The last bit on Ballyhoo, a large and ranging piece about rhetorical structure, influence, and subjectivity is up. Trinity is next, though I need to give it some thought.

https://golmac.org/ballyhoo-and-the-epidemiology-of-influence/

#interactivefiction #infocomodon #infocomodon #ballyhoo

More Ballyhoo, this time about setting and prose.

https://golmac.org/ballyhoo-big-top-noir/

#infocom #infocomodon #interactivefiction

Gold Machine's coverage of Ballyhoo begins today with a critical introduction, focusing on Infocom's mystery games and the passage of time.

https://golmac.org/a-critical-introduction-to-ballyhoo/

#InteractiveFiction #Infocom #infocomodon

As good as they were, AMFV and Spellbreaker were Infocom's worst-selling games to date. Infocom's financial situation was dire, as it appeared that game sales were not enough to undo the financial damage that Cornerstone had done to the company. Such are the conditions of Ballyhoo's production, 1986's first Infocom release, a strange mix of brilliance and missteps. Let's dive in.

https://golmac.org/ballyhoo-and-the-rest-of-it/

#infocom #infocomodon #interactivefiction #parser #standarddifficulty

Gold Machine is finally through with the Zork and Enchanter trilogies. What a ride!

http://golmac.org/and-in-the-end-spellbreaker/

#InteractiveFiction #Zork #Enchanter #Infocom #infocomodon

In today's post, I summarize the narrative and thematic features of the Zork trilogy. My goal, ultimately, is to show how the Enchanter series mirrors these games in important and interesting ways.

#InteractiveFiction #Infocom #infocomodon #Zork

http://golmac.org/bottoming-out-zork-iii/

I'm still working my way to an argument for reading the Zork and Enchanter trilogies as a single, standalone text. This time, I consider the ways that Zork I establishes that narrative.

http://golmac.org/beyond-puzzles-adding-narrative-to-zork/

#InteractiveFiction #zork #infocom #infocomodon

A continued effort to characterize as a six game "saga" continues with a look back at the rhetorical situation of the PDP version of Zork.

https://golmac.org/the-main-narrative-frame-from-zork-to-zork/

#InteractiveFiction #infocomodon #Zork

Today's Spellbreaker post assesses its packaging in the wider context of metatext in the Enchanter trilogy.

https://golmac.org/spellbreaker-the-cube-on-the-box/

#InteractiveFiction #Infocom #infocomodon #Zork

I'm genuinely surprised to see Zork Zero holding steady at four stars over at IFDB. I get that people like it, but I didn't realize that so many people do.

I must confess that I am not one of those people.

https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=17coplfu323xif76

#Infocom #InteractiveFiction #infocomodon

In case you missed it: a new, three-part series on Infocom's Spellbreaker (1985) started Monday.

#Infocom #infocomodon #InteractiveFiction

https://golmac.org/spellbreaker-endgame/

No Gold Machine post today! I have got to get my game out to testers.

Tide yourself over with my "let's play" thread over at the IF Community Forum. You don't need to be a member to read.

https://intfiction.org/t/golmac-plays-spellbreaker-1985-pile-o-cubes/59849

#InteractiveFiction #infocom #infocomodon

As I mentioned the other day, Gold Machine will be turning its attention to Spellbreaker soon. I am thinking of doing a typed "let's play" over at the IF Community Forum. Would that sort of thing interest you? It'd be fun to get some discussions going. I'll likely start sometime this week.

#InteractiveFiction #Infocom #infocomodon

Hard to believe that I'll be done with _A Mind Forever Voyaging_ next week! Next up will be Spellbreaker, the last game set in the Zork universe (Zork Zero? Never heard of it). Attitudes toward Spellbreaker have shifted over the years. It's the lowest-rated "Enchanter" game on IFDB, but it's the only one to make the 2019 "top 50 of all time" poll. Boosts appreciated!

I'd rank them
1) Enchanter
2) Spellbreaker
3) Sorcerer.

Which is your favorite?

#Infocom #infocomodon #InteractiveFiction

ICYMI: Last Monday's penultimate post on Steve Meretzky's "A Mind Forever Voyaging" takes a look at shortcomings in its political critique, paying especially close attention to its treatment of white supremacy and evangelism.

"Ronald Reagan and Lee Atwater did not invent racism, after all. They capitalized on it and, yes, emboldened some of its adherents."

The final post will come a week from Monday (the 16th). Stay tuned...

https://golmac.org/problems-in-a-mind-forever-voyaging/

#infocom #infocomodon #InteractiveFiction

While I've argued against popular criticisms of A Mind Forever Voyaging, some legitimate issues with its political critique remain.

Therefore, it is time to acknowledge shortcomings in Steve Meretzky's dystopic vision, even if it is one of my all-time favorite games.

Join me for part nine of a ten-part series: "Problems in A Mind Forever Voyaging."

https://golmac.org/problems-in-a-mind-forever-voyaging/

#InteractiveFiction #Infocom #infocomodon

ICYMI: Last week's A Mind Forever Voyaging post:

Many have argued that Perry's affect of untroubled self-awareness is unbelievable. That is a reasonable conclusion. He must know that his wife and son are not real. How can he stand it?

Perry's ability to surrender and attain his humanity, all in one movement, rises from a rich philosophical tradition. He lives by faith--faith in his experience, faith in his humanity.

https://golmac.org/a-real-live-boy-the-fabulist-turn-in-amfv/

#interactivefiction #infocom #infocomodon

In this week's Gold Machine:

A Mind Forever Voyaging's Protagonist Perry Simm's decision to remain human no matter the cost.

"Perry never wants to be anything but human because to be human is, to him, the greatest good, and worth any sacrifice."

https://golmac.org/a-real-live-boy-the-fabulist-turn-in-amfv/

#infocom #infocomodon #interactivefiction

In a recent conversation about the underwhelming code wheel that shipped with A Mind Forever Voyaging, I mentioned Sorcerer’s “Infotater,” a rare feelie that shipped only with the folio edition. Rare, because the gray box would debut months after Sorcerer released. The copy protection element consists of a creature’s name and color code. The image and text behind the “doors” were for flavor. The gray box shipped with a paper booklet instead.

#Infocom #infocomodon #interactivefiction

For those encountering my content for the first time: my nine-part series on Infocom's A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985) begins here. Two posts remain. This is already the most that a single author has written about this game, and the first concerted effort to focus exclusively on textual and cultural analysis.

The intended audience is not academic, though some humanists and knowledge workers might enjoy it.

#interactivefiction #infocom #infocomodon

https://golmac.org/initial-groundwork-for-a-reading-of-a-mind-forever-voyaging/