Jolt Country

You know what 2007 was missing? Text game reviews from people who desperately want to love text games. So I'm bringing it back.

Reviews from Trotting Krips. Sorry about how the telnet BBS thing didn't happen during my vacation, I hope keeping this thing going will make up for it.

I don't necessarily think this means anything, but it is a fact I emailed you a few days ago about getting the site back up and running again. The problem is, I sent it to you at beaver@zombieworld.com and you probably haven't checked that email address in six years. Nonetheless, I tried...and it definitely sounds like Reviews From Trotting Krips is OFFICIALLY BACK! All we need now is for Ben to come to this thread and say something about how he's going to start writing a text adventure review every week from now on.

Hmm.

Not sure I can commit to that.

Good God, man! You're not sure you can commit to making a promise you have no intention of keeping? We're talking about reviving the site here. Where's your Kripper spirit?!?!?!?!!

BryantheGuest wrote:I don't necessarily think this means anything, but it is a fact I emailed you a few days ago about getting the site back up and running again. The problem is, I sent it to you at beaver@zombieworld.com and you probably haven't checked that email address in six years. Nonetheless, I tried...and it definitely sounds like Reviews From Trotting Krips is OFFICIALLY BACK! All we need now is for Ben to come to this thread and say something about how he's going to start writing a text adventure review every week from now on.

I am at work right now, otherwise I would go into detail about how KICK ASS this is. It is... it is FANTASTIC to see you again, buddy.

beaver@zombieworld.com should still be valid - I will check tonight when I get home to see if I got that mail and it just got routed incorrectly.

The revival begins... anew!!!

pinback wrote:Hmm.

Not sure I can commit to that.

There are weeks worth of reviews you have put on this site that I have bookmarked, they are just not of IF games specifically. But freeware games, instead, which hey... they count.

So you'll be contributing anyway, unless you'd rather your valuable and insightful posts no longer be doomed to e-silence in the no-longer-read threads of this BBS. I mean, I go and grab a "Pinback Reviewz the Sharewarez" thread, add screen shots... you get to contribute without having to do anything new. Surely that would be OK?

(Oh, and Bryan - I just activated your account. Sorry about that, it was a spambot related thing I implemented a while ago.)

Secret Ops Secret Ops Wing COmmander Secret Ops you GIANT CRETIN

Truth be told, just to see if Trotting Krips was coming back from the dead was one of the main reasons I popped out of nowhere yesterday.

I was super stoked to find out a site devoted to solutions for old text games (http://solutionarchive.com/) is still going strong the other day. This kind of stuff has been close to my heart again lately.

I don't expect regular updates like in its prime, but I'm happy to hear the submission door is OPEN and may just throw in a review or two myself if I find a game worth talking about.

The submission door IS open! Ben and I chatted about the GETLAMP experience recently, and Ben was very funny. I have to simply put it in article form. That being said, it could be weeks, which is unfortunate. That Pinner really is a funny fucker, however, so it will be worth the wait.

That being said, the entire site has suffered recently, as the job in real life has consumed a number of hours. On the other hand, I have learned enough in the last six weeks from a godlike developer that I work with that I should be able to keep myself in tuna fish and blue jeans for at least the next five years. So there's that. I realize it doesn't do a whole lot for the rest of you, but it has taken a load off my mind.

Speaking of which, here is a handy forum for Necrotic Drift! Forums are cheap and people will just make one at any old place.

I failed to mention that Draal's review of Pantomime was posted to the site in April.

I did not fail to mention, because I just uploaded it today, that Emily Short's review of Ron Weasley and the Quest for Hermione has been posted. Check it!

Hey, way to go, Emily.

Draal's review of Pantomime was really fearsomely incoherent. I'm not sure this is something to be proud of, but if you want a review that makes you go, "HAHAHA...wait...what?" that was it.

Bruce

Updated the site with an article about IF. Specifically about selling IF. Extra-specifically about a guy selling iF who thinks the rest of us are a bunch of assholes who don't get it or are jealous of him or something.

Very cool retort. I had forgotten that Howard entered a game into the IF Competition, and your mention of his 26th ranking made me worry for a second that maybe his game was one of the ones that you and I ranked even worse than in '99. Verifying that his game was in the '02 competition made me feel a lot better.

I would like to see Howard come and respond to this on the BBS. I think that that would be just the shot in the arm this place needs. Come on, Shermie!

I don’t think I touch on anything that Robb didn’t cover, but...

For me, what makes something like this especially frustrating is that it may seem like those of us that don't agree with Sherman's promotional style are offended by his enthusiasm. On the contrary, I love seeing people who are really excited about IF in the IF community; I don't even read the IF newsgroups these days, but I think it's awesome that Radical Al is still out there doing his thing without waning enthusiasm, and the day that his critics take that away from him, I'll be rather pissed off.

As Robb pointed out, though, Sherman is dismissive of all of the contributions that have made his games even possible and feels obligated to attack anyone who doesn't like his games (granted, not everyone expresses their distaste in a friendly manner).

Also, I do not have a problem with the marketing strategy to sell games and to try to develop one's own name brand. I still believe making packaging and feelies for games is a worthwhile venture just to give the customer the "this is a real game" feeling even if this approach hasn't been very profitable for anyone (considering the amount of work required to even write a good game). Plus, a customer feels the obligation to immerse themselves in the work and therefore discover its qualities that much sooner. It has taken me years to get around to playing through some of the better-received IF games just because some of them have introductions that make me say to myself, “Ah, I’ll play this some other time when I can try to get into this.”

Of course, the price of selling your games is that you have to betatest the shit out of your games and make sure they are professional quality. I know this is one of the areas that people have found lacking in Sherman’s case.

But just as he exploited the work of Graham Nelson and z-code interpreter writers by not giving credit where it’s due, it’s equally wrong to try to cash in on the Infocom name brand. I don’t think the narrative stylings of any of his games could be mistaken for Infocom prose. Instead of comparing himself to the best IF company when it came to making games for a general audience, he should recognize the fact that he’s making products for a niche market and pursue that market instead of putting all of his energy into trying to trick old Infocom fans into thinking that he’s the only person carrying the IF torch these days.

What kind of faith can anyone have in a product for which the marketing is based on deception?