The Retro Adventurers (The Retro Adventurers)
Explorez tous les épisodes de The Retro Adventurers
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
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| 28 Jan 2025 | Episode 16 - A Conversation With Jonathan Partington | 00:53:34 | |
Jason and Dave welcome classic text adventure author Jonathan Partington to the program. While studying at Cambridge University, he created and contributed to several memorable games including Avon (featured in Episode 12), Crobe, Sangraal, Fyleet, Monsters of Murdac, and Spy Snatcher. We discuss how Jonathan got hooked into text adventures, how the pipeline between Cambridge mainframe creations and the broader commercial market worked, and the best time of day to play games on official campus computers without getting scolded. And for the first time, we ask a living author which of his games we should play next! Special thanks to Mark Hardisty for helping connect us with Jonathan. CORRECTION: The interview mistakenly credits L to Peter Killworth. The game in question was actually GiantKiller. Topologika (The Digital Antiquarian) Phoenix (mainframe operating system) on IFWiki | |||
| 11 Dec 2024 | Episode 11 - A Conversation with Ron Martinez | 01:09:13 | |
In this interview episode we're transfixed by the career of Ron Martinez, whose interactive fiction began as a writer for the Be an Interplanetary Spy book series, the Trillium/Telarium home conversion of Rendezvous With Rama, and the design and implementation of Star Trek: The Promethean Prophecy powered by his own TRANS Fiction System parser. Since then Ron has had a widely varied career, and a widely varied career since then including pioneering work in NFTs. Ron and Jason discuss the wild experimental days at Electronic Arts, the nature of "post-linear" storytelling and the trade-offs of writing in the Star Trek universe, and Ron's brush with actual immortality. Star Trek: The Promethean Prophecy on archive.org Rendezvous with Rama on archive.org | |||
| 26 May 2024 | Episode 4 - The Tracer Sanction and Down Among the Dead Men | 00:56:33 | |
Dave and Jason seek revenge on the dread pirate Skarvench and go on an interplanetary hunt for the mysterious Wing. This episode of The Retro Adventurers explores the neo-retro title Down Among the Dead Men (originally published as a Virtual Reality Adventures gamebook in 1993, converted into ZIL (Zork Implementation Language) and Z-Machine binary format in 2020 by SD Separa) and the oft-overlooked Interplay launch title The Tracer Sanction, originally published by Activision. The Tracer Sanction playable online Down Among the Dead Men (includes play link) Transporter by Andrew Laker (includes play link) Solution and map for Transporter
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| 05 Apr 2025 | Episode 20 - The Mask of the Sun and Valkyrie 17 | 01:01:09 | |
Dave and Jason confront a double dose of terrifying terrors! First up is the RamJam Corporation's Valkyrie 17, a Cold War thriller set in a pseudonymous Eastern Bloc nation, boasting excellent off-screen production values but some quirky on-screen choices. The title was originally published for ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64, with a Windows update released more recently. Then we travel to South America for the so-close-to-the-original, you-can-feel-the-stubble Indiana Jones-adjacent The Mask of the Sun originally published by Ultrasoft. You are rugged professor of archaeology Mac Steele, struggling under the debilitating effects of an ancient curse! Only by enduring many (many, many) Jeep and cave-navigating sequences can he be free of the exotic pills which keep him just barely clinging to life! The Mask of the Sun was published for Apple II, Atari 8-bit, and Commodore 64, with a German translation to boot! (And one of these days Jason will stop saying something has an "X-word" parser when he means an "X-letter" parser... but not today!) Valkyrie 17 box, documentation, and audio Valkyrie 17, C64 playable online The Mask of the Sun documentation (Broderbund) The Mask of the Sun on Mobygames
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| 17 Sep 2024 | Episode 7 - A Conversation with Roberta and Ken Williams | 01:20:36 | |
In this interview episode (cruelly cut short by an impatient harbormaster) we barely scratch the surface of the careers of the legendary power couple of adventure gaming. Jason speaks with Roberta and Ken Williams of On-Line Systems / Sierra On-Line fame. We touch on chapters from the late 1970s to present day, including the first text/graphics adventures on the Apple II to King's Quest and Phantasmagoria, and the new reimagined Colossal Cave published by Cygnus Entertainment. Farewell to Tara by Roberta Williams | |||
| 08 Jun 2024 | Episode 5 - A Conversation With Tim Gilberts | 00:50:57 | |
