			The Eamon Adventurer's Guild

				March 1989

Editorial - by Tom Zuchowski

This issue marks one full year of operation for the Eamon Adventurer's Guild.  The EAG started up in March '88, and the first issue was June '88.  This issue is the fourth to be published.  Many of you have been with us from the start; we hope that you have enjoyed it so far.  There's lots in the works for 1989, too!

This time we have a bit of a 'Nathan Segerlind' extravaganza.  Nathan has been sending us articles for months, and they sort of all got piled up into this issue.  Nathan is a huge fan of Eamon and would love to hear from like-minded individuals.  You can contact him at 11316 Cutler Road, Portland, MI 48875.

The 7.0 Multi-Disk Supplement has been released.  It contains the programs required for support two new Eamon formats: 1) 2-disk Eamon; 2) Multi-disk Eamon.  The 2-disk format allows Eamons to have up to 500 records, room for (for example) 150 rooms, 190 artifacts, 70 monsters, and 90 effects (the single-disk version has a 300-record limit.)  This format supports one or two disk drives, and can convert any version 7.0 single-disk Eamon to 2-disk format.  The 2-disk format has been fully tested and debugged (I hope!).  The Multi-disk format is not fully debugged, but theoretically supports Eamons of unlimited size; this project bogged down when I realized that there has never been an Eamon that needed this format and are only a couple of authors with the talent and skill to use it anyway.  The MDS includes a manual on the disk that describes the procedures and protocols.

NEW RATES:  We have received a number of inquiries from all over the world.  This was unexpected, and the postage is horrendous, several times more than U.S.-Canada.  Therefore, as of Feb. 1, these membership rates are in effect: U.S. & Canada, $7.00/year; foreign, $12.00/year.

PUBLIC DOMAIN SELLERS:  Included in this issue is a list of our 'affiliated' Public-Domain software sellers who sell Eamon.  All of these people have plusses and minuses, and we are NOT recommending one over another.  It has been brought to our attention that many P-D sellers are still offering all of the old utilities disks. I understand that one offers 9 of them, carrying the DDD's as utilities as well!  To be sure that you get what you want, be sure to describe the disk that you want.  The EAG Utilities disk contains every program that you will ever need for Eamon, taking the place of 4 of the old Utilities disks which had a lot of duplication and obsolete stuff.  If you aren't sure which is which, ask for it by name.

***IMPORTANT***  A couple of people have written regarding missed issues of the EAG newsletter.  Be advised that the EAG IS publishing on schedule, and issues were put out within a week of June 30, Sept. 1, & Dec. 1.  If you did not receive one of these but should have, let us know and we will replace it for you.

EXPIRATION DATE:  The usual reminder: be sure to check the expiration date next to your name on the address.  If it is 'MAR 89' and highlighted in yellow, this is your last issue.  All of you who were charter members of the EAG, take note!

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BACK ISSUES:
Apple-based back issues of the formerly Apple-based NEUC's 'Adventurer's Log' are available from us:
  Aug'84, May'84, Oct'84, Jan'85, Mar'85, May'85,
  Aug'85, Oct'85, Jun'86, Jan'87, Oct'87

EAG back issues: Jun'88, Sep'88, Dec'88

All issues are $2.00 each.

ADVENTURE UPDATES:
You may obtain updated versions of your Eamon adventures from the EAG.  Send in a copy of the adventure to be updated and $1.00 per copy to cover our cost, and an updated copy will be returned to you.  You MUST include a copy of EACH adventure for which you wish an update.

We want to improve Eamon all we can; this includes getting authors to use the latest and best version.  Therefore, the version 7.0 Dungeon Designer Diskette and the 7.0 Multi-Disk Supplement may be obtained from us for $1.00 each (US & Canada), foreign $2.00 each.
======================================================
EAMON ADVENTURER'S GUILD
Thomas Zuchowski, Editor


Membership/subscription fee for 4 issues:
     US-Canada: $7.00; foreign: $12.00
     add $2.00 if you want newsletter envelopes
The Eamon Adventurer's Guild is published 4 times per year in Mar., Jun., Sep., and Dec.


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We are always looking for new material!  If you would like to publish your own letter or article in this newsletter, feel free to send one in.  If you would like to add your own Eamon adventure to the list, send it on a disk to the above address.  It will be assigned an Adventure number, and tested for bugs and other problems before release.  An informal critique and disk with bug corrections will be returned.

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    New Adventures
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     166 Storm Breaker   by Sam Ruby

'Storm Breaker' is a sequel to Sam's #149 'Elemental Apocalypse' but offers a marked contrast in game quality.  Sam just continues to improve, and this may be his best yet.  Three disks: 195 rooms, 54 artifacts, 99 monsters, 125 effects, dozens of puzzles (some agonizingly difficult), with the depth of plot and coherence that Sam does so well.  For those of you who tend to give up when the puzzles are too hard, Sam includes a 'Solutions' program that is a masterwork in itself, dribbling out sequential hints as it discusses where you are and what you are doing in regards to solving the quest.  It will be reviewed in depth in the June issue of the EAG.

