Exchange of experience - Russian glitches: The Island of Darkness Game (how NOT to write adventyurnye game).

<b>Exchange of experience</b> - Russian glitches: The Island of Darkness Game (how NOT to write adventyurnye game).

     I ask the author of the program described below
do not take offense at me. If it reads
this story as if we were talking about
someone else's program, you learn a lot about
how NOT to write adventyurnye program.


     Dr. Laser


             RUSSIAN TRIP


         or disassembly in the dark


     I, Dr. Laser, welcome you to
Program RUSSIAN TRIP ". Today we have
Game by Paul Moskow - "Island of
darkness ". Well, what can we say about this
game? It begins with what you
report that your vehicle is hit by a storm and
crashed off a mysterious island, and you
ashore. What was that ship - military, commercial or passenger 
(and maybe even a pirate) - is unknown. Do not tell by whom you 
were this ship - an officer, sailor, or

passenger (and maybe even a pirate). Who
fault that the ship had crashed, too
unknown.

     And so, in such a situation, you start the game, standing 
on the beach. By the way, it is unclear why standing up? 
Difficult imagine that a man stranded sea wave, was able to 
maintain standing position. If you give the command 
"Inventory," then you will be advised: "customary clothing 
(wearing). "Looks like for the performance This team is 
responsible "person of Caucasian nationality. "And in general, 
it is unclear which means "plain clothes"? Normal for

Who? Or the author calculated that each
the user will be the hero in
normal for their clothes?

     But go ahead. You can go
to the north or south. If you go to the north,
you can stumble on trails leading to
to the east. Going by him, you go to
tree on which you can climb. Find someone who left their traces 
on no tree or the tree could not be (but

There I found a fruit resembling a tomato). It turns out that 
these traces are left very tree, but that it grows tomatoes,

makes it even more strange.

     Farther north are the remains of your vehicle. But to find 
out the name of the ship and what he is is, you are unlikely, 
because of all the debris remained only one box in

which (if you believe the post) are
your personal belongings. One of them is
spyglass, which you gave the captain. True, use it for its 
intended appointment you do not succeed, but when you

anger smite it, then become the owner of the lens, which (if 
you're lucky more than me) can be applied anywhere. Also in the 
box is slim and sturdy string, which also apply

failed. And the last thing in the drawer box with your initials 
(the initials of the game itself does not lead and, in my 
opinion, rightly so: how to know, suddenly you are Norwegian 
and your name is Henrik Jørgensen, Ulrich)! There are wedding 
ring and cross on a chain. It can be assumed

that you are married, but then wonder why
you do not wear it on his finger, as all normal people? Perhaps 
you are divorced? Reply I could not find it.


     Going one step further along the coast, bump into the cave 
and you have reported that before there were treasures, and now

just trash. Who stole all the treasures - it is unknown who 
namusoril too. Perhaps goal of the game just in the fact that

to find out. Then it turns out that it is not
adventyura fantastic, and the detective. But then
and here cannot tomato tree?
Most likely, this is a detective with the elements
mysticism, something like "Twin Peaks". But
uncover this crime will be difficult, since the evidence not 
enough to swear by. There is no fingerprints, cigarette butts, 
fiber material, hair, skin particles. Also, there are no traces 
of tampering, ink, blood, saliva or sperm.



     ADV: Well, suppose there are signs of tampering -
whole ship.


     The only piece of evidence - an unknown plant seed, 
dropped by the perpetrator. Trying to view it gave no results, 
a message appears: "Nothing special." However, this message 
appears so often that it can be assume a standard response to a 
command "Inspect". Further along the coast is

break and you, volens nolens, have to turn back.

     If, however, to go south, you can come across a bunch of 
rotten branches. It is easy guess what her captor collected 
treasures to signal accomplices, but For some reason he failed 
to do, and twigs and rotted. Nearby lies a curved

stick. For what it needed to find and
failed. You can also find a hut,
in which he lived a criminal, but it does not
anything that might bring on his trail,
but dry kindling, which he used as kindling. Farther the creek
with poisonous (!) water, and found it only after it from
get drunk. What it is: natural anomalies
or someone else's malice - is unknown.


     ADV: Maybe there is somewhere near
burial of toxic waste?


