Source Code 1994 March

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Internet Message Format | 1992-08-02 | 43.7 KB

Path: uunet!mcsun!news.funet.fi!hydra!klaava!hurtta From: Kari.Hurtta@Helsinki.FI (Kari E. Hurtta) Newsgroups: vmsnet.sources.games Subject: Monster Helsinki V 1.04 - part 28/32 Keywords: Monster, a multiplayer adventure game Message-ID: <1992Jun14.094907.13854@klaava.Helsinki.FI> Date: 14 Jun 92 09:49:07 GMT Sender: hurtta@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Kari Hurtta) Followup-To: vmsnet.sources.d Organization: University of Helsinki Lines: 941 Archieve-name: monster_helsinki_104/part28 Author: Kari.Hurtta@Helsinki.FI Product: Monster Helsinki V 1.04 Environment: VMS, Pascal Part: 28/32 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ START OF PART 28 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ X o Specify how game objects function X o Provide text descriptions for events that may happen X`032 X For example, a player in Monster could create a room named "Great`032 X Hall", provide a textual description for it (which other players`032 X would see upon entering the rooms), and describe special features`032 X of the room (for instance, a brass plaque on the wall). X`032 X Here's what another player who walked into the room described above`032 X would see (lines beginning with > are the player's input): X`032 X > look X You're in Great Hall X You're in the middle of a vast hall stretching out of sight to the X east and west. Strange shadows play across the high vaulted ceiling. X The floor is set with smooth rectangular stones. The walls feel slightly X cold to the touch, and damp with condensation. A copper plaque, slightly X green with age, is set into one wall. X`032 X > look plaque X`032 X The plaque looks very old and corroded. However, you can still make out X the writing: X`032 X " Monster, created by Rich Skrenta, 1988. Play at your own risk. " X`032 X Now the creator of the rooms could add a secret passage, perhaps`032 X hidden underneath some stones in the floor. To do this, first the`032 X player would describe what the stones looked like, then make a hidden`032 X exit to another location with a special command which would activate`032 X it. Here's what the player would see after making these changes: X`032 X > show details X Details here that you may inspect: X stones X plaque X > look stones X The stones are rough and black, and cold to the touch. Although the X mortar work appears to have been expertly done, it has decayed with time. X Many stones are cracked, and narrow spaces fracture the carefully laid X pattern. Some of the stones are quite loose. You might be able to lift X one of them with some effort. X > lift X With great effort, you manage to lift the stone enough to fit inside. X`032 X Once below the stone, it falls back into place, sealing out the light X from above. You squirm down the narrow tunnel . . . X`032 X This example only hints at the details that actually go into the`032 X creation of a realistic game puzzle. To set up a rich game location,`032 X a player would have to X specify: X`032 X o A textual description of the room, as well as separate description Vs X for various rooms details (in the example above, the plaque and X the stones are room details) X o A description of each of the possible exits from the rooms (there X might be no description if the exit is hidden) X o What happens when an object is dropped at the location (for exampl Ve, X if a player is swimming and he drops something, the object should X sink) as well as a message describing what happened to the object X o For each exit, a set of messages and parameters including: X - the name of the exit X - whether the exit requires a special object to pass (for X example, a door key or some magic object) X - a message displayed to the player if he can't successfully X leave through the exit (if he doesn't have the key, for X instance) X - an optional message that the player sees when he goes X through an exit (in the example above, the text "Once belo Vw X the stone, it falls back into place...." is such a message V) X - a message that players inside the room see when someone X leaves through the exit X - a message that players inside the room see when another X player enters the room through the exit X`009`009- special features specific to this exit X - miscellaneous other parameters X`032 X`032 X`032 X3 Technical_Aspects X`032 X Each player who plays the Monster game runs a separate copy of the`032 X game. Each individual Monster process shares a database containing`032 X all of the information about the simulated world, including: X`032 X o Records describing all of the rooms, interconnections between`032 X rooms, objects, and descriptions for the above X o The locations of every player and object X o A special shared file used for interprocess communication X`032 X Each of the Monster database files are organized as