You Can't Get Ye Flask: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"Dammit! So let's recap: there are four directions that I can move in and none of them work. What the fuck am I supposed to do?"''|'''[http://www.sydlexia.com/mysteryhouse.htm SydLexia]''', reviewing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_House Mystery House]}}
{{quote|''"Dammit! So let's recap: there are four directions that I can move in and none of them work. What the fuck am I supposed to do?"''|'''[http://www.sydlexia.com/mysteryhouse.htm SydLexia]''', reviewing [[wikipedia:Mystery House|Mystery House]]}}


An annoying aspect of oldschool [[Text Parser]]-based [[Adventure Game|Adventure Games]], especially [[Interactive Fiction]], was a limited ability to recognize command inputs. Additionally, the error messages would frequently lack clarification as to what you were ''supposed'' to do, often making you want to [[Computer Equals Monitor|put your fist through the screen.]]
An annoying aspect of oldschool [[Text Parser]]-based [[Adventure Game|Adventure Games]], especially [[Interactive Fiction]], was a limited ability to recognize command inputs. Additionally, the error messages would frequently lack clarification as to what you were ''supposed'' to do, often making you want to [[Computer Equals Monitor|put your fist through the screen.]]
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{{smallcaps|(with yourself)}}<br />
{{smallcaps|(with yourself)}}<br />
== Yourself does not wish to dance with you. == }}
== Yourself does not wish to dance with you. == }}
* The ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'' text adventure was a nasty example. [[The Many Deaths of You|You could be killed for something as simple as crossing the street at the wrong times of day]], [[Luck Based Mission|there were several times you had to fight off a Hound or Fireman...and the result was based on if the computer felt charitable]], and you advanced the plot contact members of the [[La Résistance|Underground]] using literary quotations as pass-phrases. However, the parser system was pretty craptastic, and if you so much as left out a punctuation mark, then you lost your chance to use the phrase, and had to leave the building and come back to try again. Worse, it had plenty of [[Guess the Verb]] moments as "Talk to man" worked sometimes, while others you had to use "Ask Man" with no indication as to what. Top it all off with a [[Downer Ending]] with a side order of [[Fridge Logic]] if you managed to put up with the game's quirks long enough to reach a conclusion.
* The ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'' text adventure was a nasty example. [[The Many Deaths of You|You could be killed for something as simple as crossing the street at the wrong times of day]], [[Luck-Based Mission|there were several times you had to fight off a Hound or Fireman...and the result was based on if the computer felt charitable]], and you advanced the plot contact members of the [[La Résistance|Underground]] using literary quotations as pass-phrases. However, the parser system was pretty craptastic, and if you so much as left out a punctuation mark, then you lost your chance to use the phrase, and had to leave the building and come back to try again. Worse, it had plenty of [[Guess the Verb]] moments as "Talk to man" worked sometimes, while others you had to use "Ask Man" with no indication as to what. Top it all off with a [[Downer Ending]] with a side order of [[Fridge Logic]] if you managed to put up with the game's quirks long enough to reach a conclusion.
* Satirized in ''Guess the Verb'', an IF game containing several scenarios, each revolving around an uncommon verb.
* Satirized in ''Guess the Verb'', an IF game containing several scenarios, each revolving around an uncommon verb.
* In the ''[[The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'' text adventure, you're actually ''expected'' to input an incorrect command at one point, which has an effect later in the game.
* In the ''[[The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'' text adventure, you're actually ''expected'' to input an incorrect command at one point, which has an effect later in the game.
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** Somewhat related to this trope: you needed to activate the chat text field to talk to NPCs, otherwise, pressing letters on the keyboard would result in activating hotkeys for game commands. Standard fare, sure, but then you take into account that the default key for "Attack" was 'a' and it was possible to attack friendly NPCs. Forgetting to press Enter before typing could be lethal as you'd get three letters into "What" before the NPC flattened you for what seemed like no reason.
