Its been an entertaining half an hour working through the opening of ‘As Darkness Falls.’ A mystery IF where you play a private detective investigating the disappearance of your friend. His last known location was a small run down motel in the middle of nowhere.
Now, I may have only played a few games, but the ‘middle of nowhere’ happens to be quite a popular interactive fiction destination, a little like ‘Springfield,’ America. The game itself was entertaining and written with lots of trials to follow. I really liked the in-game play windows for inventory, places / objects and compass. One thought, I wonder if it is possible to create an in-game map as you play?
After about thirty or so minutes I was stuck, I had the gun, I had found the kennel and was fairly certain that the ‘flashing red light’ need to rabid dogs collar to open it. I was pretty sure I needed to shot the dog…. Finally I managed to solve the problem…. with the help of the community / game noticeboard. I was on the right lines, I just needed a little familiarity with how to use Quest commands. I was again reminded about all the soft skills that IF creation and playing can developed and the vibrant community and conversation behind the games. Conversation between players seeking progress in the game (like me) but also between author and player, as they work together to improve the game experience for others.
Alex has created a very easy to use noticeboard system behind the games with a social review and ratings system built in. Does this mean ‘assessment for learning’ is inherently part of the experience. I would say so. Back to the game before testing out the creation experience.
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