作者：C.E. Forman

你已经解决了所有Infocom所发行的游戏；并且为了满足自己对于交互式小说的渴望，你已经在一些网站上上传了许多关于冒险类游戏的文本内容，但是这些却都远远不够。所以你必须采取最后的一步，即自己在电脑上编写这个冒险游戏。但是，你要如何做才能知道玩家是否会喜欢它？你要如何让游戏避免那些你在长期游戏时所见识到的漏洞和毛病？如何才能构成一款“优秀”冒险游戏的文本？

这就是我在这篇文章中想要告诉你们的答案。我亲自分析了一些我所喜欢的交互式小说，认真思考了我为何会喜欢这些游戏，并且列出一些能够提供给首次尝试冒险游戏设计的作家们一些帮助的共同特征。

但是你们也必须记住，这并不是一篇关于游戏编程的文章。这十点技巧主要是针对于游戏设计和游戏故事情节编写。我想在这里列出初学者通常会犯的一些错误，以及他们容易陷入的一些误区。

你也许会问“你这个人是谁？我从未听说过这个人！”的确，我从7岁开始就热衷于读交互式小说，并且自己也尝试着写了一些冒险类故事。而那时候的我之所以不能成功推出属于自己的冒险游戏便是受到这篇文章提到的这些问题的阻碍。（当然了，因为我那时候才12岁，所以我也不会使用一些基本的编程语言。）现在，我正致力于几款新游戏的开发，而因为意识到了这些问题的存在，这几款游戏的质量将会更有保障。真心希望你们能够从我的教训中收获经验。

1.设计一个优秀的语法分析器

这是任何交互式小说中一个非常重要的元素，而且也是新手们很容易会忽视的一点。即使一款冒险游戏设计再优秀，如果不能够传达给玩家他们所喜欢的内容，那也不能够长期吸引他们的关注。早前的冒险游戏，如最初的《Adventure in Colossal Cave》以及《Scott Adams》系列游戏都使用了最原始的动名词语法分析器，即每次指令只能够接受2个单词。因为那时候，电脑资源还非常有限，所以标准的语法分析器也非常有限，从而使那时候的玩家留下了许多遗憾。

在20世纪70年代末，Infocom引进了Zork Implementation（ZL）语法分析器，它可以说是今天我们所使用的语法分析器的标准。如果你正在使用Infocom的设计工具，如Inform或者TADS，那么开发一个优秀的语法分析器就不再是个问题了。相反地，如果你想自己编写语法分析器，那么你需要自己选择一个适当的同义词库并针对每个名词和动词使用一些同义词。在你的冒险游戏中设置一些谜题作为挑战；但是不要强迫玩家们去“猜测某些动词。”

除此之外，如果你的语法分析器能够提供越多内容，那么这对你的游戏发展将会越有利。撤销命令，内置提示，让玩家能够安装功能键作为打字的快捷键，以及自动绘图等设置都能够缓解玩家在游戏中的挫败感。

2.使用一个适当的谜题结构

不要只是强迫着玩家漫无目的地从一个谜题游荡到另一个谜题，或者强迫他们暂时停止游戏进程，直到最后完全解决了谜题。为你的谜题结构分类，并尽可能地确保它是属于非线形结构。交叉设置你的谜题，并让玩家能够采取各种不同的方法进行冒险。也就是说，不要让玩家只能使用一种方法解决谜题，给予玩家更多的灵活性。在游戏中唯一为玩家特定设置好的解决路线只存在于游戏结尾，即在所有谜题分支都会汇聚在一起而形成游戏的最终挑战。

Leather Goddesses of Phobos 2(from scummvm.org)

谜题衔接性也很重要。确保每个谜题之间都有相连性。如果你有一个极富挑战的谜题，但是这个谜题却不适用于你的冒险游戏，那么你就无需再徒劳地去琢磨这个谜题了。你可以保留这个谜题，在其它适合的游戏中使用。如果你不能合理使用这些谜题，你便很容易将自己绕如一个复杂的迷宫里。冒险游戏写手总是将一个迷宫安插在游戏中而让游戏变得更加复杂，但是在实际上，这却是不恰当的做法，并且对游戏也没有太大的帮助。绘制游戏地图很枯燥，在今天的冒险游戏中迷宫也经常会让玩家们抓狂，除非这些迷宫中存在一些特别的转折点（如《Leather Goddesses of Phobos》中的“地下墓穴”），或者无需牵扯到绘图机制（如《The Lurking Horror》中的“水道”）。总之，设计者应该问问自己：“这个谜题是否与游戏有所联系，或者它只是为了存在而存在？”如果答案是后者，你便可以废除这个谜题。

