Interactive Fiction
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The Craft of the Adventure
The Craft of the Adventure Five articles on the design of adventure games Second edition 1 Intro duction :: ::: :::: ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: ::: :::: ::2 2 In The Beginning ::: :::: ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: ::: ::: 3 3 Bill of Player's Rights : ::: :::: ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: :7 4 A Narrative... ::: ::: :::: ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: ::: :: 12 5 ...AtWar With a Crossword : : :::: ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: ::: :::: :::: :: 21 6 Varnish and Veneer : ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: ::: :::: :::: ::: :::: ::: :::: ::32 1 1 Intro duction 1 Intro duction Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us many useful ob jects such as wickerwork picnic baskets. Imagination without skill gives us mo dern art. {Tom Stoppard, Artist Descending A Staircase Making b o oks is a skilled trade, like making clo cks. { Jean de la Bruy ere 1645-1696 If you're going to have a complicated story you must work to a map; otherwise you'll never make a map of it afterwards. {J.R.R.Tolkien 1892-1973 Designing an adventure game is b oth an art and a craft. Whereas art cannot be taught, only commented up on, craft at least can be handed down: but the tricks of the trade do not make an elegant narrative, only a catalogue. This small collection of essays is just such a string of grits of wisdom and half-baked critical opinions, whichmaywell leave the reader feeling unsatis ed. One can only say to such a reader that any book claiming to reveal the secret of how to paint, or to write novels, should be recycled at once into something more genuinely artistic, say a papier-mach e sculpture. If there is any theme here, it is that standards count: not just of comp etent co ding, but of writing. -
14. Riddle Machines: the History and Nature of Interactive Fiction
Nick Montfort Riddle Machines: The History and Nature of Interactive Fiction 14. Riddle Machines: The History and Nature of Interactive Fiction Nick Montfort Introduction The genre that has also been labeled "text adventure" and "text game" is stereotypically thought to offer dungeons, dragons, and the ability for readers to choose their own adventure. While there may be dragons here, interactive fiction (abbreviated "IF") also offers utopias, revenge plays, horrors, parables, intrigues, and codework, and pieces in this form resound with and rework Gilgamesh, Shakespeare, and Eliot as well as Tolkien. The reader types in phrases to participate in a dialogue with the system, commanding a character with writing. Beneath this surface conversation, and determining what the computer narrates, there is the machinery of a simulated world, capable of drawing the reader into imagining new perspectives and understanding strange systems. Interactive fiction works can be challenging for literary readers, even those interested in other sorts of electronic literature, because of the text-based interface and because of the way in which these works require detailed exploration, mapping, and solution. Works in this form are often less visually rewarding, and the rewards they do offer are only attained with time and effort. But text-based interactive fiction has provided some of the most the intricate and compelling literary simulations yet developed. Understanding how interactive fiction works, and how it has developed over the past three decades, is an essential part of the puzzle of literary computing. Characteristics of interactive fiction Formally, a work of interactive fiction (often called a "game," even if it does not exhibit the typical qualities of a game) is an interactive computer program. -
Download Twisty Little Passages: an Approach to Interactive Fiction
TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES: AN APPROACH TO INTERACTIVE FICTION DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK Nick Montfort | 302 pages | 01 Apr 2005 | MIT Press Ltd | 9780262633185 | English | Cambridge, Mass., United States Slashdot Top Deals I got about a quarter of the way into this and had to stop. In Montfort's words, Infocomwhich was founded June 22, by Lebling, Blank, Anderson, and seven other MIT alumni, "began work on the foundation of IF while the plot of ground that it was to be built upon had not been completely surveyed. Slashdot Apparel is back! Genre fiction is a type of literature, and trying to actually seperate one from the other is a fool's errand. I think what you may be getting at is the fact that writing a compelling IF world is literally NP hard. Hitchhiker's Guide project, which began in February and was slated ambitiously to be completed by the following Christmas. Friend Reviews. Instead, what this book really is is a very comprehensive history of the form. There's really not that much meat there; Montfort goes into a detailed history and categorization of riddles that isn't all that relevant to IF. Played them, loved them, but goddam that transparent crystal 3D mze was a killer. Nick Montfort. Montfort then discusses Adventure Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction its precursors including the I Ching and Dungeons and Dragonsand follows this with an examination of mainframe text games developed in response, focusing on the most influential work of that era, Zork. The reviewer's memory of Monty Python's a little weak. -
