Fixing Time: A Hack & Makerspace Adventure

This classic-style text adventure was created for the Text Adventure Literacy Jam 2025.

Introduction

Step into the shoes of a curious Hackspace member as you uncover a mysterious machine, tinker with intriguing technology and travel through time itself.

Inspired by the golden age of interactive fiction and created as a tribute, this adventure deliberately avoids using location graphics, encouraging you to visualise the world through richly detailed textual descriptions. Whether you're solving puzzles across time, meeting brilliant minds, or uncovering lost knowledge, your imagination becomes the canvas upon which this story unfolds.

The game is light-hearted, filled with quirky characters, puzzling conundrums, several retro game 'Easter egg' references and occasional tongue-in-cheek dialogue.

Designed specifically for beginners while remaining nostalgic for veteran text adventurers, it includes an optional interactive tutorial to gently introduce new players to the format. The game features a traditional two-word parser, e.g. GET TORCH, USE BENCH and TALK GIZMO

Players are encouraged to explore locations, examine objects, collect useful items and solve puzzles. The game will automatically run when clicked. You'll see a welcome screen and then have the option to play through a short tutorial, guided by a friendly character named Gizmo. Try talking to him - he'll set you on the path to becoming a seasoned adventurer! At any point, you can enter the command HELP for an overview of useful commands. You can also use SAVE and LOAD to preserve your progress or return later.

If you want to see your progress in the game, try using the command STATS.

Suitable for all ages, especially those curious about retro gaming and interactive storytelling.

Layout and Colour Scheme

Different text types in this game are colour-coded for convenience:

• Location and object descriptions are in WHITE. Any objects described in these descriptions are mainly for setting the scene and are NOT interactive.
  

• Newly discovered commands are GREEN . Keep an eye out in object descriptions for these. Often when you examine an object, you will find these.
  

• Character conversations and interactive objects are YELLOW.  These are listed and are the objects and characters that can be interacted when present.

Movement

To move around, simply type the direction you wish to travel. Directions can be abbreviated:

• NORTH  or use N

• SOUTH  or use S

• EAST or use E

• WEST or use W

To refresh the current location description, type LOOK or L.

Object Interaction

Every item can be examined by typing EXAMINE (or abbreviated to X) providing detailed descriptions and often helpful clues. To view the items you're holding, use INVENTORY (or just I).

Other Useful Commands

There are a lot of other commands that can be used, these include:

ASSEMBLE, BUY, CLOSE, COOL, DRINK, DISASSEMBLE, DROP, EAT, EXAMINE, FILL, FIX, FLUSH, GET, GIVE, HEAT, INSERT, INVENTORY, LEVER, LOCK, MAKE, MEASURE, OPEN, PRESS, PULL, PURCHASE, PUSH, READ, REMOVE, REPAIR, RIDE, SCAN, SIT, SLEEP, STATS, TAKE, TALK, TEAR, THROW, TURN, UNLOCK, USE and WEAR. 

This isn't an exhaustive list - some commands you'll need to discover on your own. Always remember to examine objects closely; you'll often find hints about other possible interactions.

Final Words

Thank you for playing Fixing Time: A Hack & Makerspace Adventure!

Remember, this entire adventure is a puzzle. You'll need to explore carefully, draw maps, record locations and examine each object you find. There are plenty of clues along the way - don’t forget to experiment with combining items to create new ones.

Credits

This game was inspired by the global Hackspace movement and incorporates ideas and both location and object descriptions contributed by the members of Doncaster Hack and Makerspace. Special thanks to everyone for their support, inspiration and endless creativity.

Once the Text Adventure Literacy Jam 2025 permits public releases, this game will also be available on the Doncaster Hackspace website:

https://www.doncasterhackspace.org.uk

Created using the excellent interactive fiction tool, Adventuron. Thanks to Chris Ainsley for developing such a fantastic platform!

https://adventuron.io/

© 2025 Richard Pettigrew. All rights reserved.