Labyrinths of LaCoshe - My 40yr quest for enlightenment

[GlennPegden]

Apologies for anyone in the Acorn Enthusiasts Facebook Group that have already seen this. It’s about my almost 40 year quest to understand some BBC Basic source and latterly track down it’s author …….

So reading the excellent (and beautiful) "Acorn: A world in Pixels" book, has rekindled my interest in project I technically started in 1982 when I purchased 2 Micro Power games for my new Beeb. The very well known Killer Gorilla and the much less well known "Labyrinths of La Coshe" (after hearing about Zork on a mainframe from my uncle).

Whilst not the best text adventure, I was fascinated with it, mainly because I could press escape and read the source and no matter how much my understanding of basic improved, much of the code still never made sense.

Around 2000 I revisited it, now understanding half a dozen languages and with a better understanding of programming tricks and things like obfuscation and realised some things I thought were for effect (like the teletype-style word at a time presentation) were actually side effects (it used a dictionary of words for the description, the delay was actually it pulling the right word, this also massively obfuscated the text from casual browsing).It also used some tricks I'd never seen done in basic, such as a main loop starting GOSUB R% where R% was the room ID (meaning renumbering it broke the program) to set up various room variables. Much like a setter in an OOP language, but nothing like I'd ever seen done in basic at that point.

In about 2005 I ported it to the Infocom zip engine as proof I finally understood how the code worked, but never released it, mainly because of copyright concerns. Sadly I’ve not found my completed port yet, but I have found a near complete break down of the major functionality that I did not long before I started the port. I’ve dumped it on GitHub at https://github.com/GlennPegden2/Labyrinths-of-La-Coshe

What I'd really love to do is track down the original author. In the past I've reached out to a couple of ex-Micropower people but nobody could remember who wrote it, but now reading the Acorn: aWiP book I realise that it was probably not a full time staffer, but somebody who mailed it in. I want to ask them about the development as I strongly suspect it wasn't initially written for the beeb, about it's background and what caused them to do some of the "odd" things the code does.

So, does anyone have any leads on who it might be?

[lurkio]

Welcome to Stardot, Glenn!

I'm afraid I can't help with the author's name, but, as has been pointed out elsewhere, it may be of interest to note that Labyrinths Of Lacoshe was covered in quite a lot of detail in the Mad Hatter's adventure column in the June, July, and August issues of The Micro User magazine in 1988:

https://themadhattercolumn.wordpress.co ... june-1988/

[fuzzel]

Hi Glenn, bitd when my friends and I first got our BBCs, Labyrinths of La Coshe was one of a selection of games which were freely circulated to welcome the latest member to the BBC club (others were Monsters, Killer Gorilla, Snapper and Rocket Raid). Although I found it intriguing it didn't get me hooked on text adventures, that happened later on when I got a copy of Level 9's Colossal Adventure and it just blew me away! As Lurkio mentioned, Labyrinths was covered by The Mad Hatter in his TMU adventure column, although I'm not sure he ever played the game, he was working from a "scholarly" and meticulously detailed solution provided by Roger White of Leeds University. I've had a quick look at the listing and the messages have been encoded with A$ being the coded message, typing GOSUB 9000 will decode it. A% to F% are the directions (you have to divide this by 10 then subtract 100 to get R%, the room number) and I$ is the input string. Although I haven't printed the messages there's a slim possibility that the author's name is tucked away in the data somewhere. If you have a copy of Acorn - AWIP, on pages 34 and 35 in the Micropower section it mentions that, although freelancers submitted a lot of the games, they had two in-house programmers, Ian Clemmett and Andrew Tuley, so one of these guys may have written it. It may be worth comparing the code of LOLC with some of Micro Power's other early adventures to see if there are any similarities. Personally I always thought it was a one-off. Looking back it was a very decent early attempt at a text adventure whoever wrote it.

