Games with non-standard directions - an IFDB Poll

by Andrew Schultz
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I'm wondering about games (primarily parser) with weird directions beyond NW/SW/SE/NE, up, down or inside/outside. I like the example in the Inform docs (Charles S. Roberts) about hexagonal directions but have no clue how to go about making a game like that, or even one with widdershins/turnwise/hubwards/rimwards as also in the Inform docs. I'd sort of like to.

Whether or not the directions are critical to the plot isn't important. I'm just wondering how people -do- something beyond the usual. It may just be UN (up-north) or something, on a cube.

Note: port/starboard on a ship don't "really" count, though they're still kind of interesting.

The only game that occurred to me off-hand was Hoist Sail for the Heliopause and Home. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

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Sobol, November 15, 2015 - Reply
I think your poll influenced at least two games in this year's IF Comp.
Andrew Schultz, November 16, 2015 - Reply
Haha. That is neat. Though it's quite possible they just said what would I change about a parser/how is it limiting and then they fixed that.
Sobol, January 4, 2015 - Reply
There are many time travel IF games, but I've never seen a game where you can travel to the PAST and to the FUTURE with simple commands similar to SOUTH, UP, etc.

It would be interesting to see a character who can easily travel in time without any special device, to whom it feels quite natural - like swimming in a river, sometimes up the stream, sometimes down the stream; a continuous process, not a discrete one.
Andrew Schultz, January 4, 2015 - Reply
That's a good idea, and it gives me ideas! If not for a game, well, at least something to imagine. I've thought about time travel a lot in a game/book, but I've always hit up against the standard problems or things that've been done before. Maybe a text adventure would allow a way around that.
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