Text / Graphic Adventure for the Apple // Computer NAME: Classified (yes; I have a name!) Programmer / Artist: William Degelmann Release Date: TBA Price: $19.95 Includes: 5.25 Diskette and manual "17 long years...." To be used: Applesoft Prodos, Graphics Magician 2.0 by Penguin Software Other info: Copyable game? YES Able to see programming code? NO Items in game? NONE! Locations? Over 100! Storyline? Very immense. Animations? Not likely. Machine requirements: 48k memory, 5.25 disk dirve. Machines allowed: Apple // Series (NO MAC or PC) Questions I have been asked: 1. Is this a first game or a second release? A second one. 2. What happened to the first game? It was originally created for the TRS-80 on a 8 inch disk. It was ported to the Apple //, but the disk and code has been lost. I plan on re-releasing the game to the Apple // after I write the second game. 3. How big will this game be? I plan on two disks; one of my games was 15 disks long, but if at most I'd like to keep it below 5 disks. 4. What spurred this game? I've had some very vivid dreams that have haunted me all of my life and I'm writing them into the game. These are dreams I've had over 10 years time. I can remember them all. The toughest part was putting them onto a map and making a game. Linking everything together was the key. I finally found what all of these dreams have in common. You'll just have to play the game to find out. It's not a very pretty ending. 5. Do you plan on releasing other games? Sure do. I have plans for around 20 more games. But, unless I get some support for my efforts, this will be the only game I will make. I am ambitious to get them all finished though. 6. Have you written other games? Yes I have. I saw the movie "Waxworks" and I immediately wrote a game for that. It was a great game. I also wrote a Wizardry "clone" called: Druid: Secret Of The Stones which was randomized EVERY TIME you played a new game! You had 20 characters and they had to reach the bottom of the deepest and darkest dungeons. Problem was that the game was 250 levels deep! I finished the game quite a few times. Problem was that each time the game was different, you had all kinds of different things to accomplish from the other game you played. It was a really big step for me to see such a detailed game in text. YES! It was all text! Every- one that played it loved it. They couldn't get enough. The items would change, the creatures, the locations - EVERYTHING! I think it was a hallmark achivement at the time simply because I was only 10 years old when I wrote it! Unfortunately, this game has been lost as well. I do miss playing it. 7. Is there any plans for a re-write or a sequel? Nope. None that I'm aware of unless I get a lot of emails wanting it. That game only took me two months to write. It would be an easy re-do for an Apple // program, but I really have no desire to do that one again. I wanted to make another but it never happened. 8. How did you make many of the games you wrote? I used DOS 3.3 first. Then, I got into Pilot and Pascal. I don't plan on going to those again. I do enjoy programming in ProDos - it's easy to use and the programming you finish can be protected. The problem with not only DOS but ProDos in general is that it can only hold a certain amount of line code before it wipes out the extra lines that the low memory can handle. This makes the task much more of a job to watch and see if you've lost any lines of code. Then, that is when the frustration starts - you have to go back and re-type all of the lost lines! 9. Did you use any programs that were commercialized? Sure did. I used The Graphics Magician by Penguin Software. It was the first version and tough to use. I also used bits and pieces of any Beagle Brothers software I could get my hands on. As a kid, I was able to get a hold of numerous programs. Back then in the early 80's, programs were more or less "hacked" and given away - but I wanted the originals with the disks and manuals. I think Graphics Magician was a benchmark in computer programming in basic. It was easy to draw and fill in the program, but animation was a problem. Another program I used was a Shape Editor by Beagle Brothers which helped me to write a small but nice "ultima-like" game. I really can't recall the name of the game but it will come to me. 10. Were there any commercialized game that YOU wanted to write a new release for? YES - very much so. Here is some I would like to write a sequel to: Crystal Caverns, The Holy Grail, Death In The Caribbean, Earthly Delights, Borrowed Time, Birth Of The Phoenix, Race For Midnight (MY ALL TIME FAVORITE GAME), Breakers, The Coveted Mirror, Critical Mass, Palace In Thunderland, Crypt Of Medea, The Usurper: Mines Of Qyntarr, Deathlord. 11. What was the most time consuming game you ever played? Well, it wasn't Ultima. Those games were short for me. I did enjoy them every much though! Deathlord took over three years of my childhood. It was the TOUGHEST game I have ever played. I thought Ultima was a big game! This game surpasses Ultima in a heartbeat! Wizardry I was another game that took a big chunk of my childhood. Maybe a year or two. That game was good. I have only played the first four Wizardry games simply because the games were MUCH NICER in black and white and faster to play. Once the games went to color, I turned away from the series. 