InsideADRIFT ISSN 1743-0577
1
Issue 18 August 2004
Contents
News and announcements.
1. Main news
(
New (and
improved.) newsletter; ADRIFT4.0
release 44 arrives; jAsea no longer
being developed
)
1. Competition news
(
Summer Minicomp; Game of the
Year Competition; 3 Hour Game
Competition; Annual IF Comp IF Art
Comp; Intro Comp
)
4. Forum news.
Regular features
2. Editorial
3. Drifters birthdays
4. Events diary
5. IF shorts
5. Drifters Toolbox: MiniMinder
8. ADRIFT recent releases
5. Interview: KF quizzed by Mystery
10. InsideADRIFT merchandise
Articles
6.
The (big) idea by KF
:
Walkthroughs just make the player
lazy!
8. 3-hour game comp report
7. Getting wirelessly connected
9. Gamebooks as interactive fiction
by DavidW
9.
Failed game intro: ..
Reviews
13. “The Big Sleaze (For Sinclair
Spectrum) reviewed by DavidW
Reference
16. Manual: Variables
Issue Details: 18 (Aug 04)
Issue 19 due out 11 Sep 04
News and announcements
ADRIFT 4.0 release 44 arrives
The mythical release 44 of ADRIFT 4.0, mentioned as being out soon
two issues ago, arrived on 10 July, after what seemed an eternity of
testing. It brings a few, mostly minor changes, but most importantly a
raft of fixes for some of those annoying bugs that have troubled some.
An early problem did appear with the map popping up in front of the
runner window when an adventure started up. As always there is no
way that a limited number of testers, however diligent, can test
everything. Once the masses get their hands on things any bugs will
quickly surface.
jAsea no longer being developed
Sadly Mark J. Tilford (ralphmerridew), the developer of the JAVA
ADRIFT Runner clone, has decided to end development. I would like to
register the thanks of the community for his work, which resulted his
receiving the unanimous vote for the Most Innovative Drifter Award at
the InsideADRIFT Awards last January.
The note placed on the jAsea development site on SourceForge.net
reads:
jAsea (jAsea's ADRIFT Style Execution Application) was an
open-source Java program to run ADRIFT games. jASEA is
no longer being developed; it has been replaced by Simon
Baldwin's splinter project SCARE.
http://www.geocities.com/legion_if/scare.html
It is always disappointing when such a valuable project runs it’s course,
and we have been very lucky to have people prepared to develop
software for free. Such projects help to persuade the rest of the IF
world that ADRIFT should be taken seriously by reducing the scope for
claims that ADRIFT is Windows only, although that still applies to
authoring of games.
InsideADRIFT Issue 17 July 2004
2
Editorial
Wow, doesn‘t seem a
year since I was noting
the end of the first year
of the newsletter. This
issue marks the end of
the second volume and I
suppose that should
bring a little look back
and forward
I think I have largely
managed the things I
planned for in issue 10,
by way of the regular
schedule for publishing,
interviews from wider IF
community, and
continued input from
Drifters.
KF
Contact
Send any suggestions,
requests or comments
about the newsletter to:
editor@insideadrift.org.uk
Find the newsletter at:
http://www.insideadrift.org.uk/
InsideADRIFT merchandise
You can now purchase
an exciting InsideADRIFT
mug, if you so desire. It
has been updated with
the new logo.
The store is really not
fully operational, if you
are interested look at
www.cafepress.com/insideadrift
More details can be
found on page 10.
New (and improved.) newsletter
With talk of revamping the main ADRIFT site going the rounds on the
forum I decided that the newsletter, and it’s recently remodelled forum
site, could do with a facelift too.
This scheme is designed to be lighter on the eye, with dark
backgrounds replaced by rules. I think it is easier on the eye, but what
do you think. You can give your views on the normal ADRIFT forum or
go to
www.insideadrift.org.uk
The InsideADRIFT site is gradually evolving with static content pages,
being branded InsideADRIFT Extra, adding the extra information that
backs up the community.
