Just curious as to where one would go if they would like their game tested as it is progressing?
Not so much typo's but the playability. I have what I think a nice start to a game. Its all laid out on paper, just punching it into the quest engine. currently 2 rooms over 18 objects and 4 hidden ones, its more of the old fasion use- items -to -make- things- work- to -progress -through type. Each room has been (almost) meticulously run though and designed (with each new idea, I learn new features of this engine and its power - its great!!) - it take about a day and a half of writing each room. so it's by no means one of those put together in a minute quest. Even I, as I'm writing it, have to save often due to the amount of steps in the game (yes even with just two rooms, it'll keep ya busy), just so I don't have to go back through it all again to test out my new puzzles.

So if there is a place - Lemme know

Generally just post a request on the forums and hopefully someone will help out. I'm far too busy, or I would do it.

This is the right place.

nice.
ok. nervous - but excited.

you can either get it :here:
In about a day.. I should have the online beta test working. Alex was nice enough to let me test it out. Soon as I get it up and running I'll post it here.
in the mean time someone can check to see if it works here - ONce this is up and working.. it will give authors another site to post their games.


just 3 rooms. (finished one today) Im trying to incorporate. The story line is huge, can't give away the ending, but suffice it to know, its not what you think. My main challange is the combat system. so there is a mini one here. But I think I am on the right track.. I'll tinker with it some more.

Couple things to note:
[list]
[*]There WILL be some grammatical error, since I am currently trying to put this from paper to QUEST. So am working on the "mechanics" of it first, and the poor story/grammar layout second.[/*:m]
[*]Looking to see if the game play has a flow - like you are actually moving in a direction.[/*:m][/list:u]

Riki

thank you in advance to those that take a peek at it.

Welcome to the forum.

I haven't downloaded or looked at your game so don't take this as a negative remark towards. Seeing that your download is a .cas file just popped this question in my head (again). I think it was discussed before.
I don't see the positive side of creating .cas files. As been the history of game making in the archives, most of the games cannot be completed due to errors in the way the games are made where the author had a good idea or intention, it was not beta-tested properly and cannot be finished.
People like me sometimes get into the focused-gotta-finish-this-somehow frame of mind where I like to open the .asl file and figure what the author's intent was and either solve the puzzle how the author wanted it done (where most of those are impossible to figure out because it makes no sense or the special command is incorrectly spelled and the player would have no way of figuring out the misspelled command) or simply making a little change or two so I can finish the game giving myself the satisfaction and sense of completion of even the most pitiful of games. haha
If one of these fudged error-filled games are uploaded as a .cas file, the player gives up in anger and rage and deletes it using the "delete NOW" key on their special keyboard. It has come to pass that when I look in the archive and download a game, if it is a .cas file, I almost change my mind about playing it because of past experience.
Anyway, like I said, it really has nothing to do with the quality of your game, rscorpio. It appears you have a good bit of knowledge in this area so I look forward to trying out what you have done already.

Does anyone else have similar thoughts regarding this or am I the only disgruntled person who DOESN'T think .cas files are the best thing since sliced bread?

Steve: Download "uncas.pl" from the IF archive, and a Perl installation.

No offense taken steve
Thats out of pure habit. being a software designer, as well as webpage creator, the idea of releasing source code to the general public (not actual - :in-your-source-code-helpers) being a game OR any application, has always been frowned upon (you notice that there is no source code running round for QUEST while it was being tested so users can look at it and make corrections - or is there?)

People like me sometimes get into the focused-gotta-finish-this-somehow frame of mind where I like to open the .asl file and figure what the author's intent was and either solve the puzzle how the author wanted it done

I was that way with the ZORK series.


anyways I am sorry to say I did not read any debates(?) regarding asl vs cas file(s) releases, nor was I aware that this was an important issue when it came to testing the playability of a game. Although I am a FAR CRY from a game designer, I believe that even the smallest of them do not release their source code to the public when they are having them tested, after all, according to alex in his tutorial:

25.2 Creating the Game Package
When your game is finally finished, make sure you turn off the debug windows from the Game setup screen – you don‟t want players to be able to cheat that easily, do you? The next step is to convert your game into a CAS file, if you have Quest Pro. If you choose the option to include pictures and sounds within the file, the only file you then need to distribute is the CAS file it creates.

So as you can see, my intent was innocent. put up a piece of the game, have them test it (so they can't look at the answers) and if it doesn't work, report the bug.
However, here is the link for the ASL file if that helps.

