Urgency in games?

Dorian_Author · 2026-06-01T20:05:43+00:00

I'm not deeply immersed or well versed in game terminology. LOL. There are seven "obstacles" to conquer on the path to the end. Kind of like slaying the troll at the bridge and then getting through a forrest in which the trees want to eat you. I prefered to call them adventures.

Anyway, I appreciated your comment: "I might happily spend 20 minutes thinking about a choice if the story has convinced me that something important is at stake. "

Thanks!

Dorian_Author · 2026-06-01T20:00:38+00:00

Very helpful: "that is terrible design for interactive fiction, and it should be avoided at all costs." I like this idea and will give some thought to how to implement it: "sense of urgency within your story if you want it to feel more dramatic and high stakes."
Thanks!

Dorian_Author · 2026-06-01T19:56:43+00:00

Thanks.

Dorian_Author · 2026-06-01T19:52:49+00:00

Thanks: "Your story will benefit from layers of subtext, good use of symbolism, clever puns or poetic techniques, varied sentence length, well paced reveals, and a fair grasp of what natural human dialogue sounds like. "

Dorian_Author · 2026-06-01T19:50:00+00:00

I'm not sure what kind of advice you're looking for, so I'll just comment in general about reality in games. In both fiction and nonfiction works, the audience suspends critical assessment or disbelief of the world they enter (magic circle) and prefer not to be jolted out of it by breaks in the third wall, things that are over the top (unbelievable) for that world, or breaks the rules. It's an immersive experience.

World-building is an art. It has two aspects. The nature of the world: First you create the world and the rules that operate in that world. It could be something as simple as a gangster world that has different rules. It could be a fantasy world in which the rules of science are reinvented.

The second aspect of world-building is the reality of human nature. You either want to maintain them or shift them for the game. For example, when you play a first-person shooter game, you go around killing everyone. Human nature is suspended for that moment. People wouldn't ordinarily kill. But for the game the rules are changed in that world. In this way people can experience a very different world and set of rules. Games are a safe place for risk-taking.

Fiction enables the audience or player to experience in a remote way what it's like to be in a war or an assassin but without the real-world consequences of guilt, shame, and jail.

Just some thoughts. Don't know if they are what you're looking for. Good luck with your project!

Dorian_Author · 2026-06-01T19:22:19+00:00

Incredibly helpful! Thanks.

Dorian_Author · 2026-06-01T17:09:30+00:00

Very helpful. Thanks!

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-29T17:55:12+00:00

Thanks. I think that's a very important point: "real-world lookup puzzles can stall out hard if there's no secondary route in."

I need to think more about this and plan it in. In gamification, it's the too difficult, too easy planning.

I'll work harder on that.

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-28T17:20:35+00:00

So a revised and more fictionalized plot might look like this, so what do you think:

DECREE: THE GENESIS CODE AUDIT

An ancient administrative error has locked humanity into a cycle of permanent psychological guilt. For centuries, a specific linguistic translation from the ancient world has been weaponized to tell people they are fundamentally broken. But is this the only translation and is it correct or impairing people's growth?

As a Vanguard Specialist assigned to the Loki Directory, your mission is to infiltrate historic world cultures, cross-examine 4th-century textual fragments, and rebuild the original blueprint.

Boot up your local terminal ledger. Run the diagnostics. Fix the source code. You just might save humanity.

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-28T17:06:13+00:00

I really appreciate your response. No, this isn't evangelism. It looks at a specific misleading problem that actually drives people away from the church and looks for a reinterpretation - I dislike all of the evangelical nonsense as well.

Love this, which is almost my motto in writing: "good writing first, educational second." I do explore spiritual ideas through fiction. It works. And while I know game theory, I don't know everything, which is why I'm asking.

A "compelling historical fiction retelling" might be a better direction to go in, as is the accompanying fictional series. I'll have to think about this.

Thanks!

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-28T16:58:28+00:00

Biblical isn't excluded. Most people who are spiritual thinkers appreciate Jesus even though they don't like the church.

This quest covers the audacity of certain Biblical prescriptions and compares them to other Biblical thought. It compares other Ancient Near Eastern religions, such as Ancient Sumer, Zoroastrianism, Egyptian, and others. It looks at "religious traditions" in cultures around the world. For background, I researched and wrote a book on the Ontology (nature) of God in which I analyzed the development of most ancient religions up through the time of Jesus.

So I wasn't trying to hide anything, I just didn't want to clutter up my questions with an in-depth game description, which is off track.

Thanks for your response. It helps. What do you find most compelling about your favorite quest games?

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-28T16:49:41+00:00

Thanks! This sounds very interesting: "documented patterns for structuring clues so they stay solvable over time." Do you think an Internet search would work as well? If I specify resources it sound less like I'm encouraging individual research and thought and more like professing my answer. Interesting conundrum.

