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Interactive Fiction Now Issue 1
"Interactive Fiction Now"
Issue #1, December 1997
Published for the World Wide Web by Frotz Publications
Copyright 1997, Frotz Publications, London.
All rights reserved.
http://www.if-now.demon.co.uk/
Editor: Matt Newsome, <editor@if-now.demon.co.uk>
All Trademarks acknowledged.
Tomb Raider (c) and TM 1996 Core Design Ltd.
(c) and Publishing 1996 Eidos Interative Limited. All rights reserved
This issue of IFN owes a debt of gratitude
to the following people (in alphabetical order):
Marc Blank and Mike Berlyn at Eidetic Inc.
Simon Byron at Bastion
Jamey Gottlieb and Laird Malamed at Activision
David Lebling at Avid Technology
Rebecca Lester at Broderbund Europe
Susie Hamilton at Core Design
This first issue of IFN is dedicated to my son,
Joshua Peter Hal Newsome, born on Friday 21st
November 1997 at 18:49hrs and weighing 7lbs 15.5 oz
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EDITORIAL
WELCOME to Interactive Fiction Now! In this occasional web-based magazine,
you'll find a wealth of information about Interactive Fiction gaming today.
Covering a wide variety of Adventure gaming styles, from Zork to Riven, from
Tomb Raider to Starship Titanic, we'll be looking at anything involving and
immersive. In this first issue we look at the imminent release of Zork:
Grand Inquisitor, the first foray into the world of Zork since Zork: Nemesis
last year.
In an exclusive interview, we talk to Laird Malamed, director of ZGI and
talk about this latest episode. This year also sees a celebration of Zork's
20th Anniversary. In association with Activision, ex-Infocom implementors
Marc Blank and Mike Berlyn have released a brand spanking new piece of
text-based interactive fiction using the Inform engine. We speak to the Imps
to find out how Zork: The Undiscovered Underground came to be written.
We also review the recently released Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror and
the long-awaited Sequel to Myst -- Riven.
So, please! Enjoy yourselves, and feel free to email me here at Interactive
Fiction Now <comments@if-now.demon.co.uk> with your comments and suggestions.
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NEWS
LARA CROFT RETURNS
Digital pin-up Lara Croft is set to storm back into the games market this
month in Tomb Raider II. For those of you who may have been off the planet
over the last year, Tomb Raider is an action/adventure game starring
Ms.Croft, the daughter of an English aristocrat. Tomb Raider II is only
available in demo format at present but is due for release at the end of
November 97. Core promise the game will be 50% larger and boast an improved
engine, higher resolution images and dynamic shadows. Lara herself has also
had a makeover since last year's release. This time she appears resplendent
in leather jackets and wetsuits and with all manner of boats and skidoos to
tear about the place on. With more new enemies to fight than any of us
would dream of shaking a stick at, we're in for a treat this Christmas.
Tomb Raider 2 is currently due for release on 28th November 1997. We'll be
reviewing the game as soon as the code is finalised, so keep an eye on the
IFN website for details of our coverage.
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INTERVIEW
FULL CIRCLE IN THE GREAT UNDERGROUND EMPIRE!
Following on from their considerable success last year with Zork: Nemesis,
Activision have been busy. Returning to a style more in keeping with its
textual predecessors, Zork: Grand Inquisitor will offer something wholly
unprecedented: the first pictures of the White House and other major
landmarks in the Great Underground Empire.
We caught up with the director of Grand Inquisitor, Laird Malamed, to ask
about the new Zork...
IFN: How does the Zork: Grand Inquisitor story relate to Zork: Nemesis and
the text-based games?
Laird Malamed: Zork: Grand Inquisitor is based on the entire Zork series
(except Return to Zork which is in the future). The time frame for the game
is 1067 GUE, 101 years after Spellbreaker and Beyond Zork and 118 years
after Zork: Nemesis. The title character of the game, the Grand Inquisitor
is the same role that closed the Forbidden Lands in Zork: Nemesis. During
the game, the player (another nameless, faceless, gender-neutral adventurer)
must find three lost treasures from the series (the Coconut of Quendor
(Beyond Zork), a cube of Foundation (Spellbreaker) and Yoruk's Skull
(Zork: Nemesis)). The player is also paired with the 3rd Dungeon Master, the
successor to the Dungeon Masters of Zork III fame.
The overall tone of the game is between Return to Zork and Zork: Nemesis,
close in feel to that of the text adventures.
IFN: I understand the same Zork: Nemesis engine is being used for Zork:
Grand Inquisitor. What improvements have been made?
