Text Adventures

[RichardJames]

Re: Text Adventures

Regarding (IBM) PC text adventure games (many of which also existed on other platforms). The good news is many shareware/commercial text game authors have kindly now released their PC versions for free. For running freeware (and originals), I HIGHLY recommend downloading the ScummVM emulator ( http://www.scummvm.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ScummVM ) as ScummVM now runs many games very easily including for example Infocom's text adventure games as well as running the graphical based PC games of the early 1990's, e.g. Sam & Max. Concerning the later I have to say that I tried the DOS Version directly (again after years) and found that the game ran better under ScummVM than native DOS !

Many Infocom games are available as freeware (some are available to play online):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic...ces_of_Infocom

Apogee released a number of their text adventure games as freeware:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...re_video_games

http://www.grahamcluley.com/ has released his very British humor text adventure games Humbug, Jacaranda Jim as freeware, as well as an arcade game called Wibbling Wilf which can be downloaded from his site above.

For PC games are NOT supported by ScummVM I recommend DOSBox, however DOSBox requires some PC technical knowledge to use:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOSBox + http://www.dosbox.com/

See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ed_as_freeware
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...re_video_games

Note: For 1980's PC's games these are a bit harder on modern computers (but not impossible).

[Chameleon Factor]

Re: Text Adventures

>N

You can't go that way. There are doors E, S and W.

>W

You are dead. There were no floorboards in that room, and you were on the 75th floor. Try again Y/N?

[Sculpher]

Re: Text Adventures

Available for Frotz or similar here

[Richard1978]

Re: Text Adventures

I've heard before about The Ship Of Doom being banned.

[tonyfinster]

Re: Text Adventures

I use a speccy emulator these days as my tape collection started to wear out with age,
Happy days buying C15 cassesttes from WHSmiths and trying to get a tape to tape copy of Atic Atac for my school mates.
the one i use is called EmuZWin, it seems stable enough.

I used to like text adventures, there was one written with the Quill package centered around Dennis Thatcher, every 5 moves you had to enter "drink" or you would sober up and Maggie would turn up with an "icey glare".

There were a series of 4 published by Artic, commonly known as adventure A, B, C and D

or the proper names were

Planet of death (adventure A),
Inca Curse (Adventure B),
The ship of doom (adventure C) controversial and banned due to certain hidden adult content
Espionage island (adventure D)

All available as roms for the emulaters.

[Wil]

Re: Text Adventures

If you're really into your text adventures then this might be of interest - http://www.getlamp.com/ - a documentary all about them and their history. It's an independent production but the guy who's doing it really seems to be putting a lot of love into the project (it even comes with a metal coin 'feelie' as a nod to the stuff you'd get in the Infocom releases). Fairly pricey so only for the fans but looks cool.

[Elbmek]

Re: Text Adventures

oh so true. I have a game on my win 7 quad core and its like interactive tv. The better the graphics card the better obviously. I have become such an expert on it I answer online problems but its great fun and I can recall space invaders on my first computer in the Army in 1985, how times have changed!!!

[vanhelsing]

I thougth a Saitek Cyborg 12 button joystick/beer pump was bad but you know games these days (all these controls and how realistic the graphics looK)!!

Urban Upstart was by Terminal Software but I suggest looking it up on World of Spectrum.

[Paulos]

Re: Text Adventures

I had an adventure game writing program for my spectrum, but I only managed to get about 3 rooms linked together, before I got fed up with it and went back to playing Wheelie and Pyjarmarama!
I also had a Hulk adventure game which also used to get me incredibly annoyed because I could never get past a certain stage.

[Sculpher]

Re: Text Adventures

...until they finally release a ZX Spectrum emulator for the iPod Touch.

Well - the Commodore 64 emulator is out finally in the appstore - so a Speccy one can't be far behind.... anybody?

[Sculpher]

Re: Text Adventures

It's a real winner - oh the hours of my youth that I will relive on my 'Touch. Hooooray for nostalgia!

[Secret lemonade drinker]

Re: Text Adventures

I just got my iPod Touch AND the Frotz app is FREE at the moment! Yaaaay!

You're in for a treat - I'm playing it a lot at work. Covertly, of course...

It'll keep me busy until they finally release a ZX Spectrum emulator for the iPod Touch.

[Sculpher]

Re: Text Adventures

I just got my iPod Touch AND the Frotz app is FREE at the moment! Yaaaay!

[Secret lemonade drinker]

Re: Text Adventures

It really depends on what mobile you have...

If you have an iPod Touch/iPhone, then Frotz is available via the App Store; which is then open to download all manner of IF games. The touch keyboard is a bit cumbersome, but nothing beats a good text adventure when off for a 15 minute skine in the toilets at work.

Which I would never do, naturally. Ever. Purely hypothetical.

[branny]

Re: Text Adventures

I can only ever remember playing two on my spectrum. Both by the same software house (can't remember which one). One was called Invincible Island, never finished it, kept getting caught by a tribe of cannibals and ended up on the menu. The other was called urban upstart where you are a stranger in a place called Scarsdale and I either ended up in prison or a hospital bed after clashing with a local football hooligan.

These days I have a 360 but get grunts of displeasure from the Wife whenever I go near it.