Q Uf S TI} UST f RS™ The Adventurer's Newsletter Vol. Ill,# 10 October, 1986 Amnesia: Thanks for the Memories From the moment you awake in It's not a hard one, and graduated clues to all memory loss. Manhattan's Sunderland Hotel, it is clear the puzzles are encoded in the manual . Those streets are accurately reflected in you are in for a singular experience. The Clues in the game include the inevitable the program, which covers both sides of author, science fiction and mystery writer matchbook found in nearly all mystery two disks. St. Pat's Cathedral, Times Thomas M. Disch, did more than just sell novels and games, a note you wrote to Square, Washington Square Park--all the the rights for Electronic Arts to turn one of yourself before losing your memory, and an familiar landmarks are in place. his novels into an adventure--he invented address book full of phone numbers. Surprisingly, so are numerous places this mystery specifically for the medium Encounters with people you meet on the unfamiliar to anyone but residents of the and wrote every word of the text [Ray street may also prove helpful. Some Big Apple. I didn't check out the entire Bradbury wrote much of the text in puzzles are riddles, many involve objects, city, but did return to my old neighborhood Telarium's Fahrenheit 451, but since it was and others require conversing with in the West Village. There at the comer of a graphic adventure his influence was not as characters such as the desk clerk and Luke Bank and Washington I found a restaurant pervasive as Disch's.] It was programmed Dudley. exactly where it stands in real · life. with the "King Edward" adventure language Checking further, I noticed that even Jane by Kevin Bentley at Cognetics, Corp. Goin' to the Chapel Street--so small and obscure that most New Some parts of the story are structured in a Luke is a loudmouth Texas redneck Yorkers can't find it without a map--is linear fashion that leads you into the next determined to see you marry his daughter in programmed into the game. The geography sequence of events. The first time you the hotel chapel. It seems you've stood her includes 650 streets and 4,000 locations. leave the hotel room you can go to the up once already, and now he's packing a To cover them all would take a lot of elevators, stairs, or wander down the hall. pistol to ensure you don't slip away this walking, but fortunately the entire subway But after returning to your room from the time. If you're not wearing the white system is available so you can hop a train sauna, you cannot leave until answering the tuxedo he sent up to your room, Luke to speed things up. No mapping is phone--and upon leaving will be accompanies you back to the room to make necessary, for the package includes a street au.tomatically transported downstairs to sure you put it on--and he'll shoot you dead and subway map of the city. However, you meet Luke Dudley in the lobby. In such if you don't cooperate. If you marry his will have to keep a list of the locations of sequences the prose consists of lengthy daughter, you11 read a neat wrap-up that restaurants and coffee shops like Chock passages that cover several succeeding leads to one of the game's many alternate Full-o-Nuts. screens; instead of typing a command, you conclusions. In this case you get more Continued on page 2 hit "return" to see subsequent paragraphs. than a paragraph summing up the ending, The linear structure keeps t1i game from for Disch tells you what happened in the getting bogged down by a reader/player who years after the wedding, right up to your Wizardry 4 & Ultima 5 insists on going in the wrong direction to death. Even though you haven't found the by Barry Hedrick and Ronald W artow investigate the wrong things, and best solution, you get more·of a reward for simultaneously transforms what might have your efforts than in other adventures. Disch At the monthly meeting of the been an ordinary adventure into a work of works extensive dialogue through the Washington [DC] Apple Pi Users Group in authentic interactive fiction. liberal prose passages, providing a richer, August, 400 enthusiastic club members got Amnesia also strikes an effective balance more resonant atmosphere than adventures to see demos of two of the most eagerly between logical puzzle-solving and the whose text is predominantly descriptive awaited games in the country. Sir-Tech's literary aspects of the text adventure. A narrative. Robert Woodhead [the redoubtable Trebor Mind Forever Voyaging, for example, did a Luke calls you John Cameron, and so himself], co-author of the Wizardry series, good job on