Last night, Johnny Appleseed fell asleep at the wheel, careened off a winding road and ended up crashing into a virtual environment called FACADE, a free game from Procedural Arts.
This is a huge (160+ MB), so check the system requirements before you download! After a lengthy download, it takes quite a while to decompress the sound files.
This is billed as a 1-Act "play" where you are a friend invited over to socialize with an unhappy couple and maybe help patch up their marriage. It says "one act," but each time you play, the outcome will be different depending on how you handle your end of the converstation. You can be a male or female character, you converse by typing in short sentences. Unlike many such games, the AI engine lets you interrupt conversations while moving around the room, moving things, even physical interraction with either computer character.
The game starts with a blacked out screen - sound only - implying you're listening to a phone message invite. Then, the game has you standing at their apartment door overhearing an argument. Mouse-knock until they open the door. Use the arrow keys to enter and walk around, the mouse to touch/kiss/hug/move things, and the keyboard to hold up your side of the chat. You're limited to 1 line of words, so be concise. Needless to say, a bloviator like me had problems with that. Decent typing proficiency is needed because these two can yammer and bicker better than Ralph & Alice of The Honeymooners. Graphics are kinda simplistic, but the emphasis was on creating interactivity.
Ever wanted to practice your arbitration and negotiation skills?
Can you listen or do you talk past people... that is, are you a buttinski?
Think you'd make a good marriage counselor?
Will you be kicked out of the apartment for hitting on one of the unhappy characters, or for making fun of Travis' bartending skills or insulting Grace's interior decorating, or can you patch up their marriage? Words do matter!
I only tried twice, and each time the wimp Travis hastily ushered me out for putting the moves on Grace. (C'mon, are you really surprised? She's got a great build.) He did show signs of being upset/jealous but he wouldn't fight, which is not how a real domestic squabble would deteriorate.
Enjoy.
