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| 8 JAN 2003 at 2:18am |
AyaGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7277
Joined: 16 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Rael (8 JAN 2003 1:58am)
OK, Aya, at least I will be the first one that posts something meaningful here
meaningful yes, but so trite the first thing i thought was posting a "favorite" thread but i refrained from it thinking it will be done anyway!
Which (and why) is your favorite Infocom title? Only text-adventures allowed (dah!).
can't answer that because i haven't played enough infocom advs in order to pick a favorite... i'll read the other responses though to decide which to play next!
You have gotten the attention of the mysterious lady. She turns to face you. Her face is devoid of any flesh. You are frozen with horror as she begins ripping your body into a bloody mess.
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| 8 JAN 2003 at 3:49am |
Randy-JAJourneyman
Posts : 1351
Joined: 11 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Zork will always be my favorite, it may not be the best Infocom game, but it caputured my imagination and put pictures in my head.
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| 8 JAN 2003 at 5:04am |
BelindaSchattenjger
Posts : 2093
Joined: 21 OCT 2002
Status : Online | ok Rael......I might sound alittle dumb here.....but when you say 'text only' adventures, does that mean, you have to read what they are suppose to say, the characters don't talk at all? Like in the first of King's Quest?
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| 8 JAN 2003 at 8:51am |
MichalNGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7058
Joined: 14 SEP 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Belinda48 (8 JAN 2003 5:04am)
ok Rael......I might sound alittle dumb here.....but when you say 'text only' adventures, does that mean, you have to read what they are suppose to say, the characters don't talk at all? Like in the first of King's Quest?
I'm pretty sure by "text only" Rael means "no graphics". So King's Quest would not qualify.
I suppose a text adventure with voice overs might not be impossible, though I've never seen such a thing - anyone?
I forgot my sig.
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| 8 JAN 2003 at 12:27pm |
resonateIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 51
Joined: 18 NOV 2002
Status : Online | I'm partial to "Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It". Partially because it's entertaining and unique, and partially because it is so very verbal - I don't think the concept would work quite as well in any other medium.
As for the talking text adventure, I don't see why that sort of thing wouldn't be possible. At the very least, a text-to-speech engine could be used.
The downside to this is that they don't sound natural, and could be grating after a while. The advantages would be that it would be relatively inexpensive, the games needn't have any larger filesizes than they do now, and, if it were developed as a talking version if an existing interpreter, it could be used to enhance games that are already available.
Alternatively, unique voice recordings could be made for all of the text. Less flexible, but doubtless more pleasing to the ear.
I wonder, though. What would go on the screen? If you're hearing the text, do you need to see it? What else could go there? Swirly lights?
And, finally - what if you were to add voice recognition into the mix? (Is that even technically possible at this point?)
This week, I have been mostly playing
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| 8 JAN 2003 at 12:47pm |
Agustín CordesGuild Master
Posts : 5696
Joined: 23 OCT 2002
Location: AR, Buenos Aires
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Belinda48 (8 JAN 2003 5:04am)
ok Rael......I might sound alittle dumb here.....but when you say 'text only' adventures, does that mean, you have to read what they are suppose to say, the characters don't talk at all? Like in the first of King's Quest?
Well, Interactive Fiction games are heavily based on text, both in room descriptions and characters dialogues. King's Quest doesn't apply because it's more based on graphics.
I'm pretty sure by "text only" Rael means "no graphics". So King's Quest would not qualify.
Actually, what I meant is that there are some Infocom games which are graphic adventures (Return To Zork, Leather Goddesses Of Phobos 2). Since we are in an IF forum those aren't allowed
Also, some Infocom games have graphics but are IF like Arthur and Shogun.
I suppose a text adventure with voice overs might not be impossible, though I've never seen such a thing - anyone?
It would be very interesting but such a thing hasn't been done. Some late Infocom games had sound effects (The Lurking Horror) but I don't know of other text adventures with that same feature.
And, finally - what if you were to add voice recognition into the mix? (Is that even technically possible at this point?)