[lurkio]

If you have a copy of Acorn - AWIP, on pages 34 and 35 in the Micropower section it mentions that, although freelancers submitted a lot of the games, they had two in-house programmers, Ian Clemmett and Andrew Tuley

Do you happen to know if there are any specific games which we can, with certainty, name Ian or Andrew as the author of?

[fuzzel]

If you have a copy of Acorn - AWIP, on pages 34 and 35 in the Micropower section it mentions that, although freelancers submitted a lot of the games, they had two in-house programmers, Ian Clemmett and Andrew Tuley

Do you happen to know if there are any specific games which we can, with certainty, name Ian or Andrew as the author of?

I don't, unfortunately, but whoever conducted the interviews with the Micro Power staff from Acorn - AWIP would be the ideal person (or persons) to approach.

[Canalboy]

There appears to be a flagrant bug in the .ssd version downloaded from the BBC archive. After killing the cyclops it is impossible to enter the hole in the south wall. Indeed if you leave the cyclops room and return either from the skeleton room or the thief's lair the hole has disappeared.

[Canalboy]

After returning from the skeleton room the hole is no longer there as shown.

[leenew]

Hi,
Would you mind checking if this version on the Micro Power Magic disc has the bug please?

MicropowerMagic1.ssd

(149 KiB) Downloaded 68 times

Lee.

[Michael Brown]

Also, could the bug be disc transfer related.
I am sure the copy I transferred to disc was a direct tape copy. However, in order to run from disc it is simply loaded and run at &1100 and that may be a source of the issue even though its a MODE7 game.
The tape inlay does say to set page to &E00, so could I ask someone to load the tape copy from STH or wherever in at &E00 and check the game.
If it is a relocation issue, then a simple download routine being added may fix it.
BTW the Micro Power Magic copy also runs the game at &1100 so it would be nice to see if that copy works because if it does, then maybe there was a bug in the original tape version that got fixed later.

Mick.

[Canalboy]

I have tried downloading the .ssd again and restarting a new session of the BeebEm emulator with the same result. I may have a trawl through the internet to see if I can find some other sites to download it from.

[Canalboy]

Hi,
Would you mind checking if this version on the Micro Power Magic disc has the bug please?
MicropowerMagic1.ssd

Lee.

Yes it has the same bug. See below.

[Canalboy]

Also, could the bug be disc transfer related.
I am sure the copy I transferred to disc was a direct tape copy. However, in order to run from disc it is simply loaded and run at &1100 and that may be a source of the issue even though its a MODE7 game.
The tape inlay does say to set page to &E00, so could I ask someone to load the tape copy from STH or wherever in at &E00 and check the game.
If it is a relocation issue, then a simple download routine being added may fix it.
BTW the Micro Power Magic copy also runs the game at &1100 so it would be nice to see if that copy works because if it does, then maybe there was a bug in the original tape version that got fixed later.

Mick.

Yes in my experience most problems are not inherent bugs in the initial code but corruption during the download process. A similar incidence can be found in Peter KIllworth's Castle of Riddles. In that particular instance garbage screen dumps are produced when attempting to move north from the boat after the flood; the bug is not in the original version.

[Canalboy]

By download I mean transfer from original source to downloadable version. That is phrased better I think.

[fuzzel]

I would try the cassette version (from The Stairway to Hell website):

LabyrinthsOfLaCoshe_B.uef

(13.96 KiB) Downloaded 60 times

EDIT: This game is on my to-do list - looks like I'll have to bring it forward...

[Canalboy]

Funnily enough I had just downloaded that version myself. I shall give it a go shortly.

[leenew]

If that one works, we will have to do a fresh tape-to-disc transfer.

Lee.

[Michael Brown]

Remember too when loading the tape version to set page to &E00 to make sure it loads at the correct memory location as that may be causing the issue.
BTW If it works correctly at &E00 then you could then try it at &1100 and see what the results are. Micro Power loaded their disc version on the Micro Power magic disc at &1100 so who knows?

