Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
From: richard@skaro.demon.co.uk (Richard Develyn)
Path: gmd.de!xlink.net!zib-berlin.de!netmbx.de!Germany.EU.net!EU.net!uknet!pipex!demon!skaro.demon.co.uk!richard
Subject: Atmospheric Text
Organization: skaro
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 10:19:44 +0000
Message-ID: <1994Mar15.101944.1@skaro.demon.co.uk>
Sender: usenet@demon.co.uk
Lines: 40

(a sort of continuation to my previous point about realistic or 
over-detailed number of objects available)

I much prefer text adventures which are of the atmospheric, rather than 
the puzzle-collection, variety. This is probably because I'm not 
particularly good at solving puzzles :-(

However, I do think that the way to create atmospheric adventures is not 
to throw loads of atmospheric text out at the user. I thionk the trick 
is much more about consistency and about capturing the key elements / 
situations of an atmosphere into the game.

Scot Adams I believe did this extremely well, and he followed (by 
necessity) the minimalist approach. Take for example Voodoo Castle, SA 
captures the atmosphere by his choice of objects and locations:

There is a kitchen with no kinife, cooker, etc, just a large iron 
kettle. A lab next to it just has exploding test-tubes, somewhere else 
there's a cemetery (I believe) with a single gravestone ("This Grave's 
Reserved for you"). A room with just a coffin in it, another where the 
window slams shut as soon as you walk in, and a raven screeching 
something outside.

SA doesn't seek to create atmosphere on a room-by-room basis, rather he 
uses the whole of adventure to get it across. This allows him to be 
minimalist.

I do believe that there is a place for long descriptions, but I'm more 
and more beginning to think that these should be in a few punctuated 
places, not everywhere (the breathtaking view in Colossal Cave for 
example). I think it's quite possible for a surfeit of text to actually 
ruin atmosphere rather than create it.

Richard
--

Richard Develyn from Hastings, Sussex, England ( rad@cix.compulink.co.uk ).
Software engineer (datacomms) for Cray Network Systems. Married to Caroline.
Baby daughter Sophie (b. 3/11/92). Hobbies: Dr Who, FRPG, SF, Curry,
quality computer games, philanthropic discussions.