LM: The engine is now full screen width (as opposed to 512 pixels in Zork:
Nemesis). Also, an inventory system has been added, along with a spell book,
new menu bars and a auto-filling map.
IFN: Is there going to be ambient music, as in Zork: Nemesis?
LM: Yes. Mark Morgan is doing the music again.
IFN: The extra touches in Zork: Nemesis, such as the classical artwork
incorporated into the scenery, added a great deal to the "feel" of Zork:
Nemesis. Are similar devices being used in Zork: Grand Inquisitor?
LM: Zork: Grand Inquisitor operates on many different levels. All of the
components, sound, color, music, voice over and cut scenes help tell the
story of magic vs. technology. This conflict is represented by a variety of
different elements (red banners vs. blue magic effects, organic versus
machine, etc). We also have more characters to interact with that help
populate the world. However, we are not placing any classical artwork in the
world because most of the game occurs underground.
IFN: At this stage, I've only seen early sketches. Will the actual game
graphics be closer to the style used in Zork: Nemesis or these "cartoon"
like images?
LM: The process for completing the art has gone as follows: A pencil sketch
is drawn and approved. A basic color treatment is applied (the "cartoon"
images you mention). These are used as palette guides by the 3D artists.
The final art looks similar to that of Zork: Nemesis, but also reflects the
lighter tone of Zork: Grand Inquisitor. By the very process of 3D, the final
art look much more photorealistic than the paintings.
IFN: What development tools are you using during development of Zork: Grand
Inquisitor?
LM: On Zork: Grand Inquisitor we are using lots of different tools. Visual
C++, Visual SourceSafe, Adobe Photoshop, After Affects, Illustrator, 3D
Studio Max, 3D Studio R4, Soft Image are the main staples. We are also using
lots of internally developed tools as well.
IFN: Zork: Grand Inquisitor will have the first non-verbal images of the
White House from Zork I. Are you worried about satisfying everyone's
expectations?
LM: In some regards, I know that everyone has their own images of the White
House, and there already has been some debate on the web. In looking at the
old games and speaking with Marc Blank, I feel comfortable with the White
House images in the game. They reflect the feeling of the original text
adventures.
IFN: Who is involved with the Full Motion Video (FMV) sequences for the game?
Is Joe Napolitano directing again?
LM: I directed the live action this time around. Our video producer was Mark
Levinson (Home Alone, Mystic Pizza) and George Bloom (X-Files Promotions)
was the technical director.
IFN: How about Activision's plans for continuing the Zork saga? Will the
same engine be used in future games, or is Z-Vision now due for an overhaul?
LM: First off, Zork: Grand Inquisitor is the first of a new trilogy. Part of
the reasoning of moving the series to the year 1067 is that this time frame
is not discussed in any Zork game. I felt the period between 948 (Zork I)
and 966 (Beyond Zork and Spellbreaker) was pretty crowded. Not much happens
before Zork Zero and the 1200's are referred to by Return to Zork, so that
left us with the 1000's. The next two games will follow sequentially,
although they will be sequels more in theme than in cliffhanger.
In terms of engine, we haven't made any decisions for the technology
of the next game. I have to finish this one first!
IFN: Did you speak with any ex-Infocommies with regard to the project?
LM: I've spoken to Marc Blank, Mike Berlyn and Mike Dornbrook over the past
few months.
IFN: Will there be any Zork: Grand Inquisitor paraphernalia or merchandise?
LM: Definitely.
IFN: How important will audio detail be in Zork: Grand Inquisitor?
LM: Extremely. Audio is a great storyteller and lots of characters are heard
via audio because they are totemized or in the case of the dungeon master, in
a lamp. Plus, everything you do the game generates audio feedback.
IFN: What will be the required spec/price/size of Zork: Grand Inquisitor
when finished?
LM: Pentium 90, 8 Megs of Memory, 4x CD, 16 Bit video, 16 Bit Audio,
Windows95. 30 Megs Hard Drive, minimum install.
IFN: How will the puzzles differ in complexity from Zork: Nemesis -- will
they be harder or easier?
LM: The puzzles in Zork: Grand Inquisitor are more like those of the text
adventures. You must use lateral thinking to figure things out. For example
we have magical umbrellas that are holding a scroll. The solution to the
puzzle is to use a thunder spell to fool the umbrellas into opening. We have
shied away from find a code and enter it into a control panel puzzles. Our
best puzzles are more involved with the environments themselves.
IFN: Which locations from the text-based Zorks can we expect to see in Zork:
Grand Inquisitor?
