21 replies to this topic

[DemonoidTentacle]

A while ago I started writing out a text adventure (interactive fiction) reminiscent of the old Zork, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and such. I've done this entirely on paper.

Lots and lots of sheets of paper. It's quite the epic.

Anyway, it's almost time for me to program it onto a platform. I don't have too much programming experience, just a little bit of C about 8 years ago. Anyway, I'm trying to decide on what classic home computer I'd like to release it for. I'd like it to be something popular, that can handle large text games. I am very partial to the Commodore 64, as I had one growing up.

Any suggestions on the coding, and what system you would like to see a homebrew text adventure with a good physical release?

I should note that this is a project that I am really going to take my time with, and you shouldn't be expecting anything within the next couple of months.

[JamesD]

I'd use one of the interactive fiction tools on the net rather than writing everything from scratch.
Then any machine with a reader could play it.
You might try here:
http://www.ifarchive...if-archive.html
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/if/
http://inform7.com/
http://www.firthworks.com/roger/cloak/

Edited by JamesD, Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:20 PM.

[JamesD]

BTW, there are several tools for writing adventures on older machines. What machine(s) did you have in mind.

[DemonoidTentacle]

JamesD, on Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:25 PM, said:

BTW, there are several tools for writing adventures on older machines. What machine(s) did you have in mind.

The only one I really had in mind was the C64, purely for nostalgic reasons. But I'm open to suggestions on other platforms if enough people wanted that over the C64.

EDIT: I've also had the Atari XE in the back of my mind.

Edited by DemonoidTentacle, Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:43 PM.

[JamesD]

http://devwebcl.atar...uill/quill.html
http://en.wikipedia....venture_Creator

Edited by JamesD, Fri Dec 23, 2011 12:15 AM.

[The Usotsuki]

If you use Inform that gives you the C64, original PC and just about any recent box...

[scotty]

AGT - Adventure Game Toolkit is old, but GREAT program.

[high voltage]

Spinnaker Adventure Creator for C64 also good

Edited by high voltage, Sun Jan 1, 2012 9:18 AM.

[BassGuitari]

How about TRS-80 Color Computer, TRS-80 MC-10, TRS-80 Model 2, or Timex/Sinclair 1000?

[RJ]

I dont know why I recall this so clearly but Jack Hardy's "Adventures With The Atari" is a great reference guidebook. I made a couple good (IMHO) disk-based text/graphic adventure games using it.


EDIT: Amazon has a used copy for $4.

Edited by RJ, Mon Jan 9, 2012 8:16 AM.

[Inky]

About 5 years ago I was creating a kick ass text adventure engine using Visual Basic and an Access97 database. But I have since lost all my work. A shame since it was shaping up nicely.

[Chris Leach]

I programmed a couple games for C64 back in the day with non moving graphics above the text of the adventures!

Not too hard to do, but if you could do moving graphics..that would make your adventure really come to life!

[DemonoidTentacle]

Just to let everyone know, I've chosen the C64 as the machine for the adventure. I rummaged around my shed, and found my two poorly boxed c64's. One with a busted keyboard and covered with rat piss, and one with no output and covered with rat piss. Took them apart, and made one working c64 covered with rat piss. Works a treat!

[JamesD]

DemonoidTentacle, on Mon Jan 16, 2012 6:17 AM, said:

Just to let everyone know, I've chosen the C64 as the machine for the adventure. I rummaged around my shed, and found my two poorly boxed c64's. One with a busted keyboard and covered with rat piss, and one with no output and covered with rat piss. Took them apart, and made one working c64 covered with rat piss. Works a treat!

Do you suppose the rats are trying to tell you something?

[scotty]

Why not just use a C64 emulator on the PC? Better keyboard, faster load time, and you have all the resources of a modern PC to aid in the development.

[Arkhan]

scotty, on Wed Feb 22, 2012 8:43 AM, said:

Why not just use a C64 emulator on the PC? Better keyboard, faster load time, and you have all the resources of a modern PC to aid in the development.

Where's the fun in that? lol

[scotty]

Arkhan, on Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:43 PM, said:

scotty, on Wed Feb 22, 2012 8:43 AM, said:

Why not just use a C64 emulator on the PC? Better keyboard, faster load time, and you have all the resources of a modern PC to aid in the development.

Where's the fun in that? lol

6502 Cross assembler. YEAH BOY!! You do not think most professionals developed on the real machine back ion the day, do you? Test, yes. Develop..... Nope.

[Arkhan]

scotty, on Wed Feb 22, 2012 11:06 PM, said:

6502 Cross assembler. YEAH BOY!! You do not think most professionals developed on the real machine back ion the day, do you? Test, yes. Develop..... Nope.

A great deal of them did in fact develop on the actual machines. Especially in say, 1983/4. What exact purpose would cross developing accomplish? A cross assembler/compiler for an Apple II back then wouldn't really do much of anything. Do you really think Richard Garriot sat with TWO machines to develop Ultima? no. he didn't.

christ.

[tyranthraxus]

Well of course the many bedroom programmers of that era like Garriot just programmed on the computer available to them. But professional companies like Infocom would not program on the actual home computers of the time. Infocom had custom software to write the games on then created an interpreter that would work on the various computers and that allowed them to quickly get their software onto as many computers as possible.

In reflection, it was a pretty good system for that company and was a lot like how silent movies could easily be sold to foreign markets by a simple change of the inter-titles.

[Arkhan]

tyranthraxus, on Fri Feb 24, 2012 12:09 AM, said:

Well of course the many bedroom programmers of that era like Garriot just programmed on the computer available to them. But professional companies like Infocom would not program on the actual home computers of the time. Infocom had custom software to write the games on then created an interpreter that would work on the various computers and that allowed them to quickly get their software onto as many computers as possible.

In reflection, it was a pretty good system for that company and was a lot like how silent movies could easily be sold to foreign markets by a simple change of the inter-titles.

right, but not ALL of them were doing that sort of thing...

[TEXAS_JOE]

I can add something to this, I remember reading Zzapp 64 magazine back in about 1990, and there was an ongoing article covering a small software firm called Thalamus, whom where working on a game called Creatures.

They released it on the Commodore 64. The machine they were developing it on was in fact a Commodore C128. The relevance here is that back then when PC's were'nt quite as universal as they are now, developers and small game writers tended to write on very similar hardware to what they tested it on.

Imagine that though, about 1980 / 1981, when the Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81 was kicking around, having to develop games on those systems. Rampack wobble ahoy!!!

[Arkhan]

TEXAS_JOE, on Fri Mar 2, 2012 5:34 PM, said:

I can add something to this, I remember reading Zzapp 64 magazine back in about 1990, and there was an ongoing article covering a small software firm called Thalamus, whom where working on a game called Creatures.

They released it on the Commodore 64. The machine they were developing it on was in fact a Commodore C128. The relevance here is that back then when PC's were'nt quite as universal as they are now, developers and small game writers tended to write on very similar hardware to what they tested it on.

Imagine that though, about 1980 / 1981, when the Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81 was kicking around, having to develop games on those systems. Rampack wobble ahoy!!!

Word.

Some of the best games were made on the native machines.

Carmack and Romero made very impressive Apple ][ games ON the Apple ][.

Heck, he made better mazes than the crew at OSI. That's how he got a job there.