This conversation began here: http://textadventures.co.uk/forum/general/topic/il9ljpwzku6e90zqiymiwq/what-is-wrong-with-me
I think we should all get together and make one, big, awesome game.
XanMag and The Pixie may be interested, depending upon details...
Yes, the '70's and '80's era Infocom games were great...
But the difference is that they were professional writers, maybe several...
One wrote the parser (like Quest)...
One wrote the program that ran the story with in the parser (The Quest script)
and one wrote the story (the Quest script writer)
And several play testers that made sure the game played well, and the story flowed well...
And they were paid to do this, and the better the story, the more sales it generated, and I'm sure, the team got bonuses for good games.
I propose a massive collaboration.
We could set up:
A) A shared account on this site, where anyone in the group can log in and edit the game.
or
B) A Github repository for the game, where we can all contribute and submit pull requests. (This would probably be more efficient.)
Each author could be in charge of one room in the game, or one NPC, or...
Well, we could do it however we wished.
Who are the authors I have in mind? Hmm... right off the bat, I'm thinking:
(I know: I left many people out, but you're invited , too! (Sorry. I'm new here!))
It would be fun to do, even if the game never saw the light of day! (I think we'd finish making it, though. And, if we did, it would be GOOD!)
So, what do you think?
Let's make a GAME, people!
Who all wants to play???
^that would be fun if for no other reason to appease my sheer curiosity. I'm game!
There are so many options for creating a game this way and I think it might be a fun attempt and worth exploring.
To quote Hedley Lemarr - "My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention."
Rock and roll! (And a nice quote, by the way!)
Here's my current plan (or lack thereof):
Step 1: I'm going to play the Xanadu games. (Downloaded them earlier. I only need to STOP PLAYING AROUND ON THE FORUM, then it's game o'clock!)
Step 2: Once we've determined who all will be involved, we should probably discuss the main story-line. (I usually just get an idea of what one person is doing/has done, then create their world, then drop the protagonists in and [expletive deleted] with them. This probably wouldn't work out very well with numerous writers, but, who knows? We'll vote on it!)
Step 3: TO BE ANNOUNCED
I've got a few ideas for basic premises.
I would be interested. How involved I got would depend on the genre.
I would suggest getting a framework worked out, with game wide commands, functions and types. At least know what they are, if not properly implemented. Github might be best for that.
Then each author can build their own part of the world in their copy of that, with its own quests. If everyone puts their initials at the start of a name, it will avoid name conflicts. Once ready (and a deadline would be good), merge all the games together (either as libraries or just one big file).
This is going to be fun!
the genre
I'll just go with whatever pleases everyone else.
I would suggest getting a framework worked out, with game wide commands, functions and types. At least know what they are, if not properly implemented. Github might be best for that.
I second this motion.
Then each author can build their own part of the world in their copy of that, with its own quests. If everyone puts their initials at the start of a name, it will avoid name conflicts. Once ready (and a deadline would be good), merge all the games together (either as libraries or just one big file).
Multiple quests. A wide variety of puzzles. Multiple layers of story. Numerous outcomes...
Programmers catching each others' mistakes. Everyone learning from each other...
(I may not sleep due to excitement!)
Any light-hearted, good-natured genre is perfect for me. A little adventure. A little comedy.
As far as the story line goes, I would suggest some basic goal in the beginning and a very tentative end and let the details (the good stuff) develop as we progress with our parts of the project. Also, if we get a piece of a finished section from another writer it may force us to be creative to carry the story forward - which I love by the way!
Looking forward to hearing from those interested either through this thread or a PM. Happy contacts!
Okay, XanMag and I are on the same page. (In fact, I was just saved from typing most of that!)
A cursor blinks.
What do you think?
If you shall play, do set the plot!
'Tis this Quest of Questers not
the very thing which you have sought?
A doorway stands just to the north,
and it is closed and locked (of course).
The only other thing you see?
