§ Overview
§ 1. Preparing To Play
§ 2. Commands
§ 3. How To Play
§ 4. Writing IF
Also known as “text adventure games,” Interactive Fiction (or IF) had a brief commercial heyday from the late 1970s to the early 90s, but is generally free these days. IF usually consists of pure text, but a few games include graphics and sound as well.
The basic idea is that the game describes where you are and what you can see, such as:
You are in a verdant field, full of blue and yellow flowers.
— and you respond by typing a command like this:
look at flowers
The game might then respond with:
Which do you mean, the blue flowers or the yellow flowers?
and so on.
There is a very comprehensive introduction here, including an annotated transcript of the beginning of a game called Earth and Sky. This is part of a longer essay about the history of IF.
Here is a smaller example, just in case that is a bit overwhelming ...
Words in blue are entered the player.
"So, we meet at last! Guard, leave us."
The guard leaves to the north.
>
There is a door to the west, and a passageway to the north.
>
Nashur looks at you malevolently.
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Nashur scribbles some notes on a clipboard.
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Nashur mutters something to himself.
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There is a blue pen in his breast pocket, which is leaking all over
his shirt.
>
Nashur looks down in surprise, and says, "Oh, for goodness' sake!" He turns towards
the north passage and yells, "Guard! Fetch some water. Right now!"
>
Nashur turns and notices the accelerator in your hands, a look of horror
on his face ...
Laboratory
The guard dumps you unceremoniously before Nashur,
who grins malevolently. He puts aside a small shiny object
and points a scrawny finger in your direction.
All kinds of bizarre equipment is scattered over a large table
in the middle of the room. There is a low shelf along the wall,
on which is a small shiny object.
It looks like a silver sphere with several small buttons on
one side. It's hard to tell, but it might be some kind of weapon.
Nashur steps forward to stop you. "Hands off my cyclotomic
accelerator!"
"What's a cyclotomic accelerator?" you ask. "Who told you about
the cyclotomic accelerator? Oh, I did. Wait, I'm the one asking
the questions!"
You are carrying nothing.
You can't, since the door is in the way.
The door is locked.
You cannot go that way.
You take a step towards the passageway, but Nashur says, "Hold it right there!
I'm not finished with you yet."
With surprising agility, Nashur dodges your attack. "Now where did that get you?"
he says angrily.
You need to find a way to distract Nashur's attention.
The table is covered with clutter. You can't identify any of the objects
on it; it's as if an explosion has scattered them everywhere.
Nashur is a tall, thin scientist type, with frizzy white hair and glasses.
He is holding a clipboard covered with mathematical symbols and diagrams.
"Your pen is leaking", you say.
You grab the cyclotomic accelerator from the shelf. It has three buttons,
a red one, a blue one and a green one. It seems to be vibrating slightly.
Next: Preparing to play IF.