12 ms·
I always preferred the less pretentious sounding term "text adventure".
by nsxwolf 12y ago
I always preferred the less pretentious sounding term "text adventure".
- pekk 12y agoIt is a more descriptive term, too, because the mechanics are almost always still the same as "adventure games" (where you find objects and apply them in puzzly ways to move to the next area, etc.)
- zem 12y agoif you don't mind horror games, check out "the uncle who works for nintendo" from this year's ifcomp. i'd class that one very clearly as "interactive fiction" but not a "text adventure" http://kotaku.com/play-this-a-horror-game-about-that-uncle-who-works-for-1646820993 http://kotaku.com/play-this-a-horror-game-about-that-uncle-w...
- zem 12y agowhile i like the term "text adventure" simply because that's what i grew up with, the broader term "interactive fiction" has genuinely provided room for people to experiment with the genre. it's not just a matter of "same thing, different label slapped on it"; if i say "design a text adventure" and "design a work of interactive fiction" the latter immediately suggests a lot more possibilities.
- Karunamon 12y agoThe Inform 7 docs go into this a little bit - a "text adventure" has aspects commonly associated with a game.. a player, a score, a win and lose condition, puzzles to solve, and so forth. A work of "interactive fiction" need not necessarily be a game with the usual things that go along with that.
- Chathamization 12y agoHaldean Lands sounds like it has players and puzzles. And most of the graphical adventure games I’ve played haven’t had scoring systems.
- Karunamon 12y agoAgain, emphasis on "need not necessarily". Text adventures are a subset of interactive fiction.
- robotkilla 12y agoIF sounds broader. Text adventure makes me think of: You are standing in a room, obvious exits are to the north. What would you like to do? > look north Whereas IF leaves room for things like Choose Your Own Adventure books.