Argax Project:: Thesis: Outline

Node Statuses Defined:

SKETCH
-- Very rough; ideas only.
ROUGH
-- Rough draft only; needs work (or at least proofreading).
COMPLETE
-- Content, citations, diagrams, and spell-checking done.

Numbered entries in this outline that end in a period refer to nodes of COMPLETE status.

Thesis Outline

This draft has been superceded by the official PDF version.
(The content is still basically the same, though.)

Abstract

Introduction
Interactive Fiction
1. History
2. Essence of IF
  1. Related Forms
3. Current IF Platforms
  1. Inform
  2. TADS
4. Practical Applications of IF
  1. IF in Interactive Drama Research
Affordances
1. Limitations of IF's Command Line Interface
2. Interface and Narrative Affordances
3. Previous Research Regarding IF Affordances
4. Command Line Augmentations in IF
Skald
1. Considered Designs
2. Paper Prototype
3. Refined Design
4. Implementation
5. Potential Consequences
Evaluation
1. Claims to be Tested
2. Experimental Setup
  1. The Games
Results
1. Participation Results
2. Participant Backgrounds
3. Game Experiences
  1. Object Affordances
  2. Action Affordances
  3. Command Construction
  4. World-Level Agency
  5. Story-Level Objectives
  6. Interactive Story Experience
  7. Summary Experience
  8. Open-ended Responses
4. User Interface Comparison
5. Effect of Participant Backgrounds
  1. Command Line Experience
  2. Interactive Fiction Experience
Discussion
Conclusion
1. Future Work

Appendix A: Participant Recruiting Email
Appendix B: Informed Consent Form
Appendix C: Participant Background Survey
Appendix D: Participant Response Survey
Appendix E: Game Comparison Survey
Appendix F: Participant Response Survey Comments
Appendix G: Participant Comparison Survey Comments