Not-so-normal Games
sCrEaMiNg FrEak
Thought maybe someone here could help me. I'm looking for IF games that are
not so normal (I guess is the way of putting it). Stuff like The Broken
String (punk type thing) and what not. Just not your average fantasy kinda
games I spose.
Cheers,
- 'nae
Ethan d'Arcy
Joe Mason wrote:
> Haven't played Broken String, but some stuff that wasn't your average
> fantasy:
>
> Spider and Web (Tangle.z5)
> Bad Machine (BMCH.gam)
> Photopia (PHOTOPIA.Z5 or PHOTOBW.Z5 if your interpreter doesn't like colour)
> The Space Under the Window (sutwin.z5)
> Little Blue Men (BLUEMEN.Z5)
>
> Joe
I am looking for typical fantasy games which involve dragons (without
crippling parser troubles). A perusal of Baf's guide has turned up one such
game (the Windhall Chronicles). Where are all these D&D rip-offs that cause
everybody to cringe?
---Ethan
David A. Cornelson
>In article <79cs9t$60i$1...@bartlet.df.lth.se>, m...@bartlet.df.lth.se (Magnus
>Olsson) wrote:
>
>> In article <79cs0f$5q9$1...@bartlet.df.lth.se>,
>> Magnus Olsson <m...@bartlet.df.lth.se> wrote:
>> >And dragons? I can think of very few games with dragons: "Windhall
>> >Chronicles", as you say; my own "Dunjin"; "Zork".
>>
>> Oops - forgot David Cornelson's "Dragon Town" (which I haven't played
>> further than the opening sequence, so I don't know what part the
>> dragon actually plays).
First of all, it was "The Town Dragon" and shame on you for not getting past
the opening sequence. You had yet to run into the cliche treasure hunt, the
cliche mazes, the cliche damsel in distress, and the cliche dragon.
The dragon is both the bad guy and the good guy...sort of...it's hard to
explain.
Jarb
Joe Mason
>Hi,
>
>Thought maybe someone here could help me. I'm looking for IF games that are
>not so normal (I guess is the way of putting it). Stuff like The Broken
>String (punk type thing) and what not. Just not your average fantasy kinda
>games I spose.
Haven't played Broken String, but some stuff that wasn't your average
fantasy:
Spider and Web (Tangle.z5)
Bad Machine (BMCH.gam)
Photopia (PHOTOPIA.Z5 or PHOTOBW.Z5 if your interpreter doesn't like colour)
The Space Under the Window (sutwin.z5)
Little Blue Men (BLUEMEN.Z5)
Joe
--
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-- Mike Huckabee, Governor of Arkansas
sCrEaMiNg FrEak
>Haven't played Broken String
I enjoyed it - though it's not that difficult for the most part, and in some
parts it's kinda a guess-the-verb type thing. It didn't get that much of a
wonderful review at the interactive fiction archive, but I liked it alot. I
think I liked the concept more - though the plot is kinda silly (you're a
disgruntled punk rocker disgusted with the way the punk scene is today, and
you have to form a band and 'revive' true punk), it wasn't your average 'you
are in the year 4000. You have to fight aliens' or 'you are a mage. Find the
golden dome' or whatever. I'd like to see more games that aren't so......sci
fi or something. Guess I'll just have to write my own :)
BTW thanks for the listing of games. Keep me busy for a while. Cheers mate!
- 'nae
Magnus Olsson
> I am looking for typical fantasy games which involve dragons (without
>crippling parser troubles). A perusal of Baf's guide has turned up one such
>game (the Windhall Chronicles). Where are all these D&D rip-offs that cause
>everybody to cringe?
If I may stick out my neck a bit, I'd say that the "stereotyped,
D&D-derivative fantasy games with dragons and cuddly elves", that we're
supposedly being swamped with, don't exist.
I wouln't go so far as to say that this kind of game is a strawman,
set up by the a fanatic sect of rabid fantasy-haters in order to have
something to fight :-). But I think that it's a bit of a construct:
people are taking all the features of games they don't like and
pretending, for the sake of rhetoric, that they're all found
together.
But of course there are too many stereotyped fantasy games - games
where the author seems to be saying that "I don't have to describe the
setting or the characters, because we've all seen it before". But in
my experience, these games tend to rip off Zork and Colossal Cave,
rather than D&D or fantasy novels. There are too many non-descript
dungeon crawls, that's true.
But D&D ripoffs? The only recent game I've seen that seemed like a
direct RPG derivative was "Temple of the Orc Mage" in the '97
Competition, but that game seemed to be set in the Warhammer rather
than the D&D universe.
And dragons? I can think of very few games with dragons: "Windhall
Chronicles", as you say; my own "Dunjin"; "Zork".
--
Magnus Olsson (m...@df.lth.se, zeb...@pobox.com)
------ http://www.pobox.com/~zebulon ------
Magnus Olsson
>Chronicles", as you say; my own "Dunjin"; "Zork".
Oops - forgot David Cornelson's "Dragon Town" (which I haven't played
further than the opening sequence, so I don't know what part the
dragon actually plays).
Stephen Granade
> In article <79cs0f$5q9$1...@bartlet.df.lth.se>,
> Magnus Olsson <m...@bartlet.df.lth.se> wrote:
> >And dragons? I can think of very few games with dragons: "Windhall
> >Chronicles", as you say; my own "Dunjin"; "Zork".
>
> Oops - forgot David Cornelson's "Dragon Town" (which I haven't played
> further than the opening sequence, so I don't know what part the
> dragon actually plays).
Not to mention my own "Losing Your Grip," though the dragon is more of
a bit player.
Stephen
--
Stephen Granade | Interested in adventure games?
sgra...@phy.duke.edu | Visit Mining Co.'s IF Page
Duke University, Physics Dept | http://interactfiction.miningco.com
Paul O'Brian
> In article <79cs0f$5q9$1...@bartlet.df.lth.se>,
> Magnus Olsson <m...@bartlet.df.lth.se> wrote:
> >And dragons? I can think of very few games with dragons: "Windhall
> >Chronicles", as you say; my own "Dunjin"; "Zork".
>
> Oops - forgot David Cornelson's "Dragon Town" (which I haven't played
> further than the opening sequence, so I don't know what part the
> dragon actually plays).
Actually, I believe David's game was called "The Town Dragon," and was
entered in the 1997 competition. There was, however, a game called "Dragon
Town" -- IIRC it was a "lost" TextFire demo. I've never played that one,
so I can't say whether it actually involved a dragon.