Of course all of this counts for nothing if it isn‘t used. So far
registrations on the forum have been a great
disappointment. Probably should have asked Campbell to
give his server a tweak to force people to find somewhere
else for discussions. (Sort of joking œ honest!)
Not saying you have to register there, just that it means I
know people are interested.
Competition news roundup
The Three-Hour Game Competition
The results, posted by Woodfish on the
ADRIFT Forum
were as
follows:
1st Place: Briefcase by Woodfish
2nd Place: Jailbreak Bob by David Whyld
3rd Place: Zombie Cow by Amber Rollins-Walker
4. Lost Souls by Mel S
5. Amulet by Daniel Hielbert
6. Shadrick's Travels by Mystery
7. Annihilation of Think.com by Adam Dundas
Congratulations to everyone who took part for all their efforts,
and to all who voted without whom there wouldn't be a result.
There are some reviews posted on the Forum.
InsideADRIFT Issue 17 July 2004
3
Drifters birthdays
August 2004
2 schoolsinger (20)
4 outsider (17)
5 gigabyteman (35)
8 Lena1975 (29)
15 Coolkid (16)
18 rocksockm (27)
21 Bacchus (36) malleus
maleficarum (31)
22 Minicomp
23 Woodfish (16) Damien (18)
White Divine (20) Mick ey Crocker
(20)
26 Starstream (59)
27 re_volvo (31) Filthy Bill (33)
September 2004
1 Astridian (21)
4 RansomDchs (47) cewilson (45)
Lailokken (48)
5 Campbell (28)
10 Lycaon (21) brucehum (33)
11 Rabbinical College of Cordova
(61)
13 Chaos (19)
17 Mystery (32)
20 ondre (26)
24 Jacqueline (21)
27 MadTom (18)
28 kolya (27)
29 phazonstorm (12)
InsideADRIFT Summer Minicomp 2004
The competition is now approaching fast. In the time limited competition
the game must be written during the period 15-22 August 2004. To
ensure compliance there will be required first and completion line for
the game, as well as a compulsory object to be announced on 15
August 2004.
In the other two sections, the build a better maze event and the games
limited to 10 rooms, authors can write them in advance, so are
hopefully working hard as I write this.
For more information go to
http://www.insideadrift.org.uk/comp_sum_04
InsideADRIFT Game of the Year Competition 2004
The event at the end of the year to showcase the best of the past years
games, and any new games people want to release, will once again
take place over the Christmas/New Year period.
I have posted up the rules for the event on the InsideADRIFT site, if you
see anything you think is wrong and I may change it. Please check it
sooner rather than later as I will not change the rules once we are into
September.
Wider IF community events
2004 Interactive Fiction Competition
The huge annual event is now drawing near, with entries in
by late September, though you need to have expressed an
interest in entering by the start of that month. A number of
drifters have expressed their intention of entering, but
actually getting the game ready and in is the hard part.
There was a rather odd argument that developed on the
RAIF newsgroup when one prospective IFComp author took
it upon himself to launch a one man assault on the
previously unreleased rule. He allegedly wanted to enter half
a dozen games, but had previously made them available to
download. Seemed more like someone who wanted to put
on a show, and be seen to cause a stir.
IntroComp judging underway
Since the 18
th
of July judging of the seven IntroComp
entries has been taking place, and is due to end on the
same day as this newsletter appears.
InsideADRIFT Issue 17 July 2004
4
Events Diary
22 - 29, August 2004
The InsideADRIFT Summer
Minicomp in August. Entries in
22 Aug, judging ending 29 Aug.
September 01, 2004 2004
Interactive Fiction Competition
You must have signed up to say
that you intend to enter by
today.
September 11, 2004
InsideADRIFT 19 Sep/Oct 2004
due out
The September/October issue
of the newsletter should be
available today.
