As some of you might already have noticed, I''ve just begun programming a text based rpg. And now I reached the point where I should decide about my user input system. My question is simple: Should I use a parser to get user input or should I use a multiple choice system? This is what I think about those two systems: Parser: - Impressive (Hey, I can talk to my computer!) - doesn''t take much space on the screen - encourages players creativity - closer to pen&paper (which is good, IMHO) - syntax errors can really slow down the game flow - hard to program - very limited set of actions (generally things like push, pull, talk to, look at and not spit into face, taunt, jump in a square) Multiple Choice: - appropriate actions for every situation - easy to program (a lot to write though) -not too impressive - shows player all of his actions (easier to choose the right one) - can take up lots of spacec on the screen - reading the options can slow down game flow So what do you think? And what do you think about mixing thos two types of input? Thanx in advance. "Mr Sandman bring me a dream"

In my opinion this choice will lead to 2 entirely different games (from gameplay perspective). The parser based system leads to the user feeling they are in a game WORLD .. with RULES which apply the same at all times, which leads them to think in terms of "how do I apply my object a, skill b, or knowledge c, to solve this dillema?" This system is very ordered around learning how the game world you are in reacts to certain ideas ... such as killing yourself in Zork .. when you cast the "protect item as if in a small box" upon yourself . The second system leads the player to feel they are in a storyline driven game, such as a choose-your-own adventure. They feel more connected to the flow of events, but less conected to problem solving / gameplay. Sometimes these sort of games even degenerate to "I bet I know what the programmer wants me to do!" But then again, so do parser based games, it''s all in the detail. So, I would sugest thinking in terms of what experience you want to provide ... puzzle style gameplay (zork / parser) ... or narrative based gameplay (multiple choice). Both can create good games ... although I have to admit, I can''t think of a multiple choice game since the days of DOS (but there WERE very fun ones back then). Also think about your target audience ... are they gamers, general adult audience, general all ages, teenagers, etc. This has a strong effect on the types of gameplay they consider fun.

Good Luck ... and post back additional thoughts you have on the subject.

Actually the parser has one other thing going for it: you''ll either have "hard to program" or "very limited set of commands," but not both. A parser which only has to understand a few commands is actually very easy to write.

As far as text-based RPGs go, I think that a game operated by a parser is more interesting. You''re right, it encourages creativity... and it generally gives the player the feeling that they''re more in control of what''s happening. Just make sure you put lots of synonyms in for everything (get, take, grab, pick up, etc.) so people don''t have to use a single keyword for every command and get really mad at the program for not understanding what they mean.

-Ironblayde
Aeon Software

Ok, so the general tendency is in favor of a parser?

You see, what I want to create is a very stroy driven game which is as close to the freedom and creativity of a pen&paper rpg as possible. It will contain very few puzzles in fact. Only some find-the-secret-door or get-around-the-security-systems type things. The rest will be ''social interaction'' as far as that is possible in a text based game, and moral decission stuff ("Should I kill this guy for this other guy? Yeah, the payment is allright."). Basically, the goal is to collect information. How the player gets there, is up to him/her.
It should somehow create the effect of a living world, where your decissions actually have an effect on your surrounding, where you have to think before you act. Somehow like in Deus Ex. When you say the wrong thing to a dealer, he won''t trade with you anymore. If you kill the wrong person, some people migh get reeeaally angry with you.

So could I perhaps program a parser which has a general vocabulary which applies to almost any situation and then have some additional vocab for every situation?
Oh, and how would I do dialogs? I asked this questioon once before in my other post about text based rpgs, but I''m stil not clear about this. I guess I have to go with mutliple choice for this. What do you think?

"Mr Sandman bring me a dream"

Here is my experience as a gamer.

Zork:
My friends and I played this game non-stop! We loved it. We mapped it, we ate zork, we slept zork and we talked about it during lunch... Until we finished a couple of weeks later.

I think it was as much fun figuring out how and what to say as it was to unravel the story.

Loom:
Finished in one day. Didn''t talk about it with anyone else and never thought about it until today. The menu option was the the reason this game didn''t work for me.

I know that text parsers may be a thing of the past, but coupled with an exciting/riveting plot/story they can, pull the player into the game in a way that a graphical option system can''t.


Dave "Dak Lozar"Loeser