'lflzgAtsciln
-:ol
g 6ullonb'egr.r41
tl tv9 ltvl t-Ag-AVld uv'lndod rsot l sotuoM3Hrltulilucv s,ll ro rvlul 33uJuno^HolAVGoIss3u00v cNVil tvNuno^oN
Hili
CONFIDENTIAL File No 1: Page1
Contents gschobabble Nick Walkland witters on, giving you the low-down on the gossip he's heard and a few tasty details about the Mag Scrolls game you shouldbe receivingwith next issue... Page2
Something Very Fishy
Our Nick goesinto deepestLondonTown to discoverthere is life in thegoldfishbowl...A new MagneticScrollsadventureis aboutto makea splash! Page3
A Mega-Game ln the Making
We talk to thepeoplebehindKristal.The stagemusicalthat neverquitewas,becomesa gamethatsoonwill be... Page6
A Spy in the Camp
Small Companies, BiE Software
Mike Gerrardtak?suson a whistre-stop tour of someof the better,smallandindependent softwarehouses.You could be missingout if you only buy adventures from the main namesin thebiz. ThenPatWinstanleyofferssomeadvice on choosingan adventurewriting utility, in caseyou fancygoinginto business... Page28
Uncle Mel's Pwoblem Corner
Everyonehasa problemor two. Look at Mel's..
wrN 9500!
Read the page for yourself, what do you think a Contents Page is for eh? We're not spoonfeedingyou here, you know.
lnsideBack Cover
Onceagain,roaminginvestigativereporterNick Walkland getsout his notebookandinfiltratessomeone'sHQ. This time,it's Level9 whoplayhost. Page10
Non Player Characters - Alive or Dead
SteveCookearguesthatNPCsshouldbe doinga lot more to justify their existence.And he makesa sound.urFug* tZ
Whither Adventuring? Tony Bridge contemplateshis navel, looks back over the yearsand predics that Role-Playing is the future of adventuring. Then SandraSharkey offers a few basic tips for getting to grips with the genre, page 15
Into the Labyrinthe
Office fall-guy GraemeKidd getssentinto somedampcavernsundera hill. They'refull of monstersandwizardsas our traineelive role-playerdiscovers... Page1.8
It Comes in the Mail
Nick Walklandagain,tiis time havinghis five pee'sworth aboutPlayingGamesby Mail. A swift round-upof theoptionsopento a would-bestamplicker. Page20
All About Infocom
Well, quitea bit, anyway.Huw Collingboumeinterviews Davelrbling... (CONFIDENTIALjoke: rememberthe postmanin Jinxter?) Page22
A Wordsmith
Pinned Down
And interviewedmercilesslyfor the CONFIDENI'IAL personnelfiles.This time,it's MichaelBywater,textgenerator for Jinxter,Bureaucracy andPunchamongstoft.f..pug. 25
Page32
{e expgc!to be able to bring you somemore very special dealsin future issuesof CONFIDENTIAL, but lor the time beinghereare a few to be goingon with. Don,t forget to add post and packing in the nolmal way and to quoteyour OFFICIAL SECRETSmembershipnumber when you order - theseoffers are only availableto the Iikesof you and not to the oiks on SpecialReserve. Don't be greedy- only onecopyof a gameper member, and remember,the offersrun while stockslast.Send your ordersto: Dept SecretOffers.PO Box 847,Harlow, CM21 9PH Amiga GoldenPath f,4.99 Atari ST Sentinel f5.99 AmstradCPC6128 BlackLamp
f3.99
AmstradPCW Trivial Pursuit
f5.99
Atari 800disk Druid
f2.99
Atari 800tape Druid andChimera(bothtogether!)
f2.99
C64disk Moonmist
f2.99
IBM 5.25" disk HollywoodHijinx
t4.99
Spectrum+3 (disk) BlackLamp
83.99
SpecialReserveandOfficial !_eqeaaretradingnamesof Inter-Mediates Ltd, a companyregisteredin England:No 2054713.AII club corBox_847,llarlow, Essex,CM21 9_PH_ple-a9e. lspon{e1991o_PO Ttfq$q"f"l BeserveCl'irbtiotline is 029f 600204- useit for ordersonly. PhoneCONFIDENTIAL on the helpline number:0279726541.CONFIDENTIAL is publishedbi-monthly by Inter-MediatesLtd, and q1$g!tPsgtt_"ug,_lttt"^Tgs.s.Allmaterial is copyrightof Inter-Mediates andindivi?luatconrriburors - so don'tbe temptedto rip us off. CONFIDENTIAL:ISSN 0954-337 6.
idrdepool os - Surseul reeq ot trr€^r1.u6p,{lquqord noa 'o18uoyeqol qnlc fpo eql s.lI 'sFrJss IslslJJOJo Jaqrueu e er.nod A\oureileq uo^e no{ JoUelool
e/n'easesdllffo IauJSs eqlssuu no,tprq 'e8pd$ueluoJ eql 1B{ood reqlorreo{Bl pue'e8ude {cuq urnJ 'oBl ero;eqprcJoluuocpurJ euo
-eg prced5 o, roprorno,( qlrmp3pi?: -ur 'edolelueeleredes? ur oouepuods -exoc TVIJN1IqCNOC tnd s,(e^\Ie uecnof,'durelse e^esol luen nof g1 'eusu Xu qlm ,{1ree1c edo;eluernof nur{reu 'sserppe Hd6 tzwJ '.^\olr?H 'lt8 xog od er{lle elu ot slrr & ('louJosunq ll nqleq^t 'ollorrrrno s.leql'qtn.D eql d1uo'eououplr no,{'auo enssl ur sJeuol.puelo.rd, oND 'pornl3eJnugu 'uopteJlpJnour se^rssrueutoszzrqAl puerededol uedtnd oJorl]no 1o1no,( Eurprlord- eEudsreuelEo^pqIIr/r\
rvrrNlrcrcNor ro.n'll,liillor
s.lr prre spJo^tJrerp ^\oN'UqEnoq plog eqt ul sreqJ^t potredsoJ JeJJoot Jo lol e elrnb pepensredon,e,n- ,{ofue no^ rcql peeJol slol puIJ prr?ens$ eql e{q no^ lsn{ 'uunlos lsJrJsltlt JoJ dn s8urqt sdern lnoqe tsnf qcrq16 ('{eerg IeroJeruruoJJo pug) 'erou no,( seirrEleql eurzeSuu eql - TVIINSCICNOJ Jo lueuruuls -ur Suqluqt lxou oql ur tno purJIFqs nof 'srepearJBep'luql iSurqlf,re,re qsnro ey,{1s lnuped-^-Jeluureqe8pel5 ,(ru lm JO [senssreJqnJ oql olut lsel ,(ce8e1s.euo€JC IIII& epue eqt l.usr srql eq{eru 'snou1 oql\ os - sleJt
-esptstJJopueTVIJ.NgaIcNoJ ueqa€^eq1rltrI sual . Euruunr
" -qordftmu eql ot uels{ ot dn euoqd ro'ure8epu?,rou ,(.rarre dn dod tsnf 3ur33uusill a^€q il,eq leql Sugaeg 1 '8unee1sreq q8noqtp ',{1ien1cy 'sJeoqc puu'oueeJD s.ouePJc lol e s{ueqlos'>lJPq uo ,(lerenbspT-€l oq,(lpreue8uec ese[L 'suoqnqquocpue 'tno -^el oW- enssrsql qlr^\ gasserdur "tt[unb eq g.no,{leql ilrou{rFi{S a,r'fe,t.,{uy '{ areqpuuuuEol e^pq Nnfll.nod1nq',firog'de1ldeulfu olur f1e1os sdorpTyJINACICNOJ 'no,(JoJsuseu rcql sr 'f,1e1uunuogun sil{l leqi['gJVJo rollpg s3seml -uo^perequnJroJ .IVIINSCICNOJ 8unee1sl ppr-Xoueerg "'lueueJunouuerruJoJA\oupuv "'1ulJorueJer[? ol EursnJ -uocdrel ilV .'pue{eeasrqtpeqsrug s.lr, pu?.'llv le loN, .'sEurlsFrlJ rel -J3,.'reqol3our peseeler,:pJeeqI'Jr -luls e{q ll punoruSurfg smorunrseq
'l(uB3I iJIVld no^ NVC ;o ernseeldeql psq aa.1qclqin)lxel l.useopq8noryunl ,{11ard oru I€oJeqa 'EuruurEeq oWsn[L 411 "'fe1 e lnoqila'1urodaql ol eJoul spunos1l 'lIB ul IIV 'eJorui(ueno,(3w 'puesrernodrno,{gopoddus 'sep?H JIel lou tu.1'urn1el unJ 'xx,{lsrenlu eql pu? uoJeqJr.[r/t\lnoq?Sunseurpw ;o sepEeqtle er.no,(- epsrql6'Eueg '.sapuH SuueluaUp,(H eepnlcurSurcey 'de7'[we oq JeJtI o^Bqspog lsr$ eq,(1elugepg.no,(sruelqordpppl eplcep'sso?C'Joqlournod puuJer{loJq "'eru faqt leqr'rEureqsreuurerSord rno,{',(lueppns'puqno.(rneul releu e^lBeJJ 'ol11ll? peEueqc seqeureSarp no,(SuFrdsggo osoqlil? pus'eruonnil 'pe1see,r.1eurrl,trele - eEueqc,{eur JOJueesl,uo^eqno,{oqmse,rrlulorrno{ snplnq'eceled.sopeH'eceld ursuac II3 rII,\aEuop 'sndur,{16tunory3o do1 e ruoq 'teulaH .sopeH'lcofqoursuece uo,(ued Sururren-e1duol .snsz Jer$oJq e^ouloJ01sBArturBeql '3uuun 3oeurq Surpuelrc eJ.no1'suretuo(fretul6 eqtty 'sEuqlJo Jeprouerdru,(1g eqt eqlJo poC - uopresodlnq 'pog p1o,(ue ul ecuydrno,(,!r1snfo1Surqteuosop tsnftoN 'poCe er.no,(',{lpcrseg ol pe{se,{lueppnsorepoD e Sureq'no,( "'s,ry\olloJ sesr eue8 oql- gg/g/Szeteq r"ls - r?Jos 'lleiA'TVIINacIcNoJ Jpqeq rno,(uo s{sul JroJequro;red ol slsuoruereu 8urile8Jo peotsul JOenssllxeu qlIA{nO,(Eur 'nof rogt1podsol tu€^\ -puoseq pFoqse^\ lerDoumS-rurru arrrs puuelrlducsep -nlcxesllorcs 3e61eqtuo slaep purJ 1.uopI lnq - snoJorunq aJouJpJsr (qr1uu'flenrsnlcxo Surpuar ot lsenbi(uruo peuets1'snql puy
"'Wry pu? auo?a|,no[,rDi Moq- auo7 avsnlJxa lp aql ruoqryarola aw nal uDJno{.{t Sutnpuorvrsrytur I'SPnaS lDrr{{O uto{ puol1lol4rylN s! slw 'onaL!'qO "'Euppads "'i{alputl ruod ot loadsI UDJ'onaH"'Jn'Sutrre'Suttte
- eure8e8euppuetodaqt- plsrry .1roesol lo8 en eJoJeqseEerog,Gunq sB^\os ueqllnq'solelsoql ur lno {pee4esr euolsJrJor$- selnpoun1so7,1J uoaS -une]noqeredsrqm e s.eJeqlueqJ "'ree,{txeussul3-8ur1ool oWuI eql ol l€ql oos,(1qeqor4'uolleur8erur qJnrxse^Belsrql{qq1 t,uopI'aruv pelec eue8 €Jo JnounJe sseJor.D lnq 'dqs SurqilueSurlteltnoqesnonn?c fleuar;xe oJesllorJs rr1auEetr1 'serrqcedsred pcqdurE lueJeJJIp a^eqIIr^\ seumS o^UaWsrrmurU JBoqI lnq'qcnu Eur -fes l.ueres,urlsnveql 'se1,{lseure8 eq IIra urol lueJeJlpo1l\lur posnlsJr.J -s,(s9641s.6 la^el (6qcU,neqteql ppoqs ro) uoqm 3oSuppedg'8ur,!rs -relrpsr.,(eql'6 1a,la1e rT"'uroJoJul uoJJonpeporuIsuorlperl eql ur seureEeJnlua^pe on1,(p6 ',(po qsolurce;41 eq o1SuroE s,tr aueqs 'punospuescqderScr1q1 -eeJr.Ilr^\- SurureE rededpueuedgo pueIeeJeql sernldecqcrq,m oouesse g4g {saueyy 'Sotsntnnfi "'srepJoq pa e1,{1s eseuedel -EJoJepqll^\ - lxel Surqsrrnog eues
sepnlJur11'selzznde^losuer{lJer{leJ suolslrepe{euI prrelurrp 01fitgqe rno,(uo seqereureEoql 'Jelsnq{Jolq s.11a^slJ seulefuo pov-g'unSoqg 'CdU pueeJnlua^pe.fEelens uaol\leqssoJJ€- scqder8crtr|or peluuluepue eutl,fuolS aleJrrlur ue 'suonmoluo-IIII'u ? qlr^\ .'{Je^e cdu JelnoruoJ eqJ,,'q3a,afllDg lsebJ?J 'eErnocslr^o eql Jo ptrsl "'e8pnfralJer"qc'uerJrs ,orp.pFpue -Arlo'uerJtIeu'lsldele.rls lpquo3'Je^ -1oselzznd'reroldxeueaq :pgon ,ke1 -ueJp Jotue- .soloruoJqJ ,(e14-e1oX, 'f,autnop pueJq aql lsJrC Jo ^\eu 'I AnD oroJoq ,ftnluece sJelor puesuoqecol+002 - rerreerueSuosoJullS3EJSI eql eq ol les sI sIIp',(3op4l{rtoze\l o1lenb -erdeql'SutuuSag ilaN V : 0 ytq, :u/r\op-unJ lcrnb e s.eJoH'plnour Surtsrxeeql qtr^!{BeJqIILr\qcrq^\ euos Surpnycu- sqluolxSuruocqlro; yo eEuerolrsseu e lno eql ur seuruE 3u6uuq er,f,eqleTI >loolruoJoJul 'lI luud l.uop e/( 'elupe loE s.lr Jr Jo oweloJsserde uo erupJ11gr'requreur -eg ;f,esreaqpreue8puesreqqe8 'sJnorunJ lsolsl orI oJBleq^\ '.I'IaA,l.
i,{uua :ulq roJ ll ruaq s,laT 'OI{VTyTVA\ yJIN
(1udp1o rno.dqll^A luauou-aql-Jo-3u1aqpuB luBqJraur-alqquq
scvd snac sagg\ilgoHcrsd gHr I oN egC'MJNAOI.{g93
g a8e;
CONFIDENTIAL File No 1: Page3
Nick lValkland ' Irl...
r; r)"
1ai'.vt't'
/A
"f
*n" t qh*.J
-z.retl*+
FISINY BUSINESS Deepdown in LondonSE1. Deeperthan deep,a real seedy environ,ripe for Coruuption's David Rogersto cometearing aroundthe corner,high on cocaine.Sneakingpastthe grimy cornersof the capital's
inner city, audiblygulpingfor air whilst rising in the confines of a woodenVictorian lift, I finally arrive at my destination - a seedyofficefloor, part of a large,old and anonymous building...
e s.ll 'uo os pu? sel.{oSJea,sqtuoJslec 'qler feqqs plo ue fq eru e punol? Surtrcnbsserddrq1unrp-purTqpug oJ 'eoru eqt qoreespup Jretq8ru ertr1 Jelueno,( 'sruouoqlJaqperettetrno,{ ^ buueo^\ pw qJrol BJo ploq Surqqag 'ue^ plo peJellsq? ur olqaroJtuosun Allero puu elquJesrut'plo3 ^poolq e e1|e no,( 'ernluorr.pe-ruru lsnJ eql q uB^ plo para$Efl 'lle reg?'eJrJJo sfiorcs cueu8ury orll se^t sttp pue 'ueutnq fluo se/heI{ 'ueql lng 'peJequrorueJ oq rcql xelouoc eJor.uHurruoJeq.pa^lo^e Apoppnsput{euos :seyzzndeql;o euos ot peueddeqrcqzrr,neq,(1preq eq'se^\ HurqlSulzeuy .uo 3uro3 sem ffiq/l\ Jo srsdou,{sJerJqe eur e,re3pue - s?/rroueuec! pnp}lpul qree leq^A peteJrputeq 'deqc go uos ,(1puer4y ('/heJJJr-BIsulS JnoI orll JoJSuqro,tr pue .,(1noug,pelpc Bureq.$o1Bur -lee uee/hloqul)'eup Ued'qsrg q1ra,r peoleq puP oloJ^\ oq/t\ e{olq ecuelee{ 3 'qlnos IIqd,(q eureSeql;o suop -JOSIunrul oql punoJeuaorls s3^\ I '3p1rl eueb^ eq1,(e1ds.1e1'1ueu:e8pn[ ssedI"eroJoq 1nq- elrserede Jo Beproql Sursn 'p^\eJqsd]]erd'suorcsEel^I'p,nerqs ,fiterd 11V',{en,(ue'o:nlueirpu eqt go ged roy ,(poq fqsrg e Jo suorl -sllul oql euocJe^o no,{ os'fpoq lsoq 3 Jo IoIuoJ e1g1no,( puB Istrod u qEnorq ssud'seJnlue^pp-rur{tlI?n -pl^pul oerr{1 Jo euo spJe^\oluo nof se{n ollseJ eql ur ptrod e Euuelug '(qoup 6yooqcsful4relunrepun) 'eloq Ipus E pue'eloq qlooutsE'oloq pe3fuf € :enseJeqt ur seloq eeJql Jo uoqtoles e peJeJJoere no,( 'gq5 eql fq pesrrouel Euraqsuorsueurp eqt q8norql le^er o1no,( elqeue o1 saloq 3u11rr4 '^Aou{t3uop1'ayq tsed e lnoqe Eurqt -euos s.tr eq,{€ru- lqBI a,leuflunue ue ur qsqplo8 tu 8ur{ool til.I'uep -pns u Jo 11y "'ueddeq tsnf 1q3rur3.t. Surqleuros'peeJonsno,( y uele pue I/hoq r{srJeql ur uorle3€.rrnof o1lcuq le8 o1rapro ur srueels eurl oeJrlteql tuoJJslilall ooJtl lJelloJ ol erreqnof 'spJolrrJoqlo uI 'eurl ueecsrdJo clJqeJ ,fterr eql qrm Euop esJe^runoql pue 'plJo^\ or{l oABSol qof mo,( s.lr pue s{cp plo 4orll ot dn Eurtp8 er.feql
:{s'qeruoJ s Euqeur tg"lrr"nu*rru, "* Jreqlur slsuouel,{reuorsueurlp-relur pup 'serresre,rpe p1ornof eq ol ued -deq,(eq1'SNICA'IclViIq NAA:IS eql lnoqeno,{Suruuogur e8esseur e UelssqX IeuoloJ'.ssoq,rno,{'epsec eql uI ruooJsuorlBJrunuuoJeql Jo ueeroseql uo :HSICo1lceq',(en -,(uy 'osluqt l.upp I'oN 6sepspt ureqlJo euoaprsurpo{ool J3^e no,(eluq 'sellesmo,(ol 1urqllsnl 'y;ocsnof eJoJoq - ruooJsuorl€orunu -uroce Je^ocspnof epsucoql Jelue ol {8noueploq eJBno,{seuoossy
.qsrJplodsrw ol lnq'llesJo qcurde qtl/r\slqlJo IIe peJporuoJ 3ur4a tu.1os ',(u4g lre8uo3 go smef e ,euoqpo3 ln;loor{cseJor.u IV aleq^\ro slnSo^eqqsrJsrlnseog PJIqeJoWluoryu/hoJJslq o^ol4eJ 'ellseJ{uep'1rup eql rolueot eEernoc ot lsenbe uo no,{spuespo3 8ur; qEnoygdn puu (qsrg01.rsr^sr) eq,{uurJO epl11rood eqt 1on1d 6slrrouurry s33_e Suueusue'elprrspuo4 goIoIuoJ so{sl tuugoeydnoce 1ee'ra.a.o drg ,irm1 eTd pJvzrlhpJre1t\odtlqwatwt {trt:pn 01sr {rul erpos p1ro.r,r -,{sdole ur snorpelpp| erc? 'Je^e^\oq puuelqrcunu ueeq,(ep1;drec looqcs 'seop1l 're,(e1d oJnluo^pe ,(eneEuqsqqqcuelcrqpd ueunq 'luocouur 'salJnJur punoJSurururns -oqc,{sdluedururV ieuop slloJJS -?JoC uorl e8ueqcSunrcxeue crleu8ewerreq,(pcuxeleq/\\oS ^Duslsuoc 'ruoptlsrJ -_,furoor8 .{ypereq lsnruu^\opaplsdn tetp16 ar;1ssorJe Jo ,fi1941 Suneou'qsqp1o8 e8ere,re re{ rog euoS no^ sselunprJeluuroJuue^pe .sur8eqerue8eql Surslurord lou - el,(lseJrlfJBOJp '1moq,{uryo rxoiloqerpruo4dn Srir ,fiterde o1dn sppuerou ue,reSurlee -uool enseceWJotqElseql te rouel pueselqqnq3w,no1q'8unee'selJJrJ pueeesn€u,tqsg>1ceq Surploq.uzrrop ur punoJeSurururns1nq'Euqserelur epndn'moqfuy (...epsec cnseld t.uereqsrJleqt Eur{Bslou ru.I e p€qJe^eue^.oqAtSJeu/ho "'qlnou 3lq u seqqsueW'osrnoJ qsrgpyo8 Jo 'sselunruelqord8rq {nerd e eq pFoc 1p dn spueg)'elsutpeqyo n:n8Birby "'Suppnytol to8 I duoHs.OgP AqpelBers esoqlJo ouo_ spueqou 8ur,^leq sepsuccqseld,()cel'palur-ed,(1pne8 seJrJJo neql ol ,,(u^\eql uo eJolJeJeqJ esoqt euo,,(qpeoqeqtuo pe{ceq^l eql seqsIJe Sursner.,(eql Jo Ieruec uoeqsuqor{,r l^toq qsryplo8,{reurpro Jr uo ospuEJIH'Num'douc ,{pre.Jred u ur ,{uprloqe 'IAC suqJnsspu?uuo3 ,(ler*^ ^ PIg l€uuou durnotue qsgploH enlrl B eq ot ueddeq uepmS-,o. Jrs?q -uouuroc',(zp,fue^e -os-1snf seop eql eluos oS re,ro 1a3ureels11orc53e4 1 6ur8eq I Jo ^\oq 'uoposrol fpeer pue- oJeql oql usJ su^l eqsrJe Jo seuDpuEaJII ^{oH 8urqlfre,lelnq uorsJe^pcrqder8Eur pue uo peseqeq,(lqrssod eql puno* plno3ernlue^p?Jo gdIJ IvHAt -cuspIp 'Sur8ursils oql l.use/[ eruJo luor; ul lnd uorsreneqt',{e16'eue8 erruuo^pB rreJo JPlsow qsu e{?rx " no,(moqlno purJol tp^\ l.uplnoJ I oruJlsrq fg 'erue8ernluo^pu olurlq8rals s114 tsetelsrql3u1,te1d 61 tsunlp^\AIJabeo'purrrrJal erfiJo luo{ ur Eurllrsu.I'Je^o suonJnpo-Bul 'lno purJol lnoqeu.I pue'uonesnpauBeq II.1r- eJglleq iHSI.{ "' ,(e1dol aJaqsun 1 's.r1uqrgouas erp pue a.raqdsourlu .{gn1s'pa8leqr aq1alldsap'rog'1nopuu ol eraq senaI leq^\ sBAlleql - uaql 1nq .f1qe -qord ,(ra1 i,xerurJJ-rlueus spJend,ol dn ;1as,{ruSulpgnqI sB1$. "'lsJUaql s'saJr -ols appul aql IIBqlpa aqzu8uuraq1 '.1VIINSOI.{NOJ puv'eluarr ol eeJJoJ Jo slol puu qqn8uu 'sqluour .{ueu uar1e1 seq qr;q.n aure8 e napard ,{1p1radso1- arurlEuol u roy urd Sufry aql u! ueeqseqluql Sulqlaruoslunads Eulqlauosroy uollua^urJoJaarslql ur (alaqsBAr 1 puy'r11qndraiua aql ol uo lno pagnlq,{guug puBpeJnlrnu.pallar -uoc,(1un1reandf^ umgdnttoS pue saaolttlto np1 aq1'uuo4 aqJ se srlsselcauu8 arnlua,lpu rlcnsararl.&r ac1e1d aq1senaslrlJ 'slloJJSrllau8e;rqgoaruoq eql sB^aslql - eJaqlqJl!,r{lauo.eraq qJlpdl auo 'luauelllxa qlp\ punoJB Sulddegsura pug.r,{ur I'seJlraJo eql JaAopaddrrl pue (xe1 Jalsuour ,s.ra1nd ftq aq1lo urnq aql preaq -rrroJJo $IuBq aql uo sa,{apaddep 1se'1ruaq-1ulBJ IBaJu Sqaq 'qroqs BJo {q u Eur,luqol lFrrpe I
ooos u lJ
,fpBeq
ueaes
I oN egC.MJNUOI.{1q93 7 a8u4
CONFIDENTIAL File No 1: prettystraightforward adventurescenario,but a touchpicky in placesover the useofcertain verbs. The hippiesdon't like you to damagetheplace,but,you mustwreck cerlain areasin orderto completethe stage- makingthe hippiesa weebit awkward.That seemedratler strange, thegoodguysdamagingtherelic and thebadguysprotectingit. Anyway, it's up to you to find out morefor yourselves whenfte gameis released... Forestofgloom In thenextadventurette, you entera forest.A prettynice forestwith about four locations,a smithyanda mine shaft- wow. Actually,thelimited numberof locationsis acceptable, becausefte gamettehasbeen designedto be succinctandto the point , avoidingthemonotonyof fravelling throughloadsof similarlocationsagainandagain.But thereally antazingthing aboutthis adventure mustbe theexplodingpigeon,yesan explodingpigeon.And thegoodnews is thatyou don't evenneedto saveit, but rescuesomethingit hadwith it. Steve,a chapyou'll get to loathe lateron, hasplanteda bombin ttre pigeon(which,incidentally,belongs to a guru who couldn'tkeepup his mortgagerepayments to Steve,and who now residesin a treestump.So there.)A nice little rompetteof a mini-adventure - bombingaroundtrying to savethingsandthentrying to consolethe guruwithoutbeingkilled (or teleportedbackto your fish bowl.) Theproblemsyou facearelogical, althoughgettinga certainobjectoff theguru himselfprovesa little awkward- or maybethatwasa preproductioncopybug. On the record is setin a Thethirdmini-adventure recordingstudio,andI cancategorically guaranteethatyou'll be pulling your hair out in frustrationat a certain iittte ttringthat you've got to do. A little thing admittedly,but you have got to do it everycoupleof minutes. Making coffee.Making coffeenever createdso muchangstin the history of man (Outsidethe CONFIDENTIAL ffice, anyway - GK) but I havebeen assuredit is just like thatin a recording studio. Steverearshis headyet again,as he doeseverywhere- andhis demandsreally makeyou want to wring his neck,particularlyin ttris adventurescenario.Actually,I thoughtthis adventureto be theeasiestof the three,madeextremelytough by the...no,I'll let you discover.. Thesethreesmallscenariosareall basicandeasyto get in to andaredifferentin style,type ofplzzle andexe-
cutionof gameplay.They grabyou into the gameyet maintaina certain degreeof distance,whatexactly are theSevenDeadlyFins?You still aren'treally sure(alttroughyou'll haveyour ideasby the time you've beenin andout of the castle'sportals a few times),andwhy aretheysucha threat? MaybeI've overlookedsomeinterpretation,or maybethatis theideait's a neatidea,makingthe Seven DeadlyFins musiciansin a band which you bumpinto in different stagesof their rise,from thebeginning in a rusty,batteredold van throughto a studio-bound megaband. I liked theway Steveappearsin the givingyou a charthreemini-games, acterto graspthroughthe wholegame - heprogresses from dominating roadieto dominatingproducer. But I'm still lookingat the monitor wondering...Maybethenext section will answermy demands.Yes,the real meatyadventurebeginsafter thesemini-adventures. The Fillet of FISH Backin your holidaybowl aftercompletingyour threemini-missions,you receiveanotler message from Colonel you, thensending X - congratulating you on anotherquest.This time,it's off to theHydropolisin theguiseof a certainDoctorRoach,a lecturerat OpahUnivenity. Yes,at last,a more fishy atmosphere in this final scenario of FISH! Swimmingaroundin a placelike Hydropoliscanbe greatfun for a fishy-humanoid, bumpinginto your pals,saying"Hello", travellingon the (morefun thanLonunderground don's)andgoingfor a 'snifty snifter' at thelocalpub.Liquidsarerather passe,asyou mightexpectin an underwatercity, so a goodgasis what thelocalsgo for whentheywantto let theirhair down.And asHydropolisis such a cosmopolitan place, all-day gassingis perfectly legal. In this, the main part of FISH
you get to dasharoundEying to build a SfreamRegulator that will ensurea cleanand healthysociety.You're a member of the Universityresearch group,anda 'really clever fish', but you'regoingto have to get your skateson to completetheprojectbeforethe SevenDeadlyFins get their handson vou. Afler beingpromptedinto actionby theuniversityPrincipal,you needto collecta series of items,in orderto createthe StreamRegulator.For a brief hint, I'll tell you thatthosesabboteursof theDimensions,the SDF, havealreadystruck. Acceleratorbeingan anti-ism...
