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The Further Text Adventures of Scott Adams

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Re: The Further Text Adventures of Scott Adams

#101

Post by ScottAdams »

nsxwolf wrote: post #41
ScottAdams wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi! I did the entire programming of obth of the TI cartrige games, the text adventure cartridge (read in the games from cassette) and the special made-for-TI graphical text adventure in a cartridge: Return to Pirates Island. My game language interpreter was already separate from games written in my adventure language. So putting the interpreter on the cartridge was not very difficult. See one of the other threads on…

You were using good software engineering principles way back then! Now my obligitory fanboying: Those text adventures were an important part of my formative years. They inspired me to learn how to write more advanced programs, because I desperately wanted to create my own text adventures. My first one was a gigantic, unwieldy tree of if/then/else statements, and that painful experience led me to more learn advanced d…

I am so glad my classic games were such a great inspiration for you!

Re: The Further Text Adventures of Scott Adams

#102

Post by ScottAdams »

digger1970 wrote: post #81

Just wanted to say thanks for all the memory's. Took me weeks to get all the treasures in Return To Pirates Isle on my old TI 99/4A. Without any spoilers, finding the alarm clock took forever...

Yes the alarm clock was basically but an annoying and hopefully rewarding puzzle. It was designed to remind you that something was still unknown and also to get a great moment of AHA when solved.

Big congratulations on staying with it and solving that puzzle! By the way the alarm clock makes a return visit in my 2013 game The Inheritance.

Re: The Further Text Adventures of Scott Adams

#105

Post by ScottAdams »

timbit42 wrote: post #90
ScottAdams wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always looked at a computer issue as a challenge. How can I best handle it. My brother built a 32 bit computer from bit slice chips, my other brother made a tv typewriter IO for it. I was the one who was going to program it. So I made a game. I had no compiler, not even an assembler or linker. I had to write it in psuedo assembler and then hand assemble and link the code. One issue I discovered early on was I made…

I read or heard you talk about Mike Wise's Sphere before. I wish there was more information about it available online. I know there was a BASIC for it before Microsoft or Tiny BASIC came along. Did you have BASIC on the Sphere? How did it compare to other BASICs? Any other info about the Sphere would be appreciated. I know BYTE magazine called it the first true personal computer.

Yes I had a version of tiny Basic I loaded from cassette for Z80. The sphere was first advertised in back of Radio Electronics in a small box ad. I think it was around June in mid 70s.

It cost if I remember correctly $850 or so. For that it would come with cassette IO, 512 bytes of ROM, a video monitor and case. The boards were on a backplane (inside) with room for expansion. There was also of course a power supply.

This was a kit and not assembled.

At the time Mike did NOT have any inventory and was winging it! I found out later I was his very first order. Also they did a "what do you use your Sphere for" annual contest which I won with my Tank War game and my design for a graphics card. I even sent them a super 8 video of the game play. Sadly lost as I sent my only copy.

That price got you an unassmbled kit. Also at

Re: The Further Text Adventures of Scott Adams

#106

Post by dhosek »

ScottAdams wrote: post #8
moolcool wrote: post #7

(Not the Dilbert one)

Which is a good point. Back when the internet was starting to bloom I got a nice email from Scott Adams of Dilbert. Seems he had gotten a number of fan mails meant for me and was trying to find who to send it to. I also had a number of fan mails meant for him! We exchanged the mails and had a nice chat about it!

In the completely random department, your picture was (I think) on the cover of some Apple magazine back in the 80s (maybe SoftTalk?) and my geometry class got a great deal of enjoyment out of the fact that you and our geometry teacher could have been twins.

Re: The Further Text Adventures of Scott Adams

#107

Post by chongli »

ianbicking wrote: post #60

Game design question: Text adventures as a category always struck me as kind of lonely. They often take place in environments where all the people have been removed, like miniature apocalypses. It seems technically fairly obvious why this happens: other people are too hard to model. People have goals and expectations and so someone traipsing around trying random things is not generally acceptable, and creating charac…

AI Dungeon is amusing but it's not a game, it's a toy. Text adventures are actual games with rules and objectives and (usually) a final goal. AI Dungeon is more like lucid dreaming in that you can do anything you want, there are no consequences, and reality is essentially putty in your hands. For people who want to play a game and challenge themselves to solve puzzles figure out the plot I think they will be very disappointed with AI Dungeon.

Re: The Further Text Adventures of Scott Adams

#108

Post by ScottAdams »

devenson wrote: post #53

Did you have an office in Longwood FL, near Sabal Point in the 80s? If so, I fondly remember dumpster diving into your trash dumpster w other neighborhood kids in search of games or whatever.

Hi!

Yes I did! It was one of 3 in the greater orlando area. AI Computer Center.

I have since heard from other new friends that were also kids back then dumpster diving at the store. Apparently a lof treasures found new homes in the local area. Very neat!

Did you know a Brian, Jonathan, Rob or Kevin perhaps?

Re: The Further Text Adventures of Scott Adams

#109

Post by ScottAdams »

strenholme wrote: post #76

I actually figured out the format for Scott Adams adventures and created a Scott Adams port of the “Cloak of Darkness” mini adventure, as well as my own small adventure game, Desert adventure, which can be played online at https://samiam.org/software/parchment/desert.html Downloads follow. Cloak of Darkness: https://samiam.org/software/parchment/Cloak-Scott.zip Desert adventure: https://samiam.org/software/parchment/…

So cool you were able to do that! Big congratulations on taking it to the next level and making your own games! Love it!

Re: The Further Text Adventures of Scott Adams

#110

Post by ScottAdams »

mypalmike wrote: post #59
ScottAdams wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Adventureland and Pirate Adventure were both originally done in BASIC and the interpreter with the compiled language (it reduced it to numbers) was on the tape. I did have some extremely clever folks reverse engineer my language and then write games in it! Hat tip to Alvin Files and William Demas amongst others!

Pirate Adventure was the first game I had on my Atari 800. I really loved it. I still remember coming across the terms "pieces of eight" and "flotsam and jetsam" and having to ask my mom what they meant. I seem to recall it was my first encounter with the the word "flat" meaning apartment. My vocabulary was thus improved by your work. Thanks!

Yes those were all terms I used in my game! I loved reading and had a good vocubulary that I liked to use when it seemed appropriate :)

I am happy you have such good memories of my classic games! Have you tried any of my new ones?

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