Adventure Game Creators
=======================
This file is an attempt to create a list of all systems that have
been used to create adventure games, both those that are available
for anyone to use and those that are used internally by different
software houses.
Hans Persson
[email protected]
Last update: 10 May 1994
The latest version of this file can be found on ftp.gmd.de.
ftp.gmd.de
----------
An archive for anonymous ftp that is a goldmine for anyone interested
in interactive fiction. It contains loads of playable games, a lot of
articles and information about interactive fiction (not only this
file) and quite a few different systems for creating your own games.
It is maintained by Volker Blasius (
[email protected]) who is doing a
great job. Contact him for more information.
Freeware/shareware:
******************
Under this heading are listed systems that are available free or for
a small fee. Most of these systems are also available in source form
and can be ported to new computers by anyone who cares to try.
The information in this section is summary, as there is already a
good review of these systems in the file authoring-systems-faq,
available from ftp.gmd.de.
ADL (Adventure Definition Language)
---
By Ross Cuniff (
[email protected]) and Tim Brengle. ADL is available
from ftp.gmd.de (including source code in C). The latest version
(3.2) is dated 1987. ADL currently runs on Amiga, Atari ST, PC
(DOS), Vax, Unix.
ADVSYS (ADVenture SYStem)
------
By David Betz (described in BYTE magazine, May 1987). ADVSYS is
unrestricted for non-commercial use, available from ftp.gmd.de
(including source code in C). The latest version (1.2) is dated 1986.
AGT (Adventure Game Toolkit)
---
By David R. Malmberg (
[email protected]) and Mark J. Welch.
AGT is shareware ($20), available from ftp.gmd.de. The latest version
(1.5) is dated 1993. AGT currently runs on Amiga, Atari ST,
Macintosh, PC (DOS).
ALAN (Adventure LANguage)
----
By Thomas Nilsson (
[email protected]) and Gran Forslund. ALAN is
requestware, available from
[email protected] (the source code
is not available). The latest version (2.5) is dated 1993. Games
produced with ALAN may be freely distributed. ALAN currently runs on
Amiga, HP, Macintosh, PC (MS-DOS or OS/2), Sun and Vax/VMS. The
documentation and an interpreter for running ALAN games is available
from ftp.gmd.de.
Inform
------
By Graham Nelson. Inform is available from ftp.gmd.de (including
source code in C). The latest version (release 3) is dated 1993.
Games produced with Inform may be freely distributed. Inform
currently runs on Amiga, PC (DOS), Unix. Inform is actually a
compiler for Z-code version 3 that many Infocom adventures are written
in, which means that there are a number of free interpreters for
almost any system that can run a game written with Inform.
OASYS (Object-oriented Adventure SYStem)
-----
By Russell Wallace (
[email protected]). OASYS is public domain,
available from ftp.gmd.de (including source code in C++). The latest
version (1.0) is dated 1992. Games produced with OASYS may be freely
distributed. OASYS currently runs on PC (DOS).
QuestMaker
----------
By Marietta Co-opware. QuestMaker is available from ftp.gmd.de (the
source code is not available). The latest version is 2.1. QuestMaker
runs on PC (DOS). This system generates graphical adventures similar
to the original King's Quest.
TADS (Text Adventure Development System)
----
By Michael J. Roberts (
[email protected])/High Energy
Software. TADS is shareware ($40), available from ftp.gmd.de (the
source code is not available). The latest version (2.1) is dated
1993. Games produced with TADS may be freely distributed. TADS has
been ported to a variety of systems and currently runs on Amiga, Atari
ST/TT/Falcon, DEC MIPS-based workstations running Ultrix, Macintosh,
NeXT, PC (running DOS, OS/2 or Linux (386+)), Silicon Graphics
workstations running Irix, Sparc and Sun 3. The Macintosh and PC/DOS
versions can create stand-alone games that can be run without TADS.
Commercial systems:
******************
These are systems that are sold by software companies. Only a few of
these have made it to more than one platform.
Adventure Construction Set
--------------------------
[1984, 86] By Stuart Smith/Electronic Arts. For Commodore 64. The
largest reason for including this here would probably be the name. It
is actually a system for creating maze games.