3.平衡谜题的难度

如果玩家来到了冒险游戏的最后关卡但却发现，最终挑战的难度系数甚至低于之前他们所面临的谜题，那么游戏又有何乐趣呢？在大多数情况下，最优秀的冒险游戏就是能够适当衡量谜题难度的游戏。先设置简单的谜题，让玩家顺利进入游戏，然后随着玩家的深入而慢慢提升谜题的难度。但是我并不是说不能在游戏初始设置具有难度或者容易混淆的谜题，而是这些游戏谜题的设置一定不能超越玩家在最初阶段的能力水平。

当然了，关于谜题难度的最重要因素便是这些难度必须以游戏整体为出发点进行考虑。如果你的游戏是针对资深玩家，那么你便可以有针对性地为他们设计谜题。而如果你的目标用户是新手，那么你可以设置一些较为简单，或者是只有一两个步骤的谜题。在任何情况下，你都应该在玩家完成一个费解的谜题后给予他们一定的奖励。你会发现有许多玩家因为不满谜题设置而对游戏失去兴趣。

4.让游戏世界和谜题具有逻辑性

这虽然是一个常识，但却很容易被忽视。如果你正在编写一款科幻类冒险游戏，那么你就更需要重视相关的物理定律。不要让你的玩家在外太空漂浮但却没穿任何太空服。虽然在科幻游戏中，现实主义比较没那么重要，但是即使是魔幻的世界也不应该忽视这一点。你需要确保游戏中的一切都具有意义。特别在在谜题区域中。避免让玩家接触一些没有逻辑或缺少目的性的内容。如果你的冒险世界越具有现实性，那么就越能够吸引玩家的注意。

5.具有描述性

你已经创造了一个别样的世界，那么为何不让你的玩家真正去感受这个世界的魅力？你是否记得自己有多少次面临如此蹩脚的地理位置描述，如“你正在一片森林里，”“你位于一座高崖的下方，”“你正在一个山洞外，”等等？“交互式小说”并不是一个随意的术语——游戏必须让玩家像是探索一本优秀的小说，并向其中添加自己的想法。所以，要让玩家看看你所创造的世界，就像你最喜欢的小说作家为你创造世界那样。

但是你也要记住，千万别让单调的文字描述束缚了你的玩家。如果你不能为玩家提供互动交流的机会，他们可能会觉得还不如去读书。所以不要陷入描述的困境中。通常情况下，你的描述最多只能够占用一半的屏幕空间，而其实这种极限出现的频率也不高。而如果一个特殊的谜题必须提供更多文本描述给玩家，那么一两个全屏空间也是可以接受的。（《Zork III》的“mirror box”便是个例子）。不要让玩家反复阅读文本，除非他们自己想这么做。确保你的语法分析器中带有选择设置，能让玩家改变描述空间。使用短语，如“你在森林里”，而当玩家第二次看到这个短语便知道自己该怎么做了。（确保玩家可以根据自己的需要获得更适当的描述。）

既然我们提到了这个问题，我想在此提及关于这一主题的一些变化。在房间描述中，玩家都希望能够看到不同位置中的物体或功能（游戏邦注：例如，一家酒馆里有一个壁炉，一个吧台，几张桌子以及凳子）。当你打出“检查你的凳子”这几个字时，如果玩家的回应是“我不知道‘凳子’这个单词”，那你肯定会很郁闷吧！因为如果玩家有了这种反应，那么他们下一步的做法将会是对你的游戏感到失望而退出游戏。所以你必须重视这一点，才能避免这种糟糕的情况。如果你将在位置描述中安插关于某物体的描述，那么你最好让玩家能够亲自感受这个物体，即使这种感受幅度并不大。即使是一个简单的句子，如“这些椅子并没有任何特别意义”也可以。

infocom_zork1(from yois.if-legends.org)

