This summer, THE EBB AND FLOW OF THE TIDE will appear as part of a juried Media Art Show held in conjunction with the Electronic Literature Organization's 2008 Conference, "Visionary Landscapes". TIDE was selected as one of the 44 works to appear, from among 151 applicants. Details of the conference are located here. Download and play TIDE here.

Continue reading "The Ebb and Flow of the Tide to Appear at ELO 2008 Media Arts Show" »

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 04:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am pleased to announce that SLAP THAT FISH is a finalist for three XYZZY awards for 2007: Best Non-Player Characters, Best Puzzle (Beating the Shark), and Best Use of Medium. It is a great honor to be chosen as a finalist, and I am sincerely grateful for the recognition. SLAP THAT FISH is the first game I have written since 1893: A World's Fair Mystery to be nominated. (1893 was nominated for Best Setting and Best Game, and won for Best Setting).

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Posted by Peter Nepstad at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

SLAP THAT FISH, my entry in IF COMP 2007, won 19th place out of 27th. So, perhaps "won" isn't quite the best choice of words, here. It also received the largest number of votes, 102, which suggests that, while it was not a favorite game, it proved impossible to resist taking a peek at to see what it was. You can try for yourself here, or read the reviews, collated here.

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continue reading "An Interactive Exhibition of Unspeakable Things" »

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm pleased to announce that I have a game entered in this year's Interactive Fiction Competition. The website for IFCOMP 2007 is here. SLAP THAT FISH is a tale of revenge best served with a side of chips. [UPDATE: For more information, and for the latest version of the game to download and play, click here.

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm very happy to announce that Tami Meyers of Spyglass Guides has written the definitive strategy guide to 1893: A World's Fair Mystery. Weighing in at 62 pages, it covers overall strategy for the game, and arranges tasks in an easy to follow day-by-day listing. How to vanquish the villains, who are discovered only after you have made progress in your investigation, is covered in a section at the end (since you never know when you'll have the chance to nab them!). The best news of all, though, is that the guide is being offered for free in Adobe Acrobat format. Download the guide here.

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The purpose of this project is simple: to create interactive adventures based on the unfinished story ideas that H.P. Lovecraft collected in his "Commonplace Book". The first set of games were created from April to June of 2007 and have been published here, in an online exhibition. This project is truly international, with French, English, and Spanish entries already on exhibit, as well as my latest work, ECDYSIS, available here.

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Manifesto Games is now offering 1893: A World's Fair Mystery for download. This is the first time that 1893: AWFM is being offered as a downloaded purchase -- up until now, purchasing required a physical object to be mailed the old fashioned way to your door. I was simply not equipped to handle downloadable purchases, and in any case, it was not the business model I was particularly interested in. But then an article in WIRED Magazine about a new online game distributor called "Manifesto Games" made me change my mind.

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Posted by Peter Nepstad at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm very pleased to add another retail vendor to the list of shops that carry 1893: A World's Fair Mystery. I still firmly believe that it is only in phsyical stores that Interactive Fiction can finally reach a wide audience once again.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust's mission is to engage the public in educational and aesthetic experiences to foster an appreciation of architecture, design and the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright. The Trust is doing great work preserving the Robie House on the south side of Chicago (near the University of Chicago in Hyde Park, close to the site of the 1893 fair), and running tours in Oak Park, out of the Wright Home and Studio.

Continue reading "Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust sells 1893: AWFM" »

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's not official yet, but I have put in my application for a space at the fair. It has been a good venue for our company for the past two years, so I'm looking forward to a third appearance. Hopefully I will have a better space than last year, when I was set up near a side entrance to the fair. It's not a good place, strategically: people just arriving have lots of money but need to browse for a while before parting with it; people leaving have typically already spent their last dime. In spite of the location we had a good time and regardless of where we are situated look forward to this year's fair, which is June 9 - 10, in Chicago. More details to follow in the coming months.

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just a few short weeks ago I was contacted by Jason Scott, a documentarian of early micro-computer history. He has just finished his epic program, BBS: The Documentary, and is hard at work on his new project, GET LAMP, a history of Text Adventures. He has been interviewing all of the old Infocom guys he can find, and the weekend we talked was heading out to try and interview the legendary Scott Adams. He is also trying to interview prominent members of the amateur Interactive Fiction community, but found them resistant to the idea, perhaps due to modesty and humility. Lacking both of those traits, I immediately invited him over for an interview.

Continue reading "GET LAMP: The Text Adventure documentary" »

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 12:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

THE EBB AND FLOW OF THE TIDE is a work of Interactive Fiction based on a short story by Lord Dunsany, originally published in 1910.

TIDE is the second in a series of adaptations of early fantasy tales (the first being last month's THE JOURNEY OF THE KING), but is probably closer to an IF art show piece than a game proper. Nevertheless there is a narrative of sorts that moves forward to a definite conclusion. Fans of friendly IF will be happy to know there is no way to die in TIDE. Because you are already dead.

For more details, and to download a copy to play, click here.

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My first game since 1893: A World's Fair Mystery was released nearly four years ago, THE JOURNEY OF THE KING is a work of Interactive Fiction based on the short story of the same name written by Lord Dunsany and originally published in 1906.

For more details, and to download a copy to play, click here.

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1893 gets its biggest coverage yet, in the Sunday Business Section of the New York Times. Columnist Brendan Koerner devotes his column "The Goods" to the game and its designer. It's available online here: A Game with a Low Body Count.

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 05:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The December issue of GAMES MAGAZINE has declared 1893: AWFM is one of the top 100 games of the year! It was a runner-up in its category, RPG/Adventure games. The winner? LucasArts' Knights of the Old Republic for XBox. Talk about an uneven matchup! About 1893, they write, "Full of puzzles, history, intrigue, and interactive dialogue, 1893 immerses you in a place and time like few recent games have."

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

[This article was originally published in the Hyde Park Herald, V. 123, Issue 12, March 26, 2003.]

by Peter Nepstad

About an hour’s drive west of Chicago, in a private park, sits a 110-year-old wooden ship that once made headlines around the world. The flimsy tarp that protected it from the elements has been blown aside by strong winds, and rain now freely pounds against the exposed wood. It is only a matter of time until the ship is damaged beyond repair. But in its current location, few people will even note its disappearance; many believe it is gone already.

Continue reading "Remembering the Viking of Jackson Park" »

Posted by Peter Nepstad at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Chicago, February 2, 2003-1893: A World's Fair Mystery, an interactive CD-ROM game based upon Chicago's Columbian Exposition, has been released after four years in development. This work of interactive history celebrates an important event in Chicago's past and accurately represents the grandeur of what remains the largest tourist attraction America has ever known.

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Posted by Peter Nepstad at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)