Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Path: gmd.de!xlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!waikato!canterbury.ac.nz!huia!greg
From: greg@huia.canterbury.ac.nz (Greg Ewing)
Subject: Re: More rambling 
Message-ID: <CGntJF.KDB@cantua.canterbury.ac.nz>
Nntp-Posting-Host: huia.canterbury.ac.nz
Reply-To: greg@huia.canterbury.ac.nz (Greg Ewing)
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
References: <2caanp$dfc@agate.berkeley.edu> <753468129snz@frootbat.demon.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1993 23:35:38 GMT
Lines: 42

In article <753468129snz@frootbat.demon.co.uk>,
zobbo@frootbat.demon.co.uk (Ian Cottee) writes:
|> I want a game where I don't wander around 700 locations - looking for 
|> the key I need back in location one. 

If there's no clue where to look for the key, it's a crappy puzzle.
Alas, too many IF puzzles are of this sort.

Since all current IF worlds are very small compared to the real one,
the only way to spin out the game is to put lots of obstacles in the
player's way.

A larger universe would allow more scope for puzzles that actually
make sense - that arise naturally out of the setting and plot.

E.g. you need to get into a particular safety deposit box. You know
who the owner is, and surmise that he has the key, but he's gone to
France. So somehow you need to get to France. To do that you need to
buy an airline ticket, but you've left your wallet at home...

Once you remedy that you find that all the direct flights to France
are booked out, and you have to take one that goes through Somalia.
While there you are kidnapped by rebels, requiring you to escape
from custody. Your ticket and money have been stolen by now, so
you need to find some other way of getting out of the country, etc.
etc. etc.

Of course, if you decide to go to France by sea instead, a whole
different set of adventures follow...

The point is, if your universe has enough elbow room, you can keep
the player busy all the time, instead of putting a series of
speed bumps in his way.

|>   Ian Cottee - 15, Gerards Close, Varcoe Road, S Bermondsey, London,
SE16 3DF
|>     zobbo@frootbat.demon.co.uk  ***************  zobbo@cix.compulink.co.uk

Greg Ewing, Computer Science Dept, +--------------------------------------+
University of Canterbury,	   | A citizen of NewZealandCorp, a	  |
Christchurch, New Zealand	   | wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan Inc.|
greg@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz	   +--------------------------------------+
