inside and it is not outside and it is not up and it is not down.

but it’s safer to list the allowed directions explicitly in case you add new ones later.

3

I think I’d do it like this:

A direction can be relative or absolute. A direction is usually absolute.
Up, down, inside, and outside are relative.

Every turn: say a random absolute direction.
There is a room.
4

Yep, both make sense! Thank you so much!