🚀 go-pugleaf

Scott Le Grand wrote:
> 
> Bruce F. Webster wrote:
> >
> 
> > Probably more than y'all wanted to know, but there it is. 
> > ...thanks again for the kind words.  ..bruce..
> 
> Thanks for yet another reminder why I constantly fight the
> battle against Texture-Mapped 3D fighting Hell...
> 
> Scott Le Grand
> Head Coder
> 4Play
> "It's the gameplay, stupid..."

I must confess that I get a real kick out of the modern SFX in games. I
just about wept the first time I booted up The Hive, remembering what
the Apple II graphics in SunDog were like, and I told someone recently
that when I want to get in touch with my inner child, I boot up DOOM. 

That said, I haven't come across much out today that holds my attention
for any length of time. It is, of course, an easy cliche, and one common
in many fields, to pooh-pooh flashy technical advances and yearn for
'true art'...but that doesn't make it less true. 

_That_ said, the gameplay in SunDog had some major flaws (IMHO). It took
too long to complete the game, with too much repetition, and there
wasn't much in the way of plot or non-player characters--all things I
wanted to fix in Old Scores to Settle. But what I think hooked people on
SunDog--in spite of those flaws--was that Wayne and I wanted to build a
pocket universe that one person could kick around in. We wanted to avoid
what Wayne termed "railroad games" that kept you on a track from start
to finish. 

There are, of course, many games out that offer complex, rich universes
where you populate worlds, negotiate with other governments, and wage
vast wars. Ours was one person, wandering around, fending off muggers
and pirates, patching up critical systems, buying illegal components in
bars to customize your ship, and trying to keep some cash in the bank. I
think in retrospect that this is why folks still think of SunDog
fondly--there was a personal dimension and a freedom that were
appealing. 

Come to think of it, it's probably just as well there aren't many games
like that around--my personal and professional life would probably be
ruined. :-) But don't let that stop any one from trying. ..bruce..

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bruce f. webster | bweb...@bfwa.com |
Bruce F. Webster and Associates, Inc.|
    http://www.bfwa.com/~bwebster    |
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