			The Eamon Adventurer's Guild

				September 1988

EDITORIAL - Miscellaneous Musings

by Tom Zuchowski

Well, the EAG seems to be off and running.  Membership is gaining steadlily.  A couple of our affiliated Public-Domain houses will be coming out with new catalogs soon, and they promise to give us a plug in their catalogs.  One of the things that got the NEUC really rolling was the plug they got from 3A 'way back when, so we are very hopeful that membership inquiries will pick up considerably once these new catalogs are out.

I have seen some enthusiasm for upgrading Eamon to take advantage of the //gs and ProDos environment.  I am not really qualified to judge the desirability of using Prodos, nor am I very familiar with the //gs, but, with the exception of maybe 6 Eamons from 3 authors, Eamon easily fits in the 36K free memory of the II-//e-//c family, and the typical Eamon has perhaps 40 free disk sectors.  Of the 3 above authors, one has a //c, and the other two have II+'s, and they all managed without undue hardship.  Of the ACTIVE Eamon authors that I am aware of, one got a Mac, one got an Amiga (they kept their IIs!), and the others have no plans to buy //gs's.

There seems to be a widely held impression that the common Eamon OUT OF MEMORY crash is a memory problem.  This is not the least bit true; this error is a stack overflow problem resulting from the fact that Eamon was laid out years before proper programming practices were widely understood.  The 6.2DDD goes a long way towards fixing this problem, and runs 3 or 4 times faster than older Eamons.  I am presently about 3/4 finished with a version 7.0 that will be 10-15% smaller and perhaps 3 times faster than the 6.2.  This 7.0DDD will support group monsters, an enhanced command set, a multi-disk protocol, accurate line counting, 200 'real' artifacts (besides dead monsters), a 'fast-start' feature, have dozens of minor improvements, and should handle any task in 1 or 2 seconds.

Maybe a compiled program will still be faster overall, but if either program can print and scroll faster than you can read, who cares?

Compiled programs can be bears to debug, and every Eamon author has been appalled by the effort required to debug a new Eamon.  Beyond that, a large majority of our members do not now and may never own a //gs.  Therefore, given the fact that Eamon presently has enough memory and disk space, what do we gain by cutting these people off?  I own a II+, and would really like to hear what the //gs will enable Eamon authors to do THAT SOMEONE ACTUALLY WANTS TO DO but can't do now.  Let me know.  I'd appreciate the input.

Anyway, the 7.0DDD should be finished by mid-October.  Having a vested interest in keeping Eamon on a II+ with Dos 3.3, I am making this available to anyone for one dollar.  Send me a buck, and I will send you the 7.0DDD and a demo adventure.  I think that you will see that there is life in the old girl yet!

CHEAP DISKS: Several people have mentioned the high cost of buying diskettes to ship around the country.  I buy my diskettes for 27 cents each from MEI/Micro Center, 1100 Steelwood Road, Columbus, OH 43212-9972  Phone:1(800)634-3478.  You must buy in bulk in multiples of 100, and larger quantities than 100 get even better prices.  They have hub rings.  I have been using them for years, and have never had a bad one.  At these prices, the most expensive part of shipping disks is the postage!  I currently have an excess stock of disks, and will sell them in lots of 20 for $10 (postage included).  But honestly, you would be much better off to spend 3 times the money to get 5 times the disks from MEI.  It may seem like a lifetime supply, and may well be so, but with this many diskettes you tend to keep more backups (a VERY good habit!!).  I go thru maybe 40 a year in non-EAG computing, mainly by mailing them away to someone.

Also for the budget-minded: computer disks are eligible for 'book rate' from the post office, if you don't care how long delivery takes.

EXPIRATION DATES:  Those of you who are transfer members from the NEUC are probably wondering when your subscriptions run out.  Look at your address on this newsletter.  The date following your name is the date of the last issue that you will be getting from us.  Of course we hope that you all will renew when it comes time!

======================================================
EAMON ADVENTURER'S GUILD
Thomas Zuchowski, Editor

Membership/subscription fee: $9.00 for 4 issues
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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     156 The Lake              by Nathan Segerlind
     157 The Pathetic Hideout of Mr. R.
                               by Nathan Segerlind
     158 The Lair of Mr. Ed    by Nathan Segerlind
     159 The Bridge of Catzad-Dum
                               by Nathan Segerlind
     160 Monty Python & the Holy Grail
                               by Nathan Segerlind
     161 Operation Endgame     by Sam Ruby

In 'The Lake', you investigate a large lake in a dark land called Death.  Flying about on your Magic Carpet, you seek Fred's Island, where you will attempt to slay a dragon and steal his treasure hoard.

In 'The Pathetic Hideout of Mr. R.', you undertake to infiltrate the fortress of the infamous Mr. Roessler, Nathan's computer club moderator.  Your mission is to blow it up.  This adventure is fun but unforgiving.

'The Lair of Mr. Ed' is reviewed in this issue.  That evil talking horse is up to his old tricks!

'The Bridge of Catzad-Dum' is an adaptation of the 'Samurai Cat' comic book found in book stores.  This is a straight search-and-destroy mission in which the object is to avenge the death of your master.

'Monty Python & the Holy Grail' is a well done adaptation of the movie that also throws in several other famous Python skits.

'Operation Endgame' uses a modern setting & weapons.  Your mission is to penetrate the enemy's base with your team and destroy their nuclear missile.  The makeup & character of your team resembles that of the movie 'Predator'.  This is a 3-disk adventure, and is absolutely outstanding, perhaps Sam's best.

