ONE MAN'S COMPUTER ADVENTURING By Jim Johnston 1. My Introduction to Computers. In the late sixties I was given an induction course on "The Use of Computers in Industry". This was held at the National Coal Board's Computer Centre at Sitehill, Edinburgh. I was duly impressed. The computer was housed in a 'dust free' atmosphere with air-lock type doors and filter fans and the attendant staff wore white coats and white canvas overshoes. The ladies were distinguished by their white dust caps. We, the unclean, were not permitted into the computer shrine but watched from the viewing gallery, through the glass walls, which surrounded the computer. The computer, sited in the middle of the floor, was about 20 feet long, 8 feet wide and 4/5 feet in height. Although there were hundreds of little coloured lights blinking on and off to catch your attention, there was no video screen display. Around the walls stood banks of 12 inch magnetic tapes whirling back and forth as the computer wrote data to and read from them, however the only way for the operator to communicate with it was by using one of the many free standing printers or by punched tape reader. In another large room was a group of typists busily preparing punched cards, with the various data required for pay-slips, income tax, accounting etc. These cards, in turn, were being fed to a machine which read the data and produced a punched tape to be used as an input to the computer and then used by it to prepare or alter its magnetic tapes. Very impressive - but what has that got to do with adventuring??? Nothing - but it fixes the computer size / date. It also produced one or two fixed ideas in my head about computer personnel. The exclusion zone and the white coats reminded me of the ancient priests who kept certain knowledge secret to their class and thus had power over various sections of the ignorant and I felt conned. This feeling increased when we were given a six inch piece of punched tape, a used punched card (artefacts which had been touched by the God computer), and a plastic flow chart stencil (His symbolic language) as souvenirs of our visit to these hallowed halls. What do you really do with a six inch piece of punched tape, a used punched card??? The white coated Guru who lectured us spoke in mystic mumbo-jumbo about ALGOL, FORTRAN and COBAL, the secret languages that the high priests had to know in order to converse with their God. Oops! I mean languages that the technicians used to input instructions to the computer. However, he did inform us that they were too complicated to be understood by ordinary people. It was about then that I switched off and the main things I remember of that lovely sunny afternoon was the very funny but obscene cartoon drawings the chap next to me kept drawing and discovering the fact that you can sleep sitting upright, provided someone shakes you when you snore (The afternoon nap being part of pit life where the day started at 5.00 a.m. and finished around 2 p.m.). 2. Aren't People funny My first experience of actual computer adventuring was in the late seventies and by now the computer was at the colliery and was tiny compared with the main N.C.B. computer. A small room (10ft. by 12ft.) was able to hold it and its input printer with a disc storage rack on one wall. While the computer was used for production control and environmental monitoring, via suitable monitors and 10 inch floppy discs, there was a small pilot monitor and keyboard attached to it for testing the system and making any necessary alterations to the main program running. Hidden within this testing system were two games. Othello, in black and white naturally, and Star Trek, a strategy type game to exterminate Klingon ships. There was also a large cave adventure available, but it could not output to the monitor (insufficient memory), but had to be played on the big freestanding printer direct from the system disc. This was a version of the Crowther/Woods famous "Adventures" (subsequently known as Colossal Cave Adventure), although I did not know that at the time, and it was in this way that I learned to 'computer adventure'. Unfortunately there was no save function in the game and, since playing was restricted to lunch time etc., it was very common to see various personnel studying computer printouts - not to solve any business problem - but to compare results and achievements in the cave adventure. Nor could you assume that the bundle of printout paper under someone's arm was anything to do with work. It was around that time that I confirmed that elitism was being practised by those involved in computing. Firstly no instruction book was ever produced in public. Secondly no one other than electrical personnel were allowed to interfere with any part of the system. Now the main unit was housed in the Control Room and each Senior Official had a terminal screen with a touch pad installed, in his office, for his personal use. The operation was limited to touching four or five marked squares, which then displayed the updated version of the particular