'Storm Breaker' is currently undergoing final verification and has not been released yet.  We anticipate that it will be available from your favorite Eamon supplier around April 1.

Sorry, that's all for this issue.  We are in the process of trying to obtain "Expedition to the Darkwoods" and "High School of Horrors", which are not in our library.

Roger Pender is well along on a very ambitious sci-fi Eamon that should be good.  We also know of 6 other Eamons that are in the works, so stay tuned!
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Terminological Inexactitudes
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With this issue we resurrect a column from the 'Adventurer's Log'.  I was talking to John the other night, and he urged me to start this up, saying that it was always the most popular section of the old 'Log'.  I wouldn't presume to comment on a situation in which the best part of a newsletter is mostly misinformation and outright lies.  But if I was the kind of guy who did such things, I might say something about the cultural level of the average reader or I might mention that John is at his best when he is writing 'fiction'.  But, hey, if it worked for the 'Log', it seems worth a shot here too!

Rumor has it that Pat Hurst has been laying low in the Eamon world for the last couple of months because he has been so busy slaying Econ students that he hasn't had time to be slaying Eamon monsters.  When I woke him up to ask him about his class load, he said, "Eamon, Econ, what's the difference?"  I understand that the broadsword he wears gets him talked about in the teacher's lounge, but his students are very orderly.

We have been deluged with requests for lifetime memberships, price no object.  We have decided to make them available at the same popular price as the old NEUC.  Lifetime memberships: $10,000.  (Cash only please; tens and twenties preferred.)

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         Eamon Lore
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Eamon Quotes

by Nathan Segerlind

In this article I shall gather together some of the more memorable 'lines', if you will, from the Eamon adventures I have played.

Most memorable lines are humorous, or at least meant to be so.  Insulting the player is popular:

     "I hope you can fight better than you look!"
          -Sir Orabon, "The School of Death" #65

Especially interesting are the following insults, which share a common pattern, though they were written by different authors at different times:

     "Your mother was a pig and your father smells of
      sewage!"
          -Drow Elf, "Wrenhold's Secret Vigil" #121

     "Your mother was a hunster and your father smells
      of elderberries!"
          -French Knight, "The Quest for the Holy
                              Grail" #37
                          "Monty Python and the Holy
                              Grail" #160

The most abusive passage that I've ever encountered is a death trap that gives the player no chance whatsoever of a quiet death:

     "You dumb, stupid jerk!  You just fell down the
      s--t hole!  The walls are smooth, the sewage
      deep, and you drown!  You jerk!  You're dead!"
          -"Temple of Ngurct" #23

After being insulted so, one would be glad to encounter a friend who ATTACKs enemies by insulting them:

     "(victim) ish der rotten shtinker!"
          -Dolf da Dolphin, "The Lair of Mr. Ed" #158

If poor diction isn't enough, imagine meeting Jeff Harris, who has a really obnoxious trait:

     "Jeff Harris smiles and squeals like a pig!"
          -"The Caves of Hollow Mountain" #87

Monsters not only say things, but also can be rather interesting people in the first place:

     "You see a golden rug on the floor."
          -desc. of Pekingese, "Death's Gateway " #34

     "...his mind a furnace of hate and sadism, molten
      earwax dribbles down the side of his head."
          -desc. of Fugu Otoko, "The Bridge of
           Catzad-dum" #159

Of course, dungeons and caverns have their delinquent youth, human or otherwise, who would scrawl upon walls:

     "Z Z Top is tops."
          -"The Dungeon of Doom" #117

     "We loaded up the cannon,
      it gave a mighty blast,
      Lord Collingwood was running,
      so it caught him in the ---."
          -"Buccaneer!" #145

Eamon even has a few illiterate troll poets, such as the pictureque Jack:

     "My name is Jack and I'm gonna put you in a
      sack!"
          -Jack the troll, "Mines of Moria" #108

Here are a few that break the laws of time and space and appear in the world of Eamon:

     "It's Miller time!"
          -sign, "The Beermeister's Brewery" #142

     "Here's Johnny!"
          -"Grunewalde" #119

     "Mars is looking for a few good men.  Be all that
      you can be..."
          -Martian Warrior, "The Sands of Mars" #163

And here are two final funny ones that defy classification:

     "The Castle of Doom is run by two kindly old
      ladies who wish to give valiant adventurers a
      bit of excitement."
          -introduction, "The Castle of Doom" #5

