-------
10-Sep-85 11:29:04-EDT,2294;000000000001
Mail-From: SWG created at 10-Sep-85 11:25:39
Date: 10 Sep 1985 1125-EDT
From: Stu Galley <SWG at ZORK>
Subject: stuff for Binky
To: imps at ZORK

After our talk with O'Leary at last week's lunch, I wrote the following,
which I think expresses my view of what we do and how we do it.

I don't know whether this will make him any happier, but I'd like
to give you a chance to comment before I show it to him.

---------

THE IMPLEMENTOR'S CREED

I create fictional worlds.  I create experiences.

I am exploring a new medium for telling stories.

My readers should become immersed in the story and forget where they
are.  They should forget about the keyboard and the screen, forget
everything but the experience.  My goal is to make the computer
invisible.

I want as many people as possible to share these experiences.  I want a
broad range of fictional worlds, and a broad range of "reading levels".
I can categorize our past works and discover where the range needs
filling in.  I should also seek to expand the categories to reach every
popular taste.

In each of my works, I share a vision with the reader.  Only I know
exactly what the vision is, so only I can make the final decisions about
content and style.  But I must seriously consider comments and
suggestions from any source, in the hope that they will make the sharing
better.

I know what an artist means by saying, "I hope I can finish this work
before I ruin it."  Each work-in-progress reaches a point of diminishing
returns, where any change is as likely to make it worse as to make it
better.  My goal is to nurture each work to that point.  And to make my
best estimate of when it will reach that point.

I can't create quality work by myself.  I rely on other implementors to
help me both with technical wizardry and with overcoming the limitations
of the medium.  I rely on testers to tell me both how to communicate my
vision better and where the rough edges of the work need polishing.  I
rely on marketeers and salespeople to help me share my vision with more
readers.  I rely on others to handle administrative details so I can
concentrate on the vision.

None of my goals is easy.  But all are worth hard work.  Let no one doubt
my dedication to my art.
-------