Tim Gilberts published legendary text adventure creation systems The Quill and Professional Adventure Writer (PAW) through family publishing house Gilsoft in the 1980s. These products became the basis for hundreds of commercial games, many developed and sold as part of a late direct-to-consumer wave of adventure development in the late 1980s into the 1990s. Dave and Jason discuss with Tim the origins of The Quill and its successors, the reasons for its success and lasting impact, and Tim's connections to gaming today. | |||
| 26 Apr 2024 | Episode 2 - The Hobbit and Planet of Death | 00:57:24 | |
Retro Adventurers Jason Compton and Dave Hawkins explore iconic early text adventure The Hobbit (by Philip Mitchell and Veronika Megler, adapted from the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien) and Planet of Death (by Richard Turner and Chris Thornton). Includes listener mail, an explanation for postponing the promised Knight Orc, and a dive into both games. Special thanks to Robin Harbron of 8-Bit Show and Tell for final engineering. Links Planet of Death playable ZX81 edition The Hobbit playable Spectrum 128 enhanced edition Renga in Blue's Planet of Death finale (featuring "Dusty Bin") | |||
| 03 Mar 2025 | Episode 17 - Magazine Roundup #1 | 01:53:58 | |
Jason, Nick, and the returning Tim Gilberts of Gilsoft dig into the magazines of the 1970s and 1980s that chronicled the rise of text adventures! We look at two of the most significant Stateside issues of the early commercial period, the November 1979 issue of Creative Computing with a full (and unusual) implementation of Colossal Cave Adventure, and the December 1980 BYTE with articles by Dave Lebling, Jon Freeman, and of course one of the most significant events of the year in personal computer games: Scott Adams' release of the Pirate Adventure source code. New Zork Times #3.1, early 1984 Micro Adventurer #1, November 1983 Creative Computing, November 1979 Be an Interplanetary Spy (Ron Martinez) discussion on IntFic Mike Dornbrook (Infocom) oral history Giant's Gold, Commodore 64 port Atari Swordquest's Real-Life Treasures Another Atari Swordquest overview | |||
| 15 Apr 2025 | Episode 22 - Questprobe: Spider-Man and Redhawk | 00:59:17 | |
POW! KABOOM! KWAH! Dave and Jason explore two 1980s text adventures pulled from the world of comic books! (At the time, comics were just one of many forms of narrative expression and not the dominant storytelling platform as they are this century.) First up it's Redhawk from Melbourne House, which experiments with text/graphics adventure presentation by building a three-panel comic on-screen based on player input. Can you, as mild-mannered news photographer Kevin Oliver and as flying, fighting superhero Redhawk save the city? Then it's Questprobe: Spider-Man from Adventure International, from the short-lived Marvel Comics series which just predated the company's end. Amazing feats of wall-walking and strength await! Finally, we play the work-in-progress of the unfinished Questprobe: X-Men, provided by Scott Adams himself from his archives. Questprobe: Spider-Man (playable online, Apple II verson) Questprobe: Spider-Man on IFDB | |||
| 20 Jan 2025 | Episode 15 - Lancelot and G.F.S. Sorceress | 01:15:09 | |
Our first three-player episode since the premiere pits Ben, Jason, and Nick against challenges that span millennia! Learn the intricacies of long-lost Earth military law as Joe Justin fights for freedom in Avalon Hill's G.F.S. Sorceress before traveling way back to King Arthur's England in Level 9's Lancelot. Robots, colored objects, and companion knights (so, so many companion knights) stand ready to assist! Lancelot playable online (BBC Micro) Lancelot walkthrough (AppleAdventures) G.F.S. Sorceress documentation G.F.S. Sorceress walkthrough (AppleAdventures) Avalon Hill computer titles (MobyGames) Crown of Arturo for Sharp MZ-700
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| 17 May 2024 | Episode 3 - A Conversation With Scott Adams | 01:01:30 | |
Scott Adams of Adventure International and Clopas fame joins Dave and Jason for a conversation on this episode of The Retro Adventurers. We discuss the rise and fall of Adventure International, the Marvel Comics relationship behind the Questprobe games featuring The Hulk, Spider-Man, and The Human Torch & The Thing, building international business relationships, and more. >GO WEST You are in an office. Big Tall Jim Shooter is here. Stereotypical by Clopas (in development) Adventure International (Mobygames profile) | |||
| 06 Oct 2024 | Episode 8 - Valhalla and Swiss Family Robinson | 00:41:47 | |
Dave and Jason make another transatlantic cultural exchange in this episode, beginning with the youth-oriented Windham Classics' Swiss Family Robinson before heading to the deadly grownup world of Norse mythology for Legend's Valhalla.
