Hey everyone,

Thank you so much for all of your help everyone. I wanted to publicly announce our game today which is tied to a bitcoin prize.

Here is the link to the game:
http://textadventures.co.uk/games/view/ ... ed-level-1

There's also a thread on Bitcointalk.org where other players are discussing the game the link to that thread is here:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1488665.0

And a thread on r/bitcoin:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/commen ... in_artist/

My first few commands:

> go cell door
The door doesn't budge but you notice that the locking mechanism is unique and deserves further examination.

> x locking mechanism
I can't see that.

> x lock
I can't see that

> x mechanism
I can't see that.

When you can't even do the one thing the text tells you to do...
(Ok, the trick was "x door", but it should support something it directly tells you to do in the words it tells you to do it!)

Also:

You are in an iron chamber, the walls are lined with iron pipes.

There are chains suspended from the pipes and rusted gears are scattered about the floor.

followed by:
> x pipes
I can't see that.

> x walls
I can't see that.

> x chains
I can't see that.

> x gears
I can't see that.

jaynabonne wrote:My first few commands:

> go cell door
The door doesn't budge but you notice that the locking mechanism is unique and deserves further examination.

> x locking mechanism
I can't see that.

> x lock
I can't see that

> x mechanism
I can't see that.

When you can't even do the one thing the text tells you to do...
(Ok, the trick was "x door", but it should support something it directly tells you to do in the words it tells you to do it!)

Also:

You are in an iron chamber, the walls are lined with iron pipes.

There are chains suspended from the pipes and rusted gears are scattered about the floor.

followed by:
> x pipes
I can't see that.

> x walls
I can't see that.

> x chains
I can't see that.

> x gears
I can't see that.

I apologize for any inconsistencies, but the game is supposed to be quite difficult.

At the end of each level there will be a prize in Bitcoin.

Everything you need to know is currently found in the cell you're trapped in and a high resolution image of the map can be found at http://whit3r4bbi7.com. If you can't see it or interact with it, it's because it serves no purpose at this stage.

It's not a question of difficulty as such. It's more that it's basically ignoring what has come to be accepted by the int fiction community as far as what constitutes a well-designed parser game. One prime rule is that if the description mentions an item, it should be able to be looked at (and any further items mentioned in that description, to two or three levels).

I can appreciate that that might not matter to you, but there are reasons for it that are trying to help mitigate the needless frustration that a parser game can generate when the interface gets in the way more than it helps. You might find the discussions in the int fic forums interesting.

http://www.intfiction.org/forum/

(Or not. But they are there if you wish to look.)

Best of luck with your game!

I'll echo what jaynabonne has said above. Nothing about the first location (which was as far as I got) gives a good impression. Scenery can't be examined, basic commands aren't understood and typing LOOK doesn't reveal the whole room description, just a couple of lines (you have to scroll back up to see mention of the pipes and gears). There's absolutely no hint as to what the player should do or even any background to explain why you're locked in a cell. Locked in a cell games have been done to death before and much better than this. Making a game difficult is one thing, but first and foremost it should be worth playing.

Hey! I did not play the game, however Jaynabonne did rise an interesting topic about all that is expected on formating interactive fiction. A kind of golden rules set. I am already checking the mentioned forum for more research, but someone does know a compilation of discussion about what players hope finding on interactive fiction games?

There is tons of stuff out there. A quick google search (for "what makes good interactive fiction", without the quotes) brought up the tip of the iceberg, including this page:

http://www.brasslantern.org/writers/iftheory/

The "Description Constructed" link there goes into thoughts about descriptions and even lists various guidelines (one of which is "avoid describing unimplemented objects").

There is also this famous "bill of players' rights" by Graham Nelson: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic ... _gosVUpdTM, which includes things like " Not to have to type exactly the right verb" and "To be allowed reasonable synonyms".

I think there's also a lot here: http://www.reocities.com/aetus_kane/writing/cam.html

But then, the more you look, the more you'll see!

You know Jay? You would be a great play tester!

Thanks for the great feedback.

The cover art for our game was removed? Does anyone know why?

I was able to re-add the image, but curious why it disappeared.

Almost 500 plays!

Not to worry guys, the other levels will be much more interactive and fun. The players just need to solve level 1 first.

If you'd like some help, the guys on the bitcoin talk forum have made some progress.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1488665.0