A GIANT, JEWEL-ENCRUSTED TREE!
> Enter your command right here, send it on through, and more text will appear!
You are in an undisclosed location.
You can see Rex here.
>X REX
Error running script: No more rhyming! I MEAN IT!!!
You can enter HELP at any time for a little helpful information...
I've got a shitload of original music on soundcloud. Most of it is instrumental hip-hop rap stuff but I would be very comfortable to do appropriate music scores/sound effects for other genres as well.
The idea for the game will be the tricky part. And the most important. I'll offer some general ideas for the game after I've thought a bit. Have we established a genre?
Have we established a genre?
Not as of yet.
How about each room is like its own episode in a serial? Complete with cliffhanger?
That would bump the action up a notch each time someone else took over, and we could mix genres (ever so gently) that way.
I.e., a room called Public Domain:
You are in the Public Domain.
Everything here is OLD! Papers, scrolls, and vinyl records are strewn all over the place.
You can see Sherlock, Zorro, and Alice here.
What would you like to do? HINT: You could SPEAK to someone...
Then, depending on who you choose to interact with, yadda yadda yadda, and blah blah blah...
Just got word from NecroDeath. He's down to provide some puns! (Play The Bony King of Nowhere for samples of his witticisms.)
With the player switch capabilities, maybe it would be a neat idea to swap characters as we swap authors? Writer A could write a sub-plot from person A's perspective and writer B could see the writing and the story thus provided. At this point, writer B could pick up where writer A left off but from player B's perspective. The game could progress as the player at the keyboard solved puzzles or gathered info from multiple perspectives? Or the same story could be told from different perspectives? I could see this style as a murder mystery type game (like Clue). Just my initial thought.
Tomorrow's Project: Brainstorm and share potential ideas. =)
I am a "master" of ideas, Master of BASIC, but a novice with Quest.
The first thought on this project is that we do NOT come up with a duckbilled platypus...
But, Like I said, master of idea...
Like this one...
You have the "over world" (master set of rooms that connect to everything.)
(unfortunally, I'm seeing this as a graphic game, But only as a way to put all the pieces together)
From the World Map, the player can enter any of several "worlds", (each person's own world) with any theme.
This could be a hero's quest, All the worlds of time and space are colliding and this must be stopped.
You will be tasked to enter every world, and remove the out-of-place artifacts. and only be removing ALL of them, can the universe be saved.
The player can enter any world, but only get so far before they come to a block. But, in each world, they will find a key item that is needed to solve a problem in another world. But the key needs to be something that does not fit in the world it is found in.
IE: You are in a medieval world, but find a 6 shooter. No one there can tell you anything about the object, even to the extent that some do not see it. (The 6-shooter came from the Wild West world, and is needed there to solve a problem. Maybe it belongs to Wild Bill and he needs because, according to history, it is the gun given to him which started his "claim to fame". Otherwise, he was just William Cody, farmer...)
In some worlds, the player could change. IE:
You enter through the portal and suddenly, everything towers above you. You look up at everything you used to look down on. It looks like you could be in a 1950's era kitchen. You can recognize everything, the table and chairs, the fridge and stove, even the giant yellow tabby sleeping on the pillow far across the room. Finally, your eyes complete their circuit of the room to the arched black hole you emerged from. Then your nose twitches and you recognize the unmistakable aroma of cheddar cheese! And you find yourself strolling towards the large wedge resting on a large wooden slab, ready for you to just go over and take it...
Now the player must fight the urge to go for the cheese... But, incase you missed it, the player is a mouse, hungry, and will be every time they enter this world...
Some inventory will be world dependent and cannot be removed from that world. (that will make the inventory process easer. ) Other item would be global and can enter any world.
So far, all of our ideas are very similar!
Here are 2 big questions:
From the World Map, the player can enter any of several "worlds", (each person's own world) with any theme.
