The mobile camera team finally caught up with Arthur DiBianca, and he was kind enough to answer a few questions for the audience…
[EDIT: One more answer added – sorry it got skipped the first time.]
Q: You are one of the most well-known authors who specialize in “limited parser” works. What attracts you to this format, and why do you prefer it to the traditional parser style?
AD: I’m pretty lazy. With the traditional open parser, people can type all kinds of things, and you have to handle so many possibilities. Too much for me. But also, hopefully, people who don’t have a history with this kind of game have an easier time getting into it.
Q: Why do you prefer to use a parser interface even when it would be feasible to implement a game using a choice-based or graphical system?
AD: I would say “keyboard interface” instead of “parser interface”. Inside the Facility doesn’t really parse anything. (And if you played the browser edition, it’s just click-or-touch.) But Twine games feel fundamentally different to me – you don’t have a fixed set of commands, for example.
(Or to put it another way, I spent all this time learning Inform 7 and now you want me to learn Twine?)
Q: How much of the map of Inside the Facility was designed around the puzzles, and how much was just to fill up the squares? Are there any rooms that are there just for atmospheric purposes, or does each one have a significant function? How long did it take you to put the entire game together?
AD: The original notion was to have a directions-only interface. So that meant a lot of rooms would be required. But I hate mapping, so I decided to make a template you could print on a sheet of paper. 13x10 seemed to fit pretty well. But then, yeah, I had to come up with 130 rooms. Probably it could have been more compact! But it also leaves more space for silliness. As I recall there aren’t many rooms that are absolutely useless, but maybe a few.
I think the game took about five months to write.
Q: You have 16 games listed on IFDB. Which one(s) are you most proud of and why?
AD: Skies Above. I like the concept, and it was pretty challenging to write. Everyone should play it until their fingers fall off, which will occur after about 15 minutes.
Q: What was your first exposure to interactive fiction? What about it motivated you to start making your own?
AD: My first adventure games were Cranston Manor and Microsoft Adventure, circa 1982. You got to sit at a computer and explore these little worlds – it was awesome!
Q: Nearly all of your published works were written in Inform 7. What in particular convinced you to make it your primary authoring tool, and have you ever considered trying others?
AD: I discovered the Inform 7 IDE around 2012-2013, and it seemed like an ideal tool. I’ve never felt the need to look into anything else. I have learned a little Javascript for the Vorple features, though.
Q: Inside the Facility is slated to face Andrew Plotkin’s Spider and Web in Round 2 of the tournament. Is there anything you would like to say to fans in advance of the match?
AD: “I can handle double digits, but if I lose by triple digits I’m going to take it personally.”