当我在玩基于《Zork》（游戏邦注：最早的一款文字冒险游戏）的MUD游戏时，描述性便是我遇到的最大的问题之一。当玩家看到“基于《Zork》”时，他们可能会期望能够从游戏中感受到Infocom所给予的同等现实主义，但是让他们失望的是，事实并非如此。我也曾经发现自己很难与游戏声称在我周围的那些内容互动，我恐怕这是游戏规则的设置问题而非异常情况。

6.公平对待玩家

我当然知道，生活本身并不公平，不管是过去，现在还是未来。但是冒险游戏世界并不是现实生活；这只是一种娱乐形式。而唯一能够让玩家从中感受到娱乐的方法便是，公平对待他们。以下是你应该遵循的一些指导方针：

不要让游戏陷入一个极其复杂的困境中，并且确保提供给玩家一定的指示和帮助。而在这里并不存在任何明确的界限，你只能依靠自己的判断做出决定。就像是Infocom的《Enchanter》这款游戏中的“KULCAD”咒语。玩家必须使用这种咒语去驱散无尽的螺旋式楼梯幻觉，并且这也是他们能够用来克服特殊障碍的唯一方法。你还可以使用“KULCAD”去摆脱戒备森严的门卫以及看守着宝盒的“Gordian Knot”。尽管你完成了其中一项，但是却并未使用咒语，那你也不能够赢得游戏。尽管玩家会因此受到挫折，但是我仍旧不认为这种方法不公平，因为如果你使用咒语去对付其它内容而非楼梯，那么你的主人“Belboz”便会出现并警告你邪恶的“Krill”将会威胁你的安全。如果你得到了暗示那便是个不错的情况。另一方面，我也曾经听到不少人抱怨过游戏中的“咒语”，因为你也许会无意间做出一些失序的事并因此错失胜利的良机，但是在整个过程中游戏却从未给予你任何指示。所以，为了避免游戏和玩家的麻烦，你应该在玩家无意让自己陷入麻烦之前给予他们一些相关提示或信息。（但是另一方面，如果在一开始就将所有信息透露给玩家，这也不是一个明智的做法，因为玩家会因此无需任何暗示而找到任何结果。你只需要在玩家左右为难的时候给予适当的暗示便足以。）同时，如果你希望玩家能够继续追逐自己所丢失的道具，那么最好的方法便是让他们能够在之前找到这个道具的同一个场所继续搜索。例如，当他们吃掉一颗苹果或者遗失掉这颗苹果时，让他们能够再次从树上摘得一颗苹果。然后如果你面临的是一个特殊的道具，如“KULCAD”咒语，那么这种做法就不适合了。而这时你就必须再次发挥你的判断力。

不要总是要求玩家高瞻远瞩。目录管理是冒险游戏中非常重要的一部分，因为在这类型游戏中玩家能够承载的内容真的很少。玩家经常会进入一个新的领域，但却只能携带一定的数量的道具。如果他们进入了一座地牢，很显然他们便需要光源，武器，食物和水，但是如果他们需要的道具较为模糊，你就应该提前给予他们暗示。当然了，玩家在游戏中也可以复苏，但是重新回到早前的区域或者记录那些保存文件都是很困难的工作。最好能够让玩家清楚什么道具是多余的，如此玩家才不用废无用功去收集它们。不要让玩家总是有无尽的道具需要收集与选择。我很少遇到哪款游戏能够帮助玩家在游戏进程中好好管理目录。换言之，如果玩家使用了2种道具去解决谜题，那么这两种道具就会从目录中被排除出去。随后他会找到另外一个目标并添加到目录中，然后在解决另外一个谜题时而排除它，以此类推。如果你拥有一些道具是不能够重复使用的，那么这便是一个不错的技巧。

不要在一开始就对玩家施压。如果你在游戏的一开始便为玩家设定了一大片探索领域，那么你就需要为他们指明正确的前进方向。Legend Entertainment的《TimeQuest》便是一个很典型的例子。在游戏中玩家可以在80个不同的时空中穿梭着，而其中一些是他们在游戏的一开始便能够到达，而如此广阔的领域让玩家们倍感压力。但是这款游戏在一开始便把你带回了公元前44年的古罗马时期，这不仅给予了玩家们明确的方向感，并且能够帮助他们在游戏的发展中开拓道路。除此之外，所有重要的时空都标记在了游戏的文件中，以便玩家能够清楚哪里是最重要的区域。而因此让他们能够更简单地开始游戏。