My own game "Wearing the Claw" got accused of being set in a stereotyped
fantasy milieu -- and I plead guilty, to a certain degree, though I think
it wasn't *totally* derivative. There aren't any dragons, anyway. There is
a wizard, which I suppose is just as bad.
Paul O'Brian
obr...@colorado.edu
http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~obrian
Magnus Olsson
Paul O'Brian <obr...@ucsu.Colorado.EDU> wrote:
>On 4 Feb 1999, Magnus Olsson wrote:
>> In article <79cs0f$5q9$1...@bartlet.df.lth.se>,
>> Magnus Olsson <m...@bartlet.df.lth.se> wrote:
>> >And dragons? I can think of very few games with dragons: "Windhall
>> >Chronicles", as you say; my own "Dunjin"; "Zork".
>>
>> Oops - forgot David Cornelson's "Dragon Town" (which I haven't played
>> further than the opening sequence, so I don't know what part the
>> dragon actually plays).
>
>Actually, I believe David's game was called "The Town Dragon," and was
>entered in the 1997 competition. There was, however, a game called "Dragon
>Town" -- IIRC it was a "lost" TextFire demo. I've never played that one,
>so I can't say whether it actually involved a dragon.
Yes. Sorry for the confusion.
>My own game "Wearing the Claw" got accused of being set in a stereotyped
>fantasy milieu -- and I plead guilty, to a certain degree, though I think
>it wasn't *totally* derivative. There aren't any dragons, anyway. There is
>a wizard, which I suppose is just as bad.
I don't think "Wearing the Claw" was very derivative at all. It has a
standard fantasy setting. I object to calling a work "derivative" just
because it follows genre conventions - if that were the case, you
couldn't write a whodunit or a western without being derivative, for
example. The word "derivative" has the meaning of building more
directly on specific works. An example: using hobbits in your game
would be derivative of Tolkien, but using dwarves wouldn't, because
dwarves are in the public domain, so to speak; they've been part of
the genre for hundreds of years.
Joe Mason
>
>But D&D ripoffs? The only recent game I've seen that seemed like a
>direct RPG derivative was "Temple of the Orc Mage" in the '97
>Competition, but that game seemed to be set in the Warhammer rather
>than the D&D universe.
Eh? No, not Warhammer like at all.
For a taste of the Warhammer universe in IF, wait for - oh, wait, I've said
too much.
Jon Petersen
>
> For a taste of the Warhammer universe in IF, wait for - oh, wait, I've said
> too much.
Of course, to really have that Games Workshop feel it'll have to feature
a barbarian named Ragnar and cost $75.
Jon Jon Leprechaun
Phoebe M. Fuentes
Hi There,
These, I think, have a cyberpunk tone to them or seem to embrace some of
the cyberpunk philosophy....
1) "Enhanced" by Hans Persson and Dominik Zemmler
ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/pc/Enhanced.zip
It's a cyberpunk sci-fi adventure where the character acquires these
cyber-enhanced powers and must escape the ones that implanted them in
him. It's been a while since I played this I haven't gotten around to
finishing it (much less get too far) but it seemed pretty good.
Hmmmm....I think I'll give it another try....
2) "The Resident" by Mike DeSanto
ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/inform/residnt2.z5
This is pretty cool. You enter your apartment and before you know it
-- you're attacked! You wake up to find yourself in cyberspace. Though
everyone thought you died, you were revived by some unknown person. He
wasn't just being magnanimous though. There have been dubious dealings
going on with an competing corporation and you were resurrected to find
out. Along with this quest, you must also find out who killed you (your
body anyway) and why. I haven't finished this one yet and I'm probably
going to have to post a request for a spoiler when I play this one
again, but this is such a cool adventure!
3) "Breath Pirates" by Mike Snyder
ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/pc/breath12.zip
It's a moderately short game that's an introduction to a whole series
that the author is currently working on called "The Oxygen Wars".
You're set in a future world were the oxygen is HEAVILY regulated by
some powers that be and the people are heavily oppressed. You're a
pathetic little librarian about to commit suicide and escape this sorry
planet when an old newspaper smacks you in the face. It's an a
publication from "The Rebel Voice" and what you read next changes your
life....
4) "Time: All Things Come to an End" by Andy Phillips
ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/inform/tatctae.z8
You're a scientist who devised a time machine for some bigwig
corporation, DigiCorp Technologies. Due to you not being able to get
the machine to work on time, they felt that you failed in advancing the
project and have shut your operation down. Discouraged but yet
persistent you finally get it to work. You are plunged into a future
devastated London oppressed by the now overpowering and oppressive
corporation. From then on the adventure is to escape from its clutches
and thwart its future plans.
5) "Starship Columbus" by Gary McGath
ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/pc/starship.zip
A little known game. I think this was shareware back in the '80s, but
I'm not so sure now. A little note was tucked in with the zip file that
said that people should continue to pay for this, but the note was dated
1993. I don't know. Is this still shareware? If so, sorry, but I've
already finished playing this game. And it's pretty darn good too!
Maybe I should pay the $10 because I liked it so much.
Anyway, this story is set in a huge starship. Due to the limited space
on board, I guess, only the strong and the smart are priviledge to live
in this fine ship....and you've failed to pass the qualifications.
You're given a choice: death by laser beam or exile into the Abandoned
Corridors (yes, with a capital A and a capital C). You choose to be
exiled (well, you should if you want to keep playing the adventure) and
as you wander the stark and lonely corridors, you discover there is more
there than meets the eye....
Ummm, there's more but I really can't think of any right now. Hope you
enjoy these!
Phoebe
--
***********************************************************************
Phoebe M. Fuentes pho...@earthlink.net
***********************************************************************
Dans ce miroir /\ rorrim siht nI
Je suis enclos vivant et vrai / \ laer dna evila desolcne ma I
Comme on imagine les anges \ / slegna senigami eno sA
Et non comme sont les reflets \/ snoitcelfer sa ton dnA
- Guillaume Apollinaire
***********************************************************************
Phoebe's Heaven On Earth: http://home.earthlink.net/~phoebef/
***********************************************************************
Phoebe M. Fuentes
>
> golden dome' or whatever. I'd like to see more games that aren't so......sci
> fi or something. Guess I'll just have to write my own :)
Oops, sorry! I just realized all of the ones I did recommend are
sci-fi. *Shrug* I hope you like'em anyway.
