Quest 4.0 - create your own text adventure games
by Alex Warren · in General Discussion · 01/24/2007 (7:01 am) · 9 replies
Quest 4.0 is now available from http://www.axeuk.com/quest.
Quest lets you create text adventure games without having to program. Everything about your game is displayed in plain English, and a full tutorial is included so you can get started quickly.
Your games can come alive with pictures, sounds and music, and you can create both single-player and online multi-player games.
Although Quest is easy to use, it also allows you to create games which are as complex as you want. Scripts can make absolutely anything happen in your game, and the powerful debugging features mean you can keep track of what is happening internally.
New features in Quest:
- containers
- verbs make it easier to set up custom commands
- you can now embed pictures, sounds etc. within your game file (using Quest Compiler)
- you can use more complex mathematical expressions within statements
- numeric variables are no longer forced to be integers, so you can use decimals and much larger numbers
- new Object Debugger gives you more power when debugging your game - when you're developing your game, you can change object properties and "jump" around it while it is in progress
- "select case" (switch) support
- MP3 support
- pictures are now displayed within the main text window
To find out more, to order Quest Pro or to download a trial version, please go to http://www.axeuk.com/quest
Alex
Quest lets you create text adventure games without having to program. Everything about your game is displayed in plain English, and a full tutorial is included so you can get started quickly.
Your games can come alive with pictures, sounds and music, and you can create both single-player and online multi-player games.
Although Quest is easy to use, it also allows you to create games which are as complex as you want. Scripts can make absolutely anything happen in your game, and the powerful debugging features mean you can keep track of what is happening internally.
New features in Quest:
- containers
- verbs make it easier to set up custom commands
- you can now embed pictures, sounds etc. within your game file (using Quest Compiler)
- you can use more complex mathematical expressions within statements
- numeric variables are no longer forced to be integers, so you can use decimals and much larger numbers
- new Object Debugger gives you more power when debugging your game - when you're developing your game, you can change object properties and "jump" around it while it is in progress
- "select case" (switch) support
- MP3 support
- pictures are now displayed within the main text window
To find out more, to order Quest Pro or to download a trial version, please go to http://www.axeuk.com/quest
Alex
#2
01/25/2007 (9:50 am)
Oo ooo!!! though ive done my own plain text based game with C/C++ :D who cares anyway :D ( oh yes and its adventure too etc. you picked up sword. ( i say: n) then it says you went north you see a bear kill bear? i say yes :D) then etc. you hit 5 dmg on bear xD its pretty lame actually :D I laugh at it. 
#3
We're actually in the process of using TGB to create hybrid text/graphics games in 2D, which will also allow for more sophistication (point and click, text parsing, animations, and so on). Not to mention what we're doing with TGE and 3D hybrids.
01/25/2007 (9:58 am)
Interesting product...does it have specific advantages over some of the free text IF engines out there (like Inform and TADS)? I know you can do graphics and sound with TADS, and the latest version of Inform makes creating games mcuh easier with the pseudo-natural language code system.We're actually in the process of using TGB to create hybrid text/graphics games in 2D, which will also allow for more sophistication (point and click, text parsing, animations, and so on). Not to mention what we're doing with TGE and 3D hybrids.
#4
QDK outputs a script file however, so you get the ease-of-use of a system like ADRIFT but with the power of a "proper" language like Inform or TADS.
Some other advantages:
- it's the only system to support online mulitplayer games
- the interface optionally has object and inventory panes, so players can interact with the game using a mouse rather than having to type in commands
- built in text-to-speech facility
- powerful debugger lets you change the game world while the game is in progress
- easier to add your own commands than with some other systems, as you don't have to second-guess how the parser will interpret what the player types in
There's a bigger list of features here: http://www.axeuk.com/quest/qfeat.htm
01/25/2007 (10:33 am)
Quest uses a visual editor, so you can create a game by pointing and clicking, rather than typing in a script file. Although the new version of Inform has a more English-like syntax, it still requires things to be written in a specific way to work properly. With Quest's editor, QDK, you select your command from a tree menu and you can then select its parameters from a drop-down list - because you can point and click to find a command, it's easier than having to work out how TADS or Inform require you to type it.QDK outputs a script file however, so you get the ease-of-use of a system like ADRIFT but with the power of a "proper" language like Inform or TADS.