New Adventures Introduced At
March, 1988 Vol. V, #3 $2.00 New Adventures Introduced at CES By Shay Addams Flu-stricken Tom Snyder and not-yet Blubbermen (Steve Meretzky), Gamma ctivision kicked off the first day of flu-stricken Peter Reynolds presented an Force in Pit of a Thousand Screams (Amy the Winter Consumer Electronics overview and example of lnfoComics. Briggs) and ZorkQuest: Assault on Egreth AShow in Las Vegas with a press ''We wanted to do something that Castle (Elizabeth Langosey)-feature conference where President Bruce Davis wouldn't be just for 14-year-old boys and comic book themes and will even be sold announced a deal with Telecomsoft to 35-year-old men," Snyder sneezed, "to in comic book and toy stores. Snyder's distribute all the Firebird and Rainbird create a kind of computer game that even company developed the concept and titles formerly handled by Firebird my mother would play." InfoComics will creates the graphics, and Infocom is Licensees. Davis also said Activision just have no puzzles or goals-by assuming a producing the programs, which are bought Triton, a direct-marketing firm, to different character's persona at key supposed to last four to five hours and sell launch direct mail sales (so start watching intersections of the plot, you change your for $12 suggested retail. InfoComics will that mail box). perspective rather than the story itself. be released for Apple, IBM/100% com Next, Infocom President Joel Berez patibles andC 64/128 in March. announced Infocom's "three-part strat "A French Film Director's Dream" . After the press conference, Sandy Ward egy," which is already in progress: Panning, zooming and other cinematic showed off Micro Illusions' Land of supporting existing adventure fans, with techniques are combined with "minimalist Legends on the Amiga. -
Shaping Stories and Building Worlds on Interactive Fiction Platforms
Shaping Stories and Building Worlds on Interactive Fiction Platforms The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Citation Mitchell, Alex, and Nick Monfort. "Shaping Stories and Building Worlds on Interactive Fiction Platforms." 2009 Digital Arts and Culture Conference (December 2009). As Published http://simonpenny.net/dac/day2.html Publisher Digital Arts and Culture Version Author's final manuscript Citable link http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/100288 Terms of Use Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. Shaping Stories and Building Worlds on Interactive Fiction Platforms Alex Mitchell Nick Montfort Communications and New Media Programme Program in Writing & Humanistic Studies National University of Singapore Massachusetts Institute of Technology [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT simulates an intricate, systematic world full of robots, made of Adventure game development systems are platforms from the components and functioning together in curious ways. The world developer’s perspective. This paper investigates several subtle model acts in ways that are mechanical and nested, making the differences between these platforms, focusing on two systems for code’s class structure seemingly evident as one plays the game. In interactive fiction development. We consider how these platform contrast, Emily Short’s Savoir-Faire (2002), written in Inform 6 differences may have influenced authors as they developed and of similar complexity, exhibits less obvious inheritance and systems for simulation and storytelling. Through close readings of compartmentalization. -
Guide 2020 Games from Spain
GUIDE GAMES 2020 FROM SPAIN Message from the CEO of ICEX Spain Trade and Investment Dear reader, We are proud to present the new edition of our “Guide to Games from Spain”, a publication which provides a complete picture of Spain’s videogame industry and highlights its values and its talent. This publication is your ultimate guide to the industry, with companies of various sizes and profiles, including developers, publishers and services providers with active projects in 2020. GAMES Games from Spain is the umbrella brand created and supported by ICEX Spain Trade and Investment to promote the Spanish videogame industry around the globe. You are cordially invited to visit us at our stands at leading global events, such us Game Con- nection America or Gamescom, to see how Spanish videogames are playing in the best global production league. Looking forward to seeing you soon, ICEX María Peña SPAIN TRADE AND INVESTMENT ICT AND DIGITAL CONTENT DEPARTMENT +34 913 491 871 [email protected] www.icex.es GOBIERNO MINISTERIO DE ESPAÑA DE INDUSTRIA, COMERCIO Y TURISMO EUROPEAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND A WAY TO MAKE EUROPE GENERAL INDEX ICEX | DISCOVER GAMES FROM SPAIN 6 SPANISH VIDEOGAME INDUSTRY IN FIGURES 8 INDEX 10 DEVELOPERS 18 PUBLISHERS 262 SERVICES 288 DISCOVER www.gamesfromspain.com GAMES FROM SPAIN Silvia Barraclough Head of Videogames Animation and VR/AR ICEX, Spain Trade and Investment in collaboration with [email protected] DEV, the Spanish association for the development and +34 913 491 871 publication of games and entertainment software, is proud to present its Guide to Games from Spain 2020, the perfect way to discover Spanish games and com- panies at a glance. -
