This at least I can answer… A ZCode game is playable even on the go. If you haven’t much time to sit down in front of your computer (let’s face it, few people do nowadays, and when they do, they’d rather invest on their own projects or have some fun) then you can get your iOS device, or your Android phone, or maybe even your J2ME compliant regular phone, and play the game.
Whereas ADRIFT is, AFAIK, Windows only.
As for the rest, one wonders whether it might not be best for you to release the game, and add a very lively, enthusiastic and encouraging “Send me bug reports so I can make the game better!” section, and then keep your game updated. Yeah, that’s not as good as beta testers, but if you’re finding it hard to get testers…
EDIT - The odd quoting of your post made me miss some bits.
We’re here… mostly, speaking for myself, I’m still busy playing the actual old-school old games. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything to dislike in an old-school game, as long as it doesn’t commit old-school sins.
Well, David was talking about testing, and you’re talking about playing. Beta-testing is hard work, man. I did it once, for a short game, and I swore never again. If Andy Phillips came to me and said, would you like to beta-test my new game since you seem to like them so much?, I’d be honored but answer NO flat-out. I’d love to play it, but not to beta-test it.
And don’t start talking about big games in the old days… things have changed. If you’re going REALLY old days, you have to remember people paid for the games and expected to be lost in them for days, to get their money’s worth. Attention span? Possibly. More likely, though, is: we have TONS of games to play today. A frightening amount of them are free. Some are bigger than others, some are more complex, but all in all, we’re not starving for new content, so we veer towards what we like… as opposed to veering towards the only thing that’s available. And different people like different things… the present IF community includes a lot of people who were not, and never would have been, into the IF of Zork.
EDIT 2 - Having said all that, I do have to add I’m saddened to hear you can’t find a betatester. I would have thought you could always get them.
Still not volunteering, though, sorry.