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SAY YOHO
Softside JANUARY, 1981
by Scott Adams
This month let's look at the rules I use to write what I consider a good compunovel. I feel that any compunovel will need to follow these rules fairly closely to become a success, though like any rules there are always exceptions.
#1 - LOGICAL CONSISTENCY
Is the compunovel logical? This is of course a very basic point that any compunovel writer needs to adhere to very closely or the results can be really disastrous.
Simple things like whether when exiting a room to the east you can get back by the going west are important and can completely ruin the feel of an otherwise fun program! (Unless of course it is in a logical place such as a maze or maybe lost in a desert and so on.)
Also very important: Do the responses fit the actions? If you drink a flask of water it would be extremely illogical to then develop a case of sunstroke and die. If a particular response doesn't fit the requested action, then there should be some sort of logical reason why not. An example might be the reason you developed sunstroke in the above was because the water had a specific drug in it.
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Whatever the reason is, though, it should become obvious to the player and not remain a secret with the author, or the believability of the game will suffer!
#2 - EXOTIC KNOWLEDGE SHOULD BE UNNECESSARY
Knowledge that is not common or readily available should not be required to complete a game, (though it might be required for special scoring). The man purpose of playing a compunovel is more to overcome obstacles and problems by using intelligence than by knowing something someone else doesn't.
Example: Needing to know the Russian word for cow before milking said beastie.
There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. If a compunovel was designed to educate in particular field, then it would be acceptable to force the player to learn what is needed. also, if a piece of knowledge is widespread and easy to find out, it would be acceptable such as knowing Morse Code.
#3 - ITEMS AND LOCATIONS SHOULD FIT THE PLOT
A dragon and magic words are quite appropriate in a fantasy adventure, but would be greatly out of place in a nuclease reactor!
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#4 - MULTI LEVELS OF DIFFICULTY
All problems and obstacles to overcome should not be of the same degree of difficulty or the player will either become extremely bored or extremely frustrated. Once obvious exception to this rule is when the program is written for a specific age group.
#5 - MORE WAYS TO SKIN THE CAT
Whenever it is possible (usually memory is a constraint here), try to have more than one way to reach a desired goal as not all people thick alike! Also along this line, it is a good idea to try to provide responses to all the different things a player might enter. (This is probably one of easiest rules to lay down and one of the hardest to follow!)
#6 - NO SUDDEN DEATH SYNDROME
Unless the plot is specifically written to need it (like DEATH DREADNAUGHT), it is not a good idea to capriciously kill off players without giving them some sort of warning ahead of time. This allows the clever player a chance to escape the doom the author has envisioned for them!
Many Thanks to David Librik
for sending the above article.
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