Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
From: JSwing@nospam.wport.com (JSwing)
Subject: [Newbie] Interactive + Fiction ?= IF (?)
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Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 15:56:02 GMT
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I am rather new to this newsgroup, although I've been lurking for a bit.
I want to share some ramblings.  if I'm beating a dead horse please let me
know.

I've played a few IF games and there seems to be a sharp division between the
interactive parts and the fiction parts.  Well, less a division than a vast
chasm.  There are the game parts (objects, puzzles) and the fiction parts
(typically room descriptions).

Let me take a room object for an example.

If I look at the room object I get rich prose allowing me to envision my
surroundings.  This is what I would call the ficiton half, probably better
labelled as experience.

The other half is the interactive portion, which is the decisions I make, the
game tokens that I manipulate as a player.  This would be anything that may
change the game state.  For a room object, this is usually the exits.

And here is the dichotomy that I mentioned.  The exits rarely get much of a
description.  The room description is rarely affected by a manipulating any
objects in the room.  They are all but independent of each other.

I'm thinking this makes the games weaker.  That is, I think the games would be
stronger if the game elements and the fiction elements were integrated more.

I don't want to stand upon a great pedestal and say it requires a solution (or
that I have one).  These are just some thoughts rattling around in my
brainbox.  I'm just blowing around some air, hoping to inspire other creators
to greater heights.

Thoughts?  Opinions?  Confessions?
