MetaFilter posts tagged with infocom

Every Known Version of Every Infocom Adventure

not_on_display — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:32:00 -0800

Welcome to the complete online Infocom adventures page 0/0 >LOOK Here you can find and play online every known version of every Infocom adventure. What next? >▂

When Gravity Fails

Artw — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:24:45 -0800

Editor Marty Halpern looks back at the career of George Alec Effinger (part 1, part 2, part 3), a prolific author best known for his work set in the Budayeen, a walled city in a future Islamic state, teeming with gangsters, hustlers and transsexual prostitutes, many of them habitual users of plug in personality modules. The noirish tone and exotic technology of the Marîd Audran books (When Gravity Fails, A Fire In The Sun, The Exile Kiss) made Effinger one of the leading lights in the cyberpunk movie, and spawned a videogame - a rare attempt at a graphical adventure from Infocom - and an RPG setting. Sadly Effinger faded from prominence after that, and he suffered from a number of health and financial setbacks before passing away in 2002. His work has had somewhat of a resurgence in popularity of late, with the Marîd Audran books coming back into print in 2007, a long with a collection containing The Wolves of Memory, Effinger's personal favourite amongst his novels.

Lo-Fi Video Game Anti-Piracy

Damn That Television — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:27:54 -0800

Long before user authentication and online validation became a thorn in the side of software pirates, copy protection techniques were a little more friendly and a little more lo-fi: packaged with Infocom's interactive fiction games, "Feelies" (primary link, click on the boxes)were assorted physical items that acted as accompanying illustrations (fake magazine covers, in-game currency, decoder slides, and even scratch-n-sniff cards for specific points during game play) to worlds made entirely from text. The thinking was that the feelies would add so much value and atmosphere that they'd encourage people to buy the games, rather than copy them. Oh, and it didn't hurt that they also frequently contained information required to complete the accompanying game. Of course, there have been other methods, ranging from the surprising, to the frustrating, to the downright cruel.

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

matthewr — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:18:20 -0800

From the Infocom treasure trove: Milliway's, the unreleased sequel to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

You haven't been eaten, until you've been eaten by a grue

Blazecock Pileon — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 01:02:20 -0800

Let's Tell a Story Together (A History of Interactive Fiction)

The Short, Happy Life of Infocom

ewagoner — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 07:55:09 -0800

Remember Infocom? What makes a small, beloved, and wildly successful developer of interactive fiction decide to sideline the games and venture into building database software instead? While the knowledge that they were bought out and shuttered is pretty common, it isn't until relatively recently that all the details have come to light.

You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

Malor — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 14:07:41 -0800

You see a large shipping crate. It has been wrapped in chains and secured with a stout padlock. Curiously, each link is engraved with the letters "BSA." (more inside)

Melinika — Sun, 21 Apr 2002 18:58:08 -0800

The "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" Infocom game online! (Java-based) I think I just died and went to heaven. I played this years ago on a crusty old Mac - this and Fool's Errand. What old games do you remember spending hours or even days playing?

Shadowkeeper — Wed, 03 Apr 2002 07:50:51 -0800

9:05 Remember back in the heyday of Infocom when you would routinely spend four or five days straight (subsisting on RC cola and beef jerky, only taking breaks to visit the john) trying to crack all the puzzles in Zork II or Suspended? Yeah, those were the days. Now, of course, you're a busy guy -- you can no longer devote entire weekends to the joys of text adventuring. That's why, today on your coffee break, you should play Adam Cadre's 9:05. Playing the entire game, from start to finish, should take you no longer than 10 minutes. But set aside a bit more time, because you'll probably want to play it again.

tweebiscuit — Sun, 30 Sep 2001 18:56:58 -0800

Remember Zork, Planetfall, and the other creations of late game company Infocom? Well, "interactive fiction," as the format is called, is still alive and well. Every year the IF community -- which is known for releasing work of quality far surpassing even Infocom's masterpieces -- holds a competition for short works, and this year's contestants have been released! Read this post's comments for more info...