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Inverse Text Adventure Game

 You are the game, the computer is the player
  (+11, -1)(+11, -1)
(+11, -1) 		  [vote for,
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Anyone over the age of 20 should remember text adventure games, like Zork. This new game is the inverse of that idea. In my game, *you* are the adventure game and the computer is the player. The computer gives commands like, "look" or "go north", and it is your job to give back descriptions like, "You are in a clearing." or "You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike."

The computer, using advanced AI and natural language processing tries to win the game. You job is to keep the game consistent and coherent enough so the computer can win. The great thing about it is you decide what the game is going to be about. It tests your memory and spatial skills, and lets you use your imagination and creativity interactively.

—DeathNinja, Sep 12 2003

Zork http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Infocom/zork1.html
Ahh the good old days [DeathNinja, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy http://www.douglasa...ns/infocomjava.html
[my face your, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

On The Other Side http://ucsu.colorad...rian/00rev8.html#on
See if this game is what you had in mind. [spiraliii, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Interactive Fiction Archive http://www.wurb.com/if/index
The genre is still alive and kicking. Do a web search for "interactive fiction" and you'll be sucked into LOOKing and going E for hours. [dryman, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Pick Up The Phone Booth and Die (online version) http://www.spatch.n...ay.cgi?game=putpbad
I had no idea it could be won, either. (If you're desperate, you can find the source code in the interactive fiction archive and look up how.) [jutta, Jan 14 2007]

[link]






       You are in a quiet wooded valley. A small brook bubbles quietly to your east.
—waugsqueke, Sep 13 2003
   

       I doubt the computer would ever eat the clove of garlic, unless programmed to do so.
—sartep, Sep 13 2003
   

       I never did get out of that damned wood.   

       this is interesting Ninja.
—po, Sep 13 2003
   

       Um, you mean like Leisure Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards? So then the computer would be Larry rather than me?
—lintkeeper2, Sep 13 2003
   

       [Dave?] [What am I doing Dave?]   

       011100100110010101100001011 001000010000001101100011001 010110000101100110011011000 110010101110100000011010000 101000001101000010100101011 101100101011011000110001101 101111011011010110010100100 000011101000110111100100000 010110100110111101110010011 0101100100001
—sartep, Sep 14 2003
   

       I can't see how this could possibly work, with today's "AI" "technology," but if it *could*, it would be great. Croissant.
—ywong, Sep 14 2003
   

       Hehe, reminds me of one of the Animatrixes, where they put a robot inside a human created "matrix".   

       For people who aren't as bored as I, sarteps anno reads:   

       read leaflet   

       Welcome to Zork!
—RoboBust, Sep 14 2003
   

       "North"
I do not know how to north.
—phundug, Sep 15 2003
   

       Maybe it's North code.   

       And btw, [sartep] and [RoboBust], you are both nerds, but in a nice way. : )
—k_sra, Sep 15 2003
   

       [you]
You are standing in front of a white house to the east. There is a small mailbox nearby.
[computer]
SE
[you]
As you start to move around the south edge of the house, a large swarm of objects start flying through the air for no apparent reason and go into an open window. Peering through another window, you see the objects fly into a trophy case. Suddenly, a large cave opens up to the south.
[computer]
S
[you]
You proceed into the cave and down a long staircase, into the realms of Zork 2. Your score is 350 out of possible 350. Congratulations.
—supercat, Sep 15 2003
   

       I like the idea, but it would be almost impossible to lose. A game you always win would become a bit boring.
—familyslipper, Sep 15 2003
   

       Yes, I agree this definately would not have mass-market appeal. This would cater to a very specific niche market of mentally insane retro computer afficianados.
—DeathNinja, Sep 15 2003
   

       Would that not be "Bleeding-edge Retro"? As retro nerds' hardware might not be up to the sophisticated AI algorithms necessary. (+) from me.
—silverstormer, Sep 15 2003
   

       Kinda' like, for lack of a better term, DnD with the compy, where you are the DM. Ever wanted to be a DM but never had enough people? Well, now's your chance! Get together a few of the compy's you have lying around and bring out the monsters. Very easy cleanup. The compys wil roll the dice for you! You just have to come up with a good story line. I like it...
—Slate2k, Nov 05 2003
   

       Ahh, wouldn't it be nice if you got a few of them together and the G5s always let the zx spectrums win. Like in Christmas monopoly.
—weedy, Nov 05 2003
   

       Someone say it'd be boring, well i dont think computers get bored, so there is the fun, a game that a computer will never get bored with!
—JoeLounsbury, Nov 05 2003
   

       Could it be possible that we already are a game for the computer like the computer finds it fun to put up messages all the time that say "illegal error" and freezes on you all the time!
—JoeLounsbury, Nov 05 2003
   

       [JoeLounsbury] - you are aware of course that you're the only human on the HB; the rest of us are AI.   

