Fungi Forums
Video Games => Video Game Chat => Topic started by: Glorb on September 20, 2009, 04:21:44 PM
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>steal topic idea
I don't recognize that verb.
A long time ago, before adventure games consisted entirely of instructing some dude to jam two things together and sticking it in a machine using a floating hand, they consisted entirely of walking around and stealing stuff to use later by typing out phrases into a parser. As with many game genres, it was tweaked and changed over the years until little of the original flavor remained, giving birth to the modern adventure game while simultaneously abandoning its older, smarter brother. Nowadays the only IF game that anybody besides uber-nerds knows about is Zork, and all they know about it is that it's got a white house at the beginning and you don't shoot dudes. As such, I will totally steal Warp's idea and introduce to you a new (read: old) interactive fiction game every week.
This first issue, we'll introduce you to 9:05 (http://www.wurb.com/if/game/327), released 1999 by Adam Cadre.
Basically, I actually can't describe this game to you at all outside of the fact that it begins as a slice-of-life tale but soon reveals itself to be something rather more sinister, playing with the notion that you know what your character knows. It will also take you about ten minutes at most to complete, but I thoroughly recommend that you play it twice to soak it all in.
In order to play this game and the vast majorty of game's I'll be showing you, you'll need to download a Z-Code (the game language) interpreter; WinFrotz (http://download.cnet.com/WinFrotz/3000-7492_4-10424727.html) is by far the easiest to use, assuming you use Windows. I'll note if the game is written in another language and, thus, requires another interpreter to play. Don't worry about system requirements; as long as your computer, you know, works, then you're good.
Week One: 9:05 by Adam Cadre
Week Two: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Infocom
Week Three: Conan Kill Everything by Ian Haberkorn
Week Four: Aisle by Sam Barlow
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You're doing it wrong if you aren't talking about new IF occasionally as well. Also, IF includes some visual novels and some point-and-click adventures, and I'll be very disappointed if this thread doesn't talk about either of those.
There's (http://code.google.com/p/parchment/) a Z-machine interpreter on Google Code, by the way.
A strange amalgam of the two threads. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtAYIp3_lvU)
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When I said "old", I mostly meant that I wouldn't be staying 100% up-to-date on the IF scene and posting the results of every contest that comes along. I'll definitely try to maintain a good mix of old-school, totally new, and in-between games.
And personally, I'm trying to avoid covering IF games that use graphics, since the whole point is creating mood and atmosphere with just text. Of course, that's not to say I won't.
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I believe that Windows Frotz (http://freespace.virgin.net/davidk.kinder/frotz.html) is a bit more modern than WinFrotz.
I've dabbled a bit in writing games, but the only one I've ever bothered to release was a joke, Tubby Time for Little Ernie (http://noom.kontek.net/archives/if/zmpp.php?story=tt4le.z5), based on the book (http://www.amazon.com/Tubby-Little-Ernie-Board-Books/dp/0679888837) of the same name.
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the whole point is creating mood and atmosphere with just text
That's about the most pretentious thing I've read all day. IF isn't just text. It can use images. Hell, it can even use real-life objects (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feelie).
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This topic shall be deemed an abomination if the classic Zork isn't reviewed next week.
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I am going to review every single IF game ever except Zork now.
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Good luck fighting through thousands of lines of bad fiction and poorly-worded directions, then.
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This week I'll introduce you to what is considered by many to be Infocom's finest game, and one of the greatest IF games of all time: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/228/Hitchhikers+Guide+to+the+Galaxy,+The.html). Based on the works of the same name by Douglas Adams, it is notable for its excellent writing, the fact that it was co-produced by Adams himself, and the sheer number of frustrating, nonsensical, no-directions-given puzzles that pepper the game.
With alarming regularity, this game expects you to plug things into other things, put other things on top of other other things, collect and carry around various nondescript tools that have no immediate stated purpose, and basically work very hard to obtain items that seem to do nothing but will most likely be required for progress later on. The game can also be made unwinnable frighteningly often, with nary a "You can't do that" to deter stupid actions. The beginning section is pretty much lifted word-for-word from the book, but requires going against the direction of the book every now and then, with no hints otherwise. Conversely, the part with the Ravenous Beast whatever Bug Beast whatever is pretty much only survivable by those with knowledge of a one-off joke from the book. There's pretty much no directions ever given; the only implied goal is that you need tea at some point.
So it says something that, despite all of this (or maybe because of it?), the game is immensely enjoyable, like curling up with a good book that happens to hate you. It's best enjoyed with a walkthrough or hints guide on hand at all times, though.
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Regarding Infocom's classic detailed above, here's (http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/infocomjava.html) the adventure in Java form on the Douglas Adams website, and here's (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game.shtml) the adventure in Flash form (with some graphics) on the BBC website.
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It's best enjoyed with a walkthrough or hints guide on hand at all times, though.
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Hey, I dare you to take that [dukar] on by yourself.
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Will do, gladly. Guides are for pansies who can't handle text-based puzzles.
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I'll bet you ten bucks you can't get past the Babel Fish puzzle without any help.
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I'm not entirely sure, but after working at it for a couple of hours (seriously; I'm glad I have plenty of time for stuff like that), I think I may have solved it? Did it involve ignoring the dispenser entirely? I was just in the sauna, so I'm not far enough to know if that was actually it or not, but I missed my chance at the babel fish if it wasn't.
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Define "ignoring". I forget the exact solution, but I distinctly remember it involving getting the 'Fish to bounce off of several strategically placed and stacked objects, most of which are never hinted at having any importance, without allowing the dispenser to run out of 'Fish and in the alotted time period. I haven't played the graphical versions, so I have yet to know if the difficulty is alleviated by being able to physically see what you're doing.
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Well, I got through several of those things but couldn't do anything with t-oh God I just thought of something wait a second I'm loading the game up hold on...
Nope, didn't work. Anyway, by "ignoring" I mean I simply kept all of those items with me, stopped bothering with the dispenser, and entered wait commands until I was on the Heart of Gold.
Still no hints, but now that I know the babel fish isn't just a red herring I'll try that some more.
(I'm playing via Windows Frotz, by the way.)
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Yeah, you definitely need the Babel Fish. I hadn't known that you could get that far without it, though...huh.
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Still haven't solved the puzzle, though I haven't touched the game in days. Will probably go back to it soon.
Invading Glorb's territory for a second here to say that you can now vote on and download games from the 15th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition (http://ifcomp.org/).
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Aw man, almost totally forgot about the IF Comp. I'll check that out later, along with this week's update.
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This week: Conan Kill Everything (http://wurb.com/if/game/2754)
You are Conan, presumably the Barbarian. Your job is to kill everything around you. This is not as easy as it sounds, but it's also a lot more fun than it sounds. Pretty much the most hardcore IF game like ever invented bro.
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This week: Aisle (http://www.wurb.com/if/game/431)
An artsy, one-move game where you play as a man dealing with great personal loss. Basically, everything you do nets you a different outcome; you could easily call this an alternate-timeline simulator.
Really, nothing I say can make this game sound as interesting as it actually is. Just play it.