Photopia
It is becoming quite clear that I do not have the patience for IF games. Photopia was definitely interesting, but getting through these games is extremely frustrating for me. It took me twenty minutes just to figure out what the game wanted and what kind of commands I was supposed to give. Had this not been an assignment, I would have given up very early and been much happier with live. I don’t mean to sound bitter, but I wish these games would give you a list of commands or helpful hints at the beginning so that you don’t have as much trouble navigating through the game. I don’t want the game to be too easy, but I would like to know just what the hell I’m supposed to be doing.
Now that I’ve got those complaints out of my system, I will say that the writing in the game was pretty good. I got a good feel for the locations and atmospheres that were experience throughout the game. I also liked the idea of having a game with stories that are laced within other stories. It makes your head spin a little but it makes you feel like you’re watching an episode of LOST(like what Steve said). I’m not sure the stories came together very well but, initially, it was very interesting the way the game was playing out. Besides the obvious holes in the story, the only thing I don’t like about this game is that it is an IF. If I felt more comfortable with IFs I would probably love this game.
I really do wish I like or understood these games because I believe there are some interesting concepts and ideas to be found within them but patience was just not a virtue I was born with and I think you have to have that to play these games. I hope that the process of creating an IF game will help me to better understand and appreciate what these games are all about. Despite my distaste for this genre, I am actually looking forward to designing my own IF. I just hope it’s not as frustrating to design one as it is to play one.
Hey, I said it was like LOST, not steve! punk. just kidding. I agree that there were some plot holes and the controls might have been confusing. But I think that most IF games use similar controls, like LISTEN, TALK, NORTH, EAST, EXAMINE, etc. So I think you are correct that if you were more comfortable or familiar with them, they would be a lot more fun.
