Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
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From: schweda@iastate.edu (Christopher Schweda)
Subject: Adventure Plotting Software?
Message-ID: <schweda.738026072@vincent1.iastate.edu>
Sender: news@news.iastate.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Fri, 21 May 1993 23:14:32 GMT
Lines: 44

I'm about midway through programming a TADS game, and I was sitting here
at the ol' Macintosh, I got to wondering: Has anyone devised anything which
would assist in the plotting of text adventure games?

I doubt that such a thing exists, but wouldn't it be nifty if:

a) The software could help in the very initial stages of PLOTTING (not
	programming.) By this I mean: allow the designer to, say, enter
	a rough outline of the objects, the rooms, the puzzles -- to more
	or less sketch the game out in advance.

b) The software would allow the designer to graphically lay out the locales
	with objects, room descriptions, puzzle pieces all intact. I mean:
	each room could be represented with a little square. Lines go out
	from the square to indicate exits, doors, passages (both hidden
	and visible). The designer could double-click on a room and a 
	window would come up displaying, say, objects (both hidden and
	visible), passages, doors, etc. etc.


This seems like the perfect sort of thing to compliment TADS -- or any
adventure design system. Anyone else have any opinions about this? Anyone
use any similar programs to do plotting? 


Seems to me TADS suits the programming and implementation aspect of adventure
authoring quite nicely. It's big and maybe a little bulky at times, but
the programming is for the most part straightforward and efficient.

I dunno, I guess I could use a good drawing program for what I'm suggesting,
but it'd be nice if there was a custom-designed sort of program out there
with the little shortcuts adventure designers could use. I don't know how
everyone else feels, but the thing that bogs me down in writing my adventure
isn't so much the PROGRAMMING as it is the PLOTTING and the CONTINUITY -- 
making sure the puzzles fit, the objects are where they're supposed to be,
the NPC's do the things they're supposed to do.

Any ideas? Opinions?



Chris Schweda
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