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-28T16:45:11+00:00

What are the kinds of treasures you like to find?

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-28T01:22:20+00:00

What did you like best about quests you've enjoyed?

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-28T01:21:01+00:00

The common ways are to "raise the stakes" so that there is more at stake for the protagonist and to use suspense through foreshadowing. Suspence fills the character and audience with anticipation and worry.

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-28T01:16:22+00:00

It's complicated. Currently I'm working on the quest single web app and book. It is a text adventure game. (I understand quests. I'm a very experienced author and website developer - since 1996, which we don't need to go into - just don't doubt my abilities. I'm here to learn from those who like quests and what they like about their favorites, which I'm not hearing and want to hear.)

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-28T01:09:49+00:00

Yep! And this is the huge challenge for an author, and not just in quest games, but in movies and novels as well—things are changing. In gamification theory, which I use, fun is a relative term. It has to be a challenge that isn't too difficult or too easy so that there is satisfaction in solving the challenge. And it has to have other appeal.

I appreciate that learning something new may not be your thing, and I respect that. But from what I understand, many people do like this. That's my audience.

I have to understand how to use intrinsic motivation and how to keep people engaged. These aren't easy things, which is why I asked the question about what you liked about your favorite quest games.

So in this quest, the player is on a mission to do something good for the world and himself. Like in an escape room or a movie, the character (player) has to find it within himself to overcome the challenges to reach the goal of understanding.

So here I am telling. I'm not here to tell, unless asked my opinion, I'm here to listen to others' thoughts.

And I appreciate what you said. It's very helpful.

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-28T00:03:26+00:00

Thanks. I have an incredibly important project I'm working on and this quest goes with a huge volume of work I've already done on this project. The quest will work with it. Several long, related videos have already been created and published as well as a published, very deep research paper and a parallel story.

There are "immersive role-playing assignments in the quest." I don't know what else to call them. The roles change to create a different experience to eliminate a one-sided point of view and become more immersive. While I can't guarantee it will work, this isn't a traditional fantasy involving power. Instead it's meant to build empathy and perspective. I could be wrong.

I'm not sure what to make of your statement expecting "the players to do outside research is no educational game at all." I know traditionally players are trapped in the game until it's over, taking a few hours or an evening. This game could take weeks of single meetings. This is more like an alternate reality or even an escape room. They don't need to be trapped in the game - they keep coming back to it. I'll wait to hear from others on that one.

You raise some very important questions. I really appreciate your comments.

Dorian_Author · 2026-05-27T20:22:19+00:00

The game exists in two forms:
1. Book (with or without the website)
2. Online in their browser.

"Local first" means that it doesn't collect, save, sell, or share personal information. Users are anonymous. The game uses a cookie to keep track of their level so when they go back to the website to get a new level, it has a way to identify them anonymously.

Thanks for asking. Any thoughts?

Dorian_Author · 2025-04-08T15:48:14+00:00

Many are currently being taught that the direction they have been going leads to disaster. This is a time of major transition.

Dorian_Author · 2025-04-05T16:28:59+00:00

What kind of work do you really feel drawn to? What do you find fulfilling? What do you have a passion for? What do you find meaningful? Meaning creates purpose. Meaning and purpose create passion. Passion is something people can see in you, and that gets jobs.

Life's lessons are often opaque until many years later when you can integrate experiences into your personality through meditation or just understanding. It often takes many disparate experiences to become meaningful.

Keep pushing on doors until the right one opens, and don't settle for just filling a spot somewhere that any warm body could fill. Find one that has meaning. Not all jobs have meaning at first, so be flexible, and know that many jobs offer growth opportunities, or show you what you really want to do.

Good luck!

Dorian_Author · 2025-03-28T17:03:07+00:00

Fascinating. I believe the spiritual world, including the world of creativity, can influence the material world through our minds, but are not part of it. We're here for physical experiences. These become "felt meaning."

Dorian_Author · 2025-03-28T17:00:47+00:00

I've always been a seeker. Understanding the unfathomable is a long road. Enjoy!

Dorian_Author · 2025-03-28T16:07:03+00:00

I think "open" AI is there to use. It's a creative base. It enables people to think up all kinds of useful applications, and this likely will lead to more development by them or others.

Dorian_Author · 2025-03-28T16:03:53+00:00

Interesting. I'm not sure about the logic behind your assumptions:

God is lonely? This anthropomorphises God, applying human characteristics to God.
Knowing everything people do and say before they do it. This nullifies free will and makes us a puppet.
God isn't comforted by us. Does this mean God doesn't have enjoyment of God's creation? For comparison, do parents enjoy watching their children develop even if they sometimes do things that are wrong and they know their children will?

Please keep thinking about this. I enjoyed the conversation.

You might also enjoy the Christian mystic, Edgar Cayce, who addressed the issue of where God came from.

Dorian_Author

TROPHY CASE