Jacob Munkhammar
> In article <79cs0f$5q9$1...@bartlet.df.lth.se>,
> Magnus Olsson <m...@bartlet.df.lth.se> wrote:
> >And dragons? I can think of very few games with dragons: "Windhall
> >Chronicles", as you say; my own "Dunjin"; "Zork".
>
> Oops - forgot David Cornelson's "Dragon Town" (which I haven't played
> further than the opening sequence, so I don't know what part the
> dragon actually plays).
Hmmmm.... Perhaps I'd put up a page of "IF with dragons"?
I have this thing about dragons....
/Jacob
(What is it with us Swedes?)
--
Hemma hos: http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~jacob/
Textäventyr: http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~jacob/SAK/
C.A.V.E.: http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~jacob/JMUNK/s/CAVE/
Bugatti: http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~jacob/BILsidor/Bugatti/
Maskiner: PowerMac 4400, Mac LC, Mac Plus, Sinclair Spectrum
robb_s...@juno.com
ja...@stud.ntnu.no (Jacob Munkhammar) wrote:
> In article <79cs9t$60i$1...@bartlet.df.lth.se>, m...@bartlet.df.lth.se (Magnus
> Olsson) wrote:
> > In article <79cs0f$5q9$1...@bartlet.df.lth.se>,
> > Magnus Olsson <m...@bartlet.df.lth.se> wrote:
> > >And dragons? I can think of very few games with dragons: "Windhall
> > >Chronicles", as you say; my own "Dunjin"; "Zork".
> > Oops - forgot David Cornelson's "Dragon Town" (which I haven't played
> > further than the opening sequence, so I don't know what part the
> > dragon actually plays).
> Hmmmm.... Perhaps I'd put up a page of "IF with dragons"?
> I have this thing about dragons....
I remember the one in Zork II. I recall the one in Knight Orc. I think there
was one in that extremely, extremely early Sierra/Roberta Williams game. But I
can't recall any other games (especially non-published IF) that has dragons in
them...
Maybe the Anti-Dragon League that has seemingly formed on this newsgroup
exists because most of the dragon-laden games suck. Which would provide a
rational explanation as to why I'm not seeing more games with them in it: I
don't go trolling about gmd looking for lousy software.
But still, if anyone can provide the names of a few games that have dragons
all over them I'd be appreciative. This sounds like a challenge regarding
game design. A dragon-based game would apparently have to be twice as good to
get half the respect of one that isn't. Remarkable.
Robb Sherwin
robb_s...@juno.com
www.geocities.com/Area51/Nebula/1556
"How many crappy Billy Joes can one team start in a year? Who's up for week 8,
the lead singer for Green Day?" -- Brian Gramling on the New Orleans Saints
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Allen Garvin
If I may stick out my neck a bit, I'd say that the "stereotyped,
D&D-derivative fantasy games with dragons and cuddly elves", that
we're supposedly being swamped with, don't exist.
Not exactly a reply to this quote, but I've been meaning to ask...
About three years ago, I found a neat program some university did where
you telnet'd into it (source wasn't available), and you played the role
of the character from Robin McKinley's HERO AND THE CROWN, and you are
going into a cave to speak with the ancient dragon there (Maur? I can't
remember). It was an AI experiment and worked reasonably well, though
the parser was more of those types that work from keywords than from
certain grammar. Did anyone else ever see this? It was a neat work
of IF. I don't know if it still exists.
--
Allen Garvin I think I'll
--------------------------------------------- Let the mystery be
eare...@faeryland.tamu-commerce.edu
http://faeryland.tamu-commerce.edu/~earendil Iris Dement
Roosevelt
>
>on board, I guess, only the strong and the smart are priviledge to live
>in this fine ship....and you've failed to pass the qualifications.
>You're given a choice: death by laser beam or exile into the Abandoned
>Corridors (yes, with a capital A and a capital C). You choose to be
>exiled (well, you should if you want to keep playing the adventure) and
>as you wander the stark and lonely corridors, you discover there is more
>there than meets the eye....
I remember having this game a little while back. Only, it was a demo
version I believe instead of being shareware and I couldn't get that far.
If you know where I can pick up a shareware version of the game then I'd be
more than grateful.
Chris Landry
Phoebe M. Fuentes
>
> >5) "Starship Columbus" by Gary McGath
> >
> >on board, I guess, only the strong and the smart are priviledge to live
> >in this fine ship....and you've failed to pass the qualifications.
> >You're given a choice: death by laser beam or exile into the Abandoned
> >Corridors (yes, with a capital A and a capital C). You choose to be
> >exiled (well, you should if you want to keep playing the adventure) and
> >as you wander the stark and lonely corridors, you discover there is more
> >there than meets the eye....
>
> version I believe instead of being shareware and I couldn't get that far.
> If you know where I can pick up a shareware version of the game then I'd be
> more than grateful.
>
> Chris Landry
Hi Chris,
I was able to play the one at GMD all the way through. I think that's
the shareware version, although I don't ever remember getting nag
screens or messages. *Shrug* Maybe I was in denial.
ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/pc/starship.zip
Magnus Olsson
>>Olsson) wrote:
>>> Oops - forgot David Cornelson's "Dragon Town" (which I haven't played
>>> further than the opening sequence, so I don't know what part the
>>> dragon actually plays).
>
>
>the opening sequence. You had yet to run into the cliche treasure hunt, the
>cliche mazes, the cliche damsel in distress, and the cliche dragon.
Oh dear. I really put my foot in my mouth there, didn't I? Sorry for
confusing your game with the TextFire parody. Will it make you feel
any better that the reason I didn't get past the opening sequence
had nothing to do with cliches, but only to do with lack of time?
Allen Garvin
Maybe the Anti-Dragon League that has seemingly formed on this
newsgroup exists because most of the dragon-laden games suck. Which
would provide a rational explanation as to why I'm not seeing more
games with them in it: I don't go trolling about gmd looking for
lousy software.
There are a lot of anti-dragon readers of fantasy, too, that think dragons
have been overdone in fantasy novels and should be now banished forever.
They are, of course, wrong. Dragons are continually being used in new and
beautiful ways in fantasy, such as in recent works like "The Dragon and
the Unicorn" by A A Attanasio, or George R R Martin's "Game of Thrones",
or Robin Hobb's "Assassin's Quest", or Patricia McKillip's lovely "Cygnet
and the Firebird". There are the endless Pern and Dragonlance novels
also, but with careful diligence, they can be avoided.
Jonadab the Unsightly One
> >And dragons? I can think of very few games with dragons: "Windhall
> >Chronicles", as you say; my own "Dunjin"; "Zork".