FISH: You evenget to go to a disco in Hydropolis - it's Rag Week at the college... The fryingpun But thegreatjoy of thissectionis providedby thenamesof people (fishpeople?), places- andthepuns. Oh thepuns.You'll be groaningin disbeliefat thenames.Your bestbuddies,BertieBreamandEric Chubb; living in downtownPaddlingtonor takinga rip up to Barbelicanor Battersea;usingyour fishofaxandyour fisa for transactions. All fun, Fun, FLIN! I beginto realisethatI musthave beena fish in a previousincarnation... Graphicsfor this sectionareup to the usualhigh levelexpectedfrom Mag Scrolls,anda certainsubdued look hasbeenachievedwith ttre coloursin thepicturesthataccompanytlte final section.This helpsgive the feel of being underwaterwowee!It wasa shamethatI didn't get thechanceto play all the game with graphics,insteadof lookingat themafterwards.Oh well. never mind. I'd like to thankPhil Southfor his help, along with John Molloy. Between them they've createda great game. I want a copy, and I want one now! Shamewe've got to wait - but it'll be worth it.
,#
,"'",.r",, iiiij,',1,","f ,. oql q{/tr Suop'plordde srqereEpuu e olur lceford-e8eurreql 'eureE-e3eur SurumlJo Peploql yr{II pou rrc,(16 pou ot ptsrrx Jo uorsJe^ sq lues ^\ou Euqrpe e{I I pue'elelduoc ss,rrryo^\ eql'flpnluerrg ..'uorsJoll?Jrsnu1eu -rnrJoeql ur olun oql IIe aruN uo sr Je] -teJBqJeuoou - t1qe etmb1re8wqc puelold eqto{el ot peq1'eue8 relnduocp ur >lJo^r l,upFol\ 1eq/rr lno SuulncpueI 3u111e,rerun lducs eql qEnorqEuroE'ereurlqEru e sezn11,, 'eure8relnduroJllq-gI e suuorl?srpeJ puryfgeuly ppoc lcefordsnourque sql 'oqfeurlsnf 'eqdeur"'8un1urqt ot toEe4rpi 'Ieclsnure sue8qs pug tsel[ eqt uo reeddesouo) Jo luls1ry f1reeuos leql leueleur eql ^\es oql u^\opEuqel Jo uorlJelloc "' Suruls ueeqp?qsepl uelnq 'reedlse13opuoeqt 1u qEnorqe4r6 s€UosJoprg lool re8eue6lSurleqreyq qlm gedsV '.JeUB ruoq Euqror* ,(euoure{eruueJno,{noq,, :ssoursnq oLPJo opNoJBlrUJos ot{| paulBelpue (p rc azoplooryg) ereqdsorcr6lpeurof o1rtt 'ssoursnq seureE relnduoc oql Jo oprsIIsloJeql lumel eq ereq^\ 'doqseql ur sreef /r\eJ8 Jauv 'etllDoql ls sauIBE Jelnd -rrroJur Sursprcedsdoqs,{po eql lnoqe- loe$SerourErll;o srelnduo3 qsllqelsoot pedleqpueqof eq ro8 'uopuo'Iur doqsrelnduroce dn les ol euoeruos roJplro16relndruo3puos -JeduI ue^peus aq ueql'Eunu -urerEord'l!qlpr^\es tqEruIp dn 8u$rs peuqs pueuosslqroJ !8XZe lqEnoq oH 'ssou$nqrelnduoc euoq eql olur alnorJelllursJoql po.quuns e{rhl ur sluerlJJeur-uoJ Jo qcunqs JoJ,seleselelEuropl1edse Suunq "uopueH leu IIIH IIeasnI{ s,uuns e{rIN urJleqqooq B uo /trolluJ3uil1t1 otur lnd pertolrl eql {ro^\ eql IIB rII/'t 'lueruJop,(e1souo;3o IslsFX eql luBruJoo
eql Jo euos u1(opA3l01orpnlsBolur eEru4our-uppueuonJnpo.uur 1ue,r,r JeAoeJroA B pepJoceJ oJoolI lcl.!?d ',{uedurocuoqcnporde ,{qpelnbce erea souo) Jo luls1ryot RqEupue eleldurocsernEurllrrrreqt IIE9L6I Jo pueeqt fg ',(qcrprlpw pog fq peprr
atq$ puo tlrolg :TvJSIax -ord crsnurpuescF,(1qlyn',{qcrry puBe{lhl uel]u1l\{ooq €uo poseq ^qJo IslsF>Ior{I'1l\or.lsolor.I se/lrsouox Joer^orrllq8g-ug eql rrroqse8qs eWpue drqsecedsB eq ol sB^\orleoql aloq/y\eql - $3eJJeprceds3o ezueae -Au4xeuE'l?crsnue elrJlt\o1rerpeSol toE ,(eq; 'Jr-eHpuerqsredn5prrq3 snsefsBqJnssuopcnpordrofuurgo Jeqrunuu uo 3urryo,n'seque,res ,{pee pueseqxlselq oql ul oJlBor[pug lsoi[ eql ur pe^lo^u IIPeJeit\unns oTIN puenu{i[ po5'uee11f4cryrl "'suJA o1oEol pesnuqns oT.INoreqa s,pqa 'o8esreef uel Je^o'>lJedueeJg sJeplogJo Joruor[ums B '..uep -reg cl3u6 eq1', ul NVCSfl 'I'MI
'oouollcnpoJd uI
erueFuFelu vJo
oIBI ,(epfre^g
uV
'sreef xls tspl eqlroJ uurJrsnuAolJenpAolJe ue sutsuDIJoA\ ueeqs?qeq eJeq^\ 'oo1'eJrreruvroJlJoIne,(i[ pou 'ts!
I oN ogC'IVIJNSOI.{1q93 9 aEe4
CONFIDENTIAL FileNo l: Page7 third parurerin the original venture. I Had This Dream So Mike Sutingot MichaelHaigh,an artisticfellow andold friend,sathim down in a cornerin front of an ST andsethim to work on somegraphics.ThenAlex Mills, who had workedin Computersof Wigmore Sreet wittr Mike Sutinput togethera demoprogramthat usedthe taster preparedby Mr Haigh.They screens showedtleir work to Prism,explaining theconcept."I hadthis dreamofa gamethat hadinteraction,beautiful graphicsandarcadesequences," Mike "and I explainedit Sutinremembers, all to Prism." PrismsawMike'sdreamandwere impressed. Fissionchipsoftwarehad by thattime beensetup to develop theproject- "&e teamjust came togethermiraculously,"accordingto foundermemberandprojectdirector Mike Sutin.A few quickconversion contractshelpedpay someof theinitial bills, andthenwith Prism'sbacking,seriouswork startedon Kristal, the computergame,at thestartof this year,with Mike Sutinactingasproducer/director on theproject. Still in America,Rod wrotea novellathatactsasan introductionto the gameandthengot reallyinterestedin theproject."I askedifI could comeoverandhelpwith thedevelopmentof the game,arrangeda sixmonthsabbaticalfrom work and turnedup," he explains.Working with ChrisPettsandJulianEdkins Rod beganwork on designingttre sprites- ttregameincludessome50 differentanimatedchmacters, involving well overfifteenhundredanimation frames.And asco-autlorof the plot andsoundtrbckof theoriginal stageversion,Rod'sinput to the overall designof thegamehasbeensignificant. Alex Mills became programming directoron theproject,aidedand abettedat tlrebits andbvteslevel bv JustinJavanovic, GiulioZicchiand JohnEdwards.while MichaelHaish lir:!?,!
w
THE r(RTSTAL gUEST REVEALED Well, some of it, anyway.... The Fissionchip team are understandably somewhatreservedwhen it comes to revealing details of the plot and gameplay of Kristal - the whole objective is for the player to discover the nature of the quest by playing ttre game. "Tell too much of the story, and you'd give the game away," Mike Sutin says. The game is going to be multiload - you'll receive several disks in ttre package,along with a novella that setsthe sceneand a scroll which tells the Legend of Kristal. Study the contents of the package with care - they all contain clues ttrat will help you on the quest to regain the missing Kristal of Konos, an artefact that will restore order to a troubled galaxy.Pay particular attention to ttre hieroglyphs. And listen carefully to the digitised introduction that begins the game, delivered by Patrick Moore... Playing the role of Dancis Frake, the central character,you wake up in a park on a strangeplanet. Aplanet that is part of the Kreemar System in deepestspace.The year is 5063 Earth Time, and the forces of Evil are triumphing over Good. Only the recovery of the mystical Kristal will restore
continuedwork on the graphics, alongwith sciencefactfiction illustratorDavid Hardywho originally producedsomepaintingsfor the musical.Neill Glancycompletesthe Kristal development team- he holds a blackbelt in themartialart of Katnagari,The Swift Sword,so is well qualifiedwhenit comesto designing animationframesfor the swordfishting sequences. Sewingmachines Whenwe visitedtheFissionchipprogrammingzone,aboutsix monthsof hardwork hadgoneinto Kristal.
order. DancisFrakeis a bit of a roguewell asa spacepirate,you'dhardlybe anythingelse- but.he embarkson the searchfor theKristal of Konos,nevHe'snot alonethough... ertheless. a charactercalledRedHeadonce ownedtheKristal,andis seekingit as well. Theroute!o success will gradually be revealed,asyou questionsentient beingsencountered on your travelsexplorea planetandtalk m peopleor fight themfor information,thentravel throughspacein your Galleonto anotherplanetto repeattheprocess andgathera few morepiecesof the jigsaw thatmight oneday leadto possessionof theKristal. Kristal will incorporatea wide whenit is comvarietyof gamestyles plete,andyou'llneedarcadeskillsto survivein space,combat,skills to survive on landandwell-honedsenseof strategyaswell asadventuringskills if you areto succeed."It's an arcade comedyshootem up ddventure",Rod Wyattinsiss. Tum thepageto revealNick on seeing Walkland'sfint impressions Kristal,underthe sewingmachine. "We'reat the sewingmachinestage," Mike Sutinexplained.A largeproportion of theanimationandgraphics work hadbeencompletedon bothttre AmigaandST versions,andthefirst implementation of theparserhadjust beenmaniedinto the ST gamecode for testing. The gamewill certainlybe immense.anda visualtreatof thefirst order- but whetherthecompleted versionwill be availablethis sideof Christmasremainsto be seen...with a projectof this sizeandcomplexity, deadlineshavea habitof beins missed.
'TVIINIICICNOJ lxel oql Jo lndur re,(e1d- se8qs -{^\e s{B^\ pue1ceqqcunqu seqru8 uo {leJ "'sploJunlr se/fuols slf ur sem eureSoql 'asraJesJed 1sp1u1 -8eqe'ecuulsurrog'f1luere;;lp{ls^\ ep6ureql JoJos 'Islsfrx lseil?Id Jaarsuepue uollsan$ srelJeJEr.lc lueJeJJrp lsrDos 'ser,u?4 ,(yqeqord 1,1'dgaueprrul'uortuou uoneuruB rprzn'pauSrsep lueJoJJrp 'resredeql 'qee.,(q6 'resredeqt eJeppFolt\ srenerlerd rewo lqnop qc?e srJolJeJeqJ pue ,{urerreqop 1 ^llPnpr^rpur slcedse elzznd eql spru^\ol oJoru I qJlqa suons^JesoJ eqJ 'lle^\ reqleresod-rnd Jo tueure^ou ' tng '+IH olrsseu Suruuotse eq pFoc {ool drqcuorssrgedoq ,{lpuosred sqt sllJ1llnq'qloous ,(rytslou - pooS Iuls^r) l€ql IoeJI'AFrsssmeuloN I - $ lI eJeql|nq'eIUBLls3 S.lI '/l\el^oJ sem1asfq1 u I uotlgluruueq.L ^\es eutm?ew u ur ptsfry {eeJq Jo o{Brx LonoqpLlq sJalJBrBqJ 8uJ,ro4 -9I 'crlsrmlnJ ee o1lno urruIslsfr){ yyrmsecuenbesSunqBrJrcql IeeJI " e{rln{ool se 're,,(e1d eqt ot Suuoq ool o{eur ro ll IIri& epunoreSurdruols oJeqcnle3e pueserucrd,(1prdqlrrrn 'uorlJessql uo dHs t.uop,(erp edoq lsrg'eueae;o,(1pnb o*ti3#.!|:: "'eJueu pelecrlsrqdos,(ru smoqs deure^rsseue - SunqBrJ uuueqJug I lsnf eql e,rr8 ol elgJoqulloJqJrql( IIeJe^o pltuil 'spro^ns tpllt\ ezeplooqJs possltu e,rtssuu e slunr8 eql rcql lnq lsnf se.4xo Jeqlo eqt lu {ool s.lel os I ',(eldeureE eq 1l yo Eurddorppue Surfued eW qloq sr uorlsenb8rq Ul,&t euru8 e1erur11n uB so{eu 1uq1Eurq eqt eql lnq'f,tluqlssodu sr 8urd,(q-raro JoJe^uJeJJa.&errpue pelduresse,rr ,(luesseceu1.uere.(qdeureSeql urorg go ,{peleruV 'peJJeJep ueeq,(pee4e spJo^\sSur8uelcruo{ esroueqJ lrB4srp r.lJrq/hseJ$Jrd ecru lng 'Js seqetsposselers1rqEnoqtp- reedde eql uo sdrg ro e8nuy eqt uo Suop s.ouodroao ol l.usr p*;Ti; lou puesnoensJgJoqlou?sedn pue slloJcsueeJsssql pue'suonBJolotuos "roa ilr,r il lqnopIluauoru eqtty ;se dn ur €eJBfeld e18urse etealoo1reqle8o1 qsrurJIsts^rx IIF\ leq^\'lIBul II3 os peurolorssueerss ro.??I*tn' "'uaql 'uorsnlJuoJ uI "ror sr qlr^\lno ouoJ eneq,(eqlJfts eqt (ipsrrX 'suonue,ruoc crqderS relnduocotuos oql puetsur)sredudruexeeqtle8 'retndruoce uo Surlron Jo Surleerq ,(g ol tsenboql ut Ip pue'sll?a uo s8urql eql JOerernel.ueret*,(1d JOSuOIlulIluII qceeds Eurlrr,n'(,{lpluaprcur'olqqnq -rursfeqt -,t1snora.erd uees8urql,(ue B Aq plnoJ"' u url) s8ul1top 01plol Sureqlooqcs 01tuereJJrp,(1a1eldruoc Eurqleuos punoJeSurquoq'pDI u Suleq Iooqos po^\olp 1nq',(e,t el€eJo unql ol po^lo^u eure8unrlceds crssglcsrqJ peeqsrqdo1,:uzr tng .'qeef"'ggo peqe ur A\or.{s l(useoprolnduroce uo 'ezsplooqcssrlurodsgl 1Bpunu plnoJ -toqng set tnq ecueuedxe IuHl Jo I lle Jo {rel sq1 'ecueuedxe ol se8unlqcrqrneureSreqlouv 'potellnursB/$.sueuJeg,puB.dlqs {Jo.rue relnduoc snor,rerdou r;1r1r, 'seqder -Josueo;o eEeeql, lnoqeEurqleuog slsrf$ olrrl,(q fi1tup4 exnleq Sursn) JelJeJ€qc B ueql\ ro 'uorlsenbe {se aql Jo^opotmlds pelBaJc serrreEruy eql uo IJPeql iou seIE- ueeJJs nof ueqmueerosuo sreodduelqqnq poolqJI ronaqp3{ool e^Bqplno^r 'ecrlsnflr op 1,rlBJ semlcrdelrqm qceedsy 'suonsenbeldurs $retqo uaop ll Suqseuspuep?eqs.lueu pue>lJelqrno 'uaalosrelnduoc e uo pw sJelceJBqc um no,('punore -oddo pJo/Ks e^oqe eqt 8uryr1 {se uaes,(1erer,t1enb s Jo us eleerc8ur -rno,{ no^ se - pesneq pFoc leql ',(e1opo1oo1deqtte,('eq,{uur,{1re[ -qsuplexrdpueSurpeqs {IB1$, Jnolorenqns ',{eune qcnole'ecruelmboJeA\ qleerq-rno.,( euos 'selour IIe oJeA\suousenb,ft4ueurrpng se4e1,fteuecseql;o 'olou uonJeles s euros'sleueld lu {oo1 eql uO '8uru luereJJrp Jo {ool lcrnb e qer8ol pue'pp eqe euo,fuelercq^\paqJlu,r peEeueru ueeql.uppq -untseresdorp>1ceq oql 'flpnsr^ I lnq'pos1eulJ 'tsn8nyarur ,{q peqceerpeq 1nqcr;rJads3uqilue 3ur,{rlol punore eureEeql ur secuenbos 8-upq8geql 'luetsrunrroJ 1oBrea,euI 'relteqeq plno^Aelenbepe AJoA- L|JDTDQ tl eSetseql le eueSeql le {ool s.lel 'pJo,re r{sJeqool spunosJrseg'Jrseq une"' luure"' -,^ ou roJlnq'ilel 01emlnJeql JoJsr eure8eql selnleqi&'pul^t s{ool 'suonsenbot sJoasue ll to8 eqt ur Suvtrog rreq Euol srq 'ueeJJS 1 leql leoJ8e eq 01lno alueuluroddesrp eql pueresrudeql Jo /rresI 1eq^\urorC psol eql eql ssoJJe$nJlsJslreJPr{c uml pue 'any acodgwarg at4tprp 'pellsl^ e/t\ ueq^\ uoISJeA eql uo :uOIleIJoSSe JelCe"IeqJ rO; ,tpueq ,fteir JS se suoqqredxe rno dn Surplnq'quep potueureldur Sureq lsnf sem ,Qeue,l o1ped,(qeq tl IIIA\ 6e1qe,(e1d eq 1y'sreEEqs{urup u elqun',{1pren ll IIIA\- (peseelersl ll JDposeelersr "' uolto?ol ary to araDuaq, ua[a tou - arout not ll ueqi[ ilsts,fu) sr,{pcexe1eq11 ot llal eoJnlnJureueJuneumsoql pa*onD pu ar.alyI'8a1woo.rp saoSralco.toqi IDrtuaJaql:ptstrx peuoop p1sfuy ot s1',{roureur rno go eqt fq IIoJ 1nopeddorppueeprs,(z,rn qJlq/t\Jo rllog'soJJolotgptm qJwus -rapuvg e4q.seue8eEeru, - oJoJeq II31lprmqe^.ea'gsunoJ .{o
'suoIlBAJasaJ dru aABqop I lnq "'llH aalssBru6Sururrols
a6aurB8B8aru, IBlluolod slrll Jo {uHl I plp lBq,r os - lsBI ol prBsaJBsuorssaJdurllsJld
suolsseJdrul lsJI-t s,{cIN :TV-LSl[lf}I a
I oN egC'IVIJNSOI.{gg3
g a8e4
CONFIDENTIAL File No l: page9
CINEII'IAWARE - A Few Offic
Secrets
Cinemaware,the peoplewho brought you Defenderof the Crown and with it a wholenewway of lookingat computergames,is about to move off in a new direction. Expectto seesomestunning sportssimulationsover the next year or so.And we bet you didn't know that a specialversionof RocketRanger is being written for the British market...it's becauseBritish gameplayers are better than their Americancounterparts,aswe discoveredin a CONFIDENTIAL conversationwith Cinemaware'spresident, Bob Jacob. APART FROM RocketRanger, which shouldbe alonganyday now, Cinemawareare working on an AmericanFootballsimulation-TV Sports Football. 'It's just like TV' and'So realit sweats'arejusta coupleofslogansto be foundon thepre-launchliterature for TV SportsFootball,andthe graphics,asrevealedon thevideolent to us by Mirrorsoft, areindeedpretty stunning.Apart from thearcade actionon thepitch, you getbroadcastfansin the stands ers,cheerleaders, anda halftimeshow,which includesa marchingband.The gameitself can be playedby oneplayer,or by two playerscompetingagainstoneanother or thecomputer.You canchooseto play the role of coachor getontothe field andplay in one of threefootball positions. It's goingto be a while yet before TV SportsFootballwill be available, but thewait shouldbe worthwhile. TV-ware TV Spors couldbecomea Cinemawaresub-label,asBob Jacob, Presidentexplained: Cinemaware's "It's our first foray into computer sports- we bai;icallywanteda sports gamethat would interestpeoplewho into sports wersnot necessarily games.The rationaleof usgetting into sportsgamesis providedby the broadcastTV analogy." And it seemsthatboxingis the nextTV Sporton theagenda:"We havesomefairly radicalideas.For instance,no-onehasreally donea boxinggame- therearesimplethings thatpeoplekeepmissing.I havenever seena boxinggamethathastheholding, theclinching.If youdon't have theclinches,you'veeliminated oneof thebasicstrategies of boxing.And in existinggamesthere'sreally no provisionfor changingstrategies in a fight." Bob Jacobdescribeshimselfas 'a boxingbuff , andis confidentthat Cinemawarecanproducetheultimate boxinggame:"I canassureyou thatat. theconclusionof tenroundsvou're goingto feel like you werein there yourself.It's goingto be a lot of fun." MaybegameslikeFootball Manager andTracksuitManager might be consignedto antiquitybefore
long...."We would love to do anEnglish-stylesoccergame,with design help from peoplelike Mirrorsoft, becausewe've seenall tle soccer gameson the marketandthink they'reprettypattletic.I think we coulddo a goodjob." War-ware On thewargamefront, thenext releasewillbeLords of Cinemaware the RisingSzn. Civil War haserupted in twelfth centuy Japan,your father hasbeenmurderedandtherebels havesubvertedtheEmpire.Family honouris at strke, and you embarkon thequestto becomeShogun.Fail, and ritual suicideis the onlv alternative. Commandarmiesoi samuraiwarriors, negotiateallianceswith other family clans,defendyourselfagainst ninja assassins andconfrontyour enemiesin personal combat. Hard-ware So why is a specialversionof Rocket Rangerbeingpreparedfor us Brits? Bob Jacobexplains:"We've taken somecriticismin theBritish media becauseof a presumedlack of gameplay in our products,andit's something we're awareof. We're goingto rnakeRocketRangermoredifficult andreleasea specialversionfor the UK becausethe Britishgameplayer, in general,is a betterplayerthanhis US counterpart. WhenPalace releasedCauldron in theStates, throughBroderbund,theyhadto go in andmakeit easier- theUS players just couldn'tdo it, it wastoo difficult. "And althoughour gamescon[ain arcadesequences, they'rereally designedso thatolderplayerscan alsoenjoythem.In theUS we're attractingan older market- the averagepersonwho buysoneof our productsin theUS is probablyabout32
Lords of the Rising Sun
yearsold. In theUK, we havemuch youngerbuyers,who consequently havemuchbettereve-handcoordination." Future-ware Cinemaware wassetup in thefirst placeto produceinteractiveentertainmenton the homecomputer,but has alwayshadan eyeon thefuture- the futurethatwill bring interactiveentertainmentinto the homevia new technology,which mightbe Compact Disc Interactive,Digital Video Interactiveor VCR-based. peopleare somewhere, ."Someday, goingto inventa very compelling interactivetechnology,a mass-market entertainmentmediumthat will bring parentsand children into a massmarketapplication.I don't know which hardwaresystemis goingto win, but oncewe've developedour interactivedesignmethodology, we can shootmaterialand useit across all formats",Jacobsexplains The 'interactivemovie' will come of agewhen the technologyis available for developerssuchas Cinemawareto implementtheirideas to the full. At the moment,evenon disk-based16-bitmachines,thereis a limit to thequalityof thegraphicsthat canbe incorporated into a game- full motionvideosequences simplycan't be featuredin computergames,no matterhow muchtheCinemaware teamwould like to be ableto use ttrem. They havealreadyproducedone gamefor an interactivevideotapesystemdevelopedby the IdealToy company,which allowstle playerto bouncefrom track to track on a specially recorded,multi-trackvideotape. Usingthe Disneylibrary of cartoon it goeson salein theStates characters, ttrisChristmas.Whenwe'll seeit in theUK remainsto be decided. For thetime being,though,the nextthreereleasesfrom Cinemaware shouldhavecomputergameplayers gaspingin the aislesasRocketRanger swoopsinto action,swooningon the terracesasthe super-fitjocksdo battle on thefootballfield, anduttering ancientJapanese warcriesasthey battleto avengethe honourof their familv...
