Welcome to eXoIF!

Interactive Fiction

This is the second release of eXoIF. This pack includes 2332 individual titles, with multiple ports for each title. Over 50 platforms are represented here, from early mainframes to modern browser-based content. The games included are those that are defined as interactive fiction. The definition here being games that use a text parser to control your character versus any kind of direct input. So, while a game like King's Quest has actions that are controlled by typing in commands, the character can be controlled via the arrow keys. As this method is direct control of the character, it would disqualify the game from this collection. Interactive fiction is one of the earliest forms of computer entertainment. The earliest game in this pack dates back to 1970. Through the decades the genre has remained popular, with its peak in the mid-80s at the hands of Infocom. They popularized the inclusion of "feelies" in their boxed games. These were small trinkets that helped illustrate the story (and sometimes held clues necessary to complete the game). In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Colossal Cave Adventure, which is widely recognized as the first interactive fiction title, we have included 50 versions of the game. This project is worthy of its own release and was a labor of love for its curator, gschmidl. Colossal Cave adventure was incredibly popular, which led to many folks taking a crack at adding their own puzzles. Sometimes they added toolbars, mapping systems, built in hints, mouse support, or even real-time exploration with others. These variations prove how timeless the game is, as well as how accessible it has remained over the past 5 decades. Interactive fiction is generally thought of as more strategic than other adventure genres; however, it is also known for having a mean streak at times with instant death and random encounters that can render your game unwinnable. Various engines also use different verb systems, with some games only accepting 2-word commands and more complex entries accepting inputs that allow your character to perform chronological actions. Regardless of the type of engine, the satisfaction of conquering one of these titles is what has led to the continued interest in this genre after over 50 years. We invite users to dive into the world of interactive fiction with this unique project that attempts to preserve an entire genre rather than a specific platform.

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