Main Page
From TextAdventure
Welcome to the Gamesblog's Text Adventure
This is a collaborative project of The Guardian's gamesblog community. The aim is simply to create the greatest group-generated text adventure in the world ever. Our first attempt resulted in Chapter One of Contamination, a thrilling tale of conspiracy and horror. Play Contamination Chapter One
Sadly, Contamination petered out for various reason. We're not quitting! Having learned from our mistakes, we're now embarking upon on our second adventure, with a working title of Spaceship.
For inspiration, check out the nugget that started it all off.
Puzzle Design Competition!
Are you a master puzzler? Do you have incredible ideas for new ciphers? Then have a go in our Puzzle Design Competition!
The top three puzzles will be automatically entered into Spaceship!, our wikigame, and the top three designers will receive a copy each of the first Stephen Spielberg/EA collaboration, the magnificent puzzler Boom Blox for the Nintendo Wii. The best puzzle designer will not only win the game, but will also go home with his or her very own Wii. Yes, a Wii.
Entries must be submitted using this form by Wednesday 21st May. They'll be judged by Interactive Fiction design veterans, and winners will be announced Monday 26th May.
Don't be shy!
OMG this is awesome, but I don't wanna make puzzles. How can I help right now?
We're looking for people to contribute in any way they can. Here are some suggestions:
- Help us write the game's synopsis. This is an overall description of what happens in the plot. It's what the player might see in his or her path through the game.
- If you decide you'd like to add a description to a location, an object or puzzle to the synopsis, click on the link in the text and fill in the form. If are having trouble understanding the layout of the locations, I'd head to the location template sample page for an example.
- You can learn more about more how a text adventure works by viewing the detailed location guide.
- If it's a new location, you can add an internal link in the synopsis and create a new page:
- Go to Help if you need to!
- Once the new page has been created, copy the Location Template into the empty page and begin the creative process.
- Please also add your location to the Location page
- We're also looking for people to contribute their coding skills. Scroll down the page to see how.
- note - we're staying away from creating non-player characters (NPCs) 'cause it's an added layer of complexity that we're hoping to avoid.
But I have no time! np, there's Quick Help
If there's nothing in the synopsis that you want to work on, here are a few places we need some instant help:
- Opening Quotations - it's a tradition in IF games to start your game with an interesting quotation, help us write ours.
- Object Watch - help write descriptions for miscellaneous items dotted around our textual landscape.
- Default Rejection Messages - help personalise the game's syntax errors
- En-Suite - We currently have top-line description, but we need help with the rest
Latest News and Milestones
12/05/08: We'd like to welcome our new wikigamers to the mix - a hearty hello to you all!
In this week's meeting, we decided to flesh out the synopsis more in such a way as it reads like a narrative rather than a set of goals and solutions. This will integrate/inspire the descriptions and will provide mucho fodder for Quick Helps.
We've decided to create a first draft puzzle map based upon the initial questions laid out in the synopsis. This should help firm up the story arc and provide the structure for our hapless main character to make his way from certain death to survival.
There are two more weeks in this part of the process, and the focus of these will be on fleshing out the synopsis and creating the puzzles. Aleks will post up a puzzle competition on Tuesday, with game-related prizes announced by the end of the week to maintain interest. She'll also work on the puzzle template in time for the competition announcement.
Next meeting is Monday 19 May at 5pm. If you'd like to come along, send Aleks an email at gamesblog+at+gmail.com
06/05/08: This week was launch redux: what's happened since the article announcing the new wikigame went up last Wednesday? We received great hype from Emily Short, IF developer extraordinaire, who posted it up on her blog. Now the aim is to grease the slope into wikigame development heaven. To wit, we're going to re-design the location/object templates in such a way as they ask questions for descriptions. hopefully this will make the process more accessible and less daunting. The coding's going to get started with the introduction getting set into the interactive demo through to the end of the first puzzle.
And speaking of puzzles, our puzzle compo will go live next Monday and Aleks will drop a few teaser posts up on the blog between now and then, challenging gamesbloggers to think of a) why we are where we are and b) what their fave puzzles are.
We have a meeting next Monday 12 May at 5pm via google chat (contact gamesblog +at+ gmail.com) to generate Quick Help ideas and discuss progress. All welcome!
27/4/08: At our latest meeting, we discussed practical next steps, now that the synopsis has some bones, the templates have been crafted and the wikigame announcement is about to go live to the masses. A few things need attention before the launch, including development of puzzle template, puzzle example, direction markers in the synopsis. Michael's going to start working on the playable demo so people can contribute to the game in the context of playing it.
A few dates for the diary:
- Wednesday 30 April
- wikigame mark 2 launches. Gamesbloggers and others are invited to participate in developing content
- 1st Quick Help item launched.
- Tuesday 6 May
- Next meeting via GoogleTalk. 5pm. Be there or be square. Topic: Launch redux.
- Monday 12 May
- Puzzle Challenge announced. Gamesbloggers are invited to submit puzzle ideas. The best ones will be incorporated into the game
- 2nd Quick Help item launched
- Map is (potentially) nailed down
- Monday 19 May
- Puzzle Challenge winners announced
- 3rd Quick Help item is launched
- Monday 26 May
- End of Phase 2 of the schedule. Beginning of Phase 3.
22/4/08: Help out on Spaceship! Synopsis here, draft schedule here.
The attendees of the last GoogleTalk meeting have declared that we will follow the SkeletalPenguinModel, and use PhilWal's Spaceship idea as the basis for our synopsis. DennisChow will create a template for the game furniture which will be integrated into the synopsis. Before we launch the basics next week with an article on guardian.co.uk, we will have the synopsis up on the wiki and will have re-organised the wiki page for easiest new wiki-gamer contribution. Next meeting is in GoogleTalk (gamesblog +at+ gmail +dot+ com) on Monday 28 April at 5pm BST. Come one come all!
Current Focus
Everyone
Getting back in the saddle! Go to SkeletalPenguinModel for an idea of how we plan to work and Wikigame_Models to find the other project models we considered. See the Roadmap below to find out where we are. Most importantly, help us write the synopsis.
The Designers
Synopsis, please.
Main descriptions for each of the existing locations are also a priority.
Also, please view the new Simplified Location Layout Template and the location layout sample page as an example. Please use the Simplified Location Layout Template when laying out a new location.
The Coders
See and update the Text Adventure Coders page. Coders please view the Bug reports page to view any submitted bugs.
The Testers
New testers please check out the Text Adventure Testers page in preparation for testing the game.
Roadmap
In no particular order:
- Sort out a project schedule
- Write the synopsis
- Finish this Roadmap
Personnel
Please add yourself, if you're so inclined!
Text Adventure Coders
This inimitable group of brainiacs get the honour of being the people who make it all happen. Your role is based upon what the Designers come up with, which is based upon what the Storytellers describe.
- MichaelBruntonSpall
- DennisChow
- Ctmiller
- Nafter
Text Adventure Designers
The Game Design is all of the detailed information that goes along with the Story, including lists of rooms, objects, characters and anything else required.
- Aleks Krotoski (gamesblog+at+gmail.com)
- Michael Brunton Spall
- DennisChow
- Philwal
- Weefz (hello!)
- Alobster
- PerrinAshcroft
Text Adventure Storytellers
The story is the roadmap for the design of the game. It's a written description of the path which the player will take, from start to finish. It's the meta narrative.
- Aleks Krotoski (gamesblog+at+gmail.com)
- Philwal
- DennisChow
