Innovations in Interactive Fiction Michael Rubin Orange River

Innovations in Interactive _ Fiction Michael Rubin Orange River Studio

Introduction Who am I? My credentials

Introduction The quest for the "meaningful" game • • • Evocative, memorable, rich stories Interactive, vivid characters Games about individuals, not things or actions "Stories are about people. " –Chris Crawford, "Interactive Storytelling" "Story is the shared exploration of a relationship over time. " –Corvus Elrod, "Man Bytes Blog"

Interactive Fiction What do you think of when you hear "interactive fiction"? • • • You mean text adventures, right? CYOA Zork, Planetfall, and Infocom Crappy parsers *Yawn* No idea what you're talking about

West of House This is an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door. There is a small mailbox here. >OPEN MAILBOX Opening the small mailbox reveals a _ leaflet. >

"Will you read me a story? " "Read you a story? What fun would that be? I’ve got a better idea: Let’s tell a story together. " Adam Cadre, Photopia

"Some people have fun spending hours pushing virtual buttons and pulling virtual levers for no reward other than a message like 'You have gained a fabulous treasure!' or *** You have won ***. Then there are the people like me who like the pleasures literature has to offer -- big chewy ideas to think about, narrative twists and turns, funny or beautiful turns of phrase, that sort of thing -- and also like wandering around someone else's world and knocking over vases. " Adam Cadre, 1999

What if? "This is one of those games that will have you breathing hard as you uncover the mystery. " ". . . (it) exemplifies wonderful characterization, character interaction, and open-ended gameplay. " "I was so deeply affected by this game that after finishing it the rest of my day was pretty much a write-off. I was emotionally ruined. " "You make the story unfold, by your actions - and the relationship you establish between yourself and the other characters will directly affect the ending of the game. " "The emotional impact of this game is ridiculously effective. It's beyond words. " "Sing, burp, yell, light your pants on fire and see what happens!"*

Evolution courtesy of thundafunda. com

A Unique Medium Extrapolating from IF to other game media can be challenging because: • • • Text-based Turn-based Player Input

Areas of Exploration Alternative conversation interfaces Conversations with NPCs and conversation flow Stories that incorporate meaningful choice Stories integrated into gameplay Other areas to explore • Interactive fiction as promotional component

Alternative Conversation Interfaces Blighted Isle Varicella Blue Lacuna

Conversation Interfaces Typical IF conversation interfaces • Simple yes/no/silence (Spider and Web) • TALK TO <npc> (Many; Vespers) • Menu conversations (Photopia) • ASK/TELL <npc> ABOUT <topic> (Many)

"The dialogue system. . . generally allows for free interaction [and] often facilitated impressively smooth conversations. " by Eric Eve,

Blighted Isle A game that experiments with different modes of interaction with NPCs • Allows for alternative conversation interfaces - • hyperlinks numbered topic suggestions no additional help Allows topic suggestions of varying degrees (low, medium, high) A good way of introducing players to IF conversation Also a good way to help players out of difficult spots

The young woman is wearing a single ear-ring. "I saw you lying here when I came out of the house just now, " she explains, gesturing vaguely behind her, "so I came straight down to see if - well, you seem to be alive at any rate, but are you all right? " (You could say yes or no, or ask her who she is. ) >NO "No, not really. I feel half-drowned, " you grunt. "You look it, " she agrees, "But who are you? You're not from around here and I - well I don't mean to seem inquisitive, but it's not every day I find a strange man washed up almost on my doorstep, and what with - anyway, who are you? " (You could tell her about yourself, ask where you are, or ask her who she is. ) >TELL HER ABOUT MYSELF

"Perhaps the most disturbing work of interactive fiction ever written. " "This game will totally capture you. Almost everything is interactive. And, while some NPCs are quite interesting, others are totally fascinating. " by Adam Cadre (1999)

