October 15, 2008 Archives

We will discuss some of the conventions of interactive fiction, with an eye towards understanding what's happening to the commands you type.

As our examples today, we'll play Adventure as a class, and you'll have time to play 9:05 on your own.

First, print out these instructions for playing interactive fiction games (also known as "text adventures").

In pairs, choose 3 of the 5 interactive fiction texts. 

Find a partner on your own -- you're welcome to use this space to help you stay in touch. Just agree, with your partner, what games you plan to play. You don't need to be in the same room to play them, though it might be helpful.

Start by sampling (or at least reading about) the games mentioned on this page. http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3168303 Play each for 15 minutes, and then spend at least another hour playing whichever game(s) you wish.

1. Lost Pig
2. Ecydisis
3. Tales of the Traveling Swordsman
4. Galatea
5. Photopia
   

If you'd like some more choices than that, I suggest

• Shade
• Slouching Toward Bedlam

Not in the same class, but possibly of interest because you may know the author.

• Fine Tuned: An Auto-Mated Romance

Come to class ready to talk about your experience. Friday's assignment will ask you to present your reactions in the form of a website. You're welcome to blog your responses so you can use them for the next portfolio assignment, but you can also just save them and put them on the web site for Friday.