Moderator note (22 Jan 2017): The site is NOT shutting down. Please avoid posting any further replies to this thread.
I'm just creating this because it's a serious enough issue.
None of this is good news.
Free forums are pretty good these days, so at least the community can remain, but that's the least of the problems.
hegemonkhan
We can continue to use it and make games with it, and share quest and our games with others (if that's okay with Alex and co, of course).
But can we? As far as I understand .quest games can only be hosted on the quest website, and without the emulator the games won't play online anyway, losing a massive market in those who don't have Quest installed.
What's more the deadline of February is practically round the corner. I'd be very surprised if he finds anyone.
The best we can hope for is that he releases a html/JavaScript version with the Q6 update before then, but I can't see that happening either if he's had enough.
I've been planning a new game since finishing the parser edition of Cryonix, but my enthusiasm for it has plummeted in light of this announcement.
definately really bad news for those who can't download it, I didn't want to aggreviate everyone with being more despressed/worried by restating this for those who can't download quest...
hegemonkhan
definately really bad news for those who can't download it, I didn't want to aggreviate everyone with being more despressed/worried by restating this for those who can't download quest...
This might sound harsh but that's not my concern. My concern is not having anywhere to host my games. What use is the fact that we can still make them if we can't host them anywhere?
Anonynn
Link to the conversation : / ?
It was announced on his blog.
https://blog.textadventures.co.uk/2016/12/07/looking-for-a-new-owner-for-textadventures-co-uk-and-quest/
You can still host the downloaded version of your games by using MEGA or whatever other file sharer you use. :)
I am with OurJud. The loss of hosting would have a big impact on Quest. Yes, people will still be able to download, but suddenly you are restricted to Windows users, and at that, Windows users with the Quest software. Just look at the stats for any game, and appoximately ten times as many plays as downloads (that is not a fair comparison I know, but it suggests far more play on-line than download).
Then there is how people will find your games. This web site is very popular, and that gets it a high ranking of Google, which keeps it popular. A new site not offering online games will not have that, and I suspect even the number of downloads will ultimately suffer.
The Pixie: I don't suppose you could take over maintaining Quest itself? You seem to know a lot about it. And what would it take to make a portable Quest interpreter? ADRIFT was Windows-only too until the runner was duplicated on other operating systems.
I've reached out to Alex and I'm hoping to hear from him soon. I'm not sure what I'll be able to do specifically, but at the very least I'd like to find a way to take over running the website. I don't have the programming chops to continue development of Quest itself or make any modifications to the current player and stuff. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up or anything, but if I can find a viable way to do it, I'm willing to step up.
I would be more than happy to maintain the code that runs on the game engine, but I do not know anything about the underlying code in C#. I would be prepared to look, but would not be able to promise anything (I am not a coder by trade). Pertex and possibly Jay might be better (though Jay has not been around for some time), if willing. So I guess I would volunteer if there is no one better.
However, I would be reluctant to take on running this site, which could cost £30-35/month. No reason it has to be the same person, of course. Issues with supporting the web player and the forum means there is overlap - though not in areas where I have competence. Does anyone know what language the forum is written in? Does it use a web framework?
I am not sure what the issues are with porting to other platforms, but using C# is probably one (though should not be insurmountable). Finding someone technically competent with those systems would be the big issue. I do not have a Mac, so cannot try to port to Mac. Has anyone tried running Quest using an emulator?
I haven't used Quest in years and don't tend to play many Quest games, but it's still pretty sad when something like this happens.
Is it just me or is the announcement really sudden? Admittedly I haven't spent much time on the Quest forum since it changed to the new format, but this seems to have come right out of the blue and two months seems a very short time period to find someone with the necessary coding skills and time and willingness to take over running both Quest and the website. It also seems strange there hasn't been an official announcement about it on the forum, just a blog post which most people probably didn't even see.
I thought that too at first, but then I think it is understandable - apart from no post on the forums; that is bizarre.
I am sure Alex wants Quest to continue. With the announcement, we have entered a time of uncertainty, and just that uncertainty is potentially bad; it will put off people developing new games, and drive people to other system. That uncertainty needs to be resolved quickly, and so there is only a short couple of months from first announcement to the deadline.
I am just hoping Alex will be willing to help make any handover as smooth as possible!
Pertex and possibly Jay might be better
Sorry, I don't have the knowledge nor time to work on the Quest-engine.
The proposal of Jay is a good one, but like said he's not around any more.
I too am mystified by the absence of any forum notification from Alex, not to mention the suddenness of it all. In fact news of this first came in a thread about the future of Quest and the development of v6, in which everyone seemed very positive.
I've posted a comment on his blog asking what chance he will release 6 before he says goodbye, but I haven't checked for a reply. At least this would help alleviate the problems of hosting - providing v6 is html/JS as suggested.
At least we have a couple of you willing to take over hosting the site and/or forum (I'm sure a PayPal donation button could be set up to help with costs) but the main problem seems to be finding someone with the know-how to maintain and update Quest itself.