Varicella "You are Primo Varicella, Palace Minister at the Palazzo del Piemonte. This title is unlikely to impress anyone. " Experiments with the use of emotional modifiers (tones of voice) • • • Cordial Hostile Servile Impact on result of classic ASK/TELL commands

>TONE CORDIAL You adopt a cordial manner. >ASK STEWARD ABOUT NAILS “How’s the manicure proceeding? ” you ask. “Shouldn’t be much longer, sir, ” the steward says. The steward expertly attends to your fingernails with an emery board. >TONE HOSTILE You adopt a hostile tone. >ASK STEWARD ABOUT NAILS “How much longer is this going to take, you mediocre manservant? ” you bellow. “Shouldn’t be much longer, sir, ” the steward says. The steward lightly blows on your fingertips.

"You make the story unfold, by your actions - and the relationship you establish between yourself and the other characters will directly affect the ending of the game. " by Aaron Reed (2009)

Blue Lacuna Takes a different approach by highlighting keywords of different types in the prose • • • blue nouns green exits bold topics Type the single word as a command to perform the expected action (examine nouns, move in direction of exit, direct the conversation toward the topic) Central concept: "Type words that interest you to advance the story"

Blue Lacuna As conversations move forward, old keywords become no longer relevant and are not repeatable; conversations thus move through a series of phases Also includes a "compassless" navigation system Still allows the typical IF commands Includes a custom extension ("Smarter Parser") to look for a number of forms of input that newer players might use, and interpret them or provide a helpful error message • • > I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO > I WANT TO GET THE SWORD

balcony shelves stream down doorway

wayfarer people stealing easy > easy

Conversations with NPCs Conversation Flow Galatea Alabaster

by Emily Short (2000) "A conversation with a work of art. "

Galatea ". . . exemplifies wonderful characterization, character interaction, and open-ended gameplay. " Multilinear plot; no single path to "victory" Ambitious approach to NPC conversation, in terms of volume and complexity • • Many hundreds of quips Keeps track of the state of the conversation Keeps track of which conversational options have been used Reacts differently according to what has been said and done

Galatea "The options in Galatea are all predicated on the idea that, if you want a positive interaction with another human being, you have to approach that person willing both to listen and to talk about yourself. " (Short) The title character has moods, background, and memory; how she treats you will depend on how you choose to treat her NPC designed to continue the conversation herself if the player stops to listen to her rather than talking

>examine galatea >ask galatea about curtain

An experiment in open authorship (multiple authors, 2009)

Alabaster A conversation system that not only keeps track of quips and topics previously used or discussed, but also models the structure of conversation threads • • Where are we in the conversation? Where can we go from here? How to continue conversation if player remains silent Ability of NPCs to change subject (or stick to the current one) A more natural flow of dialogue In this case, a "fractured fairy tale" involving Snow White

Alabaster Explores different types of NPC initiative Quips are given two kinds of priority: • • "obligatory" or "optional" "immediate" or "postponed" Results in a variety of ways an NPC would continue • • • Responses to direct stimuli (immediate obligatory) Continuations of earlier speech (immediate/postponed optional) Planned sequences (postponed obligatory) Pieces of sequence can occur in different orders

Alabaster Threaded conversation system • keeps track of which quips follow naturally from which others Allows NPCs to actively change the subject or to challenge the player's attempt to change the subject Structure applied to conversation "beats" provides a rhythm • • PC comment NPC challenge (if relevant) or NPC response optional: Grounding beat (pause in conversation) optional: NPC starts new conversation thread

Alabaster Begins to deal with the issue of NPCs repeating topics Allows players to repeatedly ask about common topics • • NPCs response generated from several random elements Always contains roughly the same set of facts NPCs notice and remark on the repetition

Alabaster Also allows NPCs to: • • Ask questions Remember the answers Pester the player if he doesn't respond Refuse to move to new topics Incorporates both open-ended and restrictive questions • Also includes "restrictive and release"

Conversation Innovations NPCs that are more vivid, responsive, central rather than acting as vending machines Allows games to experiment with character interaction and relationships as the focal point of play Choices (and their impact) related to NPC interactions as much as player actions