Mick.

[Canalboy]

I would try the cassette version (from The Stairway to Hell website):
LabyrinthsOfLaCoshe_B.uef
EDIT: This game is on my to-do list - looks like I'll have to bring it forward...

Ok I have tried the tape version and the bug is still there. See below.

[Canalboy]

I made sure I loaded the uef file using the
*TAPE
PAGE=&E00
CHAIN ""
method but no difference I'm afraid.

[Michael Brown]

OK, could you try using a different emulator like B-em and doing the same.
And if anyone has the original tape and can load it into a real machine then please do.

Also, could I ask if you are using BeebEm in BBC mode (and not Master128) and if you have anything like Exmon II or Disc Doctor loaded as they could and do interfere with some games.

Lets hope there is a simple fix and that this is not another case of the author/software house not fully/properly playtesting the game.

Mick.

[Canalboy]

BeebEm is set to BBC Model B under Hardware. I have nothing loaded that could interfere with the game play.

Perhaps it is the spirit of Infocom which is causing mayhem as so many of the puzzles in the game are ripped off from mainframe Dungeon, or Zork I and II if you prefer.

[Canalboy]

OK, could you try using a different emulator like B-em and doing the same.
And if anyone has the original tape and can load it into a real machine then please do.

Also, could I ask if you are using BeebEm in BBC mode (and not Master128) and if you have anything like Exmon II or Disc Doctor loaded as they could and do interfere with some games.

Lets hope there is a simple fix and that this is not another case of the author/software house not fully/properly playtesting the game.

Mick.

Ok it appears that every version on every emulator has the same bug. This makes me wonder how anyone ever finished the game without altering the source code.

[billcarr2005]

There appears to be a flagrant bug in the .ssd version downloaded from the BBC archive. After killing the cyclops it is impossible to enter the hole in the south wall. Indeed if you leave the cyclops room and return either from the skeleton room or the thief's lair the hole has disappeared.

Hi,
Would you mind checking if this version on the Micro Power Magic disc has the bug please?
MicropowerMagic1.ssd

Lee.

Also, could the bug be disc transfer related.
I am sure the copy I transferred to disc was a direct tape copy. However, in order to run from disc it is simply loaded and run at &1100 and that may be a source of the issue even though its a MODE7 game.
The tape inlay does say to set page to &E00, so could I ask someone to load the tape copy from STH or wherever in at &E00 and check the game.
If it is a relocation issue, then a simple download routine being added may fix it.
BTW the Micro Power Magic copy also runs the game at &1100 so it would be nice to see if that copy works because if it does, then maybe there was a bug in the original tape version that got fixed later.

Mick.

Instead of everybody assuming that there is an issue in the program, rather than an issue in user interaction, has anybody consulted the game hints at

http://stairwaytohell.com/gamehelp/INTR ... he-CP.html
http://stairwaytohell.com/gamehelp/solu ... -scan.html
http://stairwaytohell.com/gamehelp/MAP- ... he-CP.html
http://stairwaytohell.com/gamehelp/HINT ... -SCAN.html

According to the map, after the cyclops has run through the wall you can travel S(outh)
THROUGH is used for going through the waterfall, not the hole in the wall
Despite it not specifically stating that there's a hole in the wall, which appears to be activated when the cyclops runs through the wall, it's still possible to go South?
I agree that it could be useful to display that the hole is still in the wall, but since the user has seen the result through playing the game, i wouldn't say it's a bug as much as a design choice
Sometimes there isn't actually a problem which needs fixing?

[lurkio]

Despite it not specifically stating that there's a hole in the wall, which appears to be activated when the cyclops runs through the wall, it's still possible to go South?

I can sort-of confirm this with the following mini-walkthrough:

Code: Select all

SUPREME CHEATER
E
TAKE NECKLACE
JUMP 052
TAKE TORCH
JUMP 041
D
ULYSSES
S
JUMP 041
D
S

If you enter SUPREME CHEATER as your name at the first prompt, you can then use the JUMP command to teleport straight to specific rooms once you've TAKEn the NECKLACE.

