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From: rwallace@tcd.ie (russell wallace)
Subject: Re: Gratuitous objects
Message-ID: <CxF4JM.1uK@news.tcd.ie>
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Organization: University of Dublin, Trinity College
References: <36ids8$gk0@dewey.cc.utexas.edu> <oiXjiPG00gpIM2uukJ@andrew.cmu.edu> <36ndigINNds4@life.ai.mit.edu> <Cx86Dx.5Hu@acsu.buffalo.edu> 	<3750a3INNiks@life.ai.mit.edu> <cia30eG00gpIIWDeBj@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: Sun, 9 Oct 1994 18:26:10 GMT
Lines: 30

In <cia30eG00gpIIWDeBj@andrew.cmu.edu> "Andrew C. Plotkin" <ap1i+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:

>Grn. On the one hand, I don't mind *other* people using hints, as long
>as I can avoid using them and the game is fun without them. On the other
>hand, I just wrote a story-game heavily laden with puzzles (see previous
>posting) and I'm not providing hints, because I can't bear to see my
>design work wasted. Admittedly, that's not a completely relevant
>example, because most (not all) of the puzzles are independent --
>they're only incidental to the plot.

If someone looks at the hints for most of the puzzles (as I tend to do)
still only some of your design work is wasted; if that person, finding
no hints, gives up and deletes the game (as I also tend to do :)) all
your design work is wasted...

>There's also the side issue of my lousy will-power; I often look at
>hints even though I know I will enjoy the game less because of it. It
>would be nice if there was a way to delete the hint file entirely, or at
>least make it inaccessible without reinstalling the software. (Infocom's
>"HINTS OFF" command didn't work at all; it's trivial to type "RESTART"
>and then jump into the hints module.) This is, however, only a technical
>problem.

Good point.  It should be easy enough to provide a facility to
permanently disable the hints facility.

--
"To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem"
Russell Wallace, Trinity College, Dublin
rwallace@vax1.tcd.ie