- teer8su^\eq'{y1cn1 i6 Io^oTsso-q -JoJeql u ,{dsy 'ou epSoJJelur l.uop eseeld'ouqo1q8noql1 'rcs'1eey ,{ru peuJnr{s'poolsJ 'lBsuqsnv eled 's,(nEeseqttuo4 peueelSeq ol uoueruJoJur Jo ,(tueld 'Je^e^roq'sPA\eJeql 'lrsrrr eql3oUed 8uile1d-eureE eql ot puoue palpuErs qJlq/t\ 'uoISJe^ peqslulJun eql peq$Jc
I'a1q^\ s JoJeruEurqclem ^\oqeuos peq pue orueo,{eq dn ueeq feq rerge poseeleJ o5 ,61e,{ l,usrqcrqn'auru8 mo 3ur,(e1d srqsdn Europaq s,teqm ierddeqcUd e se^\eq tqSnoqtL - tno {reJ{rnl fu 'luetufofueemdgosrnoq 3oeldnoce lclqe',(leteunuogu;1 lno sunJ )pn'I 'PJseeleJ pu7 eq ilyt\,(eql ueqm'requretdeS eql uo lno pulJ01no,(ro3sl 'puel{ ,(u'1eq1 luorlcnpordpurJ eql ur urede qcnseq eqsIIra :sruorlsenbeq1 ':1coilnqeql ur uredI?oJ? sr Iesotueq ululJeceuoqEnoqlly'eJnlue^psue ul ueesflerer'ecueEr11aur olqpuos?eJ e r.pr^rpesselqsI puBoJJIur {ssl u^\o slr segrelcercqcqceg'cr6rrqSnry ur usess3olqq?relqsllo.luocuneql u ol pofionuoc 1ou- eerEepq8rq,{-ra,r ere,(eq uoqllnq'eluJepousr sJel re,(e1d-uou;o -ceJPqJ Joqurnueql 'ace1dou ploq mor eqeq pu? ^\oI eql epudqslglesoreq^\elq€J punog Jo Jeqrueue se'ppoqs no,{os pue - Jelql ow loleruu'I ro 'rur1 eqt1o1 -eJupTseno,{ol s.ra;errelnduoc oql ueqm,fiynE1ee;,(1en1ce nodseuq lB l?t[ Sll?eu S{JO/I\ll{e,n
lesse elqenlB^urue purJ
J r.lcrq^\
spueluluorNnu/oJ oc ^lou ew esnpu€ peeuIIrd\nof ernsure1eraqm'deu qsreErel e re,roeceydse{H pue'elrlce ,fuel sr toloJrre'IJofeldeue8 eql 'oJnl
-ue^pe ertrltnoq8norql lou Jr seculdur errrleurSeur,fuenere pue'geirr reqter peJailms ere surelqord pue selzmd 'ur se^\ 1 eue8 lolecwT oql Jo uouses qJlqi!\ i!\eu{ Je^euI se ,(1ptc -edse- eureEarp uo peq 1 a'.1r1,{e1d Jo lunoure uoqs eql ol Surlro'prem -lltr€ qcnol B sr loleJueT ur selzznd eql tnoqe urc1dxeot Eur,ft; 'elrqltr ? ro; eroldxe pus punoru {lu^l 01Peeulsnl no,( eureSeql Jo ued puoceseql Jelueol lnq'p8ol 1sn; no,( uel{^\ lsenb IIeJC aW olut fFJerrp oE wc no1 'lmrC ,(1o11arp ro;lsenb eql $ uopoesI€ur.Jer{l e15trm'stradse refeld-upur eJorupu? stq8rullo Eurncsereql se^lo^u pue pleIJEJor{l -mJ les sr o1r\Jue4'lo1eure3 punoJe pus ut los sr euo ue4',(lecrseg 'lo1 -ecrreTJISJo oJII eql ur seposrde$nf 'lle regs'eru ,{eq; 'ilI^\ l€ pesseJcu pue poJsluoeq rruJqJIq^\ '$Jed ooJr.Ilolur ue{oJq sr emlue^p? eql "'JAUOJUDA$
aqt pun snffs:4rog spySul
eql pue
'Surqrosqu ,(1persr eJruue^pe eql (,ltesn,{[unlceplt se,(e1d ,{ueurnoq qSnoqp'tq8noqtae dleer e sr qJrr{lt - tqErse,(e -JeprsuoJ rood qlr,t. osorl JoJ'eceJed,(lo^rs -suurdgeere q peSuBqJ eq um ozts e^rlell?upuppo lxel eql ue^rrg'e1f1s erpueqlpedderepr/he e^sqpFoqs pue'Iooq pur8uo eql uo-g peldepe p,rer IIoa uooqs"q lxel eql 'oEu11 -ponlor{tur euopflreno 1ouq8noqly 'ueeJJS eql Jo lno Surzooereqdsouqe ser{pue 'ero,(;o s,(zpeqtol >1ceq nof
poo8e JoJsJepuoAl ieJnlue^pe seopursJotyqe - uq8rq snonur^ puuemd eJorrrer{lJo euos ueqleJrI e^Ilcspu€IInJerou B speelloleJue'I 's,urlJetrAl Jos,JnquvJo peetsullurod -itrelA S.lolesuB-l tuOJJSlueAe 19 {OOI
ol o8ueqJ€s.lr pue- spue8eleqt;o
tl'lp ul 6€ eqt011ed\fped sEu11c il€lng'eJnlue^peue ur pelueureldur ueqn Surroqpueptetsleql\euos ueeqe^eqesl\lJeqlopFoc l3r$ sorJ -euarsJo 1noelzzndluamp B e{€u ol pu?sseue^nneder pror'eo1'euruEeq1 uI luerue^Io^urleuruloJnsuool epeu ererrr,ftols pul8Fo oql q so8u€qJ elqsr^ur TrlSlrDI pu?'e{s]saql eql'uolrsDIII{ 01 ^\oq qtlrtt8ut uo tq311d s.Je^euang'mrlrv -taeu leFruroql seqcns'putEuoeql rrroqepuu ueeqe^?qsaEuuqc lq8qs fpo - ,t.e;eJe$uaureleeseqt',{1ng -{uer[',dn epuur,uaoqe^eqJleslr aJquo^p?oql Jo sluoruolouruuoJpus feproneloqttms fmluec Wopuo^r1 o1peldepeusJq seqour?Eoql Jo ol,qs puee8en8uqeq',{lpucy 'rnq|rv.O uol41- {ooq c$seloeql ur spue8eler;l uoq uqElql uermquv er{lJosnoureJ Noru leqt punoJeprr?uo geseqlcedxe flqeqordppo,r no,(s?'sr loIoJuB'I s1qftuy uBlrnqlrv
'uno,(ruuoge ,{1cn1
3fi;iH
"*rt pefelsl 'rneJ deepper'yeppw sn-stsdn -gneqc{ur q4,r\ Ud {Isl ot pareeddesp ,{eqteyqn 'ueql puesllq pooEorllJo euos q8norqleu pe^\oqsfeqt epqlr petrc^\,(puerpdl tng 3lesfru euru8 oql qlr^\ sdr.r8ol to8 ol pslue^r,(ileoJ I pueeruJo ploq poqqerEauorp -u{s ra8ug ,tqc1reqtJopuo^\{crul -se^\eJos€lnutu uel lnoQpJstJV'3aJ -Jo3oql qlr^reled ,(qperduordueqt pu€'unsnv e{lhl ,(qlsJlc 'JnolpeprnS Jrseqe us,rrEsernI 'puol {s1ppJBqoql eJeuoql pue(.rno1oc ur Jo spuoces JolluoutJnoIoJ 1l ees011oEezr.no,(,) oql 01peelerl roJ qcrBeseql Jeuv "'1|evrerdeql ospuv ..LlopJuo7lno,fu IJI surEeq puru nof oC,, :urlqSr.e4s seEunltnq '{ceq ploql.useopaq'eureEA\euBJo JJrusPsleElcrp uaq6',{lrunuoddo Erq,(u s?/t\/t\oupuy 'sue1demln; 4eWprreeureE$alel s.6 Ie^eTJJntsfteoul eql qlr/h sdu8 ot leE ot tnq 'lueuJuorlueeqlJo serFcrulueseeld ew roJereql.usPAI "I'lflH Jnfl
sSuuqteqt e8en8uelu tnoq8norql 'oof aJlu raqlBr puu Suln8lJful raqlBu'etgJo 6srauuBr8ord pesnsr eSen8uel y Surqsrrnog uaolq-llnJ B ol qSnorqt uroorprBoq-opnasduror;'asodrnd 'l€OJl )UrJddsB seaJeslrun qJBapuB 'sJaqloJq aql Jo auo ol s8uolaq e JoJur er.nof pue 'erue8eql se{eu ,{lear teq lxel eql s.lr 'asJnocJo asnoq qJug 'xalduoJ 6 IaAa-Iaqf dn o>lBlrrqJlll,lr sasnoqpaulol ouo or{1 rng'(to1eue3 oprstno .punoJ, peJafua eJBAlJosaql uo sflnBssB rnoJ aql euo I Jo e{q) deu e s? pJsn eq usJ semlcrd "tr$npul naeJB qfra SuolB'>Ie!N rraql uBId 6s1q1repua sJeruuBr8oJd eql Jo orrIos 'epnrc elrnb $ drsrl& puB a{u ['a1a4'sraqloJq ealrlf eql oJaH '6le^aT :uopalnfua^pu eql oJor{^\ffieJp Jo eldnoc e ol ',{11erd qsplrg Jo sralsBrupuBr8asoql Jo OH arll sl pooraluussald B fq puu InJJnoloJeql ulorJ - emlxrru e8uerls? sr lolecueT',(lpcrqderg pe{JBq puu afB$e Sulsnoq uroporu u ul fBieB uapplq'1a,{ puy 'spuPIuruoJ ',{rlsnpu1ft{8g puu ,{Solouqcalnaoultfltd,pe{Jud {1pra111 a^Vshlvu pu€sdoo 3lq?nl€^ur arBld u 6d1r15esrruns s,?W aql Jo UBeq oql u! Ileu{rBrg ol roJ frols aplsu! aql le8 ol rapro ul uosred ud 'IVIINgOIdNOJ ,{puapg s qfl,raSuop pa88u1I atull sFIl - f!s!^ raqfoue roJ aurll or$eJese'euJoclol\,fte1 er.,{eql pue',(lesueuureum8e dn speeds 'eue8 emluerrpe urertr1 Eurs11 fuu ur
tr'dsv:puBIr{IB/IIr{cIN I oN egC'IVIINflOI.{1q93 91 a8e4
CONFIDENTIAL FileNo 1: Page11
IN THE LEVEL 9 CAIVIP so I decidedto turn the heatup and pile questionuponquestionontohim. I reckonthe bestthing for me [o do wouldbe to give you a run downon all the plansfor the future. GnomeRangerII ,Ingrid's Back, will be releasedin Octoberandis goingto be publishedby Level 9 themselves: theyaregoingbackto marketingtheirown adventureproducts. The sequeltoGnomeRanger featurest}tegnomesof Little Moaningas theygo abouttheir daily businessand incorporates manyof thecharacters metin thebookletthataccompanied theoriginalgame.Two basicproblemsfacethe friendlylittle folk: Ingrid and the evil plansof a property developer.Meet JasparQuickbuck who hasboughtRidleys'Manor,and who plansto evict all thegnomes, redevelopthe areaand generally makelots of money. In thefirst part,you haveto geta petitionsignedby everyone- not ,ls easyasit.soundsbecause, being Ingrid,no onewill let you throughthe door...Try enticingttremiller out of ttremill to seethehumourat its ripest. The three-partadventurecontains variousGnomeRangeresque elements,from botchingstuff up (Ingrid's speciality),throughto slaplife. stick andsatheon present-day The illustrationsare very pretty, colourfulandcartoon-like- and you'll meetsomeweird andfar out characters,like a Rolf }larris type, whosepaintinls no-onecanunderstand...All soundsvery tempting,and shouldbe out in October,pricedat f19.95 for 16-bitand3" disk versions andL1495 for text-only8-bit cassette versrons. Into the future Futuregamesincludeonecalled Spook,whichrevolvesarounda ghost. Beforebeingkilled, theghostwasa detectiveworking on the inside of a gang- themembersfoundout thathe wasundercover, caughtup with him andkilled him. As a ghost,you've got to get your revengeand saveyour partnerfrom beingexposed.The problemis, thatasa rookieghost,you havenext to no powers- you are invisible,can't pick thingsup andso on. Your first task is O gain your powers,somehow,andthenget revengeand saveyour partner... soundsprettytasty,doesn'tit? Somehow,I feel thegamemight be a bit of a crossof otherpeoples ideas- the ghostandpartnerbit, asin the70's TV showRandall& Hopkirk
Ingrid's Back: she'sunpopular in the Dribble Yalley, too (Deceased)and the ghostfrom Dirk Gently'sHolistic DetectiveAgency, who hasto learnhis powers.I maybe a tadcynical,but theydo seem closelyrelated.But thenagain,why not?It soundsa GradeAl adventure idea!o me. The initial conceptfor Spookwas createdby SandraSharkey,her of exfanzineeditorshipandcurrentlyof adventurecolumnist. GnomeThree Anotherreleasein themouldof true will be GnomeFree,yet adventures anotherepisodein theIngrid saga. This onewill featureIngrid having flashbacks.I can't really explainhow exactlytheAustinswill do it, but it will be subtlydifferentto the Ingrid adventures thatusethepasttense. GnomeFreewill incorporatethe ideaof a pet in the adventure,like cuddly(?) Floyd in Planetfall,and moresophisticated thanthe Daggetin TheWormin Paradise.InGnome Free,you find yourselfin a cell-like roomexplainingto your nieceabout your past- what theroom finally endsup asall dependson your actions throughoutthe game.Ingrid getsmarried to a wealthywheeler-dealer of a husband,andwhenshediscovershow he makesall his moneyshecaneither try to changehis waysor undohis plans.All of which havetheir repercussionsin the end.Yet anotherexciting selectionof adventurerompsfrom Level 9 for us all to look forwardto. slaveringat thejaws andtwitching inanely. RolePlaying Big newson theRPGfront. Level9 areto producea new rangeof Arcade "Fire andBrimstone, Adventures... what'sthis?"I hearyou shriek.Well don't gettoo shocked. TheseareanimatedArcadeAdventureswith a strongRolePlayingcontent,andaresetto knock theexistingrangeof ComputerModeratedRPGsfor six. Designedon
a new systemcalledIIERO, a range at of gamesare underdevelopment, Level9 HQ for the 16-bitdisk-based machines.Fastandsmoothanimation will be their forte, with eachcreature featuredhavinga setpiecedesigned for its different attackingmoves, deathscenesandsoon. Gameswritten underHero will also fy to get awayfrom the usual walk-miles-not-see-a-thing efforts, andyou shouldn'tbe walkingthrough too manyfeaturelesspassageways. Role playing ideasfor magicand combatwill be usedto goodeffectas well, bringingin theusualenchanted swordsandsimilar artefacts(aswell asCurseditems- you can't haveit all your own way.) Spells,potionsandscrollswill be wierd, wonderfulandavailable aplenty- you shouldbe able!o mix theireffectsaswell. For instance,a levitateandparalasispotion,individually drunk,will makeyou rise or stickto thegroundrespectivelydrink bothandyou stickto theceiling! Informationon thesenew gamesis a little on the sparsesideat the moment.I can't eventell vou whether or not Level 9 will actuallypublish themthemselves, or underanother name(soasnot to interferewith the adventurepublishingside),or via someoneelse.But whateverhappens, I look forward to seeingthem andif theyareasgoodastheplanssuggest, they shouldbe realgamebusters. Ultima,BardsTale andDungeon Master,watchout... Back in the Taxi Well, so muchfor my little visit,down to deepestBracknell.As soonasI leavein thecar,I tearoff my facial disguise,removethenotebookand look in themirror - my emptyeye socketsandperpetualgrin stareback, fleshon my while thedecomposing handsleakson thenotebook.It was an innocentvisit,wasn'tit?
Lancelot: Wandering through WestminsterM eadows...
,{peeplsou'puu 3q1sr srqJ -u€AuoJ 'uouue^uoJ ,{egol8urq/uy loc l.ue^BHI lnfl {IBJ UBJ I oq r'9 'ecuecr;ru8rs Jelrureqo IeeJou spqpu€eJr^eployde ,(1ereusr eq1Suruosud JdNJo UossIqI 'ra,(e1d -un'eldurexe ro3'dq,fi1ncrggrp esnec o1ldecxeeue8 eqt ur eloJIBoJou seq rol*Jeq3 eql luql salslclp,(ldurrssql 'uoEue^uoc alJBlsqosv ralJBrErIJ eqr't 't13utg1aY5 ,(qtnq tr SqgNltVXg ,(qtou ruo4 uorleuroJurla8 no,{qorq^r.1ce[qosp -nesd,e Jo snlelsoql JdN eql sproocu ,(1ereu'Jo^el\oq',(lelrsnlcxe sql e>11I Jel.eJuqcu Suneer; 'fpoq,fterratnoqe lsnf qlrmsurel eldrursur esJeluoc 01e^eqno,(eraqn'A ?rxpln (um8e) sr srqlJo elduexetueJertsaqoqJ 'uoueuJoJurInJesnJole38nue le8 ,{eu no,t'u4qol .leqo,pue'eldurexe roJ'puoJIApunoreSueqno,(y prp salelolpuouueluocsql',(lpcrseg 'SumnuerSord JaNJo loods€euo
,{poeqpnoqs lr rnq'peq:::#jilg
rapl^ord uollBruroJuJsv ralJsJeqJ eqJ '€
'ru3rll.urclle,01 os Europeq plnoJer* ocurs',(pa8eg JOpJO ur ,$redrno,(ue^qns,(eurpue 3 s.ll 'Jelelsree,{eltJ eruaSeql go qeo8 erreqo1reeddesJelo?l?r{J.3r eldurexeelqeuoseeJ €sureuloJ'soJnl -loeqJ,urguecqJrqt\ ur 'eun8 owtl1q -ue^ppur uonnlo^er(CaN JelcereqJ ra,(e1d-uou lsalelotpsr uortdecxeerBrV 'sJd\I eloq^tor$peuB|sqcrq^\ .uqqoHorll sl qlul pesoqJ l?ql IIp lsourleor sellddeIlrls ursrcnrrJ 'rt Jo ltq slqt 'sdepulrolq'ruopuer rc $Jefqo goseuotseld 8u4celocro no,{6u1gp1 e 1ou'edop"'ecue311e1ur prrrJnJeue -urs eqt uro4 uude'e^erqleo1qeo8 eJoullq €pepps'soJcrur -eql-Jo-elqs ou o^eqllqqoH eqJ uI srol*r?qc llq-gl rno olur eJorrJ l1qe pezeenbs 'uoquo^ 'erorrrlrq e lumel e^Br{ol lq8no -uocEuloq ur,I luq1l ezlruoqlecursflerng 'u1eppuonrppe l,uoq I ^lou;,1 eqyz u peol 01e^up-{sryou qll^l'eurqceur tlq-8 u? uo peuumrSordse/ nqqoH 2LtJ'Ie reuv '^\ou,(qlq e dn peued 'srso-Sulroq-3dNl 01rolnqu -reqse^eqol'8urquql royuenfro; eq -uoceruude s (troleq ees)-7:equn51 ppom no,('lqEnoseue8oJnlue^peur uonue^uoJqll^\ uonJunluoJuI srelceJeqc eql puB€g6I Pue Jo Jnor^?qeq fupot s34q tsouttlllt't osu, eql I1tlS ul {Jeq demeqt se,urcqt esmocJO oql lnoqu sl slql'peuJeJuosJelJPrPqJ "'xp'ilany nof,p7 y,ary'd1aq dessuroiledlueue^oltl JIeqJ e1tlr1 aqt 'suorlarurlurs|JecuIr.nIA\'lnoqP Jop tol syuotqt'.uuotlJ'watg 'p1o?noqo Sut?utspuo u&op Sut|ttstq uors -ueA,(ldrursllqqoH oqJ ul srelcsJeqJ 'uonue^uoo 3u1og atli ot sasuQuappts'uoa?ung -DJJo rrr.Jaraqal ltroux l.uo(I I aql 'I s,utlqog ?tltlo flo noKparttoc or1u uotuodwot7nj1t1ol no{.' uqoqJ :(ureuer wqupuo"'not 2suaddoq puu)eremeseql'JepJo relncqredou oi no poolqpauostodpuo qsalf tsoor uI'suouuo^uo3 uato'not sptorw 3dN ursuesqsrTq4so lo suolpuDsnoql ot se^rp1p eql Suqt erf,L {4s aql q?nonp Suuapurug uoSotp tlqqoH -ot lsnJ aqtSnowgqt!ftr'ulDrunory SNOINSANOJ SHJ Qauo.1 aqtlo tr731s u!11r$tuauawxa qtror Surlqwat'atau no{.aDqJ'Jaqnt ro"'sl JI &loH ltrowl nol 'sDftr
:l
: i j
'ureldxeil.I pueeur rlllrtrJEeq'aer8eslpno,(g 'erou qcnur
'aJB^|,IJOS
palloJluoJ-Jalndutoc pue soJnluaapuul Ja1cBJBrlJ 8up{u1d-oloJ aql Jo aloJ aql lu $lool lslutunloJ alnluaAp8 'suolluuJBJu!
6a{ooJ aAals Jaqlo snolrB^ ul spuBoulzBSBrrr ff3v Jo Jollpa
o o 'e }n
eg ereqJ, I oN eIId'MINAflI.{1q93
71 a8e4
CONFIDENTIAL FileNo 1: page t3
\r 1/r, ty
rll/ rV//.
