After making the C conversion of Tim Hartnell’s Werewolves and Wanderer I received feedback that the game should highlight in color certain words to make scanning the screen for information easier. So I set about changing the input and output routines to go through curses as well as adding color information in the text.

The original will still be retained for academic purposes, but this is the version that will likely be used to develop future Interactive Fiction games, if future Interactive Fiction games are to be developed.

Werewolves and Wanderer was written by Joe Larson inspired and based on the BASIC game of the same name by Tim Hartnell as found in ‘Creating Adventure Games On Your Computer’ (c)1984.

Werewolves and Wanderer is an old-timey text-adventure in the vein of Zork or Adventure, but much smaller. I recommend playing it in full screen. Werewolves and Wanderer is modified from the game in Tim Hartnell’s book Creating Adventure Games On Your Computer. This particular version of the game tries to hide little from the player opting instead to show you all exits and available commands.

You can get help in the game by typing ‘help’. You can get a list of available commands by typing ‘help commands’. You can type ‘examine’ in certain rooms and you may find some insight into the strange world of Werewolves and Wanderer. It might help to play with a pencil and paper and map out the castle as you navigate it, keeping track of treasure you find and monsters to avoid. Many things in the game are random, but there are a few fixed items. Finding them will be key to reliably navigating the dangers of the ancient abandoned castle.

Reading the code to Werewolves and Wanderers could be an excellent tutor for writing your own text-adventures. Make your own map, creatures, items, and goals, change out the elements in Werewolves and Wanderer and you’ve got your own original adventure. In fact learning how to do this sort of game on the forums is how this game came about.

EDIT: June 26, 2010 – The game has been updated to fix some bugs in the high score table and play again function.

Werewolves and Wanderer was written by Joe Larson inspired and based on the BASIC game of the same name by Tim Hartnell as found in ‘Creating Adventure Games On Your Computer’ (c)1984.

This is what making mandalas is all about. You control the ripple and the dipping. How many ripples from your hand to the end? That’s called the ripple frequency, and how many dips in a complete swing, that’s a frequency too.

When your mandala is made, the ripple and dip effects are added – if one is positive and the other negative you’ll tend to get a blank area. But if both are positive, you’ll have lots of colored fields of various density.

Your mandalas have a third effect, a combination of dips and ripples. All three effects are added to get the surface.

Advice: Until you have a good feel for dips and ripples, use zero (0) for your combination number. Also, use small
integers like 1 or 5 or 4.

Mandala was converted to C by R. Alan Monroe based on a BASIC game of the same name by Greg Yob as found in “What to do after you hit Return” by Creative Computing.

The oldest recorded example appears to be that given in Arithmetica of Nicomachus who died about the year 120. He tells you to think of any whole number between 1 and 100 and divide it successively by 2, 5, and 7 telling him the remainder in each case. On receiving this information he promptly discloses the number you thought of.

Can you discover a simple method of mentally performing this feat? If not, you can see how the ancient mathematician did it by looking at the source code.

Nicomachus was written by Joe Larson based on a BASIC program by David H Ahl as found in ‘BASIC Computer Games’ edited by David H Ahl (c) 1978.

This game can be a practical example of algorithms vs heuristics. An algorithmic approach guarantees a solution in a fixed number of moves and the program could be modified to do the solution itself. A heuristic approach takes advantage of partial orderings already in the list at any moment. The number of moves it will take is less predictable with a heuristic approach. Programming the game to solve itself this way would require a fairly robust grasp of mathematical and logical thinking to pull off.

Reverse is written by Joseph Larson inspired by a BASIC program by Peter Sessions as found in ‘BASIC Computer Games’ edited by David H Ahl (c) 1978.

Functionally, this is just a number guessing game in 3 dimensions with a ?stars? like distance indicator. However, it?s use of text as graphics make it easier to look at. Some may find the way this game gives hints practically gives away the location of the fist, particularly in a such a small pond. It should be no challenge at all, even for the novice programmer, to rewrite this game to make your search area larger and the hints more cryptic.

Fish Hunt is by Glen Williams, inspired on the BASIC game ?Stupid Fish? from ?The Rainbow Book of BASIC Program? (c) Grisewood & Dempsey Ltd 1984.

This version of the game doesn?t include all the betting options that a player could encounter were they to meet this game in real life. There is also the option of placing a bet on a triple (all three dice landing any one number) with 30 to 1 payout odds if you win. There are also sometimes ?Big? offered where the player wins if the total of all the dice is 11 or higher and not a triple or ?Smalls? where the player wins if the total is 9 or less and not a triple or ?Fields? where the player wins if the total falls outside the range of 8 to 12, all paying out to even money. A challenge to the reader would be to add these betting options in as well as allow multiple bets.

Chuck-a-luck by R. Alan Monroe inspired by a BASIC game of the same name from ?More BASIC Computer Games? (c)1979 edited by David H. Ahl..

The rules are based on the BASIC game which originally introduced the author to Under & Over and do not represent the way the game would actually be played in a gambling establishment. In this version an elementary knowledge of the statistics of dice rolls will yield a strategy guaranteed to lead to a growing bankroll for the player.

As a challenge to the reader, rewrite the game so to introduce a house edge. In betting houses the players can only be on three options: over or under 7 paying out at even odds or exactly 7 paying out at 5 to 1. However, if you?d like to keep the aspect of paying out for guessing any number, try to adjust the payout.

Under & Over is by R. Alan Monroe inspired by a BASIC game of the same name from ?More BASIC Computer Games? (c)1979 edited by David H. Ahl.

Sine Wave is by R. Alan Monroe inspired by a BASIC program of the same name by David H. Ahl as found it 101 BASIC Games ? 1978.

Star Trek simulates captaining a spaceship if that spaceship was built before gui interfaces. Part of the fun of the game is mastering its control scheme. You issue commands with three letter abbreviations and then input at the prompts. Mastering the computer (COM) commands can mean the difference between a great captain and a dead one. I may be helpful at first to keep a copy of the instructions nearby.

Game play usually goes like this: raise shields (SHE), long range scan (LRS) for Klingons, navigate (NAV) to the desired sector possibly using the computer (COM) direction/distance calculator (option 4) to help you chart the course, engage the Klingons using photon torpedoes when they’re available (TOR) for a one hit kill or phasers (PHA) in a pinch, and refilling at star bases and repairing damage (DAM) whenever you need to.

If this game seems antiquated, that’s because it is. Star Trek is an old game based on an old TV show. The original BASIC version was written in 1974. Since then it has been rewritten for almost every system and enhanced with graphics, sounds and gui interfaces. The version presented here is a conversion from the original BASIC version. It is no understatement to say that Star Trek the game holds a special place in a generation of gamer’s hearts.

Star Trek is written by Chris Nystrom, converted from the BASIC game of the same name by Mike Mayfield, Robert Leedom and David H. Ahl as found in 101 BASIC Computer Games edited by David H. Ahl, © 1984.

The Star Trek name and all associated character, locations, and objects are trademark Paramount Pictures.