Very interesting, many thanks!
4 Likes
Oh apologies, I didn’t explain this clearly!
So by “navigation through the text” I refer to the way that the reader/player/interactor moves from one block of text that is visible on the screen to the next. For instance, does the reader/player/interactor access the blocks of text in a linear or prefixed order? Are they given choice (e.g. in the form of hyperlinks) which can lead to different blocks of texts? Are all the blocks of text accessible in a single playthrough or do particular choices in each playthrough exclude particular blocks, etc.
I hope it’s clearer now!
3 Likes
Much better, yes! I appreciate it! 
Most of what I have played is parser-based, and the handful of non-parser games I’ve played don’t stray too far from the parser design pattern. (I swear it’s accidental that those are the only non-parsers I’ve played.)
A few times I’ve tried to played something that got innovative with it was mostly doing stuff where the text would automatically progress after some time limit.
However, as a slow reader, this meant that I was missing huge chunks of information and context and couldn’t really continue the game.
3 Likes
Hmm yes, I understand this must have been frustrating… It would be interesting, though, if this was the intended effect in the first place… For instance, to make the player experience what the characters are experiencing etc.
3 Likes
The very first official Discworld computer game did, though… the 1986 Quilled text adventure The Colour of Magic by Fergus McNeill.
6 Likes
Device 6 is a paid game on iOS, and I recommend it. It is IF, and it does unique things with space in all sorts of ways. Plus it’s really fun.
3 Likes
@8BitAG I had no idea that existed. I’ve located the relevant screen for anyone interested
4 Likes
There was a recent Ectocomp game that had some interesting interaction with the text. It involves having some editorial control of letters written by the PC to their sister. It’s an interesting angle to be interacting with the story and moreso impressive as an act of Speed-IF (<= 4 hours).
It’s called Something Blue written by @EJoyce .
4 Likes
Thank you! But I would be remiss not to mention the debt Something Blue owes to First Draft of the Revolution.
4 Likes
Apologies for the delayed response, it took me a while to go through all the comments and the suggestions. Many thanks for the time you put into this list, it is very helpful indeed!
Cheers!
3 Likes
Glad it was helpful even if the focus wasn’t the focus of your paper/research!
I just got back in touch with someone who interviewed me for an academic paper, and it was a small thrill to know that paper had been referenced elsewhere.
I think we’d all be glad to help you out and drop the name of a new work that might be useful to your paper, for up until your paper/s is/are published. I’ll keep a small lookout for works that organize things spatially on the screen. But you may already have enough, and if so, let us know.
And of course we’d be interested to know when it gets published!
5 Likes
I was experimenting with this in Alice Aforethought because that concept started in parser - I’m one of the low number of authors who moved from parser over to choice. It’s not a great game but was me playing around with these ideas. I put a compass on the screen for movement and flipped it and added alternate directions when those become relevant.
5 Likes
I’d be more than glad to share it!
5 Likes