A tangle

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2 October 2005

by Mike Rozak

When I consider my grand unified theory, a visual metaphor comes to my mind...

1. In Choice I gave each type of sub-game a single-letter moniker, like "K" for combat, or "N" for narration. DNA is likewise notated using single-litter terms for bases, GATC, which are graphically represented as different colours on the double helix.
   
   
2. At its simplest, a quest is a series of sub-games, just as DNA is a series of bases. However, choices exist within the quest, so (unlike DNA) there can be branches within the sequence. For example: NcNSKNGN (CX|F) KN allows players a choice between "CX" and "F". Keep a vision of a DNA strand with reconnecting branches (loops) in your mind.
   
3. A quest can be a sub-quest of a larger quest. Again, just as like genes (sequences of DNA that produce a specific protein) are combined in series into chromosomes, quests can be combined in series. Zoom your imagination out of the small strand of branching/looping DNA to see a larger picture with a long strand of quest DNA.
   
   
4. Players also have a choice of quests. Quest arcs are tied to one another at the beginning and end. Again, zooming out reveals more even more structure to the quest DNA, producing a tangled mass.
   
   
5. Players' decisions can affect other quests; if the old woman is fed to the troll, she can't bake the cherry pie, and the player won't be able to meet the mayor in quite the same way. You could visualise this by producing more tangles, but there's an easier way: Every time the player makes a choice, the quest DNA rearranges itself, detaching and reattaching portions.
   
   
6. Zooming out completely reveals the big picture. Strands of branching/looping quest-DNA are entangled together. Pieces occasionally detach and reattach as players achieve goals that let them reorder the world. And, most importantly, from this angle, you realise that the bases (sub-games) all have subtle variations in their coloration, since the sub-games vary slightly according to the quest. Fighting a troll is different than fighting an orc because trolls and orcs use different combat tactics, fight in different sized groups, and have different special abilities and weaknesses.
   
   
7. If the exact same colour (sub-game with no variation) is re-used, players will notice and not enjoy the experience as much. If too many of the same colour (sub-game) occur in sequence, or too close together in the strand, players will notice. If there's a pattern to the colours (blue always following red), players will notice. If there's a pattern to the branching, players will notice. If there's a pattern to the way that the quest DNA rearranges itself, players will notice.
   
   I suspect that any identifiable pattern will weaken the experience. However, pure chaos won't work because that breaks characteristic #1 of avatar games, that the world and physics resemble reality. Some sort of balance must be reached between pattern and chaos... which harks back to Raph Koster's Theory of Fun.