3 ms·

Why do you need to need to be using the full capacity of your computer, if you are having fun? One of the real advantages of interactive fiction in the modern

by lambda 11y ago

Why do you need to need to be using the full capacity of your computer, if you are having fun? One of the real advantages of interactive fiction in the modern era is that it can afford to take more risks, narratively, than a AAA title. Since it can be the work of a single person as a hobby or small business, rather than needing mass-market sales to repay for its development, you can try out different things, some of which may not work out but some of which can be fascinating. Beside Andrew Plotkin, I've always loved the work of Emily Short, like Galatea which couldn't even really be considered a game but is quite fascinating.

TuringTest 11y ago
I was going to say the same thing. I also love Galatea BTW, it's a showcase of good storytelling, and the best NPC I've ever found. Have you played Blood & Laurels? I don't own and iOS device, but from what I've heard, it must be like Galatea with a whole city available to explore.
- lazerwalker 11y ago
  Tragically, Blood & Laurels isn't available any more. It stopped working on iOS 9, and rather than update it, they pulled the app.
  - dfan 11y ago
    It wasn't really possible for the creators to update it, unfortunately (for one thing, the company they originally built it for ditched it): https://twitter.com/emshort/status/653222041265537028 https://twitter.com/emshort/status/653222041265537028
- lambda 11y ago
  No, I don't own an iOS device; I refuse to support walled gardens financially. So I don't play any iOS or console-only games.
the_af 11y ago
I love Plotkin's games. "Spider & Web" is one of the best games I've ever played... even if it gets a bit too difficult near the end, the premise and implementation is almost flawless. I've seen few games like it, "full capacity of your computer" be damned! :) Adam Cadre is also good. One short game by him I loved and found hilarious is "9:05" ( http://adamcadre.ac/if/905.html http://adamcadre.ac/if/905.html ) -- please don't spoil it! -- and there is also the deeply moving "Photopia" ( http://adamcadre.ac/if/photopia.html http://adamcadre.ac/if/photopia.html ). Interactive Fiction was a breath of fresh air to me. Experimental, funny, innovative, emotional. There was a time, a few years ago, when IF games were about the only kind of games which could hold my interest.
- lambda 11y ago
  For some reason, while I always see Adam Cadre mentioned along with Plotkin and Short among the innovative modern IF authors, something about his writing style just rubs me the wrong way and I've never been able to enjoy his games.
  - the_af 11y ago
    I think he is great, at least the games I've played, but I suppose some could find his writing slightly pretentious. The first game I played by Adam was Photopia, and while it's not particularly interactive, I found it tremendously moving. It has it all, in my opinion: a moving storyline that doesn't necessarily tie all ends neatly, non-linear narrative, a novel point of view (it's not a big spoiler to say that almost every game segment is "narrated" from the point of view of someone who likes the main character, but we never actually play the main character), and some pretty clever moments (the maze, the exploration of the Red Planet). It's a game I immediately replayed once I reached the ending I finally had the full picture, because some scenes get a new meaning once you know what's truly going on. Of course, the same applies to 9:05: it's amusing to replay it once you know what's going on. More in general, I think the IF community is marvellous (I haven't followed it in a while, no idea if it's still active). To me, it was like a games rennaissance. There were authors truly exploring what narrative in games could do, and while there is a mandatory technical know-how -- some of the IF languages are programming languages after all -- it's way lower as an entry barrier than, say, almost anything with graphics, let alone 3D graphics. I think this "not caring about using the full power of the computer" was an advantage to game authors.

by lambda 11y ago

TuringTest 11y ago

I was going to say the same thing. I also love Galatea BTW, it's a showcase of good storytelling, and the best NPC I've ever found. Have you played Blood & Laurels? I don't own and iOS device, but from what I've heard, it must be like Galatea with a whole city available to explore.

lazerwalker 11y ago
Tragically, Blood & Laurels isn't available any more. It stopped working on iOS 9, and rather than update it, they pulled the app.
- dfan 11y ago
  It wasn't really possible for the creators to update it, unfortunately (for one thing, the company they originally built it for ditched it): https://twitter.com/emshort/status/653222041265537028 https://twitter.com/emshort/status/653222041265537028
lambda 11y ago
No, I don't own an iOS device; I refuse to support walled gardens financially. So I don't play any iOS or console-only games.

the_af 11y ago

I love Plotkin's games. "Spider & Web" is one of the best games I've ever played... even if it gets a bit too difficult near the end, the premise and implementation is almost flawless. I've seen few games like it, "full capacity of your computer" be damned! :) Adam Cadre is also good. One short game by him I loved and found hilarious is "9:05" ( http://adamcadre.ac/if/905.html http://adamcadre.ac/if/905.html ) -- please don't spoil it! -- and there is also the deeply moving "Photopia" ( http://adamcadre.ac/if/photopia.html http://adamcadre.ac/if/photopia.html ). Interactive Fiction was a breath of fresh air to me. Experimental, funny, innovative, emotional. There was a time, a few years ago, when IF games were about the only kind of games which could hold my interest.

lambda 11y ago
For some reason, while I always see Adam Cadre mentioned along with Plotkin and Short among the innovative modern IF authors, something about his writing style just rubs me the wrong way and I've never been able to enjoy his games.
- the_af 11y ago
  I think he is great, at least the games I've played, but I suppose some could find his writing slightly pretentious. The first game I played by Adam was Photopia, and while it's not particularly interactive, I found it tremendously moving. It has it all, in my opinion: a moving storyline that doesn't necessarily tie all ends neatly, non-linear narrative, a novel point of view (it's not a big spoiler to say that almost every game segment is "narrated" from the point of view of someone who likes the main character, but we never actually play the main character), and some pretty clever moments (the maze, the exploration of the Red Planet). It's a game I immediately replayed once I reached the ending I finally had the full picture, because some scenes get a new meaning once you know what's truly going on. Of course, the same applies to 9:05: it's amusing to replay it once you know what's going on. More in general, I think the IF community is marvellous (I haven't followed it in a while, no idea if it's still active). To me, it was like a games rennaissance. There were authors truly exploring what narrative in games could do, and while there is a mandatory technical know-how -- some of the IF languages are programming languages after all -- it's way lower as an entry barrier than, say, almost anything with graphics, let alone 3D graphics. I think this "not caring about using the full power of the computer" was an advantage to game authors.