September 30, 2004 2004
Annual Interactive Fiction
Competition
Entries must be in by today.
October 01, 2004 2004
Interactive Fiction Competition
Entries released for judging
(ends 15 Nov. 04)
October 30, 2004
InsideADRIFT 20 November
2004 due out
The November issue of the
ADRIFT newlsetter should be
available today
November 15, 2004 2004
Interactive Fiction Competition
Judging ends today. Results
announced when organiser has
worked them out.
November 27, 2004
InsideADRIFT 21 due out
The December issue of the
ADRIFT newsletter should be
available today.
December 19, 2004
Spring Thing revival proposed and announced
On RAIF there has been a proposal that the Spring Thing, an
IF competition that ran a few years ago should be revived.
One of the main differences from the Annual IF Comp is that
there is no two hour game playing limit for judges. This is
facilitated by limiting the number of accepted entries to
twenty.
The idea was greeted with a thread that has exceeded a
hundred posts, with input being generally favourable.
The competitions rules are now posted up and everything is
set for take off.
Forum news
Much more lively this month, with quite a bit of discussion
over the main ADRIFT website. NickyDude was putting
forward the possibility of a facelift for the pages, and this
time Campbell agreed that he wouldn‘t be against an update
to the look of the site to modernise it. Campbell has now
said (19
th
July):
Just so you know, I've started working on the 'new' ADRIFT
site. Once finished, it will have:
o Member Logins, for uploading, reviews etc
o Full database back-end
o Quick-links into Forum
o Quick-links to top adventures
o Search Site facility
o News
o Sitemap
o Hopefully a much more professional look
Following my article in the last issue on the feasibility of an
ADRIFT collaboration project DavidW instigated a thread
which discussed the idea further, considered possible
genre‘s and decided to try to have another go at a joint
venture. Good luck to those making the attempt, I am still
far from convinced as to how it will fare in what tends to be
a fairly solitary community.
InsideADRIFT Issue 17 July 2004
5
December 19, 2004
InsideADRIFT Game of the
Year Competition 2004
Entries for the Game of the Year
(formerly "End of Year")
Competition must be in by
1500hrs GMT today. Jusging
will take place over the next two
weeks.
This event is open to any
ADRIFT games released during
2004 as well as any newly
written games.
December 24, 2004
InsideADRIFT Review of the
Year 2004 due out
Hopefully the special end of
year issue of the ADRIFT
newsletter should be available
today.
IF Shorts
Little snippets of IF trivia
On XYZZY news there is a
small poll “In Honor of
IntroComp... Have you ever
started to code a new
adventure game but never
finished it.” It is not
surprisingly running heavily in
favour of yes, but only by
about eight to one. From
personal experience I would
have expected even more yes
votes.
If you want to have your say,
go to
http://www.xyzzynews.com/
and vote (it’s top right as you
look at it)
Drifters toolbox
MiniMinder
This is one of those neat little applications that can be a real boon to
the busy organiser. It is simply a small window that pops up when you
log in and displays whatever events you add to it.
As you can see from the above you can set the period of days that you
want to be reminded of the event, and MiniMinder will count down the
days to go.
An important thing about this program is that you can set reminders for
things like the second Monday of every month etc, which makes a
useful addition rather than just having to set the day.
For more details go to
http://www.vellosoft.com/miniminder/index.html
Guess we all run out of thoughts, I have had fun with the
Drifters Toolbox tossing in bits of software that I think might
be of use to you. This month I thought I had nothing useful,
then found MiniMinder, but it is becoming difficult.
If you can think of a piece of freeware/shareware software
you have found useful, please make a suggestion (review it
yourself if you like).
Interview: KF questioned by Mystery
In a change for me, Mystery quizzes me on current matters,
most particularly the competitions that I organise.
(Q)
Before I start, on behalf of the ADRIFT community, and myself I
want to thank you for playing such a big role in within the community.