LM: Port Foozle, Hades, The White House, GUE Tech (although it was only
referred to, never visited), The Underground Highway.
IFN: Is the gameplay segmented, as in Zork: Nemesis's different worlds
approach?
LM: Not as much. There are different worlds, but they are more cohesively
tied together, like the original Zork games.
IFN: Finally, are you treating Riven: The Sequel to Myst as a direct
competitor? What advantages do you think Zork: Grand Inquisitor has over
games like Myst and Riven?
LM: I don't see Riven as a direct competitor in terms of gameplay. Zork:
Grand Inquisitor is about Zork and exploration via problem solving. As I
understand it from seeing the demo at E3, Riven is in the same model as
Myst. For me this means exploration based entertainment. Zork: Grand
Inquisitor is much more of what adventure players think of as an adventure
game. I don't feel that Myst players necessarily call themselves adventure
game players in the way that Quake players will call themselves action game
players. For many, Myst is their only computer game, so the notion of a
genre does not apply. Now certainly, lots of adventurers played Myst as
well. Zork: Grand Inquisitor will really appeal to that category of Riven
players as well.
IFN: IFN would like to take this opportunity to thank Laird Malamed and
Activision for giving this exclusive interview on Zork: Grand Inquisitor,
which is due out in November. We'll be reviewing the game in the next issue.
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REVIEW
BROKEN SWORD II
Hot on the heels of Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars, released last year,
comes this new episode in the adventures of George Stobbart from Revolution.
Revolution's reputation is considerable: their three previous games were all
landmarks: Lure of the Temptress, Beneath a Steel Sky and, of course, Broken
Sword: Shadow of the Templars last year. Indeed, Shadow of the Templars
introduced new standards for story-line and animation in the adventure genre,
with a healthy balance of problem solving and plot with a whizz-bang graphics
engine. In view of the accolades already under their belt, great things
were expected of Revolution in '97. Thankfully, they've delivered the goods
once again.
Joining up with Nico Collard once again, the story runs that
George returns to Paris to discuss an archaeological find with Professor
Oubier. The plot thickens, however, when George is knocked unconscious and
Nico mysteriously paralysed (via blow-dart) and kidnapped (via large
henchman).
As the game starts, George is tied to a chair, semi-coherent in a room in
dire need of the fire brigade. But, of course, that doesn't stop our hero,
and, with you as his guide, he is soon off gallivanting around the place
once again with the aid of Philippe, whose help you grudgingly enlist early
in the game.
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars was nothing if not cosmopolitan. The
main character is an American tourist in France and his love interest is a
French journalist (and that's just the start). The first game took us to
Ireland, France, Spain and the Middle East. Smoking Mirror continues the
globe-trotting with excursions to Paris, London, Marseilles, the Caribbean
and the jungles of Central America, switching roles between Nico and George
as the sinister plot of Ancient Mayan folklore develops.
Revolution have been working hard on the game engine too. For those with
slow CD-ROMs and small hard-drives, a low hard-drive space requirement and
improved CD-ROM transfer has been introduced. Those with monster PCs will
benefit also, however, as hardware accelerated video cards can now be used
to full effect. The use of CD audio during game installation is still quite
rare, and makes the chore less tedious. The in-game audio is generally
improved in Broken Sword II, too. For this, Revolution employed the
services of Barrington Pheloung, noted British composer, to compose and
produce over two hours of original music for the game. The game is
relatively moderate in terms of its consumption of resources: a basic
install requires only 50MB (compare that with 75MB minimum install for
Riven: The Sequel to Myst and 150MB+ for Bladerunner).
Broken Sword II is well worth your money. If you enjoyed the first episode
last year, you'll find plenty of improvements in this sequel. Even if you
don't particularly like cartoon style graphics, for gameplay value alone,
Smoking Mirror deserves its place on adventurers' Christmas lists this year.
[Look out for our exclusive interview with Charles Cecil, Managing Director
of Broken Sword II developers Revolution Software next month!]
VERDICT
An excellent and engaging game with unusually close attention to plot. Fair
but taxing puzzles will keep you coming back for more
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REVIEW
"We Myst You!"
How do you follow a game like Myst? In the four years since its release,
Myst has sold three and a half million copies worldwide and earned Spokane
based Cyan a whacking $130m [Source: Wired, September 1997]. Yet there is
more to Myst than economics. In 1993, CD-ROM games were in their infancy.
Those which did try to make use of the technology often produced a poorer,
bloated version of their floppy-disk-based counterparts. Myst paved the way
for other game developers by using the medium in the only way that mattered
to game players: to make the game more immersive and realistic.
