Be careful. All of this plot-generation stuff looks to me like breeding ground for cliché. Perhaps a more difficult but classier approach might be to create a liner narrative, then establish the two or three actions can be performed on anything in the game. Then go about defining consequences when the the player messes with the story.

This way, you keep the feel and symbolism of a linear plot, without the restrictions. The player always knows what she can do withing the rules of the game... I dunno. I''m tired and this seems WAY obvious. More later.

LOL! Claim that it is ''Causality'' and that changing the past also changes the future. The player is attempting to create a paradox and therefore the game rejects that and forces the linear story (which is like in real life if you ask me ).

I still like the idea of screwing with peoples heads though. Use their foreknowledge and prejudice against them to cause them to do the evil in the game... A lot more fun on the whole

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
          

That really is neat dwarf. I can''t wait to see that (in your game ).


"""" "'Nazrix is cool' -- Nazrix" --Darkmage --Godfree"-Nazrix" -- runemaster --and now dwarfsoft" -- dwarfsoft --pouya" -- Nazrix
""You see... I'm not crazy... you see?!? Nazrix believes me!" --Wavinator
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.

I am slowly getting there. I have scrapped the tile engine a few times now and started again. At this rate I will never finish, but hopefully I will have a partially complete version ready next December

I can't wait to see what I can really do on this project. Now all I need to do is enlist the help of a few of my friends. Then I will have to teach them all how to program in C/C++ (they only use BASIC, Pascal, Eiffel and Delphi - maybe VB). Then I may actually speed this project up...

Oops... Just realised I went a little OT... Anyway - as I was saying, prejudice is something that I have NEVER EVER IN MY WHOLE LIFE used against the player in a game. I think it adds a whole new element of surprise. What do you guys think? It may also hold a message in its midst too - mind your prejudices, because your opinions may not be correct in society also

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
          

Edited by - dwarfsoft on October 12, 2000 6:25:33 AM

I things work out for my evil secret plan, as it''s looking like they will, I''ll hire you to make your game, DS. You too naz.

DS, I think that would be really cool if you did that in your game. It would take a lot of courage to try it though. Your game would be kind of like high art

LF, hire us to do our own game? That's interesting hehe


"""" "'Nazrix is cool' -- Nazrix" --Darkmage --Godfree"-Nazrix" -- runemaster --and now dwarfsoft" -- dwarfsoft --pouya" -- Nazrix
""You see... I'm not crazy... you see?!? Nazrix believes me!" --Wavinator
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.


Edited by - Nazrix on October 12, 2000 4:48:10 PM

I think there''s something fundamental to gaming that''s being missed, here. I read through the posts and, yeah, there are a lot of great points and ideas on getting a more interactive and "real" world. But, the thing is, games aren''t about the real world, per se. I read an interview with Eugene Jarvis, game design pioneer (Robotron and Defender to name two), and there was something he said that struck me. Currently, game designers are working to make their environments more life-like and with less limits for the sake of less linearity and more realism, and as a result, more absorbing for the player. But, games are about limits. They''re about playing by rules. Now, obviously, there are rules to the games and environments: HP, rules of combat (turn-based or real-time), and other things. Take the game of chess, probably the most-widely and well-known game of any kind in the world. You have 64 squares and 16 pieces. And, no piece can move however and whenever it wants, each has a set pattern that it must follow. Now, this is a game of limits. But, it''s also one of the greatest tests of one''s mental skill. It''s arguably the ultimate game. The point here is not to loose sight of why people play games in the first place. To escape the real world. Not to have to try to figure out how to navigate through a new one. Now, obviously, this is the perspective of the "casual" gamer as opposed to the hardcore gamer. But, a point to ponder, none the less. Who''s your target audience?

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"Until next time, boobie. Push the button, Frank."

Jiggold,

I definitely think this is a matter of audience. Why are you playing? To learn a set of rules, a system if you will, that you can beat? This, in itself can be fun or mindless, depending on your state of mind and overall tastes.

When I want simple rules and a quick gaming burst, I fire up MAME and get in and out. Or I play Swarm for a few levels, then quit.

But lately I''ve been absolutely BORED OUT OF MY SKULL with simple rules games because I WANT a world to explore(this one doesn''t have warp drive technology yet, and I''m itching to wander the cosmos! ) I want to escape the endless limits, rules and no left turn signs that modern civilization is choked with! Games that are expansive and deep are the only things that allow me this in an "interactive" way.

So it''s definitely a matter of taste. Defender can''t hold me the way Fallout could, but I like both at different times.



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Just waiting for the mothership...

quote: Original post by dwarfsoft

Yeah naz, we are really Americanized over here in Aus. People wear around those jumpers with "USA" on them... Why they don''t rearrange them to "AUS" to be patriotic to there own country is beyond me! . We get a lot of US television over here too, and dis has definitely been picked up from there

You will become one with the borg.

You will __ALL__ become one with the borg.



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Just waiting for the mothership...