Taking over the newsletter was a huge responsibility that you have
done magnificently at. You are also very productive in holding
competitions for ADRIFT users, and without you, it wouldn’t be as much
fun. I think that is a good place to begin
.
(A)
Er, thanks. I only do it because I enjoy doing that sort of stuff.
InsideADRIFT Issue 17 July 2004
6
The (big) idea by KF
Walkthroughs just make the
player lazy!
This is a view put forward by
Mystery. She feels that
walkthroughs make it too easy
for the player to look at the
solution provided rather than
try to work it out.
While I have some sympathy
with this view, and am
probably as guilty as anyone
of reaching for the walkthrough
to quickly, I do feel they
provide a valuable service to
the player. The way I see it,
there is little point in writing a
game if no one will play it, so
the player must be considered.
If you have a tricky puzzle
early on, the player might
never get past it to look at all
the rest that you put into the
game. Much better that they
give in, and look at the solution
you provide, rather than just
give in and decide your game
is unplayable.
A decent game will have been
play tested by more than just
the author but that still doesn’t
mean all the bugs will be gone,
and all possible command
variations covered.
As a way of meeting Mystery’s
concerns the rules for all of my
future competitions will still
insist on a walkthrough, but it
will only be supplied to the
player on request to me or the
author. Of course, if hints are
well implemented, there will be
less of a need to consult a
walkthrough.
(Q)
The InsideADRIFT Summer of 2004 Competition is just around the
corner, and you’ve switched things about a bit from past competitions.
This year, you have decided to essentially have three competitions is
one, so to speak. Why did you decide to break away from the traditional
set up that you have used in the past.
(A)
Just hoped it would spark people’s interest, and having the different
formats would allow more to have a go and enter.
(Q)
One of the categories in the competition is a 10-room game. Do
you feel that having size limits for such competitions offers the author a
challenge more than it would otherwise.
(A)
I have to admit I like this sort of limitation as I think it means that the
author cannot get carried away with making a sprawling game area. It
encourages them to make sure that each location counts and isn’t just
padding. I can imagine some would think it was a major restriction, but I
often think that it is a nice size for a game. In many ways it is there just
to remind the author that this is a minicomp.
(Q)
The maze competition is one that has drawn some attention since
your announcement of the competition. The majority of people find
mazes annoying and quite frustrating to design. There is really no need
to explain why. If you have ever played a game with a maze in it, you
have likely felt the frustration of navigation first hand. So what made
you decide to integrate a maze into the competition.
(A)
I think I had just been on RAIF and seen a criticism of a games
inclusion of a maze. It just made me wonder if people just have a
certain expectation of what a maze is. So I then thought, on the
mousetrap line, of a build a better maze game competition. In many
ways that turns the old idea of it is a text adventure so I’d better add a
maze on it’s head.
Another factor was that, as I had decided the competition would be in
sections, if no one wanted to do the maze game that was no great loss
but if you did enter the section would reward you if yours were the best
maze game.
(Q)
Following the path for something new this year, you have decided
on a timed competition, of sorts, with the details to be announced a
week before the competition begins. What made you decide to hold
this sort of event in the first place.
(A)
Personally, I find the nature of the one-hour comps just too fast for
an old timer like me, and also was so open to a certain amount of
flexibility in the timing. I am not saying that people stretched their hour,
just that their interpretation of what work counted might have been
different.
This made me want to make a timed competition that had to include an
element that was only known at the start of the authoring period. That
said my intention is to make the required elements flexible enough to
InsideADRIFT Issue 17 July 2004
7
Getting connected
Wirelessly online
My best addition this month
has been a bit of hardware
rather than software, and it
probably wouldn’t be of use to
many of you, only those with
more than one computer that
you want connected via
broadband to the Internet (and
each other).
