Character-driven IF

David Schweinsberg

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Dec 9, 2006, 8:33:49 PM12/9/06

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Hi

I'm trying to compile a list of character-driven IF stories. This is so
I can do some analysis as to how to how it succeeds (and fails) in the
context of IF.

Any suggestions from anyone?

Regards,

David

Thomas Soneir

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Dec 10, 2006, 12:13:50 AM12/10/06

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Galatea would definately be an interesting look at character driven
Interactive Fiction, although it is from the point of view of an NPC.
Not sure if that's what your looking for, but if it is, you can
download it here: http://www.wurb.com/if/game/1326

u...@mail.ru

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Dec 10, 2006, 1:06:19 AM12/10/06

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Of course, it'd be good to have a more precise definition what the term
"character driven IF" actually means, but here is a bunch of games my
personal parser brings up for that noun phrase:

Emily Short's Galatea, and Best Of Three - not so much actual stories
but rather experimental character interaction research works;

A Spot Of Bother by David Whyld - it's the characters that make this
game actually work, without them, it'd just fall apart.

Furthermore, there are lots of IF games that are fairly traditional but
have very strong characters. To mind come The Frenetic Five series by
Neil deMause, and the Eart&Sky series by Paul O'Brian.

Valentine

David Schweinsberg

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Dec 10, 2006, 1:37:00 AM12/10/06

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u...@mail.ru wrote:
> Of course, it'd be good to have a more precise definition what the term

> "character driven IF" actually means...

Indeed, and I think you're comment about a game falling apart without
well-developed characters goes some way towards that definition. I'm
thinking there may be a number of ways of making the characters central
to the story (or game) which doesn't necessarily revolve around dialogue.

David

JDC

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Dec 10, 2006, 3:46:42 AM12/10/06

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One example might be Photopia; the character of Alley is pretty much
central, but most of the character development isn't from dialogue.

-JDC

Emily Short

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Dec 10, 2006, 4:13:02 AM12/10/06

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I'd also suggest Rameses, Fallacy of Dawn and Necrotic Drift,
Exhibition, and The Baron; perhaps also Jane and Photograph, though I'm
not sure those do as good a job. (Some of these are more about the PC
than about NPCs, but that may fall into your category even so.)

Stephen Granade

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Dec 10, 2006, 9:19:31 AM12/10/06

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"Emily Short" <ems...@mindspring.com> writes:

Also: Common Ground, Kissing the Buddha's Feet, Shadows on the Mirror,
She's Got a Thing For Spring, Varicella (in which the characters are
the structure of the puzzles), When In Rome 2, and Worlds Apart.

Stephen

--
Stephen Granade
stephen...@granades.com

David Schweinsberg

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Dec 11, 2006, 1:55:49 AM12/11/06

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Stephen Granade wrote:
> Also: Common Ground, Kissing the Buddha's Feet, Shadows on the Mirror,
> She's Got a Thing For Spring, Varicella (in which the characters are
> the structure of the puzzles), When In Rome 2, and Worlds Apart.

Thanks everyone for the input.

David