Re: FLAGSHIP #88 - AD

From: "Rob Harper" <rob@stateofmindgames.co.uk>

Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 08:36:59 +0000

Roy Pollard wrote...
> People in this ng seem to think that a little style equates to 'rubbish'.
>
> If you're a REAL PBM player it seems you have to
> 1)Love crappy looking printouts, because not having crappy printouts will
> indicate that the game is shallow.
> 2)Hate any kind of progress which might put more than two colours on a
> page... cos that's just fluff that is. CREAK..GROAN
<snip>
> Gawd I can hear the rattling of walking sticks even now. How long before
PBM
> disappears up its own bum, with an asthmatic wheeze and a request for
> someone to pass the inhaler?

My, you are getting bitter there, aren't you Roy?

I think there are actually two main points that have come out of
previous "style vs substance" discussions...

1) *Some* game designers get so wrapped up in trying to make reports
look nice that they either overlook the more fundamentally important
aspects of game design (like getting the mechanics or balance right)
or they get so engrossed in their own cleverness that reports descend
into a mess of needless graphics and fonts that confuse rather than
elucidate.

2) Many email players like to be able to analyse their reports with
a computer program, and some "flashy" techniques of presentation get
in the way of this.

All in all, I appreciate reports that are well presented, and would
say that well-chosen graphics and colour can really help.  But this
is no excuse for over-designing (no, I'm not actually thinking of
anyone in particular here), and it would seem sensible in this day
and age to offer multiple turn-format options (say, a flashy PDF,
a neat ASCII, and a paper option).

Rob.

--
1 for sorrow, 2 for joy, 3 for a game and 4 for a toy.

References

Re: FLAGSHIP #88 - AD
lindahl@pbm.com (Greg Lindahl)
Sun, 10 Dec 2000 23:13:10 +0000
Re: FLAGSHIP #88 - AD
jonmmorris@aol.comnospam (John Morris)
Mon, 11 Dec 2000 00:59:42 +0000
Re: FLAGSHIP #88 - AD
"Rob Harper" <rob@stateofmindgames.co.uk>
Mon, 11 Dec 2000 09:38:58 +0000
Re: FLAGSHIP #88 - AD
"Roy Pollard" <plod@ntlworld.com>
Tue, 12 Dec 2000 00:44:39 +0000