I was envisaging something like this - a hub that has gateways to each creator's world. That hub could be a magic portal, stargate command, a spaceship or spaceport, a rocket ship (for retro sci-fi), an airship (steampunk, perhaps between floating worlds), a university (Indian Jones style pulp), a bus/train/monorail station, purgatory (player is a spirit that possesses people in different worlds), a blue phonebox (different times and places). The overarching plot could be to retrieve an item from each zone, and combine into one thing (cf the Key of Time in Dr Who long ago).
I guess there are two approaches, dividing the work vertically as above with each person creating their chunk of the world, or horizontally with work divided by job function; one person to code, one to write descriptions, one to handle music, one to handle artwork. That is not to say that the two approaches are not mutually exclusive of course, but I think we need to decide the focus. Splitting vertically would allow anyone to join at any time (even after the release potentially), and indeed drop out.
ETA: Further ideas in italics. I am just brainstorming, not necessarily thinking they are good ideas, by the way.
games that might give some ideas which match up to what you guys posted so far:
(they're not text adventures, but their game features and/or puzzles are able to be done by text adventures, or they just give ideas on the idea-side of the game: time travel, worlds, etc)
The Lost Vikings (SNES), Secret of Evermore (SNES), Chrono Trigger (SNES), Myst (PC), Terranigma (SNES) (Gaia trilogy: Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma): if you don't know them, read up on them (gamefaqs dot com's guides/faqs) and/or watch youtube vids on them (people playing the game)
the ultimate/masterpiece time travel plot of all time: 7th Saga (SNES)
(if you don't know this game, don't care to play this game, and don't care to be spoiled, let me know, and I can spoil it for you, if you're interested in what it is about, why it's such a masterpiece/ultimate time travel plot)
for a very interesting (I think anyways) plot:
the mongols are the 'bad guys', they didn't decline after conquering the eastern world (asia and eastern europe), instead they found the time travel technology in one of the eastern europe countries they conquered. This is what enabled western europe to prevent them from conquering them and the entire world (including the americas, after western europe). The mongol horde went back in time, to prevent western europe from being able to stop them from conquering the world in present time, and in doing so, are conquering much of the past too. The seeming 'decline' of the mongols in present time/history weren't the true mongols that conquered the eastern world, and rumors were intentedly spread that the great mongols were killed/dead, but they're actually in the past, conquering the past world and are about to succeed in preventing western europe from stopping them in the current time, by stopping them from creating the time travel tech in the past: the entire world, past, present, and future, is about to fall to the mongol horde, and it's up to you to stop them!
The time travel tech: long before columbus, the vikings discovered north america (stopping at what is today, washington d.c., capitol of US, maryland), and that's the story told. But secretly... the vikings continued exploring further south, finding and conquering/destroying the aztecs, incas, and mayan civilizations... (the spanish only found what was left of the people of these once advanced civilizations and destroyed them almost completely), but not the advanced technology (from their contact with aliens) of these civilizations. The vikings took that technology back to europe, learning it, and using it, to protect them from the mongol horde. The time travel tech, along with advanced weaponry, and etc alien tech from the american civilizations (aztecs, mayans, incans).
also, we could have opposing/war-ing aliens/tech (and thus of earth too: western world vs eastern world):
incas, mayans, aztecs helped by one alien side: vikings gain possession of it
china, india, SE asia (angkor wat: cambodia specifically, and other countries) helped by the other alien side: mongols gain possession of it
we could also have the ability to play as either side: 'good guys / vikings' or 'bad guys / mongols', seeing the story/plot from both perspectives, maybe its the 'vikings' who're the 'bad guys' and the 'mongols' as the 'good guys'.
I'm thinking the less factually relevant the better. Perhaps a historical parody?