Can anyone help me interpret this from Alex's post in the Questkit section.
Quest 6.0 - the runner will be HTML and JavaScript. This means all Quest games, including existing games for Quest versions 1 to 5, run without a server-side component. They're interpreted by the web browser, making them much quicker. The runner will also be packaged into a cross-platform app, so you'll be able to play all Quest games on Windows, Mac and Linux.
It was my understanding that the whole point of the update was that games would be saved as html files (in the same way Twine games are) and could therefore be hosted on any games site.
But is this not the case? When Alex talks of a 'runner', what does this mean exactly?
When Alex talks of a 'runner', what does this mean exactly?
The runner, or interpreter, is the app that loads a story file so you can play it. Parchment, that you asked about a while ago, is one example, that takes Z-Machine games. But Parchment lives in a web browser; in order to play offline, you need it packaged in a desktop app such as Lectrote. Presumably, Alex was envisioning a similar solution for Quest -- not to save the games themselves as HTML, but to make a pure HTML5 interpreter for the existing .quest format.
Okay, so in layman's terms what does this mean in terms of hosting our games if Alex gives us Q6 before he hands over? Can we zip them up and host them on itch.io for example, as we can with Twine games?
The best we can hope for is that he releases a html/JavaScript version with the Q6 update before then, but I can't see that happening either if he's had enough.
I am happy to work with the new owner to get this released. If there's no new owner, then I'm not going to work on it any further, because it would need somebody to maintain it after its release anyway.
It would mean that hosting becomes less of an issue, as there would be no need for a server component at all. Games could be saved to the browser's local storage.
The JS version is also the basis for a cross-platform interpreter which means the Quest Player wouldn't be Windows-only any more.
If nobody could be found with any C# knowledge, that might mean the old Quest 5 Player and Editor don't get maintained any more, but there would at least be somebody maintaining the means for people to carry on playing the games. I think a new Editor written in JavaScript is kind of essential to Quest's future as a development platform, so maybe that person would start that project.
Does anyone know what language the forum is written in?
Like the rest of textadventures.co.uk it's also written using C#, with ASP.NET MVC and running on Azure.
When Alex talks of a 'runner', what does this mean exactly?
You would upload to your website (or itch.io or whatever):
index.html which contains the HTML for the Quest Playerquest.js which contains the code for running Quest games.aslx or .quest file, which is run by quest.jsSo you wouldn't convert your game, it would simply be run directly in the browser by the Quest JavaScript.
This means yes, you'd distribute your games in the same way as Twine ones.
Damn. This really stinks. Quest is getting more and more popular too and it's perfect for beginning programmers. I've learned a ton myself since I started a year ago. I wonder if it just became too frustrating to work on or if he just needs a break for a couple of months/years.
Quest must be extremely complicated if neither Pixie nor Pertex could continue it considering they are probably the best programmers on the site (Jay included). I really hope someone can get a hold of Jay and see if he has the expertise to continue the upgrades etc. Fingers crossed.
I suggested hosting Quest on Patreon too but he said he's not interested in the money aspect. :/
Quest must be extremely complicated if neither Pixie nor Pertex could continue it (...)
I suspect it's more an issue of available expertise. Quest is written in C# and VB.NET -- a combination more typical of business software for Windows. While that's hardly an uncommon skillset, those who possess it may be hard to find among Quest's typical audience.
Worse, it takes someone with not just the right skills but also the time, energy and willingness to take over. For example I'm probably competent enough to inherit Squiffy, but committing to such a project is more than I can possibly promise.
The only good news is that each piece of textadventures.co.uk -- the website/community, Quest, and Squiffy -- can be taken over by different people. Which means the burden can be shared.
I don't understand why Alex doesn't do that instead of completely disappearing from the project.
I mean, he should give away the additions to other people so that he can just focus on Quest + QuestKit itself. That would certainly lessen his stress/work. Give the website to someone, give Squiffy to someone, have someone else manage the old/current Quest versions, then he can just focus on the updates and that's it. Seems like a decent compromise if he's up for it.
Thanks for clarifying things a little, Alex.
I think we've exhausted all realistic possibilities and don't really know where we go from here. At least for the time being.
I'll talk to Jay, although I'm doubting he will have the time. The last time I spoke to him he started putting all of his time into working with someone on a new startup of some kind. But yes, Jay would have the skills to do it if he had the time.
sgreig
I'll talk to Jay, although I'm doubting he will have the time.
It's worth a try.
I'll talk to Jay, although I'm doubting he will have the time.
If he could do the C# bit, I could do the ASLX stuff, (for Quest, not Squiffy) and you could run the web site?
... and I'll sit here and be a cheerleader because I can't really contribute any other way (other than maybe offset some costs when/if it comes to that). Best of luck, guys. Please keep us updated!
