Comment Duh (Score 2, Informative) 76
Open-ended gaming has been the future (well, it's tried to be the future) since SSI started making AD&D games for PC. Didn't really get very far until recently. It's not like it's a new idea.
The best book on programming for the layman is "Alice in Wonderland"; but that's because it's the best book on anything for the layman.
