I’m looking on Amazon and there’s a few books about Interactive Fiction, even a few from 2016. I wonder if anybody can recommend one or two of these? I know the Inform 7-book (from 2010) is somewhat incompatible with today’s Inform 7, but that’s actually the one I have my eyes on (having just started writing a small game in Inform 7).
Writing Interactive Fiction with Twine - 5 May 2016
The Spectrum of Adventure: A Brief History of Interactive Fiction on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum - 1 Mar 2016
The Interactive Fiction Encyclopedia Paperback – 2 Feb 2016
Teaching and Learning with Interactive Fiction: Digital Storytelling for Students and Teachers - 6 Jan 2016
Interactive Fiction: How to Engage Readers and Push the Boundaries of Storytelling - 2 May 2015
IF Theory Reader by Kevin Jackson-Mead and J. Robinson Wheeler - February 2011
If nothing else, the Craft of Adventure section of the DM4 would be of interest, although I find that I6 knowledge can help with I7 in certain circumstances.
That Spectrum book looks right up my street. Thanks for telling us about it! Hopefully I will get a copy for my impending birthday, even if I have to buy it myself If I get it I will report back on the content. There’s a more detailed listing of the games covered here.
I got The Spectrum of Adventure and like it - there’s a short discussion of each of about 100 1980s Spectrum IF games, and a nice insight into the British 1980s IF scene.
“The Interactive Fiction Encyclopedia” is just a printout of some Ifwiki pages. Don’t bother.
“The Tough Guide to Fantasyland” is brilliant, but not about IF. It’s about high fantasy tropes (and of course that has applicability to a lot of IF, especially the Infocom classics.)
Sounds a lot like one (Ford) is pitched at newbies to both IF and writing in general, combining a lot of basic advice with very clear explanations… and the other is intense academia. I’ve just started reading “Writing Interactive Fiction With Twine”, because I’m sure it’ll teach me a lot more than the other (and be easier and more fun to read, too).