Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Path: gmd.de!xlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!waikato!canterbury.ac.nz!huia!greg
From: greg@huia.canterbury.ac.nz (Greg Ewing)
Subject: Re: First Person adventure games?
Message-ID: <CGvMFu.Fq7@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: <neilg.753649969@sfu.ca> <CGq557.38s@world.std.com> <CGv78o.LI0@cantua.canterbury.ac.nz> <753957299snx@wonder.demon.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1993 04:43:05 GMT
Lines: 58

In article <753957299snx@wonder.demon.co.uk>, james@wonder.demon.co.uk
(James Wallis) writes:
|> Plus also the problem of believability -- somehow "There's a guard ahead of
|> me. He's spotted me and is about to shoot me" loses the dramatic tension it
|> ought to have.

There'd have to be quite a lot of autonomy built into the character
for situations like that - you hardly want to have to order your
agent to shoot back or dive for cover!

Also how to describe what's happening during such action. Over the
radio you'd probably hear something like "Hey, what are you doing
here?" - scuffle - scuffle - plod - BANG! BANG! BANG! - "Ooof..." -
thud. Would there be enough dramatic tension in that?

Player input into such encounters could be by means of advice
given previously:

	> If you meet any guards, don't try to do anything
	heroic - get under cover.

	Okay.

	> Take a look outside.

	There's a guard out there... He's coming this way!
	<scuffle - thump> I'm behind a drum - I don't think
	he's seen me.

Or alternatively

	> If you meet any guards, shoot first and ask questions
	later.

	Okay.

	> Take a look outside.

	There's a guard out there... <BANG! BANG!> Euuurgh...
	<thud>

	> How are you?

	I'm hit in the leg... <sounds of agent being taken
	captive...>

It would make for a very different style of game!

|> tell him to climb one too many electric fences and he'll quit on 
|> you, or drop his microphone into a tank of piranha or something.

And think of all the things you could try threatening him with if
he refuses to obey your orders...

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	   +--------------------------------------+