>
> Oops - forgot David Cornelson's "Dragon Town"
What about the Crowther & Woods original?
Can't forget that one.
I think AdventureLand had a dragon too.
- jonadab
WAk a duK
> version I believe instead of being shareware and I couldn't get that far.
> If you know where I can pick up a shareware version of the game then I'd be
> more than grateful.
Is there a Mac version of this file? It sounds pretty cool!
"We are actors, the opposite of people."
—Tom Stoppard
Larry Smith
> I don't think "Wearing the Claw" was very derivative at all. It has a
> standard fantasy setting. I object to calling a work "derivative" just
> because it follows genre conventions - if that were the case, you
> couldn't write a whodunit or a western without being derivative, for
> example. The word "derivative" has the meaning of building more
> directly on specific works. An example: using hobbits in your game
> would be derivative of Tolkien, but using dwarves wouldn't, because
> dwarves are in the public domain, so to speak; they've been part of
> the genre for hundreds of years.
While I agree with your main point, the devil's advocate
in me cannot help pointing out that, while Tolkien did
_coin_ the word "hobbit", his conception of them is based
on much older legends of Celtic and Scandinavian origin.
"Halfling" - which Tolkien used but did not, I believe,
coin - may be the more generic term.
But "dwarves" - before Tolkien, they were called "dwarfs",
it was he who coined that spelling as a cognate of "elves".
So technically, "dwarves" are derivative of Tolkien, but
"hobbit" might not be... ;)
--
.-. .-. .---. .---. .-..-. | Never, ever underestimate
| |__ / | \| |-< | |-< > / | the power of stupid people
`----'`-^-'`-'`-'`-'`-' `-' | in large groups.
My opinions only. |
Larry Smith
> Maybe the Anti-Dragon League that has seemingly formed on this newsgroup
> exists because most of the dragon-laden games suck.
Actually, a good cave-crawl hunting a dragon the locals
have been sacrificing virgins to sounds like a cool idea
for an IF game, even if it _is_ a cliche...
Magnus Olsson
>Magnus Olsson wrote:
>> An example: using hobbits in your game
>> would be derivative of Tolkien, but using dwarves wouldn't, because
>> dwarves are in the public domain, so to speak; they've been part of
>> the genre for hundreds of years.
>
>While I agree with your main point, the devil's advocate
>in me cannot help pointing out that, while Tolkien did
>_coin_ the word "hobbit", his conception of them is based
>on much older legends of Celtic and Scandinavian origin.
Tolkien's work are very much based on Nordic and Celtic lore, yes, but
mostly in a more generic way than with his dwarves and dragons.
Hobbits may very well draw inspiration from old lore, as you say,
but believe me that there is nothing even remotely like hobbits
in Scandinavian origins. I don't know Celtic myths very well, but
it would surprise me if there are any hobbits there either - they
are so utterly *English*.
>"Halfling" - which Tolkien used but did not, I believe,
>coin - may be the more generic term.
Yes, but if it is used in older legend, I'd bet it's used as
a generic term for "half men" ("half" referring to stature, not
to ancestry) that don't have to be very like hobbits at all.
For example, there are short, supernatural people in Scandinavian
folklore, but they are much more like the English-Celtish Faerie,
or like Tolkien's dwarves, than they are like hobbits.
>But "dwarves" - before Tolkien, they were called "dwarfs",
>it was he who coined that spelling as a cognate of "elves".
Not as a cognate - cognates are words that have the same origin, like
the Swedish "hund" and the English "hound". IIRC he invented the
spelling to make it sound more like Old English.
Andrew Plotkin
> >But "dwarves" - before Tolkien, they were called "dwarfs",
> >it was he who coined that spelling as a cognate of "elves".
>
> Not as a cognate
I think he meant "analog".
> IIRC he invented the
> spelling to make it sound more like Old English.
Or just less silly.
ObPlural: In Brust's Taltos novels, you sometimes see "elfs", but only in
the dialogue of a character whose first language was Hungarian -- pardon
me, Fenarian.
--Z
--
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the
borogoves..."
David Glasser
> Magnus Olsson wrote:
>
> > I don't think "Wearing the Claw" was very derivative at all. It has a
> > standard fantasy setting. I object to calling a work "derivative" just
> > because it follows genre conventions - if that were the case, you
> > couldn't write a whodunit or a western without being derivative, for
> > example. The word "derivative" has the meaning of building more
> > directly on specific works. An example: using hobbits in your game
> > would be derivative of Tolkien, but using dwarves wouldn't, because
> > dwarves are in the public domain, so to speak; they've been part of
> > the genre for hundreds of years.
>
> While I agree with your main point, the devil's advocate
> in me cannot help pointing out that, while Tolkien did
> _coin_ the word "hobbit", his conception of them is based
> on much older legends of Celtic and Scandinavian origin.
> "Halfling" - which Tolkien used but did not, I believe,
> coin - may be the more generic term.
"Hobbit" is perfectly fine for anyone to use without fear of legal
problems from Tolkien? Tell that to TSR. Why do you think that D&D had
a halfling class?
--
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DGlasser@ifMUD:orange.res.cmu.edu 4001 | raif FAQ http://come.to/raiffaq
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l...@zk3.dec.com
gla...@DELETEuscom.com (David Glasser) wrote:
> Larry Smith <l...@zk3.dec.com> wrote:
> > while Tolkien did
> > _coin_ the word "hobbit"
> "Hobbit" is perfectly fine for anyone to use without fear of legal
> problems from Tolkien? Tell that to TSR. Why do you think that D&D had
> a halfling class?
Please read what I wrote, David. I never asserted that
anyone could use the word, and the quoted text clearly
implies not. I believe the Tolkien estate has trademarked
it. But "halfling" is in the public domain and that is
why TSR could use it.
--
.-. .-. .---. .---. .-..-. | Never, ever underestimate
| |__ / | \| |-< | |-< > / | the power of stupid people
`----'`-^-'`-'`-'`-'`-' `-' | in large groups.
My opinions only. |
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
TenthStone
Larry Smith wrote:
>
> robb_s...@juno.com wrote:
>
> > Maybe the Anti-Dragon League that has seemingly formed on this newsgroup
> > exists because most of the dragon-laden games suck.
>
> Actually, a good cave-crawl hunting a dragon the locals
> have been sacrificing virgins to sounds like a cool idea
> for an IF game, even if it _is_ a cliche...
