50 Years of Text Games: 1980: MUD

https://if50.substack.com/p/1980-mud

I need this one! :0)

From Oregon Trail to AI dungeon and everything..

The Incredible kicking #kickstarter
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aaronareed/50-years-of-text-games

Some of you got it?

A short video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxBXSMHI7ZI

Happy Anniversary, Evennia!!

Evennia is a modern text-based game engine that helps you create your own #MUD games for free.

Learn more in this interview with Griatch, one of the main developers behind the project:
https://writing-games.com/evennia-a-modern-way-to-create-mus/

Firing up #Inform7 on my #Mac to write another #interactiveFiction #game. Getting stuck into the prologue. This will be a much bigger game than I've written before, including 7 main sections in the #code. It is going to take some time. So best get on with it sooner rather than later! Excited to be back #coding. There's something magical about using this #declarative / #naturalLanguage / #objectOriented #programming language and IDE. #GameDev #IndieGame #TextGames #Parser #TextAdventure #Inform

Huh, I was wrong. #Harlowe does support custom macros now. This is going to make my life so much easier.

Brainstorming a new IF game (IFComp 2025 maybe?) and came up with 10 very rough ideas. One calls out to me the most strongly, but I may also include elements of another five. That should be enough for getting on with! Much to do, but excited. As with the last one I want to get the bulk of the design in place before coding. Many months of slowly musing over ideas to come. #InteractiveFiction #IFComp #GameDev #IndieGame #IndieGames #TextGames #CreativeWriting #Game

It's the last day (until 23:59 Eastern Standard Time on 1st August 2024) to submit an intent to enter a new #interactiveFiction #game in #IFComp 2024. If you want to enter this year, don't miss out! You can't register after today. Your final finished game is due by 28th August, and the competition is open for judging in September. https://ifcomp.org #IFComp2024 #IndieGame #IndieGames #GameDev #TextGames

Reminder to any fellow #interactiveFiction authors planning to enter #IFComp this year: you must submit an intent to enter no later than 1st August. Game files then due 28th August. Everything is running a month earlier this year. Don't leave it too late if you want to enter. Good luck! https://ifcomp.org #TextAdventure #GameDev #IndieGames #TextGames #IFComp2024

Musing my next #interactiveFiction game, as I get near to the end of preparing my latest #game to go into #IFComp 2024. I've various other IF #games in long development, but fancy trying another shorter game, working out the #design in detail beforehand, then coding it up. Which worked well this time. And I had such fun working on this game I want to follow it with another project. #IndieGames #GameDev #TextAdventure #TextGames #CreativeWriting #IFComp2024 #GameDesign

#FlashbackFriday "Almost Goodbye" (2012) was an experiment in minimalist text generation, taking a mostly human-authored story of a generation ship astronaut's final night on Earth and varying small incidental and pacing sentences based on context from past player choices. #procgen #textgames #interactivefiction
https://buff.ly/3VYmlAd
More details on what happens behind the scenes in this paper: https://buff.ly/3Weywdu

I'm entering a new #interactiveFiction #textAdventure #game in #IFComp next month. Have had huge help from some wonderful playtesters, helping me smooth the playing experience. Today my husband is playtesting for me. I am very nervous! He's played IF games since the 1990s, but erm yup. I'm currently avoiding the study where he is. His initial hiccup was getting an interpreter to work well on his #Linux, but happily now using Lectrote. Eek! #IFComp2024 #IndieGames #GameDev #TextGames #Playtesting

I have just registered to enter IFComp 2024. Eek! Still to add cover art (I'm doing it) and obviously the final game file. But very excited. I will have the entry ready by mid August, after the current final round of playtesting. https://ifcomp.org #InteractiveFiction #IFComp #TextAdventure #GameDev #IndieGames #TextGames #IFComp2024 #Playtesting #CoverArt

Sending out my IFComp 2024 game for its final round of playtesting. Scary and exciting at the same time! #IFComp #IFComp2024 #InteractiveFiction #TextAdventure #TextGames #IndieGames #GameDev #Playtesting #Coding

Tonight’s supper #reading material. And hugely relieved that past me stuck postit notes in years ago at just the sections I need right now for polishing my latest #interactiveFiction #game! #textAdventure #GameDev #TextGames #IndieGames #IFComp #games #coding #Inform #books #Bookstodon

From Infocom to 80 Days: An oral history of text games and interactive fiction https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/from-infocom-to-80-days-an-oral-history-of-text-games-and-interactive-fiction/ #interactiveFiction #textAdventure #Games #Infocom #Inform #Twine #TextGames #GameDev #IndieGames #ComputingHistory #RetroGaming #VintageComputing #CYOA

"You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building."

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/from-infocom-to-80-days-an-oral-history-of-text-games-and-interactive-fiction/

Happy 33rd Birthday, StickMUD!!!

For those who don't know: StickMUD is a text-based, medieval fantasy adventuring game you can play online with friends for free!

It's run by a pretty cool dude who cares about #accessibility and is always looking for ways to improve the game. Helpful Discord and lots of events, too.

You can check it out for yourself at stickmud.com

Retired engineer discovers 55-year-old bug in Lunar Lander computer game code https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/retired-engineer-discovers-55-year-old-bug-in-lunar-lander-computer-game-code/ #Games #RetroGaming #ComputerGames #VintageComputing #RetroComputing #Computing #ComputingHistory #TextGames #LunarLander #Space #SpaceGames #Physics

If you ever played interactive fiction or muds, what was frustrating about your experience? For example too much to type, too long intro, overwhelming map, because you could go in 14 different directions in one location, etc. Any story, positive or negative experience is very much appreciated if you share.

I am currently working on a design to modernize interactive fiction in a way that it still remains faithful to the classics (think of Zork, Wishbringer, great games from the 2000s like The Best Man, etc). Please boost for more reach. #InteractiveFiction #IF #TextGames #design

More #IFComp #interactiveFiction #game development, going through my playtester reports and transcripts, noting in a big Word document everything I need to improve/smooth this month. So I can work through and tick things off. It's lovely reading the transcripts, seeing how people played my new game. #GameDev #IndieGames #TextAdventure #Coding #IFComp2024 #TextGames