Category: Accessible Games
I'm looking for a text adventure game that's suitable for beginners. I'm not really good at mapping places in my head and find the maize/cave etc games very confusing, so I'd like it to either only have a few places or to be based on something other than location. I know that leaves alot of good stuff out but am still hoping to find something interesting. It doesn't matter the kind but it must be either online single-player or for DOS, Windows or Leopard, since I don't have my Apple IIGS up yet. That said, if there's a really good Apple game that I must know about, please mention it and I'll look for it once everything's up and running. Thanks and I look forward to your suggestions.
I don't know if you're running a screen reader or not, but to play most text adventure games you need a Z-machine interpreter. If you are running a Windows based program with a screen reader, than your best is to download winfrotz tts and the game pack for it that has about 300 self-voicing games through using the sappy 5 voices. If you're interested in this, let me know and I can post the direct link to download it.
As for DOS games? Well, I know nothing about dos or lepard programs.
There is also games written in the glulx interpreter and you need the interpreter for that, but it is a bit difficult to play.
There is also a MUD based interpreter for playing online games and I can give you that link as well if you want it. With the mud games, you can enter their locations in the menu and a charactor name and then you can play the ones you want and not just the ones that are listed when you download the interpreter.
Yes, all of these are free and so are the games.
If you want a list of interactive fiction games, go to:
http://www.if-archive.org
Sorry, had to look up the link. And it's:
http://www.ifarchive.org
Once there click on the
"walk there here to visit the if-archive" first link on page
Once there, if using jaws, hit H for headings until you hear list of 29 links or something like that, second heading I think. Once in that list go down to ifarchive/games
new page comes up
hit H or go to heading with 7 links at bottom of page and click on the inform or inficum link
new page comes up
Once on new page the second heading, I think, will say 448 items in list. These are the games and almost all are Z-machine games, Z3, Z8, Z5 or zblorb links. These all work with the winfrotz interpreter. No, this isn't the complete list, but this is the easiest way for you to find games.
Also there are two websites with game books, one you play online and one you can download and save to your computer and these are either read using your screen reader or use their own voices. These are not RPG games, but similar to the old choose-your-own adventure books and those might be the easiest if you're a beginner at text adventures. You don't need to remember where you've been, the objects you carry or directions. You are given 2 to 4 choices at the bottom of the page and you pick one and events happen depending on what you pick.
Anyway, now that I've rambled about interactive fiction, I'm think the game books will be the easiest for you to play. Give me a few minutes and I can get you the links.
Chastity
Okay, it's me again. Anyway, here's the first link to those choose-your-own-adventures. These you can download to your computer and play, but they will still need the internet. Don't open your browser as when you click on one, it will do that on its own.
http://www.projectaon.org
When you get to the site go to the
view and download the books
link
Once there you can check out the individual books, but that takes too much time to download each one.
Use H if using Jaws or go to the heading that says
special download packages
Once you there you will see two links. One is for the basic package that you need to install first and the secondis the entire list of books.
Now, if you have a program like winzip or some other unziping software, download and install the zip versions.
There is another option, a tarball, but I have no idea what this is.
Note: once unzipped, you click on the file and there will be one item, click on that, and there will be one item, click on that and you should get 4 items.
LW for the Lone Wolf series
GS for the Wizard of Grey Star series
FW for Freeway Warrior series
and a Misc for miscelaneous games.
Once you click on one of the four, you'll get a list of different things. If you start with something that begins in 01 and work your way up, you will be starting at the beginning of the book series. The letters after the numbers are in reference to the episode's title.
Anyway, I have played these and each time is different depending on your choices. They are really easy and I like them.
I'll go find the other link.
Chastity
Okay, here's the other link and I don't know why they aren't showing up as actual links so you can just click on them instead of cutting and pasting. They have in everything else I've posted them on other sites.
http://www.ffproject.com
These are again choose-your-own-adventure books with choices to make and various outcomes depending upon your choices. You can play these online, which I find easiest. However, it does say you can download them in an MS-word version, but I can't ever seem to get that to work right, at least for me. Yes, there are more books than just the ones listed here, but you have to know how to find them. Anyway, if you want to play around with downloads for these, go ahead. Yes, I have played several of these too.
