tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66722907407041640252024-02-07T04:35:07.519-08:00PyramidIFHanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-931294069640924352024-01-16T11:17:00.000-08:002024-01-16T13:19:06.871-08:00<p style="text-align: left;"></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsPKWaJKsObAeMBRedq-G-juxzzQVkLsQyrSmepTq-0r5acEfWGzV09gnj_Qh38JsCgN36sr7_zuMZjV14x6o8ur2NCpPcSUGld2hyHD-q5eU2LYbOR6OtjcI9YQKwqKdJct8_GqkrLkfVyZzcTHB48oNQXjTJDOLJFBBVWrDlg5cGU8Ykeyuai_6YccE/s96/IFforum96x96.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="96" data-original-width="96" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsPKWaJKsObAeMBRedq-G-juxzzQVkLsQyrSmepTq-0r5acEfWGzV09gnj_Qh38JsCgN36sr7_zuMZjV14x6o8ur2NCpPcSUGld2hyHD-q5eU2LYbOR6OtjcI9YQKwqKdJct8_GqkrLkfVyZzcTHB48oNQXjTJDOLJFBBVWrDlg5cGU8Ykeyuai_6YccE/s1600/IFforum96x96.jpg" width="96" /></a>I have not posted a lot, but I wanted to spread the word regarding assistance for an IF community member.</h2><p></p><p>Pinkunz is a huge part of the intfiction.org community forums, and he was involved in an accident with a snowplow several days ago. He's laid up in the hospital undergoing multiple surgeries and he and his wife would benefit from any support you can give. If you can't help monetarily, even boosting their GoFundMe in your social community is a big help!</p><p>Forum GoFundMe Announcement:</p><p><a href="https://intfiction.org/t/gofundme-link-to-help-pinkunz-and-family-after-traffic-accident/66653?u=hanono">https://intfiction.org/t/gofundme-link-to-help-pinkunz-and-family-after-traffic-accident/66653?u=hanono</a></p><p>Initial post with news, updates, and well-wishes:</p><p><a href="https://intfiction.org/t/urgent-help-needed-from-pinkunz-serious-car-accident-phone-borrowed-for-op/66606?u=hanono">https://intfiction.org/t/urgent-help-needed-from-pinkunz-serious-car-accident-phone-borrowed-for-op/66606?u=hanono</a></p><p>Direct Link to GoFundMe</p><p><a href="https://gofund.me/64031744">https://gofund.me/64031744<br /></a></p>Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-53867251093000911882019-02-25T17:06:00.000-08:002019-02-27T21:14:24.042-08:00>READ INTFICTION FORUM<br />
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Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-19347333026058119512019-02-14T22:00:00.000-08:002019-02-16T10:42:53.026-08:00FHTAGN!<br />
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<i><a href="https://designimps.com/fhtagn/" target="_blank">Fhtagn!: Tales of the Creeping Madness</a> </i>is a roguelike boardgame-style interactive fiction adventure for 1-4 players drawing on Lovecraftian mythos with all the expected summoning of cosmic-horrors and depraved human sacrifice, but taking a slightly zanier turn at going gleefully full-evil than Weather Factory's stellar <i>Cultist Simulator</i> and Failbetter's <i>Fallen London</i> trilogy. There's a fart joke that goes on for a good number of clicks.<br />
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<a href="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjAuanBn/original/IYWjMo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" class="lb_screenshot" height="180" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjAuanBn/original/IYWjMo.jpg" width="320" /></a>That aside, the mechanics of the game give the player(s) six rounds to bring about universal pain and destruction by exploring locations where events occur that toggle seven character traits up and down. Ideally, a player will build two traits high enough to fulfill a role in the climactic lunar-eclipse ritual and not fail their assumed task. Problem is, there are hints about which traits will grant success in any of eight roles, but nothing is explicitly spelled out.<br />
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<a href="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjUucG5n/347x500/tUJVQf.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="screenshot" data-screenshot_id="1521925" height="177" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjUucG5n/347x500/tUJVQf.png" srcset="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjUucG5n/347x500/tUJVQf.png 1x, https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjUucG5n/794x1000/GM8eKc.png 2x" width="320" /></a>Each round, every player visits a location on the map and chooses an adventure there. Only one character can occupy a location in each turn. Icons signal what traits will initially be affected in the location, but then there's a random encounter and a choice of two options which may pass or fail based on the character's existing stats. Visiting the University and reading tomes grants two knowledge and one insanity, but follow up events may take them right back just as easily. Usually, no encounter is a complete bust and players will improve at least one stat. I read the Necronomicon without sufficient knowledge and had my insanity increased by a whopping 10 all at once--which turned out to be a <i>good thing </i>in my current gameplay situation<i>.</i><br />
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<a href="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjIuanBn/original/lKzEHI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" class="lb_screenshot" height="180" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjIuanBn/original/lKzEHI.jpg" width="320" /></a>Six turns go fast--especially playing solo. Failure is inevitable at first--crash, burn, replay--carrying forward in roguelike fashion, capitalizing on what's learned in the next playthrough. While base encounters are predictable, the subsequent goings-on occur randomly. The only way to tip the odds is to keep playing since each finale grants "Elder Signs" which carry over and are a currency that can be spent to reveal what traits are required to complete ritual roles or learn what traits will succeed certain random encounters. With multiple players, anyone can choose to draw from the pool of Elder Signs when it's their turn. Playing solo, I failed five times before I collected enough Elder Signs to reveal enough info about one role so I could complete the ritual and gain a windfall of <i>more</i> Elder Signs. I'M DRUNK WITH FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE!<br />
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<a href="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjMucG5n/347x500/ISTehq.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="screenshot" data-screenshot_id="1521923" src="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjMucG5n/347x500/ISTehq.png" srcset="https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjMucG5n/347x500/ISTehq.png 1x, https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMzA5Nzg5LzE1MjE5MjMucG5n/794x1000/gEy9%2BE.png 2x" /></a>Luckily there's enough variation in the writing and encounter randomization that it's satisfying to find a groove to grind your stats in. In a multiplayer game, everyone is in the ritual together taking different roles, each earning a few Elder Signs for the general pool for failure, more for success, and lots for enough collective success at rituals to summon and please the Elder God.<br />
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The Steam version includes an editor for the community to submit their own quests and encounters and upload them to the workshop as mods. These can be imported to a game like deck booster-packs which are randomly incorporated into play. Each mod also has a checkbox so its card-encounters can be removed temporarily or permanently from the full game. The game has already been expanded with new Elder Gods to summon and new game mechanics, such as sacrificing one of the other players.<br />
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I thought Fhtagn! was a lot of fun. With great art and presentation backed by a high-energy big-band jazzy music score and future expandability, it's the kind of game I can boot up for a few rounds again and again. I don't know if this is what I'd drag out to play with a group unless I knew they would enjoy reading lengthy flavor text out loud. Right now it's couch-coop, but this almost screams for online play with voice chat, since I know more people online who'd enjoy the comedy of an extended fart joke during a dark ritual in heavy robes.<br />
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<i>I received a free review copy of this game from the developer.</i><br />
<i><br /></i> Available for Windows on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/802400/Fhtagn__Tales_of_the_Creeping_Madness/" target="_blank">Steam</a> and <a href="https://design-imps.itch.io/fhtagn-tales-of-the-creeping-madness" target="_blank">itch.io.</a>Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-4721406686764804982018-12-07T22:24:00.000-08:002018-12-07T22:24:10.542-08:00Two Short Ludum Dare 43 Gems<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxqMueLX1QT4Jp85znC7iani8jvC3iQVYW_eO4JOQfdd54GK6lbmuhomjnJELDCOYojALT28qshzGTVFuhCjp2b9c94a_OgKUtwnTyy6F2rvIVlWG6GeyEyI1LZgpH9A6CGU7QuHIAe-q/s1600/DT3swM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxqMueLX1QT4Jp85znC7iani8jvC3iQVYW_eO4JOQfdd54GK6lbmuhomjnJELDCOYojALT28qshzGTVFuhCjp2b9c94a_OgKUtwnTyy6F2rvIVlWG6GeyEyI1LZgpH9A6CGU7QuHIAe-q/s320/DT3swM.png" width="320" /></a><i><a href="https://dwam.itch.io/the-vault" target="_blank">The Vault </a></i>is an "escape room" with some interesting mechanics. The Twine styling is <i>perfect,</i> and subtle use of sound effects contribute to the atmosphere and mystery.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrVbtBvR5JYP5jn-6uYIixZDCdQazTsOVsgtwD5md1U2ZLvPVuo9_IXkhdG8iw8Y5nnm4VlPYy_kWUKVVQZH_SNwCIg2hd-xfv-d-4kui5EuFJf69wmpF-_X3HE_8Fhb3wTpOzVZs-LBI/s1600/CDqWfJ.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrVbtBvR5JYP5jn-6uYIixZDCdQazTsOVsgtwD5md1U2ZLvPVuo9_IXkhdG8iw8Y5nnm4VlPYy_kWUKVVQZH_SNwCIg2hd-xfv-d-4kui5EuFJf69wmpF-_X3HE_8Fhb3wTpOzVZs-LBI/s320/CDqWfJ.png" width="320" /></a><i><a href="https://dmullinsgames.itch.io/sacrifices-must-be-made" target="_blank">Sacrifices Must Be Made</a></i> is a simple lane-based card battle elevated by a short and very creepy story which felt very much like Interactive Fiction. I beat it in about twenty-five minutes and was <i>disturbed in a good way</i>.<br />
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Check out all the <a href="https://itch.io/games/tag-ludum-dare-43" target="_blank">Ludum Dare 43 games</a>!Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-66538868041419034292018-04-21T14:20:00.000-07:002018-04-23T21:46:49.248-07:00Spring Thing 2018 - ULTRAMARINE: A Seapunk Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>ULTRAMARINE: A SEAPUNK ADVENTURE</i> (Seven Submarines)</b> - This appears to be the only full-on Ren'Py Visual Novel in Spring Thing. Seven individuals (submarines?) are credited and a lot of obvious work went into this presentation. The art skews more toward superhero comic than anime, and I got a very He-Man/She-Ra after school cartoon vibe from this. Sexy Mer-People! <i>Look at the hair</i>! I like the visual design a lot but had to turn the music way down - not because it was <i>bad</i>, but because the music is performed with very synthetic instrument patches that I (personally) couldn't take much of. That could be easily fixed in software by remixing the tracks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyc2L8UyKCc15LSTuZDijoqAUF717AovWmvCqxsQ9IlNWZssbm27rV5lnaUz8v3iwrKzXcegx0h-mldMwHqzK2vNM2gBWVwfmLrDODQsrJ5YaM4O2FlicXnKgjIJOF7w4jMTvjAqsb8HA/s1600/Screenshot+2018-04-21+14.36.23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="1175" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyc2L8UyKCc15LSTuZDijoqAUF717AovWmvCqxsQ9IlNWZssbm27rV5lnaUz8v3iwrKzXcegx0h-mldMwHqzK2vNM2gBWVwfmLrDODQsrJ5YaM4O2FlicXnKgjIJOF7w4jMTvjAqsb8HA/s640/Screenshot+2018-04-21+14.36.23.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mer-hunks are described as "giants"...but nothing seems specifically out of proportion beyond a comic book or professional wrestling scale here...</td></tr>
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I'm a newcomer to VN, so I'm interested in how the presentation varies from text parser and choice IF. One thing about VN is that there's a lot of text.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Prince's cape is faultlessly starched...or...well, this is underwater so fair enough.</td></tr>
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A<i> lot of text</i>. I guess I shouldn't be as surprised coming from a complete text medium as I do, but VNs require you to either click forward a lot, set the auto-advance to a comfortable level to go handsfree, or skip text - most every VN engine <i>has this built into the controls </i>so maybe this isn't out of the ordinary.<br />
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I'd been reading VN where "you" (the PC) aren't onscreen and it took me a few minutes to figure out that I was "playing" Gabrielle Freedman (or at least making choices for her) despite the writing being 3rd person. <i>(<b>CORRECTION</b> - the writing is in fact in 1st person; based on my limited experience of VNs and seeing the PC onscreen for the first part of the game while making notes I thought the PC was a different off-screen fourth character and remembered it as 3rd person. My bad!)</i> She and the other two main characters (Prince Nautica and his trusty guard-bro Zeppelin) shuffle around while facing front a good deal before the director settles down and they land in some default positions to rest. They <i>look</i> great. And then they've got a whole lot of exposition for us - a good deal of worldbuilding was done here about undersea magikal-with-a-K denizens and everyone has superpowers, but there's a lot of "as we all know" chatter like a daily soap opera where they can't always show you a car crash or brain surgery but they'll talk about it for a week till the viewer almost feels like they were there.</div>
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I may be unfair in this criticism since I don't know the threshold of novel-to-visual that's generally accepted. For my personal taste, I think VN works best when the PC can have personal "in the now" conversations with one or more characters as opposed to being told about epic battles they weren't around f-<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd2ZU4CvD4PtiEwLumFG5e2p9df8708prPhiMIMhqyWV5sFytO-Sb6O46lWstDGmQ1Cw2occGOrI8JziZbRrnKqIljN7DY6bKobXGMLGAsUK_dWt6M4JyhiihGdQ5gToBpflDsB82nnmk/s1600/Screenshot+2018-04-21+14.39.05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="1171" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd2ZU4CvD4PtiEwLumFG5e2p9df8708prPhiMIMhqyWV5sFytO-Sb6O46lWstDGmQ1Cw2occGOrI8JziZbRrnKqIljN7DY6bKobXGMLGAsUK_dWt6M4JyhiihGdQ5gToBpflDsB82nnmk/s640/Screenshot+2018-04-21+14.39.05.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whoa BATTLE SEQUENCE</td></tr>
