And the winners are
The 14th Annual Interactive Fiction Comp is finally over! A huge applause to the winners of this year’s competition: Violet by Jeremy Freese, Nightfall by Eric Eve, and Everybody Dies by Jim Munroe. These games were also chosen as winners of the Miss Congeniality award in this year’s comp.
The rest of the entries and their rankings could be viewed here as well.
Congratulations to all the entrants! I hope to see these names (and more, too) again in next year’s annual comp.
Killfun is a Name No One Forgets
I’ve seen Nanobots being announced before on the AGS boards, but since I was floored at work back then, I decided to let the game simmer first. The same team that worked on Spooks (previously reviewed here) had brought us another fine game, and I couldn’t pass up the chance.
Nanobots title screen
Turns out the wait was well worth it. Nanobots is a bundle of joy: a short light-hearted adventure with puzzles that are neither too easy nor too hard, with great in-game music and, of course, Erin’s signature comic art.
And the robots awaken...
Chembot plotting her next move
The game does appear to have similarities with the old Infocom game Suspended, in which the player makes use of a number of robots with personalities to accomplish its tasks, but the similarities end there. The goals in Nanobots are much easier to achieve, though they do require some creative thinking, just as with other Lively Ivy games. The in-game hints are visible enough, too, and helpful enough to let even the most wretched puzzle player move on during the game.
I echo the sentiments of some of the AGS forum regulars: there should be more of these games. Games that have well-defined goals for the player, and where there are more personalities that the player can manipulate or use to achieve these goals, not just concentrated on one particular character.
Or in other words, anything that my cousin’s kids can enjoy, I can enjoy. We’re definitely looking forward to more Lively Ivy games.
Tool Updates, Part 3: ACK
Those familiar with Rogue-like games and other tile-based adventures (such as Ultima IV) would be happy to know one of the tools for creating these games is still kicking and breathing. Unless, of course, you’re not into designing games… Read more…
Tool Updates, Part 2: TADS 2
Mike Roberts had recently posted on the IF newsgroups about the TADS 2 update. Those who have been more-or-less involved in the newsgroups are probably aware that the last version Roberts had released for TADS 2 was v2.5.10. This version consisted mostly of compiler and run-time engine bug-fixes, but nothing much in terms of UI had been changed.
Tool Updates: AGS
I’ve previously written about certain adventure game authors shifting their gears over to other software that are more regularly updated. This post will feature the recent (and not-so-recent) changes to some of the game design software I’ve been checking out, so readers can have a better clue of what they need to be looking for.
