- Floatpoint
Infobox VG
title= Floatpoint
caption= Floatpoint being played in a modern interpreter.
developer=Emily Short
publisher=Self published
designer=Emily Short
engine=Glulx
released= 2006
genre=Interactive Fiction , Adventure
platforms=Glulx
modes=Single player
media= download
input= Keyboard"Floatpoint" is a 2006 work of
interactive fiction written byEmily Short about adiplomat sent to an endangered colony to discuss evacuation options and terms of cohabitation. It is written inInform 7 and won the 2006 annualInteractive Fiction Competition .cite web
url = http://www.ifcomp.org/comp06/
title = 12th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition
accessdate = 2007-05-12
year = 2006] As of 2006, it is the highest average scoring game in the competition's history, with an average score of 8.41. "Floatpoint" also won 2006XYZZY Award s for Best Settings and Best NPCs. [cite web | url=http://www.xyzzynews.com/2006winners.html | title=XYZZY Awards: Winning Games of 2006 | accessdate=2007-05-12] The game was generally praised for its use of multiple endings.Fact|date=May 2007Plot
Through the course of play, the background to the current situation becomes clear. The
colonists of Aleheart were originally exiled fromEarth for engaging in prohibitedgenetic engineering . The colonists heavily engineer plant and animal life. The colony features plants engineered for artistic purpose. The colonists themselves are heavily genetically engineered. However, Aleheart is entering an ice age, which will likely make the planet uninhabitable within a few years.After colonists left Earth, a plague caused massive depopulation on Earth. To help with recovery, the government of Earth wants the colonists to return.
The protagonist arrives on Aleheart expecting to be an assistant to the previous ambassador, but learns upon arrival that the previous ambassador has been dismissed and that the protagonist has been given the role. Officially the protagonist's goal is to convince the Aleheart colonists to return to Earth. This is to be done by making a formal gift to the colony's representative. Additional motivations including the colonists desire to not return, and the reluctance of some Earth citizens to accept them give the protagonist difficult choices to make.
Notes
References
* [http://wurb.com/if/game/2941 Game entry at Baf's guide]
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