174 lines
8.6 KiB
XML
174 lines
8.6 KiB
XML
<story title="Richard and Larry Build A Time Machine" author="Jeremy Penner">
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<loadmodule url="retrochronal.js" />
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<section name="start">
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<nev name="start">
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<p>"I still can't believe you actually used a [DeLorean]," says Larry.</p>
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<p>"Hey, if you're going to do a thing, you ought to do it right," says [Richard].</p>
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</nev>
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<word name="DeLorean">
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<verb name="Examine">
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Larry looks at the [DeLorean] with astonishment. [Richard] has done it up to look <i>exactly</i> like the car from
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<i>Back to the Future</i>.
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</verb>
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<verb name="Drive">
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<p>Larry eyes the [DeLorean car]. "Give me the keys," he says. "I want to take this baby to 88."</p>
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<p>"Oh, it doesn't drive anymore," says [Richard]. "I had to use the engine to power the time machine."</p>
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</verb>
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</word>
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<word name="Richard">
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<verb name="how" display='Ask to explain'>
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<p>"So, run it by me again," says Larry.</p>
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<p>"I modified this [DeLorean] to send information backwards through time," says [Richard].</p>
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<p>"Just information. Not matter."</p>
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<p>"Right."</p>
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<p>Larry ponders this for a moment. "How... how does that even work?"</p>
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<p>[Richard] waves his hands around. "Spooky action at a distance," he says.</p>
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<p>"No, I mean, augh. I mean, what can you practically change about the past with this machine?" says Larry.</p>
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<p>
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"Well, so far I've gotten my computer to crash five minutes before I push this [button]," says [Richard],
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gesturing at one of the controls inside the [DeLorean].
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</p>
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</verb>
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</word>
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<word name="button">
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<verb name="Push" nextsection="next">
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<p>Larry reaches for the button and gives it a push.</p>
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<p>"Nothing happened", says Larry, looking at the [computer].</p>
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<p>"I <i>told</i> you you were going to push it," says [Richard].</p>
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<p>Larry opens his mouth to say something, then seems to think better of it.</p>
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</verb>
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</word>
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<pastresponse after="start" future_cause="button.Push" name="crash">
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<p>There is a beep as [Richard Richard's] [computer] spontaneously and inexplicably reboots.</p>
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<p>"Aw, geez, you're going to push the button, aren't you?", whines [Richard].</p>
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<p>"What? What button?" asks Larry, puzzled.</p>
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<p>"Never mind," says [Richard].</p>
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</pastresponse>
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</section>
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<section name="next">
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<nev name="start">
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<set var="number">null</set>
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<set var="fInRoom">false</set>
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<set var="fBeenInRoom">false</set>
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<donext nev="realstart"/>
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</nev>
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<nev name="realstart">
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<p>"So I just write down the number I see on the screen?" says Larry.</p>
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<p>"Yep," says Richard.</p>
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<p>"And what does this tell us, exactly?" says Larry.</p>
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<p>"Well, when you come out of the [room], I'm going to type the number you give me into the computer, which
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will make it show up on the screen before you wrote it down," says Richard.</p>
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<p>"And what does this tell us, exactly?" says Larry again, exasperated.</p>
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<p>"A number that neither of us picked," says Richard.</p>
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</nev>
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<word name="room">
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<verb name="Enter">
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<cond>!fInRoom</cond>
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<cond>!fBeenInRoom</cond>
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<set var="fInRoom">true</set>
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<set var="fBeenInRoom">true</set>
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<p>Larry sighs and opens the door. Inside the [room] is a computer [screen].</p>
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</verb>
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<verb name="Leave">
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<cond>fInRoom</cond>
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<set var="fInRoom">false</set>
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Larry goes back into the lab. [Richard] looks at him expectantly. "Well?" he asks.
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</verb>
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</word>
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<word name="screen">
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<verb name="Read">
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<cond>fInRoom</cond>
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$[if (number === null) {]
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<p>
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Larry looks at the screen. It's blank. "Well, hell," he says, feebly scanning the [room]
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for another, hidden screen that might have a number on it. He doesn't find one.
