diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt | 30 |
1 files changed, 20 insertions, 10 deletions
diff --git a/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt b/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt index dd66420e93..e1edfb530f 100644 --- a/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt +++ b/crawl-ref/docs/crawl_manual.txt @@ -1207,14 +1207,24 @@ no action could have saved your life. But then, from the midgame on, most deaths are not of this type: by this stage, almost all casualties can be traced back to actual mistakes; if not tactical ones, then of a strategical type, like wrong skilling (too broad or too narrow), unwise -use of resources, or wrong decisions about branch/god/gear. +use of resources (too conservative or too liberal) , or wrong decisions +about branch/god/gear. The possibility of unavoidable deaths is a larger topic in computer -games: in the absence of a human moderator, games can either be soft -in the sense that optimal play ensures a win. Apart from puzzles, -though, this means that the game is solved from the outset -- this is -where the lack of a human gamemaster is obvious. Or they can be hard in -the sense explained above. We feel that the latter choice provides much -more fun in the long run. +games: Ideally, a game like this would be really challenging and have +both random layout and random course of action; yet still be winnable +with perfect play. This goal seems out of reach. Thus, computer games +can either be soft in the sense that optimal play ensures a win. Apart +from puzzles, though, this means that the game is solved from the outset +-- this is where the lack of a human gamemaster is obvious. Or they can +be hard in the sense that unavoidable deaths can occur. We feel that the +latter choice provides much more fun in the long run. +Crawl has a huge number of handmade vaults/maps to tweak the randomness. +While the placement, and often parts of the contents, of such vaults are +random as well, they provide several advantages: vaults offer challenges +that are very hard to get via just random monster and layout generation; +they may center on some theme, providing additional immersion; finally, +they will often contain some loot, forcing players to decide between +safety and greed. (The next topic can also be filed under balance; see Replayability for what balance does not mean to us.) @@ -1269,8 +1279,8 @@ dealing with ever-changing, unexpected, and challenging strategic and tactical situations that arise out of transparent rules, on the other hand, is nice again and again. In concrete terms, we either spell out a gameplay mechanic explicitly -or leave it to min-maxers if we feel that the naive approach is good -enough. +(either in the manual, or by in-game feedback) or leave it to min-maxers +if we feel that the naive approach is good enough. Consistency: While there is no plot to speak of, the game should still be set in @@ -1314,7 +1324,7 @@ not bugs! Actually, they are part of the randomness design goal. In this case, they also serve as additional motivation: in many situations, the OOD monster can be survived somehow and the mental bond with the character will then surely grow. OOD monsters also help to keep players -on their toes by making shallow, or cleared, levels still notr trivial. +on their toes by making shallow, or cleared, levels still not trivial. In a similar vein, early trips to the Abyss are not deficits: there's more than one way out and successfully escaping is exciting for anyone. |