zippdementia's Blue Lacuna review

I wanted to play this game a lot and want to play it even more now. Looking forward to your interview with him too.

Not much else to say, other than that I will, however, be playing it on a PC.

Yeah, if you like IF games already, you shouldn't miss this one. It might not let you "take world" but it does some very cool things with the medium. Aaron Reed is swiftly becoming the spokesperson for the IF community... what little community exists. Not that there aren't a lot of IF writers out there, but they don't communicate with each other yet...

Ok, I finally read this. I have to say, this is very descriptive and well-written. If it really has no graphics and is a text adventure like Zork or some such (I assume that that's what the IF genre is), then this really shows just how strong your imagination really is.

I can't say that this would be a game that I'd want to play... mostly because I'm just not completely used to the whole IF grenre. But it does definitely sound compelling.

It also sounds like one of those games that'll really make you think. Why can't you have both love and art? To me, both are connected in a way. A very interesting point is being made with the concept of this game, then; it's cool that it actually works as well as you say.

I'm also impressed that games without graphics can still make it in the market. Just because of the current state of demand and technology. Not that I'm saying the game is worse for not having them. In fact, not having them is more commendable than anything because it means the developers have to excel at what makes games the most important rather than relying on some cheap trick to fool the consumer. It's just cool that the concept still appeals to people, and not just fans of the old text adventures of the 80s / 90s, or whenever they came out.

Thanks for reading. I think the concept appeals because it has developed since those early days. It's no longer just silly dungeon romps with some confusing puzzles (well, for the most part). A game like Blue Lacuna is more like fiction that you read next to the author, asking them questions and having them steer the story based on how you want to hear it. It does bring up some interesting questions, too, philosophically without being overbearing.

Something I have realised recently is there are people in IF who are embarrassed about its past. They almost don't want random passers by to see or be reminded of a Scott Adams game, etc.

I don't like this attitude, but I've also learned it's not like there's any kind of consensus amongst all the people interested in IF. If you want to consider the opposite position, visit Classic Adventure Game Solutions (CASA) where you will find a community of folks who would rather play any old game than any new one.

Perhaps it's because there's the current quest to recommercialise IF (or 'monetise' it, to use the more vomity parlance constantly thrown at musicians like myself) that some exponents feel the need to draw strong lines between old and new. 'Hey, you wouldn't pay for those past games anymore, so here's something that is clearly not them (and therefore that you might pay for.)'

I.F. author Andrew Plotkin has just raised 18k+ dollars in about a week when he proposed folks pay him to get out of his dayjob and work fulltime on a brand new IF game for the iphone. And to also develop a platform by which future IF games could be delivered to handheld devices. A very impressive feat.

Sorry, I may have come off as seeming like I don't appreciate Zork, Adventure, Hitchhiker's Guide, or The Hobbit. But that's not really true. I love those games. But they've been made already. I wouldn't try to make a BETTER Zork.

I think the community appreciates them, too. All you have to do to see this is browse the inform forums or read Aaron Reed's book. Or anything by Andrew Plotkin or Emily Short.

All I'm saying is that IF has survived by constantly adapting to try new things that other games can't, mostly because big companies can't take the risk while with IF it's just some guy in his parent's basement (or upstairs, in my case).

No worries Zipp, I wasn't actually saying you are one of the aforementioned people, or intending to say that :) My intent was to say that I only recently learned that this embarrassment exists at all, and I learned this from those forums you just told me to visit, and associated blogs... Yes! I am already there, lurking in the shadows the past couple of months.

I don't think Infocom games have lost anyone's respect. (They remain gold standard for many.) It tends to be games that are either sparse in delivery, or have simpler parsers or aggro puzzles or a certain quality of unfairness, or no real story (the way Space Invaders doesn't have a story) or all of these together. I find the odd IFfer who really sniffs at these older games, in a way that for instance I don't think an action gamer would sniff at Space Invaders. I think it's because action games are a big concern for gamers now, but IF is not. But again, it's not a community you can generalise. All I'm really saying is - there are individuals in the community who have this bias.

Just from reading some of the IF 2010 comp feedback, it's pretty clear there are factions in the IF community. I've actually seen the "Scott Adams style puzzles" comment myself, used in a derogatory manner. Personally I enjoy "find the object and figure out how to use it" puzzles, although I do see the appeal in a "guided story" approach, as well.

My IF game will be an oldschool sword-and-sorcery tale. Or maybe that's just a trap to lure people into a false sense of comfort. I'm afraid I can't share the title just yet -- it would reveal too much!

//Zig

Here are some game ideas I have in development. Tell me if I stole yours.

- The Train That Couldn't Stop!

- Random Time Disappearing Man

- Cocksure McSwaggerington (he is the best spy)

- Earring Girl and her magic earrings