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Anyone here still "old school" enough to play interactive fiction? Outside of the IF community, I've found very few people who still actively play (or even just dabble in it) lol

On the off chance that there is anyone out here, what are your favorite works? authors?

Yeah, I've dabbled in IF a bit. Not heaps, and I'm absolutely terrible at them. (I had to look up how to solve some problems in Photopia. Seriously).

But I absolutely loved Photopia, and the moment where everything falls into place is incredibly touching. I also loved Lost Pig (and place underground). The narration is hilarious, and so are some of the puzzles. I had to use the internet for some of those too. I started playing Shrapnel, and was really enjoying it (after looking up how to get past the introduction), but I had to stop and lost all progress, so I never finished it.

This sounds interesting.

BobMcBob wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 5:23 am

Yeah, I've dabbled in IF a bit. Not heaps, and I'm absolutely terrible at them. (I had to look up how to solve some problems in Photopia. Seriously).

But I absolutely loved Photopia, and the moment where everything falls into place is incredibly touching. I also loved Lost Pig (and place underground). The narration is hilarious, and so are some of the puzzles. I had to use the internet for some of those too. I started playing Shrapnel, and was really enjoying it (after looking up how to get past the introduction), but I had to stop and lost all progress, so I never finished it.

Oh! Yeah, Photopia is such a classic. If you liked Lost Pig, I feel The Wizard Sniffer would be right up your alley as well. (not to mention, it's commands are limited, and there's a wonderful hint system for anyone lost).

Haven't played Shrapnel yet, actually - was dedicated to playing through Cadre's Spider and Web without a walkthrough - in all honesty I'm not much better than you lol - and it took long enough (and was satisfying enough :D) that I'm spacing out playing the rest of his games.

Speaking of Cadre, have you played 9:05? It's really simple, just 15 - 20 minutes of gameplay, not to mention there's a great twist at the end (don't google it lol).

Claesar wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 9:41 am

This sounds interesting.

:D

Is this a sign of interest? I have recommendations if you're new and want to try something - a lot of people just start with Zork, or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, since they're some of the best well known ones, which imo is a mistake since they're decently hard enough for anyone new - so if someone reaches a point they get stuck, they just tend to drop it, and never try interactive fiction again lol.

(Zork in particular, it's storyless puzzle-adventure style might not appeal to everyone, and there's many different genres out there)

For anyone that has no idea what interactive fiction is, it's essentially a text-based game or story that you can type in commands/actions to, which then influences how the rest of the narrative goes. There's an online interpreter, Parchment, that makes it really easy to play just in your browser nowadays.

It's logic puzzles and reading immersive novels and rpg all in one, and criminally obscure in the modern day and time.

you can probably tell I'm just looking for people to convert lol

I think I've played this stuff ten years ago and must restart it now.

e.m.c^42 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 1:57 pm

Speaking of Cadre, have you played 9:05? It's really simple, just 15 - 20 minutes of gameplay, not to mention there's a great twist at the end (don't google it lol).

I have indeed played 9:05, but I think I missed the twist at the end, because I had no idea what I was doing. I guess I'll have to play it again. And it definitely took me longer than just 20 minutes :) I'll try out the Wizard Sniffer too.

Claesar wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 9:43 pm

I think I've played this stuff ten years ago and must restart it now.

Yes! Hurray :D

Do you want recommendations? I have 'em based on genre and style

Time to take a buffered analgesic and get back into it

BobMcBob wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 9:53 pm

e.m.c^42 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 1:57 pm

Speaking of Cadre, have you played 9:05? It's really simple, just 15 - 20 minutes of gameplay, not to mention there's a great twist at the end (don't google it lol).

I have indeed played 9:05, but I think I missed the twist at the end, because I had no idea what I was doing. I guess I'll have to play it again. And it definitely took me longer than just 20 minutes :) I'll try out the Wizard Sniffer too.