IF Theory Reader
IF Theory Reader edited by Kevin Jackson-Mead J. Robinson Wheeler > Transcript On Press Boston, MA All authors of articles in this book retain their own copyrights. Neither the editors nor the publisher make any copyright claims. Version 1, March 2011. Version 2, April 2011. Please send corrections to [email protected]. Contents Preface Crimes Against Mimesis 1 Roger S. G. Sorolla Theory Toward a Theory of Interactive Fiction 25 Nick Montfort Characterizing, If Not Defining, Interactive Fiction 59 Andrew Plotkin not that you may remember time: Interactive Fiction, Stream-of-Consciousness Writing, and Free Will 67 Mark Silcox 2 Brief Dada Angels 89 Ryan Stevens, writing as Rybread Celsius Object Relations 91 Graham Nelson IF as Argument 101 Duncan Stevens The Success of Genre in Interactive Fiction 111 Neil Yorke-Smith Parser at the Threshold: Lovecraftian Horror in Interactive Fiction 129 Michael Gentry Distinguishing Between Game Design and Analysis: One View 135 Gareth Rees Natural Language, Semantic Analysis, and Interactive Fiction 141 Graham Nelson Afterword: Five Years Later 189 Graham Nelson Craft Challenges of a Broad Geography 203 Emily Short Thinking Into the Box: On the Use and Deployment of Puzzles 229 Jon Ingold PC Personality and Motivations 249 Duncan Stevens Landscape and Character in IF 261 Paul O’Brian Hint Development for IF 279 Lucian Smith Descriptions Constructed 291 Stephen Granade Mapping the Tale: Scene Description in IF 299 J. Robinson Wheeler Repetition of Text in Interactive Fiction 317 Jason Dyer NPC Dialogue Writing 325 Robb Sherwin NPC Conversation Systems 331 Emily Short History 10 Years of IF: 1994–2004 359 Duncan Stevens The Evolution of Short Works: From Sprawling Cave Crawls to Tiny Experiments 369 Stephen Granade History of Italian IF 379 Francesco Cordella Racontons une histoire ensemble: History and Characteristics of French IF 389 Hugo Labrande Preface This is a book for which people in the interactive fiction community have been waiting for quite some time. -
Creating Video Games for the Visually Impaired Anthony Russo, Neal
Creating Video Games for the Visually Impaired Anthony Russo, Neal Sacks, & Steven Vandal WPI IQP MBJ 0007 Professor Brian Moriarty April 12, 2012 Introduction The video game industry has expanded rapidly in recent years, growing from a 9.5 billion dollar industry in 2007 to a 25.1 billion dollar industry in 2010. This growth is due to the common interest that almost all Americans now hold in games, as a seventy-two percent of all americans play video games on a regular basis (ESA). However, because games rely heavily on impressive graphics and are primarily an immersive visual experience, very few games are made with the blind or the visually impaired in mind. In the 1970s when video games first emerged, it was virtually impossible to create a game that did not involve some sort of visuals. This is mainly due to a lack of technology, as almost all computers, games, and electronic speakers and displays could only output crude, pixilated visuals and rough, synthesized sound. However, technology has steadily improved to the point where games that do not need visuals are a possibility. Games for the visually impaired are an untapped industry, especially with the technology that exists today. By conducting interviews with the visually impaired we discovered what types of games the visual impaired prefer, what they would enjoy to play, and what ideas they have for developing these games. The History of Video Games for the Visually Impaired There are many games that can be played by the visually impaired. Interactive fiction and other text-based games have been popular for a long time, though to a lesser extent in recent years. -
The Best Websites for Downloading and Playing Classic and New Text Adventure Games
The Best Websites for Downloading and Playing Classic and New Text Adventure Games Before computers could handle graphical games, there were text adventure games. The games are interactive stories, so playing a text adventure game is like being part of a book in which you affect the story. Text adventure games are also referred to as “interactive fiction.” Interactive Fiction (IF) is actually a more accurate term for text adventure games, because these games can cover any topics, such as romances or comedies, not just adventures. They can also simulate real life. Even though computers can now handle intensely graphical games, playing text adventure games can still be fun. It’s like reading a good book and getting lost in the universe of the story, except you become the hero or heroine and affect the ending of the story. We’ve collected some links to websites where you can download classic and new text adventure games or play them online. There are also some free tools available for creating your own text adventure games. We even found a documentary about the evolution of computer adventure games and some articles about the art and craft of developing the original text adventure games. Web-Adventures Web-Adventures[1] allows you to play classic text adventure games online for free in your browser. You don’t need to install any applets or plugins or enable JavaScript. You can even play some of these games in a browser on mobile devices. The very first text adventure game from the late 1970’s, Colossal Cave Adventure, is available on this site. -
