vivdunstan

Inform 7 source code for my IFComp game "Bad Beer" is now freely available in the IFArchive. It is also linked from Bad Beer's IFDB game web page. April 1 is Source Code Amnesty Day for interactive fiction games. More info about my release in my intfiction forum post.

Pleased to manage some more interactive fiction game coding, now developing chapter 6 of 7 in my next parser text adventure game. Not developing in sequential order! Currently flitting to and fro between coding in Inform 7 and researching a topic. While also trying to visualise the scene in my brain!

Inform 7 is a magical system to code interactive fiction games in. But it's also brilliant how you can quickly test things even just to improve writing. I've just coded another test command "test X" to jump to the latest code. I can't say what X is - spoilers. But I'm very happy typing that command!

This morning's reading, the second in the Midsomer Murders gamebooks. Very happy with my investigation today, even if there was admittedly lots of fingers stuck in the book's pages at various points! Much fun, captures the essence of the TV series. There is a 3rd Midsomer Murders gamebook planned.

More interactive fiction game design work, drawing up an honest assessment of the current state of implementation of my next game. AARRGGHH!! Even if I know some bits have detailed designs worked out, just needing ("just" haha!) coding. But this all does help focus the mind on what to tackle next. Eg I may tackle chapters 6 and 7 next - already largely designed, relatively easy to code - while musing in the background more ideas for the scarier chapters 2 and 5.

Gosh this looks fun from Andrew Plotkin: The Visible Zorker, a new way of visualising the game source code being executed as interactive fiction / text adventure game Zork 1 is played.

Finally finished playing Jonathan Green's gamebook Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland. Much fingers stuck in the pages, 80s style, this morning! Enjoyed reading to end, but scuppered by I think one unfair puzzle near the end. But extremely happy solved puzzle before! Very imaginative writing.

Just ordered the second thing with my IFComp prize money. Our local bookshop is stocking this. Newly published next week. I will report back what it's like. Still have some IFComp prize money left.

Nice write up about my latest IF game.

Trying a new to me oracle cards deck. Which is gorgeous. Even has shiny red gilt like edges to the cards! Just using for a bit more personal reflection. This deck is autumnal equinox themed.

Sticking with my usual 3-card past/present/future spread, in a really loose form.

The cards are Foraging / Mead and Wine / Autumn equinox.

I can also relate these roughly to where I've been / am / am going.

Re "Foraging" I've been spending the last few weeks gathering together thoughts on my personal strengths, interests and goals. All within the limited context in which I need to operate. Figuring out what I want to do in the coming 6 months or so has been productive, and rewarding, and should be able to translate into fun activities. Including things I can work on from my bed. So that's been a productive process.

As for "Mead and Wine", well we've had a lot of celebrations recently, which are ongoing! September is a double birthday month for us, and also marked our 30th wedding anniversary this year. We had to postpone our big celebration meal (takeaway, but still huge!) for erm reasons. So that is still upcoming. And this week we treated ourselves to a postal delivery of gorgeous brownies and cookies from Norfolk. Coming today ... We are going to be so plump by a week from now! But yes, that card is on point.

The autumnal equinox card might seem to have been more appropriate a couple of weeks ago, but it's not really. It's only now that I'm really feeling autumn kicking in properly. To be fair I can't get out much to see the gorgeous changing colours around. But it's in the last week or so that I've really felt the chill kicking in, and autumn is well and truly upon us. And will be for another couple of months. I do need to get out to enjoy some of it. Will add that as an urgent goal! I am also writing a new IF game set around the changing seasons, starting with autumn. So I need to soak up as much of it as possible. Thanks to the card for the reminder.

So an interesting deck. I will continue to use it from time to time. It is especially gorgeous to handle. There are others in the same range for different times of the year. But I like autumn, so picked this one for me.

IFComp has opened for another year, with 67 different interactive fiction games entered. Ranging from traditional parser text adventure games through to choice based pieces and RPGs. I have a game in the competition this year ("Bad Beer") but would encourage folks interested in new IF games to check out all of the competition entries. All are worth playing, covering a huge range of genres, themes and styles. Judging is open to all comers, and runs until October 15th. https://ifcomp.org