Adventure game creation toolkits
Claude Martins
I've compiled. If I'm missing any, please add them in a
follow-up post.
Text adventures
---------------
AGT - Adventure Game Toolkit
http://www.markwelch.com/agt.htm
Status: complete
Inform 6
http://www.gnelson.demon.co.uk/inform.html
Status: complete
TADS - Text Adventure Development System
http://www.tela.bc.ca/tela/tads/
Status: complete
Graphic adventures
------------------
AGAST - Adventure Game Authoring System
http://www.engr.csulb.edu/~tzankich/home.html
Status: in progress
AGI Studio
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~ptrkelly/agi/index.html
Status: complete
AGILE - Adventure Game Interpreted Language Engine
http://members.xoom.com/agilesystem/
Status: in progress
Adventure3
http://members.xoom.com/adventure3/
Status: on hold
B.O.T. - [what does this stand for??]
http://www.blackholedesign.com/bot/
Status: in progress
Indiana Java
http://java.indy3d.net/
Status: complete
The Masterton Game Center
(Maker 1, Maker R2, Hollywood Game Studio)
http://www.mixnmojo.com/hollywood.studio/
Status: in progress
SAGE - [what does this stand for??]
http://www.mixnmojo.com/sciencefact/
Status: complete
SCRAMM - Script Creator for Rebel Adventure Making Maniacs
[Rebel???]
http://www.mixnmojo.com/scramm/
Status: in progress
Twilight Software Adventure Game Engine
http://www.twilightsoftware.com/
Status: complete
- Claude.
--
--
Claude Martins, "Timberwolf", ICQ#: 5304950, York U, Toronto, ON, CA
mailto:mar...@cs.yorku.ca && http://www.ariel.cs.yorku.ca/~martins/
"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
Chris Jones
>Here is the list of adventure game creation toolkits that
>I've compiled. If I'm missing any, please add them in a
>follow-up post.
That's a pretty comprehensive list - the only other one I know of is the
Adventure Creator ( http://members.xoom.com/dosuser/ac.htm ).
Also, I notice you listed text adventure game creators - would anyone these
days play a text-based adventure game?
Stephen Granade
>
> Claude Martins wrote in message <7f3dui$9l0$1...@sunburst.ccs.yorku.ca>...
> >Here is the list of adventure game creation toolkits that
> >I've compiled. If I'm missing any, please add them in a
> >follow-up post.
>
> That's a pretty comprehensive list - the only other one I know of is the
> Adventure Creator ( http://members.xoom.com/dosuser/ac.htm ).
That jibes with the list I've got. Of the text adventure languages,
I'd add Hugo and ALAN. The URLs for their web pages can be had from
http://interactfiction.miningco.com/msubtool.htm. (If you're
interested in the whole range of graphic adventure languages, please
see http://interactfiction.miningco.com/msubeng.htm.)
> Also, I notice you listed text adventure game creators - would anyone these
> days play a text-based adventure game?
Oh my yes. There's a thriving community on the newsgroup
rec.arts.int-fiction. Text adventures aren't sold that often any
more--my shareware game clocked in roughly 40 registrations--but there
is one company, Cascade Mountain Publishing, which is actively selling
text adventures. CMP can be found at http://www.cascadepublishing.com.
Stephen
--
Stephen Granade | Interested in adventure games?
sgra...@phy.duke.edu | Visit Mining Co.'s IF Page
Duke University, Physics Dept | http://interactfiction.miningco.com
Rob Merritt
Martins) wrote:
>Here is the list of adventure game creation toolkits that
>I've compiled. If I'm missing any, please add them in a
>follow-up post.
>
>Text adventures
>---------------
>
>AGT - Adventure Game Toolkit
>http://www.markwelch.com/agt.htm
>Status: complete
>
>Inform 6
>http://www.gnelson.demon.co.uk/inform.html
>Status: complete
>
>TADS - Text Adventure Development System
>http://www.tela.bc.ca/tela/tads/
>Status: complete
>
>Graphic adventures
>------------------
If you don't mind, I think multimedia tool kits such as Macromedia's
Director and IMSI's multimedia fusion should be included in this
catagory as well.
Rob Merritt
http://www.bcpl.net/~robertm
Weird Beard
Chris Jones <ch...@mynos.REMOVETHISfreeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:7f5g6p$raj$3...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
> Also, I notice you listed text adventure game creators - would anyone
these
> days play a text-based adventure game?
What Sarge said. We've even got an ftp site ( ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive )
and our very own MUD.
And we think that a monkey is funny.
Alkis Polyrakis
you know what I think tomorrow, after I test it.
--
'I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.'
Polyrakis Alkis
University of Patra, Greece
Electrical engineering department
ICQ #: 10123551
URL: http://www.angelfire.com/al/AlkisJokes
(Click on the English flag if you're not Greek)
virtu...@lycosmail.com
mar...@tiger.cs.yorku.ca (Claude Martins) wrote:
> Here is the list of adventure game creation toolkits that
> I've compiled. If I'm missing any, please add them in a
> follow-up post.
