The Digital Antiquarian has a two-part series on HHGG and the events leading up to the Infocom game:
https://www.filfre.net/2013/11/the-computerized-hitchhikers/
1984: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
21–30 of 96 posts
Re: 1984: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#22There's a certain sense of loss I feel at playing a game that cannot be cheated. In the mid-80's playing interactive fiction there was no way to get help unless you could convince your parents to buy you invisiclues. You had to solve these games the hard way: on your own. Sure, there are games like that today but they require hand-eye coordination or grinding, not involved word-puzzle solving and thinking in many dif…
Yes! I love the story with video games - it’s the main draw for me, especially as I get older. It often feels like the plot is held up by having to go do six mundane tasks. I’d be happy having a game where you just walk around and talk to people. Have it almost be like a book, but with the added extras of art and music. Maybe there’s a genre for this, and I just don’t know how to look for it properly.
Re: 1984: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#23This is off-topic, but I've always wanted to bring this up with fellow geeks... Integer code of the asterisk ('*') ASCII character is 42, which, is the answer to life, the universe and everything. The asterisk character is used as a wildcard character to indicate anything and everything. Adams never revealed the origin of 42. [0] So, just because we really don't know, I'd like to think it originates with ASCII table…
Also off-topic, TIFF files use 42 as a magic number in bytes 2 and 3 of the file header:
"The number 42 was chosen for its deep philosophical significance."
Re: 1984: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#24The Z-Machine (which is the VM that powered the linked game) is also interesting in it's own right: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z-machine
OFC.
Also, recommended modern games to play:
- Anchorhead. Like Alone in the dark, but CLI.
- Spider and Web. Spies-based game based on replaying the same scenes over and over, with gadgets and psychological twists.
- Vicyous Cycles. Same, but in a different way.
- Curses. Time traveling game, medium-hard.
- Jigsaw. Simialr to curser, but much harder.
- Slouch over Bedlam. Victorian setting + steampunk.
Re: 1984: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#25This is off-topic, but I've always wanted to bring this up with fellow geeks... Integer code of the asterisk ('*') ASCII character is 42, which, is the answer to life, the universe and everything. The asterisk character is used as a wildcard character to indicate anything and everything. Adams never revealed the origin of 42. [0] So, just because we really don't know, I'd like to think it originates with ASCII table…
Also off-topic, TIFF files use 42 as a magic number in bytes 2 and 3 of the file header: "The number 42 was chosen for its deep philosophical significance."
Unlikely to be the source as TIFF was first released 1986 and HHGTTG initial "release" was 1978. Although I'm not sure "the answer" was mentioned in the original radio show.
Re: 1984: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#26There's a certain sense of loss I feel at playing a game that cannot be cheated. In the mid-80's playing interactive fiction there was no way to get help unless you could convince your parents to buy you invisiclues. You had to solve these games the hard way: on your own. Sure, there are games like that today but they require hand-eye coordination or grinding, not involved word-puzzle solving and thinking in many dif…
Yes! I love the story with video games - it’s the main draw for me, especially as I get older. It often feels like the plot is held up by having to go do six mundane tasks. I’d be happy having a game where you just walk around and talk to people. Have it almost be like a book, but with the added extras of art and music. Maybe there’s a genre for this, and I just don’t know how to look for it properly.
It's the "interactive fiction" genre.
Re: 1984: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#27This is off-topic, but I've always wanted to bring this up with fellow geeks... Integer code of the asterisk ('*') ASCII character is 42, which, is the answer to life, the universe and everything. The asterisk character is used as a wildcard character to indicate anything and everything. Adams never revealed the origin of 42. [0] So, just because we really don't know, I'd like to think it originates with ASCII table…
> Adams never revealed the origin of 42. Actually Stephen Fry claims that Douglas Adams told him. But it seems he is taking it to the grave to honor his vow.[0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrases_from_The_Hitchhiker%27... ?
[deleted]
Re: 1984: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#28"Hitchhiker’s is hard to summarize, but one of its overarching themes is that technology, in the hands of big business and bloated bureaucracies, does not make life better: in fact it makes it far, far worse." Seems Adams was ahead of his time, I wonder what he would have thought if he were alive today given the antics of Google, Facebook et al. Incidentally, my printer is called Marvin for obvious reasons (Adams alm…
Until my most recent workstation build, my two computers were Deepthought (the higher-end desktop) and Marvin (smaller and more finicky laptop). Never did think of an appropriate name for the new desktop though. edit: thanks for all of the suggestions!
The successor of Deepthought is Gaia/Terra/Tellus, so maybe one of those :)
Re: 1984: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#29"Hitchhiker’s is hard to summarize, but one of its overarching themes is that technology, in the hands of big business and bloated bureaucracies, does not make life better: in fact it makes it far, far worse." Seems Adams was ahead of his time, I wonder what he would have thought if he were alive today given the antics of Google, Facebook et al. Incidentally, my printer is called Marvin for obvious reasons (Adams alm…
Until my most recent workstation build, my two computers were Deepthought (the higher-end desktop) and Marvin (smaller and more finicky laptop). Never did think of an appropriate name for the new desktop though. edit: thanks for all of the suggestions!
Earth2.0
Re: 1984: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Also off-topic, TIFF files use 42 as a magic number in bytes 2 and 3 of the file header: "The number 42 was chosen for its deep philosophical significance."
Unlikely to be the source as TIFF was first released 1986 and HHGTTG initial "release" was 1978. Although I'm not sure "the answer" was mentioned in the original radio show.
Right, the TIFF creators were obviously inspired by the Hitchhikers Guide.