始终给予玩家奖励。当玩家解决了一个复杂的谜题时，可以奖励他们一个特别的道具或者一些能量。根据Joseph Campbell（游戏邦注：他是一位伟大的学者，喜欢研究所有伟大神话的共同之处）对于神话的研究，英雄所面临的挑战总是越来越困难，但是他们却能够因此获得更多更好的奖励。而这种观点也同样适用于冒险游戏中。

不要创造那种必须在特定时间限制中解决的谜题，除非你能够给予玩家合理的暗示。包括告诉玩家他们在哪里做错了，但是千万记得不要在游戏中侮辱他们。你必须足够聪明，但是千万杜绝口头攻击。

随机事件可以为冒险游戏增添乐趣，但是这必须依赖于玩家是否会因为这些随机事件幸存或者死亡。我曾经便遇到过这种问题。玩家要想越过一个深坑，就必须在上面放置一块树桩。但是无论你怎么做最终都会掉落到第一层。这该多让人沮丧啊！而如果存在一个特定的选择方法，那么这种情况也就不再那么糟糕了。举个例子来说，在游戏《Sorcerer》中，玩家共有10%的机会能够成功逃出峡谷，但是如果他们选择使用飞行咒语，他们便随时都可以逃离。

也许你会说：“这是我的游戏，我想做什么就做什么，管玩家是否觉得公平！”如果你始终抱着这种态度，那么很快地玩家将会慢慢地远离你的冒险游戏。不尊重读者的文学作家称不上是真正的文学作家。所以对于交互式小说作者来说也是相同道理。玩家是你的生命源泉，他们能够让你的游戏获得真正的价值。如果你写游戏只是基于自己的心情，这并没错，但是你的游戏便不能够因此得到重视。从玩家的角度去思考自己希望得到何种对待，因为毕竟，他们是你游戏的终端用户。

7.不要害怕杀死玩家

在游戏中，不要总是小心翼翼地保护着玩家，如果他们不能够采取明智的行动，那么就应该让他们经历死亡。死亡是冒险游戏中很正常的一部分。如果《Zork Trilogy》中没有任何可怕与死亡的威胁，那么这款游戏又有何乐趣？《潜伏惊骇》亦是如此。我们的自尊心也不允许自己在做出一些愚蠢的事后还苟存着或者看到一个蹩脚的暗示说：“这么做将会杀了你自己，所以你千万别尝试它”？不管你信不信，比起想尽办法挽救玩家角色的性命，寻找一些新的有创意的方法去杀死那些游戏角色会更有趣。对于玩家的过分纵容只会让他们对游戏感到失望而已。除此之外，这也是一个能够帮助你逃脱谋杀的方法之一。如果你在游戏中安插了“撤销”指令，那就放手让玩家去执行它吧。

8.同样关注创造挑战与创造故事

虽然谜题很有趣，但是对于冒险游戏来说故事仍然是主轴。比起让玩家漫无目的地徘徊着去解决谜题，创造故事也许更能够推动玩家向前进。意外的剧情转折或者新的非玩家角色的出现都能够活跃故事的基调，特别是出现在玩家受到谜题困扰时。谜题只能够让游戏走得更远，但是却不能让玩家陪伴左右。

另外一个要点便是，游戏必须具有好的开始与好的结局。不过，也不一定要好的开始。有些游戏作者希望能够让游戏加载后便开始运行，就像《Zork I》，而也有些作者则希望在一开始先在屏幕上介绍一些文本内容，就像《Beyond Zork》。还有些游戏，如《Zork Zero》和《Demon’s Tomb》都只有一些较短的开场白，深深地贴近游戏，但却只用到几个术语进行表达。任何一种方法都可以用来开启一款游戏。

好的结局是必不可少的。如果能够得到一句鼓励的话语“恭喜你获胜了”你是否愿意努力去完成游戏？一个好的结局必须将所有未知结局联系在一起，如果你还在编写游戏续篇，那么这个结局也能够为它们设下铺垫，并让玩家有一种真正的成就感。好的结局能够长期留在玩家心中，但是坏的结局却没有这种效果。

