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Old 09-04-2008, 11:10 AM   #62
stepurhan
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But depending on how easy the alternative way in is (and it shouldn't be too easy, otherwise the obstacle of the doorman loses all meaning) then you risk making the player feel punished for things outside their control. A player who gets unlucky in this situation is going to get quite upset if their "How do I get into the club?" help thread is met by replies of "I just got let in". I quite like the idea of some randomisation creating different paths but I'm not in favour of one being inherently more difficult than another. When I play an RPG I accept that luck will sometimes not be on my side. I try to push the odds in my favour by careful selection of skills and equipment but I know victory and defeat may well turn on a modicum of luck in the end. When I play an adventure I expect to triumph by my wits alone, not because I got lucky.

To take a tangential point on this which relates to another thread, how would this affect reviews? Reviewers don't necessarily have the time to replay large sections of games. An unlucky reviewer is going to write a hugely different review to a lucky one if unlucky choices make the game harder.
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No Nonsense Nonsonnets #43

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A thread most controversial, that’s what I want to start
Full of impassioned arguments, of posting from the heart
And for this stimulation all will be thankful to me
On come on everybody it won’t work if you agree
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