DESIGNER PROFILES

Brian Moriarty

Scorpia

In mid-July, our Adventure Game Editor, Scorpia had the opportunity to interview Brian Moriarty, author of "Wishbringer" and "Trinity". Here is her report.

Brian and I met for lunch and had a really fascinating conversation. Mostly the talk was about "Trinity", but we also talked a little about "Wishbringer" and some of Infocom's plans for the future.

CGW: Let's start with a little background. How did you come to be a game designer with Infocom?

Brian: Originally, I worked as technical writer for Analog Computing. Then in the spring of '84, I went to Infocom as a microcomputer engineer, to work on the interpreters for various micros. I got to be friends with Mike Berlyn, Dave Lebling, Stu Galley and all those people, and I convinced them that I was going to hold my breath until they made me a designer. I also had two adventure games that had been published in Analog, and they were pretty well received, so that helped, too.

CGW: Ok, now for the usual question: where did you get the idea for "Wishbringer"?

Brian: Actually, the first game I did was "Trinity". When I became a games designer, Infocom asked me for a synopsis of a game I wanted to do, so I wrote the synopsis for "Trinity". They looked at it and they all liked it, but they said it was too ambitious. Of course, at the time we didn't have the Plus system yet, and it would have been very difficult to do that on a normal system. Then the marketing people came over and said "Hey, what we really want is an introductory game". So I said "Ok, I'll do an introductory game. Let's try to think of something neat to put in the box".

CGW: So "Wishbringer" was actually developed from the packaging?

Brian: Right. I said: "We'll put a magic ring in the box, and we'll do a story about a magic ring". But then I said, "Magic rings have already been done, and the ring would probably be a plastic one. Why don't we put rocks in the box? We could get a carload of rocks, they'd be cheap, and we'd just put one in every box." Then a marketing person asked, "Why don't we make the rocks glow in the dark, since the rock in the game glows?". I said "Ok, we'll paint the rocks with glow-in-the-dark paint". But the marketing person said "No, the kids will come along and suck the paint off". So someone suggested we make rocks. Meanwhile, I started to write a game around a glow-in-the-dark rock. And that's where "Wishbringer" came from; it came from the plastic rock.

CGW: Did you enjoy doing "Wishbringer"?

Brian: Oh yes, very much. It was nice, and it sold really well. It was '85's biggest seller for Infocom, by far.

CGW: Will Infocom do a follow-up to "Wishbringer"?

Brian: Yes. Not right away, but it's on the list.

CGW: Ok, let's move on to "Trinity". Where did that idea come from?

Brian: Actually, I had the idea in '83, when I was working at Analog and writing adventures there. It's an idea that I'd had in my head for a long time. When the chance came to do it, I took the plunge.

CGW: Was there anything that set of the specific train of thought that brought you to "Trinity" and what would happen in the game?

Brian: I've read a lot about that in the past, and I've always been interested in that subject. When I started working on the game, I amassed a pretty substantial library on the history atomic bomb and nuclear weaponry in general. In the course of writing the game, I also did some original research. I went to the Trinity site myself, visited Los Alamos and a lot of museums, and I talked to a couple of people who were actually there. So a lot of the stuff that happens in "Trinity" is pretty accurate. I think it's the first interactive fiction that attempts to re-create a real place and not just simulate a made-up place.

CGW: And that's all in the New Mexico section of the game?

Brian: The Kensington Gardens are relatively accurate, too, except for the location called "The Wabe". Every other location there is correct and in the right place. I hadn't seen it before I wrote about it, but I have seen it since. That part was written based on maps and photographs.

CGW: How long did it take you to do "Trinity"? Brian: It was started in May of last year ('85) and finished in June of this year. A little over a year.

CGW: How much of that time went into the design, and how much went into the programming of it?

Brian: As usual, most of it was programming. That's usually the case. I'd say that 90% of the time is programming, and the other 10% is creative. Our development system is still very programming intensive. It doesn't do a lot for you. It does some things, but there's still a lot you have to do for yourself. It's Quite a bit of drudgery.

CGW: What was the most difficult part of the game to write?

Brian: The hardest part was in the fantasy world: the giant sundial, and the shadow moving across. There's all sorts of factors involved there in moving that shadow and having it in different rooms, and the doors opening and closing, and then having you be able to control it. That was very tricky do.

CGW: Did you map everything out before you started the coding?

