A simple starter game with a small twist.

The Egotist
10 Feb 2013, 10:56
I'm new on the block, and I decided to make a small starter game to familiarize myself with the engine. The objective of the game is extremely simple: make a cup of tea using the supplies in the kitchen, and don't die. Anyone who wants a distraction for maybe five minutes is welcome to try it out.

http://www.textadventures.co.uk/review/1045/

Thanks! I look forward to creating longer and more detailed games here.

R2T1
10 Feb 2013, 22:05
Hi Egotist.
I tried out your game and while I didn't die, I didn't get my cuppa either.

Doesn't appear to be any SPOILER tags here, so I hope no one minds...


I couldn't turn on the tap (faucet) for water. When I tried, response was it couldn't be seen.
Couldn't find a kettle to boil water either.(or was I supposed to do it in the teapot?)
Couldn't put teabag in either the teapot or the teacup.
Couldn't open the fridge. (to look for milk - I have milk in my tea.)
Where was the sugar/sweetner? obviously looking after my health by not providing any.
Couldn't take the sticky note on the fridge, but did manage to read it.

Perhaps it is a culture thing (I'm an Aussie after all) and I was going about it wrong or there are still some things yet to be implemented.

Anyway I hope I haven't been too critical or picky.
Some suggestions...
Perhaps the note might explain why the arsenic was there.
Teabags are usually kept in a container not left on the counter. (but maybe it had been left there in readiness??)

The Egotist
10 Feb 2013, 23:43
Hi R2T1!

You should be able to "use" the sink with the empty teapot in your inventory to fill it with water.
There is no kettle; you have to boil water in the teapot (which is what I do at home; I have a steel teapot, so I didn't think about including a kettle... sorry!)
You can only put the teabag in the teapot after the water has been boiled.
I didn't include milk or sugar, sorry! I don't usually use either in my tea... but it's a good idea to include later.
You're not currently able to take the note on the fridge. Not much use for it after reading it.

Thanks for trying out my game! I may add some of the features you suggested; it was really just a starter game to teach myself how to use the engine, but who knows, I may submit an updated version sometime.

R2T1
11 Feb 2013, 02:37
Thanks,
I did manage to complete the game successfully - but I cheated.
[spoilers below here]


I extracted the .aslx file from the .quest file using Winzip and then viewed the code in a PFE (Programmer's File Editor) Once I found that I had to 'USE' the sink and the Teabag, it worked and I got my cuppa.

The Egotist
11 Feb 2013, 04:11
Wow, you sure went through a lot of trouble just to finish my silly little game! Thanks for playing :)

On another note, I've created another small puzzle game. It's longer and more detailed than "A Cup of Tea," but still pretty easy and casual (at least, I think so). It's called "The Four Elements," and here is a link for anyone who's interested:

http://www.textadventures.co.uk/review/1046/

sgreig
11 Feb 2013, 22:50
I just played through "A Cup of Tea" and it's really good for a first game. If you're looking for suggestions I have a few, most specifically with figuring out what commands to use to accomplish certain tasks.

For example, when I saw the note on the refrigerator, my first instinct was to type "read note" which didn't work. It's a small detail, and while "examine note" makes sense, including a verb for "read" would help make things less frustrating for people who aren't as familiar with text adventure games.

Similarly, while I figured I needed to fill the teapot with water from the sink, no combination of using the teapot with the sink would work. I randomly figured it out when I thought maybe I had to turn the sink on first, and magically that caused the teapot to fill.

Also, one small detail. You might want to remove the default prefix/suffix from the milk object, because the description says, "You can see a milk." which I'm assuming you didn't do intentionally.

I was impressed by how deftly you handled pouring the tea. I typed in "pour tea" and was prompted to select an item from my inventory, and when I selected teapot, my cup of tea was poured. I thought that was implemented very well!

Anyway, that's about it. A general rule of thumb when designing text adventure games is to try and think of the different ways a player might try to approach an action in your game and try to accommodate it as best as you can. Excellent first game, though!

sgreig
11 Feb 2013, 23:20
DOUBLE POST! lol

I just finished playing The Four Elements. It's a good game. I really liked the premise, and the puzzles were fairly straightforward. Good job!