function (Tonnes produced today/week so far, power consumption etc.). The remaining squares were blank and NOT TO BE TOUCHED. So I pressed each and every square that was blank. It produced a further mass of information but not directly linked to production, however on pressing the bottom corner key the screen cleared and "PRINTING DATA" now appeared on the screen. There was an explosion of vocal noises from the Control Room as every printer in the place sprang to life and proceeded to print out all the data I had requested with my key pressing. They solved the problem of this unwarranted, unqualified 'misuse' of THEIR computer in their own intelligent fashion. While I was out of my office, under the cover of maintenance, they bolted a thin metal sheet over the touch pad leaving only those spaces to allow operation exactly to their dictates. So - no outstation wordprocessor, no print facility, no data gathering facility (in fact almost all the computer facilities were disabled). Of course, if you requested a printout of any of these functions, hard copy was available from the electrical department. However so that I would not feel ostracised, they fitted the plates to all the other outstations, effectively disabling around 90% of the computer functions available. Then in the eighties came the ZX81 from Sinclair and along with it there was a multitude of games including text adventures. Playing these, or any game, on the ZX81, where the screen blacked out while it updated each input took some getting used to (I think we developed an automatic blink whenever the screen blanked so we never saw it). In 82/83 came the ZX Spectrum with "sound and colour"!! There were, of course, many other computers on the market at that time including Vic 20, BBC A, BBC B, Commodore 64, Dragon 32,etc. but to me the Spectrum was the natural follow on from the ZX81. During one of the Safety Campaigns I decided to use a monitor I had, for running looped safety videos, to run a safety program on the Spectrum. It consisted mainly, as I remember, of lots of self producing barcharts and piecharts on accident statistics relating to the colliery with various safety messages in between. There was a screen which appeared randomly showing a pair of bloodshot eyes with the words 'Oh No! not another safety slogan' on it. It had flashing screens and sound effects (thanks to 16/48 tape magazine) and even typed in tunes where appropriate. Needless to say, because it was novel, it proved very effective but the side effect was more novel and strange. I had changed my computer status. No longer was I one of the unwashed - suddenly I was ONE OF THEM, to be asked politely for my opinion on major computing matters. To stand in the sacred circle and replace the used data disc. Even, on one occasion, to re-boot the failed system using the set of instructions hidden in the locked computer room - such power is dangerous!!! As time passed the quality of the games improved, and from the Velnor's Lair type text adventure, still graphics were added to give improved atmosphere, as in The Hobbit. The dungeons and dragons type games like 'The Valley' were replaced by full graphic adventures in the form of Lords of Midnight. Even arcade adventures of the 'Tir Na Nog' type appeared regularly. From then on, like Topsy, it just grew and grew. 3. Aren't People Nice So as time went on my collection of adventures increased (most unfinished) and as they did, I began to collect help sheets, solutions and maps. The result of this was that I came into contact with people at the sharp end of adventure writing. One I met through buying his adventure in my local microshop. His address was on the cassette and I wrote to him for help in "The Dunshalt Donut. The main reason was to meet the man behind the loading screen. The screen showed an eye peeping through a curtain and suddenly the eye swivelled. My first animated screen!! How had he done the impossible? Since he stayed near me (when not at university) we met and he explained the machine code routine to switch the eye. We discussed the adventure in detail and we walked the village of Dunshalt where the real streets, houses, farms and post office had been accurately transferred to the adventure map. Ross Harris was in the process of writing his own version of Crowther and Wood's Adventures (now known as Colossal Cave etc). While I personally felt that we had enough copies of that particular adventure I was very impressed by his loading screen which seemed, for me, to create the atmosphere I had felt when I first played this adventure and agreed to playtest it. Ross had by this time written out the next adventure scenario in detail and asked me to proof read it. I thus became Watson to a young Sherlock. I was permitted to see the making, on the G.A.C., of the Spectrum version and then encouraged to modify it and produce it on the Amstrad. The name we issued the adventure under was "Cursed Be The City" by Incantation. Although the copies sent to the main software houses were returned with letters praising the adventure, we