You start off some innocent tenderfoot (apprentice) with rudimentary skills... times "x" number of playable characters. Each character has a specifically unique "plebee-ness" and can be introduced at the start of the game. I see main characters as all different walks of life - a nerdy librarian, a body-building meathead, Napolean's hairdresser, etc... Each character could be some insignificant underling to a famous character in history (if we want to go that route). Each character will have a very specific, but limited skill set. In the intro, each character can be approached by some "being" and proposed with the task of playing a role in saving future humanity. The task is to travel from their time in history and retrieve some historically significant artifact from some other time in history. The quirkiness might arise by the "being" accidentally sending the recruits on the wrong assignment. For example, sending Napoleans hairdresser to the battlefields at Thermopylae to help Leonidas defeat Xerxes, send the nerdy librarian to the Mesozoic Era to retrieve the tooth of T-Rex, send the body-building meathead to the Elizabethan era to steal a Shakespearean work from the man himself.
Just some ideas but this allows us to write what we know best AND it sets up to be an adventure with some obvious comedic irony throughout. The items retrieved can be used together to appease/defeat some all-powerful being in mankind's future. To keep the "worlds" connected, as someone else has mentioned, certain items found in one world can be transferable to others. This transfer system could also be faulty and send items that have an obvious use in one world to another. An anthology of Shakespeare's work that the meathead could use gets transported to the dinosaur world, as an example.
Again, just some thoughts. The authors could choose their ironic couplings and for a little bit more of a challenge, the author can send their "retrieved" item to whatever other world they want and force the next author to find a use for that misplaced resource!
Can we use JS to run a game within a game?
If no (or if this would noticeably slow things down), how can we check for an existing file with JS? For instance: a Quest save file from a DIFFERENT game (or just a plain old .txt file)?
Thinking of linking games together somehow... I don't mean linking each part of the game together this way, because we couldn't keep up with that ''retrieved" item that way, but there could be a few bonus side-missions which only awarded points.
Well, that might work when playing online, but it would be a pain for offline players (just like the predominant gaming systems of today, which is why I went back to text adventures: no updates, no bonus content to download; if you have the game, then you have the damn game!).
Hmm...
(I would still like to know if we can run a Squiffy game inside of a Quest game, and how to check if an external files exists THEN run a script if it does or doesn't exist.)
The World Map
Must there be only one? What if we start off, say, in the university. Then, we go through all those doors to all of the university's connecting worlds and complete those missions, which triggers an event:
A spaceship arrives. That spaceship is the Second World Map, which leads to space-battles and such. Once you've completed all those, the spaceship goes through a black hole (or whatever) and you find yourself on prehistoric Earth (or whatever).
Or is that too much?
I have a Save and Load library that could be used to allow the player to jump between different games. This is an older version, and in fact Quest 5.7 has a feature to make it a bit easy. It would still be a bit of extra work.
https://github.com/ThePix/quest/wiki/Save-and-Load-Library
I had a think about a hub based design too:
https://github.com/ThePix/quest/wiki/Group-Project
What I like about the hub is that everyone's contribution would be equal (the save/load could be a hub too). If you have a sequence, whoever gets the last bit is going to have their game played less often.
@ Richard:
I thought about the player dying part... the player just reverts back to the hub. Altho, using this logic, the "player" himself does not travel to the worlds, but instead just "possesses" someone there. Maybe, there are a few NPCs the player can inhabit, Perhaps even someone that saw you die the time before... and when you return, you get to see your former self die...
Multiple world maps, Sure... If this is a big hit, we could call them sequels... Each one playable in it's own right... no need to finish the one before... IE: Zork, Zork 2, Zork 3...
But, have clues, hints than someone that played the earlier one, will help in the current one. But the player is still able to figure out on his own...
On changing the past paradoxes... When you change the past, you come back to a different future. (Timeline or Back to the future or Legends of Tomorrow)
Or... just one of the worlds is a time line repair story... On second thought, the over all theme of the master game needs to be consistent, otherwise, this just becomes a "game room" where someone can play any number of games under one roof. (The duckbilled platypus)
@ hegemonkhan : I like the "play the good guy or play the bad guy" idea. That make the game re-playable (and I like that), win at one side, then win for the other side. But it cannot be a case of: do A, then do B, then do C and win. each step needs a chance to win or loose, then with more wins, you win...