Some other advantages:
- it's the only system to support online mulitplayer games
- the interface optionally has object and inventory panes, so players can interact with the game using a mouse rather than having to type in commands
- built in text-to-speech facility
- powerful debugger lets you change the game world while the game is in progress
- easier to add your own commands than with some other systems, as you don't have to second-guess how the parser will interpret what the player types in
There's a bigger list of features here: http://www.axeuk.com/quest/qfeat.htm
#5
It looks like a really nice system. I'm not sure how successful it will be given that the main IF community already has been using free tools for a number of years. You may attract some people who are looking to get more graphics and sound in their games, but I wonder how many would be willing to shell out the money for it.
Good luck, though!
01/25/2007 (12:34 pm)
That looks really slick, thanks for the info. I'm not sure how I missed it on rec.arts.int-fiction, but I see it now.It looks like a really nice system. I'm not sure how successful it will be given that the main IF community already has been using free tools for a number of years. You may attract some people who are looking to get more graphics and sound in their games, but I wonder how many would be willing to shell out the money for it.
Good luck, though!
#6
There are about 100 games available to play at the moment. You don't need to download any additional software - all you need is a browser that supports Javascript and Flash.
You can also download the games to play offline using Quest, and log in to post reviews and comments.
Any questions, comments or feedback would be gratefully received - please either reply here or email me at alex@axeuk.com.
02/23/2007 (3:44 am)
I have launched a new site which lets you play Quest text adventure games online: www.textadventures.co.ukThere are about 100 games available to play at the moment. You don't need to download any additional software - all you need is a browser that supports Javascript and Flash.
You can also download the games to play offline using Quest, and log in to post reviews and comments.
Any questions, comments or feedback would be gratefully received - please either reply here or email me at alex@axeuk.com.
#7
I tried a game called "Lost Puppy". Here is the transcript of my game. All commands were entered using the inventory buttons (it starts out saying I have a backpack in my inventory).
As you might imagine, I didn't go beyond that.
I tried another game called "Nami Adventure". Every command I entered (using the buttons) resulted in the text screen completely refreshing. That was not particularly helpful.
Oh, and the compass looks like this on my machine:
I used Safari on the Mac running OS 10.4.8. I understand the system is in beta...nice work so far, other than these little things.
02/23/2007 (8:24 am)
I tried a couple of games using the browser...a few things came up, although I'm not sure if the problems are related to the game itself or the web interface.I tried a game called "Lost Puppy". Here is the transcript of my game. All commands were entered using the inventory buttons (it starts out saying I have a backpack in my inventory).
A few days ago you found a lost puppy. Today you see a sign about a Lost Dog that looks exactly like the puppy you found. Look for clues to find the owner of the missing dog. You are in Pole. There is nobody here. There is Pole here. You can go out to Street. There is a pole here. > look at Backpack I can't see that here. > use Backpack You can't use that here. > drop Backpack I don't understand your command. Type HELP for a list of valid commands.
As you might imagine, I didn't go beyond that.
I tried another game called "Nami Adventure". Every command I entered (using the buttons) resulted in the text screen completely refreshing. That was not particularly helpful.
Oh, and the compass looks like this on my machine:
I used Safari on the Mac running OS 10.4.8. I understand the system is in beta...nice work so far, other than these little things.
#8
I've not tested it under Safari yet, but I'm glad it (almost) works. It seems to be mis-detecting the browser for your Compass buttons - on IE, those are the Wingdings characters for the arrow buttons. Unfortunately I don't have a Mac to play with, but I'll see what I can do.
As for your bad experience playing the games, the "Lost Puppy" one is for an old version of Quest, and so that's why it doesn't support things such as looking at an object in your inventory. And "Nami Adventure" has for some reason been coded by the author to clear the screen after each command... I've no idea why.
So at least the problems you encountered weren't faults with the site itself - just bad games! The main page shows the top 10 games by rating, so you may have a better time if you play one of those instead.
02/23/2007 (8:36 am)
Thanks for the feedback.I've not tested it under Safari yet, but I'm glad it (almost) works. It seems to be mis-detecting the browser for your Compass buttons - on IE, those are the Wingdings characters for the arrow buttons. Unfortunately I don't have a Mac to play with, but I'll see what I can do.
As for your bad experience playing the games, the "Lost Puppy" one is for an old version of Quest, and so that's why it doesn't support things such as looking at an object in your inventory. And "Nami Adventure" has for some reason been coded by the author to clear the screen after each command... I've no idea why.
So at least the problems you encountered weren't faults with the site itself - just bad games! The main page shows the top 10 games by rating, so you may have a better time if you play one of those instead.
Associate David Montgomery-Blake
David MontgomeryBlake