Current events

Game Releases

August 2007 Game Releases

• Shiversword: The Beginning (CJ592; 20-Aug; Quest).
• French Speed-IF 2007 released five French games on August 19th:
  • Plic Ploc, (Mohive, saoûlé des eaux) (Adrien Saurat; Z-code).
  • Initiation, les aventures d'un apprenti sorcier (Benjamin Roux as "Yoruk"; Z-code).
  • Initiation (Galdor; Z-code).
  • Ma princesse adorée (Hugo Labrande as "Mule Hollandaise"; Z-code).
  • Sorcière au balcon, apprenti en déraison ! (Eric Forgeot as "Otto Grimwald"; Z-code).
• Dungeon (Master Hand; 10-Aug; Quest).
• IntroComp 2007 released seven games early on August 5th:
  • Folkar Station (Doug Jones; TADS 3).
  • Jack in the box (Marius Müller; Z-code).
  • Jacob's Travels (Anssi Räisänen; Z-code).
  • The King of Shreds and Patches (Jimmy Maher; Z-code).
  • Three Princes (Alex Godofsky; Glulx).
  • Tin (Jim Aikin; TADS 3).
  • Trainstopping (Ben Collins-Sussman; Z-code).
• Zhoom's Defenders test game (Alakadavi; 02-Aug; Quest).
• Ghost Town: The Lost Treasure (Jens Byriel; 02-Aug; Z-code). Scott Adams' Ghost Town Redux entry.

July 2007 Game Releases

• Pain Labyrinth (Tai; 23-Jul; Quest).
• Blighted Isle (Eric Eve; 14-Jul; TADS 3).
• eScaPe ThE aPaRtMenT!!! (Tai; 04-Jul; Quest).
• Dim 2 (Tai; 04-Jul; Quest).
• Dim (Tai; 03-Jul; Quest).
• Day in the Life of a Teacher (Jay Comix Inc; 02-Jul; Quest).

June 2007 Game Releases

• Q&A v.o1 (Zuek; 27-Jun; Quest).
• House of Horror (Dylan; 25-Jun; Quest).
• Fenom Online (ole; 21-Jun; Quest).
• HP Lovecraft: The Commonplace Book Project 2007 released 7 games on June 19th in three different languages and five different systems:
  • Beyond the Threshold (Thomas 'Nihil' Busse; Wintermute).
  • The Cellar (David Whyld; ADRIFT 4).
  • Dead Cities (Jon Ingold; Z-code).
  • Ecdysis (Peter Nepstad; TADS 2).
  • Handyman Wanted (Roger Tober and Nige Copeland; LASSIE).
  • Lieux Communs (Le Jibe, Samuel Verschelde, Eric Forgeot, Hugo Labrande, Jean-Luc Pontico, and Stab; Z-code and Glulx; French).
  • El Museo de las Consciencias (Xpktro, Mel Hython, Santiago Eximeno, Grendel Khan, Urbatain, and Depresiv; Glulx; Spanish).
• Backstreet Boy - Demo (Andrew Trewin; 18-Jun; Quest).
• Sir Loin 2: The Phantom Dennis (CJ592; 02-Jun; Quest).
• Digimon (Brandon Stevens; 01-Jun; Quest).

