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Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 09:25:57 -0400
From: John Colagioia <JColagioia@csi.com>
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Subject: Re: [Content] Controversial Conversation
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Joao Mendes wrote:
[...]
>>ASK MAN ABOUT CAR
> You are not talking to the man.
>>TALK TO MAN
> "Excuse me, sir", you ask the man.
> "Yes?", he replies.
>>ASK MAN ABOUT CAR
> "What kind of car do you drive?", you ask.
> "A used car." is the terse reply.
> Note that I am not asking for alternatives, only, in your opinion, how
> annoying this would be, and why.

It's contrary to most other games, where if you're supposed to ASK
people about things, TALK TO gives a message along the lines of "He
looks at you as if you're about to say something."  There's no reason
to expect the verb to do something useful that isn't or shouldn't
already be handled by another action.

That's in addition to what everyone else has been talking about.
Along those lines, I'd exit the game right there, fearing that you're
going to make me get in the house by putting my hand in my pocket,
taking the keychain, removing it from my pocket, selecting the
appropriate key, putting said key into the keyhole, turning the key
in the right direction, turning the knob in the right direction, and
pulling (or pushing) the door before the spring in the doorknob
closes again...

I *might* find it acceptable if the man told me I was being impolite,
and wouldn't react favorably until I "GREET" him or something.  At
least that's an in-game issue.  A parser that just wants to make me
type some extra garbage will just annoy me, though.

[...]