\J/tz. \Ul',
9112,
:Y:
\lrt' '.il/' \\l/ t
; \\l-
Y'-(f,*V61)bn
YW^(
iilir''r'K {/,\Y/t
tlt,
tll t.ltji r
llt' t!
lt
,1/,
tfu t'',',
tll .ul
lllustration:Alison Dunworth tion. It involves giving a character 'communication'abilities(SAY TO againprobably). You cancombinethesemajorconvenlionswith any numberof minor ones- my own irarticularpet hateis the 'SAY TO' convention, whichdictatesthatyou shouldcommunicate with a NPCby enteringthephrase SAY TO (name)"(message)". Althoughthisrequiresa lot of additional typing(why notjust (name), (message)), we still haveto put up with it in a numberof modemgames. Mindftghter,by Absract Conceprs still usesa similarformatfor example. However,all theseconventionsare asnothing to the Grand-daddyof themall, themostdeadlyNPCdiseaseknownto adventureplayers...the MO Convention,or Mobile Object Syndrome.A MOSsycharacteris a deadcharacterand to find out why, we needto look at what character programmingreally involves,and how it shouldbe improved. GATHERING MOSs MostNPCsarejust rolling'stones,or - more simply - Mobile Objects. Thatis to sav: I they havea description(you can
EXAMINE them),just like an object; O theyhavelittle or no influenceon thegameunlesstheplayerinteracts with them,just like anobject; O theyfulfil thesamerole everytime you play,just like an object; O theycankill you, rewardyou,or puzzleyou if not treatedin theright way,just like an object.Theonly differencesbetweenthesesort of NPCs andsimpleobjectsarethat: O theycanmovefrom locationto locationwitlout actuallybeingcarried by theplayer; O they canpick up anddrop objects; O theyhavemoreassociated textmessages thanmostobjects,which canbe promptedby SAY TOing, or LISTENing,or simplyhanging aroundand waiting for somethingto comeup. Most NPCsfall ino the caresorv of Mobile Objects.But this doein'i have!o be the case.The original excusefor this waslack of memory, but that no longer appliesto anything like the sameextent.A modem 16-bit micro hastons of RAM and disk drives,which canbe usedto loadin dala'overlays',andsuchmachines are far more widely ownedthese days. So we havethe technology,but what shouldwe be looking for in an
NPC and how shouldwe usethat technologyto achieveit? The best way to answerthis is to defrneexactly what a NPC requiresto cometo life. THEIDEAL CHARACTER The ideal characteris a whole game in him/her/itself.To find out what's involved,let's go backto our conventions. I Don't Know WhereI'm Going The idealcharacrer(ler'scall irlhim/ her Snoggerand refer to itlhim/her as 'it' for convenience) knowsexactly whereit's goingat iny rimedurinf thegame,andcouldtell you if is 'friendshipindex' washigh enough. It's notjust goingtherefor thesakeof theride,it's goingtherefor a reason. Snoggerhassub-goalsandmaingoals just like the player,and it, attemptsto executethemduringthegame. I Don't Know WhatI'm Doing Snoggeralwaysknowsexactlywhat it's doing,thoughit may not reveal the information. Snoggerhascertain tasksto accomplish,mostof which (butNOT all of which) shouldhave somebearingon theplayer'stask. Trivial irrelevanttasksfor NPCscan
'seuu8 Jno ur oJII ruor$ Euuq ol sn elq€ue III^\ leql soJrlJerdu8rssp pu? SuruIuru.6oJderp dola,reps.p1 leeu ol sn JoJeJeqllno sJelcuJeqcJo plJod\ eloq^r 3 s,eJeql'sI lcBJaql ool (,ll l.usoop JEIIIIIIP4 llq B lsnf spunosII3 u 'llo^\ "'sotxouS prr? srro lnq'llqqoH oqJ eJuls ,(en Buol E euoc erreqfeu sreloeJ?qo Jreql - soueueJsSuuserelurerour qlvn qceorddusql eurquoc seueS emlnJ Jroql edoq s.le1lnq' n?uoy ?utou1 pw tro trlStuy ur sql 8ur -d4 roy 6 Ie^e'I ol JJoslBH 'sJdN se pesrn8sp selzmd ed,{l-tcafqoeldurrs se $nf lou pu€'sJolJ?reqJsu lunoccs olur sJoloeJur{J se{n rcql u8rsepeuu8 InJerBJeJoruJeJpeeu en',(lpurg 'AISnOUUOUo s8urql errordul ol elqe eq ppoqs no,( uoqBsJo^uotro3 s,(elrertolsrp Sursn ,(q pue ,{.rluepror'rfel pue uduord
'Eul -,tqd er.no,(;I unql Jo lno 1ole elpb pue'EurururerSord ar.nof gI JolJuJBqJ mof olur lol u elrnbleE ot nof elq -uueueoenbruqcelsntrl'poluq reqlur qEnoqqy'uo os pu€"" ,(puereddu Jerqtsru Sursnecuo lueq'uno1ur sIIo{Jo dnorEe om oror$raqeE 1 ( nlnnqt) sretcereq3( roQ
eqrreeIeI$Eulrqst;:fi&",il
ppoJeqpJeuroslo8 e,r.,(eqa'solquls aqtpuqoq s.ll puelIqqBUSmEueg eql peIIBcsr uur eqJ (nnonqt) radeel-uu1( naQ 'ereqredeel-uureql q'uqof'Jor;leJ ,(4'oge1l11 sr auruuf,y1(tatnnqc) etue51( naQ 'nof laeu ot pesuold(nnonqt)
:eldtuexerog 'seqceeds uinoslrJo euo (eueu) olvsal qlvrr((eSesseu)' uroq sdeqred- proaMel elEurse Eur eldurrseq ,{lqerayerd)uortJunJ repereqce r$lrnaeclunur -soor.lJ,{q fg'fpuercr;;e OI IVS e Eururquroc -uoc no,(eJaq&\'AeurFln uI pasnsl qlm adoco1lndugre,{e1delqrssod qJnruool ,(ldurrss.oJoqJ'pue-p?ep ' qceorddeelqyeg erou'Jerltouv 'oN puuse1 qlra leE u€c e sr qceorddeOI AVS eqlteql ryF{1 no,(reyrrroqpozsurueq p.no1 'slndur qll^r eleJlunur 01puelI 'sJelcBJ?r{c re,(e1delqrssodgo raqunu e8rel e -r[oJ e/r\qslq^\ uI ,(e^rpnlce eql Jo r{ll,t\ IBepo1Surneqss^\ lr Jr pcqcerd uorluroldxepue fpnts eJoruseJmber ueeqe^Br.llqEur u?WuorlJerelu! f1du4slueure,rordurpJIr$eqJ 'uo l3e ol urwF paeclldurocerorue q8norqrno,( se{el ruer8ordeql'Je/t\sueno,(1eqrrr uo -o31eeqt JoJst?p-po8u,trostl Suneq pue'redeldeB JoJtdurord Eurpuedep JdN qJeeqtm'eure8 eqt ur sJdN eqt oN/se1 e Jo esnepeurfpuecer e,ruq IIEe^resIIy( leqt uqlrroS[B.Sugqees seureEprerres'fl ueuaqs/sesuodser uolFA fpseeuec -poE, e18urs s.JolceJer{c e ro1.uroor,Eunu no,{1nqSurururerSord InJoJecoJour -umrSordoJourJlesmo,{,no1p'ssec speeusrr{J'sleo?relcereqrJe[oqsr eq 8uil;gdturs paeuelr luaurerrordurpuo3eseql -ord uoEucrunururoJ 'eure8er;t Sqrnp e8ueqcueJ1€rgsoln r$llAelsJlunur os ,{q'puu sJelJ?rpr{J -ruoJrrBJrefeld eql r{Jrq^!fq sueeu -qurc eldrursruaql Surr'r8pus {ooq eWlnu[ sr srqlot qceorddeeug eureS-Surdqd-olor oqlJo tno JBal 'uorlporunuuoJ/uollJurelul JelJuJBqc e Eur{eldq euopaq w3 s1{I',fi11e Eurcnponulro; edocseroursdueq1p1s -npr,rlputaJourueql euE o1paeueA\ JJo$nC 'sJdN {aql;o SurruurerSord s.aJe[$1nq'ureqlqlrn oEol seJnlouls ,ftepqecolBursred eql pue seEus eqtSuuu8nselurerrrBeroruregpueds -seurpuoppsJo^uotJo sdeeqepnlcur ol eldoedro; 3t r'roupaeue^\ IBLI/V\ ol er?dseql l.usr uego eJeql'uel ;A,TONJYHAI tiu l[
'44t') (,/\. ,. t\ /A\'6 "4t\ '
-qord per B e^eq op eA\eJer{os 'XO IVS OI CNIHIANV IOC T.NflAVH I INfl.Y'IYI NV3 I lueuelrJxe pue$erelq sppsoslB1l 'eloelsqoue 6n[ ueqleJou sppelr op no,( ueqmpue femelqEluls slql Je^oJ -srpl.uop nor(1nq'eureEeql Euqsrug 01selcqsqopeJ eJB,(eqa 'suelqord Jo sUosIIe esnec[v'r 'fged mor( urof o1uroql /(ol[B nof ;r 'oqrrrsrel -3er?r.lJ uraJeseJ?eJeql'A Uujqln ur 'elduruxeJod'uollcupoleeder'a1Eup e Jo esneceqlsnf lou pue 'relcureqcs1r Jo anur^ ,(q eq ppoqs 1l 'olJstsqou3 eq ot EuroEsr JepPrPr{J e y ',{1pep1 'sselpue$ lsI eql - zUOzJ?pJOSr S.IUOSOJUIUI JOIJnpUOC
urcr erp'le^el BreqEg ,{pqEusfpo uo'puellqqoH aqJ uI sullqoEeqt 'relqElJpulryur sprenEaqa'.ecue8 -ilolut, ou pue'uoRJunJeuo,{1uo 'relculeqcou elsq feq; 'relercqrrn ro 'no,{p4 ot tdueue ro'no,( Nerre ro'ereq,reurosEu$eEno,{dotspue lnoqeEueqs op feql ge pue'eureE uo^lJp-JelilJuqcflole NouI? q ueql loeu no1 'Euuoqpeepflper sr srql
fl'rf,vJsflo sv
USJJVUVHJ gHI
'JernsrrselqeuoseeJ s 1eElou fuur ro feu no,{qcrqrrro1'1sgEuol e ruo.t; uorlsonbe Sursooqc;osls$uoorueql r.Ilr^\uoqcsJelul'eslaEuqlou flpnul pu? uoueulloJureprrrordsJslJ?J?qJ er.naJer{a' rouow ailtgtow essaleJ tuoJoJs.JopIu?'I e4q euuE B e^Pq nof 'apcs eqlJo eprsJeqloeqt uO 'uorsrrsru eql lnoq? errou feql se srelci:reqcJo suouce erpEupresqoruo.gsuoEcnpepo{uru uecnof eJoqt\' padsngs.ruocoJul ur smcJoqqt 1o eldurexealq€uosueJ V'se^uotu sl1Eursfpuepueryo/t\le JdN lue8glelurue Sunresqo,(q erue8 eq p o8pa1nou1rnof q ppe ol elq? eq'oldruexeJoJ'plnoqsno1"'ollqns oJoruqsnuroq u?3JelssJeqr? rrro.IJ uowruJoJl\' u$DJ ?rlJ ur nmo eql sr reprlord uorlerruoJurpasn8sp fpqt e goeldurexepcrd,(tV 'ueql ruo4 ecuslsrsse Jo oJur1e8esmreqlo ro suonsonbtueq IsB ol $ ruoql qlr^\ uoucerolurfluo -rnof;r Surlserelur eruoJeqol esBeJsrelcBJurlr lnq'lusl JoJ -rodurr,(lsnorzrqo s.lJ 'sJe1cpJeqo sesnuouruoclsou erl Jo euo$ sql USOIAOUd NOIJVIAIUOdNI SY USJJVUVHJ SHJ "'notr qlrrrrpoqor oEol slrrs^\ oH' suDaH paDpunld s.ruoJoJul ul puoJuTJo l3r[ s31r\f,1luemrssorce errrooe^.I spoErelcureqcSursnuru lsou eqtJo euo'epcs eql Jo eprs Jeqloeql u6 'sse11eo8 eJ?'eldurBxo ro;'relqSr;puTtrAl ur sJeloeJeqt eql Jo lsolN 'luB^elexrpuBlel^I.u urBueJ {yduls;(eql esrmreqo'opol tuaql ro3s8unltsnoueseJou osIBeJBeJer$ ueq^rlueuasnumeuosJo ormos€eq I oN oIIC'M;NAOIdgg3
71 a8e4
CONFIDENTIAL FileNo 1: Page15
ASSUMING ROLES Veteran adventurer Tony Bridge castshis mind back over the developmentof adventuregames,commentson the progress made so far and concludesthat role playing holds the future... and Sandra Sharkey providesa mini-guide to getting the best out of role playing adventuresfor readersnew to the genre.'
.c o = c
o c
po .9 G tt,
=
l
I
?u4tln eqt 'Eurd,(tJo lunouu unru Jergolsoul prre'1co1q-Eupras Sn Sr OSBC -I-S Srqlur rlJrq^r'JolBuuuouep -ruuuoql dpo ennharpue scrqde-6 er{l or{l 'puq-e-Jo ro lsrrJ lseel te JJo uotuluo3 $e/t\oleql 01u/hoplcnpord $eoq surerSordesortrt eJu'Je^e1l\oq'uocoJul -euo,(1ear Ip elrqt6 {er$ elrJ^\0l p?r{e^€qsesnoqo&/r\ '(ecurr4ro proT u flqrssod) 'esnoq eJ€1l\gos sng {os '(I8XZ elqun. eqtroJuene)elq ercunln oql ol s{ueJIero^esqSnorql qlr^\ pnsn sr u3q1psusJc-fle/l\ssel -?uel? eruoJoq,(uenluerre e^eqaseql (selzzndpuu suouducseprxel) uurE qEnoqllepuu'seaup{s1plnoqlm QetuSlgectnoSiu'elduuxerog'se) sburuurdeq olqunq uorJ'poJtrc^pe -ord eql go sgedreqlo eleu o1sedro pes?eleJ uooq o^eg eJer{elq€Is^s pueeureEo1eureE :o'dn qcnu lpnq uo4 plno^{ -ruou os errjnsuot soJJruf euoq rqndod .suo4 Jo,QFofeurlsurt pe^esoq duurrelceruqcs.refeldeqt -?AOuu, euou- peureqseJ 'o;?rolsenessBc 4OW eql JO JoleeJeql lB pr-BI leql sr 'Jelelloq'DdU relnduroceql;o f,rer uaaqaruq feql le4 {ulqt I eq,(1e8re1 UBJslql JoJuosseJoql lnq 'lxel poJnoloc-qFu stradseSurlserolur lsou oql ouo Jo 'ouE ecqs eql ut eurerdns rcr.ll )11 * 'oJrueuxelduroc ssel pue Surdderu peu8rer iJouoq'>1coqs e^eq seJnluo^p€ lxel ro eJou e;o selzzndre,(u1d eql les ueeJcs-uo sepnlcur'serJes eql ur ryoz aurardngEquS;ag sururSord esoqlJo paqsrlduocceerour lse1elaql ' 4tq puo{.ag'eseoler ^\eu eql 'eun eues eqtls - dn pe>1crd eq q3eeol sepsrq^\puesllsqJerurqs Je^e ol ornseel 3 srarerl pue(1teqt lol SuppusueeusserEord leql {uql oq^ Jo esoqlot 8uruelql3o su8rsumoqseneq Jo &ueld s,{e,r.ps(eJeqlpue)teqruoc rogpeure8ereslurodecueuadxg'uo ,{eql'releltoq 'ree,(lsedoql uI (sqfl ospuesuoeEunp'sepseJ'surnol'sseu - pnntd, wototu1ar.1l uo awpdn$a -Joplr/r\ -tDlatlt nt ansnsy1lut 3u4qa7a^oe Jo edecspwle eroldxefeql sesJemlue^pg rti!ftr$atMaw! ail aagl'sree,(eql reno Jo frred BspupuuroJ re,(e1d eql 'ed& s1r3oseureE reqlo souolseerJ-ernlcrd ol eJuoJoqpe Jleql prrBsrqluI'serJssan?iln oql seqcns q lueurepepeureujoJezreqfeqt puu sepuqEnorqlssercnsteet?e pe,{ofue ' I IJq, 'lsrrg,fterr4eql ecu$ seJnl ' CdU,{seluBC pul3 rro -ua^pelxel qlvn snour,{uou,{s ueeq ErsBq-prBoq sql Suuoultu'seJnluo^pu orueS sPq eueu Jroql:lsI uorlsl3q1ur64 Jo -qnsoloql\ s'lJpJ uI 'oTIu sJounsuoc Surssrru ere'uroco;u1'sornluelppJo pupsJoruuruJSord uo ecuengur3uo4s sJelrrh-qcJe oql lew eJrlouil.no^ B SBpeursrueJ 'surels,(5ulEu6 pue e^eqseJnluo^ps lxo] go surSFoO T q ottrl,serlseqt uI eurT-uopuers'unllr{'edecspurry sur81.ro seqcnssorueduroc ,(que{el ueeq OT O s?qseurqoerrr tlq-9l eqlJo o8eluu^pe IInJpue'egqm3uo1e ro; polueserd gepuo,{eq -Eocer Eurdolerrep r;tf,llfi -IIe^\Aleuenxeueaqe^?rlselsls oql tuo{ ser$ue^pv'{emfue qcnu oo1lou - Eur.reggns lxel eql lnoqlra frols eql ol poppeoq ueJrogedoq plnoceuo,(ueteql slluJaql Ip rcqt lu"errrseq'se^rrplsrp ur-1pnq(lsrep -uofitJo repuo.ar) pue ,{roueurreErel qJnruqlr^\'sepls eql rxor;srelnduroc llq-gl Jo ecue8reure luocereql lng qgrg Suppy qsFIJg II?Jo om/t\Uos'sploqesnoq qq Ae^\4e$ pulJseurqsurx lrq-gl eJorrs?- EUHUI$eJBsJemlue^p? pouosees lerp ,(emoqt ur Uqs Fclper e qoese^.I 'sr{tuouneytsedeq u1 '^squeJJo qelrtcr8erue ur ra,{e1d eql doleluao1qEnouesr pe>lorrur ereqd -souneeql tnq - slIorJScueuEeW pus ruoJoJuluroq selduuxeqsr -puelJer{lsexeldurocse',(lqrssod'lou erep,{gd oqtles selzzndeql 'se^ 'sJr -qdaf uoeJcs-uo aql yo uonelndrueur dq {1e,rrsnlcxe lsourlepotonpuoJ em (an?uopoqspuvpatl^urun'nA aIa6r)semtue^pu Jreql'f puenbasuoc pueso^Iesuoqlur r;lEuegse scqder8 ep€uro^eq(relncnredur) edecspurry seqcnssesnoqomlue^pe'rhentcy ,{seluuggo qa11 'lxel eql uo4 Eurqt,{w ,{e^\ee{sl o1SuroElou er?scqderSpeppe'{eq pcrSolouqcetWI^{'lerll sr ereqluour -nEm?urprcepeqJ 'sJeuru.turSord er;t uo4 dleqlnoqlr/heuecsu/hooql les 0l sluendoqznre,(u1deql roJ r$1gceJ .gg6scqderg, eql opnlculplnoqs IIBSsll quon urer8ordfue'p regy f,ll e)pu uecJorIns erg ffi e^rlrBJ]lu seeq eue8 relnduoc Bl.uplnoqs [q,n'ueqr mg 'eruuodnpecro; euaJse Jo Beprs.3sleeuoauoss^eq pFoqs1{qm eesl.upp pus'elduruxe JOJ'SIe^Ou uI SuorlBgsnlll 3esol tcedxel.upp I'II? reUV 'somlue^pe ur semlcrdmoqesEun6srurpuq Jreqlol uors 1',(1eurEu6'semlue^pe -ueurp A\eu? ppe01seurqc?rx A\eu eql Jo seuryqedec crqde-deql Sursn 4ca tueJeJypu ue{a eluq seruuduroc
'snoJeJroo^ puesnoro8rneJorupue eJorueure3eqscrqder8Suquerrr esoql pu?sluoJoqpp ,(yuo-1xe1 ueealeq lueurnEreeql - sernlcrdeqreprsSuop ur lxel eql uoqeoqsol fresseceu atueceqll ueqa elr^Jnsol ,{rols orllJoJqcnu ool tsoule'sesEJ euos ul'eruecoqWVUJo e8qroqs,(qlxet eq uo pecqd,(pua4uslum4suooeqJ 'lxel eql uro4 ,(e,neuonueDss.re,(eld erplce.qsryol SurqFuroslnoqtr^r .I"IJJeuruoJun,oq ol peuaopeJeA\ semluo^pepue 'ere^gJosgo sedfl p ur soructdfnsrd puescrqderE Euru -un1sSurpueurep eJea'spuaneuzS otslclpf leleunuoJun oq^\'sJolnqrrsrp tueuodun-ileeql'euq euns eql lV ',{roueur3olunoue 1q8psttpur unr plnocemlue^peu^\op -1nce,(Iuo lBrnlueJpddu eurmequoos 11'sselequeleu';19IeEnqeqt ueql pue(iXI ut ueilF^\oJe^tssmlue^pu .'sel(pue)XI tsrg uo dn tqEno:q snJo esoqlol AJnxnIJo-luBaJpun uBsB/['un4ced5 erguo eIqB -IIB^els4J sB^\1Iueq^\1tr37qSnoqlu 'mo1q'oEauow pepeoleq urerE -ord e1oq,noWlerg Eupueuepsnqt 'umrEordeql EuunpsseJoeou suuerrr sql'uml u1'8urpeo1 ellessuJ ^\-o
pelndurocoql uo openlJ seuoso^qselepe^u?^ouuloql ffi IIe^\ se eqtpuB sassappo)t2qt0a7 ^wleD 'poom,{11o11 'ct8eyqs?qonssouor{l dn lool pugpulqoqrrozJo endurg punor8repunIBoJCaWUel urocoJul ecsds 'esJno,Jo 'Jole'I'sBJedO snorlqoeJoueql seIIe^\s?'euoql Plno?rqlunoJ eql pue .qurog Eur -{crl olqrssodurluorssrtr41 orl'euleql puu1s1 eSuu-ug eql'eueql eprr4 eql'uolssoctns lcmb ur'mesoin snqlpus'unrpeu $ql ol soueql ^reurerpoEuqdepz ,{rere111 rrJo^t-lloltr gamol ,(11cmb ;o puuetodoql ^res -loJoq1t\osoqlpue srrBpv lloJs '(salresIruZ eWq,lt\\ uroooJulfq dn uela ueq^!InJSSoJ -cns,(lqrparcqpue)e^UceJllB ssa pudrro eril Jo olJpuacs f,squegeqt qEnoqry '(sreg4g 1orequrnueErel e ol uonoeJ$e ergJo r{Jnureq {1p -nlce,{eu s8urpoecord eqtJo eBnuru sql ol uonueilesnp q8noqt)uo os pueselqeJJrtsBsls'slloJ-oJp;o freE -pnrporll ge feme loot ,(eqtsB'ruJoJ yo {ssl luoplue serrl -redol srelndruoc srq;'seure8ore11-rnof-8urdo1ar'ep -prrs-ernsee{-;o-sto18uuce11o3 -olrq/r\-sJelsuoyq-tq3rg-pue-suooSunq -eqt-eroldxgraqtoeql l1epuesiloq puospuunJ' suoSotqpuo suoa?unq fsulueC suqcnssaueg 3urfe14-e1og ertrl,(Ireurudsu,r 'ueql eJurssJeqloJo spaJpunq roJprre' alo) lDSSoloJ'eml -ue^pulsJg srqlro; uoqurdsureq1 'seml -ue^peqll^\ pe{uq ,{lquculxeursen ousu srqsreef ,{ueurJoJpuesurupv lloJs sP/(eu?u slq - oJqrueuoq eql o1oureEeql elEsrr?I 0l poplJepeuo -ouos eroJeqEuolfrerr l.usel\ lI 'slllel
-qold xalduror atuospuu srefsuour Jo {Jord, 'ernseerl qlr.,rrsuJaABJ -lau {JBp B ul las olrBuaJs1ur1d,(1 -aqJruaql euoJaqsuqluqn SuJsn 'aureEarnlua^pslsJUaq11nq'araq arue8epurre oN'ureql ol parIJBllB slsulrural.ralugdeql pue VSn eql uI saJ11lo aErelu1sralnduror arrru{ulerrraql yo a8elue^pBe{Bl ol psalsq 1nq'1ugod qq1 ua$!J r se,ra 1uuo.qdunsuorp.raua8JoJl.usu,ra g !uo;1e;saE ugauruEgoad,(1raqloue sB,ralerll'uaql l! Aou{ l6uplp eloq,$B 1 q8noqlly',{rlsnpug,raau lrBls ol sBtarlJlqa 1re1yuorJ aruu8 prg epsJru aq1' &uotrgoasdurJlS ,{urlq8ner l o8u 5ayg1 INyI I I oN egd.M.tNSOL{pg3
91 a8ug
CONFIDENTIAL FileNo 1: page 12
I I
t
Classic Role Playing comesto computer, and
:i*",:#Jff;j"r"Tl*l*'"':*7,^-"1";{";m"Iif#'" cientoriginson the Apple seriesof computers- althoughthegameplay is complexandsatisfying, with monstersofall kinds,spellsgaloreanda thick, well-researched manualto bind
tr;1ir,"iffiil,,ieitJJ,'i'1$lii3l"" I PLAYING less,it's themorerecent,examples
thathavecaughttheattention6f *or" naditionaladienturers. Probablythe mosrspecracular programof recentmonths,FTL/ Mirrorsoff Mirrorsoft's s D unseon ungeon'Master Matte, is. is, I believe,the onethaihasdonemorethan any omer otherto persuadeadventurers that lhat graphicsandRPGsmay be moreinterestirg_th3n theypreviously __ thought.It is an almostperfectblend of graphics,real-timestiategy,Rolebuildingand straightforward adventureproblemsof the ttretraditionaikind. MaybeotherssuchastheBard's Tale seriesandthePhantasie seriesaren't so lmmeorately immediatelystunnrng, stunning,but but,tney they boastvery attractivegiaphicsand presentation, andtheir combatand -
ipellssystems .e
I 1
J
*or" uJ-
"u.nlvlaster. vancedthanDungeon I_thinkthal 1i,e-'re goingto seean explosionof RPGsfor thecomputer overthe next few months.As I write, thefifth episodein theUitima series hasjust beenreleased,initially for PC compatiblesandeventuallyfor most otler machines- andthecomputer versionof AdvancedDungeonsand Dragons is at last settor Dragons,.n for releasein both raditional adventureandarcade fgrms.,So,thingshavecomefull circle * this, theRPG thatarguablystarted thewhole thing off in thefirst place, place,h?sn-ow hasnow now finally finally made made it. it to what what will will probably placefor orobablv be ttre ttrebest bestnlace for itit, thehomecomputer.Text adventures will continue,bf course,but computer-moderated RPGsarehereto_stay and.aresetto_beaspopularin Europe asthey havebeenfor yearsin the States.
ROLES
I I | | | I I | | I | | I I I I I I
If you've neverplayeda role playing I stickyend,but mostRPGsallow gamebecauseyou'renottoosure Isomeformofresurrectionforcharact^qttl,{ whatis iny.ol.ved thenreadon I terswho havedied,sothatall the and![trf andenlightenyou. experience andfreasureyou have RPGsvary tremendously b there i workedsohardfor is noi but not lost. aresomeaspectsthatarevirtually Anotherfacility thatsoftware I in [nem. universalrn unlversal them. companiesare are beginning begrnnlngto ott'eris offeris I companles . You usuallyget-thechanceto I onethatallowsyou to saveyour charchooseyoy gwn characteror partyof I actersfrom onegameandloadthem characters beforeyou Commence. I in to another.This meansthatyou can Alwaysreadthea-ccompanying litera- | get sraight into playingttrenext turevery carefullyasyou will be I gamein a series,insteadof havingto givenadviceasto which peopleare from scratch. scratch I build up yourcharacters bestat differentskills,for example, I Much asI enjoybui.ldingup theskills elvesarepronetomagicsochoosingI of thememberJofmyplrty,itisnice an ell elf asa wamor warriorlsn't isn-t very smart... giventheoptlon smail..: optionot keepingthe of k6eping ttre I to be glven No matterwhat ttrestoryline,you - who-can I samegroupof characters canbet your bottomdollar thatyou I become'old friends',andareusually
I I I I I I I I I I I | | I |II |I I | I I I I
ing gamein an eveningor two asyou haveto build up your characters, and this takestime.If you don't havethe patienceqospendatew daysbuilding iip your characters thendon't tacklei RPG. Progressthroughoutthesegames usuallydependson experience and gold,the moreyou haveof both,the bener.Skrllsare Skills arevery importantand you mustendeavour to build up the lmibutes quicHy.Experienceis gainedby fighting,anddefeating andsometimesyou yo* -o.pponents, find 44 usefulitemsaftera skirmish. Thesecanvary from piecesof armour Ther to betterweapons,magicitemsor treasure. After playrngfor a while, you find thatyou becomevery attachedto vgurparty.I getvery upsetwhenone of my favouritecharacters meetsa
| ;;n;tb6 aut"i" io*pG;u;dpluy-
| th"d;d""t of**y ffi;;tt.
