I also agree that RPGs can be a fun template for our stories. However,
we have to be sure that the author can be flexible enough to adapt
stories. The human mind's neural network is a local minima-finder. Once
a solution is found, it tends to drill in that area instead of looking
elsewhere for better solutions. (The lateral thinking puzzle books are
great examples of this.)
Thus, if a RPG-master finds a "cool" situation that he/she wants the
users to be in (say, facing a mean creature) then he/she will probably
manipulate the situation to get to that goal. Since mazes, etc. can be
generated at run-time (so to speak) then the master is free to change the
maze at will to get the users to a particular goal. (Reminds me about a
mouse trying to get to a piece of cheese with the maze walls continually
changing to prevent that from happening.)
This, to me, becomes less interactive and nonlinear. In fact it becomes
superlinear because a particular goal MUST be achieved. I think we
should try to avoid situations that lead to this type of storytelling.
If it's a linear story, then tell it to me in a linear fashion.
-John
--
John D. DeCuir -- Sr. Internet Programmer -- Sony Pictures Imageworks
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Web: http://fire.csua.ucla.edu/~jdd -- ICQ: 7873940
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This msg does not necessarily represent the views of Sony Corp.
On Tue, 23 Jun 1998, Jeff DeVries wrote:
> I agree with Jed in that the RPG is a great example of an involved and
> immersive narrative. in fact, it is an ideal, since all of the linearity of
> the story is communicated through the flexible and adaptive mind of another
> person (gamemaster, guide etc.). creating a unique experience that is a
> result of the original story set out by the designer combined with the
> ambitions of the player/user, hence the "single time experience".
> So if this is our interactive fiction model of choice, then the quality
> of the experience is governed by the sophistication of the creative
> orchestrator or active designer of the experience, computer or human. This
> is why computer rpg's often lack quality because a very defined structure
> must be embedded in the experience in order to account for the lack of
> sophistication on the part of the A.I.
> When we are designing interactive experiences on the web in VRML, we
> encounter the same dilemma: we must learn to hide the non-linear structure
> from the user, meaning: we really don't want the user to have a choice, we
> just want them to think so.
> I suppose as A.I. technology advances, and we are increasingly able to
> use human controlled avatars in interactive fiction, we will find that
> quality of these experiences will increase dramatically. I've been reading
> Neal Stephensons "Diamond Age" which depicts a system of interactive
> experiences that are controlled by actors acting remotely. That's an
> extreme example of a direction interactive fiction could move in.
>
>
> ------------------------------------
> Jeff R. DeVries
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> CommTechLab
> 415.241.0894
> ------------------------------------
>
