Craft

Craft articles listed here attempt to answer an author's "how do I do X" questions, like "How do I craft better NPCs?" or "How can I craft better puzzles?" Articles are grouped into categories based roughly on the XYZZY Awards, plus an extra category for promotion, eg: "How can I promote my game?"

For articles about classifications, terminologies, and "what is X" questions, see Theory.

Game - NPCs - PCs - Promotion - Puzzles - Setting - Story - Use of Medium - Writing

Design Patterns

This section is about patterns in game design

• Unimplemented Actions Anti-Pattern - A player cannot progress in a game. There is more than one logical and reasonable solution to progress, but the player has only thought of one or more that do not progress the game. The actions or sequences of actions that do not progress the game may or may not have logical and reasonable responses.

Game

This section can be about design, the game as a whole, or a general catch-all for articles that cover several topics.

• Lessons Learned the Hard Way by Jim Aikin for XYZZYnews #18. Write a walkthrough. Beta-test. Be systematic. And comment, comment, comment.
• 10 Steps to Great Game Design by C.E. Forman for XYZZYnews #1.
• The Hazards of Invisibility, or, Making Your NPCs Respond The Way You Want Them To by C.E. Forman for XYZZYnews #6. A caution against rushing the design phase.
• How to Write a Great Game by Dan Shiovitz. Focuses on construction, interaction, and concept.
• General Game-Design/Authoring Notes by Dan Shiovitz. Short assorted notes jotted down.
• Make IF Fast! by J. Robinson Wheeler. Covers the creation of games starting from a mock transcript of play.

NPCs

• NPC Characterization by Emily Short. Extensive discussion. The NPC as object, agent, and interlocutor.

PCs

(Articles about types of PCs are on the Theory page listed under Taxonomy.)

Puzzles

• IF Roundtable: The Art of the Puzzle from XYZZYnews #14. Adam Cadre, Lucian Smith, Andrew Plotkin, and Neil deMause discuss puzzles.
• Parlez-Vous Nalian? by Lucian Smith from XYZZYnews #16. Lucian discusses the language puzzle from The Edifice.

Setting

• Laying Out Geography in IF by Emily Short. Covers playability principles, layout, pacing, and the 'edge of the world'.
• Developing a Setting for Fantastical IF by Emily Short. Covers finding your ideas, constructing your map, and presentation.

Use of Medium

• Desiderata for a Physical Simulation Library by Emily Short.
• What XYZZY Does from XYZZYnews #3. (See also: Xyzzy.)

Writing

• Description Medicine by Michael Berlyn for XYZZYnews #17. Liven up those rooms.
• Descriptions Constructed by Stephen Granade. Descriptions that do more than just describe.
• Mapping the Tale: Scene Description in IF by J. Robinson Wheeler. Covers the writing of scene descriptions for locations.