For both these sites, everything is completely free!
Each site also has other links to what they call fighting fantasy sites. No, I haven't checked them all out yet, so I'm not sure which ones are working yet.
Anyway, I hope this helps a bit.
Good luck!
Have fun!
Chastity
Are you placing the links in HTML? otherwise they won't be able to be clicked on, only copied and pasted. Thanks for the sites, might look at some of these.
Wow! Thanks a million! I'll definitely check these out. I've known of the if-archive for many years, since reading about it in the Audyssey magazine, but I'd have no way of knowing which games are easy and which are harder. Hmmm, I should take a look at those early issues of the magazine. I might find some gems. I won't be playing the dos games under Windows so need to find the real interpretors for those. As for the Windows ones, do I need anything or no? And can I play those online ones with the Mac? They sound like fun.
Here's a link for downloading the winfrotz Z-machine interpreter. However it isn't saying if it's latest version or the older version 1.5.
Anyway, you will need this to play any games in Z come or zblorb off the if-archive site. Yes, these games do require you to go through rooms, pick up items, use directions.
http://www.whitestick.co.uk
When you get there, go to the games you can play offline link and then go down to the Scottie's text games page or something like that and that's where you can download the winfrotz interpreter and a game pack of about 300 games for the interpreter. You can also download the microsoft TTS voices or just the Mike and Mary voices, whichyou will need to run the interpreter as it is self-voicing.
You can also download the wintads interpreter and games written in the tads code, but these you will need to use your screen reader for and you need to set to the read all mode.
All work on windows based systems.
As for the fighting fantasy and the project ones with lone wolf and grey star. Those you do not need an interpreter for as they read using your current screen reader. However, it's better to download the grey star and lone wolf ones in the zip format to your computer as they can be confusing played online. All you will need then is some sort of unzipping program to open and install such as winzip. However, when you click on a game it will open in a browser window all on its own and procede to read on its own.
The fighting fantasy ones are basically the same way, but I play them online as I haven't figured the correct way to download them, as it says you can, in an MS-word format.
Both are choose-your-own-adventure games and really easy as there are no rooms, items, directions to remember, cut only pick the choice you want.
There's another link for the winfrotz interpreter, but I'll have to look it up. It's from the guy that originally programmed it.
Also if you're looking for games to play on the MAC try link below as Phil lists some for that system, I think it's the second link?
http://www.pcsgames.net
To Musicmaster, I know nothing about HTML code, but usually when I copy a link to somehwere, it remains a link, but for some reason it isn't working this time. Maybe, I need to do it off internet explorer and not MSN.
Chastity
Yeah, but I don't want Winfrotz. I want the actual Frotz or TADS etc interpretor. The one you gave me is for Windows.
Sorry, I didn't know there was a different one. This is the one I use because it has speech and I run a Windows XP system. I don't know anything about mac computers. Try emailing the actual programmer from the email link below. Maybe, he will know what exactly you need. Also if you do want winfrotz or wintads interpreters, because you do need them to run either tads or Z-code games, he'll know what to send you for links. Personally I don't like the tads games that much, not as much leeway in terms of entering phrases to move the game along.
The winfrotz self-speaks and the wintads doesn't and that one you have to use your own screen reader or magnification device. Scott's email is below and I still don't know why they aren't coming out as links. So, sorry, but you'll might have to copy and paste into whatever email you use.
sdillman@binaryrevelations.com
I was going to give you his site address, but this'll be easier and probably faster.
Good luck and try some of those choose...adventure games too.
Chastity
I'm not looking for the Mac versions. Not even sure if they exist, though that would be interesting. I'm looking for the dos versions which came out way before all that, when the games were first made. I doubt the programmer can help me here. In any case, I bet the IF-Archive probably has them.
Okay, if you're looking for accessible games for the mac computer system go to:
http://www.pcsgames.net
And, go to the fourth link on page and it should read
Games for the Mac and where to find them, accessible for blind gamers, updated February 7, 2009. .
You can also email Phil and ask him if he knows of anymore mac games since this link hasn't been updated for a while.
phil@pcsgames.net
I'm sorry I wasn't more help, but I hope some of this helps.
Chastity