So i'm making a text adventure

Heyo guys. I'm in the middle of making a text adventure, and I wanted to know if anyone would be interested in it. So far it's standard text adventure fare: you wake up in a cave, you have to fight for your life with a beginner weapon, and then you begin your adventure. I've planned 3 seperate stories to be played in any order, and i'm currently in the process of writing the first one, titled "The Crystal Cauldron".

So far, i've planned on Tomato in the Mirror and And I Must Scream moments, and i'm sure there'll end up being some Body Horror in there. I've also planned on a secret pickup that can only be used once, but can end any major boss battle. IT'S THE GUARD'S LEFT HAND

So is anyone interested in text adventures?

I'm very much into text adventures, and would be happy to play yours when finished (if available to me).

Hard to say much about your idea so far. The main plot sounds very old-school (I think the Interactive Fiction community views "cave exploration" games about the same way as most people view "heroes go on a quest to find the magic object" fantasy novels), but the Tomato in the Mirror and Body Horror tropes you mentioned are fairly uncommon in this type of game (in my experience, at least), and sound pretty fresh.

Are you involved in any text adventure communities or websites? If not, you might want to check out a few, to get more ideas and see which tropes are overused and should be stayed away from, etc.

edited 24th May '12 1:11:31 AM by DoktorvonEurotrash

Yeah, sure.

Well, it isn't exactly set in a cave. The cave is a bit of a plot point, but it's just a shallow hole in a rock in a forest the character wakes up in. Although i'm planning on the second story to have an underground network of caves which houses a village of thieves...

Actually, i'm not. I just began writing a text adventure to amuse myself and I got carried away with the backstory. I'll have a look, thanks.

Ah, I see. And there you have it: I'm so used to text adventures being about cave exploration that I assumed yours would be, too.

I hope the text adventure communities give you lots of ideas. And if it's your first game, just take it easy and get the feel of the thing.

Maybe I'll make one myself, one day...

What engine are you using? I've written three (completed) interactive fictions, myself.

I haven't started actually making it, i'm just writing down in a book. I've tried 2 different engines, but I found them to be too much hassle.

Could you recommend an incredibly simple, user-friendly engine?

AFAIK, Adrift is the easiest—no programming knowledge required—but I use Inform 7, which is also pretty straightforward and not to programmy. (Apologies if you've already tried those two.)

And yes, if your game ends up online, I'm sure I'll play it.

Thanks. I'll be looking forward to making the alpha ^-^

Okay, I need help.

I'm not confident in my own writing, so i'd like to get a beta reader. If anyone reading this has experience in 3rd person writing, give me a buzz.

The main problem I'm having is mixing dialogue and actions without it seeming choppy.

I wouldn't mind helping you out. Either PM me the text you want help with, or PM me for my email and mail it to me.

Thank you, I'll do that tonight.