(At the time of this writing, 159 & 160 are in final test, and may not be available until around Oct 15)

======================================================

Apple-based back issues of the formerly Apple-based NEUC 'Adventurer's Log' are available from us:

$2.00 each: Aug'84, May'84, Oct'84, Jan'85, Mar'85,
           May'85
$2.25 each: Aug'85, Oct'85, Jun'86, Jan'87, Oct'87

$2.25 each: EAG Jun'88

(If you can't afford them all, a vague and somewhat inconsistent rule of thumb would be to buy the most recent issues and work your way back.  On the average, the 'Adventurer's Log' got better with each issue.)

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         Eamon Lore
------------------------------------------------------

Eamon Monster Lore - Part I

Loremaster:  Pat Hurst

In the last Eamon installment I detailed the weaponry of Eamon.  This time let's examine those who employ the weapons - Eamon monsters.  As in other role-playing games, the term 'monster' refers to any independently active object.  This covers humans, humanoid fantasy creatures (orcs, trolls, and giants are prevalent), plants (Venus flytrap, for example), animals (snakes, spiders, and rats run wild), fantasy animals (dragons are always popular), mechanical devices (robots, tanks, planes), the undead, supernatural or demonic creatures, deities, and then there are the truly strange ones.  Since there are many more named monsters than weapons, the list will conclude in the next issue of the newsletter.

Monsters aren't defined in exactly the same way as player characters (PC's).  One difference is that monsters have a friendliness rating; PC's have a charisma rating instead.  A monster's friendliness is very important to the PC since it is a major determinant of the monster's reaction to the PC.  If the monster's friendliness rating is 0, then the monster will always be an enemy of the PC.  If the monster's rating is 100, then the monster will always be a friend of the PC.  If the monster's rating is between 0 and 100, then the monster may be an enemy, a friend, or neutral depending upon its friendliness rating, the PC's charisma, and a random element.  A higher rating increases the probability that the monster will be a friend.  A lower rating increases the probability that the monster will be an enemy.  Thus, in the following lists, there are good guys, bad guys, and some who just don't care about the PC.

The Eamon library encompasses several genres in naming monsters.  These will be noted but I will try to avoid listing the individual names since they should already be familiar to you in most cases.  From mythology come adventures treating Norse myth, Greek myth, and Arthurian legend.  From fantasy literature come adventures treating the Cthulhu mythos and the worlds of Tolkein and Lewis Carroll.  Television is the source for adventures about Cheers, the Tonight Show, Monty Python's Flying Circus, and Star Trek.  Movies motivated adventures with James Bond and the Star Wars group.  Comic book heroes appear in some adventures while another is a tour through history.  For the sots among you, there is even one adventure that covers all your favorite brews.

For individual names of monsters, dragons provide an impressive array.  There are RED, WHITE, BLUE, GREEN, GOLD, GOLDEN, BLACK, PINK, COPPER, SILVER, and GREY.  The dragon may be SMALL, NASTY, or an OLD FEMALE (sounds bad to me, I think I had a neighbor like that once).  A particular type might be the KOMODO, SEA, or ORIENTAL.  You may run into a DRAGON TURTLE or a DRAGONFLY.  Even PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON makes an appearance as well as his counterpart, PUFF THE MEAN DRAGON.

Giants include the regular humanoid types as well as numerous giant versions of normal animals.  In the humanoid class are CLOUD, STORM, STONE, FIRE, ICE, FROST, CAVE, HILL, and EARTH giants.  Giant animals that crop up include LIZARD, CRAYFISH, SQUID, SNAKE, AMOEBA, STALL BUG, RAT, PENGUIN, SPIDER, BAT, BOA, RATTLER, COBRA, MOLE, PIKE, MOTH, CENTIPEDE, BLACK SPIDER, CRAB, WORM, FIRE-WORM, TURTLE, SNAPPING TURTLE, TICK, TOAD, and MAGGOT.  Now, who says Eamonauts like to exaggerate?  There is one called a SEMI-GIANT; I guess the author couldn't decide whether the situation warranted the real thing.

Evil religious cults make wonderful foes for any adventurer.  It's no surprise to find a CULTIST, DISCIPLE, BROTHER, SHAMAN, TEMPLAR, CURE, PRIOR, MONK, CARDINAL, WORSHIPER, EVIL WORSHIPER, WITCH DOCTOR, GURU, CHAPLAIN, PROPHET, REVEREND, or AYATOLLAH.  The priest category alone contains VOLCANO, BLIND, HIGH, GOBLIN, RED ROBED, BLACK ROBED, DARK, and OLD ones.  Often these guys conjure up undead spirits or demons to assist their nefarious plans.  ZOMBIES and SKELETONS are a dime a dozen, but you haven't lived until you've tangled with the likes of NGURCT or VAPRAK.  Then again, you may not live after you've tangled with them either.

