Author: anonymous
System: Z-code
Blurb: They say you should write what you know. Sorry.
Time Played: About 30 mins
More (with spoilers) after the break, you may wish to play before reading...
Review: The only ending I saw for this game was in my playthrough of all the game intros. The game started with quite a sense of urgency about me needing to visit a restroom. Unfortunately (and strangely, since I made it to my house) I couldn't find a place to pee. So I quickly ended up with a ruined evening.
On my second time around, I still couldn't find the bathroom and had to resort to the walkthrough. I needed it not only for finding rooms, but for finding out what I was supposed to do next in the game, which involved playing with my hamster, eating some dinner, and so on. I got interrupted after playing for about 30 minutes. When I came back to finish and saw what was left to complete the game, I just really didn't want to. Typing "x me" revealed the problem: I was feeling kinda bored. Very true. So I went on to have my own quiet evening at home.
I want to be nice about this, but I really don't think this game was ready for the IF Comp. It's fine as an exercise in learning how to code, but it's not so fun for others to play. Here's some constructive criticism for the author: When you make your game map, make sure to list all the room exits in the room descriptions so that people can make their way sensibly around your game world (without resorting to the walkthrough). Learn about disambiguation (typing "eat soup" should not default to me trying to eat the soup can, especially after I have the soup all heated up in a bowl ready to go). Provide for actions the players will want to take (if you tell me I really have to pee, then I should be able to type "pee" and have it work). Try a setting other than your house. (Not your office either). Basically, start over. (But keep the hamster, if you want.)
No comments:
Post a Comment