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Assorted things

Aaron Reed has a short story of sorts distributed over the face of the internet. Here is the beginning.
Chocolatier 3: Decadence by Design is out — much like the first two Chocolatiers, but this time with the ability to mix and name your own chocolate blends. Full review later when I have time for such things.
David Kinder has been doing some great work on Glulx speed issues, working with Iain Merrick to make Git handle some of the latest I7 features and recompiling it to be faster. Alabaster may be on hold for the month, but I’m excited to see that it may now play faster (at least on Windows) once it’s done.

Homer in Silicon

Still mad busy here, but another Homer in Silicon column is now up, this time looking at “Summer Session”.

(Away message)

In answer to inquiries from a couple places:

I’ve been more than usually bad about email, bug fixes, and other kinds of updates recently, and not doing much with Alabaster either. I hope to resume somewhat more regular service next month, but for the duration of January I’m teaching an intensive class that requires my full attention.

JayIsGames best of 2008 contest is open

Includes a whole category of interactive fiction (now no longer rolled together with “interactive art” as it used to be). This category includes all the IF that JIG reviewed in 2008, whether the game originated in that year or not.

And hey, you can vote in the other categories as well, if you’re interested.

Sonny 2

So when I write a negative commentary on a game, and then the designer comes out with a revision or sequel, I often feel a certain obligation to come back and see what they’ve done.

Sometimes that pays off, as it did with Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble.

Sometimes it doesn’t, so much.

Sonny 2 is a sequel to the zombie-fighting RPG whose lackluster, unfinished narrative I griped about in several places last year. 2 is a little better than the original. The pacing works better. I played on easy mode and didn’t get stuck on too many of the fights: they did get a bit boring and same-y, but at least I didn’t have to spend too much time grinding away at tedious battles just in order to see the story arc. And there’s a beginning and an end, of sorts, which is more than you can say for the original.

But– well, griping and spoilers follow the break.

Continue reading “Sonny 2”

The real world

Jim Munroe (of “Everybody Dies” fame) has set up an interactive map, so that IFfers around the world can locate one another and, if so desired, meet up.