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<i>Nobody expects a battle sequence</i>! Well...all right! I'm happy I made it there. It's nothing extraordinary gameplay-wise but I finally got to <i>participate</i> in the action! Or at least manage some numbers for a while. Again...maybe I'm expecting <i>too much</i> from a visual <i>novel </i>- but novel means the writing should still fall under the jurisdiction of "show don't tell" - even moreso since they've got all this luscious art to use.<br />
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I appreciated ULTRAMARINE, and though I think I made only two or three actual choices, I got a numbered unsatisfactory ending, so it appears I could go through again and try for another ending using the SKIP function (I didn't bother to save) but I think I can infer the other branches of plot I didn't discover. Though this is listed as a "full length" game - mostly due to the expository water-treading - I felt like I was being somehow hastily brought up to speed on a much more expansive story in a bigger world than shown here. I'd love to see at least some of this happen over some still art or kinetic concept drawings to break up the characters just do-si-do-ing their positions while facing the audience and describing the off-stage action.<br />
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Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-4756532685528015462018-04-19T00:50:00.000-07:002018-04-21T14:26:27.415-07:00Spring Thing 2018 - REALLY, IF / REALLY, ALWAYS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpW7TY8m0v4r-2OeuIC4vJti7xA5LjPtLyJsaF_p3hGk7Gy5oYDDlTZAQfLVwPyZZ65cnzNqILBAR9rh6qJdLJzOjDiPI6hQlCLWmYHlgo_sWvNWtsottpGdPmVZyVqTxjyOLyShF2AWN/s1600/riracover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpW7TY8m0v4r-2OeuIC4vJti7xA5LjPtLyJsaF_p3hGk7Gy5oYDDlTZAQfLVwPyZZ65cnzNqILBAR9rh6qJdLJzOjDiPI6hQlCLWmYHlgo_sWvNWtsottpGdPmVZyVqTxjyOLyShF2AWN/s200/riracover.jpg" width="200" /></a> <b><i>Really, If / Really Always, </i>Dawn Sueoka (<a href="http://www.ojpl.info/">The Orange Juice Public Library</a>) </b>- A conversation with a simple AI based on Eliza, one of the earliest chatbots who could hold somewhat natural-seeming conversations by reframing the querent's input as another question in almost psychotherapy fashion. Since this is Twine, the player chooses from a list of responses which sometimes feel random. It seems procedurally generated, but there are only so many ways I can answer...I'm navigating a syntactical maze - am I interviewing it or...<br />
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Am I still playing this?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0yFR4sFHQ3RY3_75eaB6MDB3cIfdyGt4xacTm1FCaXG4isOnAjmdgQepNckJOoi0WVhzcFpyjLt1De22oSWO1i0kdmiT2DSA0KU2HFTI34Acm9HtW_JkT7GcVFSdUP1KTnEbvYnxYga2/s1600/Screenshot+2018-04-19+01.33.25.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="870" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0yFR4sFHQ3RY3_75eaB6MDB3cIfdyGt4xacTm1FCaXG4isOnAjmdgQepNckJOoi0WVhzcFpyjLt1De22oSWO1i0kdmiT2DSA0KU2HFTI34Acm9HtW_JkT7GcVFSdUP1KTnEbvYnxYga2/s320/Screenshot+2018-04-19+01.33.25.png" width="320" /></a>It's not long. It doesn't force itself on you, so don't be put off by the warnings if horror is not your thing - it's <i>not</i> exactly - but <i>Really, If / Really, Always</i> got into my head in a way that most games don't. I know its still back there. It's trying to be quiet, but I can feel it.Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-61187067107543923512018-04-16T10:29:00.000-07:002018-04-21T14:22:56.912-07:00Spring Thing 2017 - A somewhat chilly first dip into the games.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPgKCu8TqPIGZ79m2nvbRUt22SXxFS6gglWZc7WnTrCEvIcvF7TW6TpcQZ-OOL4drAg3xgYDUI3Q7Icm2faVaMaVQsP5RyN9QkaHVso1LwISsc3zifi-rOkLDdjGCQlNocQIWtlKeF-3b/s1600/JSbtihVw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="144" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPgKCu8TqPIGZ79m2nvbRUt22SXxFS6gglWZc7WnTrCEvIcvF7TW6TpcQZ-OOL4drAg3xgYDUI3Q7Icm2faVaMaVQsP5RyN9QkaHVso1LwISsc3zifi-rOkLDdjGCQlNocQIWtlKeF-3b/s200/JSbtihVw.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Spring is here! Warm sun! Flowering trees! Green grass and--I just went out to move my car and there are <i>snow flurries</i>. I know other regions are getting actual piling snow still, so while it might not feel like a <a href="http://springthing.net/2018/index.html">Spring Thing</a>, a new crop of games is here! I often get wrapped up creating my own IF bidness and don't play new releases as much as I should, but since we can't really mow and plant yet, let's take shelter in the gazebo where a bumper crop of <a href="http://springthing.net/2018/play.html">20 entries</a> are festivalling. I don't guarantee I will be able to chip the frost off of <i>all </i>of these hopeful, budding shrubs, but here's a first foray into what will hopefully soon yield thriving IF greenery:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWTUYw4bpTNQvnJwmuIkBIqjcjt08mdJXDPb2Fi7OMgr8KH4P4Axuxui70u3jHzI9ZITzxXG6CPrp45OpQGdcMo0lF4XtGZ4Skdb4bcie1jRfVIa8T7jpJWYokeg5-WjE5nDByQCpcZBz/s1600/gopher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWTUYw4bpTNQvnJwmuIkBIqjcjt08mdJXDPb2Fi7OMgr8KH4P4Axuxui70u3jHzI9ZITzxXG6CPrp45OpQGdcMo0lF4XtGZ4Skdb4bcie1jRfVIa8T7jpJWYokeg5-WjE5nDByQCpcZBz/s200/gopher.jpg" width="200" /></a><i><b>Best Gopher Ever</b></i>, Arthur DiBianca (Parser Inform/Z) - I had to resist adding an exclamation point at the end of this title. "Help the unfortunate residents of Fairview! (Who are all animals, by the way.)" This is billed as a light puzzle game for all ages and delivers on that. DiBianca has a knack for pruning the command set of parser games down to a necessary few, but I found despite this I kept reflexively trying to EXAMINE everything. This is a game of intertwined fetch-quests, and you, the title "go-fer" ostensibly, run errands for an impressive list of three-letter named animals. After I rolled my eyes, I enjoyed the busy-work, almost <i>IF Sudoku</i> vibe of this. The STATUS command is helpful as a quest-log, and was it not for an <i>extremely </i>helpful graphical MAP, I might not have seen this through to the end. The downside to this is after getting into the groove and navigating 80wpm through the map, I stopped paying attention to idle messages and got stuck on the last minor puzzle. I also secretly hoped there might be a hidden meta-game, but didn't run across one in my play.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyU-0zwklJjn5Hz0G2_kk0GNCAqGnr_hrQHYa7MgjFJ9WuibRdh1Wqf46KIucQBKmpv-R9stz2Nq1svN9oFm_n8uaJvjsBp7aoKFTF3ye6Kq6aGzsTKp1lz1lwuCnKcNswGg92kSKhnF7K/s1600/keys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="253" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyU-0zwklJjn5Hz0G2_kk0GNCAqGnr_hrQHYa7MgjFJ9WuibRdh1Wqf46KIucQBKmpv-R9stz2Nq1svN9oFm_n8uaJvjsBp7aoKFTF3ye6Kq6aGzsTKp1lz1lwuCnKcNswGg92kSKhnF7K/s200/keys.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><i>A Bunch of Keys</i></b>, Mike Gerwat (with coding by Al Golden) (Parser Inform-Glulx) - This sounds like it should be my jam: "A time travel story of a real-life piano tuner and repairman who just happens to be blind." This piece is semi auto-biographical - the protagonist shares the author's last name, and I only say "semi" due to the time-travel element unless there's something I'm unaware of. There's a read-me-first text file which gets a bit over-explanatory...the protagonist is blind and partially deaf with cochlear implants - fair enough. Great setup for an IF. Time travel, limited-specialized interaction...I'm all in. Teach me stuff about how you experience the world. Genesis (the band) is name-dropped in the when-play-begins... Good good...the banner pre-warns me I need to read the help menu and the walkthroughs and "not complain" if I can't finish the game otherwise...uh-<br />
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EXAMINING a thing is actually touching it, but EXAMINING a person is actually examining since this isn't one of those games... I can make the mental translation that the descriptions are based on touch and other senses besides sight. The description of the shirt the player is wearing is surprisingly visual, but I suppose the PC knows he's wearing his Stones concert tee and has memorized a verbal description of the logo...fair enough. Wow. The text help menu is extensive. I imagine I'll want to read all the background info and resources about visual and hearing impairment afterward as kind of a "DVD extras" for the game...<br />
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4. For the snowflakes out there. There is a bit of grow-up material in this game and fifty years ago we didn't have any political correctness...</blockquote>
Okay, sure? There's a lot of this pre-defensive disclamatory talk. The game is created hard on purpose and I'm supposed to learn that. I get it, people are rude and I'm certain this author is heading off people 'splaining his own disability to him. I don't expect to feel "welcomed" in a game which purports to let me experience perception and persona different than I'm used to and I <i>want to play</i>, but...enough of this. I'm probably dipping into the help material way too early.<br />
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....There's a diploma in a perspex frame on the wall here. It's hanging on a hook and can be removed easily from the wall. A coffee table and a very old comfortable couch are here as well. The Kitchen is to the west and the Bathroom is to the east. The Bedroom is north of here.<br />
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: x frame<br />
Your Piano Tuning/Repair Diploma from 1968 is in the frame.<br />
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: take frame<br />
For some reason you can't remove the frame from the wall.<br />
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: take diploma<br />
For some reason you can't remove it from the wall.</blockquote>
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Huh? Okay, it's hard like this. Not hard, but basically <i>unfair</i>. It's one thing to simulate challenges of experience with the parser, it's another for the game to just <i>lie</i> about the environment. I try going west but the game stops me when my hand encounters a key and an envelope which contains an invitation.</div>
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: x envelope<br />
This an envelope that from the college you went to has sent you. You were told by your care person Maz that you would be getting one.<br />
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: w<br />
You decide to read the contents of the envelope first.<br />
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: read envelope<br />
You can't read the envelope.<br />
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: read invitation<br />
The invitation is typewritten and you'll have to call your care person Maz to come and read it to you. You replace it in the envelope.</blockquote>
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: w<br />
You decide to read the contents of the envelope first.<br />
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: read key<br />
Since you're blind, that's not possible, but you scan it and hear what's on the fob.<br />
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: w<br />
You decide to read the contents of the envelope first.<br />
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: scan key<br />
Unitl you find your scanner, that's not happening.</blockquote>
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And <i>ragequit</i>. When I replayed the game just now to capture the text for this, I went west immediately, and here's what happened:</div>
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: w<br />
As you head to your kitchen you hear the frame fall from the wall. You pick it up and and place it on the coffee table for the time being.<br />
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: x frame<br />
Your Piano Tuning/Repair Diploma from 1968 is in the frame.<br />
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: feel frame<br />
Your Piano Tuning/Repair Diploma from 1968 is in the frame.</blockquote>
Where's the key? Where's the envelope? The diploma was waiting to fall if I didn't examine it? I mean, maybe this might be part of the upcoming time-travel hijinks to be experienced later in the game, but I guess the takeaway is that I wouldn't last five seconds in the author's shoes. I think I finally figured out I'm supposed to use FEEL [OBJECT] as a more reliable EXAMINE. That said, forcing the player to do things in a specific order "You decide to read the contents first." "You can't read that, you're blind..." with this much confusion (at least right at the beginning after being somewhat grouchily advised to RTFM and the extensive supplementary material) is less-than-stellar game design, and I'm gonna need to return to this again later to see if I can make more headway.</div>
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<b><i>Confessions of an NPC</i></b>, Charles Hans Huang (Twine) - Again, this should be my jam - a meta-exploration of the heretofore unrealized motivations and emotions of usually-peripheral trope characters in an adventure game. Sounds fun! Turns out, <i>Confessions</i> is heady and thought-provoking, and I suppose I shouldn't expect escapist <i>fun</i> from all my games. I kind of feel like a tourist in NYC looking to take in a Broadway show but since that flashy musical everyone's talking about is sold out, I instead end up in a critically-praised but <i>very serious</i> Pinter play which is a cycle of five monologues by characters in a medieval fantasy world (Holograms! That's fun!) but who are actually modern people in these costumes monologuing about very up-to-the-minute problems of modern society. It's <i>good</i>, and very <i>topical</i>, but not at all what I was expecting.<br />
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I have mixed feelings. This is a message piece masquerading as satire - which is nothing more than a quick coat of glittery fantasy-trope paint that really doesn't lend any deeper irony to what's going on except that this audience probably <i>has played games. </i>I suppose it's a spoonful of sugar for the "medicine" to come? I appreciate what this is doing. It's an exploration of hot topics - Mother is exploring the psychology of guilt being a relative of a school shooter; Princess is a prisoner who doesn't want to shrug off the yoke of her pampered existence because she's <i>safe</i> with the evil she knows and ends up doing bad things in hopes to make a similarly bad situation less bad for others. Moneymaker is in the business of basically pimping out the Princess to make the game fun for oblivious Heroes in kind of a <i>Westworld</i> situation...<br />
