So I can’t believe it’s been almost 2 years since I’ve posted on here. That doesn’t mean I’ve been idle, just not quite as productive as I’d hoped. So I’m hear to update anyone who cares with what I’ve been doing over the last two years, what I’m currently working on and planning and where I hope to be in the upcoming year.
Trizbort
So of course, many of you are familiar with Trizbort. I’ve made updates and fixes. Pulled in some PR’s that others have submitted. I’ve not created an official release in the last year and a half, but you can always get the latest bits from the repo on github and build it yourself if you’re so inclined. I hope to put out a build soon, just want to get a few more things fixed.
Code: https://github.com/JasonLautzenheiser/trizbort
Changelog: https://github.com/JasonLautzenheiser/trizbort/blob/master/changelog.md
IF Code
So recently, I also released to opensource a handful of Inform 7 games in various stages of creation. A couple that were released over the years as well as some that I’m working on (or had worked on). Some have been out there already, others I’ve kept private while I was working on them. I figured there is some good code and some bad code in there. Some good writing and some bad writing. But all of it can be educational in one way or the other.
The Games
Jack – This was my entry to EctoComp 2013 and was my first released game. Originally written in just 3 hours and still relatively new to Inform 7 it was severely lacking in several areas. The ending was rushed (due to the 3 hour limit), the story is shallow, and there are many unimplemented (or under-implemented) items and areas. Had future plans for a more complete release, but haven’t made a ton of progress over the years.
(source)(IFDB)
White Houses – This was my second released game for ShuffleComp 2014. An homage to Zork, where I got my start many, many years ago. I’ve been pretty happy with this one. I tried to implement the infamous White House of Zork with some slight changes and of course added my own story behind it. Again I planned to expand on this more, implement some more ideas and of course fix some bugs, other than a minor post-release and some code that you can see in the repo, I’ve not done much with it.
(source)(IFDB)
Tom – This was the working title of my very first game I wrote. I had gone through some tutorials of I7 and this was my first attempt. I was a bit over-ambitious with this one, as I had planned it to be a largish Lovecraftian tale. I implemented the first area, some cut-scenes (which I was actually quite proud of), and really tackled quite a few different I7 techniques that truly helped me learn the language. Never released and still a lot to do on it, but it is one that I’d like to get back to at some point.
(source)
Hornet’s Nest – This was my entry to IntroComp 2014. It got mixed reviews, but I was pretty happy with how it turned out. And being in IntroComp it was obviously incomplete. This is the one I’ve probably done the most work on since it’s initial release and really want to get it out there. I plan on working on this one and trying to get a release out there.
(source)(IntroComp Release)
Cragne Manor Room – This was my contribution to Cragne Manor. I created a small room with a small puzzle. This was a lot of fun to do and I got to talk to quite a few cool people during this process.
(source) (IFDB)
The rest of the games are very much very early in the development process. Some will probably never see the light of day and they were really just testing out some ideas. Others, I may continue to build and grow.
Lizards – Not sure where this one was going. (source)
Wolf’s Bane – This was my attempt at an idea that you were turning into a werewolf and but before you did you had to setup traps to capture your wolf-self and cure it. (source)
House River Styx – A buddy of mine bought an old house in a small town in Ohio called River Styx. It was originally used as a funeral parlor and it has a great history. I built out the floor plan, but wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with it. That’s where it stands. Some day I hope to finish it as it has great potential. (source)
Hazelnut Jones – This was a play on the Indiana Jones story, but with a twist. I wanted to take the famous fedora hat and give it a spirit that possessed it. The PC viewpoint would switch from person to person as the hat changed hands. Haven’t taken it too far, but I think the story might be neat enough to eventually give it a shot. (source)
Grim – This was a comedy twist to the concept of the grim reaper. Initial scene has been roughed out, just needs polished and expanded on slightly but the real work is in getting the rest of the game mapped out and implemented. (source)
Easter Egg – This is my latest creation, started just a few days ago. Not sure I’ll ever finish this, but this was really just a way to re-familiarize myself with I7 and to do some practice. I might use this as test bed for random ideas. (source)
Hopefully someone will find this code useful. If you happen to have ideas and want to contribute to a particular game (or just fix bugs and whatnot) please feel free to submit pull requests. If you happen to like one of the ideas, feel free to take it and run with it (though maybe a little mention of the inspiration would be appreciated, but not necessary).
Lautz of IF 