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From: jost@alice.coyote.trw.com (Patrick Jost)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Programmer seeking game ideas
Message-ID: <273336C9.33F9@wilbur.coyote.trw.com>
Date: 3 Nov 90 21:29:44 GMT
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Anyone reading this newsgroup for any period of time will come across
numerous requests for hints, spoilers and whatever for the seemingly
illogical and counterintuitive puzzles encountered in many games.


Here are some of my "gripes" with most adventure games, and possible solutions
for what I'd consider better games:


1) Having to go through a tedious process of gaining "experience" before
being able to use certain spells and so on. As an alternative, I'd
recommend immediate access to just about everything, but making part of
the game sorting out what to do with them. For instance, if there are
several "attack" spells, which ones work best on which foes? Sure, you'd
be able to cast anything, but you'd better cast the RIGHT thing.

2) Running out of food, torches and so on. I think this reduces many
aspects of gameplay to tedium. Sure, you'd have to have these things
in real life, but I don't see that this adds anything to a game.

3) Having a "quest" be an integral part of a game. Once the "quest" has
been accomplished, the game is more or less  over. I'd like to see a game
where you just explore a large world-in fact, you could have the program
create an endless series of "random" worlds (along with different spell
characteristics and so on).

4) Lack of originality is chronic! Every game seems to have a few attack
spells, a few heal spells, transport spells and so on. For characters,
you get fighters, wizards and clerics; sometimes you get thieves, ninjas
and the like. Once again, I'd like to see more effort put into creating
a real "world" with characteristics to be learned as the game goes on.

One of the best games I've had was Might and Magic. The first thing I
did was play around with my character file in ResEdit. Sure, I got
some WEIRD stuff (like a character who could not "own" anything, but 
who was almost invulnerable and was a very powerful wizard, or a character
who was a powerful cleric, but who seemed to age very rapidly), but I
could heal, fight and get around pretty well. I spent quite a bit of
time exploring the world of Might and Magic, but never even bothered
with the quest.

On the other hand, I think Citadel is a PAIN. I've read the "cluebook" and
came to the conclusion that the game seems to consist of a single path...
with a lot of frustrating nonsense along the way (I won't drop any
spoilers here). Even though I loved the graphics in Shadowgate, it is
pretty much the same-you spend all of your time fretting over silly 
things, and not enough time enjoying yourself.

These are just my opinions...however, if anyone would like to collaborate
on the development of such a game, please drop me some email!


Patrick Jost
jost@coyote.trw.com
--
                             |  
Patrick Jost (PJester)       | "The thief of Baghdad hides in Islington now"
                             |  
jost@coyote.trw.com          |              -Marillion (Fish)