THE SAVE OPTION
Maybe keep a journal (or use the log somehow) to record key events.
Set it up to clear the screen before saving, then load the STORY SO FAR text, so each time you load it up, you'll get a nice recap.
<command name="Recap">
<pattern>story;recap</pattern>
<script>
game.notarealturn = true
msg ("Turns taken: "+game.turns+"") // <--Insert whatever other details we'd like here
foreach (s, screenplay.scenes) {
msg (s)
game.turns = game.turns - 1 // This did not advance the time! (I assume there will be time?)
}
</script>
</command>
Player leveling... Sounds good.
If your world uses player.level, then fine, The more experience, the better the fighter, spell caster...
But if my world does not require fights, then player.level will have no bearing on what happens.
But, instead of the generic "level", have skill sets.
like:
swordsmanship: Bonus for using a sword in battle
Bow: (same)
swimming:
Spell casting: better a spell casting, the higher level spells will be available, and lower level ones will be more effective.
Puzzle solving:... well, this is more the player than the character. (but you could trade points for hints.)
I like the "recap on reload" idea!
I like the "not all hubs (or worlds) available at the start". This could allow the game to be published as a WIP with just the first 3 accessible.
We could have a Purgatory for the ones that have failed, to be able to redeem themselves. It could also be a location where others have failed in their quest, but could provide the player with hints in different areas. Like where the "other" player died.
"The old lizerdman warns you 'When you get to the Great Chasm, over the Raging Waters, do not take the left bridge, it is trapped! The other one is only made to look rickety.' "
Death should not be terminal. No world, or hub, should have a player killer. Every kill scene needs to have a work around.
"You face off against the biggest killing robot you have ever seen. It takes notice of you and charges. (You will need to be armed with the bucket of water beforehand) You throw the water at the robot and sparks fly out of it as it charges past you smashing into the wall. after the dust settles, you notice a new passage leading off the places unknown."
If you did not have the bucket of water ready, there is a 30% chance you can evade the robot and exit the room. the robot will not follow you. But, if it kills you, in Purgatory, you could meet someone, that when you tell them how you died, they tell you... "Robots rust, you know..."
(hint, find water and a way to carry it...)
But, instead of the generic "level", have skill sets.
like:
swordsmanship: Bonus for using a sword in battle
Bow: (same)
swimming:
I think this is a good of doing character progression. If we could agree among otherselves that only a couple of zones you can learn swimming in, and a couple you can learn sword master, etc. it would give the player reason to explore them all in a more natural way. I think it would be easier to scale a combat if it is just player has weapon skill or not.
Skill progression tree, maybe?
I like the "not all hubs (or worlds) available at the start". This could allow the game to be published as a WIP with just the first 3 accessible.
Hmm... The default game save system would not allow a player who started a game when only three were available to continue the same game with any more available.
Death should not be terminal. No world, or hub, should have a player killer. Every kill scene needs to have a work around.
A work-around yes. I disagree about death not being terminal (unless it is integral to the game; the hub is purgatory, and you start off dead). There is an undo command so the player can do that if she dies, and there is save too.
What I mean by "player killer" is a room that kills the player without some kind of warning...
You enter the room and the door to the west is giving off a lot of heat.
"> go west
You reach for the handle and burn you hand on the red hot knob. Are you sure you want to go that way?
"> go west
You open the door and the fires of hell envelop you are you are burned to a crisp... OOPS!!!"
... Game over...
With the warning of the hot door, then the warning about burning your hand, but going that way anyway should result in terminal death...
But, if there was no warning of the hot door, then you open it and get fried... That would not be fair...
Starting in purgatory would make for an interesting start...
You stand before the Guardian of Death to answer for the deeds you have done in your life. You have not done "well" but you weren't "too bad", so, you will be given a second chance to redeem yourself...
