"Get Lamp" Documentary
Okay, so this is not purely Speccy related but it will, I'm sure, be of interest to lots of people here...
Get Lamp, an independent documentary about the text adventure/Interactive Fiction genre, has just been released. Literally years in the making, the DVD features in-depth interviews with many of the biggest names in text adventures from Don Woods, through Steve Meretzky, Scott Adams, right up to modern authors and aficionados such as Andrew Plotkin.
It is understandably somewhat American-centric, but the clips I've seen look really polished and professional. More info about it at http://www.getlamp.com/. It's been produced by the same guy who did the BBS Documentary, which some of you may be familiar with.
Teaser Trailer:
MC Frontalot Music Video produced for the film (warning: contains a long-shot of a C64):
Get Lamp, an independent documentary about the text adventure/Interactive Fiction genre, has just been released. Literally years in the making, the DVD features in-depth interviews with many of the biggest names in text adventures from Don Woods, through Steve Meretzky, Scott Adams, right up to modern authors and aficionados such as Andrew Plotkin.
It is understandably somewhat American-centric, but the clips I've seen look really polished and professional. More info about it at http://www.getlamp.com/. It's been produced by the same guy who did the BBS Documentary, which some of you may be familiar with.
Teaser Trailer:
MC Frontalot Music Video produced for the film (warning: contains a long-shot of a C64):
Post edited by ccowley on
Comments
+++ no carrier ;)
However, BBSes were a slightly duller and somewhat less creative subject than adventure games IMHO... This looks like a pretty impressive piece of work to me, for anyone who's genuinely interested in the subject.
My copy of the 2-disc DVD set is on order...
Bytes:Chuntey - Spectrum tech blog.
Agreed with the beard comment. As i'm anti-beards i cant watch it ;)
Used to like 'some' funny raps back in the early 90's but now i just find it a bit cringeworthy to watch Goldie Lookin Chain etc. Even 'stutter rap' which was quite amusing is obviously not exactly a classic.
I just find some people rapping a bit embarassing. Like you say its meant to be funny etc but i think they should have spent that time/money on the documentary instead.
that why i went off heavy metal, i didn't know what i was listening to anymore. that and the bender boys you get in the clubs these days. so how long exactly were you doing your hair before you came out?
Maybe you're just too white and nerdy to appreciate it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_Outta_Lynwood
Might have to have a listen to this
Oh alright, maybe not.
Its not music though.
My ZX Art Music Page
Carlos Michelis Theme
My ZX Art Music Page
Carlos Michelis Theme
It's a 2 DVD set containing several hours of footage and can be watched in a number of ways - there's a non-interactive feature-length version, and an interactive version that lets you choose what segments to watch: a segment on puzzles, a segment on the contemporary "Interactive Fiction" scene (I hate that term!), and a more nostalgic segment on playing the original games. There's also a separate feature just about Infocom, including interviews with the majority of the original Infocom implementors - talking about the entire history of the company right up into the Activision aquisition and the motives behind it. And a separate feature exploring Bedquilt cave, the real-life cave system in Kentucky, USA in which the original Colossal Cave Adventure is set.
Disc 2 contains more video (which I have yet to watch...), still photos and HQ scans of old infocom adverts, etc. And a bunch of games and interpreters for both linux and windows.
It's all pretty nerdy (although I don't know why anyone would expect otherwise...) but it's very well made and comprehensive, and will definitely be of significant interest to anyone with a genuine interest in text adventures. The production quality is excellent. My main criticisms would be that, like so many independent films, it is lacking any sort of voiceover. Instead it relies on far too many long-winded captions and monologues. Still, that's probably better than a voiceover done by a nervous-sounding amateur, I suppose. Also there are a lot of irritatingly slow fades-from-black, litereally taking 10 seconds or so from when you hear a person talking to the video fading up - thought it was a screensaver on my PC kicking in the first couple of times it happened!
Also, it's totally American-centric. Anything that might have been going on adventure-game wise in the 1980's outside of the USA is roundly ignored.
Even so, it's well worth the money, in my opinion. Though I believe the main non-interactive bit of video is being released under a Creative Commons licence at some point in the future for anyone who doesn't fancy the idea of forking out for the whole lot.
Sounds cool.
Adventure gaming is something that is more interesting than actually fun to me. I love the concept of it in theory but in practise its only fun up to the point where frustration kicks in then you are drawn out of the scenario.
As a side note, I'd love to see a dramatisation of the story of Zenobi Software. The early years, the money-train years, the WOS battles and finally the elder years. :)
Any modern game that depends on very specific vocab (i.e. "open trapdoor" fails, but "lift trapdoor" works fine) would be heavily criticised (and those IF guys can be really seriously critical of each other's work!), things like mazes are frowned upon now, unless used in a very ironic way, and there's even an increasing move away from pure puzzle-solving and more towards just having a story that can simply unfold in a number of different ways, or in a different order, depending on what the player chooses to do.
Modern games tend to be a lot less frustrating to play than the older ones (well the good ones are anyway, there is still a fair bit of dross out there too).
Heh... yes they were certainly interesting times, weren't they!