a linear collection X of fixed-length records. Monster uses the following files: X`032 X roomfile: file of records containing data on Monster locations X namfile: file containing names for objects, rooms and people X descfile: file of text description blocks (10 lines maximum) X linefile: file of short (one line) descriptions X intfile: file of various integer parameters X objfile: file of records containing data on Monster objects X indexfile: file of bitmaps for the other files; used to mark X free/inuse records for dynamic allocation X eventfile: file of records used for interprocess communication X`009spellfile: contains player's spell information X`032 X`032 X4 Record_Locking X`032 X When Monster tries to access a record in one of the shared data`032 X files, it first makes a read attempt on the record. If the record`032 X is available (no other Monster process is reading or writing it) VMS`032 X will lock and read the record and return successfully. If another`032 X process has locked the record, VMS will return an error condition. `032 X In this case the Monster process will wait a small random amount of`032 X time and attempt to read the record again. Then if the Monster program`03 V2 X cannot successfully read and lock the record after a certain number of X retries, it prints an error message and aborts. X`032 X In initial versions of Monster a count was kept of how many times`032 X two processes would "collide" when both wanted to read one record. `032 X The random wait dramatically reduced this hit count. X`032 X Monster's response time using this scheme is acceptable when the`032 X load on the VAX is not too high. However, it does have some`032 X drawbacks. The first is that a data record being read by a Monster`032 X process is locked for a short time, even if the process has no`032 X intention of writing to it. Also, the collide-and-wait approach is`032 X somewhat crude considering VMS has extensive record locking facilities`032 X which are capable not only of allowing multiple-read access to a`032 X record but also of queueing processes desiring to write-lock a record. X Unfortunately, the use of these facilities requires special VMS`032 X priviliges not available to ordinary users. During testing on a`032 X VAX 8800 running VMS 5.1 with over 50 interactive users and 14`032 X players response time was fast enough for most picky users. X`032 X`032 X4 Interprocess_Communication X`032 X Monster processes communicate through a shared file. A communication`032 X from one process to another is referred to as an event; the shared`032 X file for communication is called the event file. Two player processes`032 X will only need to communicate if both players are in the same location,`03 V2 X since actions in one room won't affect gamers elsewhere. However,`032 X when two or more players are in the same location, quite a lot of events`0 V32 X may happen: X`032 X o Notification of entry and exit -- players in the room must see whe Vn X other players come and go X o Notification of various actions -- such as picking up and dropping X objects, taking inventory and closely examining things X o Messages when players talk to each other in the game X o Primary, target and third-party events for fighting -- the player X throwing the punch sees one thing, the person being hit another, X and somone else watching sees a third message. X`032 X Because only player processes in the same Monster game location`032 X need to communicate, each room has an associated event file record. `032 X Each event file record contains a circular list of events with a`032 X pointer to the most recent event. When a player enters a new room,`032 X either by moving or joining the game, the Monster process reads the`032 X event file record for the room and makes a local copy of the current`032 X event pointer. At periodic intervals, the Monster process will reread`032 X the event file record and compare its local pointer to the one in the`032 X event file. If they are different, other player processes have logged X events to the event record, and the Monster process will pull them`032 X off the list, handle them, and update its own local pointer. When`032 X a process needs to log an event, it write-locks the event file record,`032 X writes a new event, and updates the event file pointer. X`032 X There are over sixty different events that a Monster process can`032 X initiate or handle; each event can be interpreted differently`032 X according to circumstances. For example, player A may whisper`032 X something to player B. Suppose player C is also in the room. `032 X Player A's process logs an event containing the message, the event`032 X type ("whisper") and the target of the whisper (player B) to the X event file record associated with their current location. X`032 X > whisper b X >> Hey b, this is something I whispered to you. X`032 X Player B's process will receive and handle the event: X`032 X A