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These stories are the kinds of revelations that are usually justified in turning us on our head <i>after</i> sucking the player into a "fun" fantasy world a-la <i>Doki Doki Literature Club</i> or <i>Undertale </i>where we already have formed a worldview and have a basis of uninformed choices to build upon - but here it feels we've skipped the revelatory turn business: (No! This fantasy world is <i>ACTUALLY our own!!!</i>...!) <i>Confessions</i> expects us to know that part already and the game just handwaves it. To continue the nerdish Broadway metaphor: This is like arriving at <i>Into the Woods</i> at intermission and going "Why is everyone singing slow ballads about loss? Where's the fantasy fairy tale fun I came for? Did I miss something? <i>What's all this deconstruction?</i> (<i>Don't you hate theatergoers who skip Act One and then ask a bunch of questions?</i>)<br />
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The player is frequently pressed to answer whether they'd make the same choice as the character. The answers don't really matter, but then at the end of each encounter, you're called to make a choice and compelled to type the justification for it into a text entry field in your own words. (<i>Nrrrgh...essay questions...</i>) The game does a good job of disclaiming your answers aren't being saved and reviewed by a shadowy government bureau, and all the sensitive scenes are politely preceded by potential trigger warnings (however, you can't reach the self-discovery essay finale scene unless you complete them all.)<br />
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I understand the need for this and this is a great use of interactive fiction. Perhaps this is such a <i>RIGHT NOW</i> piece deconstructing <i>RIGHT NOW </i>social politics <i>RIGHT NOW </i>while<i> </i>we're all neck-deep in social change it comes off more heavy-handed and "preaching to the choir" than it would at another time. I feel the people who would benefit most from this experience aren't people who would normally play IF. Maybe this will become a classic in the future that answers the question "What did 2018 <i>feel</i> like?" I was still holding out hope the entire time that at some point the witch would burst out and get hoisted on a broom while singing loud high notes.<br />
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BONUS - <a href="http://philome.la/adrian_belmes/recursion"><i><b>Recursion</b></i></a>, Adrian Belmes - Not part of Spring Thing, but I got a random Twitter notification and played this. Perhaps I'm in a fragile state having attended a funeral this weekend and was in the right frame of mind for sad piano music and maudlin Twinery, but this is done with such care and restraint and evoked such shockingly warm feelings of bittersweetness (over and over) I had to shout it out.<br />
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<i>(No, that's not <a href="http://hanonondricek.wixsite.com/pyramidif">me</a> you hear warbling "Defying Gravity" in the corner. <a href="https://pyramidif.itch.io/">Seriously</a>.)</i>Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-58729662679191036282018-01-26T12:40:00.001-08:002018-04-21T14:23:36.456-07:00Doki Doki Literature Club! (and best playthroughs)Not like this game needs more praise piled on it, but I wrote up a short ramble worshipping Team Salvato and linking to my favorite playthroughs. I'm not syndicating this on Planet IF due to spoilers, but you can read it <a href="https://pyramidifblog.blogspot.com/">on my blog.</a>Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-9467433893867930982017-10-30T08:37:00.003-07:002017-10-30T08:38:47.012-07:00Ectocomp is coming for you...<i>...fifteen hours...</i><br />
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<i>...before EctoComp comes for you...</i></div>
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As if there aren't enough new games with the overladen buffet of IFComp testing the table legs, the submissions for EctoComp 2017 are due in less than half a day. </div>
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You can play the games that are already submitted on itch.io, and voting will open after the deadline.</div>
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Ectocomp is a festival of seasonal Halloween and horror entries that are out to scare you (or at least inspire some chills) including speed-IF entries created in three hours or less, as well as longer works. </div>
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There is usually a good range each year of both well-crafted brick and mortar haunted mansions oozing subtle gothic dread as well as tunnels of black plastic and 2x4s quick-slapped together with fake chainsaws and rubber masks; both can be a great time depending on your taste and mood for the holiday.</div>
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<a href="https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lpm" style="color: #ab6969; outline-color: rgb(54, 18, 117);">La petite Mort</a> (English)</div>
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<a href="https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lgg" style="color: #ab6969;">Le Grand Guignol</a> (English)</div>
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<a href="https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lpm-sp" style="color: #43896a; outline-color: rgb(54, 18, 117);">La Petite Mort</a> (Español)</div>
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<a href="https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lgg-sp" style="color: #43896a;">Le Grand Guignol</a> (Español)</div>
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Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-34394370168742512112017-10-04T12:45:00.001-07:002017-10-04T12:45:48.624-07:00ECTOCOMP is Brewing Up for Fall Again<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLq6TKecFF2uhyphenhyphenmRMmKDdCvN0QxN-H-vbErHy5sc-6wnO2d-M_q8TSZ4AzmjY7u4PlJwQhQbr9hT1ibRfaVjCPmwt8fQpVae8Dqa0iLEq5dku0rIYTbiKmy8l8G3bt04tRCLzS07M8OhZ/s1600/compblue5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLq6TKecFF2uhyphenhyphenmRMmKDdCvN0QxN-H-vbErHy5sc-6wnO2d-M_q8TSZ4AzmjY7u4PlJwQhQbr9hT1ibRfaVjCPmwt8fQpVae8Dqa0iLEq5dku0rIYTbiKmy8l8G3bt04tRCLzS07M8OhZ/s400/compblue5.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>ECTOCOMP</b>, a yearly horror and autumn-seasonal competition that is often a welcome palate-cleanser following the smorgasbord of IFComp, is on again this year and is under new management.<br />
<br />
This year marks the return of both size categories, and the first time Ectocomp is actively bilingual, soliciting entries in Spanish.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>La Petit Mort</i> is for speed IF created in three hours or less.</li>
<li><i>Le Grand Guignol</i> is for more elaborate games programmed in more than three hours.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Check out the rules, schedule, and more details on itch.io at these links: </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Petit Mort English: <a href="https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lpm">https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lpm</a></div>
<div>
Petit Mort Spanish: <a href="https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lpm-sp">https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lpm-sp</a></div>
<div>
Grand Guignol English: <a href="https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lgg">https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lgg</a></div>
<div>
Grand Guignol Spanish: <a href="https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lgg-sp">https://itch.io/jam/ectocomp17lgg-sp</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sign up and show us your nightmares! As of this writing, you have just over 26 days to get scary!</div>
Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-80835719307142869392017-09-05T19:47:00.000-07:002017-09-05T19:47:47.885-07:00IntroComp 2017 Results Announced<div class="tr_bq">
<br /></div>
<blockquote>
Direct from their <a href="http://introcomp.org/" target="_blank">website</a>:</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>We would like to express our very sincere gratitude to everyone who took the time to download, play, rate, and leave feedback for this year's introductions. We would also like to say thank you and congratulations to all the authors!</i></blockquote>
<table border="0" class="small" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.2px; line-height: 1.2; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><br />
Here are the results:<br />
<br />
<br />
1st Place Sherlock Indomitable, by mathbrush<br />
2nd Place Onna Kabuki, by Victor Ojuel<br />
3rd Place The Adam and Eve Project, by Brian Kwak <br />
<br />
Honorable Mentions*:<br />
Duckman by Wade<br />
Yukon Yelena by Wing<br />
Prizon by Wes Lesley<br />
Playing with the White Dog by Elizabeth Bernhardt<br />
Good for Nothing by Katalina<br />
The Wishing Wood by Elizabeth Bernhardt<br />
The Sentence Editor by fishandbeer<br />
You Just Might Feel Something by Devin Raposo<br />
<br />
<br />
*listed in random order</td><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-42035162835178738652017-06-29T05:35:00.001-07:002017-06-29T06:19:02.345-07:00itch.io has the Summer jams!Quick take: Starting almost immediately on <a href="http://itch.io/">itch.io</a> is a "Summer Novel Festival" (<a href="https://itch.io/jam/sunofes17" target="_blank">SUNOFES</a>) jam running to September 1st. This may be of interest to new IF authors not quite ready to jump into IFComp. A "jam" usually has lower stakes than a Comp; this one is no pressure, no judging, no prizes, just a sense of community focused more on the creation phase than the end product:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #eaf5f7; color: #033742; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 20px;">
An online game jam focused on adventure, interactive fiction, role-playing game, and visual novels. Starts July 1st, ends August 31st, annually. Feel free to start working before the festival begins. No one is required to start their work from scratch unless they want to. If you have any unfinished projects in mind, you're invited to use this festival for completing it. SuNoFES has no judging or prizes - the only rewards are those that come from the challenge and camaraderie with others.<br />
<ul style="background-color: #eaf5f7; color: #033742; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 2em;">
<li>Takes place during July and August.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: #eaf5f7; color: #033742; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 2em;">
<li>Project must be a new game and have not been published before.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: #eaf5f7; color: #033742; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 2em;">
<li>Releasing a demo is fine.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: #eaf5f7; color: #033742; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 2em;">
<li>Polished works are encouraged.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: #eaf5f7; color: #033742; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 2em;">
<li>There are no "winners." Anyone who reaches their goal during the festival has completed SuNoFES, though it is encouraged to submit a game.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<a href="https://itch.io/jam/sunofes17">https://itch.io/jam/sunofes17</a><br />
<br />
I'm not a regular on itch.io, but it offers a huge number of indie and experimental free and low-priced games, as well as the means to set up your own "storefront" (bazaar booth?) to present your own works.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://hanono.itch.io/stepchild" target="_blank">I had a lot of fun there participating</a> in Emily Short's <a href="https://itch.io/jam/bring-out-your-dead" target="_blank">"Bring Out Your Dead" jam</a> of abandoned or stalled games.<br />
<br />
They've got a lot of other fun stuff also starting very soon that may also be of interest to the community such as "Fantasy Console Jam", "Games Made Quick Jam", "Yaoi Game Jam" and "Pixel Horror Jam", so check out their whole <a href="https://itch.io/jams" target="_blank">timeline of upcoming jams.</a><br />
<br />
P.S.: Don't forget June 30th is your last chance to get in on <a href="http://introcomp.org/" target="_blank">IntroComp</a> as well!Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-55624875437174630962017-06-15T08:02:00.000-07:002018-04-21T14:25:06.804-07:00By the CSIDE!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2xHVSojMBWWOvCpFyOXxJDlDQ2W7UeDCskIYDyGeVzZRUDLuOnc_Sy4LeLH6Yeerp5TDB5GD9gUqFrxN905cNcsCcBI6wDc3jIxt1YGNqsZ72dnuieL6TodNQ45LrsPmRQv5EjuhPfyG/s1600/CSide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="119" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2xHVSojMBWWOvCpFyOXxJDlDQ2W7UeDCskIYDyGeVzZRUDLuOnc_Sy4LeLH6Yeerp5TDB5GD9gUqFrxN905cNcsCcBI6wDc3jIxt1YGNqsZ72dnuieL6TodNQ45LrsPmRQv5EjuhPfyG/s1600/CSide.JPG" /></a><a href="https://www.choiceofgames.com/make-your-own-games/choicescript-intro/" target="_blank">ChoiceScript </a>is a very easy language to write in. It is how all <a href="https://www.choiceofgames.com/" target="_blank">Choice of Games</a> narratives are created. It is simple, powerful, and lets an author do more writing than coding to create an extensive choice narrative that can hinge on the powerful accumulation of stats that bend and alter the story and an individual player's game experience.<br />
<br />
Right now, CoG publication is probably one of the most accessible and visible ways for choice-IF authors to actually get a game out to the public and <i>get paid</i> for it. Choice of Games commissions talented authors for their featured stories that fit within their specific inclusive "house style" framework they are known for and their audience expects, but anyone can submit an "indie" spec game to be hosted by CoG as long as it complies with a certain number of minimally sensible parameters with regard to length and content.<br />
<br />
That said, writing a CS narrative that fans will want to play and shell out a few dollars for is an <i>enormous </i>task. An author is seldom going to whip out a CS masterpiece of any length in a matter of weeks or possibly even months. Most worthy titles are at least novella-length with regard to visible word count, and depending on how efficient the game and the choices are structured, it has been discussed that an author may find themselves needing to write upwards of <i>three to five times</i> the amount of prose than in a standard novel, most of it not used in any given play-through. There are smart ways to avoid such excess, but game designers needn't apply if they're not up to the task of writing at least 30,000 words including code, and possibly a lot more. (30k is the minimum length of a hosted game CoG will accept, word counts for epic games in the 300k-500k range are not unheard of.)<br />