(Then you are told what needs to be done to "fix" things...)
Altho, the game could start like any other game, then the player is killed off and sent to purgatory where the "real" game starts...
The intro game and dying does not count for a task.
Altho, that could be the first point.
@ Richard: yes, you can kill the player and send them to purgatory... but just not with a warning of some kind.
Fighting a creature and it kills you would be OK... After all, we want the player to die at least once to find out about some hints.
Altho, if we use some kind of scoring method, winning the game without dying at least once should count as a bonus...
And, on scoring, at Game Over, show the player his score, and number of tasks completed...
IE: You got a score of 315 and completed 43 of 50 tasks... Post and brag in the comment section!
But, if dying once is one of the tasks, then the "perfect" score without dying would be 49 out of 50.
Unless, Not dying is a task, then we could get 50 of 50.
@ Richard:
What player attributes will be used?
Could we set up functions to have the ability to set most of these up on the fly, but leave them nonexistent/null if no one decides to use them? Or would that be too complicated to keep up with? (Just brainstorming - not actually 'thinking'.)
All values would be set-up in the master code section, DnD stats could be randomized or pre-set at default values then have the values increase as the player plays. All skills will default a 0. If a stat is not required or used in a world, then it would not matter.
Can we have a private thread here???
Custom_att_#### will require names, otherwise numbers could get crossed.
But, if a custom_att is needed in a world, the custom_att_DL_lying is a skill only used in my world, and would not be confused with custom_att_RH_lying skill.
As for naming...
Programmer's initals_room name or function...
DL_Kitchen1
DL_add(2 numbers)
All rooms of a programmer could be under 1 "master room", then, if an update to their world is made, just delete DL_Master and drop in the new DL_Master with the new rooms and scripts.
And if a function is updated, the old function is deleted, and the new one dropped in...
One thought, someone will need to be in control of the master game that will receive the updates and updating this. then updating the link to the new version so everyone can playtest and make suggestions...
And, there will need to be a note for which is the entrance room for your world. just incase it is changed.
I just tested the room of rooms idea, and deleting the master room in the UI, then adding the new room of rooms in code view and it works... I just lost the exit to the first room in my new rooms... Hence the exit note.
But all the functions are listed under functions...
I don't know of any private threads, per se... Just wishful thinking, I guess.
We'll probably be too busy writing, submitting, reading everyone else's submissions, then re-submitting our updated worlds to be posting any major spoilers here before too long, anyway.
Our initials - Okay, I see. We'll just use an alias for the objects.
The update method sounds efficient, too.
One thought, someone will need to be in control of the master game that will receive the updates and updating this. then updating the link to the new version so everyone can playtest and make suggestions...
Er...
Have I mentioned that I didn't start learning about computer programming until the beginning of this year? And that I couldn't get jack squat out of Quest less than a month ago?
I mean, I'm much better now, and I'm all about researching for hours on end until I get the computer to do what I want. I also keep pretty good notes. (I still remember everything I read, but retrieving the information on demand has been touch and go since I turned 30.)
Also, if none of my ideas are used in the end result, that's fine with me!
Heck, I'll be happy proofreading, testing, working out bugs, and doing whatever else will help out. (I'll be submitting something. I'm just putting it out there: there will be no hard feelings if my pieces don't fit into the puzzle.)
First thing in the morning (it's 1:17 AM in my neck of the woods right now), I'm planning on reading EVERYTHING The Pixie has posted regarding this project on GitHub. (I fear this may be more work for Pix than anyone else. I am ready and willing to do whatever can lighten everyone's workload, though!)
hadn't read through all the new posts yet... obviously got to decide if it's going to have rpg stuff (or if it's just going to be a puzzle game mainly with no or little rpg stuff, like Myst/Maniac Mansion/Shadowgate/7th Guest/old indiana jones/etc, and many other various games), and if so, how much and what.