Evil beings are always interested in killing the PC so the killer monster is popular.  Besides THE KILLER, these include the KILLER SCORPION, PARAKEET, SHEEP, TREE, BEES, LIZARD, WOODCHUCK, HAMSTER, BUNNY, and SEAL.  In opposing these denizens of death, you might get some help from the Eamon armed forces.  In rank order we have GENERALS KIEF, KRALZ, and LARD; ADMIRAL PERRY; COLONELS TRANG and BLACK; COMMANDER EKLP; MAJOR KATANG; CAPTAINS BLOOD, TICK, TUCKER, HAROLD, and HOOK; LIEUTENANTS SLADE and DETH; SERGEANTS O'NEILL, HAWK, and FRIDAY; and CORPORAL RIKI.  Please note that I said you might get some help; I can't guarantee that everyone here will like you. (continued next issue)

Weapons Contest Update  -  by Pat Hurst

The Eamon Weapon Contest closed on August 15.  Tons of entries have been checked and tabulated by the noted firm of chartered accountants, Wrenhold, Trezore, & Molinar.  The results were hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar kept on Moleman's front porch since noon today.  NO one knows the results, but I, in my borderline mystical way, shall reveal the winners, without ever having seen the results.  The winners:

1st place - Dan Cross, author of #146, The House of Horrors, scored 11 out of 12.  His prize will be awarded after he apologizes for accusing me of including a phony weapon, Fortiter.  Dan needs to check my adventure #145, Buccaneer!, side B, to expand his horizons.  His requested prize is another contest, so look for a 'monstrous' one in the near future.

2nd place - Nate Segerlind, author of #152-3 & 156-160, scored 7 out of 12 and improved to 8 after finding Fortiter in the Eamon Gazetteer which I sent him.  He also admitted to playing the percentages by guessing 'sword' on ones he didn't know.  Oh, you scamp!  His requested prize of #147 is on the way.

3rd place - Tom Zuchowski, esteemed editor, author of #114, 124, 148, & 150, and winner of an American Library Association 'Reading is Fundamental' award, scored 0 out of 12 and finished third by default since there weren't any other entries.  John Nelson, Eamon godfather, almost nosed out Tom by just thinking about entering, but in the interests of maintaining my integrity (okay, stop that laughing out there), I decided to stick to the rules and disqualify John's hypothetical 12 out of 12.  Tom wrote a short program to search adventure artifact files for the 12 weapons, but he recorded the adventure number instead of the weapon type.  Despite finishing third, Tom will not receive a prize because he also finished last.

The correct answers are:
  1. Anderhauf - sword        7. Grond - club
  2. Bemsbane - axe           8. Necropolis - club
  3. Brodys Folly - sword     9. Old Trusty - sword
  4. Celsius - axe           10. Slisack - sword
  5. Death Dreamer - sword   11. Thudwacker - club
  6. Fortiter - axe          12. Y'Natheli - spear

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     Dungeon Designs
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by Tom Zuchowski

Programming efficiently for space and speed.

***  VARIABLES

Real ARRAY variables use 5 bytes each, while Integer ARRAY variables use only 2.  Thus DIM AD%(100,9) consumes 2000 bytes of memory, but DIM AD(100,9) uses 5000 bytes!  Always use Integer for large arrays.

Real SIMPLE variables use LESS memory than Integer SIMPLE variables, and execute faster, too.  ALWAYS use Real Simple variables.

Applesoft only 'sees' the first two characters of a variable name.  It can't tell a difference between DIE and DIS, which can cause you some real trouble.  Short names also save memory.  Use short variable names.

***  LOOPS

Consider the following routine:
     7420 FOR A = 1 TO NA: IF AD%(A,4) < > ROOM OR
          AD%(A,2) < 2 OR AD%(A,2) > 3 THEN 7440
     7430 PRINT MN$(OF);" PICKS UP";AN$(A):(other
          statements):RETURN
     7440 NEXT:RETURN

This routine has 3 serious problems:
   1)Applesoft finds GOTO lines by going to the beginning of the program and checking EVERY line
number until it finds it.  You have all seen times when a monster broke its weapon during a fight, there were no weapons lying about the room, and things slowed down a LOT each time that monster's turn to fight came up.  The above code is responsible.
   2)Line 7420 does 3 comparisons for EACH artifact tested, even if the artifact isn't in the room.
   3)Line 7430 does a RETURN, leaving an OPEN LOOP.  This leaves all of the loop's 'housekeeping' on the program stack, which is only 256 bytes long.  If we use up the stack, eventually it 'overflows', and the program crashes with an OUT OF MEMORY error.  Note that the program is not really out of memory.  This is the cause of Eamon's OUT OF MEMORY problem.

Now look at this routine:
     7420 FOR A = 1 TO NA: IF AD%(A,4) < > RO THEN
          NEXT: RETURN
     7425 IF AD%(A,2) < 2 OR AD%(A,2) > 3 THEN NEXT:
          RETURN
     7430 PRINT MN$(OF);" PICKS UP";AN$(A):(other
          statements):A = 999
     7440 NEXT: RETURN

   1)Line 7420 avoids doing the time-consuming GOTOs by doing its own NEXT.  If it has examined all of the artifacts, the NEXT 'falls through', and the RETURN is executed.  This is a huge timesaver.
   2)Line 7420 only checks to see if the artifact is in the room.  This way we avoid doing unnecessary comparisons.
   3)Line 7430 sets 'A' to a number that is greater than NA.  Thus when line 7440 is executed, the NEXT statement 'closes the loop', clearing the program stack.

The above listing was to illustrate some points.  Here is the optimum listing:
     7420 FOR A = 1 TO NA: IF AD%(A,4) = RO THEN IF
          AD%(A,2) = 2 OR AD%(A,2) = 3 THEN PRINT
          MN$(OF)" PICKS UP"AN$(A):(other
          statements):A = 999
     7430 NEXT: RETURN

***  MINIMIZING COMPARISONS

Examine the following example:
     510 IF RO = 17 AND MD%(5,5) = RO AND PW < 5 AND
          RND(1) < .5 THEN GOSUB 30000

In this line, all 4 comparisons are ALWAYS done, even if you are not in room 17.  Now look at this:
     510 IF RO = 17 THEN IF MD%(5,5) = RO AND PW < 5
          AND RND(1) < .5 THEN GOSUB 30000

See how this code reduces the comparisons to just one.