A rather unused cliche, I might add. I believe most of the dragons
in IF are inert; they just sortof sit around and get killed.
Virgin-eating breeds are especially rare.
It's a sad, sad life for a dragon.
----------------
The Imperturbable TenthStone
mcc...@erols.com tenth...@hotmail.com mcc...@gsgis.k12.va.us
David Given
[...]
>A rather unused cliche, I might add. I believe most of the dragons
>in IF are inert; they just sortof sit around and get killed.
>Virgin-eating breeds are especially rare.
>
>It's a sad, sad life for a dragon.
I have a vague idea for a game where the hero starts out intending to
rescue a beautiful princess from a ravening monster, but due to errors in
communication realises he's supposed to rescue a beautiful monster from a
ravening princess instead. I need to work on it a bit.
--
+- David Given ---------------McQ-+
| Work: d...@tao.co.uk | I don't see you, so don't pretend you're
| Play: dgi...@iname.com | there.
+- http://wired.st-and.ac.uk/~dg -+
Arcum Dagsson
(David Given) wrote:
> In article <36C8C55A...@erols.com>, TenthStone <mcc...@erols.com>
wrote:
> [...]
> >A rather unused cliche, I might add. I believe most of the dragons
> >in IF are inert; they just sortof sit around and get killed.
> >Virgin-eating breeds are especially rare.
> >
> >It's a sad, sad life for a dragon.
>
> I have a vague idea for a game where the hero starts out intending to
> rescue a beautiful princess from a ravening monster, but due to errors in
> communication realises he's supposed to rescue a beautiful monster from a
> ravening princess instead. I need to work on it a bit.
Hmmm... Read "Blue Moon Rising" by Simon Green...The prince rescues a
dragon from a princess, and brings both home with him, and that's just the
start of the troubles. Very fun book...
Didn't realize till looking around my room how many books I have with
dragons in them (mostly in nonstandard roles):
The Dragon and the George
The Dragon Knight(sequel to the last one)
The Dragons Eye
The Blood of a Dragon
not to mention:
Skeeves pet dragon in the Myth Adventure series
Bernice & one other dragon in the incredibly funny "Split Heirs"
Strabo in "Magic Kingdom For Sale-Sold!" and sequels
The pet dragon, dragon squads, and other dragons in the Wizardry Compiled series
Stegoman in the "A Wizard in Rhyme" series
The dragon in Guards, Guards
and undoubtedly others I didn't notice: (and no, I don't own any Ann
McCaffrey novels)
And to think: these were just ones I like(and own)... I read too much, don't I?
--Arcum Dagsson
---------------
"Zaphod, last time I knew you, you were one of the richest men in the
Galaxy. What do you want money for?"
"Oh, I lost it all."
"All of it? What did you do, gamble it away?"
"No, I left it in a taxi."
BabelFish
>I have a vague idea for a game where the hero starts out intending to
>rescue a beautiful princess from a ravening monster, but due to errors in
>communication realises he's supposed to rescue a beautiful monster from a
>ravening princess instead. I need to work on it a bit.
Damn you, stealing my ideas.
"Rescue the beautiful dragon from the evil princess" was one of my
favorite AD&D one-line adventure descriptions from the Plot Book. It
has such possibilities. :)
-r
Andrew Plotkin
> Hmmm... Read "Blue Moon Rising" by Simon Green...The prince rescues a
> dragon from a princess, and brings both home with him, and that's just the
> start of the troubles. Very fun book...
> Didn't realize till looking around my room how many books I have with
> dragons in them (mostly in nonstandard roles):
> The Dragon and the George
> The Dragon Knight(sequel to the last one)
> The Dragons Eye
> The Blood of a Dragon
> not to mention:
> Skeeves pet dragon in the Myth Adventure series
> Bernice & one other dragon in the incredibly funny "Split Heirs"
> Strabo in "Magic Kingdom For Sale-Sold!" and sequels
> The pet dragon, dragon squads, and other dragons in the Wizardry Compiled series
> Stegoman in the "A Wizard in Rhyme" series
> The dragon in Guards, Guards
William J. Brooke, _A Telling of the Tales_.
-------
Ducking under a gout of flame, the Prince threw himself forward into a
double roll and with the last of his strength thrust the sword upward into
the soft underbelly of the dragon.
Or, rather, what *should* have been the soft underbelly of the dragon,
but was in fact empty space. The dragon looked down at him from where it
hovered, wings flapping, just a foot out of reach.
"Nice moves," it said, its throaty rasp making it hard to tell if
sarcasm was intended.
-------
Nah, that doesn't give enough of the flavor. Find the original story -- if
you can. Damn hard book to find.
Oh, add to the list: _Tea With The Black Dragon_, R. A. MacAvoy. Classic.
David Given
Andrew Plotkin <erky...@netcom.com> wrote:
>Arcum Dagsson (Arcum_...@spam-heads.spam-heads.roly-poly.spam-heads.at.hotmail.dot.com) wrote:
>> Hmmm... Read "Blue Moon Rising" by Simon Green...The prince rescues a
>> dragon from a princess, and brings both home with him, and that's just the
>> start of the troubles. Very fun book...
That was one I was thinking of. Definately, a good book. Odd. Starts out
as light fantasy, ends up as very dark fantasy.
>> Didn't realize till looking around my room how many books I have with
>> dragons in them (mostly in nonstandard roles):
[...]
Don't forget _The George Business_, by Roger Zelazny, that a large
proportion of the plot of _Dragonheart_ seems to have been stolen from.
>> Strabo in "Magic Kingdom For Sale-Sold!" and sequels
Nah, Strabo's a perfectly standard cliché. A characterful one, though.
>> The pet dragon, dragon squads, and other dragons in the Wizardry Compiled series
I do like these.
[...]
>Oh, add to the list: _Tea With The Black Dragon_, R. A. MacAvoy. Classic.
I have it. I *also* have the sequel, _Twisting the Rope_, so nyah. I have
yet to decide whether these are fantasy or main-stream, but I do know
they're good (the sequel's not quite up to the first, but still worth
reading).
--
+- David Given ---------------McQ-+
| Work: d...@tao.co.uk | FNORD
| Play: dgi...@iname.com |
+- http://wired.st-and.ac.uk/~dg -+
Allen Garvin
Please read what I wrote, David. I never asserted that anyone could
use the word, and the quoted text clearly implies not. I believe
the Tolkien estate has trademarked it. But "halfling" is in the
public domain and that is why TSR could use it.
