photo by bre pettis Licenced CC non comercial
It should come as no surprise to most of you that I am a long time fan of Text Adventure (or Interactive Fiction) games. I've played through hundreds of them, and was planning on doing an article detailing the best way to do that on an HP200 LX (Short answer, DOSFrotz and patience!). In light of the fact that my 200lx is now little more than a waterlogged mess, I bring you the Douglas Adams interactive fiction tribute.
In 2001, shortly after Mr. Douglas Adams took his leave from the planet earth, a competition of sorts was held to honor him. The original rules stated "Create your own tribute to Douglas Adams in no more than two hours. Sign the location below when you've finished the game." with a deadline of just a few days later. In true Adams style, the deadline was quickly extended to "when no more games come" which means the contest is technically still open.
Though technically most of these works are infringing copyright (something I point out only in order to highlight how ludicrous current laws are), they are among some of the most enjoyable text adventures I have ever played.
The two hour time limit means that some of the games lack polish. There are occasional 'Guess the verb' moments, times where you have figured out the action that is required of you, but fail to find the syntax. That being said, many of the games featured here are absolutely brilliant, and a fitting tribute to one of the authors that kept the genre alive with his wonderful Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy game.
If you're new to IF or you'd like more information about playing Interactive Fiction, I suggest reading this, as the IFWIKI sums things up much more thoroughly than I would.
The Sofa At The End Of The Universe
You are Dirk Gently. You have a SEP Field Generator (Somebody Else's Problem.) There is a sofa wedged in your stairwell.
Witty prose, fantastic puzzle, evokes memories of the man himself.
A Night at Milliways
You're about to go to Milliways, and you've got a table with a view.
Less polished than the last, but just as enjoyable. For those that aren't veteran interactive fiction gurus, the proper syntax for asking someone for something is ASK person ABOUT thing.
This game made me cry a little bit.
Catharsis- it's not a word I get to use often. This game was cathartic.
The Death of two great Minds
You're in the desert with Ford and Fenchurch. You find Marvin. He isn't doing well at all.
Not as difficult or as well written as the previous two, but still very enjoyable. Great concept, well executed.
How Many Roads Must a Man Walk Down?
You have arrived at the abode of Wonko the Sane.
Clever and thoughtful. At the same time, irreverent, silly, and heart-wrenchingly sappy.
Into that Good Night
Turns out Mr. Adams wasn't the only one to pass on. You find yourself playing the roll of one Dirk Gently as he navigates the afterlife in order to finish his case.
Some of the best prose of the whole show. This game is very polished. (Although the first time through I was confused as all get out. if you get stuck, help is here) Of all the games of this competition, this one had the most enjoyable writing. It's a shame the game itself wasn't better. (There are really only two puzzles, and neither of them is particularly obvious.)
Deadline: or Being Douglas Adams
Not really a game, no puzzles, no goal. You are in a bathtub. A deadline approaches, and passes.
(I don't have a HUGO interpretor, the title of the game doesn't make it sound fun. I decided it wasn't worth the effort.)
You can find all of the games in a wonderful little zip file at this IF Archive Mirror.
As an added bonus, the original Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy game: You can play it on Mr.Adams' website: http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/infocom.php (serial number is in the screenshot), or on the BBC HHGG page.The first requires Java, the second requires flash.
-or through a bit of HTML source code digging download it directly- http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/hhgg.z3
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