whispers, "Hey b, this is something I whispered to you." X`032 X Player C's process will also receive and handle the event. `032 X Usually C will only see A and B whispering together: X`032 X A is whispering to B. X`032 X However, there is a small chance that C will overhear the message: X`032 X You overhear A whispering to B: X "Hey b, this is something I whispered to you." X`032 X This method of interprocess communication requires that all`032 X Monster processes frequently read the event file to see if any`032 X events have occured. This might seem less efficient than another`032 X scheme possibly using VMS mailboxes or shared memory. Lack of`032 X sufficient VMS privileges prevented me from using shared memory. `032 X Mailboxes might be more efficient, especially if used with the Vax's X interrupt system. However, several problems would be present: X`032 X o In order to allow any process to communicate with any other, X full interconnection would be necessary. In addition, since VMS X mailboxes only transmit data in one direction, n Monster processes X would require 2n mailboxes. A scheme using mailboxes would quickl Vy X exhaust process quota limits. X`032 X o It is somewhat awkward to set up mailboxes and even more difficult X to inform other processes of their presence. Once again, I believ Ve X that special VMS privileges might be necessary to do this. X`032 X The event file scheme of communication has proven flexible and is`032 X fast enough when the VAX load is not high. X`032 X`032 X4 Maintaining_a_Player's_Existence_in_the_Database X`032 X When a user runs Monster, it first checks a playerlog to see if`032 X he has ever played before. If so, the player is restored to the`032 X state he was in when he last played, just before issuing the QUIT`032 X command. In the user is not found in the playerlog, he is started`032 X out at an initial location, somewhat in the center of the world. X`032 X To place a player into a location, Monster scans the room record`032 X for a free "person" slot to put the player's index into. Once the`032 X player is part of the room record, he will be visible to other`032 X players who are also in that room (providing he hasn't hidden`032 X himself), and they will be able to interact with him. X`032 X A dangerous situation occurs when a player process dies or becomes`032 X disconnected for some reason. In this case, the room record shows`032 X that a certain player is in a location, but in fact there is no`032 X controlling Monster process for that player. There will be no`032 X process to handle events directed at that player. This is a bad`032 X situation because they player is not obviously "dead" to the X other Monster programs, as interprocess communication only involves`032 X sending an event, and does not provide for receipt acknowledgement. X`032 X These "zombie" players were a serious nuisance in an early version`032 X of Monster. The Monster world appeared to be full of players, when`032 X in fact they were just ghosts left from players typing the VAX`032 X interrupt character or becoming disconnected from modems (Monster`032 X now inhibits the interrupt character to help prevent the casual`032 X creation of zombies). X`032 X There are two cases where a zombie game character may be detected: `032 X when another player suspects that a game character is not being`032 X controlled by a real user (either from a lack of response from the`032 X game character or by checking the VAX user list); or when the player`032 X who created the zombie character attempts to play Monster again (only`032 X one player per account is allow to play Monster at a time, so if a`032 X player tries to enter Monster and also appears to be currently playing`032 X the game, either 1) two players on one account are trying X to play Monster at the same time, or 2) the player character that`032 X appears to be currently playing Monster is really a zombie). X`032 X To handle the first case, when one player suspects another of being`032 X a zombie, the player can issue the PING command. PING sends repeated`032 X events directed at the suspected zombie, with short pauses between the`032 X sends. If PING does not receive a response within a certain amount of`032 X time (currently about three seconds) it attempts to smoothly return the`03 V2 X zombie character to the "inactive" (not playing) state. This involves`032 X taking every object the player character was holding and dropping them`032 X on the ground, updating the "time of last play" record and modifying`032 X the playerlog to show that the player is not currently playing. X`032 X In the second case, when no other player has PINGed away the zombie`032 X and the original player (the one responsible for the zombie character)`032 X attempts to reenter Monster, Monster will inform him: X`032 X There may have been some trouble the last time you played. X Trying to fix it . . . X`032 X At this point, Monster itself