Week 4: Mechanics Of CCA & NetHack

Colossal Cave Adventure
Colossal Cave Adventure is a player versus environment game with loads of possible outcomes. If the player makes the wrong choice it will have dramatic impact. Taking the wrong path or not picking up an item can lead to the players death. Sid Meier said gameplay is “A series of interesting choices” and that’s what this game is about.  This game heavily deepens on causality (That’s basically what the game is mainly made up of) every action will have a consequence for good or bad reasons, there will always be a consequence for every action.  The challenges in this game is to think logically about every action you take and think about what actions you should do in every area. You could be standing in a forest and you see a bird so you killed it. killing that bad will have consequence. Good news is you got a free meal but bad news is that bird belongs to a rich fellow who wants you dead now (Although I’m sure that this event does not happens in the game). Colossal Cave Adventure is a turn bases game, the player enters a command/ phrase the game outputs the information, this process repeated throughout the game.
NetHack
NetHack is a player versus environment game set in dungeon style levels. Although the game seems like its in real time its actually a turn based game. The games gives the illusion of it being real time as you can walk around the area like it’s a real time game, but like Colossal Cave Adventure  the player enters a command and  the game outputs the information. this process repeated throughout the game.  The game lets you take alterative root and use different weapons,  by choosing going down one path your may encounter a hard enemy or get a powerful weapons, this is a good example of causality.