     "You have discovered my greatest treasure, a good
      practical joke!"
          -Henri LeMarque, "Buccaneer!" #145

Now we come to the non-funny variety.  These are often well-worded threats, but are sometimes very well worded passages that have a certain ring to them:

     "Say good-bye to all this and hello to oblivion!"
          -Black Warrior, "Zyphur River Adventure" #4

     "Mjollnir the Mighty, slayer of miscreants, come
      to your Master, Thor Odinsson!"
          -Thor, "Journey to Jotunheim" #148

     "By the whim of whatever gods or spirits that
      control your destiny, you've been chosen to
      enter...The Shopping Mall."
          -introduction, "The Shopping Mall" #88

Note- this last might as well have been in with the humorous ones.  This was the entire introduction to the adventure, which many consider the worst Eamon ever.  But the intro is pretty neat, isn't it?

This brings us to the end, where I must list what I personally feel is the best overall quote of all time.  After months of tormented pondering, I have selected the following: (drum roll, please!)

     "There are several computers here.  Each is
      running a different Eamon adventure. (They can't
      be all bad!)"
          -Nazi officers' game room, "Camp Eamon" #106

CONTEST: There isn't one.  Quit your whining and read the next article.
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Contest Update  by Pat Hurst

Due to the underwhelming response, there is no third place winner in the last contest.  The previous contest attracted three entries and now we're down to just two. I think my own contest fever has gone into remission.

First place is again awarded to Nathan Segerlind with a score of 10,415 for his team of NINJA GRANDMOTHER, SHAGG, JACKIE GLEASON, TOOTS SHOR, BOB THE WANDERER, and BLAISE PASCAL.  Nathan receives no prize, however, because he submitted an earlier entry with joke names to bamboozle me.  Ah!  Revenge is sweet!

Second place goes to our esteemed editor, Tom Zuchowski, with a score of 7400 for his team of HARRY 'SNAPPER' ORGANS, HARRY THE IT, MIKEY THE SKUNK, MISTER SNAGGLEDY, NINJA GRANDMOTHER, and ROWDY RODDY PIPER.  (That last one killed you, Tom, as he is unfriendly.)  Tom swore that he didn't write a program to search the files for the best team, and I have to believe him with a score like that.  At any rate, Tom still finished last again so he receives no prize either.  The unawarded prizes are really building up; I'd have a yard sale except that it's 10 degrees below zero outside.

The Magnificent Seven are:
                   friendliness   hardiness   product
NINJA GRANDMOTHER        98          35        3430
VOLSTAGG THE OBESE      100          28        2800
BOB THE WANDERER        100          23        2300
HARRY 'SNAPPER' ORGANS  100          22        2200
VICTOR MATURE            80          20        1600
HAROLD THE DUP           99          16        1584
                                       Total: 13914

and your character, of course!
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      Dungeon Designs
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Eamon Parameters

by: Nathan Segerlind & Tom Zuchowski

The Parameter option was introduced with the version 6 DDD.  The programming for this option was left unchanged when the DDD was upgraded to version 7, so the following article applies to both versions.

The purpose of the Parameters option is to allow the author to add to and change the way the data is stored. This feature allows the author to 1) generate additional artifact types with unique data fields; 2) modify existing data fields; 3) change the default values of the data fields.

First, a few definitions:

ARTIFACT TYPE: type of artifact, such as WEAPON or
     READABLE.
FIELD: one of the 8 pieces of data for an artifact.
     For example, Artifact Field #1 is VALUE.
DEFAULT: the value that a Field will have unless it is
     changed by the author.
FORMAT: the Field labels for a given Type.

               Standard Artifact Data:
                    1: Value
                    2: Type
                    3: Weight
                    4: Room

     Format #1 (Weapons)    Format #6 (Door/Gate)
      5: Weapon Type         5: Room Beyond
      6: Odds                6: Key #
      7: Dice                7: Strength
      8: Sides               8: Hidden?

There are 9 such standard formats.  For a complete list, see the DDD manual.

There are 3 rules which MUST be followed, or Terrible
      Things May Happen:
Rule #1: Before entering any data, make all parameter
      changes.
Rule #2: Always save the parameters if changes were
      made.
Rule #3: Whenever resuming data entry or editing, be
      sure to load the parameters file first.

