Re: Film Noir Simulation

[WFreitag@aol.com]

Kenneth Lu writes:
> Actually, one aspect I'm wondering about is whether I can avoid the
> "high score" style of objective, and make uncovering the connections
> its own reward.  That is, I'm trying to imagine a game where there
> isn't necessarily a score at all.. but that there is enough variation
> in gameplay and the dynamically/interactively generated storylines,
> that the gameplay itself IS the objective.

This sounds like a fine idea to me. But allow me to point out that very few 
recent computer or video games have scores. Generally, only abstract puzzle 
games (like Tetris) use scores. I haven't played a new game, other than 
puzzle games, with a score in six or seven years, and I play a lot of games. 
(Sports sim games have scores too, but that hardly counts, as it would be 
tough to simulate e.g. baseball realistically without a score.)

Of course, built-in goals remain characteristic of games. In most games the 
goals are very specific. In some cases, there is a variety of possible goals 
from which the player can self-select. This is the norm for massively 
multipayer online role playing games. In other cases, there is a variety of 
player-selected goals but one overriding goal that each subgoal contributes 
to, where not every subgoal is required to achieve the main goal. Sim games 
often offer a challenging goal, but also allow toy-like play when the player 
ignores that goal. The evolutionary trend is toward increasing amounts of 
such flexibility.

A solitaire interactive world that can keep generating new goals (as the 
multi-player online games already do via human agency) would be a great 
development. 

Note that this is quite different from having no goals at all. Goals are as 
central to narrative as they are to games. The only difference is that in 
narrative we usually focus more on the motivation for a goal -- that is, the 
conflict -- than on the goal itself. No goal would imply no conflict, which 
implies no story.

If you wish to make uncovering the connections its own reward, you must 
determine what conflict the act of uncovering the connections resolves. The 
player's curiosity (I want to know, and I don't know) may be sufficient 
conflict in itself, if the connections are sufficiently fascinating. This is 
a tall order, though. Most audiences might need a bit more narrative impetus. 
A novelist who wishes to portray an outside observer exploring the webs of 
relationships, past connections, conflicts, and intrigues among a group of 
people usually arranges for one member of the group to murder another first. 
I'd love to get away from the solve-the-murder role (and its SF cousin, the 
figure-out-who-the-suicidal-saboteur-is-before-the-hidden-bomb-destroys-the-sp

ace-station-and-kills-everyone role) but I'm skeptical on whether uncovering 
relationships without some sort of overriding goal would generate sufficient 
interest. What do others think about this question?

- Walt