<br />
So you're up to the task, and now you need to get started in ChoiceScript. While authoring in CS is easy, the initial setup is <i>not</i>. In the past, authors had to deal with separate text files including the prose and connecting code and then running them through a compiler which only works in Firefox, and the compiling can be a tedious chore, making compiling and testing a thing that might only be done once a day. Plus the game must pass required automated testing routines provided by CoG that could be sometimes difficult to carry out and understand. I'm one of those curious people who loves to discover and learn new authoring systems, but the minute the directions use the words "run the included compiler" or "write your code in separate text files" I'm out.<br />
<br />
The only way I had ever had a chance to experiment with ChoiceScript at all was by using a clever community-created editor that was available online. The thing that helped it click for me was being able to type code in one window and see it instantly compiled in the other. That little bit of WYSIWYG experimentation let me blunder my way through my newbie mistakes and begin to learn how CS works and fits together. It was a great idea for learning, but in no way full-featured enough to write an extensive work.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kdOQnmTyK1BnxfKAwhIadIStSV1hZv67O_NuTFeOCUYtc_wrmKckrG-RKnZLjz3ClJHi7fujCPP6cpVujLY25K72LrqHOnlC4Nc_q46kZJgvKV_YNRp4kKwDi0p8QbuWEyuwoXdtUBXy/s1600/CSide+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1127" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kdOQnmTyK1BnxfKAwhIadIStSV1hZv67O_NuTFeOCUYtc_wrmKckrG-RKnZLjz3ClJHi7fujCPP6cpVujLY25K72LrqHOnlC4Nc_q46kZJgvKV_YNRp4kKwDi0p8QbuWEyuwoXdtUBXy/s400/CSide+1.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Text files on left, auto code coloring on right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, we have <a href="https://github.com/ChoicescriptIDE/main/releases/tag/v1.0.1" target="_blank">CSIDE </a>(Choice Script IDE) which is a brilliant community-developed piece of work shepherded by Carey J. Williams (CJW on the CoG forums) over more than a year of testing and building from that original tiny CS editor into what I can only describe as "Microsoft Word for Choice Script". If you are familiar with the format and functionality of the Inform 7 IDE, CSIDE will be an easy glove to fit.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaGLR1p7og_mQ1II_Nm4kUplzjYgpQZ93r_9lqQcwuV4gDs3Z5imq6RRaT-N5f5nGiEguF39f5BXZEO7f2HdF538PxDqAAWNbNGQqcLXCRtwl4q5TELsyLZQgW0KDcY5htuGTvBFJUo3P/s1600/CSide+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1127" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaGLR1p7og_mQ1II_Nm4kUplzjYgpQZ93r_9lqQcwuV4gDs3Z5imq6RRaT-N5f5nGiEguF39f5BXZEO7f2HdF538PxDqAAWNbNGQqcLXCRtwl4q5TELsyLZQgW0KDcY5htuGTvBFJUo3P/s400/CSide+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Instant playtesting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
CSIDE manages all the files for a project, is a code specific color-highlighting CS word processor, allows instant compiling and playtesting, keeps a word count, spell-corrects, includes in-window help and tutorials for some advanced CS concepts, and simplifies many CS-specific tasks. At any time an author can run randomtest or quicktest to see the likely chances of each text fragment being encountered, export to an HTML file playable in almost any browser, and eventually produce a simple folder of files ready to email to CoG for review. A project can begin in CSIDE and it will manage all the individual text files and locations itself, or one can easily import all the pieces of an existing project at once.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblaey8RUWDcLdKxLlvBMvubj2DZOXsf-AAMvrGlb8SQpm1dfwYMmEgyjH03ib0M6g5u7qSBfXSHopHvOlpbYByF87kM-eDX-kFPi0y3hKdbdhqDGWQcui2JwKmLoE6IyX3kxQqChIv_q7/s1600/CSide+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="401" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblaey8RUWDcLdKxLlvBMvubj2DZOXsf-AAMvrGlb8SQpm1dfwYMmEgyjH03ib0M6g5u7qSBfXSHopHvOlpbYByF87kM-eDX-kFPi0y3hKdbdhqDGWQcui2JwKmLoE6IyX3kxQqChIv_q7/s320/CSide+3.JPG" width="192" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkIgPxjf4JKRMCVql9mW5d-7HO_wxt0PV71xvK20PwC9tIP6JuJmknvZS96hA_Oc6Zhj-7VdLfkYKBFCnHOuUdoHE4hIhBUrv-8mHkznHb1_1odRgrnuNZNufp1C83jZgWt9eCKBR_Qnv/s1600/CSide+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="423" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkIgPxjf4JKRMCVql9mW5d-7HO_wxt0PV71xvK20PwC9tIP6JuJmknvZS96hA_Oc6Zhj-7VdLfkYKBFCnHOuUdoHE4hIhBUrv-8mHkznHb1_1odRgrnuNZNufp1C83jZgWt9eCKBR_Qnv/s320/CSide+4.JPG" width="185" /></a>While this is all pretty intuitive for people familiar with enclosed authoring environments and word processors, there may be a few minor adjustments required for a veteran CS coder to adapt to how CSIDE handles all the pieces of the puzzle, but the organization and benefits provided are well-worth a minor relearning curve or at least a look to see how it might be useful to an individual author's workflow.<br />
<br />
I've only scratched the surface, but hopefully, CSIDE will become a valuable tool alongside Twine and Inform 7 to make the process of writing IF much easier.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://github.com/ChoicescriptIDE/main/releases/tag/v1.0.1" target="_blank">You can download and try CSIDE from here</a> for Mac and Windows. The program is entirely self-contained without any other pieces to download, and one can begin a project entirely within the IDE with the plus icon, or import multiple existing CS text files from the folder icon. Check out the help files under the question mark icon, and tutorials under the book icon.<br />
<br />
Web version (requires a Dropbox account): <a href="https://choicescriptide.github.io/web/">https://choicescriptide.github.io/web/</a><br />
<span style="text-align: right;"><br /></span> <span style="text-align: right;">--</span><a href="http://hanonondricek.wixsite.com/pyramidif" style="text-align: right;" target="_blank">Hanon Ondricek</a><br />
<br />
Addendum: CSIDE currently only runs on 64-bit architectures. For most people this is not a problem, but you may need to switch to a newer machine to run the program, or use the online version with your Dropbox account:<br />
<br />
See post <a href="https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/cside-the-choicescript-ide/27622/6" target="_blank">here</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white;">
<i style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">We will not be officially supporting 32-bit releases. If the demand is there, we will try our best to provide one, but with such a small team, there has been a very hard limit to what we can effectively test and support. 32-bit architectures are on their way out, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for us spend time supporting them.</i><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">That said, I understand that there will be cases where people simply don't have access to anything other than a 32-bit machine, and that should not mean that you have to go without the chance to use CSIDE. You have two options there: Either make use of the website version of CSIDE (which is near enough as fully-featured as the Desktop app), or contact me privately and I'll provide you with a 32-bit copy, with the understanding that it's not officially supported.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-87737560144063159462017-06-12T08:25:00.000-07:002017-06-12T08:49:35.545-07:00Introcomp: New Website, Intents due June 30!<a href="http://introcomp.org/" target="_blank">IntroComp</a> is one of the coolest low-key events on the IF calendar that hopefully will get a lot more attention this year with a snazzy new <a href="http://introcomp.org/" target="_blank">website </a>and new management. This is the one ongoing competition that actively solicits <i>unfinished </i>IF works. It's a great way for new IF authors to get their feet wet if they've never finished a game and attempted a comp, or want some support and motivation to do so.<br />
<br />
One major change this year is IntroComp is accepting any slice of an unfinished game as opposed to just the beginning; the website makes clear the "Intro" part of IntroComp now means you are "<i>Intro</i>ducing your game" as opposed to providing just the actual "intro" as required in years past. The website rules state authors may submit the middle or end of a game as well. There are also cash prizes with a catch: the author has to actually <i>finish </i>the game within one year and notify the Comp organizers to claim a prize.<br />
<br />
Even if a submitted game doesn't win Introcomp, one of the coolest parts is voters are encouraged to provide constructive feedback along with their votes which is provided to the authors.<br />
<br />
The only slight downside is works submitted to IntroComp are ineligible for IFComp, due to being a partially published work. However, <a href="http://springthing.net/2017/" target="_blank">Spring Thing</a> is a good venue to show off a game that was partially developed via an IntroComp entry.<br />
<br />
If you've got a long-unfinished game fragment kicking around, perhaps consider submitting it to IntroComp.<br />
<br />
Intents to enter this year are due by June 30, and the "complete" game slice for the comp must be submitted by July 31.<br />
<br />
See <a href="http://introcomp.org/">http://introcomp.org/</a> for more details.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-2284778853673948292017-05-16T23:11:00.000-07:002017-05-17T06:45:42.327-07:00Intfiction.org forums back after temporary glitch<div>
If you attempted to post on the intfiction.org forum Tuesday (in US time zones), you may have been mistakenly informed that you were "banned" and not allowed to post your message. Upon clicking the "submit" button, users were subject to a long wait, and then red text rejecting the message.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This was an unexpected server misconfiguration that affected all or most users. We apologize for the error and any inconvenience it may have caused. I'm happy to report the forums should now be operating correctly.</div>
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<div>
As always, please don't hesitate to let me (HanonO) or any of the other moderators (our names show up in <span style="color: lime;">green</span> on the forum) personally know if you have any questions or need assistance. I'm on Gmail as hanon.ondricek if you are unable to access forum PM. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Here's a link to <a href="http://www.intfiction.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=21894" target="_blank">CVE's announcement on the forum.</a></div>
Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-62748656099017604002017-02-10T10:57:00.000-08:002018-04-21T14:24:50.888-07:00AXMA Story Maker 5<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m9GFdQWG_lHDSunygbghx2Z1e6xrNfCjqtegyCuyfaBR7suUJaMxwuz9TD5iyeu_FaBHilWA8CFHEh2i3aQZ0HbqvCllWGa2hT1Uye2rCvj7Y1LDCvRa9dSdrbE6WgYKvMFIpz-QLnMl/s1600/axmalogo.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m9GFdQWG_lHDSunygbghx2Z1e6xrNfCjqtegyCuyfaBR7suUJaMxwuz9TD5iyeu_FaBHilWA8CFHEh2i3aQZ0HbqvCllWGa2hT1Uye2rCvj7Y1LDCvRa9dSdrbE6WgYKvMFIpz-QLnMl/s200/axmalogo.JPG" width="196" /></a>I've long been a fan of <a href="http://sm.axmasoft.com/">AXMA Story Maker</a>, a Russian-developed hypertext choice narrative engine that is very similar to Twine. I used an early version to write <i><a href="http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=70wywbixa57vy3sz">Devil's Food</a></i>, a speed-Ectocomp entry in three hours. AXMA is now up to version 5, and despite its relative obscurity with English-speaking IF authors, there's a whole lot here to like. AXMA offers an easy alternative for those who want to write a choice-narrative, but, like me, may find Twine's nearly unlimited modifiable adaptability a little bewildering.<br />
<br />
First off, AXMA is technically a free app with a "professional version" that lists for €29.90 via PayPal (but as of this writing is marked down to €19.90, approximately $22 USD) which is not a bad deal. The free version is unlimited to use, disabling only direct HTML export (all games can be uploaded to and are hosted by AXMA's public library for online play or download). Upgrading for the one-time fee doesn't change the software, but unlocks the ability to export HTML directly, as well as allowing the author to modify the resulting HTML file, and removes a "created with AXMA Story Maker" link on the title screen.<br />
<br />
