Throughout my adulthood, I've always wanted to do an adventure game. I've had an opportunity to help work on one, but laziness and anxiety set in and I couldn't ultimately get far with it. It also didn't help that I couldn't find any time for it due to other responsibilities.
Aside from "DQIX", I've been playing a lot of "Zork" lately. The game, originally by Infocom, has had a revival lately thanks to "Call of Duty: Black Ops" in which "Zork" can be played in a computer within the game. Myself, I've been replaying it on DOSBox.
What is "Zork"? It's a text adventure game. Think of "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, but with more interactivity. The game displays text, and you type down your actions in a text parser. If the command is understood, the game will then reveal what happens next, depending on your action.
Example:
"You are in an empty room, save for a table. On it, there is a glass of water."
>drink water
"You drink the glass of water."
Also, there are grues about and if you do not wish to be eaten by a grue, be sure to turn on your lantern.
Although not the first text adventure game (the honor goes to "The Colossal Cave Adventure"), the Zork trilogy started an adventure boom for the PC in the 1980s. Notable adventure games included the MacVenture titles ("Shadowgate", "Uninvited", "Déjà Vu"), LucasArts's S.C.U.M.M. adventures ("Maniac Mansion", "Monkey Island") and Sierra On-Line ("King's Quest", "Police Quest", "Leisure Suit Larry"). All of the latter games introduced graphics and sound, whereas some have eliminated the text parser and replaced it with a point-and-click interface along with preset commands.
Sadly, adventure games have had their day, but lately a few franchises have been making impacts, mainly the "Sam and Max" titles, Capcom's "Ace Attorney" games, and countless visual novels in Japan.
I'm currently reworking an old script and play mechanics for an adventure game I've been planning since last year, but I'm still deciding whether to make this into a strict text adventure or a more visual experience. If it ever actually gets made, I'll probably post it on this page. Until then, I'm still trying to finish "DQIX".
Deuces,