And, there will need to be a note for which is the entrance room for your world. just incase it is changed.
I just tested the room of rooms idea, and deleting the master room in the UI, then adding the new room of rooms in code view and it works... I just lost the exit to the first room in my new rooms... Hence the exit note.
But all the functions are listed under functions...
Like just adding it in the name:
RH-Room_name-MAINEXIT ?
Or just:
<object name="RH The Barn"> <!--SET AS EXIT !IMPORTANT-->
<inherit name="editor_room" />
Or is it whatever's behind door number 3?
While we're creating worlds, have you checked out https://github.com/ThePix/quest/wiki/YAML-to-Quest-(using-Ruby) ?
It simplifies it a lot!
In my opinion...
Death
No sudden death, agreed.
If you have combat, you should have real death, otherwise there is no risk, and it is just a case of type ATTACK TITAN enough times.
If combat is a case of checking if you have the skill, and if you do, you are successful, and if not you are told not to because you will die, then no death. And I think that would be a reasonable approach for a puzzle-based game.
Attributes
Could we set up functions to have the ability to set most of these up on the fly, but leave them nonexistent/null if no one decides to use them? Or would that be too complicated to keep up with? (Just brainstorming - not actually 'thinking'.)
If necessary, we could have a function that adds them at the start so your game can be sure they exist, but I do not think you need anything beyond that. And you could do that in the on first enter script of your first location (just check if it exists already first).
There is no limit to the number of attributes. I think they should be accessible across all zones, and as people add them, just alert everyone else so we all use the same name (and a naming convention would be good too, eg, all lowercase, words joined with underscores; a document with conventions and attributes should be written).
Adding more
There is essentially no difference between a game saved in the editor with the publish tool and a game saved by the player. The entire world gets saved, including functions, libraries, the lot. What this means is that when the player loads the game, it is exactly the same as when she saved, even if a new version has been uploaded, because the load process does not look at the game file at all.
Adding more is fine, and we could leave this project open for years to come, inviting new bits to be added, but we have to be aware that saved games will have no access to those zones.
With regards to updating your section, if we go for the hub system, the master file would be just the hub and game setting. The zones would each be a library, so just a case of replacing the library file (I am pushing the hub because it is "fair" in that all zones are equal and workable as a group project; feel free to push other systems).
Tracking tasks and score
I do have a library for this (may need tweaking, and could have a score added):
https://github.com/ThePix/quest/wiki/Quest-Library
Each zone would need to note its "out of" number, and these get totalled at the start. Or have Quest count the number of quest objects if we use the library; that might be easier and safer.
Everything The Pixie just posted
I second the motions. (Especially the hub.)
The exit to HUB WORLD will be located where the player entered that world.
"> enter DL_World
You are in DL_World, the exit back is the dark black circle to the west.
"> west
You have returned to the HUB WORLD. Where would you like to go from here?
The exception would be purgatory, there is no exit to there, you die to get in, and you must do a task to get out.
Adding more: Just re-release the updated version V1.6 and have the warning that previous advancements will be lost.
Unless there is a way for Quest to save a text file, and read it back, then the same save file could be used over several versions.
I am going away middle of next week, and will be away for pretty much all August. I might get the chance to post here a bit, but will not have access to Quest, so will not be able to contibute until September.
I would suggest someone start a Github repository for the project, and give access to anyone interested. Create a docs folder, and the a document that defines the conventions:
Github supports markdown, like the forum, by the way.
You could use the "Issues" feature as a forum.
What I would like settled soon rather than later is the genre and basic premise, so I can start thinking about what I will put in my zone (and to a lesser extent, how combat and magic will be handled, if at all). If you are happy with the hub idea, you should be able to use it straight away; I wrote it to allow the hub itself to get updated later.
Once the genre is set, you can start writing stuff, and if you come to something that might be contentious, start an issue on github.
@The Pixie
Wow, I just emailed you, asking about most of these things.