9.在游戏中包含所有最佳信息源

很多时候，当你在编写游戏简介时，你总是只想透露那些关于游戏世界的相关内容，而让玩家自己去了解关于这个世界的各种细节。如果你的世界很大很复杂，那么你便可以在游戏中添加一些信息源，帮助玩家前行。你可以在游戏中设置百科全书（Infocom便经常使用这种方法），报纸内容，电脑数据库或者其它信息储存形式。除此之外，你还可以让角色去帮助你传达信息，玩家可以在游戏中向这些角色询问关于其他人，地点或者物体的信息。如果你传达给玩家更多关于游戏世界的信息，那么游戏就会变得更加复杂且更加现实。

10.维持游戏的寿命

当玩家摸透了游戏规则后，再好的冒险游戏也终究会变成无人问津的吸尘器。但是，作家却可以通过额外的努力去阻止，或者推延这种情况的发生。让你设置的谜题拥有多种解决方法。想出各种不同的死亡方法或者让玩家能尝试各种幽默的技巧。依靠玩家在游戏过程中所采用的多种不同做法，冒险游戏也能够拥有许多不同的结局。而所有的这些不同都能够让玩家在多次尝试游戏后还愿意继续游戏。《Zork》和《Enchanter》系列都是非常典型的例子。因为即使玩过多次游戏，我也能在下一次游戏时发现一些新的惊喜。即一点点额外的编程内容就能够让游戏获得更加长久。

如果你不能维持游戏的寿命，那么你就应该好好思考下你最初的设计是否存在问题。设计一款基于文本的优秀冒险游戏真的是一个长久复杂，甚至经常让人受挫的任务，但是当你完成了游戏制作，你便会觉得所有的一切都是值得的。而在这类型游戏中，交互式小说更是非常重要，并且我衷心地希望我所列出的所有技巧能够引导你成功地创造优秀的游戏。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

10 Steps to Great Game Design

by C.E. Forman

You’ve solved every Infocom game ever released. You’ve FTP’d countless text adventure games from Internet sites in a desperate attempt to quench your insatiable thirst for interactive fiction, but still it’s not enough. So you decide to take the final step, to write your own parser adventure. But–how do you know for sure that people will like it? How can you avoid making the same mistakes you’ve seen in many of the quests you’ve been playing for years? What exactly constitutes a “good” text adventure game?

That’s what I’m here to help you with. I’ve taken it upon myself to analyze my favorite works of interactive fiction, determine why they’re my faves, and compile a list of their common characteristics that first-time adventure writers can use for reference.

Keep in mind that this is not an article on programming a game. These ten tips deal exclusively with game design and the authoring of the game’s storyline. My intent here is to point out the most common mistakes beginners make, and identify methods of avoiding falling into these traps.

You may be asking yourself, “Who is this guy anyway? I’ve never heard of him in my entire life!” True, true. I have been a fan of interactive fiction since I was seven years old, and I have even written a couple of my own adventures. That you’ve never seen my name anywhere should tell you that my games have fallen prey to most if not all of the problems I’m pointing out in this article. (Of course, I was confined to using BASIC as my sole programming language. Plus I was only twelve at the time.) Right now, I’m working on a couple of new games, and perhaps this time they’ll turn out to be quite a bit better. Hopefully you’ll be able to learn from my mistakes, too.

1. Develop a good parser.

This is the single most important element of any work of interactive fiction. Unfortunately, it’s also the one most frequently neglected by beginners. Even the most cleverly designed adventure games, such as the original “Adventure in Colossal Cave” and the Scott Adams series, used crude, verb-and-noun parsers that accepted only two words in each command. Due to the limitations of computers in those days, a standard parser’s vocabulary was often very limited, leaving gamers dissatisfied.

The Zork Implementation Parser introduced by Infocom in the late 1970s is really the accepted standard for parsers today. If you’re using an IF design tool such as Inform or TADS, developing a good parser isn’t as much of a problem. If, on the other hand, you’ve decided to write your own parser, pick yourself up a good thesaurus and use several common synonyms for each noun and verb. Make your puzzles the challenge of your adventure; don’t force players to “guess the verb.”

In addition, the more options you can supply your parser with, the better. An “undo” command, built-in hints, the ability to allow players to configure the function keys as typing shortcuts, and automatic mapping will all contribute to the reduction of frustration on the part of the player.

