Search found 44 matches

by Richard Bos
Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:19 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: My Adventure-Writing Self-Challenge
Replies: 13
Views: 33146

Re: My Adventure-Writing Self-Challenge

(For example, the "GIVE CHEESE" and "FEED MOUSE" responses in my GAC program, were the last things I rushed to complete before the deadline was up. So although they seem to just about work and obey the logic, there's no beauty to the code. I really want to re-write them from scratch to make them mu...
by Richard Bos
Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:24 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: My Adventure-Writing Self-Challenge
Replies: 13
Views: 33146

Re: My Adventure-Writing Self-Challenge

OK. Here it is. It's not based directly on any existing games, but rather my own personal interpretation of the puzzle, with a couple of unusual touches. Hope you enjoy it. And here's mine, based on the original. I did manage to get a GAC version cobbled together after all (well, I did already have...
by Richard Bos
Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:20 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: My Adventure-Writing Self-Challenge
Replies: 13
Views: 33146

Re: My Adventure-Writing Self-Challenge

I tried my hand at implementing Roger Firth's Cloak of Darkness in a few Spectrum IF systems (it's on my website if you want to know more). Like you, I just can't get the feel for GAC; it seems a bit rough around the edges to me. The PAW is much more finished, and at least as powerful. Sounds inter...
by Richard Bos
Tue Aug 19, 2014 3:35 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: My Adventure-Writing Self-Challenge
Replies: 13
Views: 33146

Re: My Adventure-Writing Self-Challenge

pippa wrote:My first challenge is to write a version of the old "gas-mask/cheese/mouse/elephant" puzzle.
By the way, are you using pictures as well? The one I have now does not. I'm using a severely cut-down part of the Philosopher's Quest map, but not, as yet, pictures. (I'm bad at pictures.)
by Richard Bos
Mon Aug 18, 2014 8:56 am
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: My Adventure-Writing Self-Challenge
Replies: 13
Views: 33146

Re: My Adventure-Writing Self-Challenge

Anyone who wants to join in, feel free to give it a go. You don't have to use GAC - any system will do. And we can all compare our results in a week's time. Bags me the PAW - which I still have in the box, and the manuals beside me on my desk, even if my physical Spectrum died to an edge connector ...
by Richard Bos
Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:34 pm
Forum: Classics
Topic: Games everybody should know
Replies: 17
Views: 6440

Re: Games everybody should know

On its target, yes. But ZCode is only the machine code of the ZMachine. Infocom's actual legible code was in ZIL, which is much more like a variant of Lisp than like imperative languages like Inform and TSAL. Speaking as a non-programmer who can usually more-or-less follow the logic of programs by ...
by Richard Bos
Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:01 am
Forum: Classics
Topic: Topologika / Acornsoft games
Replies: 11
Views: 3580

Re: Topologika / Acornsoft games

This leads to a question of chronology, which you may or may not be able to answer. When was Topologika set up? Countdown was released by Acornsoft in 1982, whereas Topologika's expanded version seems to be from 1987 (I haven't been able to find anything earlier from them). Wikipedia claims 1983, a...
by Richard Bos
Sun Aug 03, 2014 10:27 pm
Forum: Classics
Topic: Games everybody should know
Replies: 17
Views: 6440

Re: Games everybody should know

Hi, Richard. Could you expand a bit on why you say that the Phoenix/TSAL games led to the creation of Inform? I was under the impression that Infocom's Z-code was the obvious and main influence on Inform? On its target, yes. But ZCode is only the machine code of the ZMachine. Infocom's actual legib...
by Richard Bos
Sun Aug 03, 2014 10:14 pm
Forum: Classics
Topic: Topologika / Acornsoft games
Replies: 11
Views: 3580

Re: Topologika / Acornsoft games

Do all the Acornsoft versions differ enough to warrant their own, separate entries? And where do the Archimedes versions fit into the picture? Acheton is identical to the MS-DOS version except for cosmetic details; it was only published on disc. Kingdom of Hamil is somewhat cut down, but enough to ...
by Richard Bos
Sun Aug 03, 2014 10:05 pm
Forum: Classics
Topic: Topologika / Acornsoft games
Replies: 11
Views: 3580

Re: Topologika / Acornsoft games

Furthermore, were all three Doom games created on the Phoenix? No, AFAIK none of them were; they were Topologika originals. However, they were written by one of the Phoenix implementors, Peter Killworth, who also co-wrote BrandX and later ported that to MS-DOS; he also cut it down for Acornsoft on ...
by Richard Bos
Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:49 pm
Forum: Classics
Topic: Games everybody should know
Replies: 17
Views: 6440

Re: Games everybody should know

Gunness wrote:... and the review is online - a terrific read, too!
Thanks.
by Richard Bos
Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:48 pm
Forum: Site feedback & announcements
Topic: "Adventure Builder System" and "Adventure System"
Replies: 3
Views: 3232

Re: "Adventure Builder System" and "Adventure System"

Ah. I know this. I typed in the Sinclair User version for WoS. I'm not quite sure of the historical sequence of events, but it seems that Tom Frost wrote this thing to create his own adventures in, then either - sent a cut-down version to SU for publication and published the full version commerciall...
by Richard Bos
Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:26 pm
Forum: Classics
Topic: Lost or unreleased game you'd love to play
Replies: 15
Views: 4821

Re: Lost or unreleased game you'd love to play

Xerb. The only Phoenix game which is now, it appears, completely lost.
by Richard Bos
Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:22 pm
Forum: Classics
Topic: Games everybody should know
Replies: 17
Views: 6440

Re: Games everybody should know

Acheton. It's almost as old as Adventure (and about as old as Zork); more importantly, it's the first of the Phoenix/TSAL games, and therefore, ultimately, led to the creation of Inform.