Jolt Country

I have been trying to setup a FujiNet adapter for my Atari 800XL and one of the things I think it can do is establish a WiFi connection and then run a game from an internet server. (I think, I gotta check the SD card to make sure that the games aren't there.) So I'll do another thread for "what old game comes to mind with friendly memories" or whatever I named this one.... but when it comes to text games, many of us here are fans. Is there one that brings forth pleasant memories?

Hitchikers Guide. Doug Adams makes me laugh

Sorry if it is unoriginal but Zork and Ballyhoo are the first therm come to mind with commercial IF games

AArdvark wrote: Sun Mar 06, 2022 5:15 am Hitchikers Guide. Doug Adams makes me laugh

I really liked this one too but got stuck like 3 times and gave up. And that was with hints!

I got stuck on the tea/no tea thing. Mostly because I was taking the puzzle too seriously

Jizaboz wrote: Sun Mar 06, 2022 6:17 am Sorry if it is unoriginal but Zork and Ballyhoo are the first therm come to mind with commercial IF games

Interesting on Ballyhoo! I have never played it and I think I should. I may need to find one of those "quality of life" interpreters that do things like substitute "x" for "examine" and such and try it out.

The manual to Ballyhoo is of course amazing, with CIRCUS LINGO, which, to a someone interested in slang, was gold. GOLD.

AArdvark wrote: Sun Mar 06, 2022 6:39 am I got stuck on the tea/no tea thing. Mostly because I was taking the puzzle too seriously

One thing I have noticed is that you actually did play your damn games! I have lots of memories of acquiring them, and lots of memories trying out the beginnings of most games. Some I stuck with for years. But I must have grabbed HHGG, I must have started playing it but I have zero memories of playing after the first obstacle. Part of me thinks I am either forgetting or even back in the warez days it was "on to the next one."

My first exposure to text adventures was the Scott Adams Gold Collection on the TRS-80. I was too young to be any good at them but I enjoyed the feeling I got while playing them. I remember playing Mystery Fun House. It's one of Adams' more difficult adventures and I don't think I got far at all in it, but I always loved fun houses and just the idea of being able to virtually walk around and explore one seemed exciting.

I have a lot of memories of playing the Hobbit text adventure, although my only exposure to the stories at that time would have been the animated film. Most of my text adventure memories revolve about playing games, not beating them.

I also remember on the PCjr we had a Sherlock Holmes game that was pretty fun. I don't think I got far in it either, but that was my introduction to Sherlock Holmes.

Flack wrote: Sun Mar 06, 2022 7:58 pm I also remember on the PCjr we had a Sherlock Holmes game that was pretty fun. I don't think I got far in it either, but that was my introduction to Sherlock Holmes.

That one came in the Lost Treasures of Infocom 2 I bought off Roody. Still need to try it!

I found it. Sherlock Holmes in "Another Bow"



Link: https://www.mobygames.com/game/pc-boote ... nother-bow

I don't know what you mean by 'text adventure' but if you mean something where I had fun manipulating text and solving puzzles, it was Turbo Pascal, version 3. Using it to do things was the most fun I had, and it's too bad there was no money in writing programs for it, because there is no way someone can tell me that's working, I was having way too much fun for it to be work.

Then, like way too many software companies, the sequels bloated up the program and made it harder to play with.

Now if you want to argue you mean 'Interactive fiction' then it's Dungeon, a clone of Zork for which the source was available and you could see what it did and how it did it. And the puzzles were entertaining, although they can be frustrating (like how you sneak into the vault of the Bank of Zork (or whatever it was called in Dungeon).

Then again, having really difficult puzzles that frustrate you are not supposed to be in a game you play for fun. Being frustrated by the puzzles you have to solve is the stuff I'm supposed to be paid to do as a programmer... But that's another story...

Tdarcos wrote: Mon Mar 07, 2022 12:13 pm I don't know what you mean by 'text adventure'

Yes you do. Don't be "clever".

pinback wrote: Mon Mar 07, 2022 1:58 pm

Tdarcos wrote: Mon Mar 07, 2022 12:13 pm I don't know what you mean by 'text adventure'

Yes you do. Don't be "clever".

Tdarcos? TDARCOS? You absolutely know what we are talking about. By hanging out here you became an expert on Rochester food and text adventures.

Is Turbo Pascal a text adventure?

Zork and Deadline stand out foremost in my mind. Zork still feels BIG to me. There are definitely games with more rooms and more text to read, but Zork always gives me that feeling that there's going to be more to explore and it will be interesting and unexpected. It also recognizes one of the fundamental facts of human nature: if a game puts you in front of a white house, you're going to want to find out what's in it. The starting room to me is one of the most iconic moments in the history of video games. What's the deal with this house, anyway? Why is it boarded up? While I'm here, shouldn't I at least steal some fucking mail? Deadline is another game that feels big, but it puts the focus on its rich cast of characters who all have lives of their own and distinct personalities. Your mission is to find out whodunnit, but finding out just who these people are is the most enjoyable aspect of the journey. You have to talk to people, observe them as they go about their daily lives, and sort through the lies and half-truths. I also really like the aspect of being a detective who does detectivey things like take fingerprints. The basic work of being a detective isn't all done for you automatically and your competence isn't assumed. You have to do your damn job.

AArdvark wrote: Mon Mar 07, 2022 5:49 pm Is Turbo Pascal a text adventure?

I thought it really delved deeply into Blaise Pascal's secret life as a competitive sprinter, but having to use the run command 7,539 times in a row was serious overkill.

The Witness is my favorite game of all time.

pinback wrote: Mon Mar 07, 2022 6:33 pm The Witness is my favorite game of all time.

So now that you have played the other Witness, could it have been called anything else other than the name of a previous game?

"Circle Loopy Game" wouldn't have worked, you're saying?

Well, words have different meanings.

But let's get back on topic, I was just being a lil' stinker!