Firsts in IF

Inspired by [1], this pages lists some important firsts in the history of Interactive Fiction, be it parser-based or choice-based, along with sources when available.

Releases

• First game with cover art by a famous illustrator: ??

Release methods

• First game with feelies: ??
• First game released with a map: ??
• First purchasable hint book: ??
• First game with a hotline for tips: ??

Platforms

• First game written in Inform: Curses! by Graham Nelson
• First game written in TADS: ??
• First game written in Hugo: ??
• First game written in Twine: ??
• First game written in Ink: ??
• First distributed IF-writing tool: ??

Distribution channels

• First IF sold at RadioShack: ??
• First parser game on Steam: ??
• First choice-based game on Steam: ??
• First IF with crowdfunding: ??
• First bundle or compilation of games: ??

Multimedia

• First use of graphics to depict each location: ??
• First game with video cutscene: ??
• First game with pictures with clickable elements: ??
• First game with music composed by a famous artist: Bad Max (1985), with music by Alan Parsons project

Mechanics

Navigation

• First game with relative directions : Mystery Mansion [2]
• First game where navigation is done without a compass: Empire of the Over-Mind [3]
• First dynamic compass interface : Spelunker [4]
• First game implementing 'go to X': ??
• First game with mouse-based navigation: ??

PC

• First defined player-character: Aldebaran III [5]
• First PC suffering from amnesia: ??
• First unreliable narrator: ??
• First game with a twist on the PC's identity: ??
• First non-human PC: ??
• First PC who cannot get killed: ??
• First game with selectable PC gender: ??
• First character selection screen: ?? (Note: the 1930 CYOA "Consider the Consequences!" has three different sections corresponding to three different stories, which has been referred to as the first character selection screen).

NPCs

• First choice-based, choose-your-line conversation: ??
• First NPC who can kill the player: ??
• First romanceable NPC: ??

Input method

• First use of adverbs in a parser game: ??
• First free-text conversation in an adventure context: Local Call for Death [6]
• First use of choice-based interaction in a parser game: Stuga [7]
• First use of 'cyclable hyperlinks': ??
• First unclickable hyperlink or unselectable choice: ??

Puzzles

• First dynamic puzzle generation: Mines [8]
• First game with 'push the key in then recover it' puzzle: ??
• First game with 'fill the jars with a precise amount' puzzle: ??
• First game with a pun-based puzzle: ??
• First puzzle that can only be solved by looking at an in-game picture: ??
• First time-sensitive puzzle: ??

Endings

• First adventure game with several endings (other than death): ??
• First game trapping the player in an endless loop: ??

Genre, themes, setting

Genre

• First adventure game comedy: Mystery Fun House [9]
• First adventure game in the horror genre: ??
• First Lovecraftian adventure game: ??
• First sci-fi adventure game: ??

Themes

• First game set during a historical event: ??
• First game about sexuality: ??
• First game about queer sexuality: ??

Setting

• First game explicitly set in a real-world location: ??
• First game set on a university campus: Library (1978) by Nat Howard [10]
• First game set in a hospital: ??

Languages

• First aventure game in English: Wander (1974) by Peter Langston [11]
• First game in Spanish: ??
• First game in French: ??
• First game in Italian: ??
• First game in German: ??
• First game in Japanese: ??
• First game in Dutch: Dracula by Ronald van Woensel (1980) [12]
• First translation from English: ??
• First translation to English: ??