I've described AXMA to some people as "imagine if Steve Jobs had designed Twine"; AXMA is a closed-system so it's not as modifiable as Twine, but what's included is very powerful and provides enough functionality most authors will want. Saving, restoring, modifying text size and toggling game audio is accessed by an icon and/or a right-click.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjst3ajsRcsSxkgyuRzR5vexJgH9Z_qVKH04CqUQ_Xore4Ks_p5Dsfb0SmxpjLtuTUNtHsiz9uKVS2lLbxceQvCCXQ9S5ztN3vzam9Dzl3ZSJtrKGHT9vxw47Opg4KdssZyNWqQYhnFA38h/s1600/axmadialog.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjst3ajsRcsSxkgyuRzR5vexJgH9Z_qVKH04CqUQ_Xore4Ks_p5Dsfb0SmxpjLtuTUNtHsiz9uKVS2lLbxceQvCCXQ9S5ztN3vzam9Dzl3ZSJtrKGHT9vxw47Opg4KdssZyNWqQYhnFA38h/s640/axmadialog.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AXMA's standard right click dialog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Every game displays beautifully on desktop and mobile (!) screens with no modifications necessary. That means that the game interface elements are structurally uniform in any game, but can be modified with several themes, and tweaked with regard to background, border thickness, colors, and about five fonts (basically variations of serif, sans-serif, and Courier, limited but all readable). The overall interface layout can be chosen when a new game is created, which essentially changes the ratio of screen elements; "Interactive Fiction" makes the text window big and the constant graphic window and menu box share space as a sidebar. "Visual Novel" fills the screen with a graphic and makes text type out letter by letter and fully appear with a click like a JRPG, "Classic quest or RPG" prioritizes the screen picture (for a map or a location picture) with a smaller text box at the bottom and a long menu box on the side for stats. CYOA book briefly displays a big picture which then recedes to show just a single window of text. "Interactive Audiobook" is something I've never seen but presents interesting possibilities. The system is so flexible that I would use it to create documentation manuals and other instructional material that isn't IF. <a href="http://sm.axmasoft.com/en/help.html">AXMA's own documentation</a> is created with it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIY9bf9doNdSKe6AcTvbbkyA3Uw8NVkVEYg5y_ju93k6RZbgc8SEnbHnLPsWuusCJiVEaeGUBKqNnqd-bHAsVihxM1fgBCnDHk9yaGSoYxkdEuHPfKAZ1F0WsAYCnzoqJKUQEMVEniS3zm/s1600/interfaceaxma.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIY9bf9doNdSKe6AcTvbbkyA3Uw8NVkVEYg5y_ju93k6RZbgc8SEnbHnLPsWuusCJiVEaeGUBKqNnqd-bHAsVihxM1fgBCnDHk9yaGSoYxkdEuHPfKAZ1F0WsAYCnzoqJKUQEMVEniS3zm/s640/interfaceaxma.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visual interface, there is also an option to view plain source code if you prefer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you've used old-school Twine, you probably will grok AXMA's markup almost immediately. You've got [[links]] and [[text to display|to go to this link]] and [[click this link|to go to this passage and change this {$variable = 2}]]. Links can be [[inline with the text]], and bare links on their own line are converted to nifty buttons automatically. The main interface shows passages that can be dragged and dropped with arrows connecting them, and there are shortcut keys for most useful functions. There is a permanent "StoryMenu" passage which can be filled with links that will always display in a sidebar menu—a function (along with permanent location-graphic window) that is a tricky feat in most interactive fiction systems that is built in here.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlCi6lK1oFfzJnYOvvIx6F_FvDpWt7ATQLAadbmuefVrHno105gx9kZG9Vy93ai9wNd9sDoBkloDIrE-oIhDpWkm2DkcS4wodDl3PkvwIE4F2YFzT7Rj4gw_MKNgKZiq9wblfhDl7CnQj/s1600/axmainterface.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlCi6lK1oFfzJnYOvvIx6F_FvDpWt7ATQLAadbmuefVrHno105gx9kZG9Vy93ai9wNd9sDoBkloDIrE-oIhDpWkm2DkcS4wodDl3PkvwIE4F2YFzT7Rj4gw_MKNgKZiq9wblfhDl7CnQj/s640/axmainterface.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Byooottiful player interface...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One of the coolest features is that passages which just add flavor text, such as an inline link that solely provides information, can be formatted to actually appear over the current window instead of changing the text and requiring a "back" button to return to the story.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pH85kCBBOY3-EnaxyHt7j0bcmkNfkf1egZkSHKKPaPeqIQ-dXCqNMuRVy9TYe8Mo773gLFfvD7Ig2XykKV4asONHCcviWVIpH-Zph36xCIx9QPaAor9yR4_pBMgn2dv3RvCDHjjQ580B/s1600/popover.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pH85kCBBOY3-EnaxyHt7j0bcmkNfkf1egZkSHKKPaPeqIQ-dXCqNMuRVy9TYe8Mo773gLFfvD7Ig2XykKV4asONHCcviWVIpH-Zph36xCIx9QPaAor9yR4_pBMgn2dv3RvCDHjjQ580B/s640/popover.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brilliant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
AXMA is crazy happy to handle your multimedia. Images can be placed inline with the text, or sent to the "main picture" box, wherever it is formatted by the originally chosen layout. Graphics can even be defined as sprites, so ostensibly you could make a picture of a treasure whoosh out at a player, or move a marker around on a static map, or slide your characters into and out of a visual novel scene. AXMA differentiates between "music", which is played constantly in the background and loops until changed or stopped via a macro, and "sound effects" which are played once on a different channel from the music. Videos from YouTube and Vimeo can also be streamed within a passage. All media can be streamed from the internet, or provided locally in a folder with the game.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEhTc4s415XHfgPe7lD5QzEQkREi_A99QLE5IWQjN91cf9UiQcCl889PNUlYDckVd94etpb_gMPM9eMz1Rt0CNvOua-d4QulVSAlrj72Ttjza_bVbB4gq6ycC-Ikxcbip5RK8Ib5g_-bo/s1600/IMG_0653.PNG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEhTc4s415XHfgPe7lD5QzEQkREi_A99QLE5IWQjN91cf9UiQcCl889PNUlYDckVd94etpb_gMPM9eMz1Rt0CNvOua-d4QulVSAlrj72Ttjza_bVbB4gq6ycC-Ikxcbip5RK8Ib5g_-bo/s320/IMG_0653.PNG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On iPhone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83EWbANFDvFVQBw1rBJtWrPldJTN3xMjnnXSEJcJAyp4h1_ebHJQTWEws5Oqphl9JykWt38U-Yiz1pKYJS5CCfFIy2RuQ3sgLpiJM34qF2E8ageGAADpEidFEH-bAUI2TRg4UpM5GUWgb/s1600/IMG_0654.PNG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83EWbANFDvFVQBw1rBJtWrPldJTN3xMjnnXSEJcJAyp4h1_ebHJQTWEws5Oqphl9JykWt38U-Yiz1pKYJS5CCfFIy2RuQ3sgLpiJM34qF2E8ageGAADpEidFEH-bAUI2TRg4UpM5GUWgb/s320/IMG_0654.PNG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Works on mobile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Overall this is a polished package for hypertext and choice-based fiction. The only slight bumpy spots I've encountered: the documentation lists everything AXMA can do, but is not comprehensive, leaving some nuances to be discovered through experimentation. There is a <a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/axma-story-maker" target="_blank">Google group</a> for English-language discussion that isn't very active, but I've had very good luck with getting the devs to respond, usually within a day. Otherwise, I've used web-page translation of the Russian forums, but otherwise, there aren't many other places to read up on what people are doing with this software. AXMA's online library, at least on the English side, is a bit of a mess with many unfinished experiments (and a few works of dicey NSFW subject matter), but stories from the free version of the software can be hosted there (there is a limit on how much multimedia can be included) and linked to directly as below.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ifiction.net/file14289880857035" target="_blank"><i>Catch the Spy</i>, one of the more impressive examples</a> in the library.<br />
<br />
AXMA Story Maker can be downloaded for PC, Mac, and Linux, and there is an in-browser editor online as well.<br />
<br />
UPDATE: I purchased the software (actually a lifetime "Professional" account) via PayPal, and received my registration key via email promptly within 24 hours as promised on the site. The actual registration key is for earlier versions of ASM which work fully offline. The current version asks you to sign into your user account using the email and password you register on their website and will handshake that account online to unlock all features when using the standalone editor. AXMA Story Maker is a popular engine in the Russian IF community and is actively supported and distributed. <br />
----<br />
<i>My IF can be found on <a href="http://ifdb.tads.org/search?searchbar=author%3A+hanon+ondricek&searchGo.x=5&searchGo.y=8" target="_blank">IFDB</a>, or via flashy links there from my <a href="http://hanonondricek.wixsite.com/pyramidif" target="_blank">website</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-69718504980127057032017-02-06T11:03:00.000-08:002018-04-21T14:27:46.580-07:00Undiscovered BugsSomeone on the forums with the handle "lister" decided to industriously <a href="http://www.intfiction.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21185&sid=4ee542a9e9a1cd426467f4aa797aad45">tag all the IFComp games</a> on IFDB, so of course, I vainly searched to see where mine had placed over time. Finally on about page seven of hundreds of games, <i>Transparent </i>showed up. I gave it a play-through since I hadn't looked at it in a while, amazed at how <i>packed with stuff </i>it is. Who knows how I got it done; it was way too large for IFComp, and despite starting out moderately-scoped in my head, it blew up out of proportion and I didn't have time to test it as thoroughly as one would want.<br />
<br />
As I explored Thorne Manor again, enjoying how well the random sound generation actually worked out, I couldn't remember what clever refusal message I had implemented if someone tries to pick up the bathtub:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
>TAKE TUB<br />
Taken.</blockquote>
Dammit.<br />
<br />
With all the poorly-conceived inventory limits I had initially put in that game, my photographer was now walking around a haunted house carrying an entire claw-foot bathtub with shower and curtain. Luckily I had restricted objects that could be put in the PC's coat pocket with an adjective, so I was spared that ridiculousness, and I kept it in inventory since I didn't want to see if the butler would dutifully tidy it up and shut it in the hall closet. I solicited a lot of feedback post-comp from experienced beta testers, and nobody (including me) had ever caught this very easily fixed bug.<br />
<br />
So what's the longest a bug has gone undocumented in a game? Comment below and tell me about the glitch you found years later in an old Comp entry or that one bit of weirdness that the Infocom team totally missed. Or anything obscure and hilarious that crops up when an IF is abused beyond what the author considered.<br />
<br />
<br />Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-553102591837697182016-12-09T07:34:00.001-08:002018-04-21T14:26:02.933-07:00Fair Postmortem AvailableI was exceedingly thrilled for my IFComp entry <i>Fair </i>to place 7th this year (woo! top 10!). I have finally written a postmortem which is posted on my blog. Since it's exceedingly long and spoilery, I chose not to push the entirety of it to Planet IF. You can read it <a href="http://pyramidifblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/fair-postmortem.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Please leave comments if there are any other questions you have or elements of the game you'd like to hear about in more detail. Thanks to everyone who played the game and voted!Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-62392571393947216552016-08-04T11:08:00.000-07:002016-08-04T11:08:43.454-07:00Another Rulebook Post (Inform 7)<div class="tr_bq">
I wrote last week about getting over the fear of rulebooks in Inform 7, specifically by not using the all-powerful INSTEAD to accomplish everything. After I read over the post, I remembered one of my specific hangups using rulebooks occurred because I was over-thinking the process: how does Inform know how my additional rules work in order? How does Inform know what order the rules should go in? Don't I need to write them very specifically so Inform and the compiler don't get confused?</div>
<br />
The short answer is not really. Beyond a few minor sequencing points when polishing the text output, Inform does not care where in the source text we write our rules. And the rulebooks consider every rule in them unless a rule explicitly tells it to stop (with an INSTEAD or "stop the action.")<br />
<br />
Imagine creating a shopping list. Unless we're extremely familiar with the grocery store layout, we'll write a list as items occur to us, possibly over a period of time or several days. We might make a little effort grouping frozen foods and produce together since we know they are in the same general area within the building, but as we shop, we're going to run down the list in each location. And theoretically without any specific handling issues, the items in our cart will stack so that the last thing we inserted into it will be the first thing checked out by the cashier, unless we decide to bump something onto the conveyor belt first, perhaps because it's heavy or frozen.<br />
<br />
Remember that the source text is only feeding information to the compiler which arranges it for its own use. Any BEFORE rule you write goes into the Before rulebook, and all "before" rules will run before any CHECK rules. In many cases it doesn't matter what order the rules run in; if the player cannot pick up a boulder for one reason, it doesn't matter whether they also can't pick it up for another reason.<br />
<br />
In general, we are encouraged to avoid player messages until the REPORT stage after everything is happened. Sometimes it's nice though to give the player some feedback along the way, such as if the author/parser has taken a shortcut action for them, or to explain why an action failed.<br />
<blockquote style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Gauntlets of Hercules is carried by the player. It is wearable. A golden fleece is carried by the player.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
some river sticks is a thing. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Rocky Valley is a room. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A giant boulder is in Rocky Valley. "A giant boulder here blocks the way north.". The description is "The boulder is taller than you, and more than likely not movable by mortal means." </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Check taking giant boulder (this is the really it's more awkward than heavy rule):</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
if the player does not wear the gauntlets of Hercules:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
say "Shyeah, right. You're just going to pick that boulder up and carry it with you. Har!" instead.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Before taking giant boulder:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
if the player wears gauntlets of Hercules:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
if giant boulder is not handled:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
say "You wiggle your fingers in the gauntlets given to you by the mysterious old lady. You hope she wasn't having you on about their magic powers." </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Before taking giant boulder (this is the can't carry anything and the boulder rule):</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
if the player carries something:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
say "(first dropping everything else you're holding: [a list of things carried by the player].)[paragraph break]";</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
now everything carried by the player is in the location. </div>
</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Carry out taking giant boulder:</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> if river sticks is off-stage:</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> now river sticks is in the location;</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> say "Some sticks weathered by the river are dislodged from the side of the boulder as you lift it."</span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: left;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Carry out taking giant boulder (this is the hard work requires loud noises rule):</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> if giant boulder is not handled:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> say "HUUUERRRRRGHHHH--hey, it's not that heavy after all and you needn't have made such a noise before lifting it."</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Report taking giant boulder:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
