Sam Hulick wrote:
>Furthermore, I think that an I-F game player should follow this simple
>golden rule about items: If you can carry it, take it with you. IMO,
>only a fool would leave things behind that were 1) not concealed
>somehow, and 2) transportable. For instance, if you find even something
>as silly as a toothbrush lying around, why pass it up? You may need it
>in the future.

Imagine if you lived your life like an adventure game.

Whenever you came to a location you had never been before, you would examine everything closely. If there were any closed cabinets or desk drawers, you'd have to open them and look at everything that might be inside. If you came across a dumpster, you'd hop right in and start examining everything.

Anything that was not bolted down, you'd grab it. You'd be some bizarre kleptomaniac. If there was gum on the bottom of a bus seat, you'd want it. And when you had more objects than you could carry (picture that scene with Steve Martin from The Jerk) you would deposit them all in some safe room. (Granted my apartment currently looks like it has been filled with randomly collected objects.)

Whenever there was a problem that had you stumped, you would wander around all of the locations you'd already been to and reexamine them.

If there was a locked door, you would just assume that you needed to get to the other side of it. And you'd try any inane solution. You'd go back to your apartment and get the jar of acid you stored there, then go back to the door and pour the acid on the padlock. Somebody would see you and call the cops. When they arrived you'd be sure to EXAMINE POLICEMEN. Then you might try to GO NORTH, but the policeman would stop your progress. Then you might THROW ACID AT POLICEMAN, but the policeman would sidestep your attack and subdue you.

Then you would go to jail and your actions would mainly be limited to taking INVENTORY and Z and SLEEP, but you would assume that you could escape the prison if you had just remembered to bring some object along with you.

Ban adventure games--they promote an unrealistic worldview.