May 2007 Game Releases

• 2007 IF Art Show had three entries, and were released to the general public on May 31st:
  • Symbolic Engine (Evan Schull; Z-code). Best of Show.
  • Varronis Museum (David Garcia; Z-code). Honorable Mention.
  • rendition (nespresso; Z-code).
• The Angel, the Devil and the Human (Benjamin Samuel; 28-May; ADRIFT 4).
• Food for Thought (Jesse McGrew; 26-May; Z-code). Download. Not a game, but an implementation of the Dining Philosophers problem.
• Around The House (Jack Bromby; 26-May; Quest).
• Pentari: The Apprentice (Howard A. Sherman; publisher: Malinche Entertainment; c.24-May; Z-code). PTA Homepage.
• Cell (Part I) (MrPetrov; 20-May; ADRIFT 4).
• 2007 AIF Mini-comp released twelve AIF games on May 14th:
  • The Casabian Virus (GoblinBoy; TADS 2).
  • The Fiendish Revenge of Baron von Glockenspiel (Girion; TADS 3).
  • Flexibility (Fred Freeble; TADS 3).
  • A Goblin's Life (Burnout and BBBen; ADRIFT 3.9).
  • Hard Core (Hardcore IF; Z-Code).
  • HORSE (A. Ninny; TADS 2).
  • Lysistrata (Knight Errant; TADS 3).
  • Plains of Fantasy (Paul Swift; ADRIFT 3.9).
  • Scandal on the Seven Seas (Faraday; ADRIFT 4.0).
  • The Second Guest (GoblinBoy as "ShadowDance88" TADS 2).
  • Stalker Neighbor (Snouff Man; RAGS).
  • Time in the Dark (Purple Dragon; Glulx).
• Adventurer's Consumer Guide (Øyvind Thorsby; 14-May; Glulx).
• Mystery Locker (Yotam Lev; 06-May; Quest). Game page.
• Perry's World (Jim Wilbur; 01-May; Z-code).
• Figaro - an example (Victor Gijsbers; 01-May; Z-code). Entered as part of his entry for Innovation Comp.

(See also Games Released in 2007.)

News and Reviews

News and Reviews in August 2007

• Posta Aventura (English Version)- The 'never-enough-feared' Urbatain monk has begun to write the ultimate guide for you, english reader, the most amazing index-book for adventuring into the latest spanish adventures.
• SPAG #49 - Includes a History of Interactive Fiction in Spain; interviews with Sarganar, Incanus, Grendel Khan, JSJ, Lenko, Akbarr, Jarel, and Kent Tessman; and reviews of Amnesia, La Cara Oculta de la Luna, Fate, Final Selection, Getfeldt's Treasure, Goteras, It's Easter, Peeps!, Suprematism, When in Rome 1: Accounting for Taste, and When in Rome 2: Far from Home; plus a SPAG Specifics article about Floatpoint.
• IF Games from The Commonplace Book Project reviewed by Emily for Jay is Games. See also HP Lovecraft: The Commonplace Book Project 2007.
• It's a Fair Cop - Emily Short reviews Little Falls (Mondi Confinanti; 2005, 2007; Glulx; Italian, English) for IF-Review.
• It Is Pitch Dark is a music video featuring a text adventure song by Frontalot. It will be included on the Get Lamp DVD set in due time.
• New article about Adventure: Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave: Examining Will Crowther's Original “Adventure” in Code and in Kentucky - by Dennis G. Jerz, published in Digital Humanities Quarterly Volume 1 Number 2 (Summer 2007). Will Crowther's original FORTRAN source code was also released. (See also this R*IF thread.)

News and Reviews in July 2007

• soc.review.kook-u - Geoff Gander reviews Kook U (Anonymous; 1997; Z-code) for IF-Review.
• SPAC #51 - The latest issue of SPAC, the Spanish IF newsletter, has been published.
• Breaking Boundaries in Gaming Demographics - Peter Nepstad starts to analyze buyer stats for 1893: A World's Fair Mystery.
• Inside Erin: The AIF Newsletter Volume 3 Number 7 in php and text formats - Includes entries in the first Beat the Staff cutscene competition, and reviews of Big Day Out, Unexpected Proposal, Virgin, and Big Stuff.

News and Reviews in June 2007

• The History of Zork - article about Zork for Gamasutra by Matt Barton, June 2007.
  • See also: History of Zork Now Available on Gamasutra: Read Full Interviews Here! - Interviews with Dave Lebling, Marc Blank, Steve Meretzky, Howard Sherman, David Cornelson, and Nick Montfort. Interviewed by Matt Barton, June 2007.
• Programs on vinyl records? - Some games for the Sinclair Spectrum were recorded on vinyl, which players were expected to rerecord on audio tape that they could then insert into the computer's tape drive. Download or play these games online, including two text adventures: The Thompson Twins Adventure and Aural Quest.
• Adventurer's Consumer Guide's Guide - Emily Short reviews Adventurer's Consumer Guide (Øyvind Thorsby; 2007; Glulx) for IF-Review.