say "You've got the boulder, but it takes both of your arms, and you won't be able to carry anything else. It's more awkward than it is heavy." </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Check taking something when the player carries giant boulder:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
say "If you reach for [the noun], you'll need to put down the boulder first." instead.</div>
</span></blockquote>
I defined these rules completely out of order as far as the actual logical sequence this would all occur in, but let's try it:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rocky Valley</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A giant boulder here blocks the way north.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>take boulder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(first dropping everything else you're holding: Gauntlets of Hercules, a golden fleece.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Shyeah, right. You're just going to pick that boulder up and carry it with you. Har!</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hmn. That technically worked, but it didn't make a lot of sense to make the player drop everything when they aren't even going to be able to actually lift the giant boulder. Let's specify the rule order a bit. I want the snarky message to be the only thing the player sees if they aren't wearing the gauntlets. That rule already ends with INSTEAD so let's tell Inform to put it "first" in the Check Taking* rulebook. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>First </b>check taking giant boulder (this is the really it's more awkward than heavy rule):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if the player does not wear the gauntlets of Hercules:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "Shyeah, right. You're just going to pick that boulder up and carry it with you. Har!" instead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">That way, any other rules I think of and write later, even in the future, won't even be considered until the player is wearing the gauntlets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I also need to change my "can't carry stuff and the boulder" rule since it's a BEFORE rule that will always occur before a CHECK rule. It actually makes more sense as CARRY OUT since there's no reason for the player to drop everything until they are actually going to lift the boulder. I will also tell Inform to put that "first" in the CARRY OUT rulebook since I don't want the player to make their mighty grunt and <i>then decide</i> they have to drop everything they have in their hands:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>First</b> carry out taking giant boulder (this is the can't carry anything and the boulder rule):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if the player carries something:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "(first dropping everything else you're holding: [a list of things carried by the player].)[paragraph break]";</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> now everything carried by the player is in the location.</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rocky Valley</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A giant boulder here blocks the way north.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>take boulder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Shyeah, right. You're just going to pick that boulder up and carry it with you. Har!</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">There, that's much better. Continuing...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>wear gauntlets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You put on Gauntlets of Hercules.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>take boulder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You wiggle your fingers in the gauntlets given to you by the mysterious old lady. You hope she wasn't having you on about their magic powers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(first dropping everything else you're holding: a golden fleece.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some sticks weathered by the river are dislodged from the side of the boulder as you lift it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">HUUUERRRRRGHHHH--hey, it's not that heavy after all and you needn't have made such a noise before lifting it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You've got the boulder, but it takes both of your arms, and you won't be able to carry anything else. It's more awkward than it is heavy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Taken.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>take fleece</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you reach for the golden fleece, you'll need to put down the boulder first.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>drop boulder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dropped.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>take fleece</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Taken.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once again, that worked, but we'd like the text of the player grunting to happen before they lift the boulder and reveal the very important river sticks they will need later. Once again, we tell Inform what rule should come first:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">First carry out taking giant boulder (this is the hard work requires loud noises rule):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if giant boulder is not handled:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "HUUUERRRRRGHHHH--hey, it's not that heavy after all and you needn't have made such a noise before lifting it." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>wear gauntlets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You put on Gauntlets of Hercules.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>take boulder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You wiggle your fingers in the gauntlets given to you by the mysterious old lady. You hope she wasn't having you on about their magic powers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">HUUUERRRRRGHHHH--hey, it's not that heavy after all and you needn't have made such a noise before lifting it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(first dropping everything else you're holding: a golden fleece.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some sticks weathered by the river are dislodged from the side of the boulder as you lift it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You've got the boulder, but it takes both of your arms, and you won't be able to carry anything else. It's more awkward than it is heavy.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Still not quite right. The grunt happened, but then the player doesn't drop everything until after that, which is still the wrong order. Let's check the source text:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">First carry out taking giant boulder (this is the can't carry anything and the boulder rule):</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if the player carries something:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "(first dropping everything else you're holding: [a list of things carried by the player].)[paragraph break]";</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>now everything carried by the player is in the location.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Carry out taking giant boulder: </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if river sticks is off-stage: </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>now river sticks is in the location; </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "Some sticks weathered by the river are dislodged from the side of the boulder as you lift it."</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">First carry out taking giant boulder (this is the hard work requires loud noises rule):</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if giant boulder is not handled:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "HUUUERRRRRGHHHH--hey, it's not that heavy after all and you needn't have made such a noise before lifting it." </span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So we've defined two "first" rules. What's happened here is reliant on source text order. We told Inform to put the "can't carry anything and the giant boulder" rule first, which it did. Then we told it to put the "hard work requires loud noises" rule first also. Since our previous rule is already the first rule in the rulebook, it is bumped forward a step to make room and let the other be first.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One solution is to switch the order of the rules in the source text. However, if we write any other rules affecting the boulder later they might get out of order again. The other way is just to combine them into the same rule so they run in correct order as a unit:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">First carry out taking giant boulder (this is the drop everything before heaving the boulder rule):</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if the player carries something:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "(first dropping everything else you're holding: [a list of things carried by the player].)[paragraph break]";</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>now everything carried by the player is in the location;</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if giant boulder is not handled:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "HUUUERRRRRGHHHH--hey, it's not that heavy after all and you needn't have made such a noise before lifting it." <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For good measure, we can make sure our message about river sticks runs "last".</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Last carry out taking giant boulder: </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if river sticks is off-stage: </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>now river sticks is in the location; </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "Some sticks weathered by the river are dislodged from the side of the boulder as you lift it."</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>take boulder</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Shyeah, right. You're just going to pick that boulder up and carry it with you. Har!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>wear gauntlets</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You put on Gauntlets of Hercules.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">>take boulder</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You wiggle your fingers in the gauntlets given to you by the mysterious old lady. You hope she wasn't having you on about their magic powers.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(first dropping everything else you're holding: a golden fleece.)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">HUUUERRRRRGHHHH--hey, it's not that heavy after all and you needn't have made such a noise before lifting it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some sticks weathered by the river are dislodged from the side of the boulder as you lift it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You've got the boulder, but it takes both of your arms, and you won't be able to carry anything else. It's more awkward than it is heavy.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Taken.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Almost there. We want to get rid of that "Taken" message which is the standard report taking response. We can do that by changing our report taking giant boulder rule to an "after" taking giant boulder rule. AFTER rules occur before report rules, and will naturally stop and override them (unless appended with "continue the action).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After taking giant boulder:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "You've got the boulder, but it takes both of your arms, and you won't be able to carry anything else. It's more awkward than it is heavy." </span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">HUUUERRRRRGHHHH--hey, it's not that heavy after all and you needn't have made such a noise before lifting it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some sticks weathered by the river are dislodged from the side of the boulder as you lift it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You've got the boulder, but it takes both of your arms, and you won't be able to carry anything else. It's more awkward than it is heavy.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As things get more complicated, it is actually possible to create a specific rulebook for a complicated action--say a magic box that transforms items into other items. For this type of information, it's best to read the entire section about rulebooks in the Inform documentation. There are also many more useful rulebooks beyond what I've only scratched the surface of here.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">See Chapter 19: <a href="http://inform7.com/learn/man/WI_19_1.html">http://inform7.com/learn/man/WI_19_1.html</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">---</span><br />
<br />Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-29771379906935129552016-07-28T10:12:00.000-07:002016-07-28T10:12:47.688-07:00Instead of Instead (Inform 7)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJFVcUABWNQQammojsiIxXGSaI90J_jaE_nP-JSnYIPuuWbmZL646KU4TQ_5PyPgSO6a7TUwUBCOm7Ya5XRgTOMn96c2KnFgJqQv03_7EmsqcJbrtqibOcb85iyE0dj5koXn1BlUV5oBH/s1600/alice-in-wonderland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJFVcUABWNQQammojsiIxXGSaI90J_jaE_nP-JSnYIPuuWbmZL646KU4TQ_5PyPgSO6a7TUwUBCOm7Ya5XRgTOMn96c2KnFgJqQv03_7EmsqcJbrtqibOcb85iyE0dj5koXn1BlUV5oBH/s1600/alice-in-wonderland.jpg" /></a></div>
Inform 7 allows an author to accomplish things in many different ways. It's easy enough to make a dungeon full of rooms and doors and containers and treasures, but if we go much further beyond that, we have to work with creating rules.<br />
<br />
All actions in Inform have rulebooks which roughly correspond to phases of time it takes to perform the action. The major three are<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>CHECK - This is where Inform decides if an action can be accomplished.</li>
<li>CARRY OUT - This is where the actual mechanics of the action take place.</li>
<li>REPORT - After everything is done, this is where the parser can print a message confirming what has taken place.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Three other rulebooks are built-in:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>BEFORE</li>
<li>AFTER </li>
<li>INSTEAD</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