Go to work, then restart the game and look under the bed :)

but pretty important, don't do it until you finish the game entirely first

e.m.c^42 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 11:24 pm

BobMcBob wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 9:53 pm

e.m.c^42 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 1:57 pm

Speaking of Cadre, have you played 9:05? It's really simple, just 15 - 20 minutes of gameplay, not to mention there's a great twist at the end (don't google it lol).

I have indeed played 9:05, but I think I missed the twist at the end, because I had no idea what I was doing. I guess I'll have to play it again. And it definitely took me longer than just 20 minutes :) I'll try out the Wizard Sniffer too.

Go to work, then restart the game and look under the bed :)

but pretty important, don't do it until you finish the game entirely first

Took me a while to work out that I had to open the front door, not unlock it. Whoops. But that ending is... pretty good. Well, I finished the game now. Properly this time.

So is the focus purely on online stuff? There are still a healthy number of well thumbed Steve Jackson books that have survived in the bookcase since my misspent youth. Oh, and a few Knightmare books of the same style. They were great fun, full of riddles and the like. The online IF more often than not ended in me having heated disagreements with the computer over spelling.

e.m.c^42 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 10:45 pm

Claesar wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2019 9:43 pm

I think I've played this stuff ten years ago and must restart it now.

Yes! Hurray :D

Do you want recommendations? I have 'em based on genre and style

Recommend me an easy one.

I'll play for 15 minutes of any one that you recommend. If I'm hooked I'll keep playing.

Claesar wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:59 pm

Recommend me an easy one.

:D

So, assuming you don't remember much, (do google the basic commands/shortcuts beforehand, it helps);

Already named in-thread, 9:05 and Photopia are absolute classics. They're both pretty short in gameplay as well, and gives a decent understanding as to how more complicated ones might work. I suggest playing both of these before anything else.

From there on, one of my personal favorites is Eat Me (I'm fond of how Chandler Groover writes lol, but it might not be to your taste - you'll find out within the first 2 minutes of reading), and it's very easy since there's only command to use.

Assuming you like math/logic puzzles, A Beauty Cold and Austere, or Junior Arithmancer (one I'm playing right now) are both pretty heavily maths based (rather than story based), and simple enough to easily pick up as a newcomer.

Assuming you want narration, Violet. The writing's hilarious, and generally relatable if you've ever suffered from terrible procrastination.

I have much, much more to say, but it'll just overwhelm you lol

sorry

Squigs44 wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 26, 2019 9:12 pm

I'll play for 15 minutes of any one that you recommend. If I'm hooked I'll keep playing.

Oh god, that's a lot of responsibility lol

I'd say a lot of what was said in the post above to Claesar applies to you as well - the an introductory one to get a feel, then others.

I think you'd like Mike Spivey's works (A Beauty Cold and Austere/Junior Arithmancer), from how you like logic puzzles and the such - but the same recommendations I gave to him I give to you as well :D

(There's also All Things Devours, but it was such an utter mindfuck in terms of a large logic puzzle that I still haven't been able to play through without a walkthrough lol - but it's very, very satisfying in terms of a riddle. Also frustrating).

For quick 'n simple games, Aisle is a classic.

The other two mentioned games I recc as well (Lost Pig and The Wizard Sniffer).

Honestly most of these you can get a taste for in terms of writing within the first few paragraphs, and try for if you like it or not.

I've only been recc'ing in one genre lol, let's fix that

Personal favorites also include With Those We Love Alive (something that hit me rather hard), Hitchhiker's Guide, Spider and Web, and Warbler's Nest.

there's horror too, but everyone skews differently for those, so eh

Octavious wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 26, 2019 5:42 pm

So is the focus purely on online stuff? There are still a healthy number of well thumbed Steve Jackson books that have survived in the bookcase since my misspent youth. Oh, and a few Knightmare books of the same style. They were great fun, full of riddles and the like. The online IF more often than not ended in me having heated disagreements with the computer over spelling.

Kinda :D

I'm more familiar in terms of digital, since I never got into CYOA-styled books much. Not sure when (or what) you've played in the past, but the general parser has gotten a lot better in newer works :D (obviously, just the good ones though lol).