Adventure Master
----------------
[1984] Written by Cristopher Chance. Published by CBS Software. For
Apple II+/IIe/IIc, Atari, Commodore 64, PC/PCjr. A very interactive
program which allowed graphics but was very primitive. It didn't
have a true verb-noun parser, instead you had to type in every
combination of words that should have an effect. If you wanted to
have an examinable book, you had to create an event such as "examine
book". Only this phrase would then work, not for instance "examine
the book". It was very user friendly, though more suited for young
kids that serious adventurers. Adventure databases were given a
password so you could re-edit them at a later time. It came with a
couple of test games: Clever Catacombs (Written by Christopher
Chance. Complete game, though without graphics. When you completed
the game you were given the password that enabled you to look at the
code. The password was (of course) CHANCE.) and Becca in Outlaw
Cave/Wild Trails (Written by "Newbery Award-winning author" Jean
Craighead George. This was one data file with two games in it. They
used rooms 1-20 for the first game and 21-40 for the second game.
Since the games were incomplete, you were given the password
(QIMMIQ, which is Eskimo for "dog") in the manual and were
encouraged to edit them and write an ending. They had graphics.).
There was no mention in the manual whether you could sell games
written with it without paying royalties or not.
AdventureScape
--------------
By A&B Computing, later Archimedes World. For BBC.
The Amstrad Pentacle
--------------------
By Interface Publications Ltd. Book containing a listing of an
adventure creation program and complete data to a sample game, Castle
of Doom. Games made with it may be marketed without paying royalties.
Genesis
-------
By CRL Group PLC. For Commodore 64.
Graphic Adventure Creator
-------------------------
[1986] Design by Sean Ellis. Programmed by The Kid. Ransom Pictures
by Pete James. Cover by Pete Carter. Published by Incentive Software
Ltd (54 London Street, Reading RG1 4SQ, UK). For Amstrad, Commodore
64. Could create both text and graphics. The text tools include an
extensive text compression facility, full function editor, automatic
word formatting, a logical command interpreter and an abbreviated
input acceptance facility. The command interpreter can handle complex
sentences and multiple input commands. Also includes a graphic editor
with dot, circle, elastic line, ellipse, fast fill, shading, step by
step review, easy editing and the ability to merge pictures. The
Commodore 64 version (at least) came with a small graphic adventure
called Ransom which was complete, albeit small. Games written with
GAC could be sold without royalties, but you were asked to include a
notice that it was written using the GRAPHIC ADVENTURE CREATOR, (C)
1986 by Sean Ellis/Incentive Software.
The Illustrator
---------------
[1985] Written by Tim Gilberts. Published by Gilsoft. For Commodore
64, Spectrum 48K. Add-on to The Quill allowing you to add, by menu,
hi-res pictures to Quill games. The Commodore 64 version only ever
reached Serial A. An important feature of The Illustrator (apart
from adding graphics to Quilled games) was that it could also add a
RAM save option.
Professional Adventure Writer
-----------------------------
By Gilsoft. For Spectrum. This offered complex sentence parsing.
The Quill / AdventureWriter
---------------------------
[1983] Written by Greame Yeandle. Published by Gilsoft International
Ltd (2 Park Crescent, Barry, South Glamorgan CF6 8HD, UK). For BBC
Micro, Commodore 64, Spectrum 48K. System for constructing text
adventures. Quilled games could be sold without royalties, but you
were asked to mention somewhere that it was written with The Quill.
There were a number of commercial games produced with this, some of
them with pictures (mostly done by The Illustrator). No object
orientation. I don't know if the different versions of The Quill were
compatible with each other. Commercial Quill games could be re-loaded
into The Quill (with a bit of fiddling around) to see how they worked.
It was called The Quill in Europe and AdventureWriter in America.
The parser in The Quill was only verb-noun.
World Builder
-------------
For Macintosh. Now (summer 1993) defunct. Scripting language
enabling amateurs to create their own adventure games.
Inhouse systems:
***************
These are the systems that the companies selling adventure games are
using to create their games.
Advent 2
--------
By Interplay Productions.
The Biro
--------
By The Ram Jam Corporation. Characters in games can have different
personalities and can hold fairly intelligent conversations. Can
handle graphics.
Cinematique
-----------
By Delphine Software.
Comprehend
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[1985?] By Mark Pelczarski and Jeffrey Jay/Polarware. Created text
adventures with pictures.
SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion)
-----
[1987] By Ron Gilbert and Aric Wilmunder/Lucasfilm Ltd -- Games
Division.
?
-
By Adventure International UK/Adventure Soft. The Adventure
International adventures were written with an adventure creator with
text compression and a sophisticated command interpreter running on a
BBC micro and a graphics tool running on an Apricot FI. The two parts
were then merged, using a cross-compiler when necessary.
?
_
By Infocom. I have read about this somewhere, but where?
I don't know about these
************************
The Adventure Construction Language
Used by Sir Rah Software.
