One Hour, One Shot, One Way Out?

by eskoala
Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.00
Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.00
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★2.45
Theme★★★★★★★★★★2.71
Mood★★★★★★★★★★3.45
Coolness★★★★★★★★★★41%
The zblorb runs in Gargoyle for Windows http://ccxvii.net/gargoyle/ and fizmo for Linux / Unix. (apt-get install fizmo)

The easiest thing to do by far is to click the web link (again, untested except to see that it loads...)

The code was mostly tested in the Inform IDE for Windows owing to time constraints. Other options can be found from http://inform7.com/if/interpreters/ and http://ifwiki.org/index.php/Linux_Interpreters .

As you'd expect, there are lots of things I'd have liked to finish that I didn't get round to, so the rooms and object actions are a little sparse. I like to think it adds to the atmosphere.

Warning: may contain mild peril, suicide, murder, and zombies.

screenshot

Comments14

whiteknife16 Dec 2013, 20:16
Interesting, but suffers from a lot of trial and error due to not that many actions being supported and there not really being a guide for which to take.
zorfmorf
zorfmorf16 Dec 2013, 20:27
I scored 11/11 points on my first run without actually seeing any zombies so I don't know if this was planned. Good for Sophie that she turned up on her own or I would have been forced to leave her behind.
Udell Games16 Dec 2013, 20:38
Not a lot of the actions do stuff, and deciding not to shoot yourself still uses your cartridge.
scriptorum
scriptorum16 Dec 2013, 20:52
You are carrying:
tinsel
baubles
a Christmas tree
a box (open but empty)
a shotgun
a baseball bat
a robarbie
a keys
a television
a cushion

I'm not leaving my Christmas tree behind, but Sophie can go suck it.
Eskoala
Eskoalaauthor16 Dec 2013, 21:21
Thanks all. I've updated with some minor bug fixes (like the cartridge not disappearing when you change your mind)
tompudding
tompudding16 Dec 2013, 23:44
I too finished the first time without any zombie action. Good atmosphere though, pretty spooky.
Anachron
Anachron17 Dec 2013, 05:18
Nice writing and spooky atmosphere. A little easy to finish it but entertaining nonetheless!
Mekuri18 Dec 2013, 22:42
I beat the game without ever meeting anyone except for Sofie. Nice mood though.
glovecat
glovecat18 Dec 2013, 22:49
Poor Shopie... I enjoyed this game. I love that kind of games, but you would need some guide of action. Good work!
Christina Nordlander
Christina Nordlander18 Dec 2013, 23:21
Fairly short and simple, but after having made an Inform game for the previous LD, I know how much work it takes. Props for implementing an NPC. The writing isn't flashy, but some of it is very good (especially the description of... *that* zombie). I'm not a big fan of zombie stories, but you've got a nice mood here. I also like the fact that there were several endings of varying happiness.

I got stuck for a while trying to get in the car. (I don't know about you, but if I were getting in a car in the middle of a zombie apocalypse with my only child, I'd close and lock the car doors first thing I did.)

Typoes: "a keys"; "gutteral" should be "guttural".

Other nitpicks: some rooms listed exists that you couldn't actually use (for example, going from the kitchen to the hall, or from the downstairs bathroom to the playroom), and the downstairs bathroom wasn't listed among the exits at all. (Not that it matters, since there was nothing important in there, but still.)

Other than that, and the difficulty with the car, nice work. Nothing groundbreaking, but an entertaining short horror game.

Possibly unintentional comedy point:

SPOILER

The fact that you can talk to Sophie after she's zombiefied, and the generally carefree nature of that conversation.
Eskoala
Eskoalaauthor19 Dec 2013, 22:31
The conversation is a call back to a possible conversation you can have with her early on, with a slight difference from that one. So yes, it was deliberate :P It was also (sort of) on purpose that getting in the car was awkward because I felt that making the panic rise in the player at that point would be amusing, but it's probably not the best way to achieve it (particularly when there are other not-so-intentional frustrations...). Thanks very much for your comments.
badlydrawnrod19 Dec 2013, 22:37
Induced a state of mild panic at first, but I managed to escape without meeting any zombies.
Tex Killer27 Dec 2013, 04:10
This was very interesting, but I agree that the commands could use some clarification...
bvanschooten4 Jan 2014, 22:46
Good fun playing a text adventure after such a long time. I managed to complete the game without being attacked by zombies.

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