*** HOW TO ADD A NEW ARTIFACT TYPE

The best way to describe this is to step through an example.  Let's add an artifact type for ridable things, such as cars, horses, airplanes, etc.  The fields of this new format will be:
     Field 5: TYPE (0=car, 1=horse, 2=boat, 3=plane)
          default: 0
     Field 6: SPEED (in MPH)
          default: 45
     Field 7: # SEATED
          default: 4
     Field 8: ARMOR
          default: 10

The steps are as follows:

RUN DUNGEON EDIT 7.0
Select:  6 SPECIAL FUNCTIONS
Select:  8 CHANGE DATA ASSIGNMENTS
Select:  6 ADD A FORMAT
     Enter the Fields and defaults described above
     Note that this is Format 10 that you are entering
Select:  5 ARTIFACT TYPES
Select: 12 NEW TYPE
     Enter the new type: RIDABLE
Select:  6 SPECIAL FUNCTIONS
Select:  8 CHANGE DATA ASSIGNEMENTS
Select:  3 CHANGE FORMAT POINTER
     Enter '12' to select the RIDABLE Type
     Enter '10' to set the pointer to Format 10
Select:  7 RETURN TO MAIN MENU
Select:  6 SPECIAL FUNCTIONS
Select:  9 LOAD/SAVE CUSTOMIZED PARAMETERS
Select:  2 SAVE PARAMETERS
     Enter a name for the Parameters file.  It is
          recommended that you use PARAMETERS

That's it.  What could be easier?

The next time that you start up DUNGEON EDIT 7.0 to continue your data entry, perform these steps:

Select:  6 SPECIAL FUNCTIONS
Select:  9 LOAD/SAVE CUSTOMIZED PARAMETERS
Select:  1 LOAD PARAMETERS
     Enter the name of the parameters file.  If you
      can't remember it, type '?' to get a catalog.

TWO WARNINGS:
1) Every time that you add a new format, it will say that it is to be Format 10, even when it is not.  You must keep track of how many formats you have so that you will know its real number.  (Yes, this is a bug.)

2) When you reload the parameters file, the new Format Pointers are NOT set up correctly.  In the above example, after reloading PARAMETERS, the Format Pointer for Artifact Type 12 will be 0, which points to the GOLD format.  You must enter 6 (Special Functions), then 3 (Change Format Pointer), then change the pointer for Type 12 EVERY TIME that you run DUNGEON EDIT 7.0.

*** ADDING EXTRA DATA FIELDS

This option exists for both Artifacts and Monsters.

The Artifact option doesn't work right.  DON'T USE IT.

The Monster option works OK, but you will be adding fields that are not supported by the MAIN PGM.  Since you will have to make many changes to the MAIN PGM anyway, it is recommended that you add extra Artifact and Monster fields directly to the MAIN PGM, using DATA statements and the Applesoft READ command.  It will probably be easier to do and remember, and won't make your data files non-standard.

*** SOME OTHER DATA ASSIGNMENT OPTIONS

1. MONSTER DATA: allows you to change the Monster Field
      labels.

2. ARTIFACT DATA: allows you to change the labels for
      Fields 1 - 4.

4. CHANGE A FORMAT: allows you to change the Format's
      labels and defaults for Fields 5 - 8.

*** SOME OTHER SPECIAL FUNCTIONS

7. CHANGE DEFAULTS:
     1. ROOMS: aren't saved in the parameters file
     2. MONSTERS: works OK
     3. ARTIFACTS: changes Fields 5 - 8 only

*** SOME COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

As you can see, changing the formats can be pretty complicated, and you must still keep track of a lot of things that are not stored in the parameters file.  If your new artifact type will only have 2 or 3 artifacts, it may prove to be easier to do simple artifact number checking instead of messing about with adding new formats.  For example, let's say that your RIDABLE artifacts are artifact numbers 12, 13, and 27.  If you add a new format, every time your MAIN PGM wants to test if an artifact is ridable, you would use this test:  'IF A%(A,2) = 12 THEN...'.  It would be much simpler to NOT generate a Ridable artifact type, but just make these artifacts Type 1, and use this test: 'IF A = 12 OR A = 13 OR A = 27 THEN...'.  However, if you plan to have a lot of Ridable artifacts, then it might be better to go ahead and generate a special Type and Format for it.

The DUNGEON LIST programs do NOT support parameters.

Another option is to use an existing format in a new way.  For example, a couple of Eamons are set in modern times and have a special 'Machine-gun' artifact type.  It would have been better if the author had used artifact Type 3 (Magic Weapons) for machine-guns instead.  Or you could make all treasures Type 1, and use Type 0 for a Special Artifact Type.

Finally, since you have to keep track of it all anyway, it is easiest of all to just use the USER Fields for your special stuff.  For example, if you want to add a Food Artifact, you could use Drinkable Artifacts for both food and drink.  Then use the USER 8 Field to distinguish between them, setting it to 0 for drink and to 1 for food, then testing A%(A,8) in the MAIN PGM.