attempts to PING the player's character. `03 V2 X If two people on the same account are trying to play Monster at the`032 X same time the PING will be answered and Monster will not let the`032 X second player into the game. Otherwise, the player will enter Monster`032 X normally after a short pause: X`032 X All should be fixed now. X`032 X Welcome back, Faust. Your last play was on 13-MAY-1988 at 8:31pm. X`032 X Even with this solution, there are still situations where trouble can`032 X arise with zombie characters. For example, suppose a player is on a`032 X modem playing Monster and becomes disconnected. Another player PINGs`032 X away the zombie character. The dialup player calls up the VAX again,`032 X and reconnects to his disconnected process. Now his Monster process`032 X still thinks the player character is alive in the room (it has no`032 X knowledge of the disconnect) but the database shows that the player`032 X is inactive. X`032 X If only a few events have been logged in the associated event file`032 X record, the reconnnected Monster process will notice the fatal PING`032 X to itself (lingering in the event file record) and will abort. `032 X However, if many events have occured while the process was disconnected,`0 V32 X it will not be aware of the change to the database. This will leave the`03 V2 X database in an inconsistent state until the player QUITs the game. `032 X Fortunately, when the player quits the database will be fixed. X`032 X Since this problem will eventually correct itself (when the player`032 X quits) and because checking for this very rare situation would slow`032 X response time considerably (Monster would have to verify its existence`032 X in the database continuously) I decided to ignore this exception. X`032 X I had originally hoped for a smoother solution to the "disconnected`032 X player" problem. In a system where a central process drives all of`032 X the player terminals, this is possible. However, because control in`032 X Monster is shared between many identical processes, the problem is`032 X much harder. X`032 X`032 X4 Reflections_on_the_Project X X How the "Installed Base" Stagnated New Development: X `032 X`032 X During the development of Monster I would periodically change the X records that held the Monster database. Once changed in the program,`032 X this would render the existing database unusable, as the new program`032 X could no longer open the old files. Thus, I would have to destroy`032 X the existing world if I wanted to add any fields to the records that`032 X comprised the shared files. X`032 X In order to provide a stable environment for players who did not want`032 X to see their hard work making Monster rooms destroyed every time I made`03 V2 X a change to the structure of the database, I installed a version with`032 X a separate set of data files than the copy I worked on for development. `0 V32 X Players created rooms and tested the installed version, while I continued` V032 X to develop my own copy. Eventually, the world in the first release of`032 X Monster had about 60 rooms. X`032 X About a month after installing the original Monster I replaced it`032 X with the new, greatly enhanced version I had been working on (the`032 X executable was about 4 times the size of the original) and started`032 X over with an empty world. I had provided expansion fields in the`032 X data records for the new release of Monster so I could continue to`032 X develop the game without having to work on my own private copy. X`032 X The second release of Monster was very popular. I continued to add`032 X features to the program, and made use of the expansion fields when`032 X possible. However, I felt more and more constrained by the limits of`032 X my database. I needed to change more about the data records than the`032 X expansion fields would allow. I wanted to erase the world a second time;`0 V32 X however, players had put much work into creating over 100 rooms, and`032 X became quite angry when I suggested that I might throw away the current`03 V2 X world to make a new one. X`032 X Some suggested that I write a program which would convert the existing`032 X database to a new format. However, I felt that the work to do this`032 X would be much greater than the work I was planning to spend to make`032 X enhancements to the game. Also, the style of my changes during development V`032 X called for small frequent changes. I abandoned the idea of trying to`032 X write a translation program, and instead attempted to work around the`032 X limitations of the database structure. Eventually, however, my work`032 X stagnated, and new development on Monster ceased. X`032 X I never anticipated the work of my playtesters holding back further`032 X development. If I were to rewrite Monster, I would use a more flexible`032 X storage approach, one probably involving a form of dynamic typing which`03 V2 X would let me add new parameters to the