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From: aa382@Freenet.carleton.ca (Marc Sira)
Subject: Re: Red herrings
Message-ID: <C6w82I.867@freenet.carleton.ca>
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Reply-To: aa382@Freenet.carleton.ca (Marc Sira)
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References: <1sp2ig$sko@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> <TeTa4B1w165w@west.darkside.com> <1sklii$drj@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> <1993May10.184649.9
Date: Wed, 12 May 1993 02:54:18 GMT
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In a previous article, ted5@po.CWRU.Edu (Thomas E. Davidson) says:

>In a previous article, c89ponga@odalix.ida.liu.se (kand. Pontus Gagge) says:
>
>>Compare IF to writing short fiction. Good style usually means that 
>>you do not mention a rifle hanging on a wall unless it is used later.
>
>	As a published author, I really have to disagree with this.

I suppose the poster may mean that you don't mention the rifle without
purpose; you would presumably have a reason for including it, perhaps for
setting or to indicate something about a character's interests. I don't
know if IF need necessarily be compared to short fiction, though. An
occasional aim in IF may be to mislead the player, or at least to make
solutions less than obvious. Perhaps a comparison with a mystery novel or
story is reasonable...generally there you'd limit red herrings to those that
the characters are clearly aware of, but the protagonist in IF _is_ the
"reader".

-- 
Marc Sira                  |
aa382@freenet.carleton.ca  |  "Your god drinks...p-p-peach nectar."
toh@micor.ocunix.on.ca     '