News and Reviews in May 2007

• Textual Pleasure: Parsing the Annual IF Competition by Lara Crigger for The Escapist.
• Electronic Literature Collection Volume One was reviewed by CIAC's Electronic Magazine (see also CIAC's original French review) and by der Standard (in German).
• InsideADRIFT Issue 35 (View PDF), (taf Version) is published.
• Zork Turns 30 - Malinche Entertainment celebrates 30 years of Zork.
• Part 1 of 1 - Geoff Gander reviews Deephome: A Telleen Adventure (Joshua Wise; 1999; Z-code) for IF-Review.
• SPAC #50 - The latest issue of SPAC, the Spanish IF newsletter, has been published.
• AdventureCon 2007 has (apparently) been cancelled. But don't despair: planning for AdventureCon 2008 is underway. If you'd like to join the mailing list, visit the AdventureCon page. Also, there's gonna be a "Kicking Zork Party" this summer (details to be announced). AdventureCon is managed by Malinche Entertainment.
• Zork Returns! Thanks to Open Source Asterisk PBX (internetnews.com article. Article reprinted at earthweb.com) - Asterisk developer Simon Ditner creates Zoip, a system that lets one play Zork on one's phone.
• SPAG #48 - The latest issue of SPAG contains interviews with several members of the Russian IF community; reviews of The Ebb and Flow of the Tide, The Elysium Enigma, and The Traveling Swordsman; and a SPAG Specifics analysis of The Elysium Enigma.

(See also: News in 2007, Reviews, Category:Publications, and Category:Websites.)

Competitions & Contest News

What's Hot

• IntroComp 2007 released seven new games on August 5th. Voting deadline: Friday, August 24, 2007, at 11:59 EST. Winners to be announced live, on ifMUD, at 4:00pm EST (9:00pm GMT), Sunday, August 26, 2007. Organizer: Jacqueline A. Lott.

Results of Recent Competitions

(Most recent comps are listed first.)

• Scott Adams' Ghost Town Redux is an event where Scott Adams has granted limited permission for authors to craft reworkings of his game Ghost Town. The permission is granted only for Ghost Town, and only for the purposes of entering the reworked game in this event. This event has no voting or prizes. Submission deadline: July 30, 2007. Organizer: Greg Boettcher. One game submitted: Ghost Town: The Lost Treasure (Jens Byriel; Z-code).
• HP Lovecraft: The Commonplace Book Project 2007 is for works based on notes from HP Lovecraft's Commonplace Book on the 70th anniversary of his death. Seven games were released on June 19th, 2007 in three languages and five authoring systems. Of the five games in English, Dead Cities (Jon Ingold; Z-code) was voted "Best in Show". Organizer: Peter Nepstad.
• InsideADRIFT Summer Comp 2007, a comp for any unreleased, but complete, ADRIFT games, is cancelled, because there were no entries. The deadline was June 30, 2007. Organizer: Ken Franklin.
• 2007 AIF Mini-comp is a mini-comp for small AIF games. 12 games. First place is The Second Guest by GoblinBoy (as "ShadowDance88"). Organizer: A. Ninny.
• 2007 IF Art Show. Three games. Best of Show: Symbolic Engine (Evan Schull; Z-code). Organizer: Marnie Parker.
• Innovation Comp had a single entry from Victor Gijsbers, who is therefore the winner!
• Spring Thing 2007. Four games; the winner is Fate (Victor Gijsbers; Z-code). Organizer: Greg Boettcher.

Upcoming Competitions

Authors should be working on their entries for:

• IF Comp 2007 will occur in the fall as usual. The deadline for intents to be submitted is September 1st, 2007. Game submission deadline is September 29, 2007. Organizer: Stephen Granade.
• One Room Game Competition 2007 is an competition for new games that take place entirely in one room. Although historically most entries in past years have been in Italian, ORGC is open to games in all languages and authoring systems. Submission deadline is yet unfixed; sometime near the end of November. Organizers: Francesco Cordella, with the help of Giovanni Riccardi.
• IF Dreams is a recurring monthly minicomp. Organizer: David Cornelson.

(See also: Category:Competitions, Category:Minicomp, and the Competition Calendar.)