making a text adventure

[QueBert]

I use to love text adventure games, and I made a couple with AGT, it's an old DOS program but it did work in Windows 98. I fired it up and got an error, I'm assuming it's not y2k ready, the program was discontinued like 13 years ago. Googling turns up a bunch, but I'm wondering what's good. I don't have programming knowledge, I can learn to comprehend a scripting language if it's not too involved. I don't need graphics or music, just want to create a good ole text adventure game.

 

[schneiderguy]

Python maybe?

 

[Schadenfroh]

(I do not do much scripting, so I am only commenting on programming languages)
(assuming that a text based adventure game is all that you want to do) BASIC is very easy for that kind of thing and should be fine. I wrote some text based adventure games in junior high with qbasic.

If you are planning on learning other programming languages and/or eventually 2D / 3D programming, I would suggest JAVA since its syntax and paradigm (OO) are both modern and it has official 2D graphics support along with semi-official 3D support.

 

[BladeVenom]

There are text adventure engines already out there if all you want to do is make a text adventure. Just find a newer one that works with Windows or use Dosbox.

If you're doing this for the fun of programming, maybe you should ask in the Programming section of the forum.

 

[QueBert]

no programing here BladeVenom, I know there are dozens of engines out there, I was hoping somebody had tried a couple and have a recomendation. ADRIFT gets a lot of praise but it cost money, I'd like to stay free. The few free ones I've tried recently are pretty complex and not user friendly.

 

[QueBert]

Found Inform 7, looks pretty involved but not crazy complicated to use. Will start work on the Epic Fail text adventure today, with a name like that it'll probably be an Epic Fail of a game lol. I'll try to make it interesting by incorporating some of the more colorful AT people on it like CasioTech and a few others. Suggestions on who else to have in it? I know making this will be a huge waste of time but I'm bored and it's something different to do

 

[spittledip]

Perl would work

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: QueBert
I use to love text adventure games, and I made a couple with AGT, it's an old DOS program but it did work in Windows 98. I fired it up and got an error, I'm assuming it's not y2k ready, the program was discontinued like 13 years ago. Googling turns up a bunch, but I'm wondering what's good. I don't have programming knowledge, I can learn to comprehend a scripting language if it's not too involved. I don't need graphics or music, just want to create a good ole text adventure game.

Any language would work. Basic even.

The jist:

Put your "map" in an array. Each row will represent a room number. Each of the six columns will represent a direction (north, s, e, w, up, down). If the value stored is a 0 you can't go there. Any other value represents the room number that you'll end up in if you go there.

Make a second one dimensional array to hold the strings giving the room descriptions.
Make another one that holds objects, monsters etc.

For input just make a parser that grabs "verbs" like go, walk, pick up, drop, attack, grabs the following noun and sends the noun off to the appropriate verb function/subroutine.


You might want to hunt around for some "construction sets" though. I was pretty fond of ZZT. Also, games like Angband are open source and have incredibly well documented code that you can mod.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: spittledip
Perl would work

Geez, I used to love Perl scripting!

 

[irishScott]

You do know about DOSBox Right?
http://www.dosbox.com/

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: irishScott
You do know about DOSBox Right?
http://www.dosbox.com/

I do, but it totally slipped my mind. I ran it and AGT sure enough works, probably would be better off making it in Inform 7 so anyone can play it - errr.... assuming I finish it and there's a single person interested in playing a text adventure called Epic Fail!

lol.

 

[Piuc2020]

If you are a good writer and it turns out to be funny (I assume it's going to be funny with a name like Epic Fail) then I would be interested.

Woot! This is my 1000th post

 

[QueBert]

haha you assume it's gonna be funny because of the name? It might be a true example of an Epic Fail, it will have a lot of references to ATOT threads so knowledge of ATOT will greatly enhance the experience. I'm learning this Inform 7 program and from there I can get into seeing if I can make a funny game *shrug*

 

[Rowboat]

You should do it in flash or something online.