I have just taken delivery of a
NETGEAR Wireless ADSL
Firewall Router, and a very
impressive bit of kit it is. In
under half an hour my desktop
machine was wired into the
box and my laptop was
downloading virus updates via
a wireless link. Having a
proper hardware firewall
between my machines and the
Internet gives an extra feeling
of security. Up until now my
efforts at connecting my
computers had failed, so in
terms of simplicity I cannot
recommend this too highly.
work in most genres.
(Q)
This is the slow time of year for ADRIFT, on the Forum anyway,
were you worried at all about participation. And did you feel that
having three in one would encourage more to enter. Were you at all
concerned that having three in one would produce shorter, perhaps
lesser quality pieces.
(A)
When I first held a Summer Minicomp, in August 2001, my idea was
that it was something for those of us not involved in the mammoth
event that is the annual IF Comp. That was the first competition I had
run and had just 2 entries, being won by Heal Butcher’s “Silk Noil”. That
was a time before I had rules on minimum numbers of entries; the next
2 attempts had a total of one entry.
Participation levels are often a matter of timing, which is why I try to
announce well in advance. I hope that people will be inspired to enter at
least one section, I really simply aimed to move away from a one size
fits all competition and to allow authors more choice to pick something
that fits in with their authoring style.
I can see why there might be a concern over the quality of entries, but
would feel that two out of three sections allow the author plenty of time
to work on their games.
(Q)
I have seen some of your work first hand, and find your stories quite
imaginative. When can we expect to see more of your work.
(A)
Thanks, I do hope to produce something sometime, maybe,
perhaps! Trouble is I have an idea and rush into it, then work out that I
have an idea but no plot, and no idea of how it ends. That said I have
from time to time gone down the planning route too, and haven’t
finished those either.
(Q)
You seem to start many projects with wonderful ideas, but nothing
ever comes of it. Have you ever considered writing something more
linear, since there is also an audience that prefers linear IF.
(A)
I think that many of my projects to veer off down the linear route,
but they still go the same way into the dustbin of what might have been.
In many ways my taste in IF is more down the linear path as well
“Unraveling God” being a particular favourite of mine.
(Q)
The Annual IF Competition is just around the bend. Do you have
any advice that you could share with anyone who is interested in either
taking part in the competition or being a judge.
(A)
I would first say think very carefully before entering this contest,
particularly if it is your first piece of IF. The event is such a big part of
the interactive fiction year, and probably accounts for the majority of full
game releases in a year, but you should be very confident about the
quality of your game to enter. The big number one rule must be to get
your game properly tested, this is relatively straightforward and the
results will make your game better, which must be good.
InsideADRIFT Issue 17 July 2004
8
ADRIFT recent
releases
I hope this brief listing
helps drifters spot
anything they have
previously missed. In
the end it is only of any
use if something is
produced to list.
The Three-Hour Game
Competition (3hr_comp.zip 85
Kb) By Various, released 05-
07-04
This judging pack contains all
seven entries to the competition,
with a judging form and various
walkthroughs. Update: the
competition was won by Woodfish
with "Briefcase".
From the Demos Page
Demo of emotions
(emotionsv3.taf 1 Kb) By
Chuck Smith, released 20-07-04
This is a very simple demo of how
an actor's actions (hitting an old
man vs giving him a sandwich)
can affect his appearance when
examining him. Also included is a
simple "ask him about life"
conversation to show how his
response to kindness or cruely
will affect whether he responds or
not. Be sure to extract the ALR
file to see how it's set up. If you
know of a better way of doing this,
let me know.
Sword concealed in cane
(swordincane.taf 0 Kb) By
Mystery, released 15-07-04
This demonstrates a sword
concealed within a cane. It uses a
task to draw the sword.
Anyone with an interest in IF should be encouraged to be a judge in the
competition as they will see what is happening in current writing. By
doing so you will be contributing to the wider community, something
that we drifters need to do. While judging though you need to try and
keep a balance and vote on merit, not just bump up any ADRIFT
entries. I know some