If you go to
http://www.tolkien-ent.com/new/index.html
you'll find a list of names the Tolkien estate claims to own, among them
"halflings", which is ridiculous because it's a Scots dialect word. You'll
also find commong things like "wood elves", "bard", "the Dark Lord", and
names from Norse Mythology (esp. the Elder Edda) like hordes of dwarf names
or "Mirkwood".
Allen Garvin
David Given <dg@> wrote:
In article <erkyrathF...@netcom.com>,
Oh, add to the list: _Tea With The Black Dragon_,
R. A. MacAvoy. Classic.
I have it. I *also* have the sequel, _Twisting the Rope_, so nyah. I
have yet to decide whether these are fantasy or main-stream, but
I do know they're good (the sequel's not quite up to the first,
but still worth reading).
Ooo, didn't even know it had a sequel. I'll have to track it down.
---
Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles are a delight to read for
dragons and princesses and magic animals that are completely aware of
standard clichés of fairy tales. The main characters always seem ready
to rebel against them, to the scandal of everyone else, like princesses
that find living with dragons far more interesting and absolutely refuse
to be rescued by dull, unimaginative knights.
Arcum Dagsson
(David Given) wrote:
> In article <erkyrathF...@netcom.com>,
> Andrew Plotkin <erky...@netcom.com> wrote:
> >Arcum Dagsson
(Arcum_...@spam-heads.spam-heads.roly-poly.spam-heads.at.hotmail.dot.com)
wrote:
> >> Hmmm... Read "Blue Moon Rising" by Simon Green...The prince rescues a
> >> dragon from a princess, and brings both home with him, and that's just the
> >> start of the troubles. Very fun book...
>
> That was one I was thinking of. Definately, a good book. Odd. Starts out
> as light fantasy, ends up as very dark fantasy.
And they intermingle a bit in between. Wonderful. Can't think why the
public library discarded my copy... (Just reread it again. Very satisfying
read...)
>
> >> Didn't realize till looking around my room how many books I have with
> >> dragons in them (mostly in nonstandard roles):
> [...]
>
> Don't forget _The George Business_, by Roger Zelazny, that a large
> proportion of the plot of _Dragonheart_ seems to have been stolen from.
Hmmmm... I'll have to check that out. I definately like some of Zelazny's
other work...
>
> >> Strabo in "Magic Kingdom For Sale-Sold!" and sequels
>
> Nah, Strabo's a perfectly standard cliché. A characterful one, though.
Well, I did say mostly...
>
> >> The pet dragon, dragon squads, and other dragons in the Wizardry
Compiled series
>
> I do like these.
Yeah, that is a pretty good series. Still waiting to see if there will be
a sequel to The Wizardry Quested, though...
>
> [...]
> >Oh, add to the list: _Tea With The Black Dragon_, R. A. MacAvoy. Classic.
>
> I have it. I *also* have the sequel, _Twisting the Rope_, so nyah. I have
> yet to decide whether these are fantasy or main-stream, but I do know
> they're good (the sequel's not quite up to the first, but still worth
> reading).
Hmmm... more I haven't read. Time to go used bookstore hunting...
(BTW: of all the ones I mentioned, the three I'd recommend the most would
be: Blue Moon Rising, Split Heirs, and The Dragon and the George...)
David Glasser
> A rather unused cliche, I might add. I believe most of the dragons
> in IF are inert; they just sortof sit around and get killed.
> Virgin-eating breeds are especially rare.
What about The Town Dragon (type STORY to actually understand it)?
--
David Glasser: gla...@NOSPAMuscom.com http://onramp.uscom.com/~glasser/
DGlasser@ifMUD:orange.res.cmu.edu 4001 | raif FAQ http://come.to/raiffaq
"Also, if/when is David Glasser v2 coming out, and will it support
HTML-TADS? Version 1 is pretty buggy." --Steven Marsh on raif
David Glasser
>
> Please read what I wrote, David. I never asserted that anyone could
> use the word, and the quoted text clearly implies not. I believe
> the Tolkien estate has trademarked it. But "halfling" is in the
> public domain and that is why TSR could use it.
Actually read what you wrote? This is Usenet, you know.
Sorry for my stupidity.
--
David Glasser: gla...@NOSPAMuscom.com http://onramp.uscom.com/~glasser/
DGlasser@ifMUD:orange.res.cmu.edu 4001 | raif FAQ http://come.to/raiffaq
l...@zk3.dec.com
eare...@faeryland.TAMU-Commerce.edu wrote:
> If you go to
> http://www.tolkien-ent.com/new/index.html
> you'll find a list of names the Tolkien estate claims to own, among them
> "halflings", which is ridiculous because it's a Scots dialect word.
Yep. That would never stand up in court.
> You'll
> also find commong things like "wood elves", "bard", "the Dark Lord", and
> names from Norse Mythology (esp. the Elder Edda) like hordes of dwarf names
> or "Mirkwood".
They are relying on the concept of "character copyright"
for this. By this logic, anyone who does a story about
a aged wizard with a staff named "Gandalf" could wind
up classified as a "derivative work" and subject to their
license fees. However, to enforce this they do need to
show more than just a passing resemblance to a particular
character. Tolkien himself swiped the names from a lot
of older works including the name "Gandalf" - and using
that name for a dwarf, say - as it was in the Edda - can-
not be held as derivative of Tolkien since Tolkien himself
derived it from an earlier work. They can't just assert
they own a word in any context at all - that is ridiculous.
But intellectual property and legal things being what they
are, our rights in these matters are nebulous and contingent
upon being willing to pay for a legal battle with a well-
heeled opponent. It also generally requires 12 intelligent
people for a jury, a commodity in very short supply in the
United States...
Frisco
TenthStone <mcc...@erols.com> wrote in article
<36C8C55A...@erols.com>...
>
>
> Larry Smith wrote:
> >
> > robb_s...@juno.com wrote:
> >
> > > Maybe the Anti-Dragon League that has seemingly formed on this
newsgroup
> > > exists because most of the dragon-laden games suck.
> >
> > Actually, a good cave-crawl hunting a dragon the locals
> > have been sacrificing virgins to sounds like a cool idea
> > for an IF game, even if it _is_ a cliche...
>
I had no idea that there was an anti-dragon sort of sentiment going around
raif and rgif these days. After 8 months (yes, I know that's a long time)
I've finally finished my first IF game, and let's just say that it's very
"traditional". 3 dragons, an adventurer with sword, spelunking, special
treasure to be found. I was going to enter it into the '99 IF competition,
but it sort of sounds like I already have 2 strikes against me here.
