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Questions about a storygame? Thoughts on Eternal? Any other IF you're playing out there?

Cyoa or text adventure game?

18 years ago

There is a lot of confusion as to what storygames on the site actually are. They are NOT CYOAs. They are text adventure games, of the sort that entertained computer fans when graphics were in they're infancy because of two things:

1: They are on a computer - These are not books

2: They are shorter in length than CYOA books (although CYOA books are shorter than ordinary books)

3: They contain game elements - Two notable examples are the Wal*Mart game and 8 goals, 28 rolls, which are more games than stories.

4: They can contain variables - Although the Lone Wolf series uses variables and traits, it is not widespread and difficult to implement in books.

5: They can contain video

October

Cyoa or text adventure game?

18 years ago

Like somebody, I think Nate, said on another thread: If a blind person gets a book read to them, does that mean it isn't a book anymore?

1. I agree, they are not books, but they are based heavily on them. The only difference is that those are not physical. The ones on here are still Choose Your Own Adventures.

2. Not all are shorter in length. Length does not matter when it comes to comparing things. Anybody could just sign up and make a long Choose Your Own Adventure story and prove you wrong.

3. A lot of CYOA books contain it. There were a few Sonic The Hedgehog CYOA's that I read about six years ago, they had points that you could put on different traits, and asked you to add a dice roll to them to get past certain points. They also asked you to keep track of the amount of rings you had.

I made the same more games than stories argument too. It's true, but it doesn't mean they are not stories, it just means they are stories and games at the same time.

4. For some people, variables are hard to implement in storygames on this website as well. You just admitted yourself that their were CYOA's that had game aspects in them. Lone Wolf was fantastic, and somebody could easily recreate it using the advanced editor, or convert an advanced storygame into a CYOA book.

5. If they contained video, they wouldn't be a "text adventure game", would they?

My point is, storygames on this site are Choose Your Own Adventures. Just in a different format.

JJJ-thebanisher

Cyoa or text adventure game?

18 years ago

Rommel is 100% wrong on this. So your saying that if checkers is a game, then a computer game cannot be a game?

Rommel

Cyoa or text adventure game?

18 years ago

Checkers is a board game. Computer games are a different format of game. I'm not saying that these are far removed from CYOAs, but they are more closely related to Text adventure games.

Rommel

Cyoa or text adventure game?

18 years ago

Besides October, when you play a game on this website, are you reading a book? No. You are playing an online (text-based) game.

October

Cyoa or text adventure game?

18 years ago

I don't recall saying anywhere that storygames on this website are books. And also, I'd like to take this opportunity to write down some of your quotes on this thread:

Now
"I'm not saying that these are far removed from CYOA's, but they are more closely related to Text adventure games."

First Post
"They are NOT CYOAs."

Not is pretty far removed for me.

Rommel

Cyoa or text adventure game?

18 years ago

Text based adventures are similar to CYOAs. The only differences are the medium (computer), the writing method (HTML) and in-built items and variables (so you can't cheat.) However, the storygames on this site are not CYOAs.

October

Cyoa or text adventure game?

18 years ago

Text-based-adventure-stories are still a form of CYOA's though.