Hi dennis.
The problem with the if archive is that as Zack said, it's designed for
specific games. on one level, it is orientated to specific file formats
and programming languages of games, inform, adrift, tads etc. On a wider
level however, the community of people who play and write about "interactive
fiction" and maintain the archive are really only interested in one sort of
game, ---- that is the puzzle heavy parza based type of if similar to the
zork games.
i've noticed that games with rpg like mechanics, stats, turn based combat,
levelling etc get very shoddy reception from the if community, indeed some
have gone as far as stating such things don't belong in text based
interactive fiction and "should stick to tabletop rp games" Check out the
spag reviews for wumpus 2000 or treasures of a slavers kingdom (both rpgs),
and witness the amount of attention paid to kerkerkruip, a truly fantastic
text based rpg game with some great combat ideas (all have pages on
audiogames.net sinse we! love text rpgs!).
So, for both of these reasons, much as I can see why it occurs to you that
alteraeon should! be counted on the if archive, I don't think that effort
will work well, sinse it's neither in the correct programming format or
more importantly the correct game format to help.
I actually do wish there was a full community where any! text based games
could be discussed. this could include puzzle based if, muds, text rpgs
like eamon, online gamebooks or brouser games, even stand alone things like
smugglers.
I know that ann attempt to create a magazine for genralized! text gaming is
being tried on
http://www.imaginary-realities.com/phpbb/
But I don't think they've got too far yet.
Actually it's a shame, sinse a centralized place for discussion of any and
all textual games would be fantastic, and a great way to bring fans of
game types together, as well as recommend games of one type to fans of
another.
Btw, in terms of muds and audiogames.net, after a think, i believe the
correct procedure is to include entries for muds that practically do!
something about vi access. That is why alteraeon, materiamagica, and most
recently project bob have entries, and why federation 2, new worlds ateraan,
ardwolf, avatar mud and diskworld will likely get pages at some point in the
future, but other muds will not.
I know for instance several people have played! medevia, but I've yet to
here of any vi access assistance, despite the large world and use of ascii
maps. So no page for medevia unless I hear differently.
This seemed the fairest way to do things, sinse on the one hand we don't
want to turn audiogames.net into mud connector, but on the other it'd be
stupid not to include muds lieke alteraeon that have made such a good effort
on the access front.
Beware the Grue!
Dark.
---
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