How to get information to the player?

[Eurhetemec]

I was re-reading the VoodooExtreme interview with Carmack on Doom 3, and something he said struck me as having not been discussed much.

He said that he wanted some way to get information to the player, but that he implied that he wanted it to be original, not something too "done", as he suggested NPCs and computers were.

So that leaves what? Well, just down the page we have the suggestion of a "log" in Doom 3, that could be one way, it is a little done, but with "hand-sketched" monsters, and other personal touches, as one person suggested, it could be very good. You could convey atmosphere and personality as well as the odd hint/idea about what to do.

If four or five different characters were used, they could have different logs, and it would be easy enough to vary the log based on what had happened.

Still, this is all a bit complex, and not necessarily what Carmack had in mind.

So, how would you go about giving information to the player, given that Carmack has already suggested that NPCs (Non-Player Characters) and computers are a tad passe?

Any ideas, guesses, suggestions?

[Eurhetemec]

I have one! (Heh, answering my own question!).

Graffiti, especially written in blood on the wall, is certainly one way to convey info, and a rather cool one, I think...

That couldn't be the only one, of course...

Sounds are another, screams in the distance, a wall that make an odd noise when shot, and the like. More specific ideas on this?

[deadnail]

Your answer: SILENT HILL
Play through that game on Playstation... there're HUNDREDS of little hidden messages! God I love that game... I went out and bought it while I still had it rented! :)


Miscellaneous Crap:
Serious Sam test 2 is okay, but basically the same thing only now there's split screen deathmatches and multiple characters to choose from. They all have names like porn stars, though.

Just d/l'd the Alice demo, yep, 78 friggin' megs over a modem. That was nice. How is it? Well.. it's another 3rd person action adventure game using the Q3 engine. It runs pretty well on a Voodoo 3, some graphic artifacting and the framerate chugs a little in certain spots, and no doubt I'm missing out on some T&L, but other than that the graphics are superb and the game is defintely a blast to play! The loading times are, again, much quicker than Q3A. It's like everyone figured it out except iD or something. Slower pace than FAKK2, but then again, this game is just dripping with atmosphere. Great, another damn game I gotta buy...

Here's an email I got from RECHZARD CORBITA entitled 'lasing ka ...'


Robinson,


Lasing ka lang dapat matulog ka para mawala
ang lasing mo. Pumasok ka sa Martes, dapat maaga ka
para makarami at makacotta ka kasi ang hirap ng ginawa
nyo no...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year..

richard C..


Oh yeah, that just cleared up everything.
A: Who the fuck are you?
B: Who the fuck is Robinson?
C: What the fuck language are you speaking?
D: Why the fuck did you email me to this twice?
E: Why should I give a fuck?

Jesus Christ, how close is 'deadnail' to something else??? He must've got me confused with 'deadapaatorgenailahuugen'. I see just how easily you can get switched up there.

Well, that sums it up for this week. I get a good Christmas vacation... a four day weekend... and I just spend sixty dollars on Coca-Cola and frozen pizza which I'm sure will be gone by Tuesday. I still have to buy cigarettes, a few more gifts, and make a car payment. God, to only be a little smug and brainless rich person with no value of wealth at all... must be nice. Oh wait, they're too disconnected to enjoy their gift at all. Fuckers.

Anyway... Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah. Killer Kwaanza. Or if you're just an Atheist enjoy your day off. Everyone have fun, get drunk, and wake up with lipstick on your boxers.

[Zaldron]

Eurhetemec said:

I have one! (Heh, answering my own question!).

Graffiti, especially written in blood on the wall, is certainly one way to convey info, and a rather cool one, I think...

That couldn't be the only one, of course...

Sounds are another, screams in the distance, a wall that make an odd noise when shot, and the like. More specific ideas on this?

OK, I will write all the posibilities. Let´s see wich options they choose for DooM.

<> No information : mmhh, kinda hard to make a plot-driven game without facts and clues that pushes the character.

<> Computer Logs : Classical, but still reasonable. We wouldn´t find "Shutdown the core to enter the hangar" like information. But registries and sensor scannings, or even operative programs (Deus Ex).

<> Personal Logs : You have one, is the same machine that stores the map, and other info (hour, lattitude, longitude, temperature). You would gather this little artifacts from the slain marines, and you´ll acquire more maps, some info, even partial drawn sketches of things and enemies, etc.

<> NPCs : There´s a guy next to you, you just saved his life. If he knows something, he´ll tell you. Basic, used very often, but still there´s a lot of posibilities hidden. If they´re going to add "passive" NPCs (no sidekicks) they should use Elite Force formula, the head tries to look directly at your eyes, and they should blink (not to say modulate and facial-deformation).

<> Semi-NPCs : There´s a couple of survivors in the game, but they´re all separated. So you people contact trought your log. You can add nice touches. Some guys will need you to make something so that they can keep advancing and viceversa. The main objective is to unite with the rest of the group, but several issues (deads, enemies armies, collapsed buildings, etc) forces you to mantain alone. Just imagine what would it be to have playing 5 hours in the most creepy place, but at 20 meters to meet one of the guys. You keep walking, in fact, you hear him screaming your name, you response. When you get there, there´s no one, simply as that... You call to him several times, your voice echoing in the corridors, nothing...
You´ll find some time later what happened to him, i´ll leave it to your imagination.

<> Level Hint : Your graffiti idea is one of them. Signs are too clues. I remember that graffiti was used in HL, in a zone where you were driving some train, and there was a lot of trip bombs placed on your way. There was a "Die Freemen" (yes, with the typo) painted in the wall. This is the hardest way to make hints, since they don´t give that much info. How do you say "If I can get to the Barracks Communication Central, I´ll should find the rest of the survivors".

[EllipsusD]

deadnail said:

I got Alice a few days after it came out. Very, very nice game. Short, but worth the money.

[Eurhetemec]

deadnail said:

I'll have to take a look at Silent Hill.

Whilst I can't explain *why* some guy sent you that bizarre letter, I can tell you I'm 98% certain that that's Indonesian, *possibly* Malay. I think Indonesian, though.

[Zaldron]

deadnail said:

So, you have weird emails too??

Look at this, sended by (how do you spell this?) FERÝT BUZYÜRÜK

how are you?ý am turkey .where do you come fron... ý englýsh bad...me do sent message continual...to vait message..okey....


You know, this is really freaky...

[Guest Johnny Kaos]

EllipsusD said:

I got Alice a few days after it came out. Very, very nice game. Short, but worth the money.

back on topic...

why dont we have the player keep his own log.

then my log would look differnt from yours.
but it should be an in game log.
cuase i would hate loosing it.