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Post by johnno56 on May 2, 2020 7:14:53 GMT -6
Well, that's what they call it these days, "Interactive Fiction", but when we were younger they were called text adventures.
I have always been fascinated by these programs even to the point of searching through old computer magazines and firing up whatever Basic was at hand then spend the next few days keying in what seemed to be "War and Peace" and then be presented with, "Syntax error on line such and such"... Finally after much editing the game ran. The storyline unfolded. Commenced the quest... killed off... game over... Great fun. The game was pure text but relied on the best graphics... Imagination.
Those days, pretty much all of the listings, where in Basic... You know, the type that has line numbers, gotos, gosubs, on error etc... Spaghetti-basic, I think it was nicknamed...
I've tried the newer I.F. programs like Inform7, Sqiffy, Tads and Twine etc... Which are all great. Coded using a more 'natural' speaking language. Most with audio / visuals as well. These are a much better method than the old Basic-style games. Apples and Oranges. But, I always return to Basic... Oh, much harder to code and debug, but knowing that all the effort was 'you' and not as a result of some 'intelligent' engine... Compared to the others, the game you made in Basic was crud, but it's something that 'you' have made.
One of my oldest goals was to code an adventure game, but other things always seem to creep in, steal the lime-light and the goal gets pushed further and further away...
I still have some research to do for my Asterocks game, then once 'that' is 'out of the way', I think I will finally start a text adventure... It won't be a Zork or Dungeons and Dragons but it will be mine...
Who else has some long forgotten project that they would like to attempt?
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Post by n00b on May 2, 2020 7:49:09 GMT -6
I actually still call those games text adventure games. I played the one of phantasy star text adventures on a sega emulator with the fan translation patch. But I was never able to play the old school text adventures that were just pure text. When I was a kid, long before I ever touched a computer, I had a Nintendo. Once I got a taste of those sweet 8-bit graphics I became to spoiled to enjoy a game of pure text. And I never really got to experience "Spaghetti" basic. My first BASIC was QBasic on windows 95. However, I do know a few people who still enjoy playing those games. There is a youtuber I am subscribed to who made a text adventure for one of the previous Ludum Dare's. He made a video documenting the whole thing. Here is the link: Power MT. As for a long forgotten project I would like to attempt, I want to make an RPG. I played a lot of RPG's growing up, both action and turn-based. I have stuff I am currently working on that I want to finish before I start a new project that will probably go nowhere. Still, I am always excited to see what you will come out with next so I will definitely play your IF and give you some feedback.
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Post by johnno56 on May 2, 2020 8:46:51 GMT -6
1981 saw my first introduction to Basic. This was a kit computer that I built (not 'this' one... mine died - another story) back in '81. Basic (a form of TinyBasic) came on cassette or Eprom. Pure text; 16 lines of 32 characters; Uppercase; 16K ram (up to 48k); No sound; 300 baud rate to/from cassette; Oh. The case was an extra $50. The keyboard keys were soldered directly onto the motherboard. But, if you had nerves of steel, the keyboard could be removed (hand-saw) and a flat ribbon cable would join the the now two boards... Yikes! That was my first adventure into basic. Every machine that I have had since either came with basic or I would install it. (Windows and or Linux - No Mac. Could't afford Mac. Mac is evil...) Had an Amstrad CPC464 for about 4 years. Locomotive basic. (1984) then Windows machines up to 2005. QBasic. Linux (2005 +) sdlbasic and rcbasic... I have also installed a swag of emulators for some old machines that I still "tinker" with now and again. Mainly for nostalgia... At times I miss the "line numbers"... lol I had considered an RPG's, but that involved multiple characters and attributes and stuff, way over my head... and still is... lol Here is a link to the last of the UK magazines called "Proteus". This was the closest we ever got to RPG's. I had thought about doing a conversion of one of these, but think about it, was about as far as I got. I have all 20 issues if you need any. If you can use this, fine. If not, I won't be offended... I'll just take you off my xmas list!!! Nah... Who am I kidding... I have no xmas list... lol... Use it or lose it. The choice is yours. Enjoy. www.dropbox.com/s/h8twnfa9vyinawf/Proteus_20.pdf?dl=0It's getting up towards 1am and I need all the beauty sleep I can get... Have great day...
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