best place to find new games?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

Are people currently writing *good* interactive fiction? Where can it
be found? Is there a Web site or magazine devoted to keeping up on it?
What platform is it for? Is the "z-machine" still popular? What are
some recent games you would recommend? (all I know is Infocom, and they
set a pretty high standard in my opinion). Any information appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[pj]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

Dan Shiovitz wrote:

> for cataloging games, there's Baf's Guide: http://wurb.com/if/ .....

I would recommend that you go back and play the top 2 or 3 games from
the last 4 or 5 years of the IF Comp if you want to see whether any
*good* interactive fiction is being written. If you go to Baf's page
(Dan's link), there is a link on the left for the comp at
http://wurb.com/if/award/1. All the comp games are listed there going
back to the start, with links to the downloadable game files.

PJ

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

Mad Scientist Jr wrote:
> Are people currently writing *good* interactive fiction?

Yes.

> Where can it be found?

The ifarchive http://www.ifarchive.org. Though the sites
http://www.wurb.com/if and http://www.ifratings.com are more user
friendly of you just want to browse for games.

> Is there a Web site or magazine devoted to keeping up on it?

XYZZY News http://www.xyzzynews.com and SPAG
http://www.sparkynet.com/spag/ are your best bets.

> What platform is it for? Is the "z-machine" still popular?

IF is mostly written in platform independent formats that can be played
on PC's, Macs, Unix/Linux, and other machines. The z-machine is
probably the most popular of these formats but TADS is also widely
used, as is Adrift which is developed for Windows only though other
interpreters now exist. See the FAQ for a fuller discussion or search
the archives of rec.arts.int-fiction using Google groups.

> What are some recent games you would recommend? (all I know is
Infocom, > and they set a pretty high standard in my opinion

Depends on what you like. Check the links above which can be searched
by genre, etc. I'll mention a few well recieved games from the last
couple of yeas and my favorites from earlier.

The Earth and Sky Trilogy by Paul O'Brian
The Dreamhold by Andrew Plotkin (and anything else he wrote I'm told)
City of Secrets by Emily Short (you might also enjoy her more puzzley
game Savoir Fare)
Rissorgimento Represso by Michael Coyne
Babel by Ian Finley
Return to Ditch Day by Michael J. Roberts
and lots more.

Cirk R. Bejnar

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

In article <1107384244.049991.211440@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
Mad Scientist Jr <usenet_daughter@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Are people currently writing *good* interactive fiction? Where can it
>be found? Is there a Web site or magazine devoted to keeping up on it?
>What platform is it for? Is the "z-machine" still popular? What are
>some recent games you would recommend? (all I know is Infocom, and they
>set a pretty high standard in my opinion). Any information appreciated.
>Thanks.

The main source for information about modern interactive fiction is
this newsgroup, not surprisingly. There are also newsletters (SPAG is
the best example: http://www.sparkynet.com/spag/), and websites (for
cataloging games, there's Baf's Guide: http://wurb.com/if/; for
getting a list of games the community considers good, there's the
scoreboard: http://www.carouselchain.com/if/statistics.php?limit=10&type=rate)

In general, I would suggest checking out an FAQ. There's a rather good
one at http://www.ifwiki.org/index.php/FAQ which has answers to most
of the questions you're asking.

--
Dan Shiovitz :: dbs@cs.wisc.edu :: http://www.drizzle.com/~dans
"He settled down to dictate a letter to the Consolidated Nailfile and
Eyebrow Tweezer Corporation of Scranton, Pa., which would make them
realize that life is stern and earnest and Nailfile and Eyebrow Tweezer
Corporations are not put in this world for pleasure alone." -PGW

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

Thanks so much, I will be taking all this in...

Dan Shiovitz wrote:
> The main source for information about modern interactive fiction is
> this newsgroup, not surprisingly. There are also newsletters (SPAG is
....

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

thank you for all the info and bringing me up to date!