I I I | I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I
Mappingis som-etimes, buinot always,necessary andcanusuallybe donein muchthesameway asfor '_trad_iqonal' adventures. All ttreRPGs thatI haveplayedhavehadsomeway of teleportingfrom placeto place oncethecharacters havereacheda certainlevel of skill, which is very usefulasit canbecomea bit of a bore trudgingaboutwhatis usuallya vast landicabe. Naagicis very oftenused,andmusr be learneA.Sometimes this seemsa dauntingtaskbut it is surprisinghow quickly ouicklv you vou learnall the spells inells-and and theueir'wayto castthemio full effecr. tf you enjoyadventures with a fanory themetirenI'm sureyou will get somepleasurefrom role f,laying games.Go on,get into a ?lurige6n ioday...
'i(pn1sep,rud enlll BJoJ {ooqpu?qeql ur Sulserrurrtruo^\iloh\ s.ll lceq auroJ01lrru/hpueuoaEunp lsn; mof ,(ofuenof grlnq 'oJr.rslsur lsJrJeql ur,ftoaql ueqloJou Ieep rcer8e slunot ecuerredxg'eAreJeJ g.nod Eur;euquoeEunp-erd etp q uel -sll pue dn urnl 'q {ooq ol sI pousls leE ol ,(e,r lsoq eql - emlue^Pe equu,{qe1 e uo EurqreqtueoJoJeq {ooqpuBqoql Jo slueluoJeqf pusts -JepunpuBpeoJol psoul.uop no^ 'pesn ro peseqcrnd'po1eaJJ oq rr?JplJo/y\ aue8 eq1ur slce;euupue slcafqomoq sureldxepuusosselo-qns JepeJeqc elqnsodeqt q8norq Fs1epur rop?er eql se{q 'sarnlue^peequufqel ur pesnselnJorn IIe lno s]ps looqpuDH 3u1to14a1oyalrTToayeql 'se8ed paJpunqorq flreau o18uruurupue gIJ roJ3u41e5'peqsgqnds?^\>Iooq eql ueql'eldoed IeeJrDuA'oru4lear ur {Jo/hol SUquasfs eql 'JequeueJ - fg8noroqt tl tsetf,eldpueraqaEol IIBI lnd o1ree,(e tnoqe{ool lI 'repulJ -wed puBpJBZI^A, 'lserJd'rourB1!\ * ses$Ic JelJeJ?qJ Jrwq moJ uo peJl -uecuas,(s paFtep ,fterre'tualsds Euile1deloJo^r1e uo ryoil\ peuqs JorrrBCe1e4'oEesreef moglnoqv 'EuroEto8 Surqt eloqA\eql 1lloqtno puIJpu8omluo^p? eqtuFfqe-1tsnl .{ru Euuoluonoqe puosredeprs?lsBJ01 ssousnolJeu eurl 'olrq^\e JoJssrsBq 01{ceq lng Squu$aq eql uI 'elqsq^eursr edercsro durnqppo eql eql elsuurnllr q seqrJol 'sSurpaecord goeldnocs ueqleJou remod-,no1 slllll qlrA\pueluor[uoJr^uepquoc percInulss ul .)Iro^\leue^ucryBp -qr1rde ur puno$ Surduolseldoed uezope Jo uol qll^\ ueql lnq - eureEe ul posrnrqrq e teElqErurnof 'sprons peppudprrcseJsurpellrJ-ruuoJ rgrl( uerrg'..8ur,(qdur ,(qncrgJrp ,(uuezreq eyq t.uppoqssnqe roJSuruunrgo -edecsr oqn euo,{uy'e^losol selzznd oJ€sJeqlse'pcts,{qd,{presseceu lou s(lr- uods e qlvtl pareduroc eq UBJeueEeq1 'ernleusnorJes e Jo puqfpreq Eurqloupue'$ueproru,{ue e^(e/r\lnq - uSrsol eneqsluered rleql 8I lepuner.feqt;r pue- unq leE {eWJI fiuqel Jo sn Euvrlosqe'ulJog Jeutteltsrpe u8n ol seludrcrged oq,n euofrerreleEol e^sq op olr\'ilel&,, 'paslnrqeqfeurpue'3uo1ero;eqfqtpy pue1e^\Eu111eE etu eesplnoJI
'dreqsro qnyc3ur1oo1I^e us l.usel\ tl'oN'rslunoc eql puqeqra{Jol IsleruBolur Eurllep'pps eq ..'4eqJ e qerg,, 'ro3ur;1es,(ur 1eIpeqI tsq^\ lnoqeerourllq ? ureelpue ,{lrplrdsoq s.Jausc epdyoles,(ut peneo1dllu -ruroddoeW{ool os'09'ZI le usls ol enpuoa8unpe oluo po{ooqss^\J 'sueuehicoe puesresno.u dl$l ,{urSuueelr'plroarpunor8repunsql ur eceldgo1no,(y1aot1oo1ot ?uro8 l.us?/y\I lssollv 'sFnpr^rpurpesseJp ,(1nuy -f,1Jeuuou re"' pue'slq8lu{ 'scJoJorropcegoc,bpour ? Jo spaou or$ol Euuolsrurur 'requleqcpunor8 -JepuneErq e ur JelunoJe purqequr po{3u'su^\ ereqJ 'Jeureceled eq ileq^\ "'eceJo1punorS -Jepun,(emfur Suqeru'luoruuorrzruo ,(uue1cpu€pIoJ e ur se^\l dpeppn5 'sproTts seururoJs.puqEugtnoqe tuupuoll"uoFslslorlede qtr,r Euq -l€qJuoeqpeq1 ,(lsnomerdselnuru
uel lnoqp pup uootueg" feprnlu5 plunq rcq^\euosu sB/hlr'plJo/hI?eJ eql ul ep$$o - dorp arnleradureleql PocBouI ueq^\uroolEeqrolul sda6 uazop3 uerya,(lpreqpP,qI 'uoD€redo eqlJo e.lueoe^Jeueql ol lJ?rlsEurdols 'f1pqce urnopfern fur epeurpuuseerl euos tsEuotueEulpseu{Jo/tueue^?J rneuuJJolqns e q ecusJluoaw punoJ rqr fued 1 'eqluu,{qe1sssrue8ro -Ium eql 'srno; emluo^pv reureg fq posnuouscolurcu eql p 8uv'ury u,o,; rI a>Islpu€sor$olrpt6:i?* ur fup eqt uo dn uml lsnf puu ur no,{ qooq'1oed uon?rruoJur rno no,(pues eq ,.'urelqordog,, II.L,'eur pernsssoJ ('oce1dNJg ortrlq erupelrolosrueel TVttNiIAIdNO3 eq dqn st qctql6) ..'eroJoqsFnaIU Eurqlfueeuop Jeleu eA.L,'eqtuF,{qe1 goresrueEro 'JerueColod plol 1 ..'u1Eeqot\ eJoJeq lq8rers EurqleuoJgC S,JA'L,
"?noqB IIB sBA{aqlulJfqs-I lBq,r lno puu ol suJaaBJJo {Joralau B uI punoJ JadruBJS ppu aruaBJc ol alr. auo 'slloJl luas JJo 6salnluaapB puB suouap uo pallual ruaql Jo "(eprn1u5 IIB lou Eq,{qd alor aJII-lEarunr suollesluu8ro aal B allno ',(auourJo lunoluB lsapou B puB saqlolJ plo auos 6arnlualpB Jo asuasB sI paau nof IIB - IEaJJoJunJ aql spasquar q ulol nof UBJ s,(epenou nof asBJuI lrupue 'JAIJBJUTtrJ arOruB puB aunlJOJ InJJAAOd 6aurugol [8,!r Jnof 8ug,tu1s pue SupIJBq 'sJalsuoru aql ls8uoruBuI'araq1 flfl fIIBnlrB ol a{II aq plno,|A lI lBrI r palapuorr aauq lsnIII no[, 'ta\svw uoaSunI su qJns saruE8JalndruoJ uI paAlo^ur'{IIABaqlo3 Jo 6aruu33u1,(e1d aloJ dol-alqe1B pa,{u1dJaaaaa6nofJI
eur1rdee>1""r .rriirl::f:l#.7
eted..'eJequmop,{qty; puelo^\ sle8EulrlfJe^g,, 'u^\op8ur1lsero3eq rrcqc,{qqnrEerpuo tnd ol orr JoJursl -Jncplo ue ss^\1!- JoJEurqceer sern er.lpJoit\slueulle1(oqruesrp'flurod
erIJ peryIV Jo sFu;op eql Jo eIBl B ro ^d11u1us
OOOSAIA CNI,IVAd I oN etIC'MNSfl.{5163
91 aEu;
CONFIDENTIAL FileNo 1: Page19 On arrival,the hrst choiceyou need to makeasa noviceis whichclass you wantto play.A warrior'sjob in life is to clout things;he or shetends to work at the front of a party entering dl:flungeon andis generallythe first tomeetmonsters.Priestscan havefigf4ingcapaHities,but 4re avers-.Jcthespillingof bloodso use macestiff'clubsifih,fu aretlreibombativq sort;"&riving'pfryer frqm the -'', .spidtifrl ability filane,ligiQSts&bF.tfie to-.h€"d'wp"ilnds andto diiOentthe natgrF'ofspiritseJc€rq{ered bn an advefrture, teirdtUbgXplued So',tlr$i. paruY"'ehd. hy4$Pr m6nbeis:bG:tbe
thons,suchas theonethatwastaking placeon theislandsiteon theday I i:hoseto enter.tfrecavernsfor theftst time. i i For thebasictwo-or-threehour dungeon,a pprtyis assembled - a groupof friendscanbook together,or you canboEkin as:anindividualand iakepot lqck as.rothecompositiono[ theparty y.o.u'lt-fufur.'!he referee,who is eittrer+rqemberofGamer'sstaffor a trainedl$ifior Labgrryhe character, writes dungeon and part
canbe achievedunderg4otind, and the refereeu$esthe freeze,ebmmand to suspendtFrq.sslisnteraiporarily,so that' canbe produced. Like a middle
spell thegu grear and
Ourq
theseven
Paladin.
the
lq$'*, 4q':P;t*f *r".1YVF" S,r''r, t
dark
dic
fs theadl weapons;
: appearedin Paladin,a betweenlife demonicspirits. out, wasto kill andfree the undead Plentyof treasthefirst time, not expect.Well sca :esquitea while t hen you get thorby theadventure
and
hours.
inde and tend to ha gettmg !o treas bers of a party,
Mfltimo;frffi ereefor iny'
is di.ficultto plap,.$ #
nOVlCeS.
wordsof adi'ieefrom Mr
Battle-priest 1 SoI decideI'm Priest- a middle
and inflicted a
of wounds.Shouldhelp ular with tle warriors in least.'Agoodall with', Peteagrees. comeup witlt a na ter, ent€rthe could havethe could run and Alfred The anon.
[Prv<lD-
had been
Labyrinthe Once the Lab
playtestedandeffisfuilkg4jin a live role playing olavinesessirifis sessions besan beg: site in the London Docklands. while,Labyrintheoutgrewits site,andmovedto a five-mile work of caves,burrowed out of side by chalk miners at tle turn
century.GarnerAdventure haveaccessto an islandin the way which occupiestw€frty; is completewitrha citadel of hundredrooms;and underDover timesusedfor ad
ii Basically,thereferget&coq of reality in thedungQon - f*eb."#Sl trapsandpuzzles,andconEolsthe courseof the adventrrye bf .briefing monstersand answerigg*tiuestions] whereappropriate.Hj alsokeepstally of thephysicalcon4ilfunrofeachparty memberin gamet6rrrs- 6reclassand playingdetermines pointsa part of the beforeit becomesi affectsyour overall Take too many hiq healed,andyou di!
,i!
In the main site, the
passablyfor a I to persuade to thepowers my fourteenstone of acid (in return for lateron). I laid my on the odd
chap, able to wield a ble effect and cure a
ing.
intie, but Alfred do too well in the
ves
sepanrc single day, and there are
tureareas,or dungeons,in thti! work. Soquitea few peoplecanbe accommodated. The standardadventuretakesa coupleof hours,and everyso oftenlongersessions are organised- including24-hourmara-
rs -real' tlm9fwhen.ttrcTeteree per-_-". like tat<-. . [Ofms.dwtgeon-keeping'tasks ing inventoryof thephysicalcondi: tion ofthe player'scharacters. A call of 'Freeze'duringTime In, requires theplayen to s[andmotionlesswith their eyescloseduntil Time In is called again- therearelimits to what
nuift,$'i"ilingin[o us n an unguarded g 'doubledouble'to rewieldingtheir hands and doing
theywipedout nearly , prisoner,I was of,flte :asureI'd acquired, beinEt to t}tesword.Mind icsfrom thealltheday,ultithe Saintlywas that long
for theseSaturdaf$ you go, a basic will costf,6 or 97.rt ll details,write to arnei'iit PO Box 225,Orp, Kent, BR6 7SXor phone i851.Tell him vou'rea memOfnCialSecreti,while you're at it, and that Alfred the Saintlv (and rather dead)sentyou. Labyrinthe is well worth experiencing - it makesa bloody goodday out, and who knows,you might get hooked!
lEurdruupfddug
puy'srno.{ ereq^r ,,
.aegeutuE ".roulltir"3lout 'qEnoq puesdurelsdg1meJe uuqtelnuedxe eJorulrq v 'leuoJcqNuo sepeqs prIPleunduo3 uo Eurfqd elor eutl,{1re4s.eJoql'fceuoldrqs.ereql ploC ulmelel uO- tllopou err\seuuE ,(e_ld uecertsodeql rogtrernot luerl -edurool eldoed'esrnocgo puy 'seureExelduoc ol soureEreuurEeq lsorueE rels8ueE,trc reuurot fEe -lerlsecedsdaepulorj'roJJouo soF -suoosJo ,fiegel SurEuer-epvrr e e^eq feql 'pwurep erpf;sues o; 'reef e sreproaue8 uoIIru e rolo Surssecord - sreluudrrarpio moq ,{rerreqerrou lcuqreded7;o lueprrnbeeql tno tuud eldurexaJoJ<JIX'sfupemo5l 'sre,(e1d eqryo elnaddeelg?uesur eql Wp\ edocol seuru8eJorrrpeluelur pueryo^\ el{l qll/t\ I?epol str[D eJor.u uo {ool soruedluocgeurs'peszercur sseursnq sV 'serrregary'er_ue8eqtgo seureruErqesoqle4l1'serueduroJ qJns Jo Noq e ol esp ereEEunueEptsod ur lseJelurEurseorcur eql pue'popeeu no{ ge lnoqese/rrsedolerrue 3o xoq u pw nded goureoJe 'reluude 'relnd -uoc a :surooJpaq urJJogauslssaru -udruoj ',{qqoq4eql Jo po qof eurrl IInJe e{stu ol peplrep eydoedeuro5 slBuolssaJord aqJ ' 1ull^q rslnduroce'euru8ey8 -ulse ul eldoed00Sol ZI ruo4 Sungr -fue WIi6'seuuEptsodpuolssegord Jo IeeJpue {ool aldas eqt epnord pueseueEgouos lsenbuocuogoeJe 'se.rnEg 3oslol a^Io^u ,(lunsnfeql '(s.uegopetpn) ralndruocuo ,{1e1os unr flunsn ereseue8IBcusnas 'uo ospue'suorlneduroc dnc 'Sururer|'sJoJsrlerl refqd ur pe^lo^ur EunpS'1eeppu€loaqa pueecroql mofgb uteelaql ,fu1dnoa lseE8rqeqt dlqeqoqdsr'lueup,rFqlooJ e .pa11u61 'seue8plsod rnepureJo €eJBqtr'ro$ tse8releql oJ?seureEsuod5
p,ue urrqapas e11d
"Jffl1ffj;3 no,(y1're,(e1d le8 o1qffn6u2f,1cnl eru qceeJoJ'pedfi fgenprirrpur'reded Jo stupeJecnpordol sequouo oq^\ 'wc eql roJpe^lo^u vo^\ Jo erun -lo^ eqt1nq'seaour Jreqlhlg eql 8ul -llel Jo >Issl{ssa ue e^€qoqn 'srafeld eql lou sr uelqord eql 'q8ne1teet?e eqIIFs uecfeql tnq - euq punonuml - {3?q^\eJpIUI?Jeuoe^?qsmaleule fq unr seureE ptsod Eurfeldelog 's8urqqolqSursnqlprdos ro'rIuBA eIPPTtr I u les qB^IU ,{e,r{geg'dJq uo peseqasrnofl sBpJre^\s3eq ueJ seuru8padepv 'suorlepuspgo uo1Ern -lgafllqquJtwdurer ol qEno.rwdnoJ8 _ {Jor ? Jo osu eql tuo{ 'Eurtpfue lnoqeeq uecsoumEpurfug'soue8 Jeqlouo.IJpalJlpouJo'polue^ur uaeqa^"q qtqn seureE - seureEdn
epeur'pur?Foeql orpareqtueqJ.gur uo dn peddoduosredreqloueueq,n 's.0L6Ieql ol euu srql'unEulcug -r{eldrcu er.no{ gruerre'peoro1e1q 'dn epuur edofue- souurruJur .sseJd,Jo ftuold eruos'1tleu euos - seueEJeqloolur ro; edocsleorEploq ,(eq1'apreg feqt os'drq grur-erp.o IralJIsJa^Ip ufl pueslB^IU,(eqgeg'(uq puu -unr plo atueserg qlpr dn pal llq e eldurrs:JrssBIc e Eururoceq flprdur sr lo8 {[enluale {IoJ Jo ,(tpofuureWlnq qclq,h)q|;ndog epnlrul seureS qcng per fq uru eJEseuzueJ 'slsersnqlue 'lsod gatdepe 'F{reur eql ro3 uaeq ,(po aseql preue8 lsnf eq1 ;o e{e aqt e^eqrlilq^\ esoqlJo,{puecerdlerrp JOtno tde>{'sourzrq Jnaleure Jo spsol -e1erfuudurocSurureE e {q peqsgqnd ur Euors SuruunrIIns sr ,(ceuoldrq eru qsrq/i\esoqloJPseueEreaneS uollBJUlsra^!o 'seureEplsod Je^\eu lou, .redord 'eqe euofrele o1uled epld JeJJooqrrrro seuuEJror$xnu oq/r asoqlle ulepslpqllrr {ool seurz.drq p ur laod -uor s oq pu? secuer8ege arnd negeql '[u lI peuelsteql au?E '$1nsurle qEnq :uo$ueulp Jeqlou' ilsselceql Jo eeFuJoJpelselpu8 sppessaJd'fi1rr*r fl nsn'eure8eql ur pap plo oqt ol {oqs deql- slsleuon eqe euo'fua,re dq peereq ot refeld euo -rp?r eql JoJpuefq ereseuu.dlq ssoJd Jo slueuluoJ ueillJlr\el{l SA\OII3 "'seddtpnpl,rrpur 'uoqoJJsrp s.Jels?tr 1seulecoqtls eql rc {ool 4c1nbe e^eqII.I 'serueE pasll .'sseJd,sluougtrunuurocrafqd pexlul'lou lrEqlueuooJour'pug -JelurJo uuo; roleur Jeqp eql 'unJ - saureE patslueuosUodspueseuruS eJourJoJserytupue'seureE{ueur ur 3wdu1d elog'seure8luls'seurBC upr ol ppuesseflpnsn sr Eururoldrq dn-epet{'seuregrenep'f ceru 'ppom EururugIslsodeql ur ureSepue -oldl11,(ofueuucnof 'seurzueg err uruEurueq1.nof rurelV 'osorygd pe,(e1d flpnsn 'eueosJneluure eql uI ur Sururoldrqpagecssecorde ,{q euetsJnalsruv Jepuqsro sdg 'd1aqreJJool sre{qd ue^esJor.lloeql lceluospue,(4unoc 'parouEreq ol e^Jesep ueedorngeuouru nof'dlq u1 'uoTleuuoJur t.uop i(eqlrnq - eldoedmegflerrq eqe; Eurpoeg ,(q ro -eleJrgrlttedoc,(po uecseureEplsod 'seJuprTlp reqloSursnlueuou lceuoc maluus'{penrurpy'eueJsmelprue er;ttE{Jeq eqt w sellleqels{U€ns€c eqtSoSurpuasrepun pueeEpolrnoul uoqlsmusrllea{?u lsnrrlnoi('ecueu petluqle qtm eldoed,(q ue1u,n ere,n pus e^r^msol JepJo e^erqce -ruop seIJnJessnBJaq eqz(eu'seueEplsod ur - soJJnoseJ petlu{ qlrmEunras puorssegord eqt dn pe,(epuesqoq 'f4unoc ueedorng?Jo eloJery ,(qd -f8uqt uru meleute,{1cn1-oE-,(ddeq no,(',(curuoldrquI'pepunoJs?/hsJe eql erou8rol pepuotfeql 'tce eqt uo -urBCIslsodJo uorlgJeueE alor.{ztr ^reu ur rc8 seurze8uu,{sso1E eql ueqi& u puy ',{ceruold;q:tso4 roJepeur 'xeldruoc pueprlem ,(fard euo8 ,{l8unueos IIe^\ eureEeql su/r\sql 'llrH {luappnspeq(dnor8e Euqerepour uoIB^Vol lr plos pueeueE pJuoqe euo'euouo euo)dysseyc o1,(see fleluo^uru€ruJololc Jerporre'fepeug pupaoruoJuoueeqpuqleq16.Eurqt uollBrauec ^aaN eloq/r\or{1Jo fllxelduoc ueppnseql 'srr?JsseqcpJBq-op tBpoploJseurz.rreqlpuupepoldxe sureJqnar.p'lseJeql JO 'puorssegord tsou eql ldecxeIIB01Euuoqfilard luoa Jomelpru?peumueJleleredes puussecordmols,(1ofe sr lsod ,(q pofas ro poxrruJeqlrauml ur eseql sseqJ'lroceJs.lel 1ng 'ueEeqEunuug puv'seureC3uile14eloX'seweg Istsod'usls eldunse qonsruorC JoA\eN'seurug put3Fg',(curuoldrq 'soloru EurEueqcxe go,(em :sdueclueJeJ3rp olur Surnouorem s lno pJryo1r\eq puv ..i{cIA\sJelqJBd sqou 3urue9 reddn ur u^\op,(uuqo1plo qlr/\\sseqc Islsod'elrqlrrupe4 yo eure8e tnoqelegA'qlr^r feld o1 Eurfel4 elogErqtsrr.J er{l'r";?T:? euo-oulo8 e,r.11nq- eureSe Surfeld ,{cueg :lq8noqtryedstqErrqeug 1,, 'uollog rorro3o3er{lur {Jnls pugq e;o dcemcceeql 'uoaErdrar,uec peuruEeJrAJas lasod erguoq,rr'plo 3o s,(epeql ot {JBq J.{IUO S.Ifl.I pue suoaEunqpw xeE,(g,{-reg :euecsSurureE eq e8uuqc0l s?^\ pq1 eureEgoe1&se - etueEgoe&(1 A\eue rtrJrl\dn eruecsunqc srqJo eluospueJor$oJq slq 'oH 'uozrJoqeql
'suolldo aqlJo auos lB puB ',{ro1s1q aql lB $lool {JIN ".Iuroa\ u8a141 Eqdrerll-aurll JIIJBIBC B ol q8norql .ra,{Bld sluua; s ruorg 8uq1,{uu Jo alor oql o{Bl UEJnof - ssallpull lsorule sl sarue8 .IAIfldJo orrorlJ aql lBql osllBar no,{ pry lnif,'auuJ v s,lI uaAaro fcouatdns pqolg'pltotvl sJPurrsut7 tpoonel.tog sB qtns saruB8go qu1q1,{1unsnno,{ 'BapI aqt qlylr TBIIIUTBJ IIB la ar.nof JI'sl^ifld ro 8ulurB0 lBlsod uorluolu aldoad uortrAl
ATHRTgHJ HTI/N NN-T I oN eIId.M.tNflCI.{1993
gg aEe;
CONFIDENTIAL File No 1: Page2I
INSIDE INFOCOM Huw Collingbourne, long-term Infocom fan and author of
the PD adventureThe GoldenWombat of Destinyphones Dave Lebling, co-author of Zork. There could be graphics in Infocom gamesyet, as Huw discovers...
nfocom gamesare dangerouslyaddictive and their effectscan I be highly unsettling.I've seenintelligentand level-headed I peopletransformedinto gibberingidiots after sleepless nights wanderingthrough the Great UndergroundEmpire or the Outer Reachesof the Galaxy. Confirmed addictsmay experienceweeks of gloomand depressionbecausethey can't get over the rainbow or catcha babelfish to stuff into their ears. Oddly enough,althoughit is now oneof the mostsuccessful entertainmentsoftwarecompaniesin the world, it wasonly by chancethat Infocom did not becomea businesssoftwarecompany instead.Indeed,they did oncelauncha databasecalled Cornerstonebut, for somereason,peopleseemedto find this a lot lessentertainingthan their other productssuchas The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Setup in 1979by a team of eight programmers,the company initially had no clear ideaof the kind of product it shoulddevelop. It just happenedthat someof the Infocomprogrammershad previouslywritten a text adventuregamewhich wascirculating on mainframesin the universitiesand wasalreadybecoming somethingof a cult. And they wonderedwhetherit waspossible actuallyto sell sucha game. In the event,two programmers,DaveLebling and Marc Blank, decidedto havea go at convertingthat mainframeadventureto run on the lesspowerful personalcomputerswhich werethen starting to be manufactured.That gamewasZork. And whenI spoketo DaveLebling recently,I startedby askinghim about the genesisof that immenselysuccessful adventure. !