510 IF RO = 17 THEN IF MD%(5,5) = RO AND PW < 5
          AND RND(1) < .5 THEN GOSUB 30000

See how this line reduces the comparisons to just one. 
***  EXITING SUBROUTINES

NEVER use GOTO to exit from a subroutine!  This is a VERY fast road to a stack overflow OUT OF MEMORY crash.  Always use RETURN or POP:GOTO to exit from subroutines, so that the stack is cleared.

This tutorial is necessarily brief do to space limitations.  If you have further questions, drop me a line.

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    Adventure Reviews
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#70 The Tomb of Y'Golonac - by Robert Romanchuk

Reviewed by Pat Hurst

MAIN PGM Version: 4
Extra Commands: none
Special Features: Intro in ornate hi-res typeface
Playing Time: 1 hour
Reviewer's Rating: 4 (6 for Cthulhu types)

Description: The dreaded Cthulhu Cycle has existed since the dawn of time. The ancient myths of  the Elder Beings from beyond space and time have, in other worlds, too often proved true. You hear a rumor of the Tomb of Y'Golonac, filled with hideous monsters from a bygone era. It must be looted and the god destroyed. You read a rotting, worm-eaten tome...

'Beyond a gulf in the subterranean night a passage leads to a wall of massive brick, and beyond the wall rises Y'Golonac to be served by the tattered eyeless figures of the dark. So may Y'Golonac return to walk among men and await the time when Earth is cleared and Cthulhu rises from his tomb among the weeds, Glaaki thrusts open the crystal trapdoor, Snub-Niggurath strides forth to smash the moon-lens...'

That night you set off to find the Tomb. After heading over a small, forgotten path winding through the huge Voormithadreth mountains, you came across the entrance to the Tomb!

Comment: This adventure was dedicated to H. P. Lovecraft who originated the literary tradition which has come to be known as the Cthulhu Mythos. If you are familiar with these stories by Lovecraft, et al., you will appreciate this adventure more. If you have played the Call of Cthulhu game (( C ) by Chaosium, Inc.) you wil have a good idea of what to expect from this adventure - you will probably die. If youare a wimp, the monsters will kill you. If you're really tough, and you don't fumble your heavy-duty weapon (killing yourself,) then you may survive. But if you are thorough in your explorations, then you will die in one of the traps. The best way to deal with this is to heed any warning that the author provides during play. This limits your exploration but gives you the best chance of surviving.

My biggest gripe about this adventure is the large number of unmarked exits from rooms. The LOOK command does not find these exits. The player is reduced to trying every direction in every room. This wastes a lot of time and quickly becomes a pain in the neck. I would normally complain about the 'gotcha' traps but these are true to the genre. In the Cthulhu Mythos, the humans who confronted the Elder Gods typically died, usually horribly. That's why if you are a shade Cthulhoid yourself, you may appreciate the numerous opportunities to croak. There are few mistakes and typos, and the descriptions are sufficiently gruesome to raise the adventure's rating. I would recommend it to any Cthulhu nuts, but there are better adventures for normal Eamon players. If you have played all of the better ones and are still after a challenge, then you might consider this one.

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#150 Walled City of Darkness - by Tom Zuchowski

Reviewed by Pat Hurst

MAIN PGM Version: 6.2 (modified)
Extra commands: PRAY, ENTER, EARN, BUY, PAY, SELL, WEAR, REMOVE, REQUEST
Modified commands: SAVE & RESTORE up to 3 games) LOOK & EXAMINE, GIVE
Special features: 40/80 column capability; Author's notes, accessible at start, wearable artifacts, no Dos on disk.
Playing time: 3-4 hours minimum, the maximum depends on your ability to solve the puzzles.
Reviewer's rating: 8.5

Description: A feeling of uneasiness leads you to consult a local seer who directs you to Hokas Tokas in the city of Lumen. As you enter the city you are cast into darkness and seized by some unseen presence.  It paws through your things, and you sense its pleasure as it takes your gold and its scorn as it laughs at your magic weapons. A timely intercession by Hokas Tokas drags you free of the malevolent force. Within the city you find Hokas who says:

'You have come at last! Almost had I come to despair that you would arrive in time!  The situation is most desperate.  Lumen, the patron god of the city, has been cast down by his ancient enemy, a god of evil whose name is not spoken.  The darkness that seals the city is his work and we will soon be doomed.  Other gods, unfriendly to the Nameless, have taken Lumen's possessions into their keeping in the hope that a champion will appear who has the wit and worth to win the trappings of a god, and banish the Nameless to the pit from whence he came.  Go now as there is no champion who may better succeed than yourself.  I have informed the gods of your arrival.'

Comments:   The above is an abbreviated version of the Intro program which belies the rich texture of the adventure.  The author has taken great pains to detail this adventure in such a way as to animate the city and its inhabitants.  The descriptions are not so lengthy as to impede the play of the adventure, however.

The adventure contains several puzzles (or tasks) which must be solved and their solutions are not particularly obvious in some cases.  You must be attentive to details and very thorough in tracking your progress.  To assist the player, there is an Astrologer who may occasionally offer some advice.  You can save up to three games at once and you should save after completing any complicated task.  You can die in this adventure, but if you are properly prepared, death is unlikely.  However, the proper preparation isn't always easy to determine.  I would recommend that you know how to resurrect a character on your master disk before playing this adventure.  Certain eventualities may terminate your character or you may become hopelessly stuck.