Stories that incorporate Choice De Baron Blue Lacuna

Choice

(2006) ". . . it succeeded in its ambitious aim of making me think about human will from a novel angle. "

De Baron "The Baron is a provocation, both in form and content. " - Emily Short Begins as a quest to rescue your kidnapped young daughter from the evil Baron A game about talking to characters and confronting moral dilemmas with each one; every choice has some bearing on thematic issues at work Choices (commands) are often followed by multiple-choice questions asking the player why that choice was made; the motivation then impacts the description of the result

On a path in the forest Here the path is narrow and winding, and hardly recognisable under the snow. Moonlight penetrates the dense foliage only sporadically. Eastwards lies the baron's castle; to the west, your own footprints lead back to the village. From the trees to the left, a dark shape suddenly jumps forward. It is a she-wolf; she stops a stone's throw away from you, in the middle of the path, fixating you with two eyes that mirror the moon. From her throat comes a fierce growl. >_

Blue Lacuna "How long has it been since you played an IF game that really reacted to your actions and shaped itself accordingly, offering you a wide gamut of choices – some of them don't even look like choices – which allow you to shape the course of the story in uncountable ways? " Described as one of the most ambitious works of interactive fiction ever written Enormous in size; describes itself as an "interactive novel" in ten chapters Ambitious in the extent to which it allows the player to shape the narrative and define character interactions

Blue Lacuna "Blue Lacuna: Aspects of an Interactive Novel" (http: //www. lacunastory. com/overview-paper. pdf) Three major goals of the project: • • • Create an interface for IF that was more intuitive and required less instruction to those unfamiliar with the medium Tell a story that revolved around and relied upon the player's ability to make serious choices with dramatic repercussions Create a character to meet and converse with who is complex enough to develop a unique and personal relationship with the player, and whose ultimate fate is not predestined

Blue Lacuna Major design goal was to: • • • create a story space where meaningful choices are possible make choices take place early enough to have repercussions have each ending be equally dramatically valid and interesting Tells very different stories to different people • • • story of a young gay man who must battle with a crazed lunatic to do what he knows is right story about an aging and bitter widower who rediscovers what it means to love and sacrifice story about rejecting complacency in the face of temptation

Blue Lacuna Progue: a sophisticated conversationalist • • Not just in the conversation method, but in the way the NPC reacts to the choices made by the player Over the course of the narrative, Progue evolves through five unique psychological states, each with different behavior patterns, default responses, and conversational scenes - • Progue forms an opinion about the player on three axes: - • Player has numerous opportunities to define the relationship affinity axis submission axis romance/paternalism axis Moves toward one of twelve archetypes that define behavior

Stories Integrated into Gameplay Blue Lacuna Anchorhead

Blue Lacuna Drama Management • • • Attempts to overcome the problem that pacing is in the hands of the player; puzzles often halt the narrative Game features mechanisms designed to help keep the story moving forward if the player gets stuck or bored Progress along four major pathways: - • • Puzzle chain Dream chain Progue's psyche chain Event chain Chains are interconnected Also keeps tabs on how bored the player is

"By the end you are astounded by your own deductions - almost at no point does the game actually tell you anything, forcing you to make your own connections, and the result is astoundingly immersive. " by Michael Gentry (1998)

Anchorhead "This is a nightmare you'll be sorry to wake from. " Lovecraft-inspired gothic horror • ". . . a small town full of secrets, a gruesomely deformed monstrosity, a vast uncaring force awaiting its day. " Highly open and explorable environment Puzzles well-integrated into the storyline (optional puzzles, alternate solutions) Backstory revealed in a variety of ways

Anchorhead "When you finally come away from the game it leaves you feeling like you’ve spent a lifetime in another place. " Natural and immersive structure of gameplay Evocative scenery descriptions and involvement of changing weather into the narrative Involvement of all senses – odors, sounds, textures, temperature Gradual build-up of tension

