[game_preservation] Preservation Whitepaper Brainstorm Progress

[Stuart Feldhamer]

Chris,

 

Great article. I don't like the "paragraphs system" too much - Pool of
Radiance is another game that used it that comes to mind. Your Ultima 4
example is great though - the items that come with the game literally become
part of the game.

 

Another example is the Infocom game Wishbringer, where you find the "magic
stone of dreams". When you try to examine it, you are informed by the game
that "this is the Wishbringer stone found inside your game package" or
something of that nature.

 

Stuart

 

From: game_preservation-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:game_preservation-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Chris Lepine
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 12:14 PM
To: game_preservation at igda.org
Subject: Re: [game_preservation] Preservation Whitepaper Brainstorm Progress

 

Devin,

 

I tried to poke at that very question in an article I wrote a few months
ago:

http://www.artfulgamer.com/2008/09/02/the-lost-art-of-game-packaging-and-the
-digital-only-turning-point/

 

To save you a few minutes - I basically argue that 'feelies' are the
way-station between the player's reality and the game world... they're a
physical instantiation of the game's world that gives the player a focus for
their imagination. Without the feelies, it's a completely different kind of
game. I use Ultima IV as an example - if you don't read the manual and use
the feelies, you won't get a real "role-playing" experience from the game.
At least, that's my take on it.

 

Wasteland famously uses the "paragraphs" system ... it was a way of
overcoming a storage problem according to most sources. Still, it lends an
awfully unique experience to playing the game - "You encounter Harry the
Bunny Master. Read paragraph 85". Although a lot of people found WL's
paragraph system clunky, I thought it gave the game some psychological
realism otherwise not possible.

 

Just my $0.02 CDN, $0.01 USD.

- Chris

 

http://www.artfulgamer.com <http://www.artfulgamer.com/> 

'in search of the poetic and lyrical in video games...'

Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:20:17 -0700

From: "Devin Monnens" <evilcowclone at gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [game_preservation] Preservation Whitepaper Brainstorm

          Progress

To: stuart at feldhamer.com, "IGDA Game Preservation SIG"

          <game_preservation at igda.org>

Message-ID:

          <b96706b70811110620v1867ffdencbf829a7e684f331 at mail.gmail.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

 

How relevant are, say, cloth maps from Ultima? Originally, I think this sort

of thing was used to 'enhance the experience,' but I haven't read anything

regarding how much that really DOES affect player experience. Nowadays, I

just consider most of that stuff to be schwag.

 

But yeah, the key fact that we are preserving more than just bits is

important. Manuals and packaging are in themselves important as it helps put

the game into context (and as you noted, some are unplayable without them -

just try beating Metal Gear Solid without the game case OR consulting a

guide if you haven't beaten it already). More importantly, we know that some

games contained information that could not be - or simply was not -

communicated through gameplay, which is essential to chronicling the

development of the medium.

 

-Devin

 

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