11. How hard would it be for you to write a sequel for Deathlord? Well, I'd say about a year. Not too long for a game of that size! 12. What makes you want to play the older games and turn away from the newer ones? That is a very simple answer. There is NO creativity in the new games. I haven't seen on decent game truly worth buying in today's market. The worst thing about this is that the "NEWBIES" - the kids that get into this are the ones that have done this. They'll buy anything that they see. I remember when you went to buy a game and looked for the "good" stuff before even looking at the other games. Graphics were not a big deal back then. The graphics did not make a game; the GAMEPLAY did. That was the REAL factor in gameplay. It was like this for everyone I knew - they wanted a game; not shiny new graphics or no creativity. They wanted something fresh and new. As far as I'm concerned; the computer games of today have no real luster for gameplay. Almost everything I've ever used on Windows 95/98 crashes after a long period of gameplay. That is pitiful. It goes to show that many people within those companies have no desire to truly care about the buyer. Another thing you can see in today's games is the same things released over and over again. I've seen everything from today's programmers and it's rehashes of the older games - no creativity, sparkly graphics that require a 3D card to play (come on!) and if a game sells well, they just rehash an older game a re-release it as a new title. To me that shows the lack of self-esteem in the programming / gaming world. I think if people would wake up and look at all of the money they have to spend for new items every year they could save a fortune. Today, everyone believes they all have a money tree. Hell, if that was the case, I'd sell this crappy IBM PC in a heartbeat and keep my Apple //c for a lifetime; but, an IBM must be used for my typing and other needs. Really sad. 13. What do you think about the Commodore computer? I have a C-128 and I don't use it. It's a pain in the behind to even use it, but my buddy used to write games with it. He liked it and for anyone else that likes them - that's cool. I may not like them but others will! :) 14. What computers have you gone through over the years and which ones would you like to use again if at all? I truly miss my Tandy 1000 HX and I had a Tandy 1000 EX. I miss them both terribly. They had no problems in running programs. My trouble started when I got that brand spanking new 386 SX PC - it had problem after problem. Finally I just let the thing croak. I also miss the Tandy 1000 TL/2 I had. It was a great machine. I also had an Apple //e - we bought it the day it was released! Talk about expensive! It was $2999.00 - that was bare bones! It was worth it though compared to the IBM PC and the Mac. The Apple // series was simply put: The EASIEST TO USE COMPUTER. Drop in a disk in the drive and turn it on. Now, you have to do all kinds of garbage to use a program. Why should you have to install a program? You should be able just to drop it into a CD or floppy disk drive and turn the computer on. I truly can't understand why we went from perfect machinery to totally outdated. The Apple // series came with everything you really needed to start - the PC's on the other hand are a real pain. You have to buy every- thing separate and open the computer to do your work. That's absolutely stupid. PC systems are outdated - the second you buy something, it's obsolete! STUPID! 15. Is there anything you'd like to say to "new" computer users? Yes I would. Wake up folks and watch what you buy. The companies today don't care if you have a problem. They won't help you fix it and don't care what you have to say as long as you pay them money, they'll do a half-ass job for you. Take that old computer out of the closet or garage and try it once again - it's not as easy as it was years ago was it? Now that's a challenge! For all of those OLD computer users - keep up the fun! I won't support or allow ANY of my games on the outdated IBM or Mac systems and will keep bringing great games to the Apple // users! If you program for other systems and wish to port my game over to them, PLEASE email me! The answer is yes. I'll be more than glad to send the code to you! The game will be copyrighted before I do so. THANKS to all of the people whom has sent this email to me! I'm answering you all loud and clear. If you have any questions for me, please email me. I'll be more than happy to answer them all! Apple // computer users: keep up the faith for new games. They'll be coming! If you are a programmer or draw graphics for OLD systems, please email me and we'll see if we can get these games available for those systems! Is there an idea you have for a game for these systems? Email me! Let's make that game happen! Thanks for the support folks!!! William Degelmann druadic@cs.com