Other Areas of Exploration Interactive Fiction as Promotional Component

IF as Promotional Component "The Glass Book of Dream Eaters" Online Adventure • • Two text-based mysteries, coded using the INFORM engine Lets players take control of one of two characters: - wealthy plantation heiress Celeste Temple assassin Cardinal Chang

Screenshots with Examples

Screenshots with Examples

IF as Promotional Component "We Tell Stories" • • • A series of six stories based on classic novels Each story is written by a different author and is retold through a different (digital) medium The real purpose they serve is to whet the viewer’s appetites for the original texts http: //wetellstories. co. uk/ "Fairy Tales": a type of choose-your-own-adventure similar to IF, written by author Kevin Brooks - "FAIRY TALES" by Hans Christian Andersen

Screenshots with Examples

IF as Promotional Component "GDC: The Game" • • • http: //www. gamesetwatch. com/gdcgame/ Written by Jim Munroe ("Everybody Dies") "Think of it as a round of cards rather than an immersive and colourful narrative. If you don't like the hand you're dealt, you can always reshuffle with a restart. "

Next Steps: Learning More Playing IF Creating IF

Learning More: Playing interactive fiction • To play IF, you need two things: - Story file (platform-independent) Interpreter (virtual machine, akin to a movie projector)

Learning More: Playing Mac • • Zoom (http: //www. logicalshift. co. uk/mac/) Spatterlight (http: //ccxvii. net/spatterlight/) Windows • Gargoyle (http: //ccxvii. net/gargoyle/) Linux/Unix • • Zoom (http: //www. logicalshift. co. uk/unix/zoom/) Gargoyle (http: //ccxvii. net/gargoyle/) i. Phone/i. Pod Touch • Frotz (i. Tunes App Store, $0. 99)

Learning More: Playing online • Parchment (http: //parchment. toolness. com/) Finding games • • IFDB (http: //ifdb. tads. org/) IF Archive (http: //www. ifarchive. org/) IFWiki: How can I download and play IF? • http: //www. ifwiki. org/index. php/FAQ#How_can_I_download _and_play_IF. 3 F

Acknowledgements Emily Short Mike Rozak Aaron Reed J. Robinson Wheeler All the many IF Authors and the IF community

Appendices

Learning More: Creation Writing interactive fiction • • Multiple freeware authoring environments In general, most games released are created using one of the popular systems: - TADS Inform

Creation TADS: The Text Adventure Development System • • • http: //www. tads. org Programming language (object-oriented, resembles C and Java) Compiler (produces the portable binary file) Libraries (object class definitions, modifiable) Interpreter (for many different operating systems)

Creation TADS: The Text Adventure Development System • Multimedia capabilities - • Existing infrastructure - • • Can mix text, static graphics, and sound Save/restore, Undo, Formatting, Bundling Portability across operating systems Sophisticated command parser Detailed world model Simple licensing (free)

Creation Inform • • • http: //www. inform-fiction. org First created in 1993, now on version 7 In place of traditional computer programming, the design is built by writing natural English-language sentences - Martha is a woman in the Vineyard. - The Old Ice House overlooks the Garden. - The prevailing wind is a direction that varies.

Creation Inform 7 • • • Results in source text which is not only quick to write, but very often works the first time, and is exceptionally readable Create model worlds, with relations and generalizations - Relations: A man called Peter is in the Atrium. North of the Atrium - Generalizations: After putting a loaded weapon in something is the Hall of Greek Vases. which is watched by a policeman. . . Build puzzles and scenes - The Collecting Phase ends when the Gate of Infinity is open and all of the white cubes are in the trunk. The Final Showdown begins when the Collecting Phase ends.

Creation Inform 7 • Integrated, cross-platform development environment - Project manager Customizable coding environment with syntax coloring, spellchecking, and more Compiler with explanatory error messages and examples Interpreter/Player for testing and debugging Source code indexing, transcript recording, and publishing options including map generation and website building

Creation