> Another thing I'd like to comment on is the following. Several people
> have pointed out that "Zebulon" isn't too inventive as a game, but
> is just yet another variation on a much-used theme.
[snip]
> [...] That meant that I had less than a month to finish "Zebulon". I
> definitely didn't want to rush out an inferior product; I'm a bit of a
> perfectionist, and take pride in doing a good job. Rather than having
> an inventive but shoddily implemented game, I decided to go for a simple
> but solid piece of work. This meant keeping puzzles, NPC's and actions
> simple enough to avoid any difficult programming problems, and
> concentrate on plot, consistency, atmosphere and writing. [ ... ]
I haven't played your game, Magnus, but your comments above make me
want to. I enjoy discovering something 'new' and 'inventive' in a game
as much as the next person, but this newsgroup may (understandably)
place more emphasis on this aspect than the non-author player would. There
are lots of bad-to-mediocre games around; as long as a game has the
elements you were striving for (plot, consistency, atmosphere and writing),
I find it enjoyable. They are all important, and if any one of them is
missing, no amount of 'inventiveness' is going to make the game a really
satisfactory experience. For me, being _immersed_ in another world, even a
mundane one, is the raison d-etre of IF.
Dennis Carlyle
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