Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Path: gmd.de!xlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!uunet!world!tob
From: tob@world.std.com (Tom O Breton)
Subject: Re: Definitions, please? (Was: To Plot or not to Plot?)
Message-ID: <CJn6ws.5Lr@world.std.com>
Reply-To: tob@world.std.com
Organization: BREnterprises
References: <rendell.758509226@bruce.cs.monash.edu.au>
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 1994 23:07:39 GMT
X-Posted-By: My own casual posting program
Lines: 36

rendell@cs.monash.edu.au (Robert Paige Rendell) writes:
> As far as I can see, Tom Breton uses the word "plot" to mean the
> thread of storyline from start to end, for example, in describing the
> plot of a movie to a friend, when you say "and then they went there
> and such-and-such found a thingo that meant that the first guy..." etc

Very good. I'd only add that:

* your high school English teacher will probably have defined it
    similarly.

* For the sake of a complete definition I'm excluding basic game
  mechanics. (EG: "First unlock the door, then open it, then go through"
  is not plot.)

> So, if I can use these two definitions to reiterate the discussion so
> far, Tom said that setting down a "plot" loses you 90% of the charm of
> IF, i.e. saying that the player must do this, then that, then go and
> meet X, etc. In other words, you don't want a highly linear game, where
> the player only has one "correct" choice at every point.

Yes. Except that I'd say even a moderately linear game could loosen up
and let the player drive more. (Excluding consciously-created puzzles,
of course.)


> I hope I haven't put words in the mouths of Tom or Molly, or at least,
> if I have, they fit what they were saying anyway.

You did good. }:)

        Tom

-- 
Having finished it's [sic] evil speech, the Tom spreads it's scaly
wings and soars away...  (tob@world.std.com, TomBreton@delphi.com)
