I always call it “round robin” too. The problem, for me, with the term “gamebook” is that it includes the ideas of dice, fantasy, a narrative that flows forward, multiple play throughs to catch all the nuances – essentially a very specific type of menu-driven game. And many modern menu-driven games don’t incorporate all or even most of those elements. Compare Zork: Cavern of Doom with ULTRA BUSINESS TYCOON, for example.
By the way, you don’t need a strong programming background for parser IF anymore. It does help to understand basic things like loops and variables, but Inform is AMAZING. And Quest is supposed to be pretty friendly, too. Have you seen Blackwood Manor (on the IFDB)? It’s a fairly traditional gamebook.
While I’ve worked with parsers in the past, menu-driven games are where my interests are right now. I don’t feel unwelcome here because of that. It is pretty intimidating to think of a neat use for a lever, start to post, and realize that everyone else in the thread is talking about quantum physics, but to be expected in a hobby this venerable.
I’m not comfortable with the term “Choice” because all IF involves choices and because I think it’s too close to the brand name for Choice of Games. I think I’ll keep using “menu-driven”, myself, and the more specific terms when warranted.
Yep, it’s an awkward one, no doubt about it. Choice of Games’ brand name has turned out to be quite farsighted in that regard, although on CoG’s own forum the authors there tend to refer to their games as “CoGs” when differentiating from other Choice games! It’s a wacky old world.
Concerning the discussion about a central focal point for Choice games on the net: no, no such focal point actually exists - or if it does, it’s not commonly known or linked and so by definition does not actually exist… While it would IMHO be especially suited to intfiction.org, for obvious reasons, I do understand why there is some resistance to the idea.
Picked, as I recall, so as not to conflict with the older brand name “Choose Your Own Adventure”.
“Choice-based game” has become fairly common parlance around here. Of course it doesn’t read literally, but genre names never make logical sense read literally (compare “interactive fiction”, “science fiction”, etc.)
I’m pretty sure I’m not inventive enough to have come up with the term by myself, but I can’t remember where I read it, so I’m happy to go with whatever gets the meaning across most clearly.
The third picture actually demonstrates very well what I picture with “menu-driven”, much like the quest or vorple drop downs. Essentially, a style where you have the options in front of you to choose from, rather than needing to think them up yourself, whether they’re presented in a literal menu or a set of links to click on. “Options-provided” seems kind of clunky and unlikely to catch on, though.
Oh, well if you actually are thinking of menu driven games then you’re talking about very different things than what most other people mean by choice based games.
I agree that this would mean that intfiction.org would get a chance to fill a gap and perhaps increase its market share (so to speak) by creating a sort of hub for discussion of choice games. But I think the resistance is especially coming from the people who would actually have to do a lot of work to make it happen, and I can understand why that is…
A. What to call ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ style games?
cyoa - choose your own adventure - copyright invalid
pypta- pick your path to adventure - coypright invalid (TSR/D&D)
choice of game (cog) - copyright invalid
menu driven - multiple systems -invalid
choice - multiple systems - invalid
How about
“PathWay”
The PATH has ben laid out.
You must choose which WAY to go.
Just my two pennies in that particular argument.
Which I should remind those in this forum.
[size=150]Back to Basics.[/size]
Vote.
Should there be a new directory for “gamebooks”?
See poll above.
We’re already aware of what we’re discussing without five foot letters every twenty posts to remind us, thank you very much. Kindly allow us to discuss the matter as interesting points have arisen already. Some people already voted, some people might prefer to argue more before they vote, but overall the content of this discussion is far, far, far more revealing and interesting than the numbers of that yes/no/maybe poll.
Well, of the 21 votes cast so far, 8 are definitely in favour of it, 9 are in favour if there’s need for it and only 4 (or Namewhatever under 4 different names) are against it, so it seems like the majority would prefer a gamebooks directory on the forum.
Then if we feel the conversation is over and nothing else can be contributed to it, we can take that, along with the arguments in the thread - which is to say, take the quantitative and the qualitative readings both - and start deciding, possibly revising (or not) the initial decision.
Incidently, I would not say that the majority of people would prefer a gamebooks directory, that’s a false reading. It’s more correct to say that a little over half the people who are not fervently opposed wouldn’t mind it being created as long as it were used, and as long as there’s demand for it to be created. So, the number of people who WOULD PREFER it is 8, in a total of 21 - whereas the total number of people who are not saying no outright is 17, but of those 17 nine people (including myself, as I voted that) do not “prefer” it; we merely agree that as long as there’s demand (which I think is still the basic essential question, “p0ppac0rg1” notwithstanding) it might as well be created.
I doubt it. He’s content enough to stand by his own opinions - give him that much credit at least, he’s hardly the sort to create sockpuppets. He prefers to hammer his point home.
I suppose we could always look at it from another point of view, i.e. what harm is there in creating a section for gamebooks on the forum? It’s the work of a few minutes for the moderators. If it fails miserably, then so be it, simply delete it and forget the idea. No harm done and only a few minutes of moderator time wasted. If, however, it succeeds then we’ve got an active thriving gamebook community here, some of whom no doubt will also play and write IF games.
Honestly, I don’t really see any downsides to it. The people opposed to it aren’t obliged to post there or even read the posts made by others. Heck, they might even appreciate it if any mention of gamebooks could be shunted off to a separate part of the forum where they don’t have to see it.
Ayup. I agree that of those that voted that a majority agree to at least ‘try’ out having a gamebook board on this forum. So I’ll stop reminding to vote. So. back to the secondary topics.
What suggestions do you have for relabeling gamebooks to be less copyright problematic and more indicative of their format.
I found that there is a series ‘pathway to adventure’ out there. But at least just plain ‘pathway’ doesn’t abbreviate to PTA.
