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From: ceforma@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Christopher E. Forman)
Subject: Re: Lamps in IF (was Re: How do I keep the dang lantern lit?)
Message-ID: <1995Sep11.155027.49316@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu>
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 1995 15:50:27 GMT
References: <42ipaj$n8r@calvino.alaska.net> <42ksku$7fp@igor.rutgers.edu> <owls-
Organization: Illinois State University
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J. I. Drasner (owls@interport.net) wrote:
: But a game like Zork II -- okay, the wizard's floating around, but he's
: generally a much less complex NPC than those in, for example, Deadline --
: well, it just seems to me that there really isn't any GOOD reason not to
: have all the time you need. Otherwise you get to the point where you're
: close to the end, but the lamp is two moves away from dying, so you have
: to start ALL over and do ALL the puzzles really quickly to get back to
: that point with more lamp life...it is a cliche, as Mr. Arnold said, and
: in my opinion it's really unnecessary.

I agree that nowadays it's a cliche, and I'd personally never make a lamp
the game's time limit (unless there are other light sources that don't run
out).  The difference between games I'd create and games like the Zorks is
the fact that, back when Zork was written, I-F was new enough that a
lantern timer WASN'T a cliche.  Certainly it seems that way now, but one
has to look at when the game itself was written.  Blank and Lebling wanted
to make the game realistic in the sense that the lamp wouldn't last forever.
It seems to me it simply had the unfortunate side effect of forcing players
to restart.  (Zork II is really the only game in which this problem exists,
BTW.  All the other Zorks have alternate light sources.)

: Sort of like the eating/drinking/sleeping thing in Planetfall etc., only
: those at least had a little more purpose. (It just occurred to me that
: Enchanter has its own version of the lamp burning out, since the bread
: doesn't last forever.)

Assuming the player frotzes the bread, of course.  I always used the jug. B-)
-- 
C.E. Forman                                      ceforma@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu
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