Hyperstate Space Graphs for Automated Game Analysis
Hyperstate Space Graphs For Automated Game Analysis Michael Cook Azalea Raad Queen Mary University of London Max Planck Institute for Software Systems [email protected] [email protected] Abstract—Automatically analysing games is an important chal- combat, are either elided or combined into higher-level states. lenge for automated game design, general game playing, and co- Another option, commonly used in the design of AI agents, is creative game design tools. However, understanding the nature of to limit the size of the SSG – many Chess agents are limited an unseen game is extremely difficult due to the lack of a priori design knowledge and heuristics. In this paper we formally define in how far ahead they may look to evaluate a move. hyperstate space graphs, a compressed form of state space graphs These abstraction processes for state space compression which can be constructed without any prior design knowledge require game-specific expert knowledge: what is important and about a game. We show how hyperstate space graphs produce what is not, and which aspects of the game we wish to focus compact representations of games which closely relate to the on. However, many AI systems are required to play, analyse heuristics designed by hand for search-based AI agents; we show how hyperstate space graphs also relate to modern ideas or interact with games that have never been seen before by about game design; and we point towards future applications for anyone. Automated game design systems must understand a hyperstates across game AI research. game in order to be able to evaluate or change its design. -
Wander Into Wonderland! ADVENTURE GAMES TAKE YOU on a VACATION to a PLACE AS VIVID AS YOUR IMAGINATION
Wander Into Wonderland! ADVENTURE GAMES TAKE YOU ON A VACATION TO A PLACE AS VIVID AS YOUR IMAGINATION BY SHAY ADDAMS -i ouOU won't need a passport to vacation in THE LIMESTONE. THE ROOM GLOWS WITH DIM LIGHT faraway lands this summer—the boulevards of PROVIDED BY PHOSPHORESCENT MOSS, AND WEIRD Paris and the pyramids of Egypt are onlyfar SHADOWS as MOVE ALL AROUND YOU. A NARROW PATH away as the nearest adventure game. Just WINDS AMONG THE STALAGMITES. But type in GO don't expect a tour guide to show you around, south and you may wind up at the local Club for your decisions determine what happens on Med. Graphic adventures show a game's differ this kind of trip. If you type go north in an all- ent locations, people, and objects with high- text adventure like Zork, the program will dis resolution pictures, and briefly sum up the sit play a paragraph of prose describing the new uation in a fewlines of text below. location you'vereached: just. .. carved out of In addition to sightseeing, you have a spe- IU.USTKAT!O,\ BY UARTONSTABLER JUNK 1985 37 three games from the lower skill levels. Ad ADVENTURE-GAME vanced games require more patience and time GLOSSARY (up to three months) to solve, and those de scribed as "Masters only" contain the thorniest problems of all. Command: The instructions you the words in the program's vocabu Though adventure games are designed to type in to tell the program what you lary. Well-programmed parsers enable be played by one person, two or more heads can want to do next. -
Interactive Fiction Communities from Preservation Through Promotion and Beyond
www.dichtung-digital.org/2012/41/montfort-short.htm Interactive Fiction Communities From Preservation through Promotion and Beyond by Nick Montfort and Emily Short The interactive fiction (IF) community has for decades been involved with the authorship, sharing, reading, and discussion of one type of electronic literature and computer game. Creating interactive fiction is a game-making and world-building activity, one that involves programming as well as writing. Playing interactive fiction typically involves typing input and receiving a textual response explaining the current situation. From the first canonical interactive fiction, the minicomputer game Adventure, the form has lived through a very successful commercial phase and is now being actively developed by individuals, worldwide, who usually share their work for free online. Although it is typical to speak of "the IF community", there have actually been several communities representing different interests, different types of authoring systems, and various natural languages. Until around 2005, online archives, discussions, newsletters, and competitions focused the energies of IF community members. But since the middle of the 21st century's first decade, interest in IF has broadened beyond its earlier boundaries and academics, students, and players of indie games who are not IF community members have become active as IF players. Groups have met in person in different cities to play games and discuss work in progress. We consider the IF community's early formation and the way it,