database without actually`032 X changing the record structure or size. X`032 X3 Appendixs `032 X4 A XAppendix A: Specifyable Parameters for Monster Locations and Objects X`032 X Rooms: X ------ X `032 X nicename: the name of the room X nameprint: formatting control for the nicename X primary, X secondary: textual descriptions of the room X which: control for which room description prints: X 0 - only print primary room description X 1 - only print secondary room description X 2 - print both primary and secondary room descript Vions X 3 - print primary description; then print secondar Vy X description if the player is holding the speci Vfied X magic object for the room X magicobj: the magic object for the room X trapto, X trapchance: allows a player to semi-randomly be thrust through an exit X rndmsg: eerie message that randomly prints X details: details that may be looked at in the room X `032 X `032 X Exits: X ------ X `032 X toloc: where the exit goes X kind: type of the exit: X 0 - no exit; always fails X 1 - open exit; always succeeds X 2 - exits succeeds if player has key object X 3 - exit fails if player has key object X 4 - exit randomly fails X 5 - potential exit; doesn't exist yet X 7 - exit cycles between being open and closed X exitdesc: short textual descrption of the exit X fail: description if player fails to go through exit X success: description if player succeeds to go through exit X goin: what other players see when someone goes into the exit X comeout: what others see when a player comes out of the exit X hidden: what the player sees when he finds the exit (if it's hidde Vn) X objreq: key object for exit X alias: name of the exit X reqverb: requires the player to use the alias only (without "go") t Vo X use the exit X reqalias: requires the player to know the exit alias; can't use the X compass point X autolook: surpresses the automatic "look" done upon entering the X new room X `032 X Objects: X -------- X `032 X oname: the name of the object X kind: type parameter for the object X linedesc: short description of the object (the "on the floor" descri Vption) X examine: close inspection description for the object X numexist: how many copies of the object exist X sticky: inhibits players from being able to pick up the object X getobjreq: requires the player to be holding another object before X he can pick up this one X getfail: message printed if a player fails to get an object X getsuccess: message printed when an object is successfully picked up X useobjreq: object player must be holding to use this object X uselocreq: place player must be in to use this object X usefail: message printed if player fails in use of the object X usesuccess: message printed if object is successfully used X usealias: alias word to "use" X reqalias: require player to know the alias to use the object X article: whether "a", "an", "some", "the" should precede the object V name X `032 X`032 X4 B XAppendix B: Monster Command List X`032 X Accept/Refuse # Allow others to Link an exit here at direction # `124 Und Vo Accept X Brief Toggle printing of room descriptions X Customize `091#`093 Customize this room `124 Customize exit # `124 Cust Vomize object # X Describe `091#`093 Describe this room `124 Describe a feature (#) in d Vetail X Destroy # Destroy an instance of object # (you must be holding it) X Duplicate # Make a duplicate of an already-created object. X Form/Zap # Form a new room with name # `124 Destroy room named # X Get/Drop # Get/Drop an object X #,Go # Go towards # (Some: N/North S/South E/East W/West U/Up D/ VDown) X Health Show how healthy you are X Hide/Reveal `091#`093 Hide/Reveal yoursef `124 Hide object (#) X I,Inventory See what you or someone else is carrying X Link/Unlink # Link/Unlink this room to/from another via exit at directi Von # X Look,L `091#`093 Look here `124 Look at something or someone (#) clo Vsely X Make # Make a new object named # X Name # Set your game name to # X Players List people who have played Monster X Punch # Punch person # X Quit Leave the game X Relink Move an exit X Rooms Show information about rooms you have made X Say, ' (quote) Say line of text following command to others in the room X Search Look around the room for anything hidden X Self # Edit a description of yourself `124 View #'s self-descrip Vtion X Show # Show option # (type SHOW ? for a list) X Unmake # Remove the form definition of object # X Use # Use object # X Wear # Wear the object # X Wield # Wield the weapon #; you must be holding it first X Whisper # Whisper something (prompted for) to person # X Who List of people playing Monster now X Whois # What is a player's username X ?,Help This list X . (period) Repeat last command X`032 X X4 C`032 XAppendix C: Customization Subsystem Menus X`032 X Room Customization: X ------------------- X `032 X Custom> ? X `032 X D Alter the way the room description prints X N Change how the room Name prints X P Edit the Primary