This is another solid adventure by Zuchowski.  It will have more appeal to problem-solving types than hack-and-slash types.  There are some nice special effects and some punny references.  My only real criticism is that you'll do a lot of traipsing around the town before you're done.  Overall, I would recommend this adventure, primarily to experienced players.

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#151 Eamon S.A.R.-1 (Deneb Raid) - by David Crawford

Reviewed by Pat Hurst

MAIN PGM version: 6.0
Extra Commands: RESUSCITATE (not working)
Deleted Commands: none
Special Features: hi-res intro screen
Playing Time: 30 minutes
Reviewer's Rating: 3

Description:    Trouble is brewing on Deneb III.  You receive a message from the crown prince, a personal friend, which asks you to rescue his daughter who is being held by the Deneb Liberation Army, a terrorist group dedicated to overthrowing the ruling families of the Deneb system.  The terrorists are hiding in an office-warehouse complex in the seedy section of town.  The building is surrounded by royal marines who want to avenge the deaths of their comrades at the hands of the terrorists.  Your strike team must first enter the complex and rescue the prince's daughter.  There is a side door which is not equipped with an alarm, booby-trap, or guard.  It is time to strike.

Comments:  This adventure is a simple walk through - visit all of the rooms until you rescue the princess.  There are no puzzles to solve, no hidden objects to find, no embedded artifacts, nothing to be found by opening containers, and no significant modifications to the POWER command.  The monsters are neither tough nor numerous.  There are many typos and mistakes; apparently no serious effort was made to edit this adventure (the RESUSCITATE command wasn't even available, not being in the command list).  Line counting is not properly implemented.  The OPEN command didn't do anything.  There was nothing to drink.  There was no reason to put anything into something.  There was one funny bit with the HEAL command.  The premise and setting were interesting, but the implementation didn't live up to the early promise.  This adventure is suitable only for younger and/or inexperienced players.  (See this issue's Bug Fixes to learn how to install the RESUSCITATE command - Tom)

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#158 The Lair of Mr. Ed - by Nathan Segerlind

Reviewed by Tom Zuchowski

MAIN PGM Version: 6.0
Extra Commands: STATUS, USE, EAT, MAKE
Deleted Commands: SAVE
Special Features: Status Cmd
Playing Time: 1-3 hours
Reviewer's Rating: 7

Description: 'One day when you went to the Main Hall, your good friend P'tin Kan wasn't in his usual seat.  The burly Irishman told you that he had been investigating a case of sabotage in the King's castle last Thursday.  P'tin Kan found a trail of horse-hooves leading directly to the sabotage, indicating that it had been the work of that renegade stallion, Mr. Ed!

Nobody saw P'tin Kan after that night.  His chambers were searched, and all that was found was a trail of horse-hooves!  It is almost certain that Mr. Ed has captured P'tin Kan, since he knew too much.

Infuriated at Mr. Ed's evil deeds, you set out at once to find the whereabouts of this Mr. Ed guy.  It turns out that he dwells in a heavily guarded fortress in the middle of a thick forest.  And so you set out to rescue your friend and destroy the diabolical Mr. Ed!

Comments:  This is by far Nathan's most successful Eamon to date.  It was quite amusing, as his adventures usually are.  There were a number of good puzzles that interlocked to some extent that had to be solved in order to gain entry into Mr. Ed's castle.  The overall effect was very coherent.  I also thought it was a real hoot the way Mr. Ed, that talking horse of TV fame, was presented as an evil mastermind.

Two regular features of Nathan's adventures are armed animals (eg: Ninja Carp) and his computer club moderator, a Mr. Roessler, and both were present in this adventure.  The animals were only simple 'orcs', that is, common sword-fodder, and the ever-diabolical Mr. R. took Wilbur's place as Mr. Ed's prime confidant.

The STATUS command was a small feature that printed out your character's current abilities in the same way that the Main Hall does.  I very much missed the SAVE command, though.

All in all, I was quite entertained by this one, and would recommend it to anyone.

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       Bugs 'n Fixes
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Even though the great majority of Eamons being sold today are NEUC/EAG versions, it has come to our attention that some older Eamons that are still being sold have bugs that the club fixed long ago.  If you are having trouble with an adventure and the Main Program isn't named MAIN PGM, or there is lower-case text in the Catalog, then we will require a disk along with your bug report.  We will send you a listing of the fixes for free, but if you want a debugged disk back, you must order it under our 'Disk Update' program.  The charge for disk updates is $1.00 per disk, with a $3.00 minimum.

Here are fixes for the fatal bugs that we have recently found in several non-club-version Eamons.

50: Line 4060: change  D$  to  DK$

52: Line 170 missing; copy it from another adventure.

58: Syntax Error in 20030

62: Syntax Error in 20030

86: Line 21110,21120: change  X  to  A

97: Move (renumber) line 1045 to 1023

Here are the new bugs 'n fixes for the club library: ------------------------------------------------------
Adventure #124 - Assault on Dolni Keep
Date Fixed: 10/29/87

Problem: UNDEFINED STATEMENT IN 30786
Fix: In Line 30786, change  30090  to  30786
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Adventure #131 - Nucleus of the Ruby
Date Fixed: 8/7/88

The adventure was modified to fit on a single disk.  The procedure is: 1)remove Dos from side 1  2)copy the files (except EAMON ADVENTURE #131B) from side 2 onto side 1  3)delete line 1210 from the MAIN PGM.

Also, the speed-up mods were installed.
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Adventure #138 - Starfire
Date fixed: 6/16/88

Problem: The Intro text is cleared as soon as it is
printed.
Fix:  STARFIRE pgm: Delete 'HOME :' from line 5000

Also, the speed-up mods were installed
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Adventure #140 - Beginner's Forest
Date Fixed: 7/18/88

Problem: Room description says 'UNDERBRUSH GROWS
SOUTH', it should be 'NORTH'.