Concerning magic:
Can we include FROTZ, GNUSTO, and the like as alternate commands?
I'm all for coming up with new euphemisms (for lack of a better term), but I like being able to use the old-school commands, too.
Would this be appropriate? Or should we stay completely original?
The side-panes and links:
It's lot of extra work to ensure the displayed options are complete and operational...
We could also put them all in a big drop-down, which could be opened or closed at any point; correct?
The player is (initially) a magician-in-training, but truly aspires to be like Indiana Jones - going on all sorts of different Quests.
How does that fit with him being in purgatory and dead? I.e., being dead tends to crush any aspirations. And what have you done that is so bad if you are still an apprentice?
Could it be that you are trapped somewhere like purgatory? You are an apprentice, you made a bad decision (spell back-fires sort of thing, or the trader thing you mentioned - perhaps when installing software?), and are trapped in limbo. The guardian requires items, information, deed done from these realms, so off you trot.
This does give a lot of freedom to authors, and you could do sci-fi or steampunk or fantasy. We could have some realms where magic does not work, for example.
ETA: I would like to see some development of the player's background as a way to bring it all together. I think there is a risk that we create N separent and independant adventures that the player picks from at the hub. The more coupling between zones, the more it will feel like one game - and the more hassle for authors.
Can we include FROTZ, GNUSTO, and the like as alternate commands?
I had to look that up, but found list here. I would be interested in seeing how many of them we can implement.
http://www.ifwiki.org/index.php/Spells
We would need to agree on spells, name and effect, so that is a start. Also, can the player cast unlimited spells, cast each once then relearn, use mana (which comes back when)? My combat library has spells cast generally in the room, rather than at a target (partly so you can cast with two clicks in the left pane), but I have been looking at targeting them, and would prefer to go that route, especially if this is command-line based.
It's lot of extra work to ensure the displayed options are complete and operational...
Are you wanting command line only? I get the impression you want to follow the Inform format. I think that would be my choice (personally I would aim to just have one way for the player to interact).
We could also put them all in a big drop-down, which could be opened or closed at any point; correct?
What?
You are an apprentice, you made a bad decision (spell back-fires sort of thing, or the traitor thing you mentioned - perhaps when installing software?), and are trapped in limbo. The guardian requires items, information, deed done from these realms, so off you trot.
Sounds solid to me.
I don't make the player memorize anything, If the spell's in the reader and the reader is touchable, you can cast the spell.
(Having to memorize the spells always seemed a bit taxing to me.)
Not sure if I was clear, but it would be the character memorising it, not the player!
Tabletop RPGs usually limit spell casting in two ways. The DnD way is Vancian magic, where a spell is forgotten after being cast. The alternative is spending power points. Computer RPGs usually have a cool down, but that does not work in turn based combat (cast firestorm, z, z, z, cast firestorm, z, z, z, etc.).
I would handle spells as objects. Move the object to the spell book when learnt, each spell can have a script attribute that does the work when cast, plus a description. You could have other attributes for when the spell is augmented or inverted. It is a lot more flexible. Have a spell type to handle the basics:
http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/using_inherited_types.html
And this is what I used for Deeper:
https://github.com/ThePix/quest/wiki/CombatLib
I have no problem using a public repo
I just tried to edit my post above because a sentence was in hge font, and the forum kept saying I could not post it, so I removed the top bit, and now it does. This is the bit I removed:
Also sound as if you have a 'death while installing software' scenario in mind? Sounds interesting...
It was based on this:
Maybe a shop-keeper, who you've unwittingly sold you soul to while agreeing to all those terms and conditions.
...plus not bothering to actually read the license agreement when you install software. It is no more thought out than that.
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Here's the link to the GitHub repository:
https://github.com/rheadkid/Quest-Group_Project/wiki
Anyone who'd like to collaborate without setting up a GitHub account can get their code to me, and I'll submit it to the GitHub repository, by the way.
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