2013-01-10 20:46:45

Hi everyone!
Great news for text adventure fans: Scott Adams will soon be releasing a new work of interactive fiction titled "The Inheritance" and based on the Old Testament. Yes, we're talking about the same Scott Adams who wrote Adventureland in 1978, thereby introducing text adventures to home computers and, with that, maybe starting off the entire computer gaming industry in the first place.
The game can be pre-ordered on the author's website, and there is a playable demo to which you get instant access when you pre-order. I don't want to spoil the fun by giving away any details about the contents of the demo, except to mention that I had a lot of fun playing it and that it works great with screen readers. In fact, it even has a screen reader accessible mode.
The game features a full-sentence parser, optional sound effects, and an interactive help system.
On the same website you can also download Windows versions of the classics which Scott Adams developed between 1978 and 1984, complete with hint sheets and walkthroughs, for free. I'd call it a treasure trove for retro gamers. You may also purchase Return To Pirate's Island 2, an old-school ppuzzle fest which was the first of Scott's games featuring sound effects and full-sentence parsing. I still haven't solved it due to lack of time, but from what I've seen so far it's a masterpiece.
Everything I mentioned here still runs on Windows 7 64 bit, so you don't need to worry about compatibility.
Happy adventuring,
EG

In the hands of a gamer, word becomes weapon, argument becomes shield, and life becomes a quest.

2013-01-11 03:55:49

thanks for the report, it's interesting that scot adams is still writing games, though myself I never particularly enjoyed addventureland or any of the other stuff of his I tried, ---- far too much guess the verb and random illogical puzzles for my liking.

Thanks for the note nonetheless.

One question, do the various games come in a zcode format or are they stand alone programs. All the old scot adams games on the If archive are Zcode I believe, but if he's using sfx in his newer games that might not be the case.

If the games are stand alone programs with sfx it's also likely they'll need some db pages if they're commercial the way malinche's titles do.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2013-01-11 08:37:30

The classic games come in a zip file containing an interpreter, the game files themselves, and a readme file detailing the package contents.
The new commercial games including sound effects come as stand-alone setups.
Greetings,
EG

In the hands of a gamer, word becomes weapon, argument becomes shield, and life becomes a quest.

2013-01-11 15:59:47

what is the actual game about? on the page for it not much info on its contents is given. are the ffects jsut mini clips as in old dos games like when you make a move you hear a sound or are they continuous background themes?

2013-01-11 16:33:48

the phrasing when type sentences is no good doesn't understand anything!!!! also is that all i can do in the mini demo get out of bed and take the clock? if so, very poor reasoning to order. also by default sounds i think are muted for blind players. a lot of jaws cursor work. with no info on what this game consists of in content who isg oing to buy it?