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</p>
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$[} else {]
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<p>
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Larry looks at the screen. The number $(number) is displayed on it.
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</p>
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$[}]
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<p>He looks down at his piece of [paper] for a moment.</p>
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</verb>
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</word>
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<pastresponse after="start" future_cause="paper.write">
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<set var="number">6</set>
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</pastresponse>
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<word name="paper">
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<verb name="write" display="Write down number">
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<cond>fInRoom</cond>
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$[if (false) {]
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<p>
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Larry is at a loss for a moment, but then decides that the thing to do is to just write down a number.
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He chooses six.
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</p>
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$[} else {]
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<p>"Huh," says Larry, scrawling down a large number $(number) on his paper. "Wonder what that means."</p>
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$[}]
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<donext nev="room.Leave"/>
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</verb>
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</word>
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<word name="Richard">
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<verb name="give" display="Give paper" nextsection="notes">
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<cond>fBeenInRoom</cond>
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$[if (number === null) {]
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<p>Larry shows Richard the blank piece of paper. "Nothing on the screen," he says.</p>
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<p>
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Richard slaps himself on the forehead. "Of course! I can't believe I didn't think of that. If you
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don't show me a number, I won't type it in, which means you won't see a number, which means no paradox.
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Duh. How stupid of me. Forget I even asked."
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</p>
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$[} else {]
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<p>Larry holds up the piece of paper. "It said $(number)".</p>
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<p>Richard looks quizzically at the paper. "$(number)? Are you sure?"</p>
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<p>A look of alarm crosses Larry's face. "Is... is $(number) bad?"</p>
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<p>"No, no, it's just I would have expected something, I don't know, more random, or meaningful, I guess,"
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says Richard. "You didn't just make up some number?"</p>
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<p>"Of course not!" says Larry, offended. "Go ahead and look for yourself. The screen says $(number)."</p>
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<p>"No, no, I believe you," says Richard, and types a $(number) into his computer.</p>
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$[}]
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</verb>
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</word>
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</section>
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<section name="notes">
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<nev name="start">
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<h2>Author's Notes</h2>
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<p>
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Hi there. That's all I've got for now. Here's some thoughts about what I'm trying to accomplish.
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</p>
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<p>
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There are two ideas at play in this prototype. The first is that it might be interesting to see what
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happens when we get rid of the parser, and simply give the player the ability to know what she is capable of
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doing at any particular moment in the game. I don't see any reason why we can't create rich and interesting
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worlds by doing so. What appeals to me about this idea is not just the simpler interaction from the user's
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perspective, but the ability to have greater control of what the author has to model -- if something is not
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important to your game, you simply don't present the option to the player. Conversely, if an interaction is
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subtle or non-standard, you don't need to worry about teaching the player what the parser understands -- the
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verb is there. Your job is to make it interesting.
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</p>
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<p>
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The second is to allow the player to interact with the story at any point that he has uncovered. Quite
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frankly, I am really uncomfortable making big decisions in most games. But a game should be the perfect
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place to make big decisions and explore the consequences!
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What bothers me is not that the consequences are unknown, but that my actions are irrevocable; that if I do
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something that I later understand was foolish, I am unlikely to be given a chance to redeem myself without
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playing through the game again. Always showing the player the entire story and allowing him to make changes
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at any point is a promise that he will never be punished for trying something, even if his character
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is; that he can learn from mistakes and move on. In this way, I can construct much harsher situations than may
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ordinarily be considered "fair"; I can do away with repetition of description and dialogue "just in case" the
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player forgets the vital information contained within; I can allow the player to dig himself into a hole, because
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I can give him the tools to quickly dig himself out.
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</p>
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<p>
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I guess there's the time travel bit, too. I don't advise trying it, personally; building a model of the world
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in code where causality can occasionally be violated turned out to be much more difficult and time-consuming
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than I expected. I have no explaination for why I would have thought coding time travel paradoxes would be easy.
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</p>
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<p>
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I would love to hear any and all feedback about your experience playing this game. I can be reached
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at jeremy dot penner at gmail dot com. Thanks for playing.
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</p>
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</nev>
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</section>
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</story>
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