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No new postsWhat was the first…?
Hello. Long time, no see. I’m doing some research on the history of adventure games, and there were a few questions I just couldn’t find the answers to on Google. I figured this would be the most likely place to find an expert or twelve.
First, what was the first adventure game that had a story?
Second, what was the first adventure game that had a named player character? (Maybe it’s the same game as the first, I don’t know.)
Third, what was the first adventure game to use dialogue trees?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossal_Cave_Adventure
aaaand with gfx(considered one of the first):
Colossal Cave Adventure doesn’t have a story. “Exploring a network of caves” is not a story. It doesn’t have a named player character, and it doesn’t (as far as I know; I haven’t gotten that far through it) have dialogue trees. I’m trying to figure out when these elements got added to the formula.
Edited my post, check out Mystery House. (inspired by colossal cave adventure, so I think it’s woth a mention if you are actually writing about the history of adventure games 
Well, I’m less concerned with the text/graphics divide, and more concerned with the transition from pure puzzle-based gameplay (“How can you proceed?”) to ambitions of storytelling.
First game with a story is going to be pretty impossible to decide, because it depends on where you draw the line. Zork I (1980) plays pretty much like Colossal Cave (find the treasures…), but the manual gives some backstory to the world. Does that count? Zork II (1981) even has a little bit of in-game plot (to justify the treasure hunt). So I guess that’s approximately what you want. Unless you want to introduce some arbitrary definition of what a “proper” story should be.
First game with a named protagonist might be The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1984). But I’m really not an expert when it comes to IF.
Not sure about the dialogue trees.
“Initially, the player has to search the house in order to find a hidden cache of jewels. However, terrible events start happening and dead bodies (of the other people) begin appearing. It becomes obvious that there is a murderer on the loose in the house, and the player must discover who it is or become the next victim.”
Sounds like a story to me. Of course, there were plenty of text based adventure games with story before this.
Check out Infogrames for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_game#Early_development
Unless you want to introduce some arbitrary definition of what a “proper” story should be.
No, an in-game justification for the gameplay is what I’m looking for. I’ll check out Zork 2.
Third, what was the first adventure game to use dialogue trees?
LucasArts was the 1st to give this feature;
so it must be The Secret of Monkey Island (i don’t remember MM or ZM having dialogue tree)
“Initially, the player has to search the house in order to find a hidden cache of jewels. However, terrible events start happening and dead bodies (of the other people) begin appearing. It becomes obvious that there is a murderer on the loose in the house, and the player must discover who it is or become the next victim.”
Sounds like a story to me.
Agreed. And that’s a year before Zork 2, but the question is whether it’s the first. It could be, but there are four years between Colossal Cave Adventure and graphics in which it could have started.
I agree with Kuru that the definition of “story” is arbitrary.
There were lots of text adventures before 1984 with a named protagonist. Infocom of course, but I doubt they were the first, unless having a sidekick with a name counts. 
Telarium based their adventures on novels, like Perry Mason ... guess what the protagonist was called… and Fahrenheit 451.
Now playing: ——-
Recently finished: don’t remember
Up next: Eh…
Looking forward to: Ithaka of the Clouds; The Last Crown; all the kickstarter adventure games I supported
I agree with Kuru that the definition of “story” is arbitrary.
Okay, let’s define it as “an in-game justification for being there”.
Third, what was the first adventure game to use dialogue trees?
LucasArts was the 1st to give this feature;
so it must be The Secret of Monkey Island (i don’t remember MM or ZM having dialogue tree)
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade was the first to use dialogue trees.
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade was the first to use dialogue trees.
Thanks! Wow, I wouldn’t have expected it would be as late as 1989.
I agree with Kuru that the definition of “story” is arbitrary.
Okay, let’s define it as “an in-game justification for being there”.
The object of Colossal cave adventure is to collect 15 different treasures and then get out in time before the cave closes up, through solving puzzles. I do not know if you would call that justification for being there. There is a short introduction in which you are told that there are rumours about this cave in the nearby towns about mystical and supernatural things happening to those who enter and that many have gone before in search of treasure, but never returned.
Edit; In the second version of the game, elves and trolls were adeed around the cave, inspired by the Tolkien Books.
Third, what was the first adventure game to use dialogue trees?
LucasArts was the 1st to give this feature;
so it must be The Secret of Monkey Island (i don’t remember MM or ZM having dialogue tree)Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade was the first to use dialogue trees.
Yup i dropped that boxing game out of my memory 
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