Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Path: nntp.gmd.de!news.ruhr-uni-bochum.de!news.rhrz.uni-bonn.de!RRZ.Uni-Koeln.DE!news.dfn.de!Germany.EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu!rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu!ceforma
From: ceforma@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Christopher E. Forman)
Subject: Re: Eating and Sleeping
Sender: news@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (News Admin.)
Message-ID: <1995Nov5.203451.113463@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu>
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 1995 20:34:51 GMT
References: <uKsmwwIeEvyP085yn@southwind.net>
Organization: Illinois State University
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
Lines: 38

Carl D. Cravens (ravenpub@southwind.net) wrote:
: What are your opinions on hunger and the need to sleep in IF?  I've
: often had the feeling that hunger (dying of starvation) is punishment
: for taking too long...
: I kind of feel the same way about sleeping.  What purpose does forcing
: the character to sleep serve?
: Can anyone show me where needing to eat and sleep every X turns (as
: opposed to eating and sleeping when it fits the plot) is beneficial to
: the game?

Here's what I'm doing in "Path to Fortune" (due out very, very soon, I
swear!):

The player begins the game with a pack of rations, enough food to last
until he wins the game.  A timer is implemented that makes him stop and
eat whenever he gets hungry (assuming he's not in immediate danger), so the
player doesn't have to type this.  If the player drops the pack, though,
the character won't eat unless you tell him to eat something else, or until
you enter the room with the pack again.  This way, if the player starves
to death, it's his/her own fault.

With sleeping, the player has to specify that he/she wants to sleep.

As to why someone would do something like this...well, basically for realism.
I don't want to get into the "realistic" I-F thread again, but with "PTF",
I felt simulated time was necessary to achieve some degree of realism, as
the quest takes place over the span of a week.  The most obvious approach
was adding a day/night cycle.  Of course, this looks kind of ridiculous
without eating and sleeping, so I added that too.

Using this approach, eating becomes...well, I wouldn't say a part of the
plot, but it keeps it from being an annoying and rather unnecessary puzzle
while not detracting from the pseudo-realism of the game.

--
C.E. Forman                                      ceforma@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu
Read the I-F e-zine XYZZYnews, at ftp.gmd.de:/if-archive/magazines/xyzzynews!
* Interactive Fiction * Beavis and Butt-Head * The X-Files * MST3K * C/C++ *