the latter but didn't have does the desk clerk. Just when you begin and Origin Systems' Richard Garriott, better enough puzzles. Trinity boasted even to believe that's your name, someone else known as Lord British, author of the better writing than AMFV and a variety of calls you Xavier Hollings. Through dreams Ultima series, showed up along with puzzles, but lacked the story-like structure and flashbacks you realize something must representatives from several other software and dramatic pacing of Amnesia. Amnesia have happened to ym,1 while you were in companies. Wizardry IV, The Return of also stands out in the area of characters, for Texas recently, that you discovered Werdna, was demonstrated by Robert the people you meet here have more depth something so important that somone wants Woodhead, and Lord British showed the and substance--more personality--than the you to forget it permanently. Decked out ongoing Ultima V. In Wizardry IV you inhabitants of many adventures. in the white tux, you11 stroll the streets of become the villain from previous scenarios, The game's first problem is to find some Manhattan to search for clues to your clothes so you can get out and look around. identity and the people responsible for your Continued on page 2 Amnesia Continued from•page 1 Ad\/enture Hotline . That's because you have to eat regularly . I Otherwise· you'll pass out and wind up in a hospital, where the nurse also calls you Apple ,ACS .Club Conversion Update Hollings. [In this case the next stop is a courtroom where you go on trial fo1 The Adventure Construction Set Fan Club Penguin has put out a .Comprehend version comrniting a murder during an escape from recently opened up an Apple Archiv.es. of Coveted Mirror. The Apple version was the state penitentiary in Revoltillo, Texas.] Eight ACS adventures are ready for trading . just released at $17.95, others tQ follow. To get food you'll need money. You can or purchase. And expect many more--for the ..Mac Star Trek [512K or +] is on the panhandle ill the streets, or engage in a the Apple and. other machines~-to fC!ll°'Y· , shelves. Apple and Commodore releases of , more ,enterprising activity that I never Electronic Arts' will tutri. over all entries m . Firebird's The Pawn should be ready by thought I'd be doing--wilshing windshields their ACS contest to the club as soon as Christmas. SSI's Shard of Spring for of cars stopped at a red light, hoping to get winners are announced. [ACS Founder Ken Commodore is out Origin's AutoDuel a tip [which proved almost as lucrative as St. Andre is judging the contest] An and · M oebius Commod0re versions, publishing . this newsletter.} Time passes, Amiga section of the club is also be~ng scheduled to · go ·out in September, were night falls, and the street scene changes a~ organized. If you are serious about creatmg delayed and should ship this ~ontJ:i. the office workers head for home and the an adventure with ACS the club newsletter AutoDuel for the ST, Mac and Amiga is junkieS and hookers claim the sidewalks. is an invaluable source of techniques and planned for November. Ttien the Atari 8- You'll grow weary and must find a place to tips. To· contact the Apple section, write to bit Ultima III is ready for the ST and sleep--not easy or safe in a town like New Lloyd Sandman, ACS Fan Club-Apple, Amiga. Space Rogue's launching has been York; and you can't get back into your 12305 W. Lord Lane, Tucsori, AZ 85743. scrubbed until January. In the new versions hotel room because the cops haye it staked Ken St. Andre handles the Commodore and of Ultima W you can now save the game out They also know you as Hollings the Atari sections and publishes the newsletter while in a dungeon --now 1illU'.s progress. escaped murderer. But even you don't from 3421 E. Yale, Phoenix, AZ 85008. know if you're really a killer, or if you're being framed to .keep your mouth shut The Latest Adventures Wizardy 4. Ultima 5 about whatever you uncovered in Texas. Infocom's Leather Goddesses of Phobos is Continued from page 1 Werdna, imprisoned by his foes. You must Two Parsers out and will be fully exposed in next The vocabulary boasts l,700 words, month's review. Moonmist is still just a escape from confinement, gather allies and which are interpreted by two parsers. One press release around here. Written by strength, and fight your way past many of handles commands dealing with directions Witness arid Seastalker author Stu Galley, the very heroes and champim:is develope~ by on the street, the other is for situations it's supposed to re ail introductory mystery players of the three previous sce~arios.