Are you like me? Do you wish that the evolution of IF stopped after Zork
and Enchanter? ....No? I didn't think so :)
Best Regards
Frisco
Magnus Olsson
Frisco <fb...@pangea.ca> wrote:
>I had no idea that there was an anti-dragon sort of sentiment going around
>raif and rgif these days.
There is a general sort of weariness with stereotyped fantasy
settings. Some people are more than generally weary, but actively
hostile and fed up with all kinds of fantasy (I guess most of these
people are then ones who didn't like fantasy to begin with). For some
reason, they seem to have chosen dragons as the symbol for all
(supposedly) overused fantasy plot elements - a bit puzzling, since
there aren't *that* many games with dragons around.
>3 dragons, an adventurer with sword, spelunking, special
>treasure to be found. I was going to enter it into the '99 IF competition,
>but it sort of sounds like I already have 2 strikes against me here.
You have a number of strikes against you, perhaps, but I have the
feeling that the vocal anti-dragon people are quite a minority among
voters.
Besides, what really counts is not how original your game is; it's how
well done it is. Fantasy author Lawrence Watt-Evans has a law named
after him that says something like that there's no plot or setting so
cliched or overused that a good author can't extract something new
from it.
What it all boils down to, I guess, is that there are a large number
of peopel (including me) who wouldn't mind seeing more *good* fantasy
games, even if they contain dragons.
Adam J. Thornton
Magnus Olsson <m...@bartlet.df.lth.se> wrote:
>There is a general sort of weariness with stereotyped fantasy
>settings. Some people are more than generally weary, but actively
>hostile and fed up with all kinds of fantasy (I guess most of these
>people are then ones who didn't like fantasy to begin with). For some
>reason, they seem to have chosen dragons as the symbol for all
>(supposedly) overused fantasy plot elements - a bit puzzling, since
>there aren't *that* many games with dragons around.
I'm all for tired, overused fantasy games.
I just hate $&*$(@ing dragons.
Can't stand 'em! They shouldn't be allowed in society. Can you imagine,
in some places, they even let them marry! Each other, and with *people*!
Horrified, aren't you?
This world will be a better place when all the dragons are *DEAD*. And
everyone with even a drop of that contaminating dragon blood. And everyone
who ever acted like a liberal lilylivered dragon-lover, too!
And then we'll move on to the unicorns, so you one-horned bastards better
keep your guards up and don't let me catch you in a dark alley with my
Creature-Bashing Bat.
Those righteous few remaining among you, join me and my cause:
"Get Out, Dragons! Don't Annoy Me! Now!" or its sister organization
"Fanatically United Creature Killers". Just remember to chant their
acronyms when going on a rampage.
>You have a number of strikes against you, perhaps, but I have the
>feeling that the vocal anti-dragon people are quite a minority among
>voters.
Only because the moral fabric of society has gone to hell in a handbasket,
I say. And that's another thing. Handbaskets. Even that pervo
Teletubby--you know the one I mean-- is carrying one now. Death to all
handbasket-bearers, I say. No. Death's too good for 'em. Hanging,
drawing, quartering, having their kneecaps gnawed off by a dragon, and
*then* death. Oh. Except all the dragons will be dead already. So
scratch that step. But the rest of it, definitely.
And then we will have clean, moral IF, purged of Fantastic Creatures and
other Abominations In The Nostrils Of The Divine.
Fumingly Yours,
Adam
--
ad...@princeton.edu
"There's a border to somewhere waiting, and a tank full of time." - J. Steinman
Brian 'Beej' Hall
Frisco <fb...@pangea.ca> wrote:
>I had no idea that there was an anti-dragon sort of sentiment going around
It's not that long. I've been working at it for a year and a half and I
have jack. :-)
>I've finally finished my first IF game, and let's just say that it's very
>"traditional". 3 dragons, an adventurer with sword, spelunking, special
>treasure to be found. I was going to enter it into the '99 IF competition,
>but it sort of sounds like I already have 2 strikes against me here.
Enter that puppy! I totally dig games like that. (So you know you'll
have at least one fan.) The way I look at it, there's plenty of
different IF to go around. If people don't want it, they can go play
Anchorhead again. ;-)
And it will do well in the comp if it's a good game. But it has to be
original, too. I can just hear people saying, "Yeah, this was good when
it was 'Enchanter'."
Whatever. I'm playing Enchanter again right now.
If you like writing a particular style of game, it's going to turn out
much better than a game you didn't enjoy writing. That will wear off on
the players too.
-Beej
(Who has yet to publish anything--it's kinda like the blind leading the
not-so-blind.)
okbl...@usa.net
m...@bartlet.df.lth.se (Magnus Olsson) wrote:
>
> Besides, what really counts is not how original your game is; it's how
> well done it is. Fantasy author Lawrence Watt-Evans has a law named
> after him that says something like that there's no plot or setting so
> cliched or overused that a good author can't extract something new
> from it.
>
It was Schoenberg (inventor of the 12-tone system) who said that "there are
still masterpieces to be written in the key of C-major".
[ok]
David Brain
Thornton) wrote:
> Even that pervo
> Teletubby--you know the one I mean-- is carrying one now.
Can I just say how impressed I am by the penetration (oo-er Missus) of the Teletubbies
into US culture - apparently much more successfully than Barney has managed to infiltrate
UK culture.
OTOH who on earth would give any credence to a large pink dinosaur?
--
David Brain
London, UK
Erik Max Francis
> Can I just say how impressed I am by the penetration (oo-er Missus)
> of the Teletubbies
> into US culture - apparently much more successfully than Barney has
> managed to infiltrate
> UK culture.
> OTOH who on earth would give any credence to a large pink dinosaur?
Or little alien things with television sets in their stomachs? A pink,
talking dinosaur sounds less disturbing, if you asked me.
--
Erik Max Francis / email m...@alcyone.com / whois mf303 / icq 16063900
Alcyone Systems / irc maxxon (efnet) / finger m...@members.alcyone.com
San Jose, CA / languages En, Eo / web http://www.alcyone.com/max/
USA / icbm 37 20 07 N 121 53 38 W / &tSftDotIotE
\
/ Custom reconciles us to everything.
/ Edmund Burke
pizz...@lycosmail.com_x
>In article <7anfh6$m5q$1...@cnn.Princeton.EDU>, ad...@princeton.edu (Adam J.
>Thornton) wrote:
>
>> Even that pervo
>> Teletubby--you know the one I mean-- is carrying one now.
