julie_m wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2022 8:35 pm
Wow! That's impressive Not completed the game yet, though. The parser seems a bit primitive, but I would say that, wouldn't I?
The parser comes across badly mainly because it isn't following a lot of what became conventional afterwards. For example, there is no INVENTORY command... the equivalent in this game is OPEN RUCKSACK.
The advantage of Lurkio's conversion is it is a faithful representation of the original game. If you want to play a version with some quality of life tweaks, that make it more like later text adventures, then check out Jim Gerrie's MC-10 port which can be played online... https://jimgerrie.blogspot.com/2022/01/ ... -1980.html
I had a lot of fun researching this game a couple of years ago, http://8bitag.com/info/galactic.html, so it's nice to see two versions now that can be enjoyed by a wider audience. (I was tempted to port it to the Spectrum myself).
Very nice work lurkio, I'll have to give it a go at some point, though my attention is currently with Labyrinths of La Coshe, which I don't believe I ever completed bitd but is actually a very nice game. Speaking of Hitch Hiker clones, I had a copy of Computer Concept's version and I naively assumed it was a port of the Infocom version which I'd heard of. I never really got round to playing it but if I did I'm sure it would have dawned on me pretty quickly that it most definitely wasn't anything to do with them. In terms of converting games from one 6502 machine to another, I guess a text adventure is a good place to start. I'm assuming, provided it fits into the beeb's memory ok, that you'd just have to draw up a comparison table of OS calls, a lot of adventures would get by with OSRDCH, OSWRCH and OSFILE, and the rest of the program could be copied verbatim. I assume other machines also have zero-page addresses? Btw, which machines did use a 6502? I believe the Oric was one as was the C64.
8bitAG wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 1:09 pmThe parser comes across badly mainly because it isn't following a lot of what became conventional afterwards. For example, there is no INVENTORY command... the equivalent in this game is OPEN RUCKSACK.
Ah, thanks for that! I was wondering how you were supposed to be able to see what you were carrying.
I was aware of the time that had passed between then and now, and put the differences down to basically what you said. After all, the first motor cars didn't all have steering wheels as we know them today. The stock dictionary we've come to expect wasn't arrived at without some trial and error.
8bitAG wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 1:09 pmThe advantage of Lurkio's conversion is it is a faithful representation of the original game. If you want to play a version with some quality of life tweaks, that make it more like later text adventures, then check out Jim Gerrie's MC-10 port which can be played online... https://jimgerrie.blogspot.com/2022/01/ ... -1980.html
So far, it's nowhere near objectionable enough for me to walk away in disgust! I'm old-skool -- you were expected to fail a few times before you succeeded. And at least we now have modern tools to help with mapping and saving state .....
IanB's recent post of Mr Knight's Merlin (Micro Systems) Ltd catalogues, include these help hints for Galactic Hitchhiker from the author...
*spoilers*
Not completed the game yet, though. The parser seems a bit primitive, but I would say that, wouldn't I? 
