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From: mayers@landshark.syr.EDU (Mike Ayers)
Subject: Re: Adventure interface, Physics
Message-ID: <MAYERS.93Mar1150534@landshark.syr.EDU>
In-reply-to: goetz@cs.buffalo.edu's message of 27 Feb 93 01:36:08 GMT
Organization: Syracuse University
References: <C33349.B0M@acsu.buffalo.edu>
Date: Mon, 1 Mar 93 15:16:24 EST
Lines: 63

In article <C33349.B0M@acsu.buffalo.edu> goetz@cs.buffalo.edu (Phil Goetz) writes:

   This is my vision of the next generation of adventure games:

To each its own.

   It is more like a virtual reality system than a text adventure.
   You are looking at a 3D line-drawn world on your computer screen.
   The world is made of basic geometrical objects ("geons"):  "cubes" (though
   not necessarily all 3D the same), boxes, spheres, cylinders, pyramids, cones,
   sheets.  Rooms are made by joining sheets together to form walls, floors,
   and ceilings, or by being boxes.  Complex objects are made by gluing geons
   together.

This is vector graphics - okay for action games (most notably the standups
made by Atari in the mid '80s) but nothing short of annoying from an aesthetic
standpoint.

   There should be other objects in the system.  Liquids.  Gas.  Fire.
   I don't know how to deal with them.  I suggest not having them in this
   initial model.

Your limitations are beginning to exceed your abilities.  So long as you
restrict your storyline and universe in such a way that these things would
not logically have a place, however, you could get along all right.

   INTERACTIONS OCCUR AS A RESULT OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES, NOT CODING

(stuff deleted)

   THE BIG PROBLEM:  PHYSICS

This is all a problem in object oriented design, really.  Give each physical
element the properties it would have in reality.  Code the interactions of
these properties, and watch 'em go.

   I think this could be a cool topic for my PhD dissertation,
   provided I emphasize VR and not IF.  What do you think?

Why not?  It's trendy enough (publish, publish!).  I think you should think
it out a bit more thoroughly, though.  It seems kind of silly to model solid
objects as surface collections when you want them to exhibit the properties
of solid objects.  For instance - in case of fire break glass.  You get two
choices as a coder - set up the pane of glass such that it models glass and
shatters under the appropriate stress level, thus creating many mini objects,
or jerry-rig it.  A game coder would jerry-rig, of course, but that wouldn't
make for much of a dissertation. 8-}

It should be pointed out that such a system as an IF construction kit would
have a lot of value - the storywriter simply sets up the necessary objects
and lets the kit take care of interaction.  It would add that degree of
freedom sorely lacking from the majority of IF.

My opins, anyway . . .



--

             Mike                       mayers@mailbox.syr.edu

    C: Unintelligible code means job security.
  
