When I was a little bit younger and a little bit shorter my parents decided to buy an Apple 2e computer. Robbie and I used to play with it avidly; and one of the games we used to play was Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy.
The game was actually written and designed by the author of the best selling book.
The game was a text based game; as in those days graphics were too slow to be used for this kind of thing. I used to play this game compulsively - until one day I somehow when trying to save or delete a saved file. Or save another file or something.
I am not sure how I did it - to be honest - I deleted some essential code for the game and it became unusable. Since I had not bought the game legally, and I was very young and short, I was stuck. I think I got 50c pocket money a week and Robbie got 25c a week in those days.
So I moved on to other games and projects.
Many many many years later I got hold of a DOS copy for windows and finished the game.
For some reason, I had always had issue that I had not completed the game.
I had got to the part when I had teleported into my own brain and was working out how to destroy my common sense.
So I finally completed the game about 15 years after I started it, and achieved a time of peace and satisfaction.
I still have that DOS copy running, on an old 486 PC; I have lying around.
And sometimes when I am feeling very nostalgic I start it up and play through the game. It never fails to amuse - and transport me back to when I was younger and shorter.
Anyhow, a new graphical version has been created by the BBC in order to celebrate the games 25th anniversary. (Actually two versions have been created.)
Its the exact same game; it just now has a visual component to go with it. I think the visual component actually makes some of the problems easier to solve.
I am sure if I had seen the "no tea" as a possession; as clearly, I may have solved the paradox genius problem earlier.
This problem took me the longest to solve.
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2 comments:
hey! i remember playing that game too. i don't think i ever finished though. i borrowed the hitchhikers tv series for the w/end as a prelude to the movie which is about to be released.
i also remember at age 13, staying up till midnight so i could record the BBC series broadcast of the original radio script. these tapes are still my most prized possessions... i don't have a tape player anymore, but i keep the tapes in my living room, proudly on display and every few years listen to them.
here's to douglas adams!
I played a whole bunch of the INFOCOM range of games. Hitchhiker's was the only one I finished; and I finished none of them at the that young age.
There was one I remember in which a murder had occured in a mansion, and I had the to wander/wonder around the building looking for clues and interviewing people to solve the crime. I used to play that one lots and lots. We had a teacher, Mr Neilon, who loaded it up on the commodore 64's that were in the computer room at Carmel College. I also had a copy on our Apple 2e. We used to also play it at school during computer class. There was also the Hobbit loaded at school, that could be played. Most of the other kids played the Hobbit, but I , I followed the road less travelled by - and played the INFOCOM games.
The Hobbit was real easy and had pictures to go along with the adventure.
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