     Still farther along the coast you see a giant cave wolf, 
to whom lies a heap of bones. "Here he is, Thief

Treasure! What a disgraceful death! "-
you exclaim, but closer inspection will understand that the 
bones are not human. Of course, if you could get into the cave 
in entrance to which is the wolf, then there probably would 
have found something that could promote business, but getting 
there is impossible, just because of this very wolf. Attempt

to burn wood chips with a lens to the fire to drive off a wolf, 
was not successful as trying to kill him. And to hell with 
them, go ahead. 

     Still farther along the coast is dark and dense forest. 
Wandering through it, you discover a slender tree. If it

break, get a good count of aspen,
but to detect even very long unsold vampire that could be 
spread on This count is not possible. Also you will find

a few berries, but the intuition
you that they are poisoned. Who are they poisoned
unknown; why intuition is so fine
worked at this time, not helped in the case of poisoned water - 
is also unclear. Trying to throw these berries wolf, in the 
hope that he will eat them and poison, the result is not given. 
Back in the forest is a place with a loose soil suitable for 
planting. Naturally, you decide to plant their seed, but you 
have nothing to fertilize the soil. Pile rotten branches for 
this use is not was an attempt to anger the wolf, so that

running away from him, to obtain the necessary
fertilizer, has failed.

     Moving further east, exit
on the eastern shore of the sea and see the broken
submarine. But look at it in more detail
or go inside does not work. If
go north, go to a big rock,
at the foot of which lies a skeleton with a crushed skull and 
an arrow in his back. The identity of the killed could not be 
established, one can only assume that he was an accomplice of 
the thief and he removed it. Climbing up the side of cliffs, 
stumble on one-eyed Cyclops. However, there is no

not surprising, since all the cyclops
on a life-eyed. Most likely, with the kidnappers treasures 
happened the same thing had almost happened to Odysseus, ie,

Cyclops ate it. Of course, if we could
get into the lair of one-eyed, it helped
to the disclosure of the case, but there do not get:
Cyclops will not let me. Deal with him
Odyssey of the way (ie, knock his eye out)
failed. How to defeat the foe is unclear.

     By now you probably
decide that you have enough and want to
out of the game. But you will have one more bummer, because a 
message appears: "Want to try again?" And regardless of what 
you said: "Yes" or "no", the game starts again. Those

who worked with QUILL 'th or read my
article in ADV # 7 on the work of QUILL 'Om, figure out what to 
do, and all other let him enjoy the button "RESET".


     And now, when I killed so much time telling that this game 
is, I will say a few words about what it

No, but it could and should have been for
so that she could with good reason be called adventyuroy.

     1. The original descriptions of all
subjects participating in the game.

     Since the advent of adventyurnyh Games
command EXAMINE (translated into Russian
VIEW) was used for a thorough inspection of the detected object 
to get on it more information.

Does this problem message "nothing
special "? For items such as
wrack or debris Spy
pipes, which are clearly no part in the
the game does not take possible and performs
but when this report describes a seed or a wedding ring, the 
user is left wondering whether these objects do not participate 
in the game, whether the author simply did not have fantasies 
of their description. If the game is the original description, 
it becomes more interesting and user-friendly. 

     2. Tips for the passing game.

     When the author wrote the script for future
game, then everything in it seems to him absolutely
logical and self-evident. AND
the difference between good and bad scenario
is that in a good scenario, all
moves are logical also to the user. Of course, it is difficult 
to imagine anyone who is not able to guess that before using 
the object need to take it. But on the other hand, if Henry 
Ford did not think that his cars will be assembled idiots, he 
never not have invented the assembly line. Therefore, tips

should be. It does not matter whether they are embedded in the 
game scenario, or will be displayed the command "help", or will 
be collected in a separate description, but their presence in

the game is mandatory.

     3. Assistance in managing the program.

     Experienced user knows
basic commands used in adventyurah, as well as to reduce them. 
However, in games there are also non-standard abbreviations 
(eg, a dictionary program QUILL command "look" has not reduced

only four, but up to two letters). K
Moreover, should take into account the interests and 
inexperienced users. Therefore, the game should have at least a 
small manual, which would have listed the basic commands and 
reduce them. 

     Finally, summarizing all the above, I would like to appeal 
to all, who, after reading this article might think

I'm embarrassed creative thought, driving
it kind of Procrustean bed. Do you
really think that if your game
can not pass one or two people, and all
country, it means that it is boring and
uninteresting?