One very important thing that you should also do, no matter which method you use, is to add some 'Author's Notes' to the intro program or as a stand-alone program, to explain what special Fields and Types you have used and how you have used any USER Fields.
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As most of you know, John Nelson is up to his ears in IBM-Eamon these days.  He is busily adding more features to the Eamon system.  He is using QuickBasic, which is compiled, and is not planning to supply the source code with the basic Eamon Designer Disk.  Therefore, since the average IBM-Eamon author won't be able to make changes in the basic IBM-Eamon system, John is adding a number of additional features and options which will seldom ever be used, but will be there for the author if he needs them.

John has added several new Artifact categories.  We have no plans to implement any of these in Apple-Eamon at this time, but in the interests of standardization, we are describing them here.  If you use these categories, it will make the job of porting your Eamon over to the IBM easier, since John's IBM-Eamon system will already recognize them.  The categories are:

11: WEARABLE  Especially armor.  The version 7 Apple-Eamon supports this category to a limited extent; see the manual for details.

12: FOOD  This category is easily implemented on the Apple as a subset of the already existing Category 6, Drinkable Artifacts.  It is especially easy to do on version 7 by using the USER 8 field to distinguish between food and drink.

13: DRINK  John has broken Drinkable Artifacts into two separate categories, reserving Category 6 for healing potions and poisons, and this category for all other drinkables.  Note that Apple-Eamon does not make this distinction.

14: DISGUISED MONSTER  A familiar example of this category is the good ol' Mimic of the Beginner's Cave.  This kind of artifact will have a common name, like 'Treasure Chest'.  But when it is acted upon, an Effect is printed that describes the transformation, the artifact disappears, and is replaced by the monster itself.  This category has two important fields:
     5. Effect number for transformation description
     6. Number of Monster that appears

15: TRAP  This is somewhat similar to the Disguised Monster described above.  It appears to be an ordinary artifact until the player tries to do something with it.  Then there is a random chance that the trap will be sprung.  The fields for this are:
     5. Percent chance that the trap will go off
     6. Number of Effect describing the springing of
        the trap
     7. number of dice for damage calculation
     8. number of sides on dice
======================================================
     Adventure Reviews
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#60  The Sewers of Chicago - by Jeff Allen

Reviewed by Nathan Segerlind

MAIN PGM Version: 4
Extra Commands: READ, HELP, QUIT
Deleted Commands: none
Special Features: random rat movement
Playing Time: 30-90 minutes
Reviewer's Rating: 3

Description: The Chicago Health Board has determined that the numbers of rats in Chicago are so high that if nothing is done, it would be necessary to evacuate the city.  To combat this menace, they have offered a 20 gold piece reward for every rat brought to the Bounty Office.  Good Luck!

Comment:  This adventure has a neat catchy name, but is a poor game, leading to quite a disappointment for those who bought it for its name.  The above description is the actual description, more or less, which should give you some idea about the depth of the adventure.  The only plot is to kill rats and take them to the Bounty Office at the end of the game.  Even if you are a Hack'n'Slasher like myself, you will find it dull, as the rats are wimps.

An important aspect of this adventure is that the author went out of his way to put in 'Gotcha!' death traps.  These include unlabeled poisons, nuclear materials in stupid places, and fixing the POWER spell so that it only does harm.  The only saving point is that this adventure was one of the first to list exits in the room names.

This adventure is one of my least favorite, and I would recommend it only to people who have everything else.
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#64 Modern Problems - by Anderson/Barban/Thompson

Reviewed by Nathan Segerlind

MAIN PGM Version: 4
Extra Commands: none
Deleted Commands: none
Special Features: none
Playing Time: 1-3 hours
Reviewer's Rating: 6.5

Description: Welcome to Modern Problems!  You have been transported to Seattle circa 1983.  There are two ways in which you may win the game:  1) buy a bus ticket to the Main Hall;  2) win the game.  The bus ticket costs 200 GP, and is the easy exit.

To win the game, you must:  1) get a job;  2) get a car;  3) get an apartment.  Your armor and weapons will be saved for later, and you will be given a .357 Magnum and a bullet-proof vest.

Comment:  This adventure is refreshing in that its quest is not related to violence or fighting.  Don't take me wrong- there is a good deal of fighting, but it's not too significant.

The worst feature about this adventure is that it can get rather unrealistic, allowing you into all kinds of places that nobody would let you go in real life.  For example, you can walk right into a mental hospital and get wasted.

A nice feature is that in order to make a transaction, you must say something to the clerks, or else they will ignore you.  (But that's unrealistic, too- they always ignore you in real life!)

This game is rather fun, but has the simple style that you expect of an earlier Eamon.
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#65 The School of Death - by Kurt Townsend

Reviewed by Nathan Segerlind

MAIN PGM Version: 5
Extra Commands: none
Deleted Commands: none
Special Features: none
Playing Time: 2-4 hours
Reviewer's Rating 5 (6 for young Eamonauts)

Description: When leaving the Main Hall, you bump into the Duke.  He asks you if you would do him a favor.  Being no coward, you agree.  He tells you that a party of bandits broke into his castle last night and stole several treasures.  Luckily, the guard caught all but the leader, and recovered most of the treasure.  The leader, a thief named Karal, took 5 family treasures and hid in the ruins of some terrible place on another level of reality.