room description `091the default one`093 (same as V desc) X S Edit the Secondary room description X X Define a mystery message X `032 X G Set the location that a dropped object really Goes to X O Edit the object drop description (for drop effects) X B Edit the target room (G) "bounced in" description X `032 X T Set the direction that the Trapdoor goes to X C Set the Chance of the trapdoor functioning X `032 X M Define the magic object for this room X R Rename the room X `032 X V View settings on this room X E Exit (same as quit) X Q Quit (same as exit) X ? This list X `032 X `032 X Exit customization: X ------------------- X `032 X Custom `091direction`093> ? X `032 X A Set an Alias for the exit X C Conceal an exit X D Edit the exit's main Description X E EXIT custom (saves changes) X F Edit the exit's failure line X I Edit the line that others see when a player goes Into an exit X K Set the object that is the Key to this exit X L Automatically look `091default`093 / don't look on exit X O Edit the line that people see when a player comes Out of an exit X Q QUIT Custom (saves changes) X R Require/don't require alias for exit; ignore direction X S Edit the success line X T Alter Type of exit (passage, door, etc) X V View exit information X X Require/don't require exit name to be a verb X ? This list X `032 X `032 X Object Customization: X --------------------- X `032 X Custom object> ? X `032 X A "a", "an", "some", etc. X D Edit a Description of the object X F Edit the GET failure message X G Set the object required to pick up this object X 1 Set the get success message X K Set the Kind of object this is X L Edit the label description ("There is a ... here.") X P Program the object based on the kind it is X R Rename the object X S Toggle the sticky bit X `032 X U Set the object required for use X 2 Set the place required for use X 3 Edit the use failure description X 4 Edit the use success description X V View attributes of this object X `032 X X Edit the extra description X 5 Edit extra desc #2 X E Exit (same as Quit) X Q Quit (same as Exit) X ? This list X `032 X4 D`032 XAppendix D: Monster Playerlist as of June 5, 1988 X`032 X dolpher ! Monster Manager 5-JUN-1988 1:48pm * great baths X dasun_c ! Iceman 4-JUN-1988 10:30pm * the transporte Vr room X kirsten ! Kirsten 4-JUN-1988 11:20pm * ffoirefirma X isakson ! Satan 3-JUN-1988 10:13am * satan's privat Ve hell X tlb05405 ! Tlb05405 3-JUN-1988 11:59am * east hall X nate ! Smaug 3-JUN-1988 7:41pm * platform 1 X skrenta ! Faust 3-JUN-1988 8:37pm * tower room X gary ! Monster Vice Manager 2-JUN-1988 9:50pm * inner office X laura ! Laura 2-JUN-1988 10:36pm * turbolift cham Vber X james ! James 1-JUN-1988 7:54pm * chuk's elevato Vr X chuk ! SoulStorm 1-JUN-1988 9:57pm * east hall X peter_t ! Peter_t 31-MAY-1988 8:33pm * pine forest X cary ! Cary 31-MAY-1988 11:20pm * maelstrom X francisco ! Prof. Anthrax 30-MAY-1988 3:54pm * waterbed X sundeep ! Sundeep 29-MAY-1988 2:21pm * mta office X bkc04916 ! Cheekster 28-MAY-1988 10:51am * the 'ell stop X ktl04905 ! Corwin 28-MAY-1988 11:44am * west hall X perry ! Bufu Master!!! 28-MAY-1988 8:40pm * pinkie's place X maryahn ! pinkie 27-MAY-1988 12:39pm * the sewer tunn Vel X immell ! hurricane eye 26-MAY-1988 2:25am * post office 3 X robert ! Hungry Wolf 26-MAY-1988 2:26am * roll6 X linda ! linlop 26-MAY-1988 10:47am * terminal room X jeff ! Pringle 25-MAY-1988 7:12pm * ic X mic00229 ! Mic00229 22-MAY-1988 8:33pm * great hall X jeffoire ! Ffoire Zen Salad 20-MAY-1988 1:41pm * bar X schroder ! Schroder 19-MAY-1988 10:09am * burrow X lunde ! Purple Peril 18-MAY-1988 12:55pm * cloud 9.5 X pib ! Great Pib 17-MAY-1988 11:51pm * great pib's la Vir X ahrens ! it 15-MAY-1988 4:56pm * landing X mborsetti ! Mborsetti 12-MAY-1988 10:20pm * sewer crossroa Vds X brian ! Mr. Raven 11-MAY-1988 11:24am * a damp and dar Vk hole X wen05563 ! Gary 11-MAY-1988 9:00pm * great hall X jimbo ! Jimbo 8-MAY-1988 10:02pm * great hall X lentz ! Lentz 7-MAY-1988 8:24am * front of isp n Voyes X miller ! Mungus 5-MAY-1988 1:14pm * starbase X otto ! Otto 4-MAY-1988 8:45pm * heidi's nightm Vare X chris ! House Manager 3-MAY-1988 3:54am * home base X liao ! Liao 30-APR-1988 1:21pm * white house X chaz ! Chaz 29-APR-1988 4:05pm * post office 2 X jmc ! Run JMC 29-APR-1988 4:37pm * isp heaven X rod ! Rod 29-APR-1988 9:00pm * great hall X choi ! Choi 28-APR-1988 8:25pm * east hall X bo ! God 26-APR-1988 1:58pm * great hall X jonathan ! Jonathan 26-APR-1988 5:26pm * eye of the hur Vricane X swift ! Swift 26-APR-1988 8:53pm * post office ha Vll X ric05787 ! Deadhead 26-APR-1988 10:57pm * nightmarish ro Vom X mccoy ! The Scribe 26-APR-1988 11:41pm * scribe home X g_wenslow ! Gary II 24-APR-1988 11:58pm * east hall X kri04333 ! Kri04333 18-APR-1988 12:11am * great hall X dissett ! Kronos 18-APR-1988 10:13pm * kronos' room X wantz ! Wantz 17-APR-1988 2:51pm * great hall X cheezer ! Cheezer 16-APR-1988 7:55pm * the pine fores Vt X