This series has been excellent and full of fun memories, and I'm definitely eager to buy the book at the conclusion. Great call on taking your time with the kickstarter though, that can be a lot of added time and pressure and it'd probably also be really reassuring to have concluded (or very nearly concluded) the series leading into that.
Thanks for sharing this. The work you put in really shows in the quality of the research and writing. I look forward to getting the book, for me personally, and also for the library in work for future gamedevs to read.
I’ve loved the series and learned so much—and really appreciated how much care you’ve taken with each post. I love the idea of it as a “walking tour”! Looking forward to having this series on a bookshelf one day.
Thanks Kris! The exceprts whenever possible are taken from my own new playthroughs of the games that I do while researching each piece. With games where saving a text transcript isn't possible, I actually do screen recordings so I can go back to pull out exact quotes. For games it's not possible to play any more, or where playing them today is different than playing them upon release (like MUDs) I try very hard to find historical transcripts or screenshots saved by people at a time as near to release as possible. Occasionally I will condense/piece together transcripts from multiple sources where it makes a point clearer, but I try to avoid this whenever possible to avoid the risk of a transcript showing something not actually possible to produce in real play.
Thanks, Aaron. The reason I asked is because the excerpts really give the pieces depth and character. Which is what makes reading your posts so immersive and enjoyable. BTW, I started with computers in the mid-1980s, when text adventure games were being rapidly replaced by graphical hybrid IF and RPG-like games such as the Ultima series, so I never got to play them. It's only as an adult, thanks largely to the tireless work of enthusiasts who've taken the trouble to archive stuff, that I've rediscovered the joys of IF.
This series has been excellent and full of fun memories, and I'm definitely eager to buy the book at the conclusion. Great call on taking your time with the kickstarter though, that can be a lot of added time and pressure and it'd probably also be really reassuring to have concluded (or very nearly concluded) the series leading into that.
I am so glad a textbook will be offered. Your writing is incredible. It will be a way I can support your work. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing this. The work you put in really shows in the quality of the research and writing. I look forward to getting the book, for me personally, and also for the library in work for future gamedevs to read.
I love this project and I really can't wait for the book! 100% purchase and thank you so much for all your effort!
I’ve loved the series and learned so much—and really appreciated how much care you’ve taken with each post. I love the idea of it as a “walking tour”! Looking forward to having this series on a bookshelf one day.
What! You leave out Trinity from the 50 chosen? How dare you!
Jokes apart. Again, thanks a lot for all this.
Hi Aaron, I've thoroughly enjoyed the series so far. Many thanks for taking the time and effort to produce this.
BTW, the excerpts from the games you reproduce in the the text. Is that from playtesting while writing the post, or is it from playing them earlier?
Thanks Kris! The exceprts whenever possible are taken from my own new playthroughs of the games that I do while researching each piece. With games where saving a text transcript isn't possible, I actually do screen recordings so I can go back to pull out exact quotes. For games it's not possible to play any more, or where playing them today is different than playing them upon release (like MUDs) I try very hard to find historical transcripts or screenshots saved by people at a time as near to release as possible. Occasionally I will condense/piece together transcripts from multiple sources where it makes a point clearer, but I try to avoid this whenever possible to avoid the risk of a transcript showing something not actually possible to produce in real play.
Thanks, Aaron. The reason I asked is because the excerpts really give the pieces depth and character. Which is what makes reading your posts so immersive and enjoyable. BTW, I started with computers in the mid-1980s, when text adventure games were being rapidly replaced by graphical hybrid IF and RPG-like games such as the Ultima series, so I never got to play them. It's only as an adult, thanks largely to the tireless work of enthusiasts who've taken the trouble to archive stuff, that I've rediscovered the joys of IF.