When you frrst wrote the mainframe versionof Zork did it occur to you that you might be able to make some moneyout of it? Oh no. We hadwrittenZork kind of asa lark backin 1976n. Therewas quitea historyofthat sortofthing at MIT - lots of peopledid thatkind of 'midnightprogrammingproject'- you know,the kind of thing youjust didn't do duringnormalworkinghours.There werea lot of whatwould now be called videogamesanda lot of trivia gameslots of thingsto keepyou entertained. And Zork wasjust onemore... Soyou are sayingthat you and Marc Blank just managedto jot it off in your free time when you were both still students? No, not exactly.Therewerefour of us involved.Someof us werestudents. Someof us werenol I wasa staff Marc Blank was member,a researcher.
a student,Tim Andersonwasa graduatestudentandBruceDanielswasa graduatestudent- theywerethe other threeauthorsof themainframeZork. What languagewas Zork written in originally? It waswritten in a languagecalled Muddle(MDL - an AI languagedevelopedat MIT). It's like LISP - it's a recursivestructure-oriented, userextensiblelanguage.Peoplewho know LISP canlook at Muddleandsortof figureout whatthey'redoing. If it's so similar to LISP, why didn't youjust useLISP? BecauseMuddlewasthelangrrags thatour researchgroupused.Whenwe moved!o Infocomwe wroteanother languageespeciallyfor implementing Zork - that wasZIL - vew muchlike Muddleitself but adaptedspeciallyto dealwith adventuregames. What's the differencebetweenZIL
pu'slleqeroru s uos;rHf$l$
^\oJ resredprom-eerql clwq aql Eurpuelxe goqot poo8flneg e ouopo^eqsllorcs cneu8ew',{gryerec,(lrreJtl op ol e^Bq no^'uo ospuur{uoJospu?.slueul -olslspue suorlsenbpue sesdr(Ieqlrrn resrede o^eqol Euro8ru.1'orns'qg, :,{espue;gooB,(1eq11q tsnfl,uec noj 'poolsJopun Allenlcepu lnq poolsJeprm fyprcryednsaq III^\ 1er;1 sEurrperou ,(ueur,{esuec re,(qd eql lsrp sr Jes -red.reilaqe;o e8eluenpesrp eqJ 'poots -Jepunaq pue euruEeql ol sEurtpeJoul f,esuecre,(e1d eq pqt s resredre1 -leq€Jo eS4uezrpu ew {uFIl I lnq 'uor -urdoprsrerr.oruoJ s s.lJ 'sr 1l{u1n I ;lugod u1e1rar u puo,{aqsrasredSugdolarapqlrotr ,(1uar1.rs1og ;,{aq11,uop.,,11o.r1 1gy,, ro ,,lloJJspBaU.8ur,{eslsnf dn pua aldoad1so141 ;auru8sIlorJSr;1au8u11 B Jo uroJoJuluB ol ,{esuel no,{s8qql alqgssod aq1Sugoldxao1puno.re1aB
esalnlue^pBsIIoJrs Be{ll slJul€ql eJE/lluos;oecerde elum c;1au8etr41 a>19 lsnf 'sp,roll raqlo uI q ol op no,(,(errreql puy 'srelnd luql '3o8ur Jreql -ruoc Jo slepou reqreeEuqepuns -{uql eJBe1trrcq/l\ol esolcsl l?ql roJ snoueJere,{eq; 'op yqgl 3u1qt ueql JaqlBJ lsrrqder8 pelsurue,{11ry Jo puFIoql e{H llq e s.tl 'retnduroc luelslxe-uourelncrlrede Jo Jnor^eqeq -al!q,uu ur eJuo,{raaa1e{ool uut no,{srqdur8 3oEu;1u;q1no,{are og eql seleFulrsqcrqn ruerEordrelnduroc B Sr1rsuBeulBql'3urq3?rupnu!^ 3 srlJIeq ol eurua eqlernprr r srJIeslI 1IZ'lr4eillelur up srll'se1 -uoounoq plnot\ll'$Jnlcrd,(lue,nl ";3fi: aruaql,(qd a,r uaqn,{en auros ur no,( 'froueur pue nd eceds palardlalulll sI'BlBp arll uJspuar 31 u1 qrqn ururSordrrsuq;o pupl auos 1sp dn pe scrqderS'rruoru're{e1d I orpq elWF?Aeetue8Jolunoue eql aABqol uaas no1 eq,{aqf eJErrrJoJ ruor; lceneptou op deW(q pue euruE leqa rpasualarars saureEeql uarll1 eql ecrnquefeq (e seuru8 rno 'elq ur lBun scrqderE lnd rezreulrit, o/rrrc4 sl pred -eeEeueru ororr 1oI€oq ppoqs JzIAIeql o^?q rno ul leql6'seure8 scqder8 I T4W em prruseJmosoJuo ureJpe elmb lnd reneuIJraeA\ptesJe^eue^elll'sJt AIIBoJ S.1I'Jeuoqlpuos n€u/t\oslr e^?q -qderElnoqeeur4sueldoaduaq11 01ssque^eu 'qs|uruuIol lol ? slsoc apururJo a8ueqrsrql alrsuedxo U'JelnduoceuarJuT€rx lnoqe lq8norq s,ler{At lsrlqder8 qlpa 'e8nqe s.ll 'olalosqo,{leleunuoJun sr op o1Su.rq1,{ue e^Bqra,raup,no,{ pies punoJpfas pForrr1rqsr/hpuu 'Je^eJoJ a,l,no.{uaqal srea,{ esoql JaIJV fpeep t1o^ol e^\ qEnoqp'02 JeOoqJ IIB 'II cqrue ogo 1rSuloru oJ.e/h/houlnq 97 urers,{5Ja(I e uo unr ueoqsequrol -s,{slueudole^epJno [n dq'oot ^Aou pue se8ueqcrerfloereereql'nrafqo sruoorJo Jequnueql ol llull ou lJeJJe ur 'sr eJerllpup)9SZ sr ozrsoursEulnru -rxBruor! 'luasgrd1e1ng ',{urrreurus aql ul poluoseJder ere slcefqooql pue s[uooJeql -ilzul 'uo os pueseJnsBeJl sBIIe^\ SsSruOoJ Sopnlcul"ql puB - $tefqo 9gZlo ulnurx€rue s?^\eJeql 'leql Jo Surlulql er.eiil 'se1 pus )8ZI se^\ozrseureEpnlce aq1 uorsJollsJrJeql u1',(lanyosqu'qg ;no^ aJB.sa.Inl 'll puBNrapunI sEsuolsra^ -ua^pu rqdur8 1o plrora plpros aql puq ea.notr lsrea,{ o1u1oB pue uolllpurl qllar {Barq ol luaJaJIIpIBJaAaS aql Ja^opadola,rapTIZ suq.$oH 3u1o3,{11uugs.rruoroJul lsql Su!{us 'urels,(s4511pooE lou eJ.nol'no,{ o1 sulaql?ue eJara e u poluoruoldu eq fysee l.uppoc ,(aq1lq8noql J iJnoloJ pue punos 'firyqqrodrcqt lsrll ll q Suqlou s.eJeql1ng',{ge qzlureu ol {ncrJlp eJourpueeroru3ur -dordrelnoqredu seqlcefqouey ees -ruoJeqs.lr'Jnolot puepunosJo sJel?il\ ol Euqceqofqcmb fren pueJeqloue peuPqJuneql olw e^orued\se/(oN ot eceldouo ruo.glrJfqo euoEulnour 'Jer.noue - ssure8oJnlue^pvur lnJosnoJBleql o1relnduocouoruo.IJ ueluot sSuql gopq{ oql Sugopro3 suoneredo ol ,{see1l e>IBur ol ,{e^\sql q euopse^r aqt Euqt rno IpJ ei[ 1Itn s?q'flz'tr.L$ uernreqlo'eEuels U 'urelsds-aez 'epoi-d e palleJs.luq^\olur pepduroc EureqseresndSI'I e e{lrs plno^\leql Suqt lsrg eql s.leql'stolcerq elEue uego eJuqcrq^\IBrsBde41 se8enSuel q ?eplrelrurs rorgouv 'ppoc tr fluc seq1rsasoqluered 8uv'eqJo psstsur q lslxe l.useop snor^qolsou eqJ -paJoeqllnfl 'eJBA\pJeq lBql $ etueJeJJrp $ql erllqceue Eunepurs s.lr'eunltgur adsll uoururoJ sBrlJns Surlslxeue Suueprue1.u$ smo 'ndJ dsI'IJo uolsJaaprBpuBlsa.Io|xB puB
"'saIrrBBrno ul sJIqdBJa lnd JaAauill/a aitl ples JaaauaABqI sJITIdBJB lnoqu aru {sB aldoaduaq,ta"' ra,raaldoad,{ueu noq JapuordI lng 'suolltnr5uoJ lurllerurrrerE;o a8uu.t palrul a.roruJaaaue u1ad,{1ol sJasn ol aq ol suees ,3u1q1u1,aql ^loIIB '.ras.red 4eql q uo sa^lasuaqlap;rd sllorJs qlau8r141s8uqt eqlJo auo 'q"^u AIpuaI4 eq 01se^lesmoJeplsuoJe^\ 13w ,{eso1ueqtJoqilrg oEtou ppo,t 1 ;uo141aduorquur rno,{ eq ot sal.alqJtO pnng ptr'e uaod aqI e\\sauruEqlom5 rpau8eq rapgs -uor nof lBql uolsqrupeuB slrp sI 'soureEJroqlur sn 01seousJeJeJ /heJ e elmbur lnd ue,reeleq feql leql pJeeq e^.I 'sn e4u ,(eqt{ulql I pu?lol ? rueql e{-rle^\'sllorcs cueuEuryqlt,trpele eree/r\'lseuoqeq ol -gqp f1eso1c,fterr qO "' pnoq?3ur11ut ',(e1o'11em er.no,( lsrl^\ eoprtsetqSqsoql l.uo^eqI
I oNotIC TVINSOI.{NS3
gg a8r4
rl
CONFIDENTIAL FileNo 1: Page 23
And you are going to respondto that challenge,I presume. We're certainlyhopingto cany on improvingour parser.Overthelastfew monthswe rewrotethe parserfrom scratch.The gamesthat we'll be producinglaterthis yearwill havethat newp:rser.It will haveall thecapabilitiesof theold oneplusa few newones. Goodparsersobviouslyneedgood programmers.But I gatherthat some of the peoplewho write Infocom adventurersare not programmersat all. Doesthat meanthat just anybody can be givenyour systemand a manual, put in front of a computerand start writing an adventure? Not exactly.I think a befterway of sayingit is thatsomeof our writersare not professionalprogrammers. You couldnot takean authoroff thestreet andjust let themgeton with it. You cantakesomeonewho's technically like, say,Douglas sophisticated, Adams,with Hitchhiker's.He cancomprehendwhat'sgoingon, thoughin actualitySteveMeretzkydid all the programming.Many of our writers havenot previouslybeenprofessional programmers so it's not an inherently difficult systemto learn.Partof thereasonfor movingontotheMac II is to makeit moreusableto nonprogrammers. Where do you find new gameswriters? All kinds of places.Usuallythey approachus.The vastmajorityof writershavebeenpromotionsin housepeoplewe knewalready,who we've tried out on smallprojects.That'sbasically how SteveMeretzkycamein - he wasa tester.Brian Moriarty wasin our SystemsGroup- the experton 6502 chips.Amy Briggswasanotherone who camein frcimtesting.And occasionallywe've hiredpeoplefrom outside. What kind of organisationis there in Infocom?You've talkedabouttesters and soon. Is therea kind of eliteof gameswriters and millions of people just testingfor bugs? There"swhat'scalledthe Software DevelopmentGroup.That'sdivided
into threeparts.One part is familiarly known astheImps,that'sthe games writers,the secondis the Testers.Then thethird gloup is calledthe Systems Group.Thesearettrepeoplewho maintanZIL andvariouscomputers.I have to saythatthe Impsarea sortof elite. What's an averageday for an Infocomprogrammer?Do you just comein as though it was an ordinary job and get on with your work? Or are there times when your mind is just a total blank and you can't produceanything? What it really dependson is what stageyou arein writing ttregames.If you arestill in thedesignprocessyou may well comein andscratchyour heada lot. Later,oncethegameis largelycomplete,you spenda lot of time readingthe scriptsof testersplaying thegames,seeingwhat.theytried andmodifyingthegameappropriately. And just fixing bugs. What exactlydo the testersdo? Do they just spot bugsor do they suggest new puzzles? They do everythingfrom just beating on the programto seeif they can breakit to making,in effect,literary criticism.Everythingfrom nit-picking aboutwhethera particularword should havea hyphento a deepanalysisof whatis goingon in a programas regardsthe story. Is it a big problem now finding ever new ideasfor games?There are so manyInfocomgamesand you've coveredso much ground... Well, I don't haveanydifficulty comingup with ideas.Ifyou view the spectrumof what we put.out - we have sci-fi, fantasy,mysteryandromancewhenyou do a newthingyouaim it at oneof thosepoints.You havean audiencein mind.You want to satisfvthose fans.The avid fansarealwayscdtting for moredifficult puzzles.They complain if it only took two weeksto finish suchandsucha game.On theother hand,you don't want to makethem inaccessible to peoplewho haven'tgot somuchexperienceat playinggames. When you're stuck for ideaswhere do you go? Do you go to a library to
ransackbooks,do you play other gamesor do you just ask one another? All of thosethings.For his current game,SteveMeretzkyhasbeencollectingboks of logic puzzles.Ingeneral we all get ideasfrom books.I have a very largelibrary. Lurking Horror wasquiteobviouslytheresultof reading too muchH.P Lovecraft. Thesedaysyou are putting on-screen hints for peoplewho do get stuck. Will theseappearin all future releases? At the moment,that'sour plan. We've hadmixedreactionto it. Some peoplelove theidea,somepeoplehate it. We mayevengo so far asto put online mapslater.That'sstill underconsideration.We tried out the ideawith BeyondZork. But BeyondZork shows you a fairly small sectionof the total map.It wouldbe niceif you couldsee a bit moreof it. I read a little while agothat you get problemsfrom Christianfundamentalists who object to your stories... It's really a prettyminorproblem. Thereis a certainantipathyon thepart of a certainclassof religiousfundamentaliststo anyreferenceto magic. Most of our fantasygameshavemagic in them.I think thething thatcaused thegreatestnumberof complaintswas when we ran an ad for Spellbreaker which showeda pictureof a wizard. We ranit in Boy'sLife magazine which is themagazineof the Boy Scouts.Boy Scoutingin Americais very strongamongstthe sameclassof peoplewho arelikely to be religious fundamentalists. Soparentssawthis ad andgot annoyed. I mustsaywe got morelettersaboutthatthanwe evergot aboutsex.We did geta few complaints aboutTheLeatherGoddesses ofPhobos,but not asmanyaswe'd feared.I think LeattrerGoddesses wassufficientlyobviouslypackagedthatmost peoplewho boughtit werenot surprised.It didn't sneakup on them. You got someother complaintstoo, didn't you - aboutyour newsletter' 'The New Zork Times'.I gatheryou wereobligedto changeits name.
'oJeq1Iasnol uoNsruuod roJ arrrnoq8uryoJA\nHprr€ 6uqsqqn4snruacot p;aturE area71['raddoqg relndruo3 Jo anssrreqtuetdageqtu1 peruedde spll Nrg ^\oruolq 'Europquon oq l.uplno^\1runJ l,usB^\1!JI 'unJJo lol 3 llrls s.ll rlo aqofB 1sn[11sgro unJlllls t! sI 'sseprJo lno unr ,(lqelrecuoctq8rur1lurodeuros le lcadsns1 'sdqs eure8fu oroJeq $lee^\o^$ lnoqe1eqldess,{errlp1 ;,a3;1,(ruugarue8 '1IJoJpe)lsPerr.nof '1qEIJlq8noql JaqlouuSugop.ra,rauu,I'll s:lErIJr ,{es1.no,{ uaq,n,{upe aasno.doq 1 ',(seeool eJoA\seuuEeql Eur,{esau ol penJpw {crs SunteE Eurlu,neydoedgo se^\I asnecoqllnJrJJrpe-lour,(1puor1 JJnlspoo8,tl]erdse1!lt1tq8noq elt 1r -uelurs.lr puufEolug e ur eureEprql sloJr| ei\rueq/t\lng 'OlqlxelSel| elzznd eql s,ll 'sueJplqeJot gt8 e s€ueilu^\ leql sp$puslss.depolfg'tl r$l,tt puepeu8rsepse,nt1 're1eerq11ed5 pe,(ouueosto8 lsn[ ed[ 'pcr8o1parour oslesPnll lnq {Joz otlmqur€ueql uo ;aruuEuroJoJullInJ elzmd lpcrJ;lp ororl B sP1(u 'I {r0z ul -rJIIpfsout eql q {ugl no,{op qrlq1l 'aru {eql se,(yepr,nse uoou pnoToql potsusLlJ e/l\ueqA\se^\ elzzndepeJqle,(1en1cu ol(o^\ eJeq^\ petnq1uslpueeqe^eqppom seureEeql 13qlsn ol JnJroue^ol.uprp 1I 'pel?rc Jo )tulq wJ I esecfluo eq;'pexg -erdde{gesrelrun lou aJBII?qesBq s8nqqlrn suorsJe^ ossoloJuogoo^\ e41 s8urqt01saoueJeJeJ sJolseu{srp leql JBoIJeJour e{Buro^\ uoqi& ^\eu uaaqa,1,,{aq1 puBeJoruseuroJeq1I- quoJ os pue aruo epasBalal - selels BTIBBSnV'utulug'fueu-rag sarue8JaIIBpue 4ruq oEra,rano,{oq pelpn eq puodeqsueJuroq slcsl .i/\|ollotuol lpun eueS -uot eJou uelloEe^.e/hecurs'so^ orpJo eJorufue ,{e1d1.uopnod erns .IIBIB eq mq 'Jo"1qAIJs,lut{l'se[ 'esrnoJJo puBlsrapunl,up.rpI rlJlqa IIBqesBq 'qo, pps olA,'p4qernlc?Jll?ol ll pur^\ ol saJualaJalaql IIB ala^r IJ {Joz pus lsoJoJaqt ot dn tr e{sl ol pesoddns oJ.no1 'preseH 'op 01lueou eJeA\no{ lnoqs palzzndarupuq 1uq1s8u1q1 eql Jo auo1uq1no.{ilel ol a^Brtr 1€q^\eaprou peqe^r esneceq-,6,(1eer I 'pedueJJueJ qO, plesep1.'freuec oqt lo3 nof ecuo ueeqI[s eir,,(eqllnq'ool sruooJer.[|Jo op ol luBoruer.nof,leqmf,pcuxe,noul ,(ruofeu$s^ oql pueeJeqlereselzznd I esneJeqSuqensn4s.lr puv 'sql 'II>lraZeuBJoq selzznd rlrllr alqno.u8uv'eq,{leer u.1, prcspu? 1ql ilV iuruPureJoql uor{lpuv 'II ryoz eureEeql 3uilqd sen euoeuog'33e e{€ur 01eureSeureryureur eqtgo fueqd pelsnJJue-le^\ef eql aprsur,{rewclrom -yed et1tJo eruospeppepue epplur -{JolJ orll pelueureldrur lsnf peqe16 '{JoZ eure{urcurSunlyrreJeA\elr ueq/h Areue epB{rrI uaql'I\nz errrmeq se,nelzzndPol uonnlosmeue 3unp3 1l pu€lno ,{qderEoaE lsqt Jo olppfiu oql 1nopeddoqcpugur lue^\ 1 svn paued JoesecsISselJel{l lng t1 percgepp.no,( -duqteqm,{Eopl aqt u1',{qdetEoe8 ecuoeue8 eqt u1nefqo,{rele ,ftrec euoppqryoZ 01posnaq plnm Iryaz ur l?oq elq? pel3euuoJ'lceduoc,(1rreg pq8go eql teql sr tuereJJrp s,tuqdl -leuurew 13waq ol pesnll'e)|I'I'lnoq? 'o^u Jo uoqdecxeeql qll^\ f3oprl er;t tq8norpt.upeqam sEulqtol snuep tsnf tn osp om:4.:a,ZputEFo eql ur selzznd 1,flpuorsecc6'seuneuos eydoed aql il€1uqlur Jelrrurs61mbs.l1 6o lqEnoql raaauno,{ salzzndol suopnlosa,r;1ru.ra11u no,{ LtUoZpu;ftro aq1 o1,{Eo11.r1 Eq,rp aldoadraqlo uro{ {JBqpaoJ {roz eql s! rellrulsldoH 'ruoril laEno,{oO'uopnlosIsnpe aql usqt ur s^rsueql eess,(eAp1tnq seureE Jalleq qJnrrralea suap;,(ur,{pluerg 'IBI^lrl a11nbsu,r ll a[q,raeql IIB puu € Ip e{q I 'lleJlerl?ldroJsseupuoJ ^urs,(empo^.I ser[BEs.esloouofJo^e peq alzznd1eq1q8norql EqgaSlo s,{en g6 ',(us01preqs.ll '11q ,to1se 3u11q pelurllduror pue ra^alJ ,{11ear pug o1 peq,{1per Surr;I,(ue -tueseJ,{1e1ouar 6q,{r1sa8eluadsp,I'lIB .ra1;ualzznd paluc11duor,(gqpuagB l.usurf, lerpaure8lsJgJno,(1persun firyaz 'II 1razeqfeur q8noql'rouo118ur lI lBql palu;oddeqp,(lparsu,n1 ssen81rcql Je,iasue eql pear J uaqa 1ng'au dloq -{m'I eqJ puere>Ieorqlledg Jeueue{l 'JeluPqcug sr uellrJ^\o^eq ol {ooq lug eql 1aBo1peq J'slus-ler aql surrilallos lou pFor J alzzndauo I seuoeql 3o eureEelunoleg {1,,11 e pE nof, a,ru11 aq1'ssorcrelgpa,{e1d lauru8 alrJnoABJ I uaq l'Bsra^ 'l"eqc SA?AAIB ar!^ puu elqnlosq eq uBr aldoed uec1 '8ur88nqepolut edecsaol no,( eruosroJ salzzndfsalsuaeql Jo eruos
s/holl" leql relerd:elul rno Jo uorsJe^B uo uoql ,ft1delt 1eqlue^€'pueq reqp eWuO 'lueIeJJIp oJoluue^eeres.,{Ue -lrow uBug puv luergJJlpos sr al,{ts srr{esnPJeq selueds.A{zleJeIAI e^els ,{e1d1ueqmdleql.useopseureE,(ueu os uellrr/r\e^.I 13r.ll lcq eql'e[{ts lue esneceg -reJJrpu e^?qsJoqlnsluoJeJJrp 'f,lpotcet.usoop,(1pertr'o51 ;saure8s.aldoad Jaqloellos no,{dlaq saure8,{ueur os Supgnyo aruagradxaaql saoq ueJI sB,(ueursefeld 01 I lng 'e{I p.I seqcnu s3loN ^I lsraururur8old ruoroyul Jarlloaql sarue8aq16up{qd o1 1e,{q ua11rr,u, punoJsla8 no,{oq ;no,{ lnoqe,iaoH "'rql
-pqrssode eq {eur rcql A\ou'uury laurr8 uroJoJul NaIBIaql a^losol pa8uueurl,upurtr ,(aq1asnuoaqpoorupuq u u1lsnf ara,[ sra.{,$,e1 s.radudsnauaq1aq,{u6i 'xeueel) qlr^\ paueddeqspruJelcueueEe oruorequec rno,(esrnreqlo'1ueue3ur..gur ryeruepe.u lsure8u1rstueper teqt pueJopot peEllqoere nof ryeru epzr B u^\o nof JI lBrDsr ueyqordImr orglertrlq uo!s$ uo4 -FrV tu eldoadp8e1eq o18uprye1 ',rou1 1.uop1 Eupuasrepun,(tr41 aseulll {ro^ ,raN arllJo pBaNu!sourlJ {roz,|AaN .{nq o11no3u.ro3,{paq4qur a.ra,ta1d 1eq11 -oadluqt -Jo plB.tye,{aq1ala,t 'snorJos eq ,(1parplnoc ,(eqlleqt elqrsueqerduocur lsoup 1lpulJI ,.unotur no^ 3esll.e^\ .roryeruope:1 rno Sursndo15,prusfeqt '.{JPueps.r|JnoJoesnrno,{o1lcefqo e11,Sur,tes Jo peelsul'lupldruoc ,qseu,{lJelncnJsd e loE em'le8teru eql ol dnploqro {ceq^r?rpIeuualod u eq lq?rurlew Eunp,fieleJeAoEurrod ererrrs-ref1|elJnopuesn,(mq 4oql pue 'uorsr^ncyqlrn Eu€reu eJe^\e^\ eurl euresoql tnoqe',t1purg'ueqlperou8r o/t\lng 'snorJes elrnberernfeql'qo ;ssausno! -JasIIBu! a.ta,lrslupldruor asaqlpuv 'JeueIsA\eu JnoJo epll eq1tnoqeEururelduroc eqlJo srefne1uory ssurl >IJol ^\eN e16'.peE11qo, sre1p11o3,(lecrpoued ,(q ueeu no,(pq,n uo spuedept1
I oN egC'MINflOI.{1q93
9g a8eg
CONFIDENTIAL File No 1: page25
PERSONNEL FILE So you need sometext writing for an adventure do you... MICHAEL BYWATER first sot involvedwi th adventuregameiabout five yearsago.Whenhejoined Punch, he persuaded themthat usingIBMs for wordprocessing in theoffice wasa wise move,andoncethecomputerswere installedhe startedreviewingsoftware. A review copyof hrkl wasthefirst adventuregamethat arrived:"I got nowhere...I hadno ideawhat.was goingon", he remembers. In thosedays,theclue industry which now surroundsadventures hadn't stafled."Eventuallysomeoneelse showedme aroundthe game,revealing roomsandpuzzlesI hadn'tfoundfor myself."Playinggameswasonly a smallpart of reviewingsoftware,and reviewingsoftwarewasonly a small pmt of Michael'swork for Punch* but $eat thingsgrew from this casual introductionto adventuring... January1987"wasa fatefulmonth", accordingto Michael.Little did he know, whenBritish Telecomsenthim to theCES Showin Las Vegasto delivera speech,that he wasaboutto stafi writing adventuregames...A total cock-upoverthehotelbookingsput Mr Bywaterin a badmoodwhenhe arrived,andMagneticScrolls'Anita Sinclairwasoneof thefirst peoplehe clappedeyeson. "I told her I'd played ThePawn andthatI thoushtit
sucked...I kickedoff wittr an insult. andwaitedto seewhathappened." Theygot on well. Friendly Rivals AlttroughMagneticScrollsand Infocomarerivals,the competitionis friendly.Anita hadheardrhat Bureaucracywasprovinga major problem,so sheintroducedMichaelto ChrisReeve,Infocom'sVice President. Michaelknew DouglasAdams,the author,from universitydays,andhad collaboratedwith him in thepast. StraightaftertheCES Show,Michael stafiedwork with ChrisReeveandTim Andersonat Infocomandspentfour weeksrebuildingthe game. "It wasdonepuzzleby puzzle,not asan entity,andthe last48 hourswere a nightmareaswe tried to put it all together.Lo andbehold,it worked."(If you want.a flavourof thepain and problemsinvolvedin thecreationof Burgqucracy, checkout 'The Strange andTenible History of Bureaucracy' hiddenwittrin thegame.)"I[ waswonderful- gettingon ttreinsideof the adventureworld withoutexpectingto be." For Michael,workingon Burea.ucracy wasrather'iikeworking on a film - creating'scenes'in isola-
ilwetER. ?enttettt Mictrael
Haward
Wr i t e r
decj-ded
but
medicine Cambridge - -read -1. :iJ,rJ -L? :lJ:ifi?[';n, .:' :i"3::??"i'i ::??:; i;";;;ree subject that n"c.*" heavilv ll:t"::l"f
Educated:
::";;;";i"'"o :'-1 "? li:h''a
;"q9';;1i:.'fJ}rit,lil"; on punchror about)L d !! w rru-CV S um nar y : ,l l l - l ,^ -' ' .i n o dS freel ance ""^' .,';;il;'o:kll?-:: years; i:Tll:;: four
-
since
::?:':; ::?Hi?::"F;s :.frY worked "ii*"i'ir..fil 1o'19-'l-?:::;"1-"="ii"urr"'.'v; i"i"l".a workins
iii'""trv H;ffi1:'3"::il=i.ii:lT"?: - a xiil.l*l"o$f' 4 prosrammer i:"atX,*X;
wor ds m it h K nown Co mp u te r
other c - ' Oth" - s-^ As o c-:^ i a+t?a:-t-^ r
than
Info^nm l nr-u--" '
.' Jt"il"rllolt;:ntn*: llo'3?t'ni'"" andMasne.' " " rerephon? a".'ot".u_. ""i:i:l^:';."i;;3uil ;;,- rerrow l*;:i"";1""1'-ii["i'il*' Last oate
of
i6;B (su'marv #]
._^+ 4th Ausust
workingon afilm..." tion, and then editing them together into an entity. A few months after the Bureaucracyproject was finished, Michael was asked to join the Jinxter team at Magnetic Scrolls: "Jinxter was another project which had been going without my involvement - I came in when the program's subsEucturewas in place, and there was a lot of text in there which was of no use. It was rattrer like sitting down to edit a onehour documentary from hours and hours of footase." The way in"wtrich Magnetic Scrolls createsadventuresis fundamentallv different to the approachusedby Infocom, as Michael discovered:"The Magnetic Scrolls adventurecreating system is data driven, unlike the Infocom system which is more worddriven. In essence,the Magnetic Scrolls system allows youio work in a data world, while Infocom offers a fictional environment. "The Mag Scrolls systemallows an author to define objects and assign attributes to them - once the attributes of an object have been defined, you know that it will behaveaccording to its characteristicsthroughout the game. For instance,an object might be defined as one which floats or sinks in water: when the player throws it into water you know what will happen. Infocom's system,on the other hand, rarely examinesobjects - it relies on a text loop that looks at parcels of text as the game is played. The Infocom system is less predictable from the author's point of view, and a lot more playtesting is involved - a playtester has to throw an object into water to see what happens,and additional text may have to be written to make sure that the responsegiven to the player is appropriate."