2. Use good puzzle structuring.

Don’t just force players to wander aimlessly from one puzzle to the next, halting their progress completely until they solve the only available puzzle. Branch out your puzzle structure and make it as nonlinear as possible. Interweave your puzzles with one another and allow players multiple paths through the adventure. That is, don’t make players solve the puzzles in the same order every time; give them some flexibility. The only point in the game where there should be only one path for the player to follow is at the conclusion, where all the branches of puzzles come together to form a final challenge.

Puzzle connectivity is also important. Make sure each puzzle “fits in” with all the others. If you have an extremely challenging puzzle, but you can’t make it fit logically into your adventure, don’t just throw it in for the sake of using it. Save it and use it in another game, where it is appropriate. One of the biggest abuses of this that I’ve seen comes in the form

of mazes. Often adventure writers will simply throw in a maze to make the game more difficult, when in reality it is totally inappropriate and has nothing to do with the game at all.

Making maps of games is tedious, and mazes are generally frowned upon in adventure games today, unless they have a truly unique twist (such as the catacombs in “Leather Goddesses of Phobos”), or can be solved without mapping (such as the wet tunnels in “The Lurking Horror”). In summary, designers should ask themselves this: “Is this puzzle connected to the game in some way, or is it in the game merely for the sake of its own existence?” If it’s the latter, you should probably consider scrapping it.

3. Balance the difficulty of your puzzles.

What’s the fun of getting all the way to the end of an adventure only to discover that the final challenge is the easiest puzzle in the history of the universe? In most cases, the best adventure games are the ones that curve the difficulty of their puzzles. Keep ‘em fairly simple at first, to allow the player to get into the game, then gradually raise the challenge as players go deeper into it. Don’t get me wrong. It’s perfectly okay to throw in a difficult or obscure puzzle or two in the early stages of the game, but the key is not to overwhelm the player at the outset.

Of course, the primary deciding factor as to the difficulty of the puzzles should be how difficult you’ve chosen to make the game as a whole. If you’re writing for expert players, design your puzzles accordingly. If beginners are your target audience, include a lot of simple, one- or two- step puzzles. In all cases, after a particularly arduous puzzle, reward the player with a few simpler ones. You’d be surprised at how many players lose interest when a game’s puzzles aren’t balanced.

4. Make your world and puzzles logical

This one is basically just common sense, but it’s still sometimes overlooked. If you’re writing a sci-fi adventure, pay attention to the laws of physics. Don’t let players enter the vacuum of space and survive without spacesuits. Realism is less of a problem in fantasy games, as much can be justified by the use of magic. The point, though, is to make sure everything makes sense in some way. This is especially important in the area of puzzles. Avoid making players do things that have no logic or purpose behind them. The more realistic your adventure, the more it will draw players in.

5. Be descriptive.

You’ve created a whole other world, so why not let the player enjoy the beauty of it? How many times have you played a game with such lame location descriptions as “You are in a forest,”

“You are at the bottom of a tall cliff,” “You are outside a cave,” etc.? The term “interactive fiction” is not an arbitrary one–players are essentially exploring a form of writing, much like a good novel, and adding their own input to it. So let the player see the world you’ve created, much like your favorite fiction authors let you see theirs.

Take care, though, not to overwhelm your players with prose. If you give them little opportunity to interact, they just might decide that they may as well be reading a book. Don’t get too bogged down in descriptions. Usually half the screen is the absolute maximum for a room or object description, and this limit should only be reached on rare occasions. However, if a particular puzzle requires a lot of text in order for the player to see it, one or two full screens are acceptable. (A good example of this case is the mirror box in “Zork III”.) Don’t make players read the text over and over unless they want to, though. Make sure your parser has the option of changing the length of room descriptions. Using phrases such as “You are in the forest” the second time a player goes there is perfectly acceptable. (Just make sure that players can still get a better description if they want it.)

While we’re at it, I’d like to mention one variation on this subject. Most players, when writing good room descriptions, like to include several objects or features in each location (for example, a tavern might have a fireplace, a bar, and several tables and stools). Nothing is more aggravating than typing “EXAMINE THE STOOLS” only to be told, “I don’t know the word ‘stools.’” This is guaranteed to instantaneously shatter the fantasy and destroy any hope of players ever really getting into the game. Do this enough, and you’ll alienate them forever. If you’re going to put an object in the location’s description, you’d better let the player interact with it, even if it’s only in a limited way. Just a message saying, “There’s nothing special about the stools.” will suffice.

