spout.it
I'm primarily into text games (MOOs) but
also play alot of 8-bit console and computer
games. Nothing is in a particular order
and some items may read like a phlog.
Cyberdreams:
This was a MOO that I have been designing on an off.
One day I will be putting up for public connection
so others can experience the pain!
HTML The Greatest MOO you never tried Cyber Dreams MOO
Forgive the AI ART. This was a concept spun up
very fast. A MOO designed to deliver a retro txt
game experience with an online twist.
TEXT Some notes on the game mechanics of CyberDreams MOO
This is general game mechanic notes, there are still
more items to add and I will as I fish them out of
the old dev machine.
TEXT More Notes on CyberDreams
Another MOO I have connected to since around 93'
is LambdaMOO. You can connect to it too, be sure
to say hello! (If you can find me)
TELNET LambdaMOO
TEXT A REALLY REALLY old conversation from Lambda
This was a transcript of an actual college course
HELD ON LAMBDA. Some sort of cyber culture lesson.
Of particular interest is the presence of Quinn.
Quinn has the distinction of being the father of
adult (sex) concept online games. He took money
from some 'connected' people to pilot an adult
MOO (allegedly)and it didn't pan out. That is a
story for another time.
TEXT Johnny Manhattan article
This article started life as a UNC english
paper and then part of a thesis. It was slowly
morphed into a WIRED article years later. This
is a copy of the final paywalled article.
I have talked to almost everyone mentioned in
the article at one point or another. Quinn makes
another appearance. I believe this is after he
dropped out to start spending mob money :D
07MAY24
On the topic of LambdaMOO I thought I would give
a quick blurb about my time there. I found MOOs
in 1993 having found one called ForestMOO. From
there I learned about another, the first MOO called
Lambda and read all about their experimentation with
cyber self-governance. I watched from there as a guest
until 1999 when I finally got an acount. Since I've
watched it go from a thriving place to exchange
experiences and a real reflection of the exciting
dynamic time that was the early internet to now
a some what stagnant tomb full of long gone
players who left behind programs an items riddled
with inside jokes and references that are now a
world away... God I love it, it's like stepping
into a time machine.
TEXT Identity Workshop:Emergent Social and Psychological Phenomena in Text-Based Virtual Reality
An interesting read about some of the research that
shaped the online text game landscape. I will slowly
start getting some of my scholarly texts on MOO
uploaded to Gopherspace.
TEXT Anatomy of a Stock Lambda Moo Database
TEXT Some pretty useful data on LM Op coding.
TEXT A C based MOO DB Browser for dissecting Cores.
BIN A somewhat obscure writing about LambdaMOO
IMG Original BayMOO poster Design
I had no hand in this other then saying "wow cool"
when asked if I would buy a poster like this. I
did and got one shipped to me as a youngin' from
SF!
Atari Games I remember and love:
IMG Dark Chamber
A top down-ish Gauntlet like shootem up/dungeon explorer
that was pretty advanced for the system. It was one
of the few games I could get my similarly autistic
sister to sit an play with me for any length of time.
My copy of the game came with a wicked poster with
lot's or late 70s style fantasy art. I wasn't allowed
to hang such things up in my room but I taped it to
the back wall of my closet where is remained for longer
then expected.
DOS Play it (Dark Chambers)
IMG Crystal Castles
A rather isometric Q-Bert style game. I know it is aiming
to be Q-Bert but I really like this and feel it is something
more than a clone. I distinctly remember buying this from
the One For All dollar store. On the 2600 it was pretty fast
paced and colorful! On the 2600 that wasn't a quality all
games had. It also had a little jaunty tune with more then
four notes that played while you ran around. The day I
played this was also the first day I ever remember getting
a Little Ceasar's pizza delivered to our house. It was an
amazing day all around.
DOS Play it (Crystal Castles)
IMG ZZT
ZZT was one of the first programs that inspired me to be
creative with technology. Before ZZT I would make small basic
programs on my Commodore but never took it any farther than
some blinking text and automatic math. Once I got my first PC
I found ZZT and was blown away by the internal ZZT-OOP language
and the ability to make a decently playable game with just the
prefab items. Just the small step ZZT gives with automated tools
allowed me to make fun expressive games with far lower effort
than if I were to do it with what little BASIC and Assembly I
knew. Once I got online, finding other people who also created
with ZZT opened a whole other creative ecosystem. I want to
write more about this as I have time!