Hi, y'all. I have a few more Questions:

Is the Quest player free? Can we include it with games we distribute?

After I compile a game with the compiler, can someone else decompile it? Or, is it forever secure in obscurity?

I've always been a fan of text-based adventures. But, is there a real market for them? Meaning, could a game developer make a living on text-based games? Or, is this a good "don't quit your day job" hobby? I hope this doesn't sound offensive, it sure isn't meant to be!

Thanks again!

Alf

I can really only answer one of those questions. Once you compile it, all you are really doing (as far as I know) you are just encrypting it into a special file that can still be read be Quest. But, I don't have Quest Pro and nor do I make Quest so I can't really know the exact way Alex does it

Matthew G.

Alf wrote:

Is the Quest player free? Can we include it with games we distribute?

yes, yes (only the setup file)

Alf wrote:

After I compile a game with the compiler, can someone else decompile it? Or, is it forever secure in obscurity?

It's secure, unless somebody retarded enough writes a CAS decompiler program, which i doubt will ever happen!

Alf wrote:

I've always been a fan of text-based adventures. But, is there a real market for them? Meaning, could a game developer make a living on text-based games? Or, is this a good "don't quit your day job" hobby? I hope this doesn't sound offensive, it sure isn't meant to be!

There are millions of text-based games out there, and i know a few people who makes loads of money from them. Text-Based games are more popular in telnet clients, but modern-day MuDs, with graphics, and click-based systems dont seem to be around much.

Alf wrote:I've always been a fan of text-based adventures. But, is there a real market for them? Meaning, could a game developer make a living on text-based games? Or, is this a good "don't quit your day job" hobby? I hope this doesn't sound offensive, it sure isn't meant to be!

There is a market for them otherwise there wouldn't be a Quest forum or any of the dozens of others dedicated to adventure games. But a commercial market? Probably not anymore. I look on writing games as a hobby and while I'd love to get paid for it I can't see it happening for the foreseeable future.

Ste wrote:
Text-Based games are more popular in telnet clients

Just to clarify, those "text-based games that are popular in telnet clients", are MUD's(and variations).

Ste wrote:, but modern-day MuDs, with graphics, and click-based systems dont seem to be around much.

These "modern-day MuDs, with graphics, and click-based systems" that "don't seem to be around much" are also MuDs(and variations) using their own front-end client, as MuD's traditionally don't have "graphics" and "click-based systems", and the most popular online roleplaying game ever is one and is still very much around as well as literally thousands(or more) of others.

Thanks for all the answers!

Uh, what's a MuD?

Alf

Archaic internet reference, means Multi User Dungeon(Dimension, etc). There are also MUSH's, MUX's, and more.

It's basically an online text game.

Single player text games, I imagine the commercial market is MUCH smaller.

Gotcha. Guess we'll never run out of acronyms, huh?

My opinion: People like me who enjoy reading, and can get immersed in a book, would enjoy text-based games. I actually can get immersed in a good book quicker than a graphic game. So, if we could target that market, and make *really good* adventures, there would be a market. I've enjoyed playing Myst, Riven, etc. But, I still can bury myself in Mysterious Island. On the other hand, maybe the era of the text-based game is over. If so, then too bad. They let, in fact force, the use of your imagination. Not just "click around until you find something". Keeps our brains active, huh? Anyway, that's just my opinion. I'd enjoy hearing others!

Alf

if you have time you can read this (long) thread on rec.arts.int-fiction :

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&l ... 26rnum%3D6

If you cannot follow this link, look on google group, for the message entitled :

"Making a viable business from IF??"

I haven't read it all, but there are interesting ideas here. And the man who started it, Rob Steggles, was famous for working with the compagny Magnetic Scrolls, on the marvellous game "The Pawn".

I think there are few opportinities for such a thing, but even recently we hve some example of ppl who manage to sell some games, even with all the free ones in competition.
Right now it's maybe not the good moment, but maybe in the future, when we could see "real" electronic books there may be some opportunities, as long as the IF system is portable enough for future formats.

Also I think complex IF games (with many complex commands to type) may be less interesting for people enjoying reading ebooks, but stories with a few interactive touches may have a market...

It's just my opinion.

Wow, what an interesting thread! They pretty much covered everything, didn't they. I would have liked to have the entire thread downloaded somehow. Thanks for sharing that with me. I'll have to digest that discussion for a while. In the meantime, any other opinions on this are welcome.

Thanks!

Alf