[MUD-Dev] Self-Sufficient Worlds

[Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services]

Phinehas said:
> >> I know that the analogy is a bit of a stretch, but it seems
> >> to me that this is akin to saying that the perfect book is
> >> the one that the reader writes.  But many people purchase
> >> books that are written by others because they know that
> >> they are not very good authors themselves.  The $64,000
> >> question remains.  Can there really be such a thing as
> >> interactive story-telling, or is the term an oxymoron.  If
> >> we ever do end up with a truely interactive story, will it be
> >> something that people really want?
>

Lee replied: 
> > This seems like such a basic truth, that for so many to continue
> > to deny it (and several thousand years in the evolution of human
> > beings as storytelling mammals) can only be because of the
> > blindness mentioned in point 3, and the fear and suspicion
> > in the first paragraph.
> 

Zak Jarvis responded:

[snip]

> If you think of interactive storytelling in terms of a branching construct, 
you
> *do* reasonably arrive at the conclusion that it's not a desirable goal
> (usually, it can be used effectively if the branches are transparent enough).
> However, if you try to build an interactive story based around the way we tell
> ourselves the ongoing story of our lives, things become much easier.
> 
> A good example of this and how it can be done (albeit in a less dramatic, much
> more domestic sense) is Maxis' The Sims. For those of you who aren't familiar
> with the game (a single-player, retail product), here's a very brief synopsis:

Hmmm.  Is "interactive story" really the same thing as "simulated life?"  I'm 
not saying that it isn't.  I don't know.  But it seems that you've chosen to 
define it as such.  

When I think of story, I think of some type of vision or idea that goes beyond 
me, into which I am skillfully drawn.  This may not be a valid concept of story, 
but you can understand how such a concept is at odds with _total_ interaction to 
the point that vision and ideas are completely limited to my own contributions.  

So we are all storytellers.  No doubt we are also all artists.  But from what 
I've seen of your work, you are able to communicate your artistic vision in a 
way which I cannot.  Can art be interactive?  Well, I'm not going to plop down a 
lot of money for a blank canvas and the exhortation to make my own masterpiece, 
but I _might_ pay quite a bit for a painting that invites me to ask questions as 
I am drawn into the painter's vision.  This is what I mean regarding a balance 
between two seemingly competing forces: my desire to control, and my desire to 
grow beyond myself.  Perhaps this is what you meean by "acceptable abstraction?"
 
This isn't to say that I think games like Dark Zion are doomed to failure.  ON 
the contrary, I've been reading up on the game and I think it has a lot going 
for it.  It seems to me, however, that they are seeking the balance which lets 
the player feel that they have a lot of control, but at the same time attempts 
to give vision.  It will be interesting to see whether the level of abstraction 
they are attempting will be acceptable or not.

--Phinehas


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