Is there a way to notify all the people on Github who've starred or contributed to the various repositories (Quest, Squiffy, etc.) that new owners are being sought? People who have Github accounts may be more likely to have the programming skills to be able to help, and they might not follow the textadventures blog.
I'd like to see Squiffy continue, and I have a list of features I was hoping to see, but I've written like one thing in javascript ever, so I'm not sure I could usefully contribute anything myself.
(I'd like to see the other things continue also, but I'm even less qualified to help with those.)
There's no way of notifying users who star a project (see About Stars - "Notifications are not affected when a repository is starred. You won't receive any information about a repository you've starred, unless you're also watching the repository. ")
People who watch or star a project are listed on the watchers and stargazers pages though - and I guess any or all of them could be pinged in a GitHub issue or something... That seems very spammy though.
Watchers will automatically get notifications about new issues, by the looks of it - so maybe we should just add an issue to the repositories.
I just published another blog post with a bit more info on who I'm looking for to take things on - please share this with anyone who might be interested!
Not to sound too pessimistic but reading that lot only serves to suggest Quest's future is even more in doubt than I first feared.
Looks like you're going to need a whole team of qualified people and high-end coders, and what are the chances of all those people coming together on the same project?
I've PM the developer of Twine over on their forum, but no reply as of yet.
have to find people interested in 'InteractiveFiction' text/CYOA gaming and with the needed programming/networking/finance/time capabilities
Is it really not possible at all to package a Quest game into an executable file where the game can be played independently like a normal exe file? Previously have heard it referenced in other posts that it was possible using some internet tools or such.
Well... this is a bummer...
I have programmed in BASIC for decades, but found Quest "interesting", mainly the sharing of projects parts...
BUT... if there is no more Quest, I do not see a reason to learn this.
I saw the blog entry, and I intend to get back to Alex about it. I'd definitely be willing to take some things on, once I can get my head around what they all mean (especially the parts where my "expertise" or probably better my "willingness to learn" would be useful).
I'm optimistic that we will find a way to solve this problem. Just seeing how the community try's to find a solution all together has really cheered me up. There are already some ideas that are worked on and it been just a week since. The most complicated thing I've ever done was an html file so I will just cross my fingers real hard! Quest will not go down!
Jay, as I said before, I would be happy to the higher level stuff, if you could do the C#. I am having a look at it, but I have no experience of .NET and it does not mean a lot to me.
That sounds doable. Though I can't promise I won't dabble in lots of things. :)
I'm also interested in Quest 6/kit/js.
That's great to hear, Jay!
I'm starting to feel optimistic... it looks like we might be able to fill all the positions I mentioned in the Developers Needed post. Hopefully we can work something out!
I hope you/we can find people gratious enough to help keep quest alive (it's very understandable after many years to need to move on, but it's hard for those who just found quest and with how much more upgrading its been getting compared of with the early versions of quest many years ago), especially as now we're starting to get more active and interested members (hopefully we can keep them unlike the wave of people, and some good coders too, we got a few years ago, who've just vanished, sighs), at least on the forum, anyways. I don't know outside of the forum as I haven't made/found the time to play games or to look elsewhere at what's going on.
We could ask around in the Adrift Forum. It's the only Editor I know that has a similar active community like Quest.
You will find that the news has been posted on both the Adrift forum as well as the intfiction forum.
See here --> http://forum.adrift.co/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11631
and here --> http://www.intfiction.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20982
Glad to hear this is coming along! I'd be willing to help as well although I'm a new programmer. ^^ I say "programmer" in the most simple sense of the word too ^~
Oh no! I'm very sorry to hear this, but it's understandable. It's a shame I only just discovered quest. Best of luck to everyone involved!
Hopefully the JavaScript version of quest 6 works out, as having an online-only version of the game was one of the main appeals of quest. Shame I don't have the skills to contribute, but would donations help?
Hi Jay
I see that you have been invited to be part of textadventures like me. If yu want to get in contact, e-mail me at the_pix at hotmail dot com.
The untapped potential educational value of Quest/Squiffy is mind-boggling. I'm currently developing language-learning fantasy-adventure games with it. To hear of it being possibly shut down is something I wouldn't stand for! I can't fit to any of the roles you mentioned, but... all I can say is that I'm a huge supporter.
Some new team is taking over the website. Includes Jay, the Pixie, and some...dude.
Just sayin, the website and Quest will LIVE ON.
Quest has provided a hobby for me in my latter years. I don't profess to be a great gamer but it at least keeps the shadow of senility a little further from the door. I would be mortified to see it go. This world needs people to create, rather than merely watching the entertainment that is already there.
I'm new to the community, but anything that I can do to help keep this site alive, I will. Granted, about the only help that I could offer would be helping with server costs and such, and maybe doing some social media promoting of the site and the content on it (I haven't got the programming/HTML skills to help with day-to-day updating of the engine or running of the website at all), but still.
There is no need to panic. The site is not shutting down. Please see the blog for the latest updates.
Please refrain from posting any further replies to this thread. Thanks!
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