Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
From: richard@skaro.demon.co.uk (Richard Develyn)
Path: gmd.de!nntp.gmd.de!xlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!uknet!demon!skaro.demon.co.uk!richard
Subject: Re: Here comes some blasphemy...
References: <2pn7cq$3lj@jake.esu.edu>
Organization: skaro
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 1994 12:35:54 +0000
Message-ID: <1994Apr28.133554.1@skaro.demon.co.uk>
Sender: usenet@demon.co.uk
Lines: 66

spoilers for the Zork trilogy follow:



























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I think that over-complicated puzzles spoil IFs for me a little bit ... 
well, quite a bit. You need puzzles to stop people rushing through your 
IF, barely interacting with it. But if you make them too hard then they 
start reaching for the hint book all the time and so equally rush 
straight through it. You have to get the balance right.

Once I use a hint to get past a puzzle, and I think "I would never have 
got that by myself", then I stop trying. As far as I'm concerned, the IF 
has "cheated" me and I no longer trust it - so then I look at the hints 
even when I could have solved it myself with a little more time.

[winge mode: on]

Zork 1 wasn't too bad - though I had already completed the mainframe 
Zork many moons ago. I did think that the egg puzzle was too hard and 
disposal of the thief was illogical (I hated that one).

Zork 2: The baseball puzzle, the vault and the robot I didn't like. The 
dragon was a bit difficult but I was pissed off by then ...

Zork 3: The appearance of the sleeping man is an attrocious puzzle. So - 
what are you supposed to do? Wander round aimlessly entering every room 
just in case you trigger something off? Yuk!! The gold machine was 
another horrible one - the fact that you could push it. So now I have to 
push everything I find, just in case ... The shadowy man was difficult 
as was the earthquake related stuff.

[winge mode: off]

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.
