itch.io

2nd July 2024

A few minor bugs have been reported and have been corrected. These didn't affect playability, but certain actions could have produced apparently-strange messages.

This game has had very little beta testing, so some bugs could possibly surface. I'd be grateful if any discovered could be reported to me. The email address can be found by entering the command 'AUTHOR' in the game.

Really liked the novelty of this, though it was very simple to complete.

I read somewhere that someone had got it running on a Mac using an emulator, but I can't find that post and can't remember what the emulator was.

This wasn't a case of 'reinventing the wheel' as I wrote the parser about 40 years ago, and it therefore predates systems such as Inform or TADS, although it has evolved a bit since then, particularly with the advent of QB64 which is very powerful, and a vast improvement on QBASIC. I much prefer writing my own code, as it gives me much more control over things.

I absolutely agree with the criticism of having to specifically TAKE [item] FROM [container] but that was just the way the parser was initially developed and I can't realistically see a way of getting round this without a complete re-write, which just isn't going to happen as I'm pushing 80 years of age.

'FLIP' switch was easy to fix as it merely involved inserting another verb synonym and took all of 30 seconds. Equally simple was coding round having to specify which key to use in each situation.  The reason for not having done this initially was that in previous games more than one key could be present at the same time, although in Mortimer this is not the case. Both of these have been updated, although I haven't uploaded the new version as yet since I don't know if this is allowed while the Comp is still running (in any case, I can only update the Windows version).

There are some situations in the game where information is provided, such as when John leaves the cube on the table or when the message is displayed on the open trunk in the cellar. In all such situations information is clearly given on the screen, but if the player doesn't read this it could lead to them having to traipse all the way back. One exception to this is if you haven't exchanged the key prior to entering a location, such as needing the brass key in Florence, the bronze key in Runnymede or the iron key in Cambridge; you would then have to go back to the transmuter. I agree this could be a bit of a pain, so once a key has been used it's advisable to go back to the transmuter at the first opportunity.

One advantage of the unlimited inventory is that you should just take everything you are presented with, as you never know if you might need it or not.

Although there's no indication that you should go back to the rest room in Dallas once Oswald has left, I'd have thought that most players might have wondered if he'd left anything behind (as indeed he had :-) )

It was compiled for me by my wife's brother-in-law and this is indeed what he said. It wouldn't run on his wife's Mac.

I specified in the help file that items are only visible if they are in the room or being held. If you come across a container which holds an item you have to enter GET [item] FROM [container]. Function key F1 is pre-programmed for 'GET ALL FROM IT' so if you had examined the shelf and discovered that it held a book, hitting F1 [RETURN] would have got the book. Hope this helps.

If you have actions which are commonly used it's helpful to define your own function keys using the command DEFINE.

I've now uploaded the Mac version, although I'm led to believe it will run only on up-to-date MacOS v12 (which is called Monterey). 

Neither will at the moment, although you could use a Windows emulator. I'm hoping to upload a MacOS version soon once I get someone to compile it for me.

That is very strange indeed, and I can't come up with an explanation. The program wouldn't run if any of the ancillary files Room.Data, Text.Data and Word.File were not present in the game folder, so it can't be that. The HELP text is actually in the main body of the program, so that should have been perfectly okay. Are you perhaps running it in an emulator? Perhaps the ancillary and/or .exe files are corrupted?

I've now uploaded a full and detailed walkthrough. If the file 'Walkthrough.txt' is placed in the game folder it can be accessed 'in-game' by the command WALKTHROUGH.

Hi Garry - I've just discovered that there is a RESIZE option which by default is set to OFF.  I'll compile and upload a new version with this function set to ON. You should then be able to change the window size thereafter. Let me know if there's any other problem.

I'm told that the game runs well on Linux using the WINE emulator. Presumably there will be similar emulators for MacOS.

To simplify the problem with the inscriptions at the start of the game, which some players found challenging, I have added the command 'ARRANGE INSCRIPTIONS'. This should make things a bit easier.

Nice atmosphere, and I like the illustrations, but oh so simple and so short.

I've now uploaded maps of the entire game. These, however, contain some spoilers as they show where most items are located.

Thanks, Adam, everything seems to be okay.

Jim

Hi Adam,

I'm new to the site, and wasn't sure of how to submit an entry for ParserComp. Consequently I uploaded my game "Somewhere, Somewhen" and submitted it for the comp, but as an oversight it was not submitted to itch.io as a draft and was therefore generally visible for a short while; I have now changed its availability. I would  hope this won't affect its eligibility for the comp.