Any game subtitled The Sequel to Myst, then, is bound to come under close
scrutiny from the computer media. Indeed, some game reviewers seem to have
thoroughly enjoyed Riven-baiting, accusing Cyan of ignoring the last four
years' technological advances in computer graphics, of making a game which
is just "more Myst".
This is true of course: Riven is based on Myst, but it's also so very much
more than Myst. The game has gained a sharp and compelling plot and whilst
the familiar Myst interface has been retained, the puzzles are considerably
more mature. No longer does the player find themself reading a code on the
wall in one room and typing it into a keypad in another. Complex,
real-world systems of steam-generators and mechanics give rise to problems
which strategy alone - rather than memory - will overcome.
As the writers themselves point out, Riven is to Myst what Tolkein's Lord of
the Rings was to the Hobbit, and this is an accurate analogy. "Riven was
inspired by many things," says producer and co-writer Rand Miller, "but it
was a much more purposeful work than Myst. Before creating a building, for
example, or an animal or tool, we wanted to know who built it, why it was
built, what materials it would likely be made of and other details." It is
this level of detail which comes across so strongly as you play the sequel,
and which many adventure-game players have been seeking since the demise of
Infocom.
As in its predecessor, Riven is not merely composed of rendered images, but
backed by an incredible backdrop of context-sensitive music and sound
effects. And unlike in many games, these are entirely to the benefit of the
game experience. Indeed, the soundtrack improves on Myst a great deal.
Whereas Myst had atmospheric sound, the music in the sequel seems to blend
so well with the visual imagery as to emphasise the atmosphere already
suggested by the graphics. The net result is to draw you even further into
their world.
The in-game graphics are about as immersive as current PC and Macintosh
technology allows, pushing the envelope right the way. Full motion video is
used to spectacular effect, also. We get lavish roller-coaster rides over
the sea, but we also find little girls turning up unexpectedly in clearings,
turning and running from sight. For Riven is populated by strange peoples
and bizarre animals as much as by mechanics.
Coming on five CDs, Riven does push the envelope at a cost, but this is
entirely warranted by the detail. The minimum installation requirement of
75MB will not suit everyone, but is sufficiently low to retain the majority
of low-spec owners. For those with more beef, there's a 170MB version which
is slicker and has fewer disruptions to the gameplay.
To answer the question, then, "how do you follow a phenomenon such as Myst?":
With everything you've got and more. With the closest attention to detail
yet seen in a graphical adventure game. With Riven.
VERDICT
Better than Myst? Yes. Breathtaking detail balanced with atmospheric sounds
create a brand new world born of Myst, and yet entirely new. Probably the
most immersive rendered gaming experience yet.
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INTERVIEW
New Excavation
You are standing at the entrance of a narrow, waist-high tunnel that winds
out of sight to the northeast. This, you have been told, is the entrance to
the newfound areas of the Great Underground Empire. In your left hand hangs
a rather unconvincing replica of the traditional adventurer's brass lantern.
In the other is an ersatz-Elvish sword of no antiquity whatsoever. Its
plastic blade, dull as a bread knife, barely reflects the lantern's dim and
uneven glow.
A flash of lightning splits the night sky. As your eyes readjust to the
dark, you notice you are no longer alone. Two of the fabled implementors
stand before you.
> Marc Blank, tell me about the new game
"Activision approached me before the introduction of Zork: Nemesis about
writing a small tie-in text game. The timing was lousy (as was Nemesis, as
far as that's concerned -very, very un-Zorkish) so the project never
happened. This time, however, the timing was perfect, and the project went
without a hitch. I still don't think the time is right for a full-fledged
text adventure. But a mini-game timed with Zork's 20th anniversary seemed
somehow appropriate. And I had a few ideas that had been percolating for
a while..."
> Marc, What level of involvement did each of the three of you have in
writing the game? Did you and Mike Berlyn just design the puzzles, or did
you write the game text (e.g. room descriptions) as well?
"Mike and I designed the puzzles and wrote pretty much all of the text. Some
generic responses were written by the programmer. We didn't want to have
anything to do with the programming. If we had been asked to write the
code, it would have been game over. It was great fun really; quite nostalgic.
With the programming taken away, we were left with only the fun parts of the
game - design and writing."
> What is your favourite puzzle from the game?
"I'm partial to the Grue Convention. It was my first, and favorite, idea for
the game. The puzzles were all designed for the game. Any leftover ideas
from the Infocom days are long lost."