found no backers and so it was decided that I would handle the production and my wife would handle the distribution. Needless to say, without capital for advertising etc., we did not do very well financially but had great fun at all the stages. The adventure went into limbo as my vocation caught up with me and Ross went first to England (as a computer graphics artist) and then to America in the same line. Retirement and a computer change rekindled my interest in adventures and as I recontacted old friends, I discovered that The Guild (Tony Collins) had our adventure up and running not only on the Spectrum and Amstrad but also on the Commodore 64. When I spoke to him he informed me that he had rescued the adventure from the collapse of Recreation Re-claimation who had requested permission for a re-issue. What a thrill to find that "Cursed " was still alive and kicking! Thank you, Tony. 4. Believe it or Not As a child, I remember reading a book titled "BELIEVE IT OR NOT". This book was filled with many wonderfully strange stories and very tall tales, and as the title suggested, you could believe them or not. This sprang to mind as I prepared this section, for having set the scene I wanted to move straight to adventuring but now realised that I must point out one or two facts of life. People 'BELIEVE' that a computer has a mind of its own and can think, cheat, put you down, sulk, etc. They will spend hours, days, even weeks "proving" their claim, faithfully recording the exact number of times the computer has cheated etc. You will never convince them that they are mistaken and this is particularly true of the computer adventurer. He will never accept that the computer is just a machine. He wants to interact with his computer, as human to human and this is where most of his frustrations come from. When playing Dungeons and Dragons as a board game, the 'Dungeon Master' is in charge. As a human he can interact with the players so that messages do not have to follow a strict vocabulary. So take, get, remove, lift, etc would be understood as taking an object into your possession. The computer, on the other hand, has a very limited vocabulary of verbs, nouns and adjectives (in some cases abbreviated), with little bias or alternative. When you input a phrase, it will compare the verb and noun with its vocabulary, and if it finds a match it will take the action designated to that verb and noun. If it cannot make a match then it will be programmed to give one of these frustrating replies - "I do not know how to 'pick'" or "I do not understand". Now if we all used the same language (computer vocabulary) there would be little frustration but every author can program the verbs and nouns he wants so there is a tendency for your adventuring to become bogged down, in trying to find the right word rather than play the adventure. Adventuring on the computer was meant to be bound by logic, but time without number you will get bogged down by a problem/puzzle, in which you have tried all the logical ways of solving it, and without assistance you will probably never solve it and will give up, not only that adventure, but may also stop playing adventures altogether, due to the frustration. To demonstrate this point, one adventure I played required you to 'FIRE LASER twice then DANCE' in front of a force field to get past it. There you are in a sci-fi adventure, dressed in full space gear, on a strange planet with a unknown force field barring your way. You immediately scratch your space helmet and say "Aah, I will now fire my gun twice then do a tango and the force field will be immediately switched off!" The mind boggles. Finally, I accept that there are computer adventurers who want to conquer all adventurers unaided and all joy to them, but I feel that they belong to that class of people who have to climb mountains "because they are there!" or put another way you can, if you so desire, row single handed across the Atlantic and the Pacific too, but don't attempt to tell me that I must do the same. Any crossing I make will be in a luxury liner or even Concorde. My computer adventuring takes the same form. Any adventure I play is played with the maximum amount of information and assistance that I have available, IF REQUIRED. This includes hint/help sheets and, where available, full solutions and maps. Is the adventure not spoiled by having all that information available? No!! No more than reading R. L. Stevenson's Treasure Island is spoiled by knowing that the baddies must lose, the goodies will win, and Jim will get his share of the treasure. The information is there to remove the frustration of being stuck and increase the pleasure of playing. It will not be used if no insurmountable problem is met with. Specially for people who abhor help in adventure and look down on people who wish to play for PLEASURE, I have written an adventure which consists of one well described and atmospheric location. Available exits lead back to the room. There are many articles for examination and collection but none help to find an exit and some cause death after a random number of moves. There is no help given since there is no possible solution. This will provide them with all the challenge they wish to have for the rest of their lives and leave the rest of us to get on with enjoying our adventuring. 