[arg_discuss] IF is not dead

[despain at quantumcontent.com]

One quote I found from that article, attributed to Emily Short, I found
particularly relivant to designing ARGS:

"I start by asking myself, 'What does the player do in this game? What
kind of interaction is he allowed? What influence do these actions have
during crisis points in the plot?'

"Then I try to structure the exploration portions of the game to teach the
player about the mode of interaction I've chosen for him. If it's a
conversation game, I encourage him to talk to people; if it's a game about
geography, I encourage him to wander; if it's a game about manipulating
things physically, I give lots of incentive to play with objects and see
how they interact.

"Then I present the player with crisis points at which that type of
interaction becomes important. Sometimes this takes the form of solving a
puzzle and moving the plot forward along a linear track; sometimes it
takes the form of making a choice, and moving the plot forward along one
of several conceivable branches.

"But the point is that I always try to design in such a way that I know
what the player's going to be allowed to change, when, and how; and teach
the player in advance what he needs to know in order to participate in the
story."

Wendy Despain
quantumcontent.com