Hi Dark, Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. If there is only one way to combine items like "use silencer with gun" then it would make any RPG or interactive fiction title easier to manage. Which is why when I get to writing my own RPG game I want to keep it simple as possible to avoid that guess the verb confusion.
Of course, its not just guessing the verb that can be problematic. I know a lot of VI users have difficulty with spelling. As you don't necessarily have a spell checker on hand so they either have to constantly review the screen for correct spellings of things, or they have to alt+tab into Word and spell check something to get the correct command. A good example of this is a friend of mine who lives in Florida. In my friend's case he was unfortunately born with a mental disorder that causes him considerable difficulty with basic fonix. That is to say he has troubles associating sounds with letters. If it weren't for technologies like Dragon Naturally Speaking he couldn't compose an e-mail because he'd spell things so poorly that not even the spell checker in Live Mail can sort it out. In an extreme case like that, where there are some mental issues involved too, there should be some alternative method of performing actions besides typing long command strings. Basically, I've come to my own conclusions, and agree with you that the basic interactive fiction/text adventure input method does need to be simplified without compromising the game play. While I love text adventures in the main some of the puzzles are beyond me. I have to look up solutions in some cases because the author made it too complex to figure out or used some complex command string that wasn't obvious or particularly logical. Cheers! On 1/8/12, dark <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Tom. > > I'm actually much more a fan of limited commands in these cases. As I've > said before, interactive fiction was something I played a great deal of at > one point, but don't tend to anymore sinse for every really good game I > found I found four or five more that just got frustrating, either because > the puzzles were utterly illogical, or required some very weerd verbs. > > For instance, suppose you find a gun and a silencer, what is the command. > > "put silencer on gun?", "use silencer with gun?", "silence gun?", "Screw > silencer onto gun?" "Screw silencer onto barrel" > > there are so many different ways of saying the same thing, yet if you get > the wrong one, the game just won't react. However simply having a use x with > x parza, there's no question with what you need to do. > > Also, the fewer verbs there are in the parza, the more obscure the puzles > can be sinse more limited your choice of actions, the more likely you are to > hit upon the right one. > > For example, the game Broken sword which was one of those point and click > graphic adventures like Monkey island, so had limted verbs, had one puzzle > where you had to climb a haystack. > > one item you had at the time was a large sewer key a couple of feet long. in > an if game you could've spent ages mucking about with commands, but in > Broken sword simply using the key with the haystack let you push it into the > hay half way up and use it as a step to climb. > > This is just what I mean. > > then, having combat in a game gives you a way to interact with your > environment and have some fun as well. > > Beware the grue! > > Dark. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Thomas Ward" <[email protected]> > To: "Gamers Discussion list" <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 2:01 AM > Subject: Re: [Audyssey] Eamon delux news and thoughts > > >> Hi Dark, >> >> This does sound good. Those games are quite addictive as simple as >> they are, and I think it is the simplicity that makes them so >> enjoyable. >> >> As you pointed out with a lot of text adventures, especially >> interactive fiction, its often a case of guess the verb or difficult >> puzzle elements that turns people off playing it. However, text >> adventures as you've seen don't have to be that way. If and when I do >> my RPG I agree that keeping the commands simple stupid is the best >> practice. >> >> Its hard to go wrong with commands like put, take, use, wear, equip, >> etc. if you stick to a few basic commands people can generally go from >> there. I've even thought that adding a Dos style menu where you simply >> press a number for the selection is even easier yet. >> >> On 1/7/12, dark <[email protected]> wrote: >>> Hi everyone. >>> >>> Today I've been testing some of the beta versions for the new eamon delux >>> with it's vi compatibility mode. >>> >>> it's going very well, all the irritations with display are totally gone >>> so >>> that it just displays like any console window dos application, and the >>> developer has completely altered several menues so that now they all have >>> numbers to press, for instance in the character editer to alter your >>> characters' hardiness you now just hit one and then type the new number >>> just >>> like those number driven choices in dos programs. >>> >>> Also, the developer is doing a lot of very nice extra work in the vi >>> mode, >>> such as writing in text descriptions of graphics, and with more of a >>> campeigne mode to be added where you can actually use that gold from >>> adventures to buy improvement for your character (rather than having to >>> cheat with the editer), this is looking like it'll be awsome. >>> >>> Oh and yes, he's also making the dungeon designer accessible too in case >>> anyone would like to write their own eamon games. >>> >>> So, today i've been playing all the beginner eamon delux adventures and >>> having thoughts. >>> >>> As beginner adventures these are not complicated in the least, go into >>> location, slaughter your way through and grab the loot to take back to >>> the >>> main hall to sell for dosh. >>> >>> what is surprising me is how addictive these are, and how just a few >>> lines >>> of description and a very simple system can create an immersive game. >>> >>> The parza is fairly unsophisticated, indeed the only item manipulation >>> commands are put, remove, wear and use, so puzles tend to be a matter of >>> looking in the room description and searching objects for other objects. >>> >>> the combat is equally simple, but at the same time has enough in for >>> variation. Five basic types of weapons with your character gaining >>> experience in them as they use them, a heal, damage, and speed spell with >>> again limited chance of use, and the chance to have your charisma affect >>> your dealings with npcs, meaning they either ignore, fight, or fight >>> along >>> side you. >>> >>> Yet, the system has enough to be interesting, particularly when you've >>> got >>> got three or four allies on your side vs three or four enemies, ---- >>> indeed >>> in those situations you might play healer. >>> >>> Don't mistake me, the system is stil primative. I'm rather sorry for >>> instance there is no menue driven conversation, and some more spells or >>> fighting moves would be nice to have. >>> >>> Also the descriptions obviously vary in quality according to the >>> game, ---- >>> and yet, i've spent considderable time today just running around dungeons >>> hacking up nasties for fun and prophit. >>> >>> So, what Tom has said recently about text games really holds true I >>> think, >>> even though I personally am not a fan of interactive fiction, ---- too >>> many >>> item manipulation commands and puzles that are too obscure. >>> >>> Yet something like a more complex eamon, with some more commands, some >>> more >>> character interaction and some random text would I think be awsome! >>> indeed I >>> might think about creating something like this if I ever start writing >>> games. >>> >>> Beware the grue! >>> >>> Dark. >>> --- >>> Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] >>> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >>> [email protected]. >>> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >>> http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >>> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. >>> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >>> list, >>> please send E-mail to [email protected]. >>> >> >> --- >> Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] >> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >> [email protected]. >> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >> http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. >> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >> list, >> please send E-mail to [email protected]. > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [email protected]. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to [email protected]. > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
