Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
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From: tsmaster@mv.mv.com (David W. LeCompte)
Subject: Re: Hints in adventure games.
Nntp-Posting-Host: mv.mv.com
Keywords: design, hints
References: <57992@sdcc12.ucsd.edu>
Sender: usenet@mv.mv.com (Mark E. Mallett)
Organization: MV Communications, Inc.
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 1993 19:14:19 GMT
Message-ID: <CHKtFw.7FG@mv.mv.com>
Lines: 40

I have been thinking about hints, myself, and I think that overhearing
an actor, or even having a benevolent actor to give you useful nudges
is the style that I find most attractive. If Rebecca Snoot was
designed a little differently in RTZ, she would be the perfect
example. As it is, she shows up semi-randomly (or at least, when I
least want her to show up.) and offers canned commentary, some of
which is useful for some puzzles ( though I had begged the net for the
solutions of some puzzles before Rebecca helped me out ).

The way that I would want to have a perfect Rebecca (aside from
casting issues, and other concerns that the New, Better, Infocom are
interested in with full-motion video adventure games) is the knowledge
of the puzzle DAG (using lame terms, but I can't come up with any
better, either) would be part of her design, and she might come up
after enough "failure messages", and, in casual conversation, give a
suggestion, or perhaps a request for something that would be
illuminating.

For instance. Suppose that you have to fix a tractor, and the tool
that you need to make the repairs is a wrench. Perhaps you've already
found the wrench, but it's not on you. Rebecca might say something to
the effect of "You know, I've been meaning to tune up my truck. I
don't suppose that you've seen a wrench around. I lost my favorite
wrench while I was fighting grues..."

The good designer would make the hints entice the user to think about
the wrench in the right way. The good designer would also recognize
that the hint that I just mentioned would lead the player to give the
wrench to Rebecca. She might ask "are you sure that you don't need
this" if one of the exposed unsolved puzzles needs the wrench. She
should only take the wrench if it's no longer needed, or if the means
for getting it back from her is obvious to the player.

just my thoughts...

-Dave LeCompte

-- 
These opinions are my own, and do not necessarily reflect
those of my family, my company, my race, or my species.
