Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!swatsun!hirai From: hirai@cs.swarthmore.edu (Eiji Hirai) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games Subject: Re: RPG opinions (was Re: Programmer...) Message-ID: Date: 12 Nov 90 23:39:07 GMT References: <1990Nov9.005315.16572@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu> Organization: Medieval Metaphysics Dept., Miskatonic U., Arkham, MA Lines: 35 draphsor@elaine0.stanford.edu (Matt Rollefson) writes: > > I like it. It's the same debate as in RPGs - hack 'n' slash vs a more > 'realistic' scenario. And there's no reason that this can't be > maintained even in the heroic setting. I agree. I think one of the reasons why hack-n-slash games are prevalent is because they're so easy to program and doesn't require much thought in planning the details of the game. In planning a more non-hack-n-slash game requires you to come up with an entirely new way of interacting with the npc's and having to give them motivations, etc. Not an easy task, but do-able. In any case, there are programs out there like this. I remember playing a game on an Apple II (IIe wasn't even out then) where you were the head of a group of surviving rebel forces, trying to oust this evil lord who's taken over you rland or somesuch. In any case, if you fight with him at the start of the game, you lose big-time since your forces are just too small. What you have to do is to recruit sympathetic forces by sending various political messages and bribes to other lords in the area. Only by mustering the allied forces can you even think of attacking the big bad dude. Each lord had their own motivations so you had to figure out what sort of deal you could cut with them individually. No hack-n-slash here, though I would term this an rpg game. Down with hack-n-slash! -- Eiji Hirai @ Mathematics Dept., Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1397 hirai@cs.swarthmore.edu | hirai@swarthmr.bitnet | uunet!hirai%cs.swarthmore.edu Copyright 1990 by Eiji Hirai. All Rights Reserved. Permission to reproduce or quote explicitly denied except on Usenet. I don't speak for Swarthmore College.