Al Otro Lado

Baf's Guide

For a change, you switch places with the computer: now, it's *your* task to type in responses to commands it showers you with. The idea as such is very interesting and original; however, due to the program's rudimentary AI (it generates commands at random, and remains practically oblivious to the player's input), OTOS hardly is enjoyable as a game.

-- Valentine Kopteltsev

>INVENTORY - Paul O'Brian writes about interactive fiction

Here we have what has to be the most audacious game idea in the 2000 IF competition. OTOS reverses the typical roles of game and player -- it asks you where it is, what it can see, and where the exits are, and then issues you a command based on that information. Then you're supposed to respond to the command, then it gives you another command, etc. -- the game takes the role of the player and the player takes the role of the game.

Now this is a gutsy idea. Crazy, but gutsy. It blurs the line between the pleasures of playing IF and the pleasures of writing IF in ways that weren't a lot of fun to experience, but might make excellent fodder for an entry to that academic journal that Dennis Jerz has posted about once or twice in the last few months.

SynTax
What can I say? - forget it!
-- Dorothy Millard
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