Again none taken. Just like text adventures, I didn't anticipate this verb: "use asl"


ps, FREAK you are not promoting reverse engineering are you?

steve the gaming guy wrote:Does anyone else have similar thoughts regarding this or am I the only disgruntled person who DOESN'T think .cas files are the best thing since sliced bread?

By .cas files, I take it you mean games whose code is somehow encrypted/protected to prevent people looking at it? If so, I don't see a problem with that kind of thing. If an author has spent the time to write a game and test it properly and come up with a wonderful array of cunning puzzles, the last thing they want is someone peeking at the code the first time they get stuck.

On the other hand, the majority of Quest games that I've played are generally so buggy and poorly conceived that the only way to finish them is to cheat and peek at the code, so I can certainly see your point.

But if an author does a good enough job of eliminating guess the verb problems, includes hints for if people become stuck and tries to make everything fairly logical, I don't see any reason not to protect your game in this way.

rscorpio64 wrote:No offense taken steve
Thats out of pure habit. being a software designer, as well as webpage creator, the idea of releasing source code to the general public (not actual - :in-your-source-code-helpers) being a game OR any application, has always been frowned upon (you notice that there is no source code running round for QUEST while it was being tested so users can look at it and make corrections - or is there?)

Quest is a game creation software that you pay for. The games made by it for fun and non profit are free and can be made by anyone who can press a mouse button. I would not expect Quest to be open source.

davidw wrote:On the other hand, the majority of Quest games that I've played are generally so buggy and poorly conceived that the only way to finish them is to cheat and peek at the code, so I can certainly see your point.

EXACTLY my point. That's really the only reason I have a problem with it. It is because the majority of authors have buggy games... myself included. Every game author has a bug here and there but because of the serious buggy games being dished out, the .cas files drive me nuts.

rscorpio, I'll take a look at yours when I get a chance...

Reverse-engineering? uncas.pl was created entirely using clean-room methods. It wasn't that difficult; CAS isn't that good as an obfuscated format or as a compiled format.

true, which is the purpose of the CAS file. I am aware of its limitations on the "encryption" factor, but it does deter those who just give up without even trying from looking at it. I like to believe that when I write a puzzle, that I give enough hints (sometimes too many) that this should not be an issue. Thats why I chose this software - the hard part is done, all I have to due is plug in my quest (I was originally, last year, writing a DOS engine (pascal then switched to VBDOS) to do just what QUEST does, but I found myself spending more time on the engine than my game sigh - so glad I found this).

Speaking of - isn't this topic of ASL vs CAS getting a little out of hand? I think that if someone post ".. i have a couple rooms done, would like someone the check to see how it looks so far" would be a hint enough that the game is not complete, and the author is looking for some feed back as to whether s/he is on the right track. Whether they release an ASL or CAS file is purely rhetorical. The mere fact that the game is buggy just from those 2,3 or 5 rooms is information enough to report back to the author that "... ok here are a couple bugs we found, and here is our suggestion" NOT as to whether the author want to show the answers to the testers or not. And if the author is stumped, then they have the option of releasing the ASL file to maybe one or two people that would be happy to help find the bugs, or give them suggestions on a better way to write the routine.

c'mon guys - lets work together.

<raises hand> I derailed this thread... sorry. I saw something that sparked my attention and I commented on it and replies went from there. I'm done.

Finished game: (cept maybe a few gramaticals which i'm still dealing with) Need final testing. I've played it so many times I can no longer see is from a players point of view. Need some Ideas to add to "fill it in".

The Haunted Mansion based off a 1983 version of the same called Haunted House. Numerous changes and Ideas. Thanks to quest, I can pull off some neat tricks with it. See what you think.

Download version here

Boasting over 60+ rooms numerous tricks, traps and puzzle as well as treasures to collect. You must enter the mansion to retrieve 8 lost treasures in order for the heir to restore the mansion back to its original splendor.

rscorpio64 wrote:the idea of releasing source code to the general public ... any application, has always been frowned upon (you notice that there is no source code running round for QUEST while it was being tested so users can look at it and make corrections - or is there?)

I would love if there was, it'd make it SO much easier to make a cross-platform player, fix some bugs, etc.
I'm a little too FOSS lately

Personally I don't mind if someone want's to cheat - infact, I have cheated many a time on several graphical games, and find them MORE enjoyable since I don't have to bother with the tiny facts of "you need to collect this item and that item to get the super-dooper-key which gives you infinite ammo" etc, and only rarely on infinite health.
It allows me to actually concentrate more on the story than on the nitty-gritty.