Now that is something very interesting too! Yes it's very possible and it would be absolutely radical.
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| 8 JAN 2003 at 6:23pm |
ElfstoneGuild Master
Posts : 5892
Joined: 4 NOV 2002
Status : Online | I never played any Infocom titles except all the Zork games and a bit of Planetfall. And Hitchhiker.
I played the IF available on IF archive. Titles by Plotkin, Nelson and other authors.
Anchorhead had the best story.
From the Infocom titles I played I would choose Zork. Zork 2 is equal.
I didn't like Hitchhiker very much. Obscure puzzles and I never read the novel. Shame on me.
[b]playing[/b]: Destination Treasure Island (done in two sittings, but it's nice), Syberia (ho-hum), Dracula: Last Sanctuary (on hold)&&[b]reading[/b]: even more study papers&&[b]listening to[/b]: [url=http://www.last.fm/user/Brax82/]this and that[/url], plus [url=http://www.musicovery.com/]Musicovery[/url]&&[b]TV favorites[/b]: (currently) Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Journeyman (cancelled! grrr...), Heroes&& all-time) 24, Stargate SG1, X-Files, Lost, House
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| 8 JAN 2003 at 10:43pm |
AyaGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7277
Joined: 16 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By MichalN (8 JAN 2003 8:50am)
I suppose a text adventure with voice overs might not be impossible, though I've never seen such a thing - anyone?
try the amiga versions of the early magnetic scrolls advs and turn the speech on! hilarious!
You have gotten the attention of the mysterious lady. She turns to face you. Her face is devoid of any flesh. You are frozen with horror as she begins ripping your body into a bloody mess.
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| 9 JAN 2003 at 9:51am |
resonateIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 51
Joined: 18 NOV 2002
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Aya_Brea (8 JAN 2003 10:42pm)
try the amiga versions of the early magnetic scrolls advs and turn the speech on! hilarious!
I just tried it. It's... bizarre.
Short, Shameful Confession: the phrase "Stephen Hawking's Bedtime Stories" kept echoing through my mind.
This week, I have been mostly playing
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| 9 JAN 2003 at 1:28pm |
AyaGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 7277
Joined: 16 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By resonate (9 JAN 2003 9:51am)
I just tried it. It's... bizarre.
yeah that's Amiga's built in speech synthesizer... when we first heard it in 1987 our jaws crashed on the floor!!! and if you messed with its parameters you could get a voice that sounded somehow normal (male, female, robotic)... but in the MS games it's on default which produces the result you heard! i wonder if there exists someone who could play the whole adventure with speech on! now that's someone i would call a HERO!
You have gotten the attention of the mysterious lady. She turns to face you. Her face is devoid of any flesh. You are frozen with horror as she begins ripping your body into a bloody mess.
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| 11 JAN 2003 at 8:05pm |
RpauPrivate Detective
Posts : 439
Joined: 15 NOV 2002
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Rael (8 JAN 2003 1:58am)
Which (and why) is your favorite Infocom title? Only text-adventures allowed (dah!).
Mmm, I would say "A mind forever voyaging". Why? Its main focus is in exploration. And what a world is offered to explore!! Puzzles are quite simple but very tied to the plot. Moreover, you can play from to perspectives: as an inmovile but omniscient (does his word exist in english?) machine and as a citizen of the virtual city you must explore. The end is quite good, too.
In my opinion, Zork has an important historical value since its the first Txt Adv, but I found quite boring. Nonetheless, the gameplay was great and set the general idea of how an txt adv must be.
“even the lover of the myth is in a sense a lover of wisdom, for the myth is composed of wonders”
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| 11 JAN 2003 at 8:11pm |
RpauPrivate Detective
Posts : 439
Joined: 15 NOV 2002
Status : Online | Originally Posted By resonate (8 JAN 2003 12:27pm)
I'm partial to "Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It"
I have never heard of this game. What is it about? ???
