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From: "Darryl O'Neill" <Darryl.S.ONeill@Waterloo.ncr.com>
Subject: Re: Look vs examine vs search
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Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 22:12:58 GMT
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I think that there does need to be some differentiation.  Search implies a
detailed examination.
It implies a much greater (game) time spent in the effort.  You might
examine every object in the game
but you would only search those objects that seemed appropriate.  If I were
to examine my couch at home
I would see the color, size, number of cushions, objects/people on the
couch.  If I were to search the couch
I might find some loose change (if my kids have not beat me to it).  If you
have four minutes before a bomb 
goes off, I would want to examine the things that need a quick look and
search the things that need the time
and detail.  I think that there should always be a reasonable reason for
having to do a search.  Searching objects 
just to arbitrarily hide something is not a puzzle, it is just annoying.  I
do think that game authors need to standardize
on what some common verbs do.  Then maybe this has just been ingrained on
me in the last 14 years of playing these
silly things.

Darryl

Claudia M. Gohr <cgohr@post.its.mcw.edu> wrote in article
<5407n8$js0@wiscnews.wiscnet.net>...
> Hello all,
> 
> I have been playing IF for a while now and this thought just occured to
me,
> since when do players need to search everything?  It used to be that when
> entering a room, one could look around to survey the scene and then
examine
> particular objects and the significance of the object was obvious. 
Lately,
> though, a simple examine will just not do.  Now you have to search the
> object in order to determine its' significance.  I don't know about the
rest
> of you but when I think of 'search', I picture myself lookin for
something
> in particular, ie. searching a house for a weapon used to commit a crime.
 I
> expect when I examine an object that the hidden compartment would be made
> visible and if I don't see it, it's not there, I don't expect to have to
> search the item as well.  What do the rest of you think?
> 
> Claudia
> 