Problem: NO BUFFERS error.
Fix:  New Line:  1310  PRINT DK$
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Adventure #141 - The Infested Fortress
Date Fixed: 6/16/88

Problem: The magical exit doesn't work if you GET ALL
instead of naming the artifact that triggers it.
Fix:  4220  IF A = 76 OR A = 78 THEN 30000

Problem: Directions aren't mentioned in Room 1.
Fix: Change Room 1 description to include:
      'THE MAIN HALL IS WEST.'
-----------------------------------------------------
Adventure #142 - The Beermeister's Brewery
Date Fixed: 7/18/88

Problem: Not all exits listed in Room 43.
Fix: Add EAST to Room 43 description.

Problem: When restarting a saved game, you have to hit
a key twice with no prompting.
Fix: Delete lines 31020, 31030

Problem: When you FREE Kevin, the pgm jumps to the
SAVE routine.
Fix: In Line 21003, change  '30000'  to  '29000'.

Problem: You can't get the beer.  This is bad because
it is the only means of healing yourself.
Fix:  4133 IF A = 17 THEN BR = 6

Also, the speed-up mods were installed.
------------------------------------------------------
Adventure #146 - House of Horrors
Date Fixed: 6/16/88

A new version of this was received in late 1987 that addressed a number of program & plot bugs.  Also, the speed-up mods were installed.  A new version is recommended if you got your copy in mid-'87.
------------------------------------------------------
Adventure #148 - Journey to Jotunheim
Date Fixed: 7/31/88
Problem: The weapon skills are incorrectly transferred
on return to the Main Hall
Fix: In Line 31580, change  'FOR I'  to  'FOR A'

Problem: If you are killed in the Valhall on the same turn that the Thrall would have summoned you to the Valhall if you were elsewhere, the YOU SEE routine goes into an endless loop after you are resurrected.
Fix: In line 540, change  'IF VC = 5'  to
      'IF NOT GG THEN IF VC > 4'

Problem: forced FRE(0) garbage collection occurs about every 8th turn
Fix: The INIT routine at 30000 was split off into a separate program which CHAINs to the MAIN PGM.  The mods are too extensive to list here.  An update is recommended; this mod cut the forced garbage collection to only two occurrences altogether.
------------------------------------------------------
Adventure #150 - Walled City of Darkness
Date Fixed: 7/8/88, 8/8/88

Problem: Incorrect battle results.
Fix: 7606  IF M%(OF,9) = 18 THEN DF = 22: GOTO 7609

Problem: You can put the Rods of Light into niches that aren't even in the room.
Fix: 21530 NEXT :MW = 0: FOR I = 1 TO 4:
            IF A2 = MZ%(MZ,I) THEN MW = I
     21535 NEXT :A2 = 0: FOR A = 1 TO 4
            IF WL$ = TP$(MZ%(MZ,A)) THEN A2 = 1
     21540 NEXT : IF NOT A2 THEN MW = 0: GOTO 95
     21545 IF WL$ < > TP$(MZ%(MZ,MW)) THEN MW = 0
     21550 PRINT : PRINT "OKAY.":GOSUB
          930:A%(Z,4) = - 100

Problem: UNDEFINED STATEMENT IN 32710
Fix:  32710  NEXT: IF A = 0 THEN A = F: ON (A = 15)
               + 1 GOTO 32050,32027

Problem: 80-col. not handled correctly by RESTORE cmd.
Fix:  In Line 29208, remove the extra quote mark.

Problem: Art. Search routine can't find all artifacts.
Fix: In Lines 1680, 32700  change  'TA'  to  'TN'

A new version was released by the author on 8/8/88 that corrected some spelling errors, improved the player interface, and included a number of minor fixes.  An update is recommended.
------------------------------------------------------
#151 - Eamon S.A.R.-1 (The Deneb Raid)
Date Fixed: 8/1/88
Problem: RESUSCITATE doesn't work.
Fix: In Line 1910, change  '30'  to '31'

Problem: SYNTAX ERROR IN 25040
Fix: delete last ')' in line

Problem: BAD SUBSCRIPT IN 25190
Fix: Change   FO = M   to   M = FO
------------------------------------------------------
#152 - Computer Club of Fear
Date Fixed: 8/8/88
A new EAMON.MONSTERS file was received from the author.  An update is recommended.
------------------------------------------------------

======================================================
 Eamon Adventure Listing
------------------------------------------------------



Ratings are given on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 highest.
Format is R/N, where R = the adventure's overall rating;
N = the number of people who have rated it.

Note key:
     a: version 4 or older    h: contemporary setting
     b: version 5             i: 40/80 column capability 
     c: version 6.0           j: 80-column only
     d: version 6.2           k: 2-disk adventure
     e: (not used)            l: 3-disk adventure
     f: contains a quest      m: 4-disk adventure
     g: science-fiction       n: 40 & 80 col. versions

