IF Gems
A selection of quotes from reviews of the annual Interactive Fiction competition (1995-2005), compiled by David Fisher.
IF GemsA selection of quotes from reviews of the annual Interactive Fiction competition (1995-2005), compiled by David Fisher. | |
1.1. Introductory Text
1.2. Instructions And Warnings
1.3. Feelies And Extra Files
1.4. Ending
1.5. Resolution
1.6. Easter Eggs And Other Extras
2.1. Puzzles In General
2.2. Elements Of Good Puzzles
2.3. Puzzle Difficulty
2.4. Multiple Solutions
2.5. Puzzle Positioning
2.6. Puzzles And Story
2.7. Optional Puzzles And Mini Games
2.8. Red Herrings
2.9. Unwinnable States
3.1. Direction And Clues
3.2. Aimlessness
3.3. Unclued Actions
3.4. Feedback
3.5. Repeated Actions
3.6. Unusual Commands
3.7. Teaching The Player
3.8. Hints
3.9. Hint Interfaces
3.10. Walkthroughs
4.1. Plot
4.2. Plot Twists
4.3. Originality
4.4. Telling The Right Story
4.5. Backstory
4.6. Focus
4.7. Point Of The Game
4.8. Non Story Games
5.1. Map Size
5.2. Split Locations
5.3. Familiarization With The Map
5.4. Opening Up The Map
5.5. Exits And Mapping
6.1. Structure
6.2. Pacing
6.3. Triggers
6.4. Consistency
6.5. Type Of Game
6.6. Text Dumps And Cut Scenes
6.7. Repetitive Activities
6.8. Waiting
6.9. Fun
6.10. Realism vs Fun
7.1. Inventory Limits
7.2. Hunger
7.3. Mazes
7.4. Darkness
7.5. Time Limits
7.6. Disabling Undo
7.7. Randomness
7.8. Scoring
7.9. Death
8.1. Writing In General
8.2. Setting The Mood
8.3. Overdone Writing
8.4. Conciseness
8.5. Show, Don’t Tell
8.6. Spelling And Grammar
8.7. Humor
8.8. Examples Of Humor
9.1. Descriptions In General
9.2. Inadequate Descriptions
9.3. Undescribed Objects
9.4. Changing Descriptions
9.5. Level Of Detail
9.6. Creativity In Descriptions
9.7. Being Specific
9.8. Atmospheric Messages
9.9. Location Names
10.1. Interactivity In General
10.2. The Illusion Of Freedom
10.3. Genuine Choices
10.4. Multiple Paths
10.5. Linearity
10.6. Disallowed Actions
10.7. Auto Pilot
10.8. Insufficient Information
11.1. Realism
11.2. Plausibility
11.3. Mimesis And Immersion
11.4. Player Engagement
11.5. Depth Of Implementation
11.6. Internal Consistency
11.7. Game Logic
12.1. PC Characterization
12.2. Out Of Character Actions
12.3. PC Motivation
12.4. Player And PC Knowledge
12.5. Point Of View
12.6. Multiple PCs
12.7. Meta Commentary
13.1. NPCs In General
13.2. NPCs As More Than Obstacles
13.3. NPC Characterization
13.4. NPC Behavior
13.5. NPC Responsiveness
13.6. Conversation With NPCs
13.7. Conversation Systems
14.1. Unrecognized Commands
14.2. Non Standard Commands
14.3. Default Messages
14.4. Berating The Player
14.5. Implicit Actions
14.6. Abbreviations
14.7. Disambiguation
14.8. Homebrew Parsers
15.1. Display
15.2. Sound And Graphics
15.3. Status Line
15.4. Command Prompt
16.1. Testing
16.2. Replayability
16.3. Unfinished Games
This document contains a collection of quotes about writing Interactive Fiction. They were gathered from reviews of games entered in the annual IF competition between 1995 and 2005. Attempts have been made to avoid “spoilers” in these quotes, except when describing certain unfair puzzles.
There are both positive and negative comments about these games. Sometimes the most useful lessons are about what not to do; if a game you have written is used in this way, don’t despair! It may have been the only negative comment in an otherwise praise-filled review, or it may just be the reviewer’s perception of a game that other people found enjoyable.
The reader may notice some contradictions between different reviewers about “what makes a good game.” The bottom line is, different people have different tastes, and it is never possible to please everyone. There are no fixed rules, only general principles of good IF design.
The majority of the quotations in this document are from Paul O’Brian, Mike Russo, Dan Shiovitz and Duncan Stevens. The other contributors, in alphabetical order, are: Jason Devlin, Jess Knoch, Michael Martin, Robert Menke, James Mitchelhill, Andrew Plotkin, Mike Roberts, Timofei Shatrov, Emily Short, Lucian Smith, Mike Snyder, David Welbourn, J. Robinson Wheeler, David Whyld and Jake Wildstrom.
Much thanks to all of you for permission to quote from your reviews, and for feedback on early drafts of this document. May future IF authors benefit from your reflections!
Reviews that do not appear on the reviewer’s home page may be found at:
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