Chapter 5 Abstraction
THE PROBLEM OF PLOT VERSUS interactivity discussed in Chapter 3, “Interactive Storytelling,” sometimes takes another form: control versus interactivity. In its simplest form, the problem is phrased as follows:
If the story is to be truly interactive, the player must be able to change the story, but if the player changes the story, the artist cannot control its development, and the player will likely ruin the story.
The solution to the problem is, in a word, abstraction, and I ask you to stay with me as I demonstrate the truth of this point. As soon as you’re absolutely, completely, totally, and utterly convinced that abstraction is, in fact, the solution to the problem of control versus interactivity, you may move on to ...
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