Chris writes
I’m going to look through some of my material and try to find some details like this for a historical event and try to put something rough together. My largest concern about creating a historical teaching tool is to have it be not only interesting to the student, but also acceptable for use by the powers that be.
I’d suggest that the more way out you get the better. Go with it if you think it’s too crazy. I’d also suggest you bone down on NPC issues. How about a little conversation with Ben Franklin to get things going or Lee on horseback. I’ll have more on this as we go ahead because I’m right in the middle of a space that makes an environment for a student to learn how to consider writing evaluations and to practice the fundamentals of value claims and a lot of thinking has to do with what a student “might” write at the cursor, as in
If this . .
>
Then this or that (thinking, what is going to happen and what can I write. Down deep the student of any IF is thinking what is possible at the cursor given what I’ve done and what I need to do, whatever the “inventory” and given a “map.”
The value claim area will deal a lot with “haptics” in the abstract environment, haptics going to the idea of touch and the touch sensation, “reaching out to feel the dry hair on top of” and so forth. Making the abstract a “virtual concrete” space with consequences is a tough deal but fun nonetheless. At the moment the student player is in a room that changes with each step and filled with monitors. I’m working only on paper, writing the possible commands and the scenario and the teaching object all as I move ahead.
At the cursor the next step should always be an analytical decision.
Yes I’m going to need to sit down and read a book or two and crank something out to see what I can produce. With the Educational Program coming up in the fall I’d like to figure out a framework to use and ideally try it out while I’m student teaching.
I’m just still having a problem with “the cursor”. I think part of it again is that I need to think in terms of Photopia. Give the “player” the idea that they have control but in fact the story works around them regardless of their actions.
Unlike Photopia, where the same result occurs regardless of the actions, there would be alternate versions based upon actions.