Difference between revisions of "Digital: A Love Story"
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− | + | {{Video Game | |
+ | | Title = Digital: A Love Story | ||
+ | | SortTitle = Digital: Love Story, A | ||
+ | | Image = Digital - Love Story, A - W32 - Title Card.png | ||
+ | | ImageDescription = Web site title card. | ||
+ | | Developer = {{VideoGameDeveloper|Christine Love}} | ||
+ | | Publisher = {{VideoGamePublisher|Christine Love}} | ||
+ | | PublishedYear = 2010 | ||
+ | | PublishedMonth = 02 | ||
+ | | PublishedDay = ?? | ||
+ | | Platforms = {{Platform|Linux}}, {{Platform|Macintosh}}, {{Platform|Windows}} | ||
+ | | Genres = {{VideoGameGenre|Interactive fiction|Interactive fiction}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Simulation video game|Simulation}} | ||
+ | | Themes = {{MediaTheme|Romance}}, {{MediaTheme|Science Fiction}} | ||
+ | | Distributions = {{VideoGameDistribution|Freeware}} | ||
+ | }} | ||
− | '''''Digital: A Love Story''''' is a video game that mixes a desktop simulator with | + | '''''Digital: A Love Story''''' is a [[freeware|free]] video game that mixes a [[desktop simulator]] with an [[interactive novel]]. It was developed and published by [[Christine Love]] for [[Linux]], [[Macintosh]], and [[Windows]] in February 2010. The game was created using [[Ren'Py]]. |
− | + | The game is set in 1988 and you play a lone hacker who uses pre-Internet Bulletin Board Systems to uncover a conspiracy and find love. | |
− | == | + | ==Personal== |
− | + | {{VideoGameStatus | |
+ | | Own = | ||
+ | | CantOwn = No. This game was never sold. | ||
+ | | Won = Yes. | ||
+ | | CantWin = | ||
+ | | Finished = 2019-09-19. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | I found this game because it had a very high rank on JayIsGames. After beating it, my overall feel was an unfinished game that could have been a better with a lot more polish. It had some moments of interest, but it certainly doesn't deserve such a high place. | ||
==Review== | ==Review== | ||
− | {{Video Game Review|4|3 | + | {{Video Game Review|4|4|3|7|2|Windows}} |
{{Spoilers}} | {{Spoilers}} | ||
Line 17: | Line 39: | ||
* Although strong [[artificial intelligence|AI]] wasn't really plausible in the late 1980s, I still liked the idea of the story. | * Although strong [[artificial intelligence|AI]] wasn't really plausible in the late 1980s, I still liked the idea of the story. | ||
* I like the implied reply mechanic where you have to figure out what you wrote based on the replies. | * I like the implied reply mechanic where you have to figure out what you wrote based on the replies. | ||
− | * The game has pretty great MOD music. | + | * The game has pretty great [[module|MOD music]]. |
* I enjoyed the BBS chatter about sci-fi and fantasy books, shows, and amateur fiction, and liked the title pages. | * I enjoyed the BBS chatter about sci-fi and fantasy books, shows, and amateur fiction, and liked the title pages. | ||
===Bad=== | ===Bad=== | ||
− | * I never really felt much of an attachment to Emilia. There just wasn't enough character | + | * I never really felt much of an attachment to Emilia. There just wasn't enough character growth and interaction for me to appreciate her, so the ending didn't mean much to me. There needed to be more flirting, and it would help if she sent you a "picture" of herself. |
− | * The developer missed a lot of opportunities to add puzzles into the game. Password cracking, brute forcing long distance codes, debugging your C compiler, upgrading your OS, etc. These could have all been gamified, but they | + | * The developer missed a lot of opportunities to add puzzles into the game. Password cracking, brute forcing long distance codes, debugging your C compiler, upgrading your OS, etc. These could have all been gamified, but they were more like chores instead. I understand that visual novels rarely have complex gaming elements, but the way this was setup, it seemed like it should have had them. |
* The UI is pretty limited (you can't move the windows, clicking off the dialer cancels it, etc.) and a little buggy (you can click through windows and hit the buttons behind them). It would have been nice if these were cleaned up. | * The UI is pretty limited (you can't move the windows, clicking off the dialer cancels it, etc.) and a little buggy (you can click through windows and hit the buttons behind them). It would have been nice if these were cleaned up. | ||
* I would have liked to see more images. The game is severely graphically challenged. The [[Amiga]], which the UI is designed to emulate, was actually pretty graphically strong for the time. | * I would have liked to see more images. The game is severely graphically challenged. The [[Amiga]], which the UI is designed to emulate, was actually pretty graphically strong for the time. | ||