Why do you think authors usually post a walk-through for their games, so that you can win easily (at least, from the amount I've seen it, I've guessed it's 'usually').

Having played it briefly:

- The game is big and empty. A significant fraction of the rooms have nothing in them.
- Grammatical errors abound.
- There are lots of cases where repeating an action gives an inappropriate response.
- Saved games are seriously bugged. (Save game, light candle, restore)
- I put the batteries in the vacuum, but I got the "You forgot the batteries" message.

I'm curious what "neat tricks" you managed to pull, because nothing about the game impressed me.

Hi thanks for the quick test

Freak wrote:Having played it briefly:

- The game is big and empty. A significant fraction of the rooms have nothing in them.

"significant fraction"??? is that kinda like "jumbo shrimp"? oxymoron?
LOL!!
I figured as much for that.. I'll stock more and see if i can flavor it up. Some of it was thrown in for "filler" and "atmosphere" so if that didn't come across, I'll have to redo.

- Grammatical errors abound.

I knew that one

- There are lots of cases where repeating an action gives an inappropriate response.

thats what i was looking for. can you give an example?

- Saved games are seriously bugged. (Save game, light candle, restore)
- I put the batteries in the vacuum, but I got the "You forgot the batteries" message.

I might redo that one. I used the drag and drop and never got an error. what command were you using "put"? "use"?

I'm curious what "neat tricks" you managed to pull, because nothing about the game impressed me.

Hmmm good question. I'll rework some of those - if you have to ask, I didn't do it right

Anywyas.. thanks for looking.
>running back to the drawing board

ps
any kudo's for first complete game made with QUEST?

pss
anyone else?
hate to think the game was a total flop (groan)

The big repeatable action: Take golden candlestick then drop it. Eight times. Then clap twice.

Drop scroll, take scroll. (Attacked by bats again.)

Drop shovel then take it again.

Climb tree, west, east, west.

Get key, south, drop key, north, wait a few turns, south

"Examine ring" mentions six pieces of treasure

Get rope, drop rope, get rope.



Is there a point to the boat? It allows the player to leave, but the player can clap out.
Another bug: "Climb rope" before taking it.

THAAAAANNNKK U!!!!
oh that is so helpful.

Thats what happens when you play your own game so much you start forgeting about the obvious. LOL
Good input...

ps
the reason I'm able to do this so fast is because of a massive surgery that makes it so i can only lay down. and i'm out for a month!!!. So this is very stimulating (I got bored of wow. ) But I do like the fact the Text Adv havent faded away.

Again, what were those "neat things" you were trying to do?
It's possible I noticed them, but they are no longer considered special, or are even considered old fashioned.

well, maybe they were neat to me. I must have written this game a dozen times in different languages (basic(all versions from tandy to qbasic), pascal, Php, javascript) and with QUEST's "drag/drop" feature, I thought it gave a nice feel when it came to things like putting batteries in the vacuum (which btw I revamps that and all the "quirks" you found - thank you for catching those) - like you were actually doing something. But most if it was that the "trigger" effects were easier to deal with. hmmm, the more I think about it, I think the "neat stuff" fell into the programming department and not the game play. [ scratches head ].
I was hoping the game gave a feeling of "big" with the yard, mansion cliff and even the marsh. I wanted the explore effect outside, with the "action" happening inside. Although I failed miserably, I was attempting to mix spooky with humor (kind of like the "Young Frankenstein).
But that was a big undertaking using a different method of making a adv (uses a 8x8 grid). I'll try something smaller and see if I can get a bigger "effect"

Go to http://wurb.com/if/award/1 and play the high-rated entries from each year.

rscorpio64 wrote:

- Saved games are seriously bugged. (Save game, light candle, restore)
- I put the batteries in the vacuum, but I got the "You forgot the batteries" message.

I might redo that one. I used the drag and drop and never got an error. what command were you using "put"? "use"?

I would look at what the game is automatically doing when you drag and drop. What command is the drag and drop giving your game? I think it's "use". Either way, consider allowing the player to use both options and then some. "Use batteries on vacuum", "put batteries in vacuum", "use vacuum on batteries", "install batteries", "use batteries" (with both these last two commands, if player has the vacuum, he will automatically install the batteries)...
You get where I'm going.... options options options

I put the batteries in the vacuum okay, but when I tried to use them on the ghost, I got that message.