Re: An embarrassment of riches?

[ian@cs.brandeis.edu (Xiphias Gladius)]

ceforma@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Christopher E. Forman) writes:

>C.A. McCarthy (mlkuehl@students.wisc.edu) wrote:
>: This type of IF is definitely rearing its head, and I look forward to
>: seeing a lot more of it in the future.

> Agreed, but let's not immediately dismiss a work of I-F as "bad"
> just because it has gratuitous puzzles.

'Course not.

There are lots of us out here who really like puzzles in general, as
well as plot and characterization.

The only question is whether a particular puzzle adds to the plot
("Christminister"), is a fun enough puzzle in itself to "break even"
-- it doesn't add anything to the plot, but it fits into the world,
and you get to play with a puzzle (the windcats in "SpiritWrak"), or
detracts from the plot, because the main character has no *reason* to
solve the puzzle (possibly the park ranger in "Lost New York").

Now, in a game like "Zork", the puzzles *are* the game.  Nothin' wrong
with that -- you'll never hear me saying anything bad about Zork --
but, y'know, frankly, I think that a lot of games being written now
are as good or better than most Infocom. . . 

Christminister, Jigsaw, Theatre, Lost New York. . . these
are games that stand with the best Infocom.  Perhaps they're better
than the early Infocom -- they've got characterization.

SpiritWrak is written on the Infocom/Quendor mold, and is done well --
it's based on puzzles, and the puzzles fit into the Zork universe.
Having gratuitous puzzles in SpiritWrak is fine, and, if I'm
frustrated at being stuck behind a ghost in a basement, it's what I
wanted from the game, so I'm not *annoyed* by it.  My goal is to solve
problems, to get points, to win.  And I'm having fun with it.  The
game does what it does well.

Christminister really made its puzzles fit with the plot, generally --
but I verged on annoyance when I really felt stuck.  My motivation
wasn't "win the game" -- it wasn't even "rescue Christabel's
brother".  It was "rescue *my* brother".

Lost New York?  I'm *annoyed* I can't get a nickel from a sewer
grate.  I want to see what happens!  My motivation is to explore, to
discover, to *see*.  'Course, if there weren't any puzzles, nobody
would register it, so I can understand it. . . 

So, which of those three has "gratuitous" puzzles?

SpiritWrak exists for puzzles -- they're not gratuitious.
Christminister's puzzles advance the plot.

Lot New York has at least *one* gratuitous puzzle, which I feel
detracts from it.

Nonetheless, I agree, we shouldn't *dismiss* it -- it's still a great
game.  But I wonder if it wouldn't be better without it.

	- Ian