A wizard enters, chants a few words, and there's a flash.

Comment:  This adventure is probably one of the best you will find that has almost no modification to the MAIN PGM.  The only modification that I found was a sequence that required you to have the 5 treasures to exit.

The text is well written and entertaining, often humorous.  I myself found it entertaining because of its resemblance to the school I attend.

It is mainly a Hack 'n Slash joke-fest, with almost no puzzle solving.  I don't really mind this, but fans of puzzle-rich Eamons will be disappointed.

Recommended to young Eamonauts and Hack'n'Slashers.
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#87 The Caves of Hollow Mountain - by John Nelson

Reviewed by Nathan Segerlind

MAIN PGM Version: 6.0
Extra Commands: WEAR, REMOVE, FILL, USE, EAT
Deleted Commands: none
Special Features: some really neat programming tricks
Reviewer's Rating: 6

Description:  You were searching for a new adventure in the hills of Mansui when you stumbled upon a small cave that you remembered from tales told at the Main Hall.  It leads into Hollow Mountain, and is fabled to have great treasure, if you can get out with it.

Comment:  This adventure would at first glance seem quite dull, as it has no quest and the exit is plainly marked at the beginning, but it is one of the funniest that I have ever played.  The monsters quite often have rather silly names like Froggy, Horation of Pi, or Jeff Harris (Ed. note- I wonder what Jeff would think about this opinion!), and some actions have very amusing results.

People of both the Hack'n'Slash and Problem-Solving genres will be moderately pleased with this adventure, as there is a good deal of both.  Its only drawback is the lack of a quest.

I would recommend it to everyone, especially people with a less than serious nature.
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#103 Top Secret - by Sam

Reviewed by Nathan Segerlind

MAIN PGM Version: 4
Extra Commands: UNLOCK, SAW, EXITS
Deleted Commands: None
Special Features: EXITS command
Playing Time: 30-90 minutes
Reviewer's Rating: 1

Description: You have been sent to recover the top secret plans from deep within the enemy's base.  If you can make it out with the plans, you will receive 1500 gold pices.  Good Luck!

Comment: This is one of the worst Eamons in existence.  The copy I have has a lot of bugs.  Even after I fixed it, it was still bad.

The EXITS command lists the known exits of a room, since the room descriptions and names do not.  The descriptions are uninteresting.  The only puzzle is one involving sawing some bars.

For hack'n'slashers, this game has only 10 monsters in about 90 rooms, and each one is a real wimp.

This Sam person has written four other adventures, 101 through 105, each about as good as this one.  I would not recommend any of these to anyone unless they had all of the other ones and want a complete collection.
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#119  Grunewalde - by Pat Hurst

Reviewed by Nathan Segerlind

MAIN PGM Version: 5
Extra Commands: READ, OPEN, PULL, WEAR, DRINK
Deleted Commands: none
Modified Commands: EXAMINE
Special Features: plays music
Playing Time: 4-6 hours
Reviewer's Rating: 6

Description: The annual Saturnalia is coming up and you are flat broke.  Already you can hear your comrades ribbing you because you can't afford to buy them drinks during the holidays.

Desperate to avoid this embarrassing predicament, you must get out of town during the holidays, but nobody leaves during the holidays without the possiblity of making lots of coin with little effort.

Finally you decide to skip town to the remote burg of Grunewalde on the premise that you have a lead on the location of the lost Gruner mine.

And you're off to Grunewalde!

Comment:  This was a really fun adventure, and surely would have gotten a higher rating if Pat had put a quest into it somewhere.  The plot seems to be to hang around until the holidays are over and then come home.

Though it lacks a true quest, there is lots of stuff you can accidentally get involved in.  You can get sent on a search of the caves for a cask of Amontillado, discover the Duke's horrible secret, and find the lost Gruner mine.

The game seems quite erratic in its purpose.  One moment you're dealing with an intriguing mystery about the Duke, and the next you are battling the nefarious El Mouldo of Johnny Carson fame.  In fact, many parts of the game have something to do with the Tonight Show, contrasting with its more serious side.

