info/adventure-game-systems

Adventure Game Creators
=======================

This file is an attempt to create a list of all systems that have 
been used to create adventure games, both those that are available 
for anyone to use and those that are used internally by different 
software houses.

Hans Persson
unicorn@lysator.liu.se

Last update: 10 May 1994

The latest version of this file can be found on ftp.gmd.de.


ftp.gmd.de
----------

An archive for anonymous ftp that is a goldmine for anyone interested 
in interactive fiction.  It contains loads of playable games, a lot of 
articles and information about interactive fiction (not only this 
file) and quite a few different systems for creating your own games.  
It is maintained by Volker Blasius (blasius@gmd.de) who is doing a 
great job.  Contact him for more information.



Freeware/shareware:
******************

Under this heading are listed systems that are available free or for 
a small fee. Most of these systems are also available in source form 
and can be ported to new computers by anyone who cares to try.

The information in this section is summary, as there is already a 
good review of these systems in the file authoring-systems-faq, 
available from ftp.gmd.de.


ADL (Adventure Definition Language)
---

By Ross Cuniff (cunniff@fc.hp.com) and Tim Brengle. ADL is available 
from ftp.gmd.de (including source code in C). The latest version 
(3.2) is dated 1987. ADL currently runs on Amiga, Atari ST, PC 
(DOS), Vax, Unix.


ADVSYS (ADVenture SYStem)
------

By David Betz (described in BYTE magazine, May 1987). ADVSYS is 
unrestricted for non-commercial use, available from ftp.gmd.de 
(including source code in C). The latest version (1.2) is dated 1986. 


AGT (Adventure Game Toolkit)
---

By David R.  Malmberg (73435.1277@compuserve.com) and Mark J.  Welch.  
AGT is shareware ($20), available from ftp.gmd.de.  The latest version 
(1.5) is dated 1993.  AGT currently runs on Amiga, Atari ST, 
Macintosh, PC (DOS).


ALAN (Adventure LANguage)
----

By Thomas Nilsson (thoni@softlab.se) and G�ran Forslund.  ALAN is 
requestware, available from alan-request@softlab.se (the source code 
is not available).  The latest version (2.5) is dated 1993.  Games 
produced with ALAN may be freely distributed.  ALAN currently runs on 
Amiga, HP, Macintosh, PC (MS-DOS or OS/2), Sun and Vax/VMS. The 
documentation and an interpreter for running ALAN games is available 
from ftp.gmd.de.


Inform
------

By Graham Nelson.  Inform is available from ftp.gmd.de (including 
source code in C).  The latest version (release 3) is dated 1993.  
Games produced with Inform may be freely distributed.  Inform 
currently runs on Amiga, PC (DOS), Unix.  Inform is actually a 
compiler for Z-code version 3 that many Infocom adventures are written 
in, which means that there are a number of free interpreters for 
almost any system that can run a game written with Inform.


OASYS (Object-oriented Adventure SYStem)
-----

By Russell Wallace (rwallace@wax1.tcd.ie). OASYS is public domain, 
available from ftp.gmd.de (including source code in C++). The latest 
version (1.0) is dated 1992. Games produced with OASYS may be freely 
distributed. OASYS currently runs on PC (DOS).


QuestMaker
----------

By Marietta Co-opware. QuestMaker is available from ftp.gmd.de (the 
source code is not available). The latest version is 2.1. QuestMaker 
runs on PC (DOS). This system generates graphical adventures similar 
to the original King's Quest.


TADS (Text Adventure Development System)
----

By Michael J.  Roberts (mroberts@hinrg.starconn.com)/High Energy 
Software.  TADS is shareware ($40), available from ftp.gmd.de (the 
source code is not available).  The latest version (2.1) is dated 
1993.  Games produced with TADS may be freely distributed.  TADS has 
been ported to a variety of systems and currently runs on Amiga, Atari 
ST/TT/Falcon, DEC MIPS-based workstations running Ultrix, Macintosh, 
NeXT, PC (running DOS, OS/2 or Linux (386+)), Silicon Graphics 
workstations running Irix, Sparc and Sun 3.  The Macintosh and PC/DOS 
versions can create stand-alone games that can be run without TADS.



Commercial systems:
******************

These are systems that are sold by software companies. Only a few of 
these have made it to more than one platform.


Adventure Construction Set
--------------------------

[1984, 86] By Stuart Smith/Electronic Arts.  For Commodore 64.  The 
largest reason for including this here would probably be the name.  It 
is actually a system for creating maze games.