>
>Can I just say how impressed I am by the penetration (oo-er Missus) of the Tele
>tubbies
>into US culture - apparently much more successfully than Barney has managed to
>infiltrate
>UK culture.
The Teletubbies simply Rule! Although IMO, Big Comfy Couch is much more
fun :-)
Best way to watch Teletubbies is to get a bunch of your sleep-deprived
friends together to watch it, it's like a drug :-)
My favorite character has got to be The Evil Sun God. He looks upon the
Teletubbies with an evil grin and laughs his evil laugh as he causes
sparks to fly from The Pinwheel of Doom!
Oh yeah, Teletubbies is really interesting to watch :-)
>OTOH who on earth would give any credence to a large pink dinosaur?
He's purple! How dare you call Barney, The Bringer of Death, Chaos and
Good Happiness Stuff, pink! :-)
Patrick
Michael Baum
da...@atlan.cix.co.uk (David Brain) wrote:
>Can I just say how impressed I am by the penetration (oo-er Missus) of the Teletubbies
>into US culture - apparently much more successfully than Barney has managed to infiltrate
>UK culture.
>OTOH who on earth would give any credence to a large pink dinosaur?
Adjust your televsion set. Damn thing's purple. _Much_ more believable
color. Colour. Whatever.
maab
Kathleen Fischer
There was a short lived (VERY short lived) commercial that had a happy
voiced man-announcer saying:
"He's big. He's purple. He's your best friend!"
My husband nearly died laughing (so did I after he explained it to me).
He bet it would be quickly pulled. He was right. Well, at least we never
saw it again.
kmf
--
*******************************************************************
* Kathleen M. Fischer *
* kfischer@x_greenhouse.llnl.gov (Remove 'x_' before replying) *
** "Don't stop to stomp ants while the elephants are stampeding" **
okbl...@usa.net
Erik Max Francis <m...@alcyone.com> wrote:
>
> Or little alien things with television sets in their stomachs? A pink,
> talking dinosaur sounds less disturbing, if you asked me.
>
I'm only gonna say this once:
BARNEY IS PURPLE!!
(This, of course, increases his credibility. Pink. Feh.)
Doeadeer3
>of peopel (including me) who wouldn't mind seeing more *good* fantasy
>games, even if they contain dragons.
*Especially* if they contain dragons. The only one I know of is "The Town
Dragon". I suppose there are a few more games around, but dragons in IF are
actually rare, not common.
Doe :-) Of course, I admit to liking The Anne McCaffery Pern series.
Doe doea...@aol.com (formerly known as FemaleDeer)
****************************************************************************
"In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane." Mark Twain
Stuart Moore
> [Snip]
Teletubbies?
ARGH! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN
AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!
Bye,
--
Stuart Moore.
Jurgen Lerch)
Ha! I can't let THIS go on uncommented!
Adam J. Thornton <ad...@princeton.edu> wrote:
> I'm all for tired, overused fantasy games.
Good ...
> I just hate $&*$(@ing dragons.
Bad!
> Can't stand 'em! They shouldn't be allowed in society. Can you imagine,
> in some places, they even let them marry! Each other, and with *people*!
> Horrified, aren't you?
Um, no, why?
> This world will be a better place when all the dragons are *DEAD*. And
> everyone with even a drop of that contaminating dragon blood. And everyone
> who ever acted like a liberal lilylivered dragon-lover, too!
See below, you ...
> And then we'll move on to the unicorns, so you one-horned bastards better
> keep your guards up and don't let me catch you in a dark alley with my
> Creature-Bashing Bat.
Pah!
> Those righteous few remaining among you, join me and my cause:
> "Get Out, Dragons! Don't Annoy Me! Now!" or its sister organization
> "Fanatically United Creature Killers". Just remember to chant their
> acronyms when going on a rampage.
Remember: Never anger a dragon, for you will be crunchy and taste
good with ketchup!
To the Treasures!
JuL (aka Jurtax the Blue)
--
ler...@uni-duesseldorf.de / Ich bin ein Drache - Und ich wache
J"urgen ,,JuL'' Lerch / Da"s niemand lache - Wenn ich was mache
http://www-public.rz.uni-duesseldorf.de/~lerchj/
Jurgen Lerch)
Frisco <fb...@pangea.ca> wrote:
> TenthStone <mcc...@erols.com> wrote in article
> <36C8C55A...@erols.com>...
>> Larry Smith wrote:
>> > robb_s...@juno.com wrote:
>> > > Maybe the Anti-Dragon League that has seemingly formed on this
> newsgroup
>> > > exists because most of the dragon-laden games suck.
>> > Actually, a good cave-crawl hunting a dragon the locals
>> > have been sacrificing virgins to sounds like a cool idea
>> > for an IF game, even if it _is_ a cliche...
> I had no idea that there was an anti-dragon sort of sentiment going around
> raif and rgif these days. After 8 months (yes, I know that's a long time)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You _are_ joking, aren't you?
;-)
> I've finally finished my first IF game, and let's just say that it's very
> "traditional". 3 dragons, an adventurer with sword, spelunking, special
> treasure to be found. I was going to enter it into the '99 IF competition,
> but it sort of sounds like I already have 2 strikes against me here.
Three dragons? Sounds great! The more the better! :-)
> Are you like me? Do you wish that the evolution of IF stopped after Zork
> and Enchanter? ....No? I didn't think so :)
Outing: I wish. Well, maybe not quite. But I do love those olde
treasure hunting games.
Ad Astra!
JuL
--
ler...@uni-duesseldorf.de / Never disturb a dragon, for you will
J"urgen ,,JuL'' Lerch / be crunchy and taste good with ketchup!
http://www-public.rz.uni-duesseldorf.de/~lerchj/
Lelah Conrad
>*Especially* if they contain dragons. The only one I know of is "The Town
>Dragon". I suppose there are a few more games around, but dragons in IF are
>actually rare, not common.
There's a dragon in Once and Future too. It was a totally appropriate
dragon. :)
Lelah
Simmon Keith
> BARNEY IS PURPLE!!
Well, I've always thought he was MAGENTA. ...and his stomache is CYAN.
Maybe that's why I hate 'im so much -- he's CGA colors!
Lucian Paul Smith
Obviously, this is because it was written in TADS.
INFORM, however, only has Inappropriate Niches For Old Reptiles of Magic.
-Lucian
('Losing Your Grip' had a totally appropriate dragon, too. Case closed!)