interactive fiction Prelude, a new and hilarious escape game

[Ewald]

Hi all, and welcome to Beached! (Prelude).

After releasing Beached! (part 1) successfully last December, a sequel was just a matter of time.
Beached! (Prelude) is a new teaser to Beached! (part 2), which will be released later this year.

After shipwrecking your yacht on a reef, you find yourself on a deserted beach somewhere in the Caribbean.
At first sight, there's nowhere you can go. Use your wit and common sense to escape anyway, without hurting yourself too much.
Prelude is an escape room game that was initially designed to merely test drive the new parser and interface.
But since we liked it so much, we decided to share it anyway.

Since the release of Part 1, the amount of feedback has been overwhelming.
You guys actually built this new game, since no feedback was laid aside.
The best improvement of all is Mr. Theodore "Ted" C. Lim. He joined me for Prelude and is responsible for both the editing and the storytelling.
He did a great job, guys! You'll notice while playing, I'm sure.

So, have fun and... WACKIYAHOOWHAA! (...don't worry, you'll get that one)
Ted and Ewald
Beached! portal
 

[Ewald]

Hi, all!
The instructions bug has been crushed!
Sorry about that one. Enjoy Beached! (Prelude)

[Ewald]

Beached! (Prelude) hinting system:

Every object in the game comes with its own hint/suggestion. 

This is how hints can be found:

 

*) At every fresh start of the game, an object or its location is hinted at.

*) Click the gray links within the text: they all point towards an object or its location.

*) Not all nouns are in gray, so be sure to look at everything!

*) LOOKing (L) at an object gives you a little bit of info on it. After retrieving it, EXAMINE (X) the object to retrieve a hint on where or how to use it.

 

Here’s an example:

After locating it, looking at the coconut tells you it’s a fleshy green fruit containing a brown hairy nut.

Then, after wrecking your foot (and a bit of the game’s display as well), you can pick up and examine the nut.

Wow, it’s a killer…  I wonder what it could kill?

[b10b]

Sounds are great, shortcuts are nice, add more (e.g. numbers for the inventory).  Like Beached part one it is still very hard to play - even with a single location.  I did complete it but only by viewing the source code to look for hints.  Specifically I got stuck after collecting the coconut and before killing the crab with it.  I also didn't chance upon the right syntax for "piercing" blister, nor would it cross my mind to do that before entering salty water.  After collecting the debris the game became too linear.  While stuck I found many of the retorts frustrating - e.g. "I don't think the coconut can be used", "I don't want to kill the crab" or similar, whereas they should provide increasingly obvious clues.  Good luck.

[Ewald]

Thx for your feedback, b10b, much appreciated.

We've added a few more shortcuts and made sure objects are no longer hidden deep within the remaining texts. Then again, we've made sure not to give the game away too much either. So, it's still reading, searching, and puzzling to escape the beach. As for the parsers responses, we're looking into that as well. We've just added a few more commands, hoping the parser will recognise your commands a bit better. I won't get technical on you, but it'll take some time to make Prelude return more helpful answers. WIP.

More importantly, a question from our side: did you enjoy playing the game?

[b10b]

5 hours ago, Ewald said:

More importantly, a question from our side: did you enjoy playing the game?

Not really - sorry Ewald!

If you logged my commands while I played the game you'd see the path taken, the linguistic dead-ends found, my mounting frustrations and increasingly colorful language!  You'd see where things fail and you'd see how to fix them.  Otherwise it is a game of permutations with unclear sets, and unclear results where the author is the least appropriate person to evaluate the quality of the clues.

Despite the issues I persevered towards completion because I enjoy deduction.  Once I reached the point of rage-quit I switched to interpreting the source code for clues.  So yes I had fun - but I did not enjoy playing the game as designed.  Others might - only data will reveal.

[4zul]

 

Quote

 

"The cliffs, palms, and bushes surrounding the beach make sure you're going absolutely nowhere from here."

Actually, I can't examine the 'palms'.
I think there is/are no palms in this game. 

 

the game just said to me: "go home 4zu, you are drunk"

Edited March 1, 2017 by 4zul

[Ewald]

Thx 4zul, for pointing out the bug. It has been crushed.
Instead of 'examine', did you try "look at the palm" or click on the word "palm"?

[Ewald]

18 hours ago, b10b said:

Not really - sorry Ewald!

If you logged my commands while I played the game you'd see the path taken, the linguistic dead-ends found, my mounting frustrations and increasingly colorful language!  You'd see where things fail and you'd see how to fix them.  Otherwise it is a game of permutations with unclear sets, and unclear results where the author is the least appropriate person to evaluate the quality of the clues.

3

Thank you for your honesty, b10b. I appreciate feedback like this a lot: there are lessons to be learned here.
If you're into IF or interested in helping me upgrade the game, please PM me. Tell me exactly what your expectations were, and where prelude failed to deliver them.

Thx in advance!