> What are you and Mike doing at the moment?
"The company Mike and I founded, Eidetic, Inc., is currently working with
Sony on an action game to be released next spring. Sorry, we can't talk
about it or we'd have to shoot your web page."
> So, is Zork: The Undiscovered Underground our very last outing into the
text-based GUE?
"Who knows? If Activision wants us involved in future projects, they know
where to find us! To the best of my knowledge, no original Zork author has
EVER been asked to work on the new Zork games. This doesn't make much sense
to me, but there you have it."
With this last comment, Marc Blank vanishes into the ether. The second man,
David Lebling, steps slowly forward.
> David, what do you think?
"I'm glad they at least made a bow in the direction of the original
implementors.
As for what I'm doing, it has nothing to do with games. I'm working on a
complete rewrite of a newsroom automation system, formerly called
NetStation, now called AvidNews. It's used to edit stories and programs for
news organizations all over the world. You can monitor wire service feeds,
write stories, do database searches, browse and rough edit your video,
produce or direct a broadcast, and so on. As I write this we are in Beta
test, with one site (WFXT here in Boston) on air with the system, and others
working in that direction. The existing system is used by CNN, BBC, and
hundreds of other stations and networks. More than two-thirds of the
world's TV and radio news is produced on it, but the current version hasn't
had a serious rewrite in more than five years and is getting a little past
its sell-by date."
With this last, David Lebling shouts "filfre!" and claps his hands in front
of your face, causing you to blink in surprise. Opening your eyes, you find
yourself alone once again.
> Invoke Laird Malamed
In a puff of gaming magic, the director of Zork: Grand Inquisitor appears
before you.
> Laird, What prompted the idea of producing a new text adventure Zork game?
The idea originated on Zork Nemesis, but never fully got off the ground. We
forgot about it until Marc Blank called to see how ZGI was going. Well, one
thing led to another and we got approval to do the project as a prequel to
Zork Grand Inquisitor and as a celebration of Zork's 20th birthday.
> So, how long was Zork: The Undiscovered Underground in development?
About 3 months of writing, programming and testing. The majority of the
time was taken in writing. Marc and Mike really put a lot of effort into
the design. I think the game really shows off the old Infocom humor.
Programming was mostly straight forward although they were a few things
that kept Kevin Wilson up late. He was a real trooper on the project and
even updated the code to respond to some late bugs once the game was out.
> Were Marc Blank and Mike Berlyn approached by Activision, or was the idea
suggested to you by them? Were any of the other ex-Infocom staff approached
in connection with the project? Marc came to us this time around. I think
on Zork Nemesis we called him. Anyway, Marc and Mike were great to work
with. It was a real thrill for me when I met them at E3. Here I am demoing
ZGI and Marc walks up says, "Hi, I'm Marc Blank." When I told the people I
was demoing the game who he was, they were excited too. Other than Marc and
Mike, no other Infocom employees were involved in the project.
> How popular has the game been? Have there been many downloads?
I don't know the exact numbers, but it had something like 20,000 downloads
from Next Generation when they had an exclusive. The current number is
probably much higher now.
> Are there any plans for further text adventures to be produced, either
as promotion for the forthcoming second and third episodes in the
Zork: Grand Inquisitor trilogy, or otherwise? Is there any scope for this?
Nothing as of yet, but doing the text adventure was a lot of fun. I think
we all agreed that the Zork: The Undiscovered Underground met our
expectations, so I would not rule out the possibility of other
mini-adventures in the future.
> quit
Your rank is that of text adventurer.
Zork: The Undiscovered Underground is available from the New Zork Hotel at
Activision's web site - www.activision.com. Many thanks to Marc Blank, Marc
Blank, David Lebling and Laird Malamed for participating.
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NEXT ISSUE
PHEW! Well, that wraps up this first issue of IFN!
But there's so much more we couldn't fit in...
Next issue, we've an exclusive interview with Charles Cecil, Managing
Director of Revolution Software talking about the Broken Sword games and
the team behind them.
We've reviews of Zork: Grand Inquisitor, Bladerunner and Curse of Monkey
Island and previews of Starship Titanic, The Feeble Files and Sierra's
adventures in-development, Gabriel Knight 3 and WarCraft: Adventures.
Issue#2 will be published in December 1997 (check the IFN homepage for
confirmation of the exact date). Release dates permitting, we'll also have
coverage of Men In Black from Gremlin and Tomb Raider II by then too.
And that's just what we've already confirmed...!
So thanks for reading IFN, hope you enjoyed this first issue, and see you
next month!
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