Apr. 13th, 2005

jack: (Default)
I brought some of my old favorite games from home last time. Today I was unspeakably retro and tried to install the original monkey island from the original floppies.

(1) I installed ScummVM, via my usb pen, without a hitch.
(2) I tried to set up a 'workgroup' so I could access laptop1's floppy drive from laptop2. No go. 2 can ping 1, and shows it netowrk neighbourhood, but can't see files on it.[1]. Eventually I put the files into a shared folder on laptop2.
(3) I configure this folder as 'a' so the installer will work.
(4) I discover disk #6 is buggered. As is the backup I concientiously kept.

Does anyone have the original monkey island?[2]

OTOH, I got the first bit running, and was reminded how good it was. Zooming in for conversations is actually more expressive than the 3d rendered stuff we're used to. Having mutliple actions available makes puzzles less contrived than some later adventure gamnes[3]. And it's *funny* and has *good music*!

[1] Also AGH! Fuck! I ended up screaming at windows help. In desperation I tried the network troubleshooter. It correctly identified the problem, and then stopped and told me to contact my netowrk administrator. Which reminds me of my attempts to download sp2. Microsoft recommends two places to download it: Windows Update, if you want to install it on this computer, or Download Centre if you are a network administrator and want to install it on multiple computers. Neither option covers installing it on a *different* computer. Sorry. Rsnt over for now.

[2] I get the impression it'd normally be easier to warez it, but (1) it feels silly when I *own* it and (2) it is being sold now, so it's no longer freely available on n000000 abandonware sites.

[3] Though I think the ideal is probably something like half a dozen actions: talk, pickup, kick, usewith, use, examine. Three (or, god forbid, one) is too few, but 16 is too many.
jack: (Default)
A dimension exists parallel to ours where matter and spacetime can be influenced by certain thought and symbols, called Flux. The right spells on our side can cause it to breach through, making an area in our universe where the natural laws become like those in flux, which correctly used can be like magic. Someone discovered a ritual with pentagrams, blood, candles and chants that could cause it, and several different effects he could make that cause -- eg. levitation, telepathy, pyro/telekenesis. Or most easily to detect other magics. A more determined caster, or more casters, or a larger diagram, or more accurately positioned marks in the diagram, or more satellite supporting diagrams can make a more accurate and powerful spell. It is possible to make a spell in minutes, but it will either be very weak or unpredictable. Or a sorcerer could calculate for a year and yet still not have perfected it.

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