Incidentally, I feel that this is one of the biggest problems with the Zork-based MUDs I’ve played. Players see that term, “Zork-based,” and they telnet in expecting the same level of realism that Infocom gave us, and unfortunately, they rarely, if ever, get it. I myself have on occasion experienced difficulty in simply trying to interact with what the game claims is in the scene with me, and I’m afraid this is the rule rather than the exception.

6. Be fair to the player.

I know, I know. Life isn’t fair. Never has been, never will be. But adventure games aren’t real life; they’re a form of entertainment. And the only way players will be entertained is if they’re treated fairly. Here are some general guidelines you should follow to ensure that this is the case:

Don’t let the game get into an unsolvable state too much, without giving the player some indication of it. There’s no definite line here, so you’ll have to use your own judgment. As an example, consider the KULCAD scroll in Infocom’s “Enchanter”. (Warning! Spoiler to follow…) You are supposed to use this spell to dispel the illusion of the infinite winding staircase, as this is the only way to overcome this particular obstacle. However, you can also use KULCAD to get rid of the guarded doorway and the Gordian Knot around the jeweled box. If you do one of these, though, the scroll is gone and you can’t win the game. Despite the frustration that could be caused by this, I still don’t consider it unfair, because if you use the spell on anything other than the stairs, your master Belboz will appear before you and warn you that the evil Krill has been alerted to your presence. You receive a definite hint that maybe there was a better way. On the other hand, I’ve heard numerous complaints about the game “Curses” because you can inadvertently do something out of sequence and blow any chance of being able to win, and no indication whatsoever is given. So save yourself and your players a lot of trouble, and give some kind of message if they unintentionally do something to get themselves stuck.

(On the other hand, throwing all your possessions off a cliff is not a very smart move to begin with, and players should be able to figure this out without a hint. Only tell them they’ve screwed up big-time if there’s a chance they can’t determine that for themselves.) Incidentally, a good way to allow players to keep going after they’ve lost an item is to allow them to re-obtain the item in the place they originally got it. For instance, allow them to pick another apple off the tree if they eat or lose the one they originally got. However, when you’re dealing with a unique item, such as the KULCAD scroll, this isn’t a feasible option. Again, you’ll have to use your own judgment here.

Don’t force the player to have too much foresight. Inventory management is a crucial part of an adventure game in which the number of things a player can carry is limited. Often players will wander into a new location and only be able to take so much along with him. Obviously, if they’re going into a dungeon they’ll need a light source, a weapon, and probably some food and water, but if they’re going to need something less obvious, you’d be wise to provide a hint beforehand. Of course, players can always restore, but going through a lot of moves to get back to where they was before can be frustrating, and too many save files can become difficult to keep track of. It’s best to give players a general idea of which items they won’t need and thus can leave behind. Don’t make them pick and choose too much. A few very good games I’ve seen are designed so that the player’s inventory is pretty much managed as the game progresses.

That is, the player uses two items to solve a puzzle, thus removing them from his inventory. Then she finds another object and adds it, and later gets rid of it in another puzzle, and so on. If you have items that don’t have multiple uses, this is a good technique to use.

Don’t overwhelm players at the start. If you have a large area they can explore in the beginning, you’d be wise to point them in the right direction to start with. Legend Entertainment’s “TimeQuest” is a perfect example of this. With 80 different time-places to visit, any of which can be reached from the beginning, it’s vast enough to make the player feel burdened. But this game directs you to Rome in 44 B.C. from the start, which gives them a sense of direction and helps you establish a path through the game. In addition, the most crucial time-places are all listed in the game’s documentation, so the player knows where the important places are. This makes it easier to get started.

Don’t put off the entire reward until the end. Congratulate players when they solve a difficult puzzle, possibly by giving them a special item or power. According to Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, the challenges a hero faces become more and more difficult as his quest continues, but the rewards become greater. This should apply to adventure games as well.

Don’t create puzzles that absolutely have to be solved within a specific time frame, unless you give the player a reasonable hint.
Include good error messages in your program to tell players if they’re doing something wrong, but don’t insult players in the process. Be clever, but not verbally abusive.