BEFORE and AFTER slot where you'd expect, but INSTEAD is probably the most powerful and most mis-used due to that inherent power. New authors often find the check/carry out/report sequence confusing at first, and will latch onto INSTEAD like Dr. Who's sonic screwdriver to accomplish everything. Why learn a whole handful of rulebooks when you only need one?</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The reason is INSTEAD essentially is an override that relinquishes the parsing of a command over to the author. When one tells Inform "Instead of doing this action..." the parser won't bother checking anything and will use the author's specific rule. Also INSTEAD overrides every other rule including other INSTEAD rules, defaulting to the most specific for a situation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Suppose all flowers cause wooziness, but certain types have added effects:</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Garden is a room.<br />A flower is a kind of edible thing. A rose is a kind of flower. A daisy is a kind of flower. A lily is a kind of flower. Understand "flower" as a flower.<br />There are four roses in garden. There are six daisies in garden. There are three lilies in garden. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Instead of eating a flower: say "It tastes bitter and you feel woozy." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Instead of eating a rose: say "The rosy scent tickles your nose."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Instead of eating a daisy: say "You feel light-headed."</blockquote>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Garden<br />You can see four roses, six daisies and three lilies here.<br />>eat flower<br />Which do you mean, a rose, a daisy or a lily?<br />>lily<br />It tastes bitter and you feel woozy.<br />>eat rose<br />The rosy scent tickles your nose.<br />>eat daisy<br />You feel light-headed.<br />>l<br />Garden<br />You can see four roses, six daisies and three lilies here.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
You'll notice we aren't getting the default message for "flowers" in every case because the more specific Instead rule for roses and daisies override since they are more specific. Also problematic is that even though flowers are declared "edible" they aren't disappearing like standard edible objects because Inform has relinquished control to the author, and our INSTEAD rule doesn't handle the behavior for edible objects. So lets make this change:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Instead of eating a flower:<br /> say "It tastes bitter and you feel woozy.";<br /> remove the noun from play.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Garden<br />You can see <b>four roses</b>, six daisies and <b>three lilies</b> here.<br />>eat lily<br />It tastes bitter and you feel woozy.<br />>look<br />Garden<br />You can see four roses, six daisies and <b>two lilies</b> here.<br />>eat rose<br />The rosy scent tickles your nose.<br />>look<br />Garden<br />You can see <b>four roses</b>, six daisies and two lilies here.</blockquote>
<div>
So our INSTEAD with included eating rules is only working on lilies, which don't have more specific Instead rules affecting them. An enterprising new author usually here will go "No problem, I can write this into every instead rule." But over the course of even a moderate-sized game this will grow tedious--especially if we want to write other rules that affect flowers, and we'll have to keep up and update every single rule:</div>
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Sickness is a number that varies.<br />Instead of eating a flower:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "It tastes bitter and makes you feel woozy.";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>increase sickness by one;<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if sickness is greater than one:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "You don't feel so good after that meal.";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if sickness is greater than two:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>end the story saying "Flowers, while beautiful, have their downsides. You have been poisoned!"</blockquote>
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Instead of eating a rose:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "It tastes bitter and makes you feel woozy.";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "The rosy scent tickles your nose.";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>increase sickness by one;<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if sickness is greater than one:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "You don't feel so good after that meal.";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if sickness is greater than two:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>end the story saying "Flowers, while beautiful, have their downsides. You have been poisoned!"</blockquote>
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Instead of eating a daisy:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "It tastes bitter and makes you feel woozy.";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "You feel light headed.";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>increase sickness by one;<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if sickness is greater than one:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "You don't feel so good after that meal.";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if sickness is greater than two:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>end the story saying "Flowers, while beautiful, have their downsides. You have been poisoned!"</blockquote>
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The author is doing more work than they need to bypassing the parser with INSTEAD. Say we want flowers to eventually poison the player. Every rule would need to do the work of the parser. While the before/check/carry out/report/after sequence of rulebooks seems daunting, it actually makes life easier:</div>
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Garden is a room.<br />A flower is a kind of edible thing. A rose is a kind of flower. A daisy is a kind of flower. A lily is a kind of flower. Understand "flower" as a flower. </blockquote>
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Sickness is a number that varies. </blockquote>
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There are four roses in garden. There are six daisies in garden. There are three lilies in garden.</blockquote>
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After eating a flower: [AFTER will override the normal "You eat the thing. Not bad." report message for edible things]<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "It tastes bitter and makes you feel woozy."; </blockquote>
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First after eating a rose: ["First after" puts this message at the beginning of the After rulebook]<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "The rosy scent tickles your nose.";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>continue the action. [So both messages will print as an AFTER will normally stop] </blockquote>
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First after eating a daisy:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "You feel light-headed.";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>continue the action. </blockquote>
[It's good to name your rules]<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Carry out eating a flower (this is the flowers are poisonous rule):<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>increase sickness by one.</blockquote>
[An author needn't pack everything into a single rule.]<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Carry out eating a flower (this is the consequences of eating flowers rule):<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if sickness is greater than one:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>say "You don't feel so good after that meal...";<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>if sickness is greater than two:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>end the story saying "Flowers, while beautiful, have their downsides. You have been poisoned!";</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Garden<br />You can see four roses, six daisies and three lilies here.<br />>eat lily<br />(first taking the lily)<br />It tastes bitter and makes you feel woozy.<br />>l<br />Garden<br />You can see four roses, six daisies and <b>two </b>lilies here.<br />>eat daisy<br />(first taking the daisy)<br />You don't feel so good after that meal...<br />You feel light-headed.<br />It tastes bitter and makes you feel woozy.<br />>look<br />Garden<br />You can see four roses, <b>five </b>daisies and two lilies here.<br />>eat rose<br />(first taking the rose)<br />You don't feel so good after that meal...<br /><br /><br /> *** Flowers, while beautiful, have their downsides. You have been poisoned! ***<br /> </blockquote>
INSTEAD rules are very powerful and good for limiting the player from doing foolish things or tying up loose ends of standard responses:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Instead of jumping, say "Out, damned spot!"</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Instead of smelling, say "Your sinuses have been acting up, so that sense is currently nonfunctional for the time being." </blockquote>
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And even this type of power can be safely folded into the CHECK rulebook for the specific action:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Check eating a flower (this is the great power equals great responsibility rule): say "You shouldn't be eating flowers. Who knows if they are poisonous?" <b>instead</b>. </blockquote>
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<i>Thanks to the tireless denizens of the <a href="http://www.intfiction.org/forum/" target="_blank">IntFiction.org </a>forums where great advice for programming IF in Inform 7 is best obtained. I have a website <a href="http://hanonondricek.wixsite.com/pyramidif">http://hanonondricek.wixsite.com/pyramidif</a></i></div>
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Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-36100513242883657352016-07-20T10:48:00.000-07:002016-07-20T13:11:38.017-07:00I am the Baker of Shireton/And I bake bread because baking is fun...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQ4s6mNCMqgrDNEhWGGRXRVhIAQkOX03-KO671sUeVrdxLtvw2hyphenhyphenHof7sCCtUm67SbyB_zQ2gUohcFkz5f62CxSIE5WAM5U_aZJXNPUa5rv6kNn7XfbpYmZ42IAdrQNzMdULQL9yGEquE/s1600/IMG_0552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQ4s6mNCMqgrDNEhWGGRXRVhIAQkOX03-KO671sUeVrdxLtvw2hyphenhyphenHof7sCCtUm67SbyB_zQ2gUohcFkz5f62CxSIE5WAM5U_aZJXNPUa5rv6kNn7XfbpYmZ42IAdrQNzMdULQL9yGEquE/s320/IMG_0552.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now to find Bob the Hobo...</td></tr>
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<a href="http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=8p07jillqdxzpukd" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyM1vAIGE_FWK96mpHKdtS3mO8LBScqbaX4rxRH02RhNhjltimfUNeV8xNz3weK0uiXbImM4BUy24N7jn5VOUhQQJLTmS6zWNI1XoV0TjG9QmX090XpDJJwlEss1-jaYFqbP1l9crTzkM/s1600/viewgame.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1985801210"></span><span id="goog_1985801211"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>So I made a loaf of bread last night and...hunh. How did that get in there? It must have been that other version of me stashed in the back room...<br />
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(I added some space so this doesn't crash with the preceding article on Planet IF)<br />
<br />Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-50227923293242511092016-06-27T18:38:00.001-07:002017-06-15T07:48:20.286-07:00History has been [REDACTED]<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIF6Dy41LWQkrynLBjzIHF1pw-dGUCyCkRo6Ne1YmnzjhI6eyoYleXQgzyntBL0R1TDX9TkPFYOFFlo-yns5Q-gfZrxyRUjETbhNuIi5-dpHKOekuwpbe3IxN7DFxgRzkONkwnZrjObuqd/s1600/Screenshot+2016-06-27+20.19.33.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Redactor: War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIF6Dy41LWQkrynLBjzIHF1pw-dGUCyCkRo6Ne1YmnzjhI6eyoYleXQgzyntBL0R1TDX9TkPFYOFFlo-yns5Q-gfZrxyRUjETbhNuIi5-dpHKOekuwpbe3IxN7DFxgRzkONkwnZrjObuqd/s1600/Screenshot+2016-06-27+20.19.33.png" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I'm surprised no one before this has thought to make a game out of George Orwell's </span><i style="text-align: left;">1984</i><span style="text-align: left;">. The novel includes a very game-able scenario in that the main character's profession is to change printed publications--and therefore history--by editing news stories to reflect positively on the government and slander its enemies. This dystopian concept is actually frighteningly </span><i style="text-align: left;">more</i><span style="text-align: left;"> plausible now thanks to the internet. Witness Wikipedia, where well-intentioned editors often constantly battle to prevent vandals from changing details about real-world events and personalities, putting their own thumbprint on general perception.</span></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/redactor/" target="_blank">Redactor</a></i> casts the player as an employee of the Ministry of Truth in the Records Department ("Minitrue RecDep" in <i>1984</i>'s prescient stylization preference of eliminating extraneous words and syllables) and presents a slim time limit and rules of how a news article needs to change:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<i>You will have 25 seconds to rectify a newspaper article so that it reports the truth:<br />
- We have always been at war with Eurasia, and Eastasia has ever been our ally.</i></blockquote>
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The player is audited a couple of times to review their performance. And...then it ends all too soon. The game is well presented and polished, and has the same sort of atmosphere as <i>Papers, Please</i> (which also cribs from Orwell, and chillingly satirizes Cold War bleakness.)<br />
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I wish this game could have been longer and taken its premise further. Gameplay essentially consists of scanning an article and clicking on everything that is a hidden hyperlink before the very quick time limit expires. This feels like a prototype for a bigger game that could have done more with Twine cycling links and some red-herring links that are correct to begin with and shouldn't be changed. As it stands, there are no wrong choices as long as you find every link, so it's more of a speed scanning click fest. I suspect the time limit is purposefully set razor-thin to present an actual challenge; in many cases the time limit was barely enough for me to even <i>skim</i> the entirety of the well-written in-world articles, which is a shame. I'd have loved for the timer to run longer and to have had a chance to actually read and comprehend the articles for context and spent time figuring out how to comply with an ever-changing, increasingly difficult spaghetti-bowl of conflicting rules. Then again, that's also how it works in <i>Papers, Please. </i><br />
