Re: Is the text parser extinct?

["Keith Lucas" <klucas@atlan-tech.com>]

>I've been considering the idea of an adventure/rpg game where the player would
be able to perform >simple or repetitive commands with mouse clicks, but the
game would have a text parser for the more >complex commands.
>
>Text parsers seem to scare some people away though.  I don't think that it
would be that hard to >program, but would it be worth it?
>
>P.S.  Ideally, a player would be able to complete the game without using the
parser, but it would >allow much more creativity within the game.

I don't think it would scare off that many people. The problem with have a
combination is that you can make a richer environment more easily with a text
based system (look at how complex the Magnetic Scrolls parsers used to be) but
in order to use much of that richness you have to make the puzzles depend on it,
and then you can't use the clicky interface.

Wonderland by MagScrolls used both - ISTR it basically produced, from the clicky
stuff, text commands in the narrative window, so you can learn how to use the
text interface by watching the results of clicky stuff you drag an object off
the location inventory to your inventory, it does a "GET X, You pick up the X."
transaction in the text interface. People can easily associate with it then.



It also had neat features like being able to click on compass points to move and
      the, by then fairly standard, self-mapping with auto-goto and stuff.



With that sort of GUI, the traditional text adventure looks very accessible.
      These days, you can stop fretting over the size of the text, and have it
      read like a novel.