Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Path: gmd.de!xlink.net!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com!lynx
From: lynx@netcom.com (Conrad Wong)
Subject: Re: When should "all" be allowed?
Message-ID: <lynxCMBnv9.92r@netcom.com>
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
References: <)> <2lfld2INN76@life.ai.mit.edu> <CMB88t.3F0@acsu.buffalo.edu>
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 01:23:31 GMT
Lines: 88

In article <CMB88t.3F0@acsu.buffalo.edu> goetz@cs.buffalo.edu (Phil Goetz) writes:
>I have yet to find a game where we are supposed to "discover" things
>through reasoning rather than through simply examining everything
>we encounter.  This is such deeply-ingrained behavior that if you
>ever do write a game where I don't have to examine everything,
>you should state that at the start of the game.

Infocom's A Mind Forever Voyaging?  Granted, the endgame requires some
puzzle-like thought, but nothing unduly sneaky.  But I tend to agree,
games centered on puzzles will have players investigating *everything*.

><<< smiley mode ON >>>
>
>In fact, I think ALL should be used as a verb, so "all rock"
>will result in
>
>ask rock: The rock has nothing to say.
>eat rock: You would chip a tooth.
>examine rock:  It's a rock.
...
>drop rock: OK.
>throw rock: You don't have it.

Actually, why not? ('gryn)

If a game is going to lay claim to the title 'interactive fiction',
in my opinion, it should make things as convenient as possible for
the player to pass up all the trifling things in favor of the
game experience.  This means that it shouldn't be about solving
puzzles, it should be about what happens next in the story and how
the player can affect that.

So all the silly things to find out properties of objects could be
combined into, say, 'search'.  If you want to prevent people from
habitually doing 'search' on everything, then you might make search
take more time:

It's ten minutes to midnight.
> examine dresser

A lovely example of modern woodcrafting, it boasts exquisite carvings
machine-engraved into its simulated wood veneer surface, with imitation
bone scrimshaw handles for each of its three drawers.  Centuries ago, a
bit of furniture as good looking as this one would have cost a year's
salary for a bourgeois.  Now it's Sears $399.95.

It's nine minutes to midnight.
> search dresser

You riffle through each drawers, finding nothing but dainties in the
topmost, blouses and sweaters in the middle, and socks in the lowest.
True to form, the socks don't match.

A peek behind the dresser shows nothing but dust.

You kneel to look under the dresser and discover a tube of lipstick.
It must have rolled underneath some time ago.

It's three minutes to midnight. ...


Obviously if you WANTED to do the open, look behind, look under, etc.
separately, in the interest of saving time if you knew you only had to
do one of those.  And similarly, if you did 'search room', the game
might very well do a categorical examination of everything that seemed
promising, prompting you if you wished to continue searching at
ten minute intervals.


My pet peeve about these games is the constant need to put 'X is direction
Y' and 'To the Y, you see X' in the descriptions.  A number of MUDs offer
'Obvious exits' which means that you can simply list the exits thusly
available, and use the room description to describe the room itself,
thus allowing the user to see at a glance where she can go.  Reading
through descriptions to make the user find the available exits may *SEEM*
to 'immerse the user in the game', but IMHO, it really is another form
of tedium that makes the user look for hinted-at passages.  It also
creates strained descriptions that must thoroughly describe all available
exits that would be easily noticed.


-- Lynx

-- 
   __         ___      ___   _/'     Name:    Conrad "Lynx" Wong
  /  \      _/   \----'   \-' O`-g   Address: 28368 Christopher's Lane
 |    |    / > __/_   / __/_`,  _|            Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
       \__/  \____\`--\____\ ;/'     E-mail:  lynx@netcom.com
 
Lynx is "AL" Go B Y++ L++ C++++ T++ A-- H++ S++ V+ F- Q+ P+ B PA+ PL++
(see rec.pets.cats for code explanation or E-mail me and ask)