Adventure Master
----------------

[1984] Written by Cristopher Chance. Published by CBS Software. For 
Apple II+/IIe/IIc, Atari, Commodore 64, PC/PCjr. A very interactive 
program which allowed graphics but was very primitive. It didn't 
have a true verb-noun parser, instead you had to type in every 
combination of words that should have an effect. If you wanted to 
have an examinable book, you had to create an event such as "examine 
book". Only this phrase would then work, not for instance "examine 
the book". It was very user friendly, though more suited for young 
kids that serious adventurers. Adventure databases were given a 
password so you could re-edit them at a later time. It came with a 
couple of test games: Clever Catacombs (Written by Christopher 
Chance. Complete game, though without graphics. When you completed 
the game you were given the password that enabled you to look at the 
code. The password was (of course) CHANCE.) and Becca in Outlaw 
Cave/Wild Trails (Written by "Newbery Award-winning author" Jean 
Craighead George. This was one data file with two games in it. They 
used rooms 1-20 for the first game and 21-40 for the second game. 
Since the games were incomplete, you were given the password 
(QIMMIQ, which is Eskimo for "dog") in the manual and were 
encouraged to edit them and write an ending. They had graphics.). 
There was no mention in the manual whether you could sell games 
written with it without paying royalties or not.


AdventureScape
--------------

By A&B Computing, later Archimedes World. For BBC.


The Amstrad Pentacle
--------------------

By Interface Publications Ltd.  Book containing a listing of an 
adventure creation program and complete data to a sample game, Castle 
of Doom.  Games made with it may be marketed without paying royalties.


Genesis
-------

By CRL Group PLC. For Commodore 64.


Graphic Adventure Creator
-------------------------

[1986] Design by Sean Ellis.  Programmed by The Kid.  Ransom Pictures 
by Pete James.  Cover by Pete Carter.  Published by Incentive Software 
Ltd (54 London Street, Reading RG1 4SQ, UK).  For Amstrad, Commodore 
64.  Could create both text and graphics.  The text tools include an 
extensive text compression facility, full function editor, automatic 
word formatting, a logical command interpreter and an abbreviated 
input acceptance facility.  The command interpreter can handle complex 
sentences and multiple input commands.  Also includes a graphic editor 
with dot, circle, elastic line, ellipse, fast fill, shading, step by 
step review, easy editing and the ability to merge pictures. The 
Commodore 64 version (at least) came with a small graphic adventure 
called Ransom which was complete, albeit small. Games written with 
GAC could be sold without royalties, but you were asked to include a 
notice that it was written using the GRAPHIC ADVENTURE CREATOR, (C) 
1986 by Sean Ellis/Incentive Software.


The Illustrator
---------------

[1985] Written by Tim Gilberts.  Published by Gilsoft.  For Commodore 
64, Spectrum 48K.  Add-on to The Quill allowing you to add, by menu, 
hi-res pictures to Quill games. The Commodore 64 version only ever 
reached Serial A. An important feature of The Illustrator (apart 
from adding graphics to Quilled games) was that it could also add a 
RAM save option.


Professional Adventure Writer
-----------------------------

By Gilsoft. For Spectrum. This offered complex sentence parsing.


The Quill / AdventureWriter
---------------------------

[1983] Written by Greame Yeandle.  Published by Gilsoft International 
Ltd (2 Park Crescent, Barry, South Glamorgan CF6 8HD, UK).  For BBC 
Micro, Commodore 64, Spectrum 48K.  System for constructing text 
adventures.  Quilled games could be sold without royalties, but you 
were asked to mention somewhere that it was written with The Quill.  
There were a number of commercial games produced with this, some of 
them with pictures (mostly done by The Illustrator).  No object 
orientation.  I don't know if the different versions of The Quill were 
compatible with each other.  Commercial Quill games could be re-loaded 
into The Quill (with a bit of fiddling around) to see how they worked. 
 It was called The Quill in Europe and AdventureWriter in America.  
The parser in The Quill was only verb-noun.


World Builder
-------------

For Macintosh. Now (summer 1993) defunct. Scripting language 
enabling amateurs to create their own adventure games.



Inhouse systems:
***************

These are the systems that the companies selling adventure games are 
using to create their games.


Advent 2
--------

By Interplay Productions.


The Biro
--------

By The Ram Jam Corporation.  Characters in games can have different 
personalities and can hold fairly intelligent conversations.  Can 
handle graphics.


Cinematique
-----------

By Delphine Software.


Comprehend
----------

[1985?] By Mark Pelczarski and Jeffrey Jay/Polarware.  Created text 
adventures with pictures.


SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion)
-----

[1987] By Ron Gilbert and Aric Wilmunder/Lucasfilm Ltd -- Games 
Division.


?
-

By Adventure International UK/Adventure Soft.  The Adventure 
International adventures were written with an adventure creator with 
text compression and a sophisticated command interpreter running on a 
BBC micro and a graphics tool running on an Apricot FI.  The two parts 
were then merged, using a cross-compiler when necessary.


?
_

By Infocom. I have read about this somewhere, but where?



I don't know about these
************************

The Adventure Construction Language
Used by Sir Rah Software.