ahr04465 ! Ivo 16-APR-1988 7:56pm * sewer transpor Vt X joey ! geek 15-APR-1988 8:03pm * forest crossro Vads X wargaski ! Wargaski 14-APR-1988 4:01pm * toxicated X eric ! Eric 13-APR-1988 3:51pm * the hall of ch Vuk X rwc00220 ! Rwc00220 12-APR-1988 1:32pm * great hall X kstull ! Kstull 12-APR-1988 5:01pm * post office 3 X tim ! Tim 11-APR-1988 8:26pm * great hall X sean ! Sean 10-APR-1988 4:27pm * great hall X sam ! Sam 10-APR-1988 12:54pm * great hall X dean ! Artagel 9-APR-1988 8:21am * turbolift cham Vber X supercom ! Cursor 8-APR-1988 12:00am * forest paths X anne ! Anne 7-APR-1988 6:55pm * great hall X lisa ! Lisa 7-APR-1988 6:56pm * great hall X mouse ! Mouse 3-APR-1988 11:26pm * west hall X mca04477 ! Mca04477 2-APR-1988 8:56pm * burrow X sajiv ! Sajiv 30-MAR-1988 6:06pm * great hall X chad ! Chad 30-MAR-1988 6:37pm * chuk's elevato Vr X jennifer ! Jennifer 30-MAR-1988 7:22pm * east hall X lasonia ! Lasonia 29-MAR-1988 11:22am * west hall X brian_t ! Brian_t 29-MAR-1988 11:59am * maelstrom X mikk ! Random 29-MAR-1988 11:19pm * ledge X topher ! Topher 28-MAR-1988 1:19pm * great hall X spectre ! Ghost in the machine 28-MAR-1988 11:43pm * ghost's mailro Vom X dave ! Dave 18-MAR-1988 10:14am * post office ha Vll X penguins ! Penguins Amok 18-MAR-1988 11:52pm * chuk's elevato Vr X lawson ! Space Cowboy 18-MAR-1988 12:23pm * great hall X heidi ! Heidi 17-MAR-1988 1:11am * digital purgat Vory X bueno ! Bueno 17-MAR-1988 7:49pm * post office ha Vll X dan ! Grando 16-MAR-1988 8:18am * eye of the hur Vricane X eric_yue ! Samsok 16-MAR-1988 9:29pm * the yueguy's j Voint X cra01453 ! Cra01453 15-MAR-1988 3:01am * great hall X adam ! Adam 14-MAR-1988 6:45pm * round room X was04906 ! Milt 14-MAR-1988 9:48pm * great hall X watson ! Watson 14-MAR-1988 10:22pm * chuk's elevato Vr X brianw ! Brianw 12-MAR-1988 * ffoirefirma X mike ! Mike 12-MAR-1988 * toxicated X predator ! Predator 12-MAR-1988 * east hall X daniel ! Daniel 11-MAR-1988 * west hall X dav08345 ! Dav08345 11-MAR-1988 * great hall X vlahos ! otis 11-MAR-1988 * post office X ginter ! Ginter 10-MAR-1988 * living room X rob09549 ! Rob09549 9-MAR-1988 * great hall X dora ! Dora 8-MAR-1988 * toxicated X kim ! kim 8-MAR-1988 * post office 2 X michael ! Prabdib 7-MAR-1988 * tunnel of love X bradley ! Bradley 29-FEB-1988 * eye of the hur Vricane X john ! Raunchmeister 29-FEB-1988 * underhall X melvin ! Killer Melvin 27-FEB-1988 * chuk's elevato Vr X cliff ! Cliff 26-FEB-1988 * east hall X `032 X4 E`032 XAppendix E: An Actual Monster Game Log X`032 X $ monster X Welcome to Monster! Hit return to start: X `032 X Welcome back, Faust. Your last play was on 1-JUN-1988 at 10:47pm. X `032 X You're in Great Hall X You're in the middle of a vast hall stretching out of sight to the X east and west. Strange shadows play across the high vaulted ceiling. X The floor is set with smooth rectangular stones. The walls feel slightly X cold to the touch, and damp with condensation. A copper plaque, slightly X green with age, is set into one wall. X `032 X Monster Manager is here. X > X Monster Manager vanishes in a brilliant burst of multicolored light. X > l X You're in Great Hall X You're in the middle of a vast hall stretching out of sight to the X east and west. Strange shadows play across the high vaulted ceiling. X The floor is set with smooth rectangular stones. The walls feel slightly X cold to the touch, and damp with condensation. A copper plaque, slightly X green with age, is set into one wall. X `032 X > X Monster Manager appears in a brilliant burst of multicolored light. X > who X Monster Status X 1-JUN-1988 10:48pm X `032 X Username Game Name Where X dolpher Monster Manager great hall X skrenta Faust great hall X > look plaque X `032 X The plaque looks very old and corroded. However, you can still make out X the writing: X `032 X " Monster, created by Rich Skrenta, 1988. Play at your own risk. " X `032 X > show details X Details here that you may inspect: X stones X plaque X > look stones X The stones are rough and black, and cold to the touch. Although the X mortar work appears to have been expertly done, it has decayed with time. X Many stones are cracked, and narrow spaces fracture the carefully laid X pattern. Some of the stones are quite loose. You might be able to lift X one of them with some effort. X > X Monster Manager is looking at the stones. X > X Monster Manager is looking at the plaque. X > X Monster Manager says, "Hey Faust, let's go down to the Underhall." X > X Monster Manager manages to lift a stone in the floor and descends. X > lift X With great effort, you manage to lift the stone enought to fit inside. X `032 X Once below the stone, it falls back into place, sealing out the light X from above. You squirm down the narrow tunnel . . . X `032 X You're in UnderHall X This is a cramped, humid room beneath the Great Hall. The walls are X dripping with water condensed from mist rising from the baths. Some X of the