Need a picture - Colossal Cave Adventure on the terminal

[Borek]

Yeah, rather strange thing. I am writing an article about Colossal Cave Adventure for the PIXEL magazine. This is a cult game, no doubt about it. Problem is, its original version was written for TTY terminals, so there is no graphics nor screenshots that could be used to illustrate the article. The best thing I can think of is to post a picture of a terminal from the seventies with CCA visible on the screen. Such pictures are in wikipedia, but we prefer to not use such images, as everyone interested have already seen them and we want to use original material.

Anyone has access to a working old terminal attached to anything capable of running CCA and is willing to take a picture of reasonable quality? All I can offer is thank you and a honorable mention in the article

 

[jedishrfu]

Google image search shows some hand drawn maps and screen shots. Perhaps your mag could spring for an artist to draw a terminal around the screenshot ala Byte mag covers.

 

[jtbell]

Here's a screenshot from a Mac OS version of Adventure:

It's freeware, and available here:

http://lobotomo.com/products/Adventure/index.html

 

[Borek]

Problem is not with running the program or taking a screenshot (I already have several versions here, and I can take text screenshots any time; actually I already have a small collection). Problem is, compared to typical todays games these screenshots are rather boring, and putting five almost identical pictures on the page won't work (as every game related magazine, PIXEL heavily relies on graphics). Good picture of a terminal would show both the screenshot and the typical environment in which the game was played, that would be much better illustration.

 

[jedishrfu]

What about one of the game maps? They were available via google search too.

 

[jedishrfu]

Maybe you could have a terminal in a cave with the screen sht showing.

 

[jtbell]

Good luck finding someone with an operating text-based terminal. We stopped using them here probably about 15 years ago. Maybe you can find something like an Apple II or IIe. I bet there's a version of Adventure for that.

 

[Borek]

Good luck finding someone with an operating text-based terminal.

You don't have to tell me

I already asked in several museums in Poland, so far to no avail. I have tracked terminals, but so far not a working one.

 

[Vanadium 50]

You will probably be disappointed in the picture quality of the text on the monitor. This is very hard to photograph well.

 

[jedishrfu]

Heres a terminal artwork from Byte magazine you could paste something inside

 

[Borek]

You will probably be disappointed in the picture quality of the text on the monitor. This is very hard to photograph well.

Suits me (even if it could be made much better just with polarizing filter). Problem is, it is from wikipedia and not as original as I want it. Everyone and their dog has seen it.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I think there already is some kind of filter there. All the VT100's I've ever seen had white phosphor. It was kind of blueish, but not that blue.

And they make swell fish tanks.

 

[jsgruszynski]

Problem is not with running the program or taking a screenshot (I already have several versions here, and I can take text screenshots any time; actually I already have a small collection). Problem is, compared to typical todays games these screenshots are rather boring, and putting five almost identical pictures on the page won't work (as every game related magazine, PIXEL heavily relies on graphics). Good picture of a terminal would show both the screenshot and the typical environment in which the game was played, that would be much better illustration.

Guess what? Games were boring text-based affairs back then compared to today. Strictly I find them more exciting than modern games because you have use your imagination more which is more intense than having it spoon-fed to you. Apparently that's missing with people today.

Honestly if you simply want to distort reality with made up stuff, why even bother even including anything about it? Do you care about truth, beauty and reality or do you just want to make stuff up for spin, style and shallow woofy? Are you not creative enough to find a way to communicate the historic reality of text games? Adventure was one of the more complex and sophisticated games back in the say! I can tell you about lots of others simpler games that were as popular and even pre-date it (e.g. SCIFI, MUD, TREK, etc.)

If you want graphics, here's what you do: pay for an artists to read transcripts of the game and create artwork for your needs. Stop being cheap! Or use Borek's image because that's what our "computing environment" used back then. I can't tell you have many weekends and all-nighters I spent with exactly such a VT100 terminal.

 

[Borek]

If you want graphics, here's what you do: pay for an artists to read transcripts of the game and create artwork for your needs. Stop being cheap!

What car do you drive?