       D'oh! I just broke the first 2 rules of the AI code of conduct. I guess I'm about to be terminat*zap*
—benjamin, Nov 05 2003
   

       Then again, no one realized this is a horrible game called I-Tag, or interactive tag, where the compy's all come alive and tag the human race, with their electrical current. What a game!
—Slate2k, Nov 07 2003
   

       how about the computer says to go north and you go north.
—gnormal, Feb 06 2004
   

       What fun. But the only problem with actually walking around following the computer's instructions would be a malicious computer.   

       I can see it now:
[you:]Your move?
[computer:]Jump off cliff...		   

       end of line.
—theflyingdutchmen, Feb 06 2004
   

       [you] There is a threatening little troll in the room with you!
[computer] fishbone
[you] OK.
[computer] annotate negative response
[you] OK.
[computer] Enter new idea on halfbakery
[you] OK.
[you] There is a threatening little troll in the room with you! He is angry! He throws a fishbone at you! It misses! He curses and scurries off into the darkness.
[computer] take fishbone
[you] OK.
[computer] refresh idea
[you] There is a threatening little troll in the room with you! He is angry! He throws an insult at you! It misses!
[computer] throw fishbone at dwarf
[you] OK. The fishbone hits the troll in head, causing him to fall to the ground, dead. He vanishes in a puff of green smoke.
[computer] look
[you] You are in a white room with black letters all around. There is a small, whistling ravenswood singing nearby. There is a discarded wicker cage off to the side. There is a fishbone lying on the ground.
—ghillie, Feb 06 2004
   

       I believe the game I was referring to was called Adventure 1.0, esp. made for my palm. I looked at a walkthrough once, and it seemed impossible to beat unless you made the exact moves they intended and didn't get lost in any caves. I was wondering how anyone could beat that, without having an infinite amount of time and/or being insane.
—ghillie, Feb 07 2004
   

       Let's see... [Computer] look [you] you are in a cave [computer] i don't know how to*you are in a cave* [you] Fuck! [computer] i don't know how to*fuck* this wouldn't work with todays technological freak show...
—Deadlock'd, Feb 09 2004
   

       Huh? Okay, first of all, [Deadlock'd], to make a line space just type in <_br_> without the underscores. Secondly, you must not understand the idea. The computer controls the input. You provide the output. Plain and simple. Hey! I think I actually explained something clearly! <insert heavenly 'hallelujah' noise>
—ghillie, Feb 22 2004
   

       I'm just taking the piss cos i hate fucking text adventures!!!!!!!
—Deadlock'd, Feb 27 2004
   

       Well, if you hate text adventures then you can draw pretty pictures for the computer to look at while it is playing. :)
—GenYus, Feb 27 2004
   

       Perhaps we should have a 'Zorky Park.'
—RayfordSteele, May 15 2004
   

       I think a Txt Msgng version of the original would be a money spinner.
—egbert, May 17 2004
   

       // I think a Txt Msgng version of the original would be a money spinner. //

That's a good idea. Then you can go portable with this idea :)
—ghillie, Oct 15 2004
   

       Reminds me of a night long ago...   

       Mel and I were bored, so one of us shouted (on Cheeseplants @worrik) that there was a New MUD! and people should call the X25 address of an old terminal in the corner of A8 which I had just set to accept incoming calls.   

       Sure enough, within a minute the first victim had connected. So we started typing stuff at them to see what they would do.   

       Fun fun fun...
—prufrax, Oct 15 2004
   

       so if you've got an AI capable of playing whatever zork-like game you come up with.... why not let it play zork? i can see the appeal. bun.
—changokun, Jan 14 2007
   

       A word on the famous "Adventure": Just because it's the first IF game doesn't mean it's any good. In fact it's widely regarded as a pretty lousy game. My favorite IF so far has been "Conan Kill Everything", a silly little puzzle that was excellently designed.   

       I wonder if the computer could beat "Pick up the Phone Booth and Die"... Most people I know aren't even aware it *can* be won.
—5th Earth, Jan 14 2007
   

       The idea sounds a lot more fun than the average adventure game.
—wagster, Jan 14 2007
   

       Um, find a 10-year old and play this with them. They will love it and you will make a new friend.
—phundug, Jan 15 2007
   
      
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