Random events are good for spicing up adventure games, but never, EVER base the decision of whether a player lives or dies upon the outcome of a random-number generator. I mention this because I did it once. The player had to cross a pit by placing a wooden plank over it and then walking across. But you fell in 1f the time anyway. Talk about frustrating! The only instance where this is at all acceptable is when there is an alternative solution that is not random. For example, in Sorcerer, players have a 10% chance of successfully jumping a gorge, but if they use a flying spell, they’ll get across every time.

You might be saying, “Well, this is my game, so I’ll do whatever the hell I want, and I don’t care whether the player thinks it’s fair or not!” Keep sending this attitude, and pretty soon you won’t have any players who care about finishing your adventure. Book authors who don’t show respect for their readers don’t stay book authors for very long. The same holds true for interactive fiction writers. Players are your lifeblood; they keep your game alive. If you want to write games solely for your own pleasure, that’s fine, but you won’t gain any recognition from doing it. Treat your players as you would treat a paying customer, because after all, that’s essentially what they are.

7. Don’t be afraid to kill a player off.

At the same time, don’t hold the player’s hand all the way through the game. Let them experience a game death if their actions aren’t clever enough. Dying is a natural part of adventure games. Can you picture what the Zork Trilogy would be like without the constant threat of being eaten by a grue in a dark place? And just try to imagine “The Lurking Horror” without death!

Which would you rather see after doing something intentionally stupid in an adventure–a detailed, possibly amusing, account of your alter-ego’s untimely demise? Or a lame message saying,”That would kill you, so I’m not even going to let you try it”? Believe it or not, it’s FUN to try to find new and inventive ways to kill off your character (especially after you’ve already finished the game). Pampering players with feelings of invincibility is only going to make them severely disappointed. And besides, this is one of the few ways you can get away with murder nowadays. If you’ve put an UNDO command into your game, don’t be afraid to let players use it.

8. Concentrate equally on creating challenges and building the story.

Puzzles are fun, but the story itself should be the main point of an adventure game. Rather than having the player wander aimlessly around solving puzzles, develop the story as the player moves along. An unexpected plot twist or the introduction of a new NPC can really liven things up, especially when it occurs in the midst of a good puzzle. Puzzles alone can only carry a game so far.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a game should have a good introduction and ending. Actually, an introduction is optional. Some writers may prefer to simply have the game begin as soon as it loads, much like “Zork I”, while others may choose to follow the route of “Beyond Zork” and have introductory text spanning several screens. A few games, such as “Zork Zero” and “Demon’s Tomb”, even have short prologues–opening sequences which play much like the game itself, but which exist for only a limited number of terms. Any of these methods will suffice.

A good ending, though, is indispensable. Is it worth struggling through a game just to be rewarded with the words, “Congratulations, you win”? A good game ending should tie up any and all loose ends the story may still have, pave the way for the sequel if you’re writing a series of games, and leave players feeling as though they have truly accomplished something. Good endings will be read again and again by players, but I can guarantee that a lame ending will only be seen once.

9. Include good information sources in your game.

Most of the time, when writing the game’s introduction, you’ll want to tell the players only so much about your world. Let them learn the various intricacies and details of it themselves.

If your world is vast and complex, build several sources of information into your game to help the player accomplish this. You could implement an encyclopedia (Infocom uses these inseveral games), newspapers, a computer database, or some other form of information storage (the tape spools in Stationfall come to mind). In addition, you might want to make one or morecharacters act as primary information sources. The player could then ask those characters about various people, places, or things in the game. The more you tell the player about yourworld, the more complex and realistic it will appear.

10. Keep the game’s longevity intact.

A lot of good adventure games become dust collectors after players have solved them. Often this can be prevented, or at least delayed, by a little extra effort on the part of the author.

Give some of your puzzles multiple solutions. Think up imaginative ways of dying and humorous tricks for the player to try. Some adventures even have multiple endings depending on variousthings the player has done (or not done) during the course of the game. All of these things can keep players interested for quite some time after they’ve been through the entire game. The”Zork” and “Enchanter” series are particularly good examples of this tip. I’m still finding things buried in them that I never knew existed. A little extra programming can go a long way.

If you see yourself making any of these mistakes, you might consider rethinking at least part of your original design. Designing a good text adventure is a long, complicated, involving, and extremely frustrating task, but in the end it can be very rewarding. Good interactive fiction is always in demand, and I sincerely hope I have enlightened you and guided you toward successfully creating your own. （source:xyzzynews）