If you want something along the lines of Pat's later adventures such as the excellent 'The Dark Brotherhood', you will be somewhat disappointed.  But if you like light humor in your Eamons, then this will suit you well.
======================================================
       Bugs 'n Fixes
------------------------------------------------------
A MAIN PGM 'feature' has been reported as a bug recently.  When you start up an Eamon that has a saved game on it, you are asked if you want to restart the saved game.  This question uses a GET to acquire your answer.  Thus, if you type "Y"(RETURN), the "Y" is taken as your answer, but the (RETURN) is left in the input buffer, and is later picked up by "YOUR COMMAND?" as your first command.  As you know, typing a (RETURN) tells the program to use the last command given.  And what was that command?  "SAVE"!!  Therefore the first thing that you see when restarting a saved game is "WANT TO SAVE THIS GAME?".  If you answer "N"(RETURN), THE SAME THING HAPPENS AGAIN, AND YOU WIND UP BACK AT THE "SAVE" QUESTION!

The 'fix' for this 'feature' is to remember to NEVER type a (RETURN) when answering the "SAVE?" and "RESTART?" questions.
-------------------------------------------------------*** IMPORTANT*** There have been some reports of OUT OF MEMORY crashes with some of the very large Eamons (eg: #161).  This problem is brought about by the fact that older versions of the Main Hall disk set MAXFILES = 8, which reduces free memory by 1280 bytes.  To fix your copy add this as the VERY FIRST line of your MAIN HALL program:
          PRINT CHR$(4);"MAXFILES 3"
This will fix the memory crunch problem for you.
-------------------------------------------------------
Dungeon List 7.0
Date Fixed: 1/28/89

Problem: Artifact Fields incorrectly labeled.
Fix: Delete first comma in Line 35630.
------------------------------------------------------
#1 - Main Hall & Beginner's Cave
Date Fixed: 2/9/89

Don Brown's 10-year-old Player's Manual was revised and updated.  The old manual had a lot of obsolete, misleading, and even wrong information in it.  The new manual has been somewhat streamlined and a new section has been added that discusses some version 6 improvements and offers some advice for the beginner.  If you're an old hand at Eamon there is nothing in this manual that you don't know already.
------------------------------------------------------
#81 - The Rescue Mission
Date Fixed: 2/9/89
** NOTE **: This adventure cannot be run from the Main Hall but must be run as Part 2 of #80 - The Search for the Key.
Problem: Program WRONG WAY crashes when it attempts to return you to the Main Hall.
Fix: In line 65, add a PRINT statement.
     Add: 5050 PRINT DK$"CLOSE"
------------------------------------------------------
#164 - A Real Cliffhanger
Date Fixed: 11/8/88

Problem: Weapons messed up when returning to Main Hall.
Fix:
2301 NEXT W
2310 HOME : VTAB 5: PRINT "AS YOU DELIVER YOUR
     TREASURES TO SAM": PRINT "SLICKER, THE LOCAL
     BUYER FOR SUCH": PRINT "THINGS, HE EXAMINES YOUR
     GOODS AND": PRINT "PAYS YOU ";

Problem: Player is fined twice for killing Sage.
Fix: In Line 2307, delete   GOLD = GOLD - 1000
------------------------------------------------------

======================================================
   Eamon Adventure Poll
------------------------------------------------------
(The regular listing will be run next issue.  Send us an SASE if you can't wait that long for a full listing.)
Note key:
     a: version 4 or older    h: contemporary setting
     b: version 5             i: 40/80 column capability 
     c: version 6             j: 80-column only
     d: version 7             k: 40 & 80 col. versions
     e: (not used)            l: 2-disk adventure
     f: contains a quest      m: 3-disk adventure
     g: science-fiction       n: 4-disk adventure
   (#80 & #81 are a 2-disk set- #81 will not run alone)