If you type the mini-walkthrough into the game you'll see that you can go through the hole in the wall at least twice.

[Canalboy]

There appears to be a flagrant bug in the .ssd version downloaded from the BBC archive. After killing the cyclops it is impossible to enter the hole in the south wall. Indeed if you leave the cyclops room and return either from the skeleton room or the thief's lair the hole has disappeared.

Hi,
Would you mind checking if this version on the Micro Power Magic disc has the bug please?
MicropowerMagic1.ssd

Lee.

Also, could the bug be disc transfer related.
I am sure the copy I transferred to disc was a direct tape copy. However, in order to run from disc it is simply loaded and run at &1100 and that may be a source of the issue even though its a MODE7 game.
The tape inlay does say to set page to &E00, so could I ask someone to load the tape copy from STH or wherever in at &E00 and check the game.
If it is a relocation issue, then a simple download routine being added may fix it.
BTW the Micro Power Magic copy also runs the game at &1100 so it would be nice to see if that copy works because if it does, then maybe there was a bug in the original tape version that got fixed later.

Mick.

Instead of everybody assuming that there is an issue in the program, rather than an issue in user interaction, has anybody consulted the game hints at

http://stairwaytohell.com/gamehelp/INTR ... he-CP.html
http://stairwaytohell.com/gamehelp/solu ... -scan.html
http://stairwaytohell.com/gamehelp/MAP- ... he-CP.html
http://stairwaytohell.com/gamehelp/HINT ... -SCAN.html

According to the map, after the cyclops has run through the wall you can travel S(outh)
THROUGH is used for going through the waterfall, not the hole in the wall
Despite it not specifically stating that there's a hole in the wall, which appears to be activated when the cyclops runs through the wall, it's still possible to go South?
I agree that it could be useful to display that the hole is still in the wall, but since the user has seen the result through playing the game, i wouldn't say it's a bug as much as a design choice
Sometimes there isn't actually a problem which needs fixing?
[/quote
You are incorrectly assuming that south takes you through the hole in the wall - it doesn't even after it has been created in the south wall by the fleeing cyclops. It takes you to the skeleton room. That is the reason THROUGH WALL is required but of course doesn't work as the bug means the hole is not recognised.

[billcarr2005]

I'm basing my assumption on the fact it says the Cyclops runs through the wall, creating a hole which can be traversed by going south.
And also the map / solution

[Canalboy]

Can anybody hear me? Going south from the hole created by the cyclops takes you to the skeleton room and not the grotto room. I have tried it innumerable times and it does not compute. The description and the hole disappear the move after the cyclops makes his egress. Bug.

[fuzzel]

Can anybody hear me? Going south from the hole created by the cyclops takes you to the skeleton room and not the grotto room. I have tried it innumerable times and it does not compute. The description and the hole disappear the move after the cyclops makes his egress. Bug.

I'm listening. I'll have a look at the code and see if I can fix it. I can't promise anything mind, the code looks to be as much of a rabbit's warren as the map of the game. When I made a start on drawing it yesterday it drove me demented.

[Canalboy]

Yes. I am not surprised the author remained anonymous. How you can code a hole in a wall which was already a standard exit and then not playtest it is beyond me. As so much of the game is a Zork ripoff I am surprised the cyclops room in Zork doesn't have the same bug.

[fuzzel]

I've found the lines of code which print the cavern location and have added an IF statement to print "There is a large hole in the south wall." if CYC%=1. However the program then prints the Thief's Lair location text instead and I haven't a clue why. I would just accept the fact that after typing ULYSSES and getting the message that there is a hole in the south wall you can then go south and east to get to the Grotto. Note that the Grotto location now has a message that there's a Cyclops shaped hole in the west wall.