  1. Main Hall & Beginners Cave  D. Brown       6.0/2 a
  2. The Lair of the Minotaur    D. Brown       5.0/2 a
  3. The Cave of the Mind       Jacobson/Varnum 2.5/2 a
  4. The Zyphur Riverventure     J. Jacobson    6.0/2 a,f
  5. Castle of Doom              D. Brown       5.0/2 a
  6. The Death Star              D. Brown       4.0/2 a,f,g
  7. The Devil's Tomb            J. Jacobson    5.0/2 a
  8. The Abductor's Quarters     J. Jacobson    6.0/1 a,f
  9. Assault on the Clonemaster  D. Brown       5.0/1 a,f
 10. The Magic Kingdom           D. Cook        3.0/1 a
 11. The Tomb of Molinar         D. Brown       3.0/2 a,f
 12. The Quest for Trezore       J. Jacobson    7.0/1 a,f
 13. Caves of Treasure Island    Genz & Braun   3.0/1 a,f
 14. Furioso                     W. Davis       4.0/1 a
 15. Heroes Castle               J. Nelson      5.0/1 a
 16. The Caves of Mondamen       J. Nelson      8.0/1 a,f
 17. Merlin's Castle             R. Hersom      4.0/1 a
 18. Hogarth Castle              K. Nestle      4.0/1 a,f
 19. Death Trap                  J. Nelson      7.0/1 b
 20. The Black Death             J. Nelson      7.0/1 a,f,h
 21. The Quest for Marron        J. Nelson      8.0/1 b,f
 22. The Senator's Chambers      J. Plamondon   5.0/1 b,f
 23. The Temple of Ngurct        J&R Plamondon  7.0/1 b,f
 24. Black Mountain              J. Nelson      7.0/1 b,f,h
 25. Nuclear Nightmare           J. Nelson      7.0/1 b,f,h
 26. Assault on the Mole Man     J. Nelson      7.0/1 b
 27. Revenge of the Mole Man     J. Nelson      7.0/1 b
 28. The Tower of London         F.& S. Smith   6.0/1 a,h
 29. The Lost Island of Apple    D. Brown       2.0/1 a
 30. The Underground City        S. Adelson     2.0/1 a,g,h
 31. The Gauntlet                J. Nelson      5.0/1 b
 32. House of Ill Repute         Anonymous      2.0/1 a,h
 33. The Orb of Polaris          J. Nelson      7.0/1 b,f
 34. Death's Gateway             R. Linden      7.0/1 a,h
 35. The Lair of Mutants         E. Hodson      6.5/2 a,f,g
 36. The Citadel of Blood        E. Hodson      6.0/2 a,h
 37. Quest for the Holy Grail    E. Hodson      8.0/1 a,f
 38. City in the Clouds          E. Hodson      7.0/1 a,f,g
 39. Museum of Unnatural History R.Volberding   6.0/2 b,f
 40. Daemon's Playground         R.Volberding   4.5/2 b
 41. Caverns of Lanst            R.Volberding   6.0/1 b
 42. Alternate Beginners Cave    R.Volberding   5.0/1 b
 43. Priests of Xim!             M & E Bauman   5.0/2 b
 44. Escape from the Orc Lair    J. Hinkleman   4.0/2 b
 45. SwordQuest                  R. Pender      7.5/2 b,f
 46. Lifequest                   D. Crawford    2.0/1 b,f
 47. FutureQuest                 R. Pender      7.5/2 b,f,g
 48. Picnic in Paradise          J. Nelson      7.0/1 c
 49. The Castle Kophinos         D. Doumakes    7.0/1 b,f
 50. Behind the Sealed Door      T. Berge       4.0/2 a
 51. The Caves of Eamon Bluff    T. Berge       7.0/1 b
 52. The Devil's Dungeon         J. Merrill     5.0/1 a,h
 53. Feast of Carroll            D&J Lilienkamp 4.0/1 a
 54. Crystal Mountain            K. Hoffman     5.0/1 b
 55. The Master's Dungeon        J. Allen       6.0/2 a
 56. The Lost Adventure          J. Allen       6.0/1 a,h
 57. The Manxome Foe             R. Olszewski   4.0/1 b
 58. The Land of Death           T. Berge       6.0/1 a
 59. Jungles of Vietnam          J. Allen       1.0/1
 60. The Sewers of Chicago       J. Allen         -/- a,h
 61. The Harpy Cloud             A. Forter      4.0/1 b
 62. The Caverns of Doom         M. Mullin        -/- b,h
 63. Valkenburg Castle           J. Weener        -/- a,f
 64. Modern Problems   Anderson/Barban/Thompson   -/- a,f,h
 65. The School of Death         K. Townsend      -/- b,f,h
 66. Dungeons of Xenon           S. Bhayani     5.0/1 a,f
 67. Chaosium Caves              S. Bhayani       -/- a,f
 68. The Smith's Stronghold      A. Porter        -/- b,f
 69. The Black Castle of NaGog   D. Burrows       -/- b,f
 70. The Tomb of Y'Golonac       R. Romanchuk   4.0/1 a,f
 71. Operation Crab Key          J. Vercellone  1.0/1 a,h
 72. House on Eamon Ridge        T. Berge         -/- b
 73. The Deep Canyon             K. Blincoe     6.0/1 a
 74. DharmaQuest                 R. Pender      9.0/1 b
 75. Temple of the Guild         D. Doumakes    7.0/1 b
 76. The Search for Yourself     D. Doumakes    8.0/1 b,f
 77. Temple of the Trolls        J. Nelson      8.0/1 c,f
 78. The Prince's Tavern         R. Davis       9.0/2 b,f
 79. The Castle of Count Fuey    D. Brown       6.0/1 a,f
 80. The Search for the Key      D. Brown       3.0/1 a,f
 81. The Rescue Mission          D. Brown       7.0/1 a