mist follows the ceiling and dissappears up the narrow tunnel. X `032 X Stairs lead north down to the Great Baths. X A neon sign flashes "Great PIB's Lair" over a door to the South. X You could manage a crawl through a narrow tunnel leading upwards. X `032 X Monster Manager is here. X > look Monster Manager X Monster Manager is the stereotype of a computer hacker. He is wearing X a flannel shirt with several snickers bars in the breast pocket. On X his belt is an ASCII-HEX conversion chart. On his feet are a scuffed X pair of hiking boots so he can tackle those dangerous mountains that X crop up in operations. Also dangling from his belt is a battered box X with many buttons on the front and wires with sockets on the ends protrudi Vng X from the back. The switches seem to have been placed haphazardly, but X the object is unmistakably one of great power nonetheless. X `032 X Monster Manager is in perfect health. X Monster Manager is empty handed. X > X Monster Manager is looking at you. X > X Monster Manager swings at you but misses. X > X You duck in time to avoid Monster Manager's punch. X > X You see stars as Monster Manager bashes you in the face. X > X You parry Monster Manager's attack. X > punch Monster Manager X You can't punch the Monster Manager. X > l X You're in UnderHall X This is a cramped, humid room beneath the Great Hall. The walls are X dripping with water condensed from mist rising from the baths. Some X of the mist follows the ceiling and dissappears up the narrow tunnel. X `032 X Stairs lead north down to the Great Baths. X A neon sign flashes "Great PIB's Lair" over a door to the South. X You could manage a crawl through a narrow tunnel leading upwards. X `032 X Monster Manager is here. X > n X You're in Great Baths X These are the luxurious Great Baths where tired adventurers may come X to relax and try to regain their health and youth from the mineral waters. X From where you stand at the entrance, you can see below you the bubbling X soapy pools of water churning violently in tile-lined pits. The pools X are fed by hot springs from deep in the rock beneath you. Steam and X huge soapy bubbles rise out of the hot pools of water. The bubbles X dance through the air, climbing higher and higher, until they either X burst on the sharp walls of the cave or are lost in the mist above you. X `032 X Shallow tiled steps, wet and slick from the hot soapy waters of the X springs, lead down to the pools. X `032 X Rough stone stairs lead up to the south. X `032 X > X In an explosion of orange smoke Monster Vice Manager poofs into the room. X > X Monster Manager has come down the stairs from the Underhall. X > X Monster Vice Manager produces a "who" list and reads it. X > system X System> v X `032 X used free total X Block file 1008 92 1100 X Line file 1501 109 1610 X Room file 283 27 310 X Object file 139 41 180 X Integer file 6 0 6 X `032 X System> X Monster Vice Manager is in system maintenance mode. X System> exit X > X Monster Vice Manager is no longer in system maintenance mode. X > 'Hey Gary X > X Monster Vice Manager says, "Hi, Faust." X > look Monster Vice Manager X The Monster Vice Manager is dressed in a conservative three piece X suit. The stern expression on his face is just a facade, he really X is a warm and sensitive guy underneath. He is willing to answer X any questions and help out with any problems. He can best be X described by the phrase: X `032 X "Do what thou wilt, so mete it be." X `032 X He returns your gaze with a hint of understanding and amusement. X `032 X Monster Vice Manager is in perfect health. X Monster Vice Manager is empty handed. X > X Monster Vice Manager is looking at you. X > punch Monster Vice Manager X You swing wild and miss. X > . X Monster Vice Manager ducks and avoids your punch. X > . X A quick punch, but it only grazes Monster Vice Manager. X > X You only feel the breeze as Monster Vice Manager swings wildly. X > . X You swing wild and miss. X > X You see stars as Monster Vice Manager bashes you in the face. X > X You only feel the breeze as Monster Vice Manager swings wildly. X > . X You deliver a quick jab to Monster Vice Manager's jaw. X > X Monster Vice Manager's swing misses you by a yard. X > . X Your roundhouse blow sends Monster Vice Manager reeling. X > X You double over after Monster Vice Manager lands a mean jab to your stomac Vh! X Monster Vice Manager looks a little dazed. X > X Monster Vice Manager vanishes from the room in a cloud of orange smoke. X > who X Monster Status X 1-JUN-1988 10:56pm X `032 X Username Game Name Where X dolpher Monster Manager great baths X skrenta Faust great baths X gary Monster Vice Manager inner office X > poof inner office X `032 X This rooms is a conservatively decorated office. A large X desk dominates the room. Several pictures hang on the walls +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- END OF PART 28 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-