>
> Text adventures
> ---------------
>
> AGT - Adventure Game Toolkit
> http://www.markwelch.com/agt.htm
> Status: complete
>
> Inform 6
> http://www.gnelson.demon.co.uk/inform.html
> Status: complete
>
> TADS - Text Adventure Development System
> http://www.tela.bc.ca/tela/tads/
> Status: complete
>
> Graphic adventures
> ------------------
>
Hi,
you're welcome to visit my page for a more comprehensive list !
http://members.tripod.com/~virtual_cat/games/
--
>^.^<
|"|
" "~~~
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Don
Chris Jones wrote:
> Also, I notice you listed text adventure game creators - would anyone these
> days play a text-based adventure game?
I'm playing Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy right now, and I download
and play freeware text adventures now and then. I really enjoy being
able to imagine what the environment looks like rather than seeing some
artist's rendering of it. It's kind of like seeing a movie and being
disappointed that the setting doesn't look as good as you imagined when
you read the book.
Jean-Pascal Schwinn
> I'm playing Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy right now, and I download
> and play freeware text adventures now and then.
WOW!! Where did you get it? I am seeking for it for years!
--
*************************************
* "It's not a bug, it's a feature!" *
* "LucasArts rules!" *
*************************************
Claude Martins
>
>How would you compare these adventure game-specific engines with those
>multimedia authoring tools such as Director, Authorware, Toolbook,
>Supercard, mTropolis, etc...etc.?
I haven't used any of these, but I'm fairly certain that Myst
at least was written using Director. Wasn't it? Were any
other adventure games written using this type of multimedia
software?
>How would you compare in terms of sophistication, $, support, easy of
>use, etc.? Many of these authoring tools can be adventure game
>engines, can't they? Only more to offer, or too much to offer. A
>serious adventure writer would have to consider all aspects in
>selecting an engine.
Can't really comment since I've not used (nor looked into)
any of the commercial multimedia authoring software. I think
the benefit of using one of the adventure-specific toolkits
is that you don't have to muck about with inventory management,
sprite movement, npc dialogue interaction... the toolkits will
have dedicated routines for that.
At least that's the impression I've got from reading through
a few of these sites.
>I've been studying these authoring tools for quite a while but with no
>knowledge of the adventure-specific engines mentioned here. Would
>like to learn more on them, and, is there any in-depth comparison?
So far, I've only really used AGT (a text adventure toolkit)
in depth. Was it easier than writing a text adventure from
scratch? Tough call. Their parser was more sophisticated,
but getting used to the idiosyncrasies, and programming what
_I_ wanted it to do rather than what the toolkit authors
thought I wanted it to do was a major pain in the ass. (In
fact, I gave up before completing the conversion.)
For graphic adventures, many of the toolkits with the most
exciting features are still in development, so it remains to
be seen whether they can live up to their promises.
- Claude.
--
--
Claude Martins, "Timberwolf", ICQ#: 5304950, York U, Toronto, ON, CA
mailto:mar...@cs.yorku.ca && http://www.ariel.cs.yorku.ca/~martins/
"Only now, at the end, do you understand."
Kyle
How would you compare these adventure game-specific engines with those
multimedia authoring tools such as Director, Authorware, Toolbook,
Supercard, mTropolis, etc...etc.?
How would you compare in terms of sophistication, $, support, easy of
use, etc.? Many of these authoring tools can be adventure game
engines, can't they? Only more to offer, or too much to offer. A
serious adventure writer would have to consider all aspects in
selecting an engine.
I've been studying these authoring tools for quite a while but with no
Kyle
Myst was done using Hypercard, now called Supercard. But I doubt if
they had done some extra programming beyond that.
Stephen Granade
> > Chris Jones wrote:
> > I'm playing Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy right now, and I download
> > and play freeware text adventures now and then.
>
> WOW!! Where did you get it? I am seeking for it for years!
Take a look at
http://www.comicrelief.org.uk/frames/fun/hitch_hike/dont_panic.htm.
You can either play it in situ using a provided Java interpreter, or
download the actual story file and get a Z-code interpreter from
http://www.ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archiveXinfocomXinterpretersXfrotz.html.
If you're running Win95/98, I recommend WinFrotz.
Brendan Reville
>use, etc.? Many of these authoring tools can be adventure game
>engines, can't they? Only more to offer, or too much to offer. A
>serious adventure writer would have to consider all aspects in
>selecting an engine.
I wrote my adventure game engine because I didn't feel that games made with
any of these tools would be taken seriously.
For a start, the major tools don't even support fullscreen graphics - your
640x480 multimedia runs in a tiny window in the middle of a 1024x768
desktop, with black around the edges. That's just silly.
Once you pick a style for your game, you can save yourself a lot of work by
having an engine specialised for your adventure game. For my first-person
engine, it means that animations, game-state management, inventory items,
conversations, cutscenes and all other things are managed internally by the
engine. For saving and loading games, this becomes even more important.
There are many ways in which multimedia tools can be used to make adventure
games, but in the end, I think a specialised adventure game engine is much
more robust, professional and efficient.
Try for yourself at www.twilightsoftware.com, if you're interested.
- Brendan Reville