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From: ceforma@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Christopher E. Forman)
Subject: Re: Inform: Is 'undo' cheating?
Message-ID: <1995Sep4.232422.46311@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu>
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 1995 23:24:22 GMT
References: <1995Sep1.070020.12868@news.cs.indiana.edu> <1995Sep1.110354.19482@n
Organization: Illinois State University
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Andrew C. Plotkin (erkyrath+@CMU.EDU) wrote:
: If I die, I usually type "undo". In fact, I'm willing to do all sorts of
: (one-move) silly or dangerous things in a game, because I know I can

To me, "undo" is more of a time-saver than a cheat.  It's like having the
game automatically saved on every move.  I don't know about some players,
but for me it's annoying to have to restore (or restart, if I haven't saved)
just because I made one mistake.  For me, an "undo" command is indispensible.

For an interesting twist on "undo," you'd do well to check out my game, "The
Path to Fortune" (due out soon, I promise!).  It includes not only the
standard "save" and "undo" commands, but also a new feature I like to call
"Warning Mode."  When active (and it IS optional), the game tells you when
you enter a situation in which you may become permanently stuck, thus
allowing you to "undo" and then "save" before proceeding.  It doesn't work
for every single thing (that would be too easy), but it does serve to
reduce frustration caused by players getting stuck through no fault of their
own.
-- 
C.E. Forman                                      ceforma@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu
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