5. Adventuring we will go When I am asked for the name of the first adventure I played, I normally say 'cowboys and indians' - and you will not find it on any computer. These first 'Role Playing' games were real to all who took part. Who wanted to be a poor indian, who only had a piece of stick to defend himself, when you could be a cowboy with a six-shooter. Indians were thin on the ground (we sometimes had to use girls if none of the boys could be threatened into being indians!!!). What about the big shoot outs? - magic - and if it was your turn to be 'Gunned Down' the death throes were pure character acting - the hero always blew the smoke from his six shooter before returning it to his holster (a bit of wood stuck in his trouser top). This was true adventuring - and don't say that it was not 'REAL'. I can't play cowboys and indians now - at 60 most people are inclined to think that I am too old but I don't think so. However you won't see me running about, with my raincoat held on my shoulders by the top catch at the neck, as Captain Marvel (as I did in days of yore), but you will find sitting at my computer playing computer adventures. This has its own benefits since I have no wish to repeat my tripping on the loose coat whilst climbing the house stairs and falling forwards onto my hands, carrying two bottles of lemonade. The result of that playacting was a cut right wrist and finger. Now just as we had to understand the ground rules for play - no one was shot where there were nettles - no one drew a ray gun while chasing indians - when you were surrounded by indians you could not use a rocket pack to escape, etc. So with adventuring, both the author and the player must follow the same rule if enjoyment is to be the result. The player must get a rational reaction to his action or, like the force field (already discussed), the illogicality of the action will destroy the game's playability. As I said, I had the privilege of sharing in the making of an adventure and although my contribution was offering suggestions during the development of the Spectrum version, playtesting the final adventure, then converting it for the Amstrad, I was deeply involved in the plot and tried very hard to avoid the pit fall I have mentioned. To illustrate what I have in mind, I will use the opening from 'Cursed Be The City' (the adventure mentioned). The scene is set in the wine cellar of your own castle, now converted to a torture chamber. You, Prince Asher, have been defeated by the followers of The Raven after a long siege and almost all of the city have been put to the sword. Your fate is to be tortured to death, by the torturer 'Sudo' and are now bound to the rack, while he, fortifying himself with wine, taunts you with his proposals for your slow and very painful death. That sets the scene. Now you have to figure how to get out. If you try to bribe or threaten 'Sudo', you will make him start your torture all the sooner and you will die. Vengeance is what you seek, not the peace of death. Struggling, straining at you bonds and all the other attempts to escape are equally futile - What are you to do ? Now think about it logically - If you were really strapped to a rack with a mad drunken torturer just finishing his wine before starting on you - what would do ? You would 'scream' or 'shout' for help, at the top of your voice. Hopeless though this may seem and fortunately, for you, another survivor hears your screams. He opens the door and throws a knife which kills 'Sudo', he then cuts you free and leaves, to carry out what personal plan he has for escape or revenge. and so the adventure begins. Now the scene may not be to your particular liking but the logic is sound. I would thus expect that, in an adventure, if I was in an air lock, kitted out with a space suit and the description indicated that there was a wheel present. on turning the wheel the air lock would open. I would not expect to be told that a merry tune was playing because the wheel was connected to an antique barrel-organ. 6. Down to the Nitty Gritty Now when I am planning a real journey, I make certain arrangements to make the journey as pleasurable as possible. If journeying by car, I make sure I have my gazetteer, my motorway map and I may even have a route plan. I will check the car is roadworthy and cover tyres, brakes, lights etc. When I am satisfied, I will put in the car the articles mentioned, AA key, mobile phone and any equipment required during or at the end of the journey. I do not regard these preparations as trivial or positively against good motoring. Should I due to some mishap become 'lost' on my journey, I can then refer to my route plan, motorway map or gazetteer to find where I went wrong and rectify it with the minimum delay. Should all else fail I can use