I find really interesting your idea of adding a speech engine to txt advs. The only drawback is that it would cost a lot of effort, both in money and time, to develop such engine and nowadays interactive fiction is being characteristically developed by amateurs teams.
“even the lover of the myth is in a sense a lover of wisdom, for the myth is composed of wonders”
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| 13 JAN 2003 at 8:07am |
resonateIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 51
Joined: 18 NOV 2002
Status : Online | Nord and Bert is one of their later releases, somewhere around the time of the Plus games (perhaps a bit later.. 1987 or 1988, IIRC). It's actually less story-oriented, and more focused on puzzles than most of the others.
The game is divided into several independent sub-sections, each presenting a scenario with puzzles based around a particular form of wordplay. For example, one is set in a supermarket, with the goal of dispatching a vampire (the cereal killer). In this part, the puzzles are based on homonyms, and are solved by transforming a found object into a needed one by supplying the correct word, then using the object.
The other sections are similar, but with different themes to the scenario and puzzles.
This week, I have been mostly playing
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| 15 JAN 2003 at 1:48am |
HowardSSpace Cadet
Posts : 103
Joined: 10 DEC 2002
Status : Online | I like so many of them it's difficult to pick just one. The first title that came to mind was "Beyond Zork". Excellent writing and puzzles.
Suspect was a good deal of fun. I also have some fondness for Cutthroats. So many titles... hard to pick just one!
Join the Text Adventure Game Renaissance! Visit http://www.malinche.net
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| 14 FEB 2003 at 2:47am |
MANTRA001Intergalactic Janitor
Posts : 8
Joined: 31 DEC 2002
Status : Online | My first adventure game and first game of any kind was DEADLINE played on a 64K (yes only 64 kilobytes) APPLE II e computer. The computer kept all the text compressed and read each portion off the floppy disc as needed. The puzzles were great , particularly the notepad puzzle. I am fond of this puzzle , because I solved it on my own without any help which made me feel good since the game was written by a top MIT student. The realism in the puzzles in this game got me hoked on adventure games. I did need the hint book to finish the game which had at least 25 different endings. I did not feel bad since they later listed this game as a level four or expert level game. This was their hardest group of games. My second favorite INFOCOM game was INFIDEL which I solved without any help, although it took me about 20 hours !! John
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| 14 FEB 2003 at 5:44pm |
Mr_OnionIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 3
Joined: 20 JAN 2003
Status : Online | Trinity is an excellent and often overlooked title. I've yet to find another adventure game, graphic or text, with the same immersiveness. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is another one of my favorites.
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| 16 FEB 2003 at 4:24am |
HowardSSpace Cadet
Posts : 103
Joined: 10 DEC 2002
Status : Online | I liked both those games too and I wonder why they didn't receive as much fanfare as the others.
The writing in Deadline was excellent; right from the introduction you really felt as though you were in a detective story from the period. The description of the clothing, using popular terms of the day such as "masher" and so on. I should go back and play that one.
I liked Suspect a bit more as far as mysteries go...
And Infidel was a great game. Good timing too with the popularity of Indiana Jones running high at the time.
Join the Text Adventure Game Renaissance! Visit http://www.malinche.net
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| 22 MAY 2003 at 6:25am |
ArrowIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 22
Joined: 26 APR 2003
Status : Online | If I had to pick just one I would say Zork, but I also like these others equally: Moonmist, Hitchhiker's Guide, and Planetfall
Gahedagowah & Gahagowa.
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| 24 MAY 2003 at 10:58pm |
RpauPrivate Detective
Posts : 439
Joined: 15 NOV 2002
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Arrow (22 MAY 2003 6:25am)
Moonmist
Is it good? I was in the point of playing it but read a couple of bad reviews... Were they mistaken?
“even the lover of the myth is in a sense a lover of wisdom, for the myth is composed of wonders”
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| 17 JUN 2003 at 11:28pm |
flinton35Space Cadet
Posts : 104
Joined: 16 MAR 2003
Status : Online | I really liked Cutthroughts. With Mcginty
Love adventures
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