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Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2001 12:12:43 -0400
From: John Colagioia <JColagioia@csi.com>
Organization: No Conspiracy Here...
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Subject: Re: Limited vocabulary for better gameplay?
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Aris Katsaris wrote:
[...]

> > However, if the number of verbs is
> > unlimited (because you basically do not know them), then that can
> > become too much complexity to handle very quickly.
> An unlimited number of verbs would (in good games) not have *you*
> need to know them, because the *game* should understand them and
> you could use any synonym for the action you want.

I would venture to say, too, that some mileage might be gained by clever use
of "generic" verbs.  That is, verbs like "use," which would be aware of the
state of objects, and therefore pick "the most obvious thing" to do with the
object.

For anyone thinking of this, consider two points.  First, do not eliminate
the other verbs.  Nobody wants to play a game that runs, "Use X. Use Y. Use X
with Y. Go North.  Use Z with X."  I hope not, at any rate.  Second, be
careful about what is "the obvious thing."  Remember that, in Windows,
double-clicking "does the obvious thing."  And, yet, people are surprised at
the results often enough to be statistically important...

What I would suggest for such a verb would be some extra programming to
eliminate all possibilities before accepting "use."  That is, if the only
verb available to a gun is "shoot," and there is only one character in the
room, then "use gun" should shoot that character.  However, if we can also
"clean the gun," or if there is more than one character capable of being a
target, then the action should fail, explaining that more detail is
necessary.

But I agree with Mr. Katsaris.  If the game doesn't make it apparent what
you're supposed to be doing, then the author is at fault, rather than the
player or genre.  Reducing the verb list merely ignores that responsibility
by enumerating the possibilities.


