4 ms·

I love interactive fiction (as these types of games are now denoted) then and now. In principle. There are possibilities with the text-only canvas that are no

I love interactive fiction (as these types of games are now denoted) then and now. In principle. There are possibilities with the text-only canvas that are not even conceivable in other media. But really, does anyone have time for these games anymore? Playing these Infocom games is a multi-month project, with a significant amount of note-taking, manual mapping, and patience (read: replay) required. To call the "parser" interface limiting is an understatement, especially where it concerns dialog. See https://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=aearuuxv83plclpl https://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=aearuuxv83plclpl and https://hadeanlands.com/ https://hadeanlands.com/ for modern examples. They've tremendously expanded on the old guard, both in technological terms and in creativity, and yet still suffer from the same fundamental limitations. I don't know what the future holds for IF, but more evolution is needed before these games can compete for mindshare in the 21st century. I read a lot, but I just can't make the time for these kinds of games anymore. Not even close.

textfiles 8y ago
I don't think the posting of the source code was meant to encourage you to play the games.
neetodavid 8y ago
My friend made a twine game (no longer online, lost to time, darn) that I absolutely loved. It used the hyperlink interface as a way to dive deeper into ideas. And to meander and reflect.. eventually to navel gaze.. Text parsing is probably still a clumsy interface if the goal is to write natural language commands, but if the designer goes with the grain of the interface there is plenty of opportunity for compelling work
adelrune 8y ago
Have you tried any of the modern games other than the two you linked ? A lot of the games being made right now are shorter and punchier than the classic infocom games. Suveh nux (https://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=xkai23ry99qdxce3 https://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=xkai23ry99qdxce3) is a great example of a modern game that is short, interesting and uses the medium in an interesting manner.
- anthk 8y ago
  Anchorhead, Jigsaw, Curses... aren't so short.
  - psychobabble 8y ago
    wat? Anchorhead took me an evening to complete.
brlewis 8y ago
Do you have statistics on how much time people spend playing Candy Crush or other modern games? I think a lot of people have spent 70 hours watching Game of Thrones. But if length is really a problem, making shorter versions wouldn't be hard.
- jordanpg 8y ago
  My point is that playing IF games is a major commitment, unlike Candy Crush or watching any TV show, which are 0 commitment activities. There is no casual playing of HHGTTG or Zork or Hadean Lands.
  - aaaaaar 8y ago
    You play it casually just like you read a fiction paperback casually. In the annual interactive fiction contest, the judges get 2 hours to evaluate ba game. So many new games aim for that to be the playing time. From what I remember some old Infocom games like Enchanter (which takes place in the Zork universe) don't take very long to finish (definitely less than a standard $60 video game console video game).

textfiles 8y ago

I don't think the posting of the source code was meant to encourage you to play the games.

neetodavid 8y ago

My friend made a twine game (no longer online, lost to time, darn) that I absolutely loved. It used the hyperlink interface as a way to dive deeper into ideas. And to meander and reflect.. eventually to navel gaze.. Text parsing is probably still a clumsy interface if the goal is to write natural language commands, but if the designer goes with the grain of the interface there is plenty of opportunity for compelling work

adelrune 8y ago

Have you tried any of the modern games other than the two you linked ? A lot of the games being made right now are shorter and punchier than the classic infocom games. Suveh nux (https://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=xkai23ry99qdxce3 https://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=xkai23ry99qdxce3) is a great example of a modern game that is short, interesting and uses the medium in an interesting manner.

anthk 8y ago
Anchorhead, Jigsaw, Curses... aren't so short.
- psychobabble 8y ago
  wat? Anchorhead took me an evening to complete.

brlewis 8y ago

Do you have statistics on how much time people spend playing Candy Crush or other modern games? I think a lot of people have spent 70 hours watching Game of Thrones. But if length is really a problem, making shorter versions wouldn't be hard.

jordanpg 8y ago
My point is that playing IF games is a major commitment, unlike Candy Crush or watching any TV show, which are 0 commitment activities. There is no casual playing of HHGTTG or Zork or Hadean Lands.
- aaaaaar 8y ago
  You play it casually just like you read a fiction paperback casually. In the annual interactive fiction contest, the judges get 2 hours to evaluate ba game. So many new games aim for that to be the playing time. From what I remember some old Infocom games like Enchanter (which takes place in the Zork universe) don't take very long to finish (definitely less than a standard $60 video game console video game).