− | * I didn't quite see the point of being able to send individual private messages when you could send them all at once. | + | * I didn't quite see the point of being able to send individual private messages when you could send them all at once. I was confused if I needed to send them manually each time. Also, I don't know why you can download messages manually when you still have to be connected to the BBS to retrieve them. I only saw a use for it on The Underground Library BBS that disconnected you. |
− | * As you reach the ending, the messages seem to outpace the game. For example, I was getting messages about *Reaper taking out servers before I even noticed | + | * As you reach the ending, the messages seem to outpace the game. For example, I was getting messages about *Reaper taking out servers before I even noticed any servers were down. |
* Another [[damsel in distress]], but at least she becomes a heroine in her own right. | * Another [[damsel in distress]], but at least she becomes a heroine in her own right. | ||
* 1980s computers used bitmap fonts which always had a full set for their codepage. This means, you would never see a missing glyph (the box with the x in it) that is displayed in the error screen. This is a minor issue, but it hurt the immersion. | * 1980s computers used bitmap fonts which always had a full set for their codepage. This means, you would never see a missing glyph (the box with the x in it) that is displayed in the error screen. This is a minor issue, but it hurt the immersion. | ||
+ | * I've read that there is a bug in the game which can cause *Emilia to stop talking to you which prevents further plot development, but I thankfully never encountered it. | ||
===Ugly=== | ===Ugly=== | ||
− | * Having to manually dial all of the numbers over and over... and over again was really tedious. | + | * Having to manually dial all of the numbers over and over... and over again was really tedious. It was fun doing it once and hearing the old modem sounds again, but, even in the 1980s, programs existed to let you auto-dial numbers, and the game should have worked this in. |
==Media== | ==Media== | ||
===Videos=== | ===Videos=== | ||
− | * [https:// | + | {{YouTube|d5cyBoCbFkc|Longplay.}} |
+ | |||
+ | ==Representation== | ||
+ | {{Representation | ||
+ | | Media = Video games | ||
+ | | StrongFemaleCharacterStatus = Pass | ||
+ | | StrongFemaleCharacterNotes = *Emilia has her own desires and works to achieve them. | ||
+ | | BechdelTestStatus = Fail | ||
+ | | BechdelTestNotes = Women never speak to each other. | ||
+ | | StrongPOCCharacterStatus = Fail | ||
+ | | StrongPOCCharacterNotes = Race is never explicit. | ||
+ | | QueerCharacterStatus = Fail | ||
+ | | QueerCharacterNotes = There are no queer characters. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Walk Throughs=== | ||
+ | * [https://lparchive.org/Digital-A-Love-Story lparchive.org/Digital-A-Love-Story] - Let's play. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==Download== | ||
+ | * [[Media:Digital - Love Story, A v1.1.zip|Download]] ([[:File:Digital - Love Story, A v1.1.zip|Info]]) - v1.1. | ||
==Links== | ==Links== | ||
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{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital:_A_Love_Story}} | {{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital:_A_Love_Story}} | ||
{{Link|Official|http://scoutshonour.com/digital}} | {{Link|Official|http://scoutshonour.com/digital}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | * [https://jayisgames.com/review/digital-a-love-story.php jayisgames.com/review/digital-a-love-story.php] - JayIsGames. | ||
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− | |||
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Adventure, Strategy, Action]] | [[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Adventure, Strategy, Action]] | ||
− | |||
− | |||
[[Category: Trope - Artificial Intelligence]] | [[Category: Trope - Artificial Intelligence]] | ||
[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]] | [[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]] | ||
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Latest revision as of 14:51, 7 March 2024
Digital: A Love Story | ||||||||||||||
Web site title card. |
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Digital: A Love Story is a free video game that mixes a desktop simulator with an interactive novel. It was developed and published by Christine Love for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows in February 2010. The game was created using Ren'Py.