the phone to contact 'a man who knows' who will set me once more on the correct road. I do not wish to spend the next six weeks (months, years) sitting by the side of the motorway waiting for inspiration on how I should proceed next. Nor do I intend to drive round in ever decreasing circles without a clue where I am or where I am going. Nor do I regard the fact that I have all that information and assistance available a waste of time, if I do not use or require it for this trip. I regard it as sensible pre-planning. So it is with my adventuring. In particular, I have built up my own vocabulary of obscure words and phrase inputs which tend to be used in specific adventures which I resort to if the obvious entry is rejected. Should these fail then I look for the phrase in the solution or phone for help and use it (marking it in the location sheet, the map and my vocabulary database). When I have gathered together all the information I can (including emergency telephone numbers) I then proceed to prepare a location sheet (Fig.1). This allows me to enter the location I am in and to indicate the result of travelling in the various directions indicated. The objects found are entered in the margin. Thus a picture is built up to allow you to map the adventure in such a way that you don't have to finish up on the next page without intending to. Fig. 1 |P |L |D |K | | |o |i |i |i | | |r |v |n |t | | |c |i |i |c | | |h |n |n |h | | | |g |g | | | ----------|--|--|--|--|--| Door Porch| |E | | | | ----------|--|--|--|--|--| Living Rm.|W | |E |SE| | ----------|--|--|--|--|--| Dining Rm.| |W | |S | | ----------|--|--|--|--|--| Kitchen | |NW|N | | | ----------|--|--|--|--|--| Fig. 2. N (1)---(2)---(3) | \ | W ---JGJ--- E \ | | \ | | (4) S 1. Door Porch (KEY) 2. Living Room (BOOK, BOTTLE) 3. Dining Room (GLASS) 4. Kitchen (Table, (drawer (KNIFE)) Using this method the entire adventure is covered and all the routes explored. When Tim Gilbert (Quill & PAW) wrote a small demo adventure for a Quill review in 16/48 tape, he included almost all the functions possible. Playing it normally I found the objects and escaped with them. Paying the adventure again, using the method above, I discovered the size of the catacombs, a secret entrance to/exit from the catacombs and three different and correct combinations of objects to complete the adventure. I must say that the second play gave more pleasure than just solving the adventure. It was also the source of my first phrase for my vocabulary 'CLIMB TAPESTRY' was required to reach the Minstrel's Gallery and find the key (a simple DOWN) served to return). To this day I can see nothing logical in climbing a tapestry to a Minstrel's Gallery since, to entertain, the Minstrel would regularly have to use the same route, thus damaging what must have been a costly and beautiful item and, worse, damaging the believability of the adventure. Now here is something that I cannot understand. I have a good enough memory. I could at one time memorise sufficient data to pass with some credit all the required exams laid down for qualification as a Mining Engineer (Mine Management). I can still (as Secretary of the local club of one of my other hobbies) remember the transactions of meetings from a page of scribbled notes and produce full minutes to the satisfaction of the members. I cannot however remember the rest of the solution I looked at. Some people claim that if they 'just glance' at a solution, it is locked in their mind and spoils the adventure (the "I just could not stop myself reading on" brigade). Yet if I were to place a page of the telephone directory in front of them for 'one of their glances' then remove it and ask them to tell me the address and telephone number of the subscriber at the bottom right (or any other random position) they cannot tell me. I wonder why? But you've seen it. How can you prepare these solution sheets and not know what they contain? My adventure database holds, at present, help/solutions/maps for some 1400 adventures. These consist of my own efforts, but mainly others which were supplied on request, bought, traded etc. Of the many I have produced by my own efforts, I can only remember the particular ones which were illogical (Dance in front of a forcefield); bugged (Here you see a match - take/get/pick up match - you can't etc); or just plain stupid (turn wheel in airlock and music is played by barrel organ) and caused upset and frustration. The rest of my adventures, like good books, are to be played and replayed at suitable intervals to give greater and added pleasure. Not as some feel, conquered like so many mountain peaks and discarded. Who wants to climb a second time - let's have a new challenge - that's old hat now! The adventure I am stuck in at present has been completed by me quite a few times in the past but I am persevering with it just a little longer as I know the solution is logical. Please don't feel sorry for me since the adventure is "Cursed Be The City" by Incantation (R.Harris & Jim Johnston) and at least I can ask the author for help.