I have been bleating on about interactive fiction, and I realised that I had not explained why it was so revolutionary NOW, when its old technology. Well its new technology on top of old….
Previously, if you had enjoyed playing interactive fiction and decided to see if there was a way to bring interactive fiction to your classroom you you would have been met with all manner of jargon; Z-code, source code, Z-Machines and Frotz compilers, interpreters and Glulx’s, not to mention the integrated development environment (IDE). Only the most determined non-programmer could see an opportunity here and it is hardly surprising that interactive fiction rested in the domain of the computing enthusiast or programmer. That is until fairly recently….
Let me Introduce you to the ‘Visual Editor’
In more recent years a number of platforms, (Quest, ADRIFT and INFORM7) have enable interactive fiction to be written in plain English, through a visual editor. You still enter text, write the commands, use variables (score / time), control the outcomes and so on, just as in “real” programming, but the Quest guides you through the process. There’s is no longer the need to know programming code, remember syntax, type in strange punctuation or even remember commands, because Quest either prompts you to, or does it for you. What Quest developer Alex Warren refers to as
creating text adventure games “without programming.” (adapted from Programming Visually – The Script Editor in Quest 5.0 Beta2)
The aim of Quest is to get you started quickly, even if you have never programmed before, and still provide you with real programming power. If you do happen to be able to programme, or wish to introduce your students to code, then Quest 5 also features a “Code View” and you can switch back and forth with ease.
Quietly simply
“With the release of Quest 5, it is now possible to easily create a sophisticated text adventure game, complete with graphics, sounds and video, and share it on the web, all with no programming experience.” (Alex warren)
What’s Stopping You Now?
With Quest, text adventures are easier to play or create than ever before. Reading / playing are just the starting point. Add to that designing, planning, writing / programming and debugging. Reviewing, sharing, peer reviewing and critiquing. Reading and writing Quest in Modern Foreign Languages, visiting historic places, experiencing different cultures, going inside the human body…. there are no boundaries.
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