The game is set in 1988 and you play a lone hacker who uses pre-Internet Bulletin Board Systems to uncover a conspiracy and find love.
Contents
Personal
Own? | No. This game was never sold. |
---|---|
Won? | Yes. |
Finished | 2019-09-19. |
I found this game because it had a very high rank on JayIsGames. After beating it, my overall feel was an unfinished game that could have been a better with a lot more polish. It had some moments of interest, but it certainly doesn't deserve such a high place.
Review
4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
Best Version: Windows
— This section contains spoilers! —
Good
- The game does a fairly decent job of emulating the feel of a pre-Internet computer which had access to basically nothing.
- Although strong AI wasn't really plausible in the late 1980s, I still liked the idea of the story.
- I like the implied reply mechanic where you have to figure out what you wrote based on the replies.
- The game has pretty great MOD music.
- I enjoyed the BBS chatter about sci-fi and fantasy books, shows, and amateur fiction, and liked the title pages.
Bad
- I never really felt much of an attachment to Emilia. There just wasn't enough character growth and interaction for me to appreciate her, so the ending didn't mean much to me. There needed to be more flirting, and it would help if she sent you a "picture" of herself.
- The developer missed a lot of opportunities to add puzzles into the game. Password cracking, brute forcing long distance codes, debugging your C compiler, upgrading your OS, etc. These could have all been gamified, but they were more like chores instead. I understand that visual novels rarely have complex gaming elements, but the way this was setup, it seemed like it should have had them.
- The UI is pretty limited (you can't move the windows, clicking off the dialer cancels it, etc.) and a little buggy (you can click through windows and hit the buttons behind them). It would have been nice if these were cleaned up.
- I would have liked to see more images. The game is severely graphically challenged. The Amiga, which the UI is designed to emulate, was actually pretty graphically strong for the time.
- I didn't quite see the point of being able to send individual private messages when you could send them all at once. I was confused if I needed to send them manually each time. Also, I don't know why you can download messages manually when you still have to be connected to the BBS to retrieve them. I only saw a use for it on The Underground Library BBS that disconnected you.
- As you reach the ending, the messages seem to outpace the game. For example, I was getting messages about *Reaper taking out servers before I even noticed any servers were down.
- Another damsel in distress, but at least she becomes a heroine in her own right.
- 1980s computers used bitmap fonts which always had a full set for their codepage. This means, you would never see a missing glyph (the box with the x in it) that is displayed in the error screen. This is a minor issue, but it hurt the immersion.
- I've read that there is a bug in the game which can cause *Emilia to stop talking to you which prevents further plot development, but I thankfully never encountered it.
Ugly
- Having to manually dial all of the numbers over and over... and over again was really tedious. It was fun doing it once and hearing the old modem sounds again, but, even in the 1980s, programs existed to let you auto-dial numbers, and the game should have worked this in.
Media
Videos
Representation
Strong female character? | Pass | *Emilia has her own desires and works to achieve them. |
---|---|---|
Bechdel test? | Fail | Women never speak to each other. |
Strong person of color character? | Fail | Race is never explicit. |
Queer character? | Fail | There are no queer characters. |
Walk Throughs
- lparchive.org/Digital-A-Love-Story - Let's play.
Download
Links
- jayisgames.com/review/digital-a-love-story.php - JayIsGames.
Categories:
- Video Games
- 2010 Video Games
- Video games developed by Christine Love
- Video games published by Christine Love
- Linux Games
- Macintosh Games
- Windows Games
- Video Game Genre - Interactive fiction
- Video Game Genre - Simulation
- Media Theme - Romance
- Media Theme - Science Fiction
- Software Distribution Model - Freeware
- Video Games That Can't Be Owned
- Video Games I've Beaten
- Video Game Rating - 4
- Video Game Graphics Rating - 3
- Video Game Sound Rating - 7
- Video games with a strong female character
- Video games that fail the Bechdel test
- Video games without a strong person of color character
- Video games without a queer character
- Video Game Prime Order - Adventure, Strategy, Action
- Trope - Artificial Intelligence
- Trope - Damsel In Distress