 82. Escape from Mansi Island    S. Starkey     5.0/1 b,f
 83. The Twin Castles            J. Tankard     5.0/1 c,f
 84. Castle of Riveneta          R. Karsten       -/- b,h
 85. The Time Portal             E. Kuypers     5.0/1 a,g
 86. Castle Mantru               S. Constanzo   6.0/1 c,f
 87. Caves of Hollow Mountain    J. Nelson        -/- c
 88. The Shopping Mall           A. Porter      1.0/1
 89. Super Fortress of Lin Wang  S. Bhayani     4.0/1 c,f
 90. The Doomsday Clock          J. Tankard     6.0/1 c,f,h
 91. FutureQuest II              R. Pender      8.0/2 b,f,g
 92. The Fugitive                D. Doumakes      -/- c,f
 93. Flying Circus               R. Krebs       7.0/1 b
 94. Blood Feud                  R. Krebs         -/- b,f,h
 95. The Maze of Quasequeton     B. Kondalski   1.0/1 a,f
 96. The Chamber of the Dragons  B. Kondalski   1.0/1 a
 97. The House of Secrets        G. Gunn        6.0/1 a
 98. Slave Pits of Kzorland      R. Hersam        -/- a
 99. In the Clutches of Torrik   J. Nelson        -/- c,f
100. Sorceror's Spire            J. Nelson      8.0/1 c
101. Ground Zero                 Sam            1.0/1 a,g
102. The Eamon Railroad          Sam            2.0/1 a,h
103. Top Secret                  Sam              -/- a
104. The Lost World              Sam              -/- a,g
105. The Strange Resort          Sam              -/- a,h
106. Camp Eamon                  R. Slemon      7.0/1 b,f,h
107. The Last Dragon             R. Pender      8.0/1 c,f
108. The Mines of Moria          S. Ruby        8.0/1 c,f
109. The Forest of Fear          S. Ruby        7.0/1 c,f
110. Fire Island                 G. Gioia       5.0/1 c,f
111. A Vacation in Europe        D. Smith       5.0/1 c,h
112. Hills of History            D. Smith       5.0/1 c
113. The Life-Orb of Mevtrelek   R. Volberding  7.0/1 c,f
114. Thror's Ring                T. Zuchowski   9.0/2 c,f,i
115. The Ring of Doom            S. Ruby        5.0/1 c,f
116. The Iron Prison             S. Ruby        5.0/1 c,f
117. Dungeon of Doom             D. Knezek      7.0/1 a,f,n
118. Pittfall                    S. Starkey       -/- c
119. Grunewalde                  P. Hurst       7.0/1 b,f,k
120. Orb of My Life              J. Nelson      9.0/1 c,f
121. Wrenhold's Secret Vigil     R. Davis       9.0/1 c,f
122. The Valley of Death         S. Ruby        4.0/1 c
123. Wizard of the Spheres       M. Elkin       5.0/1 c,f
124. Assault on Dolni Keep       T. Zuchowski  10.0/1 c,f,i
125. The Mattimoe Palace         J. Actor       3.0/1 b,f,h
126. The Pyramid of Anharos      P. Hurst       8.0/1 c,f
127. The Hunt for the Ring       S. Ruby        7.0/1 c,f
128. Quest of Erebor             S. Ruby        7.0/1 c,f
129. Return to Moria             S. Ruby        8.5/2 c,f,k
130. Haradwaith                  S. Ruby        7.0/1 c,f
131. Nucleus of the Ruby         K. Somers      6.0/1 c,f,j
132. Rhadshur Warrior            R. Pender      9.0/1 c,f,h
133. The Final Frontier          R. Slemon      5.0/1 c,f,g
134. Pyramid of the Ancients     J.& R. Pirone  4.0/1 c
135. The Tomb of Evron           M. Greifenkamp 2.0/1 b
136. The Mountain Fortress       M. Greifenkamp 3.0/1 b,f
137. The Ruins of Ivory Castle   M. Greifenkamp 6.0/1 b
138. Starfire                    E. Phillips    6.0/1 c,f
139. Peg's Place                 M&A Anderson   8.0/1 c,f,h
140. Beginner's Forest           M. Anderson    5.0/1 b
141. The Infested Fortress       M&P Hamaoka    3.0/2 c
142. The Beermeister's Brewery   J. Actor       7.0/1 b,f,h
143. The Alternate Zone          J. Actor       6.0/1 b,f
144. Gartin Manor                G. Gioia         -/-
145. Buccaneer!                  P. Hurst       9.0/1 c,f,k
146. The House of Horrors        D. Cross       6.0/1 c,f,h
147. The Dark Brotherhood        P. Hurst       9.0/1 d,f,k
148. Journey to Jotunheim        T. Zuchowski   8.0/2 c,f,i
149. Elemental Apocalypse        S. Ruby        8.0/1 c,f,m
150. Walled City of Darkness     T. Zuchowski   8.0/1 c,f,i
151. Eamon S.A.R.-1 (Deneb Raid) D. Crawford    3.5/2 c,f,g
152. The Computer Club of Fear   N. Segerlind   7.0/1 c,f,h
153. Lost!                       N. Segerlind   5.0/1 c
154. A Trip to Fort Scott        W. Trent       7.0/1 c
155. Tomb of the Vampire         Trent/Grayson  6.0/1 c,f
156. The Lake                    N. Segerlind   4.0/1 c
157. Pathetic Hideout of Mr. R.  N. Segerlind   5.0/1 c,f,h
158. The Lair of Mr. Ed          N. Segerlind   7.0/1 c,f,h
159. The Bridge of Catzad-Dum    N. Segerlind     -/- c,f,h
160. Monty Python & Holy Grail   N. Segerlind     -/- c,f
161. Operation Endgame           S. Ruby          -/- c,f,h,l