plnoJ seJ$ue^pv'I3! snopueu pottclw {o uotr raroiltg Joleu oputu -ox JeJJoqcrq^\secue^pe galtno payD^ oslBe^EqsllorJsqlouSswpuB'elq aqt n{ arerrr1uq1s8urql puo f,uour ary Io -rssodlou ,(ysnolrrerd $atD $n[ op /houuecno,(l3q1susotl|uels,(s uoncrJe^lJerolul Areus.uocoJultsed eql uI pellul AJo^uooqe^utrl4roz ur JoIWaql Io 9DTIHqrtlH u\ uI^rBII eTI - sSdN ueeqsuqseJnlue^pu sJelcuJPqs qlrmsurelqordeqtJo ouo,, 'Suruur8eq ,fue,reql uorg Sunun sI eq qclqA\ aure8e 'tuosoJulroyeueS rrreue uo 8ur -4-ro,r,(pueIInJsr eq1nq'qcnu pe^or ot ,troqll tBlou sI relem,(gJt\I leql ueeu $uaruaaJ8u,tgepuapguo3 '(onsslslql uI eJoq/(esle 'el3nr?s.e{ooJ e^elseos)sJdN ra,(e14uoN se^lo^ut3uure8 sJelJeJer{J eJnluo^pB Jo emlnJer{lJol zzlq eql puB - surelsfsSurleerc-emluertpe neql Eut -doleireppueSururser oJsulocoJulpue slloros crteu8eryqoq'f18utsFfuns1o11 sluaudola,raqarnlnd
/i .-
w ,,;t.i.t:;!.i;i :;;i,::
iltuer t!tu
*E -- n(i
0?
ror,iij;
-tr,tNW
ffi'ffi,,'**fu
eql reJ eJns ..'loEol EuroEsr re,(e1d dn Euql 1Ouer,no,(esneJeq'luo4er$1e^\oq -,ftele 4cedot e,reqnof - ,{rolss/t\euP Eurtrrne{ll Uqe sr eue8 u Eugp6,, ..'oFo1sreqlr Ieuouurrs.aqleql lc?Joql pue'qlJo^\s osooq,ppoc no,('punoJeSuuepuerrr -qofe 'ueprurrrJrJJerl? sr eq ',{ypc uuur alqrsr^ur ue esues Sureq snol eJnlue^pe,(uUur ut -ISeg,,'SOUeUoJS 3o -le^Jerue loE no,{pue ,(qderEoeE e8nq puno;spoS-opnesd'e4eg eqt uo eJrps€ e Wq U esnsceqtl pe^ol 1 'sserdpeq sr'sJuslsurJoJ'Jelxurfur uerpJ?nceqJ q8noqly e pE SutSobAD^an I pu.4a1 sqlroA|.sqof 'uo eloru pueselzzndeql lseddr{s plnoJI os uollnqpJs/hroJ lsPJ3 pelue1l\ rc!'il yq uI'luerrJuoJrlue 1 'aJuulsur aql Suuoldxe'punoreJepuPAuecno{ l?LllsI semlue^pelnoq?errol13urq1 eq1 'selzzndSocr3o1orll rllv( ryo^\ pue 'oue8 s qlra qfleJJsluoq usls ol o^€q no,{ - eure8? olq {ooq e;o cl8oyeql lnd l.uec nol 'ryo^\ ol o^€qol EuroE lOUeJenO,(nOUl nO,(pUenO,(SIO$UOC JoIr/K eql lnq 1{ooq 3 ot scqderE pue punos eql ,(1ddnsol e^eq no1 lJo^\ eql Ip soopJor.Ins-eql:lr pseJno,( se suors -rcep,{uee{eu ol e^eq l.uop nof pue 'Jsou1 sr {ooq e - {ooq e Surlrrrrrol lue -re;grp,{rensr oJnlue^peue 3uqr4q,, ...Jel
-SUJeqC eql peuonuouterrrerurer frele ur reuepre8eql tnoqelsnfla,{ 'ro1xur1 ol sproa ,{gr3tnoqepep^ep IeeqslIAI :JpelJsr 11em dn uolllJi\.'qceordde 'purEFouegolcedur eql 'ernl -ue^peueilun-,{Foode ul reeddulq8ru 3Jo uorl leql Jrlsu 8ur88nt-{coleroJ -ssuelCereqc snor^qoeJou prre(leuorl -pex, eqlJo etrsoddooql $ pu" 'uo os puesuslunoJW!^\uepre8eq SuUU puno$Euueet'pI slqJJos.eH'Jatxurf ur reuepreS eql ,(q pete-usnilr lseq sdeqredsr [BuorssoJoJd e puerelulr eql .Jneleule,u3 uoo^\leqesueJeJJrp ,,'Wnn 1e er.,{eq'JosoIJ 1oo1no{ J! - .lee.useql ur ueu oql , se Surrpqcnsou s.eJeqJ,,:enbruqcet pye -,node sr pelcedxeun eql qll,t\ pelcedxe er;lSurcelder ro Sursodqxnl..'uror;8ur -ruo3sr qcr^\pueseseeqclxeu srqeJoq^\ $ uI po$ejelu s.eqIIu - oJoq3 sr
.."'meJ s.ouoeuos 011releleJpuesreuueds;o pg 8eq,tsear8e;o aSeunsrrple8 no,( luetuou ? reUBpue'sreuueds.{seaJ8 go8eqe o{ll oJeJe Sulrreqseme1 -ur-JerlousrqeqrJJsep lq8ru eq e,rqer -reue Surrnqt1 rc q8nelpueeSuurerp pueaBAs easno,(puz 's8urqlsoquosep uo sprrets op l.use{p 1sn[1nq'9e>1of eq - uos^\ecsq e{ll AIIeerI'uJo Aue ol 313I€J l.uplnoJpue ,{epeuoSuop luo/tlI -,(Eeuoc eldoadseqrBaleq ereqm'uotBurTSI ur IooqJSelofe suru oq/h/holleJsrr! s.eJeql'usnqSurqt oloq^\orl lnun ,(trp:nsqe oluo,(lprnsqe eld lsnftqEnu1 - ueddeqlsnf,{eqy 'sryo,neqofe lroq lrrou>I l.uop L, (1)q8reu"'reqrcEot oerqlro o1r\l sfemp leEno,(ueql\ prre"',ftesseceuun ,(1rueu ere,(eql's1ruu uon€rrrelcxe sr 1r p1nolrrI Eungeuosr eJeqlJI '^Aepno Sururocsr elof e no,(let ol puel sJelu,{\ e4ofmeteuy '/r\oqA\ouI no,{sselunJr op l.uoq 'trre8rnsuFrq e>11l s saqof8ur -llr,l\ - pffpusls qq18uggsJ qnserB selot eq1;o euos 'se1ofeqt puv,, 'JJnls JrFuJeqAJ ro sarporedxorqelqoegpoqdeTpeq ellJ^tol puolIIel ol ,ftolse lo8 l.uerreq oqn eldoedpues:e1letfrolsl.uere ueql Surlu,neydoedeql Jo lsotu 'sr urelqo:d er{J 'eJ$Brurur os 'lnJ/hsos 'lBueqos s.ll'plJo/heql e^?suecno,(fpo qcqm uI Soueue3s 'uopJn-Usep ulo4 plJoil! eq1Surrrese^lo^u rcq1s1o1duro4 ,,fuarre lo8 semluo^peeum s.lI 'eleJelIII fe1d,(eql ereseure8eql lnq'11errr
punos,(lpcruqJelerurcqt setue83o1o1 e eesno1 'pe1ecusqdos,fuerreru ,(eql :spuerqou puespeeqe8relqpr e1d -oedlou ere,(eqt'spJeulou erusre,{e1d eJruuo^ps- ere,(eqllurq eldoed rreqlpJlecrlsrqdos erou lol e ereseJnl :uoDdurnsuoc oqmeydoe4,, -ue^pe,te1d rogdn pere;;o.Jnounq, .sJeJnlue^pe eqtgo,{ueu eqtJo qJnurpues1o1d lnoqeSur8erudstP l?q1(euosrt l{"., -qnseql uo s8uqee;Suols seqretum,(1j 4AIlnq1uourl8ol|4er[ pu8seueqleJnl -ue^pe.l"uopfpsr, goesuedxeeql lu unJe^er{o1lno Suqlesur {srJJo lueu -olouEsp^\eJer{l'erue8er;l3o dn-pues ,{letureqleps?A\Jalxurr e 'snoJnPJ ('orue8eqt ol tueudole,reptoydgopap leer8u pue rnorunqpetcefqIoeqcltr{'arntcnrs8ur -lsua eql Sursn'fe,nsrqlu1'qiln Burql -,{ueop l.rrBJlnq lnoqe{lsl uecno,( qcrqrnSurqleuosseurJep unoufreuscs e 'uels,(sslloJcsEeWe4 ropunpue 'unoufreuecse s?A\edoreqa) ledore ,(leurErros€Ar\ JelxuIIur dn sdorcoqm reuepreEcrloqc,{sdoql 'eouulsurJoC puuselzznd ..'suorleool Jo eJ$Jn.useure8Supsrxeeqt uqlr^\ 8qryom'lxol eql uo ure8epauas pueEurploggecs eqrdel I 'tJolse^\ unou leql IIp lnoqu1sn[ere/t\sJeqrunu eql uoosprre'pouelsI uoq^\relndurocr -ulurXVA slloJrs crpu8eryeql uo lxel JelxurlJospJe^prrBspJPA eJe^\eJern,, poSueqc 's,(es1eeqc4rrtr'..3urqilrezre L, :Jelxurfuo rno8rurqlll\ peplerA\ semycuedSuuperaunfg eqJ
t
I oNelC -MJNAOL{1193 97 aEe4
,,^=d
pl"illl.,": staystill, but aremorelikely to have NPCswhich arealmostlivins creatures within thegameworld, comp-lete with their own moodsandemotionsthat affecttheirresponse to situations. Enhancedsoundandgraphicsarealso possible,andadventures couldgo far, far awayfrom wheretheyarenow towardsinteractiveTV - like the family wall in Fahrenheit451. Goingfor a Walk... "I'm lookingat thepossibilityof doing a g:rmedirecton theMagneticScrolls system.Becauseit is a data-drivensystem,you could startan adventureroff in a plain, featureless roomandallow theplayerto call a universeinto being. game I'd like to write a new,text-based setin a world createdon theMag Scrollssystem,a gamethatwasnot puzzle-based - I wantsomeoneto be ableto enjoythelandscape, so that playingthegamewould be like going for a walk, not necessarilysolving puzzleson theway." Otherprojectsfor thefuturemight involvesoundandmusic.BothMichael andDouglasAdamsarekeenMac musicians,andtherewasa plan to get involvedin CDI: "we're bothfascinafedby sound,andseeCD asa mediumthatcouldprovideinteractive sound- we weren'tthatkeenon using the graphicssideof CD Interactiveour real interestlay in enhancingwords with sound,an auraladventurepossiblv..." The CDI projectis all but dead,but AdamsandBywatermayyet combine forcesandcomputerson a purelymusical project."We mightgettogetherand producean albumof Baroquemusic, panoplyat usingall thetechnological our disposal.The logic of suchmusic sometimesdemandsthingsthathuman performerssimplycan't do, andusing computerswouldallow us to adhere values." strictly to performance A Bit of Everthing... Bywateris a lucky man,by his own admission."I leamt my tradeat Punch - it wasa wonderfuljob, workingon the stafffor four years.I'd go in on a Mondaymorningandbe askedlo write 2,000wordsby Wednesday on the miner'sstrike,say,asa parodyof Dryden.There'snowhereelseyou'dbe allowedto do that,let alonebe told to do that.I'm terriblvlucky - I moved out from there,goi-ngfre6lancea couple of years ago and started doing a bit of everything - bits of radio, film and at the moment, I'm finishing a novel in which the lead characteris an adventurewriter. I'm lucky to be asked to write adventures.I aim the adventures I write at mvself - I sit down to have fun. Writing things 'for' people, for a target audienceis complete crap I don't want to patronisepeople. Just
CONFIDENTIAL FileNo 1: Page27
rg war.,says
i{:i}[!j,,rrijJ i;iiiF i":i^ il""r.?il::ll
T,,eeract narure orrhei
sr'^^'-']
jt"
r t' t
lal
1n strike C"urOians ROW t (1hooqe,"
;t#it*frfi*fistT,' $fi*r**g tn .on'ivir regutation)l',".i-irr"t.utt'ioi.;n.i3'u.; *" or^.Yi"l"i"'*:;.r:" . . ai'e'"::; r,"orac€.,,
,'aov illi".^i#""*:,,l"Ilil; "
.,,n.o"'u'
A Life in the Day Of...
LtrIS NAORO}S Aquata'sNew A.R.S.E.Reo is a ball of fire in a herringbone overcoat,writes SuzieDone 'We_Stokieshave got to stick together." The l angri d, chal l engi ngfi gure i ecl i ni ng agai nstrhe rough-shodw al l ei ves me i challengingglancefrom languid,reclining eyes,"but let's not talk about me, honev. l.:j^r-*:,^::l$1-gi.::r ".1 . h.",","nd-*i. h.
fee's l i k e, bd) ou hAer i em eas ur eof , ;p;;k t;l ;:'',h* , E this laneuid,inesistible man uho I perronatit' or theunique Moron' .! *o'Ji. ;r;i-,;;; ;;;: I "l santto setaqavrromrheord '*t puur;" i'i,g" oidu*li;;;;;;;;; ] io, ir," prl*,. 1{:'9" candidlv.."I | ].T19j:,. wouldn't :,1L tell this !o just anvote, hon*ri, a iui *-.trr;ng ro you," I r-ong
Moron murmrrs. .*ro;nn irt" j.jiI denceuhich l!rr"a-- i"1 | 'r,"p"ii. so rarely receive - from rh€Gumdians. ]
.o*ioiisror,eri pffi;,;;;;.;;
ble slamp of haute cuisine onhis ljrhe, elegmt frame. True, he canies a cheesesandwich - but ifs wholemeal breadand Roquefon ed old-fahioned ey' shy not kick off tiose constricF buter which Ntorcn discovered.,while ine sno*' where thev pull vour feet scourjngdle llobe for 6s1e-reab.,, out shaeeJ- Iut I wan! the public "No need 10dr€sslike a rcrlrmp," 9f he ass€fls. "Nowadays, r'l's ongoing support which people require. The days of rushing eound swamps and nines, turning up in mid-ai and so as equals in fonh, by me fia!'s srictly old har. ;."J:l:rHff.::terher Say, ralking of hars,why don,t you and me go md buy you somethingfor your prerry hair? Maybe in the momr.r", Moron sporls a herringbone ing?" Who could resistsuch an offei overcoal- but i! beus lhe lnmiskkea_ or such a man? Not me, for sure.
i :::"jHl:,,il[1j:l,TJliL"o"l*;
*'H,""'::'";:i':; .",;:i*:.i:,"i::: :j.irlt:i:r:ll:I ;:ill;:':Tifl
selfshouldn'tbe our on the sreer dav I afitrday. you shourdbe in a lirde fl;t I somewhere,shere you could play I
wirh a.p@dre o.,*o,roune" .o'un;I,r"iffillii,r",,oXffiJT,o:r""".: know *hu,
lluj'Ittono'
vou
I I
Put t;he oat, who can argue wirh Certainly he has sryle. The chairs, in-(lance. "Yes," he agreesshyly, 'l'm rather proud of $em. I use dlem sitting on. Ifs ra(her a slyte pojnr, rhink. NIy menlor was Len Spoon he was very keen on novel appli. for uriiiiy riings. Iaok, hon. these cbairs recline right back, The deeperone falls under$e spell a captivadngmm-child like Moron, more one is aw6e of the vast gulf bim and lhe radirional, hs-overcoatedCuedie: middle-
'
We know,youre only superhuman. lve Nno\v),oucdre. We krrow1ou do your best. trvery oay, In.aI wealhers.you're out on thejob. You don'r ask for much. Immoruliry is irs own rcwud. But have) ou rhoughtaboutrhe future? Haveyou rhoughtaboutLife lnsurance? We have. Which is why we launcheda spcial scheme. A schemetailored for immonal deni-gods. You may think there,sno pornt. Nor did anyoneelse. So we'\'e qonebust. TWIT & CO - h*SUR.ANCE BROKERS
A few pagesfrom The Independent Guardian, the newspaperfor immortaljobsworths.Part of the Jinxter packaging, producedby Michael Bywateron his DTP system
,,...writing jokes is like Brain Surgery.Dontt do it unless you know how..."
iuer{l Jo Jo^\eJe^?qAeql esneseq eldoedosoqlol luqrodrur eJou JEJeJP SJoUOISnJ'eJnue^ps
Aql
lnoq?e^Bqnof seuenb,(uerelrsue pue'surelqordEurpeol ,,(lpreueE selrE1eq1 odel,(w eculde.r,{1Eu1gm osp IIr^r deql 'Eurueire fepseupel6 fq ernlue,rpultrouprreJqrno,(8ur,(qd eq plnm no,(',tupuo141 uo tsoder$ul reproplsod ro enbeqcmof dod nof lsod-Jo-unloJe JoJJo Jr os 'eJrAJes osIBru€qlgo f,lrrofeur$B^ oqJ 'ryew 667!66'IJ eql p seuruS neql 01proJJg les flpreueE pu?'esnJo^p? /(oJe JoJ 1.uec,{eqtosnecoqSA\er^eJ edoq',(upr allessporedorde Sulcnp -ordyo esusdxepw elqnor|eqt ot o3 eq,(eu'ouoqle ueql eleclldnp'i;Jvg ro' lAVd' pnj Ewsnueuo)seml -ue^peu^\o neql elrJlt\oq/t\eldoed,(q dn les suoqeredoeqtaJBlnoqeSuHIel ru.I suoneredo JepJoJrBueqJ iolesroJseureE emtuo^p?pnp EuueJ;o,(qlcrnb qcrr to8 ot SuroElou er.no,('ygoeldoed du ol sr urrurno,{3r 'll efiJ s.laT 'leql le seure8epecJefpsour pue- seure8 s.aldoedreqto8u111es suorlerodo repJoJr?ue8releq'ueur-elppnu oql fpsoru oreslueq3reu;;o-duqcns tng '(1engp{srp e Nol ,(1reeu 1 'ecuo pue)alqandersrpsq ot lno peuml ,(q speot papuodser leqt serueduroc SurrreqqSnorqyyes,(ru fauour osoql lsol ,{lpuorsercoEuneqsJBoJ pue$ropunop I puutgo peddFSureq {q eremgosroy Jo rsoJroJJepJo-lrpru pueso1luetsnlerere eldoedfuew 'sosnoqeJ?/l\gosJepJojIBllIluep -uedepureql :sessoursnq u?uo/h-euo fpuenbar;pue ueul-oal'ueru-euo fq'euoq ru peqsrlqndpueuenrJ^\eJp semlue^pelsaqoql yo eurog'eureE Jo ed,ttetlmo^BJmo {Jols ol rolgoq pp ,(eqlJI uene'sdoqsoql ur elq eq l.upFo^\ punoJuseJuua^pe -3IIB^€ lseqaql Jo fueru te1 ..;sdoqseqt ur seureS emluo^p?,{nq 1t.uecdq16,, sr sJepBeJ uo4 o^rocarI slqeld -uoc lseuoluurotflHI .{o sN
sapHlln3u11rr^rornlua^pB lB s{ool ,(aluulsulal lBd olq Euro8 Jlasrnof ssaursnq ,{ruul nof JI pug "'slgaaa-Iaq sB 6lsaq,{IrJussaJou lou sl 31fl 'IIBuraql q ullq ol aruoJwr4l seruB8rqt Jo eruoslno $lJeqJ 6rlu1cqsrno1 roJ lslurunloJ
: I
: :
JBInSar puB JallJAr alnluo^pB
lsllBlrads 6prurroo a{u l
us(Iuol Ig/l
I oN egCTV[NSOI.{1q63 97 aEeg
CONFIDENTIAL FileNo 1: Page29 Becausetheycan't afford to advertise, a lot of themsell theirgamesby doing mail-shotsaboutnew releasesto people who'veboughttheirprevious adventures, so it's in their interestto makesureyou get goodservicefrom them.If you'vegot thousands of customers,you canafford to ignorea few complaints, but whereyou'veonly got a few hundred,or maybejusta few dozen,everysatisfiedcustomer counts. That'snot to saythatyou're guaranteedgoodservicefrom everyone, andyou arecertainlynot guaranteed goodadventures from themall, but therearesomereliablenamesvou can trust.It wouldbe well worthtryingat leastoneadventurefrom eachof the 'respectable'mail-orderwriter/sellers, to seehow you like them.Most of the smalladventurehousesI know of are writing gamesfor theSpectrum, becausethosearetheadventures I see,thoughI know somearealso availableon the Commodoreor Amstrad,andthereareothersmall companiesthatspecialise in other machines;but you'll haveto find out who thosearefor yourself(or /er usknowfor afuture issueof CONFIDENTIAL- EDs). On the Tartan Trail Onecompanythathasbeenaround quitea while now is TartanSoftware, run bv Tom Frost.With a namelike that,fhecompanyhasto be Scottish! As well aswriting adventures, Tom's no slouchwhenit comesto solving them- he's the manwho won the video recorderthat wason offer to the first personto solveTheKet Trilogy whenit wasreleasedbv Incentive severalyearsago.One-ofTom's games,1942Mission,hasalsowon an awald,andTom's oneof those rarepeoplewho programshis own adventures ratherthanusinga utility.
