Now that you have read a lot of background on interactive fiction games, and watched some playthroughs, I'm asking you to sample different IF games, so that you can see how the form has developed. You are welcome to choose an IF focus for upcoming assignments, but this marks the formal end of our IF unit, so this would be a good time to demonstrate your ability to apply what you have learned so far in the course.
1) From this list, choose 3 text games to play for 10 minutes each, and write a single blog entry with your initial reactions.
- Pytho's Mask (conversation and character interaction)
- Lost Pig (exploration, puzzles, and humor)
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams adapted his comic SF novel to this form in the 80s... Very difficult and unfair, just like the world is to Arthur Dent) (The original game had no pictures, but the BBC had a competition for who could create an illustrated version.)
- Zork (better-known successor to Adventure, with a more powerful parser; puzzles, exploration, and combat, forming part of the DNA of current gaming)
- ELIZA (from 1966; not really a game, but a simulation of a therapist who listens patiently, asks guiding questions, and echoes back parts of what you type).
- Dreamhold ("a tutorial adventure" designed for IF novices)
- Fine Tuned (got some attention for its humor, its setting, and its main character (you're a goggle-wearing turn-of-the century daredevil motorist -- or you will be, once you get the hang of using the parking brake) (written by an author you may know)
- Everybody Dies (play through a scenario form multiple points of view, trying to prevent tragedies. Includes images to illustrate key moments, but you have to download a separate program to run this game... clear instructions are on the site.)
2) Spend another 20 minutes, either choosing one or two of the games you just sampled, or exploring the Interactive Fiction Database and finding any game that suits your taste.