Brian: I usually do, although not all the designers do. When you're making it all up, it's easier to do that. The first thing I did was sit down and make a map of Trinity site. It was changed about 50 times trying to simplify it and get it down from over 100 rooms to the 40 or so rooms that now comprise it. It was a lot more accurate and very detailed, but a lot of that detail was totally useless. So I tried to boil it down to what was absolutely needed. That map that comes in the package is made from geologic surveys and blueprints and is completely accurate.

CGW: Why did you want to write a game as depressing as "Trinity"?

Brian: Well, it wasn't a pleasant experience, I can tell you that. It's not easy to sit down and write that stuff. As I said, I've talked to some people who were there, and I've read a lot of books by people who were there, and the one thing they all say about it, the one common theme, is that it was inevitable. That if we hadn't done it, someone else might have. And they also say that that's not the only thing that's inevitable. History has a lot to teach us. And that's the point of the game. Because when you're the Wabewalker, and going through the game, you're very literally creating the Book of Hours, you're writing your own history.

CGW: So what statements are you making with "Trinity"? Do you have a personal statement to make?

Brian: I wanted people, when playing the game, to feel their helplessness. Because that's what I felt when I was reading and talking to these people and seeing these places. You could just feel the weight of history on you. Going to Trinity site and being there and realizing what this place means. I just wanted people to feel that weight on them when playing the game. Have it crush them in the end, because that's what I got out of my studies and research.

CGW: There are a couple of spots in the game where you have to do some unpleasant things. Why did you put that in?

Brian: That was deliberate. I was amazed to see how many people were really bothered by the scene with the lizard, because it was them doing it. It's nice to know interactive fiction could do that, make you uncomfortable about killing things. In no other media could I make you feel bad about killing something. Because there's only one medium where I can make YOU do it, and make you feel empathy for a thing that doesn't exist. It's only with interactive fiction that you can explore those emotions.

CGW: When the game was finished, how did you feel about it?

Brian: Relieved. As usual. We usually feel that way when a game is finished, but I felt especially relieved. It was hard to live with that game for a year. But I don't want people to be scared away from this game. A lot of people look at the cover and say "Oh God, a gloomy game". It isn't a gloomy game, but it does have a dark undertone to it. It's not like it's the end of the world. But I'm glad I did "Trinity". It's nice to know that interactive fiction can do things besides give you puzzles and make you laugh. It can also make you think. And it can deal with big issues.

CGW: Moving on to perhaps a lighter subject, can you tell us what you're working on now?

Brian: I can't say very much, it's too early yet, but my next game will be something light. I don't need to do another one like "Trinity", that was a hard game to work on. It's a collaboration, with someone from outside Infocom. The new one will be a fantasy, and should be out in February.

CGW: (Excitement!) Is this the follow-up to Hitchhiker (hope hope)?

Brian: No.

CGW: Awwwwwww. Will Infocom be doing one eventually?

Brian: We hope to. Douglas Adams would like to, but he's very busy right now.

CGW: How long have you been working on your current project?

Brian: I just started it less than a month ago. It's a quickie, it has to be done very quickly. It's something that had already been developed, but was put on the back burner for awhile.

CGW: So this will be a beginner or standard level game?

We're trying to get away from genres and levels, I think we're going to try to make the games two levels, Introductory and Other. It's very difficult to assign a level to a game. Who can say what is standard or what is advanced? Hitchhiker's was labelled "Standard", but a lot of people thought it was "Expert" level. We haven't abandoned levels yet, but I think we're going to.

CGW: And the same for genres?

Brian: We have thrown out the genres. How do you classify "Trinity"? is it a fantasy? Is it science-fiction? We had trouble classifying that. The game I'm working on now is completely unclassifiable. And a couple of other games we have in the works just don't fit in. We didn't like calling "Ballyhoo" a mystery because it's not like our other mysteries. People saw "mystery" on the box and thought "Oh, it's another of those games where you have to talk to characters". But it's not, it's a puzzle-oriented game. So we're getting away from trying to pin it down. We're just saying, "this is the game, read the description on the back to get an idea of what it's about".

CGW: Brian, it's been a pleasure talking with you. Before you go, do you have any closing remarks?

Brian: No, except to say what I've been saying to everyone about "Trinity". That it's not a funeral, and not to be afraid of it. It's kind of a dark game, but it's also, I like to think, kind of a fun game, too. I don't want people to be put off by the subject. But I do want people to think about what they see. And to write lots of letters if they're mad at the ending and think it should be something else. I love to hear from people. I hope I do.

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