~3 minute readChange is inevitable. Don't panic!
Now we stick our graphics where the sun does shine
We’ve been asking what you'd like to see in our software. And you’ve responded. You've sent in your Status Line polls, and answered our warranty card questions, phone surveys, and in-package questionnaires. The results? You want on-screen maps. You want character development with bar charts. You want color. You want animation. In short, you want graphics.
Graphics? From Infocom? The company that advertised itself as “sticking our graphics where the sun don't shine”? We know that the very idea is anathema to a number of very loyal Infocom fans. You're afraid that our richness of prose, number and depth of puzzles, and quality of plotting will suffer. We'd like to address the concerns of those who feel this way. And we'd like to let the rest of you know that we've listened to your requests and, yes, we are making changes.
First off, we want to let you know that although we're moving away from all-text stories, everything you’ve come to know and love about interactive fiction will still be there. We are not compromising on quality, richness, or depth in any way. In fact we refuse to compromise on any of these concerns. What we are doing is enhancing these features with graphics that exhibit the same attention to quality and detail as our prose. A new technology is here, and we're making full use of it.
The fact is, a lot has happened in both hardware and software since Zork I first appeared on the Apple II and TRS 80 Model I back in 1980. At that time, personal computers had a limited amount of memory and only rudimentary graphic capabilities. Using text to create a vivid environment, Infocom interactive fiction stood out for its richness and depth in comparison to other entertainment software.
Today, with the graphic and memory capabilities of computers like the Macintosh, Apple IIGS, Amiga, Atari ST, Tandy, and IBM, we're happy to announce that we can add an exciting visual dimension to our interactive fiction without sacrificing any of the qualities that we're proud of and that you love.
As we've done from the start with our all-text stories, we intend to use these capabilities to the fullest, employing graphics to enhance our products in new and interesting ways.
We are also working to expand our horizons into other areas of interactive storytelling, including roleplaying games, graphic adventures, and other categories as yet unexplored. Over the next year, you'll see several introductions from us in these areas.
We will bring to these new products the same standards we've brought to interactive fiction —- standards of quality, creativity, fine writing, and good underlying storylines. In addition, we will take full advantage of the capabilities of your advanced hardware.
This bold new direction has stirred the enthusiasm of all of us here at Infocom. At this very moment, your favorite game writers are thinking up innovative ways to graphically enhance their stories.
Steve is honing his skills in Double Fanucci and Peggleboz. Dave has become an expert in oriental culture. Brian is boldly going where no one has gone before. Marc, too, has embarked on a fantastic journey all his own.
As for the top-flight designers we’re working with across the country... Well, you’ll have to see what they come up with to believe it. Find out more in the fall issue of The Status Line, coming soon to a mailbox near you.
These historical, out-of-print articles and literary works have been GNUSTOed onto InvisiClues.org for academic and research purposes.
