[Rosebush] The 2023 Interactive Fiction Top 50

Nice!
I’ve played maybe 4 games from this Top 50… Now I have a bunch on my to-play list for in 4 years :partying_face:

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I too score very low on how many games from the Top 50 I have played. There are a few I have started and put aside to play on a later date, like 1893, Curses or Make it Good. Even counting those as “played” (in the sense that I have a some general idea of quality and a firm resolve to finish them in the foreseeable future), there are still 40 games on the list that I have not even opened yet.

Indeed, time to implement and execute a four-year-plan vis-a-vis my to-play list.

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Interesting theory, perhaps also applied to “Suspended” a long ago Infocom about managing robots which rose into the top 50.

What I remember about Suspended myself was a small bug I discovered which allowed me to read some of the games hidden code. From memory, the standard format was “[name of robot], [command]” but when I added a second comma, like “[name of robot], [object], [command]” the parser would spit back essentially random fragments of text from the game file. I had as much fun exploiting that bug as I did playing the actual game.

I don’t know which edition I was playing nor am I entirely sure I’m remembering the syntax, except there was a second comma involved.

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I haven’t played A Dark Room or Plasmorphosis. I think I’ll try Plasmorphosis after I finish up some beta testing stuff. What’s A Dark Room like?

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Like a tycoon simulator. Get wood, furs, scales, build huts, send people on missions. I never finished it, but so far it’s that plus some adventuring.

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At the start, it’s just you in a basic hut needing to keep your fire lit for warmth and setting traps for food. After a few turns, passers-by looking for shelter add their strength and numbers to yours, and traders stop by more frequently. You can build a community in earnest now.

Once a certain threshold has been reached, the game opens up and shifts focus to exploration of the surrounding wilderness. This second part effectively feels like a different game, perhaps a sequel to the one you’ve been playing so far.

It should take only a few minutes of clicking to see if you like the extremely sparse setup. If you do, you’re in for a captivating ride.

4* and 5 reviews on IFDB.

EDIT: Help! All the IFDB-links for A Dark Room now point to the “simplified mandarin” version. (EDIT²: There’s a “language” button in the right bottom corner of the screen.)

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You need to hang in longer than that, IMO. I tried it once or twice and gave up on it before sticking with it, and then I WAS captivated. You have to get to the exploration part to be sucked in, I think.

I think you have to buy it. I played it on my iPad and as I recall it was only a dollar or two.

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Are we talking about this one?


Because the first link Browser Version sent me to an English version

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Thanks at @manonamora and @VictorGijsbers and Rosebush in general for the poll and the article.

At the end of the article is some investigation into the parser game to choice game ratio. At the end of the number juggling I feel a bit dizzy… but it is interesting to see that the seemingly obvious parser game domination is not as obvious as it looks. I recommend reading it.

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Help! Even your in-post link to an “English version” is Mandarin!

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It isn’t for me; could be location based?

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Maybe you just need to change your language setting? It’s in the bottom right corner.

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----smacks forehead, bows in thanks----

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Thanks for all the hard work @VictorGijsbers! Lots of games on there I still have to play, so that’s a priority, health permitting. And thanks to all the fellow voters. Great work all.

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Great stuff, thanks to all involved.

Now is someone going to do the maths and see what % of the Top 50 (or, 70 as it happens) are also Cragne Manor authors?

EDIT: By my count, 19/70 (including Cragne Manor itself) share authors with Cragne Manor.

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I have the same problem now. But I can’t find a button or menu entry for setting the language. I already searched the whole game entry page, my whole settings page, the IFDB main page and my whole profile page.
Not in the bottom right, not anywhere else.

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It’s when you have already loaded the game.
image

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No. When I click “Play Online” I get only Chinese signs.

EDIT: Found it where you said. Sorry and thx

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Well either:
click on the link below the Play Online button
or
when the page is loaded, click on language and choose the one you want from the list.

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I tried those two games now, so I’ve now seen the whole top 50.

A Dark Room makes sense to be on the list! A unique game, reminds of Fallen London and roguelikes and Universal Paperclips.

I’m surprised a bit by Plasmorphosis being on there. Not because it’s bad, but because I wouldn’t even put it in the top 3 Agnieszka Trzaska games, many of which I think could place highly on this list (I especially like 4x4 Archipelago). But I’m glad it’s on the list as it may attract more people to Agnieszka’s games.

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