  1. 4.5/2 a
  2. 5.0/2 a
  3. 2.5/2 a
  4. 5.7/3 a,f
  5. 4.7/3 a
  6. 4.0/2 a,f,g
  7. 5.0/2 a
  8. 6.0/1 a,f
  9. 5.0/1 a,f
 10. 3.0/1 a
 11. 3.0/2 a,f
 12. 7.0/1 a,f
 13. 3.0/1 a,f
 14. 4.0/1 a
 15. 5.0/1 a
 16. 8.0/2 a,f
 17. 4.0/1 a
 18. 4.0/1 a,f
 19. 7.0/1 b
 20. 7.0/1 a,f,h
 21. 7.5/2 b,f
 22. 5.0/1 b,f
 23. 7.0/1 b,f
 24. 7.0/1 b,f,h
 25. 7.0/1 b,f,h
 26. 7.0/1 b
 27. 7.0/1 b
 28. 6.0/1 a,h
 29. 2.0/1 a
 30. 2.0/1 a,g,h
 31. 5.0/1 b
 32. 2.0/1 a,h
 33. 7.0/1 b,f
 34. 7.0/1 a,h
 35. 6.5/2 a,f,g
 36. 6.0/2 a,h
 37. 7.0/2 a,f
 38. 7.0/1 a,f,g
 39. 6.0/2 b,f
 40. 4.5/2 b
 41. 6.0/1 b
 42. 5.0/1 b
 43. 5.0/2 b
 44. 4.0/2 b
 45. 7.5/2 b,f
 46. 2.0/1 b,f
 47. 7.5/2 b,f,g
 48. 7.0/1 c
 49. 7.0/1 b,f
 50. 4.0/2 a
 51. 7.0/1 b
 52. 5.0/1 a,h
 53. 4.0/1 a
 54. 5.0/1 b
 55. 6.0/2 a
 56. 6.0/1 a,h
 57. 4.0/1 b
 58. 6.0/1 a
 59. 2.0/3 a,h
 60. 3.0/2 a,h
 61. 4.0/1 b
 62.   -/- b,h
 63.   -/- a,f
 64. 6.5/1 a,f,h
 65. 5.0/1 b,f,h
 66. 5.0/1 a,f
 67.   -/- a,f
 68. 6.0/1 b,f
 69.   -/- b,f
 70. 4.0/1 a,f
 71. 1.0/1 a,h
 72. 3.0/1 b
 73. 6.0/1 a
 74. 9.0/1 b,f
 75. 7.0/1 b
 76. 8.0/1 b,f
 77. 8.0/1 c,f
 78. 9.0/2 b,f
 79. 6.0/1 a,f
 80. 3.0/1 a,f
 81. 7.0/1 a
 82. 5.0/1 b,f
 83. 5.0/1 c,f
 84.   -/- b,h
 85. 5.0/1 a,g
 86. 6.0/1 c,f
 87. 6.0/1 c
 88. 1.0/3 b,h
 89. 4.0/1 c,f
 90. 6.0/1 c,f,h
 91. 8.0/3 b,f,g
 92. 7.0/1 c,f
 93. 7.0/1 b
 94. 5.0/1 b,f
 95. 2.0/2 a,f
 96. 2.0/2 a
 97. 6.0/1 a
 98.   -/- a
 99. 6.0/2 c,f
100. 8.5/2 c
101. 1.0/2 a,g
102. 2.0/3 a,h
103. 1.0/1 a
104. 1.0/1 a,g
105. 1.0/1 a,h
106. 7.0/1 b,f,h
107. 8.0/1 c,f
108. 8.5/2 c,f
109. 7.0/1 c,f
110. 5.0/1 c,f
111. 4.5/2 c,h
112. 6.0/2 c
113. 7.0/1 c,f
114. 9.0/3 c,f,i
115. 5.0/1 c,f
116. 5.5/2 c,f
117. 8.0/2 a,f,k
118.   -/- c
119. 6.5/2 b,f,l
120. 9.0/1 c,f
121. 9.0/1 c,f
122. 4.0/1 c
123. 5.0/1 c,f
124. 9.5/2 c,f,i
125. 3.0/1 b,f,h
126. 8.0/1 c,f
127. 7.0/1 c,f
128. 7.0/1 c,f
129. 8.5/2 c,f,l
130. 7.0/1 c,f
131. 6.0/1 c,f,j
132. 9.0/1 c,f,h
133. 5.0/1 c,f,g
134. 4.0/1 c
135. 2.0/1 b
136. 3.0/1 b,f
137. 6.0/1 b
138. 6.0/1 c,f
139. 7.5/2 c,f,h
140. 5.0/1 b
141. 3.0/2 c
142. 7.0/1 b,f,h
143. 6.0/1 b,f
144. 5.0/1 c,f,h
145. 8.3/3 c,f,l
146. 6.0/1 c,f,h
147. 9.0/1 c,f,l
148. 8.3/3 c,f,i
149. 8.5/2 c,f,n
150. 8.7/2 c,f,i
151. 3.5/2 c,f,g
152. 7.0/1 c,f,h
153. 5.0/1 c
154. 7.0/1 c
155. 6.0/1 c,f
156. 4.0/1 c
157. 5.0/1 c,f,h
158. 7.0/1 c,f,h
159. 6.5/2 c,f,h
160. 7.0/1 c,f
161. 9.0/2 c,f,h,m
162. (N/A) d,i
163. 6.5/2 a,f,g
164. 6.0/1 a,h
165. 5.0/1 c,f,h,k
166. 9.0/1 c,f,m
 51. 3.5/2 c,f,g
152. 7.0/1 c,f,h
153. 5.0/1 c
154. 7.0/1 c
155. 6.0/1 c,f
156. 4.0/1 c
157. 5.0/1 c,f,h
158. 7.0/1 c,f,h
159. 6.5/2 c,f,h
160. 7.0/1 c,f
Dungeon Designer Diskette     Version 7.0
DDD 7.0 Multi-Disk Supplement
Dungeon Designer Diskette     Version 6.2
EAG Eamon Utilities Diskette
Graphics Main Hall