Mind you, his basicadventuringsystem waspublishedasa utility by CRL not long ago:TheAdventure Builder. Tom mostlypublishes his own games,buthasput out a few from otherpeopletoo, andhis list is now prettylong.Oneo[ his mostinteresting releases washis Six-in-Onepackage,which included,asstrangeasit may sound,six adventures. These werespeciallywrittenandput togetherfor newcomers to adventuring, andincreasedin difficulty asyou progressed throughthecompilation, with eachgameintroducingsome new type ofpuzzle.Thefirst few also hadbuilt-in IIELP messages, which you couldcall up if you got really stuck,andI wasvery impressed by thegameswhich I now alwayssuggestto anyonewho saysto me "I'm new [o adventures, whatcanyou recommend?" Tartan'slatestreleaseis Double Agent, a split-screen text-onlygame in which you takeconftolof two characters who canmoveindependentlyaroundtheadventurearea. You canswitchfrom oneto theother, andhaveto get the two to work togethersometimes, in orderto solve certainproblems.Tom told me it was a nightmareto program,but theresult is a veryenjoyable andentertaining game,with aprize of f50 on offer to thepersonto solveit with the smallestnumberof movesbeforeNovember 30th.I askedTom if his next releasewouldfeaturethreecharacters - he saidhe'd tried to do it. bur hadro admitdefeat. RunningRivers Anotherreliable'veteran'of themailordergameis JackLockerbyof River Software, who'salsopublisheda lengthylist of titles,andnot a bad oneamongthem.Jackwrotehis early
Tartan's two-hander, DoubleAgent
games on The Quill, and later on PAW, and it's a sign of the care that he takes that he updated some of his early titles from Quill to PAW just for the sake of improving them. He also tries to give value for money by putting two games on every tape. He is also someonewho knows how to get the most out of Gilsoft's utilities. Two of Jack's games were the first PAW'd gamesI saw, nol long after the utility had been released- in a few short weeks,he'd shown that he'd got the hang of PAW and was using many of its facilities to full effect. Having a chuckle One of my weaknessesis for humorous adventures,and I love Delta 4 gamesas well as the funnier Infocom releaseslike Hitch Hikers' or Leather Godessesof Phobos. So it shouldn't surprise anyone to learn tiat some of my favourite mail-order gameshave a sfong joke content... they also have to be good adventures,of cowse. One person who combines humour with deviousnessis John Wilson. who tradesunder the name of Zenobi Software. John's first adventuresshow a definite influence from Fergus McNeill, who has influenced far too many adventureauthorsin my opinion. But John Wilson doesn'tjust copy; he has moved on to createhis own style of game. And a very popular style it is too. Many a letter I've had praising tlem, and asking when the next game is due out - in my mailbag, people enquire after John's gamesjust as avidly as they ask about the next Delta 4 release. Severalof John's gamesare Middle Earth send-ups,like An Everyday Tale of a Seekerof Gold, which was going to be called The Boggit, till a certain McNeill used the title for his Hobbit send-up.And I can confirm that John came up with the title separately, as he sent me a pre-releaseversion called The Boggit long before either of us had heard of the Delta 4 release.John's later gamesfeature two heroeshe's created,Fuddo and Slam, and no prizes for guessing where those namescame from. In his own enterprising way, after releasinga few games,John set himself up as Zenobi Software under the Govemment Enterprise Scheme.That gives him a year in which he can devote himself to adventure-writing and try to make the company pay its way. When I askedhim where the name Zenobi Software came from. John said it was the name of his cat. I never did find out where the name of the cat came from... The other mail-order house that, specialisesin very funny gamesis Zodiac Software, run by two idiots... sorry, two young men named Dave Dutton and Andy Lowe. Their first
f, fl
ernlua^puJo "' sarllgtn3u11eam ,(a1uqsu111 ara!^ra^ouu sa,r13 1u4 'a8edaq1ralo'a1tq,uueay41 "'sn ol alrJAi, ol alullsaq1.uopasuald'aleqap aq1u; u;of o1altt lsnf p1no,rrro sagueduror ilBrusqlr,trsarua.uadxa peq a^Bq'salnlua^pu8upg,t r(uu31os'raq1 arBalaql lno sJapEaJ -rnJ pla$ qq1 aloldxa ol a{[ plno.,t\ a,|A'IYIJNSOIdNOJJo sanssl a.InlnJuI'saulrlJBrrrJdJ pBJlsulv puu urn.rlcadsaql uo qseqdura le.nadse qllnasrarnpord arnl -ua^pBIIBrrrspeJe^oJsBqe{.|w o .emtnJ eql ur seJruuelpu Sunrcxeeroru DOl 615g ,(ueurpuqeq qilW luquossgeqJJo -^nrrr etu?ueql aesol etuesrrdrnsll pFo^\ Joupu€- uo eure8eql )pol esleouo 'oler{ -euos eur esufuns l.uplno^\ 1I Jr olur oBlou Jeileqp.e/r\suosgeJ JoJ luql eJnlue^puued-olq e' auois se^Iesueqll1 qsylqndot peprcepqt,(yq apot 7qI s?1r\ I13I{lesoqlJols4J oqJ ueqttnq "IUJ fq peqsrl 1lue^uoJol pe{w osp se^\PJpuPs eql'seurBc^\3s ullrel^I:leqslu1t|oreq I?Ruessg 'uorsJelurn4cad5 slr ur eJe/$.UoS -qndeq ol Euro8s?^\'oo1qql ',fuots uo saureEu/t\oJer{Eurseeler ol uo{sl emlue^pv sepv ,{q puepeJlsurvoql uosue^elssrnoTuoqou snou?J seq€purT,{puererq8noq 'onr1uecul roJIeqelUoqreqs ulttorer{fq peqsU eql go uorlgdepep.A,Vd tue{llrq e ' ,(qpoqsllqnduooqe^eqseureEesoqm ap[.g puo 17{c1a1 -qnds1' nwtr1g'eure8s.erpueg etnpotd ol uo pe^ou] €purl $ qtns auo Jo oruos'tq8p.11il 'sreueErogsm8,{urerreqg.eqs "'JepJo-epue3,(1arul3ep uaqtorn et1l 'TUJ,(q peqsllqnd s.il puedn ue{q ueqlse^rpue'qser3 ro uBdrlAJo lseegeql s301raJeJ '3SUC qCrq^\Ur:SJOqln? UoIIjOA\ Jrer{l ur Jels/rloJg lou Jelleqp.I oq/t\'feryuq5 erpuBssr JellBrus e^?qoslssesnoqeJ?^uJos {eJec uoJJpue31esfur Joqtnselsual InJssemns Jaqlouv uro4 s^\er^eJ e,rerpeureS1I 'se^les erpJo euos 'ruoJoJulrc s33Fg 'JOOIIIxg -tueq peqslqnd{geufgo feql qcrqrt fuy pueslloJcscpeu8e6lle rrelJurs 'paae ag lo 7oogttrlr^\uortuelle elruv Jo seTI eqt qlr^\ plroa 8unu,n Jo lseog eql seuztrorqern$eJce fq - ol etueJlsnJ porrdsursslr pue' $oag aqJ pe1;elSr AIIj or{^\sluepnlsJo orJl -eJnlue^pe puorssa;o-rd oql ur poeJ e seprqeur?usrql'rFi{INlenuessg '.{yuoun4ceds)gZI eql roJs.tl )sep -Jnsueuo^\ ueeseA.e^ts?lsnf 'Jeqlre ,(ruuo pepuellsnf seqossole]lse oqJ sl - umSe4cequeqlpue- oseeler JarusqeEeou qll^\ puP'ueuo/r\puP puorsseyord -tel roqleqt eesot petq811ep ut.I puv ot ,(luoJepJo-lreuruor; uetuqloq o1Surpeddef,q fipoFadns 'seJnluo^p? pe^ou seqrcWueel SurururerSord s.epurTJoqloq Arer^eJ y slr s^\oqsuorurdof,urur eure8go 01ruooJpunoJI'qluoru qceepe^tor^aJ el,fisslqtsu'q8noql's,{oq Eulog eq ro3sqof {teq pue - lsuorssaJord le8 ur euoc tuql ,{uurueql Jo InJpueq 3uqu6 Jo esece lsnf1,usrsoJnluo^pu e ,(1uopue'Jrplours JnoAur tqEp,fuer (sCA- ansststql'acatd q.r;Eaq1roJ sqol' sr eceds/rrerloJq8noqtpleql seum8 6la^a7 aWut sllDtap2ng) 'Suqsqqnd '/Y\OIAeJ eser{lJoJpre8er.{urgo uErse s.11 oq rultt 6Ie^{I ueql,(ueduoJp ssel 'ureEetq8p ueq 8unlndur no,(pue ou qJrq^r'eled'JeqloJq ,{u qlvrrernl 01pelhur sr re,(e1d aql qtlql( pug suorlrpuoJJeqleeaeql dn Sursseur fpueoerosp s€q -ue^peuupeuSrsep ul 'se ulsru Suqledspue8nq qll^\ eteld €JpuBs'Jepuo^\ ernlue^pBunJ -uroo'eunupeqe seueEJopJolreru lsoJc{Je[ pe^lo^u 18r.Il lH-euo ou s(eqslBql ge8 teqt ernlue^p?3oedf,1oqtJo uors oI';o elqedecsl ,ggnnJopaJJ luereJJlp,(rorre ' 66 WolJ,{q pe,rol ^roqs oJquo^pv Is eril lBq^\Jo uone.us 1og,{gcmbse^\srqlpuu'ursrleuorsse; -JeAu/tfoJrer.llsur?luor' uotsst,,tl 4nnt -uouep p se'olqueJul ,(q IS eql JoJ -ord slr WLr qJnu ,(rel eu posserdur -ltg Qtlog 'eseelertsq neql 'eruote 1rAnqpw lno qstu01lue^\ no^ se{?ru e' ,Qugsq?tllJ leql epu InJJepuo^\ ,s8nq, Jo IInJ - uolssrl4lilnrt$lq [7t1og s,JBIpoZ notr rol pelpc f.ro1s,(dsgoodse pue * sapsdoSpoolg {o fllisll y - tue -lserrSoodse op 01uo lua^\ xepaz 'JeeJc ,ftre; uor; scrqderEqllt\ suonmol A\euJelocrmol JepJour seure8rol ,(uldot posnI se1sn['se1o[ -decre1u1 oJorrrJeAoJSrp ol peluea I oswJeq ,(1duns 'IensnueqlreEuolqcnu roJ ureqt8uile1d uo tue^\ l teqt ,{uun; os oJoA\rnoqpuv 'dn-puesrouoq fuocgEn seredodeos e' uotsuo741 AI dn SulpuespuoTdoog'seueE ;oodsere,r qlog 'p/r\oJreql uo.g tno poots,(1perfeq se'1l\er^eJ e toE ,tge -nlJ?o^u osorplng 'lrener e goedoq ur lues seureErepro-Ieur Jeqloeql ile wlv'Euop're1cu1srno^ le $od ,(urur 8eg ,(gy1u u1dn Sururnl'enlq eql Jo lno ,(em,{ureru33sesBeleJ oA\1
l,*-*,*lilx*d d'sers-:*i*ry;
.lue)l ^ffi rv€€.Lr ";;;*i'ftffit*q"11, *""1 1.rnf,-t#"""*
I oN egC1V[NSOIdlqg3
gg a8eg
CONFIDENTIAL File No 1: Page 31
Thinking of Writing Your Own Adventures? Pat Winstanleyoffersa few tips and hints on choosing a utility. Would-beadventurewriters start here. I'VE YET to meetan adventure playerwho doesn't(secretlyor otherwise)harbourthe desireto write their own game.And whateveryour machine,thechancesarethere'sa programto helpyou.In ready-made fact, somemachinesarecateredfor by severalutilities,sohow do you choosewhich oneis bestfor the type of gamesyou wantto write? Perhapsthebestplaceto startis by consideringthe natureof an adventure creator.No programcanwrite adventuresfor you - they are merelytools whichprovidea skeletonsystem.In otherwords,an adventurewith no rooms,puzzles,objectsetc.Your task is to addtheflesh,devisinglandscapes,characfers andproSlems,then to teachthesystemhow to decide whatto do in a givensituation. Theonly beingcapableof creatingan adventureis tle humansort.Computersareincrediblygoodat crunching numbersandrememberingthings,but theycanonly do whattheyaretold, andareincrediblygoodat ignoring theobvious,somethingthathumans takefor granted.I mean,if you werea computerandan adventurertyped "gert thenswrod"you'd know straightawaythat whattheyreally meantwas"pick up theblue swordas thered oneisn't here". Wouldn'tyou? But you're not a computer.A mere machinewould look at theactual spellingof thewordstypedand wouldn'tnoticethat"swrod"is "sword" with a transposition error. Similarly,it wouldn'trealisethat "gert" cameaboutbecausethe banana-fingered typist nudgedthe 'r' while aimingfor the 't'. And because of its stupidity,thecomputerwould comebackwhining"I don't know how to do that". If a computeris that stupid,what makesyou think it can createan entirebest-sellingadventure? Of course,it can't- but youcanif you go aboutit in theright way. Usingan adventurewriting utility demandsan understanding of theway it works, and tlte bestway to startis to think of sucha utility as threeseparateparts: 1. The Database This holdsall the informationabout your gameenvironment,suchashow manyobjectsthereare,whattheyare like, wherethey are and how they are to be identified.Identifyingobjects demandsthatthey be taggedwith a
label- a noun- so a list of relevant nounsmustalsobe present.The playerneeds!o be ableto move aroundtheplayingareaandknow wherehe is, soroom descriptionsand theconnections betweenroomsalso needto be in thedarabase. At times, theplayerneedsto be givenfurther information,so the database also needsto be suppliedwifh a setof messages. 2.The Instructions Havingprovidedtheprogramwith data,it now needsto be told what to do with theinformation.This is achievedby a collectionof IFIHEN typestatements. Thusfor theplayerto geta sword,theremustbe something telling thecomputerhow to carryout. theactivity.Thecomputerneedsto be instructed. Generally,these'conditions' arein the form IF theplayer typesin certainwords THEN do what thewordssayif you can ELSE tell theplayer it's impossible (andpreferablywhy) All theseinstructionsareentered into the conditiontablesof adventure creationutilitiesusinga speciallanguagewhich tle interpretercan (Bearin mind thecomunderstand. puter'sstupidity...it doesn'tlike misspeltwordsor silly numbersin the conditiontablesany morethanit likes themin theplayer'scommand.) 3. The Interpreter This is wherethecomputeractually doessomework. It.hasto readthe player'stypedcommand,matchit to (at thevocabularyin thedatabase whichpoint it turnsthewordsinto numbers,asnumbersareeasierfor a computerto copewith) thenmatch the 'parsed'commandto instructions in theconditiontables.Eachtime the IF part of an instructionmatchesthe command,the computerwill attempt to peyformthe actionsspecifiedin the instruction. Left !o itself, theprogramcanset the screenout.in a simplemanner,so you needn'lworry aboutthat.your job asa writer is to give accurate lnformationandevenmoreaccutale instructionsso thattheinterpretercan do its job properly.
Eachof the tlree components of an adventurecreatingutility mentionedabovedependson the other two...informationis of no usewithout instructionsto tell the inlerpreter what!o do, andsimilarly,instructions are no useif thereis no information for the interpreter!o usewhen trying to carrythemout.Withouttheinterpreter,nothingwouldhappenwhen you try to run thegame. The key to underslanding and beingable to usean adventurecreator is an appreciation ofboth the adventure creatorprogtamminglanguage andhow it is used.Makeno mistake aboutit. Whenyou usean adventure just as creatoryou zlreprogramming, muchasif you werewriting in BASIC or machinecode.Theadventurecreatormightn't haveasmany wordsin its languageasBASIC, but thena greatmanyBASIC wordsare prel.l.yuselesswhenit comesto writing adventures.An adventurecreator's languageis custom-designed to performthetypeof actionsneededin adventures, sonottringis irrelevant, althoughmanyof thekeywords wouldbestbe left until you arethoroughlyfamiliarwith thdmore sfraightforward ones. So whichcreatordo you choose? To someextent,you will be restrictedby whatis availablefor your machine,but mostpeoplewill be ableto choosebetweenGilsoft's Quill or PAW,andIncentive'sGACor havea STAC.Gilsoft's languages skeletonwhich alreadycontainsmost of the routinesneededfor general so theyaresimpleto adventures, leamanduseat a basiclevel.However,adaptingthesystemroutinescan entaila lot of work. andsometimes of BASIC callsfor an understanding or machinecode.Incentive'sprogramsoffer lessin theway of readyis maderoutines,but thelanguage nearerto BASIC andallowstheuser to manipulatebuildingblocksof variablesto greateffect,savingbothtime andmemorv.A lot morework is neededon GAC or STAC to produce simplegames,becauseso muchhas beforeprogresscan to be understood be made. The choiceis up to you. Both systemshavetheirfansamongstbeginnersandadvancedusersalike.If you arebrandnew to adventurecreation.I would suggestyou try to write the samesimpleadventureon each,to see which onesuitsyour stylebest.
'Je^el11nd'1,roq u; praq lnd'pll lJlt'dure11qE;1'rmp{rolun ,rllroN oB,p1oru1o4 urnq,arg IqBII pply auraBrc JBa( (fRfNSCdN63)'es1e ro'urnler ,(q em1ealsnoJolunqe eul pJeAuoJ pw se^eol uecno,(sdeqre4'I,x:zntete qJualcoeJql'seprrgls Jo serps-I a4 'g1esrno,( SuunpeyeuossoJ3e eurocfltueceJe^€ql'sproJelod Jo uorlselloJf,u qSnorqt8uqoo1 uo 'rat$qqndtaz0s qqnr) amt -uo^pelsele1fu Jo spJol\Surssureql u13u11g,({nJrJJTp leer8Sur,requre1 Iaw el3ul-IrBec aq 1sa33ns .lUlnoauearo'I ,(oq,nore a4;1.q|;i[ I r(BIN .{e1do18u1qlauosu;q 3u1,(nq,{q sJrlJo pulut s.alllJ1l 11qeq,(.ru111os rno.{ a44 o1,{r1plnoqsno,{1qq1 1 JJO stri{JBaq
'JopJow 'poo^\lurlJ lseg 'pug s.lliA '(3upyo11eeu)cr6 euuy
rPru'l'erud1eq.o^
'uorlecrtqnda^lsnlJxa us s! s$l'u1e8u aurze8eurqql ql1,tr eleJlunuuoJ lou op Os?ald'aussul alJnb,(1sno1,rqo eru no,{.1ouqu JaIJBJlesrno,{aureuno,(1uq13u11o1q .){rod Jo ssaqJnoaql pauBu uos B ul punoJuapgrno'( -n8rag dassu;41 1eq1an8ualloJB rrrorJpuslsrapun I rls reao JosPuIi&v Bur,{ouue,{ro.{ spurJeuoqcrqm'.3regeql, suu/(oul t saaarqltonyg aqJur ,(cueunc;o llun eqtteqt urelduor ol seqsLr\euo {lo rBec
@@@@
'aJnJudaou{ou q alaqJ'lleA|xEW Uaqog are no,{leql prs{s rue I
eopI plnoqstr-qhya1strg{qqnqJ ptmDruuwolD8 ay4J'asn qu p aql n?ouo1u11oqoo I o4ll I to snlsoy41' IoINolrun reec
reEuell 3 iSuor,noBI pp ereql1 'en8uol ,{urggotnJ ot pJIr eqs1r€qsryoas e ol zrg ztl go deu uoqnlos,(ur pe/hol{S l.uop I ueq/hluw puslsJopun 1lnq'spr8 qlr^\eJuepguoJ {Jsl pue llq e llouls'EurqoolpooE,{rerrlou ru.I Iow oltun reec
eopr rrBssoJ el deoc r 8rqos re rnso.rd lo.t. 1ua1 el tnq s^\or{n,lluos lrJsess{ns BJo Jeqenp urue8eurtuo r Ietu l>1unoJop
'Ie^orrra.r.royan8uolrno,,(palcalas arlsluql aleunpoJare nol'a8en8 -uBIrlspaias eql q alqlssoduopsa8 -Bnspago,uadEu;lsn8qplsour'1sa1 -qltu aql s! ,NgsNg^l'sNg'gs'gN, ,(laluun1ro;un'suolperlps,deur rno,( qlpn Euo.r,tEulqlou s.reraql I'!IJ rBa(
slrSSuuoq'epd -oJoIIAI le leerxno,("nJJJn:ili# esoqlJo ouoolur tu$ pue 'ueppu-1rz 'Iueql ol prlclppeeuoreq IIra eq lsql peuetqft4 ursI Jlosuq qlvr, seureS eJruue^p? 8uilqd uooJ srqq po{col euu srqge spuedse11916 epq,(61 Iew slcull rPec lra8uno,{aplll B auoauos.ro;f,e,r apeurno,(atull s.ll 1urq1no,{1.uoq 3u;1mqrtr{ rBaO
N, / ,/, 77 /l
)'rlS>'z
,/t\Yz'
'/./, '8/ / l' t/ 'h
4t
'// '/
AW h J NH
7iX,f 7,'t, ryry
'sa^aalspJoJar slq Jo auo uo Bapt slql 8ulsn rog {tefl JJaf ans o1 la8ro; l.uoq 'tuoor pa{Jol aql eplsq paddu4 aldde tueF aqt sl orlra (u1dd;4 qlpa spual{ arIeIN auau JEe( elluEeyq g 's7uty aqtto ptoT 1o uorsJo^lsrperJns eql e^los ol qsl^\ I JIS '{sB ol alBllsaql.uop'aJI^pB t,(ar lradxa aroru ,{ue paau no,{ g -,{uy'(dn paxlu ruaql 1aBs.{e,tap I'epq UVg aql1; q rg) 'sd1aq seu4lauos god 3g41eql ot palJeu -uoJ JapJoJaradq e u; auru8 aq1 Jo a$aswJ e 3upe11 'eulqJeur eql go do1 uo sEu1q1uopnq ,{uun; asoql uo lIflINO,,,,OVO.I Eupsard,(r1 a^Bo JBa0
Y/ 7r7t'%'l NVI^IXlyl'l
Jeqruog e^€q 'sdrl uedxs euos eru errr8 esueldno,( rm3 'um4ceds eW JoJ l/ aut>11o1qtyrrIIB 18pousls ta8 1.uec1 Iew eltul-I reec 'luBlunoJJE rno,{ 8ul8ueqr ,{r1 uex JBe0
ppo(I >I ',(lerecurssmol i uoudntto3 .slIorJScrleu8etr4 ur uoDstsecgodeq plo^e I op /hoH Iew olcul'I J?ec
r,luorY\uno uos!lv
6,{nEpunoJ-IIE "'nof ol raao- JaqJnoJJIaIAtr
6(qlno,{ IBJauaApuB 1oug1)ruopsliaJo urBlunoJcarnarg,{r1snpu1'Iantralcull uraofJaa Jno Aq 6(3uno,{-os-loullral u pue) sJapBaJ Ja8unofJno JoJpaalossuelqoJdalnluoapv
ugNuoll rugago/Ild s,Iflru gacNn I oN ogCTVIINAOI.f6163 7g a8e4
WN worth of hardware You chooseit, and we'll buy it for you Official Secretsis a club, right? And if you're readingthis, then you must be a memberof Official Secrets.Yes? (We're nothing if not smart, hereon the CONFIDENTIAL Editorial Team.) Let's not get too far into the 'a club is only as goodas its members'business,but it does hold true...By the time you get round to reading this, you shouldhaverealisedthat we're eagerlywaiting for your viewsand opinions. We're after letters- write to us if you disagree or evenagreewith the viewsput forward by our columnists.Let us havethe benefitof your opinionson the world of computergaming. We'd welomea full-lengthfeaturefrom you, if there'sonein there,bursting to get out. But what about this f500? Well, we have tuckedit away in a nicesafeplace,and a member of Official Secretsis going to win it next Spring.March 31st1,989to be precise.(And if we're goingto start beingprecise,the lucky memberis goingto be able to choosef,500 worth of computerhardwareand then we'll buy it for him or her.) Lusting after oneof the new 1-6-bitwonder machines?Drooling after a hi-resmonitor and disk drive to upgradeyour existingequipment?Or just plain greedy?Whateveryour motivation,you could be enjoyingthe benefits of somenifty kit next year, and all for free. So what do you haveto do, to standa chance of winning this prize?Ah yes,prize.This is a competition,not a raffle, after all.
Well, our hints department(all part of your membershipof Official Secrets)could do with a bit of help.It's not that our team of experts is short of a brick or two when it comesto playingadventuresor strategygames,it's just that we haveso many availableto members that our expertsfind it impossibleto play through everygamewe offer. So it's back to the 'a club is only as good...'philosophyfor a moment.The more solutionswe havenestling in the filing cabinet,the better the servicewe can offer members- so if you've completeda game,why not shareyou expertisewith other Official Secretsmembers? Which is why we're giving away this lusciousprize,by way of encouragement. To standa chanceof collectingrwhizzus a solution (or two). We're lookingfor original,legible and pretty solutions- a few will be printed in forthcomingissuesof CONFIDENTIAL, just to spur you all on. Remembertwo things.One: the personwho wins the prize is just as likely to be someone who sentin one,beautifullyhand-craftedsolution, completein everydetail as it is likely to be someonewho hassentin dozens.Two: CONFIDENTIAL isn't availablein the shops, so any old Tom, Dick or Harriet can't buy a copyand enter this competition.We don't sell 56,60 or even100thousandissues.We only sell the magazineto subscribingmembers.So the oddsare in your favour, as comparedto competitionsin other magazines...
SEND YOUR ENTRIES TO: CONFIDENTIAL I{ARDtr/ARE COMPETITION PO BOX 847, Harlow CM21 gPH And be qutck about it. [r'e've got some spot prlzes for early btrds!