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This is definitely worth a look. The credits list a designer and five writers, and was created as a social engagement promotion for a stage production of <i>1984. </i>Sadly, there are no photos or information of this production on the current website linked in the credits. [<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Was it REDACTED???</span></i>] Theater websites rarely advertise past shows so this is understandable, but would have been a neat easter egg for completing the game.<br />
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Despite some missed opportunities in gameplay, what's offered is very well implemented and polished, uses Twine in unique fashion, and provides a brief glimpse into the reflected eye of Big Brother in the monitor watching over your shoulder.<br />
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I over-design flashy webpages for my rather under-developed IF games at <a href="http://hanonondricek.wix.com/pyramidif">hanonondricek.wix.com/pyramidif</a>Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-88741817543409564472015-02-07T20:15:00.000-08:002015-02-07T20:25:31.207-08:00FOR RENT: HAUNTED HOUSE (EERIE ESTATE AGENT)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Choice of Games has made <i>Eerie Estate Agent </i>(retitled <i><a href="https://www.choiceofgames.com/2015/02/eerie-estate-agent-is-now-for-rent-haunted-house-and-its-free-on-ios/" target="_blank">For Rent: Haunted House</a></i>) available for free but supported with ads on the iOS app store. I'm really glad I had the chance to check it out, because it is quite a departure from their normal style. The writing is excellent and dryly comical, lacking the earnest seriousness of many previous CoG games I've sampled.<br />
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Until now, I hadn't delved much into the Choice of Games line. Right now they are one of the more successful commercial developers of Interactive Fiction, selling novella and novel length choice-based narratives on computers and in the iOS and Android app stores. I tried several times to get comfortable with their "house style." These read mostly like the "Choose Your Own Adventure" line of books, but aimed more at the interest level of grown-ups. Their system allows some pretty extensive state tracking, and most stories take advantage of this to vary the plot, gating sections based on statistics the player has or doesn't have, set either by choices made via the plot machinations, or as directly chosen by the player based on how they want to play the story.<br />
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It's this normal initial plot setup that originally made me somewhat averse to Choice of Games stories. Their marquee games make a special (and much appreciated by their fans) effort at inclusiveness. These stories really want you to customize the character to either match up with you, or not match up depending on how you wish to role play. So if there's a Choice of the Samurai game, inevitably there is a lengthy prologue where the narrative feels like you're at an improv comedy show: "Okay, you've got a female, gender-neutral Samurai in Edo Period Japan circa 1650...did you grow up popular in school? Are you a secret werewolf? And you've got a peg-leg..." And then the game often either switches the gender of the ambiguously-named main love interest...or doesn't. You can be a gay female Samurai in Edo Japan despite actual history. I don't know if there is actually a choice of the Samurai game; I made that all up. But in their efforts to be inclusive and put so much character development in the hands of the reader/player, the stories can suffer because they have to accomodate both a eunuch ninja werewolf and a thieving psychic nun who can shoot lasers from her hands.<br />
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And I had a huge problem that the choices are presented using radio buttons. It feels like taking an SAT test.<br />
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Personally, I'd rather be presented with a pre-defined character and challenged to take on that role. When the story bends too much, it starts feeling like fan fiction. A new character is introduced--I don't want the momentum to stop dead while I name this interloper, choosing a gender and their favorite type of seafood. I want to interact with the author's vision, not write the story myself via mad-libs.<br />
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Whoo tangent there. <i>For Rent: Haunted House</i> by Gavin Inglis does <i>not</i> make me extensively co-create the narrative. The story is smartly gender neutral, although the game does let you choose a gender for pronoun usage and a name so players can refer to you a something more than "My ol' buddy Afghan Cap!". The PC is a real estate agent at a floundering agency, and the housing crisis has driven the boss (spoken of as "The Crocodile" behind her back due to a tricky surname and less than pleasant demeanor) to pit you and your rival agent against each other to battle for top earner, who will then keep their job. The twist: you are each handed a special, notoriously difficult property to rent out. So you must keep the place rented, the tenants happy, and the neighborhood happy with the tenants. Your personal stress level affects your ability to deal with the situation as things inevitably go wrong.<br />
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The fun part is while you are busy getting things fixed and deciding whether to sabotage your rival, you start getting reports of what's happening in your property. Each tenant has what must be their own horror story going on, but you only are peripherally involved, ducking in opportunely to play a bit part as the stunned landlord who gets to figure out what to do and how much to spend in situations such as having a car buried nose down in the lawn. It's a bit <i>Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead </i>for the real estate broker walk-on character at the beginning of every horror movie who sells a creepy house to the main characters. I love the meta.<br />
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I'm very glad Choice of Games is trying an ad-supported free-to-play experiment. In this incarnation there is a tiny ad strip at the bottom of the screen which is barely noticeable. I hope they get revenue from displaying the ads and not just clicks; since pages are turned frequently, this could be a potential moneymaker for them. After finishing the game, you are restricted from restarting for approximately 20 minutes, which isn't bad at all. There are options to restart immediately for .99 cents, or to purchase the story permanently ad-free for $3-4. I'm quite happy that they didn't force a delay between chapters, but this might have been another option they could have gone with. I would definitely read more games like this and give others a fairer chance provided that were free and ad-supported like this on my iPhone, where as it turns out, the radio buttons are <i>not</i> as annoying as I originally thought they were at all.<br />
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P.S. - I agree with the poster on the CoG forums that a much better title for this would be <i>Unreal Estate</i>.<br />
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My Interactive Fiction is described at <a href="http://hanonondricek.wix.com/pyramidif" target="_blank">http://hanonondricek.wix.com/pyramidif</a> and on IFDB.<br />
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Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-9573182003953521932014-08-08T17:26:00.001-07:002014-08-08T17:35:29.369-07:00Party Crashing<div class="p1">
<i>Invisible Parties</i> is a ShuffleComp entry authored by its seemingly-tireless organizer, Sam Kabo Ashwell, who has re-released it, correcting a lot of technical problems of the type that can arise from organizing a comp and implementing a small but complicated game simultaneously. </div>
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The primary cast are all badass female interdimensional entities. Three of these are known to the PC as "The Rebeccas" - an ersatz "Heathers" clique with unlimited fashion sense and fabulous cosmic powers. They have organized an uber-party by creating a "weave" of about sixteen connected earthly spaces where a buffet of different mortal get-togethers are simultaneously taking place. Most other characters are the kind who like to inflict emotional or physical scars since they can't outright kill you, and you are more than happy keep up your end of it.<br />
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The PC is afflicted with a mad case of the emos because this whole Frankenstein floatilla hovering outside of space and time seems to have been planned and created to steal away and occupy her (ex?) girlfriend Jave, who gallivants around the various locales like Doctor Who, blending in with the crowd and pretty much enjoying herself until the PC locates and flushes her out by destroying each individual party and ultimately the entire weave that holds them together. As the player you have four abilities, and Jave has a rotating arsenal of three that you deploy to impede the overarching party-mood by causing bloody chaos, wanton destruction, violent death, or just harshing the mellow so everyone leaves. The abilities are kind of cool and unusual, but boil down to ATTACK, SEARCH, READ all disguised with a thick paste of stylish verbosity. <br />
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It's possible to fail by not escaping as each party falls, or by tearing the map in two so you can't reach Jave or another location you need. Little of this is explained, and not a whole lot is clear without extensive experimentation. Discovering how to interact with the world can be a legitimate puzzle. The inventory doesn't quite work how the player expects, and messing around with scenery is implemented and usually helpful to the situation.<br />
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The main attraction here is Ashwell's writing, which never falls beneath his own high-bar standards. Each new thing you read about is interesting, textured, and anachronistically fantastic despite being familiar and firmly rooted in <i>recognizable </i>reality. When stuff goes down it's brutal and viscerally written without overstepping. While there is no outright comedy to be found (except some zing-bitchy retorts), the text is laced with a cinnamon-dry wit. I especially enjoyed turns of phrase such as "the least-hijab-est hijab" and the pastoral party where "...evidently someone decided that the only thing that could possibly improve this was an accordion." It's high prose that never breaks meta and barely acknowledges the reader with stylistic indifference that could only come from an exceedingly well-read and literate and traveled author. I somehow won the game by accident, not seeing even a third of what is packed in there. Luckily the source code is available and I enjoyed reading that as well. <br />
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I still feel a little left-out of this party. Not because it's at heart a pack of immortal lesbians with battle-axes destroying the universe, but because the game never really invites you to have <i>fun </i>doing all this crazy inventive stuff. I'm probably a bit broken expecting Armageddon by microcosm to be fun like Douglas Adams; that's not the scathing nihilism Ashwell is going for. I do appreciate the writing in the same way I do a Bret Easton Ellis novel in that he seems not to really give a shit whether you read it or not. Perhaps I'm just thinking this because the title kept reminding me of IMPERIAL BEDROOMS, and the "End of the World" party from THE RULES OF ATTRACTION would have fit right into an adjunct branch of the weave.</div>
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That's just me, though, and I am a pedant who will always enjoy the less highbrow thrills of a JURASSIC PARK over a LESS THAN ZERO.</div>
Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672290740704164025.post-14125192722944527852013-10-24T22:33:00.000-07:002013-10-24T22:34:39.528-07:00The Stanley Parable<i>The Stanley Parable</i> is a really interesting short game available on Steam. It is a first-person exploration that plays with the idea of player agency and the concept of free will as it is implemented in computer games. The new version is an expansion of the original free Half-Life mod, and contains all new art and music, and brilliant honey-voiced British narration by a guy I wish would read me a story every night before falling asleep. With all the meta-commentary and magical realism, it gives off very strong <i>Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</i> vibes, with a dash of <i>Portal</i>. For me, this is vibe heaven.<br />
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It's amazing how much interaction seems to be wrung out of an environment with no jumping, no inventory, no other characters, and only very limited ability to actually open doors or push buttons. The player cannot even pick items up unless the narrator decides to break the rules and make it happen. Most of the story cues are handled based on the directions the player walks, what is or is not clicked on, how obedient or defiant you are in regards to the Narrator's version of the story, and quite often, by the player's <i>lack</i> of interaction, such as standing in one place for an extended period of time, refusing to move in opposition to the Narrator's version of what's happening. This game likes to push limits and mess with your head. Clocks run backwards. Architecture changes and becomes impossible. There is an achievement available for pushing a button repeatedly for four hours. It sounds ridiculous and like it shouldn't work, but it's one of the most intensely entertaining high-profile adventure gaming experiences currently available.<br />
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It's hard to talk much about TSP without spoiling the puzzle-box surprises within this relatively short and compact game. My only complaint is there isn't more of it. I'd really love a longer first-person exploration game like this with the same snarky humor and quirky surrealism. And I want the Narrator to record my outgoing voicemail message.Hanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14545045515532487079noreply@blogger.com0