** Somewhat related to this trope: you needed to activate the chat text field to talk to NPCs, otherwise, pressing letters on the keyboard would result in activating hotkeys for game commands. Standard fare, sure, but then you take into account that the default key for "Attack" was 'a' and it was possible to attack friendly NPCs. Forgetting to press Enter before typing could be lethal as you'd get three letters into "What" before the NPC flattened you for what seemed like no reason.
* In one storyline mission in ''[[Forum Warz]]'' you have to complete a text adventure game and tell the character who gave you the mission how you did it. In the mission ending conversation, you tell him you have to enter the command "push button", not "press button"... but while playing the text adventure itself, you can complete that section with the command "use button".
* In one storyline mission in ''[[Forum Warz]]'' you have to complete a text adventure game and tell the character who gave you the mission how you did it. In the mission ending conversation, you tell him you have to enter the command "push button", not "press button"... but while playing the text adventure itself, you can complete that section with the command "use button".
* There is a part in ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'' known as the Leaflet Quest that is a [[Shout Out]] to the ''[[Zork (Video Game)|Zork]]'' games. Since it's not too large, a ''lot'' of detail was put into putting smart-aleck responses to random commands not facilitated by the usual [[Infocom]] queue. For example:
* There is a part in ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'' known as the Leaflet Quest that is a [[Shout-Out]] to the ''[[Zork (Video Game)|Zork]]'' games. Since it's not too large, a ''lot'' of detail was put into putting smart-aleck responses to random commands not facilitated by the usual [[Infocom]] queue. For example:
** An incorrect "throw" command yields: "Your request to throw something, presumably at something else, made no sense to me. Perhaps you're trying to throw an item you don't have, or throw an item at a target that doesn't exist, or perhaps those objects simply aren't intended to interact in that way. For more information on the proper throwing of objects, send your name and address to "Throwing: A Guide For Beginners", Pueblo, Colorado, 80019."
** An incorrect "throw" command yields: "Your request to throw something, presumably at something else, made no sense to me. Perhaps you're trying to throw an item you don't have, or throw an item at a target that doesn't exist, or perhaps those objects simply aren't intended to interact in that way. For more information on the proper throwing of objects, send your name and address to "Throwing: A Guide For Beginners", Pueblo, Colorado, 80019."
** Trying to go up when you can't yields: "Up? Isn't this maze annoying enough for you with just the four directions? I suppose next you'll want to go north-by-north-east."
** Trying to go up when you can't yields: "Up? Isn't this maze annoying enough for you with just the four directions? I suppose next you'll want to go north-by-north-east."
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** Well, making ''creating'' adventure games more like ''playing'' adventure games ''was'' one of the stated goals...though on the upside, it still arguably has a shallower learning curve than TADS.
** Well, making ''creating'' adventure games more like ''playing'' adventure games ''was'' one of the stated goals...though on the upside, it still arguably has a shallower learning curve than TADS.
** This is alleviated by the fact that, unlike games, Inform 7 is a programming language and most programming languages expect programmers to get syntax exactly right. Inform 7 also comes with documentation, and in spite of being complicated it can do fairly amazing things with its natural language commands.
** This is alleviated by the fact that, unlike games, Inform 7 is a programming language and most programming languages expect programmers to get syntax exactly right. Inform 7 also comes with documentation, and in spite of being complicated it can do fairly amazing things with its natural language commands.
* ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHRDLU SHRDLU]'' was made to avert this trope. It probably helps that it only involves moving blocks around, rather than being an adventure game.
* ''[[wikipedia:SHRDLU|SHRDLU]]'' was made to avert this trope. It probably helps that it only involves moving blocks around, rather than being an adventure game.


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{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Self Demonstrating Article]]
[[Category:Self Demonstrating Article]]
[[Category:You Cant Get Ye Flask]]
[[Category:You Cant Get Ye Flask]]
[[Category:Trope]]
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/You_Can%27t_Get_Ye_Flask"