Valhalla playable online (ZX Spectrum) | |||
| 06 Nov 2024 | Episode 10 - The Lurking Horror and Crypt of Medea | 01:31:10 | |
Jason and first-time Retro Adventurer Nick Moffitt sample two courses of text adventure horror, featuring Infocom's "MIT with the serial numbers filed off" The Lurking Horror and Sir-Tech Software's "don't call it a Murder Hospital, call it the" Crypt of Medea. Jason also speaks with Strange Studies of Strange Stories co-host Chad Fifer about how, when, and why the Lovecraftian school of horror became mainstream entertainment fodder. The Call of Cthulhu (2005 film)
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| 29 Dec 2024 | Episode 13 - 2024 Year-End Chatisode | 02:39:03 | |
Holiday merriment! All the hosts! Return special guests! Minimal editing! Retro Adventurers Dave, Jason, Nick, and founder Ben(!) chat about the year that was, later joined by Scott Adams (Episode 3) and Tim Gilberts (Episode 5)! Hear about Tim Gilberts' Heathkit, Scott Adams' next professional moves, adventures in ADABAS / Natural, and a long-overdue callback to the Clarion Beauty Computer! Ken Reed's Adventure II article in Practical Computing Maze for the MK/14 computer kit | |||
| 06 Apr 2025 | Episode 21 - First Anniversary Chatisode | 01:08:52 | |
🎂It’s our first birthday!🎂Enjoy an anniversary celebration with all the hosts and minimal editing! Founder Ben holds a contest of Retro Adventurers knowledge–who will reign supreme? How many countries have at least one download per episode? Who will be named the Seven of Nine of text adventure podcasting? Will the boys have a polite conversation about expanding to other genres or will chairs fly? Thank you for listening to our first year of classic text adventure discussion and review. Please get in touch with us with suggestions for the years to come. (And yes, Nick knows our frequent guest is Tim Gilberts, he was just distracted.) Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves playable online (not a text adventure!) | |||
| 24 Oct 2024 | Episode 9 - A Conversation with Robin Raymond | 00:34:56 | |
Seemingly from out of nowhere, Kingdom of the Seven Stones, a sprawling text/graphic adventure has just been published for the Commodore 64 by The Future was 8 Bit. Creator (and Retro Adventurers listener!) Robin Raymond joins Jason to talk about how the game took shape, why it's cartridge-only, and what the future might hold for his new C-based 8-bit adventure game engine. Kingdom of the Seven Stones @ TFW8b Martin Piper's technical analysis
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| 10 Jan 2025 | Episode 14 - The Dark Crystal and Ship of Doom | 00:56:54 | |
Dave and Jason return to the pioneering Artic Adventure series with Ship of Doom (Adventure C) before plunging into a fantasy world on the brink in The Dark Crystal by Sierra, licensed from Henson Associates and representing the very last example of Roberta Williams' parser game design. The Dark Crystal manual and short story The Dark Crystal on SierraGamers The Dark Crystal map and solution in New Atari User Ship of Doom on Spectrum Computing Ship of Doom, reimagined top-down All Sierra On-Line Hi-Res Adventures | |||
| 21 Mar 2025 | Episode 19 - Monsters of Murdac and Behind Closed Doors (SAM Coupé Adventure Club #1) | 01:08:12 | |
Ben occupies the throne, attended by minions Jason and Nick this episode to plumb the depths of the text adventure archives. In the featured spot is the Phoenix/Topologika title Monsters of Murdac by Dr. Jonathan Partington (Episodes #12 and #16), a punishingly creative game. Up first, however, is the 1991 disk magazine SAM Coupé Adventure Club #1 and its featured free game... the toilet-escape simulator Behind Closed Doors by "Balrog" John Wilson. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Monsters of Murdac (playable online, BBC version) SAM Coupé Adventure Club archive Browser-readable version of SAM Coupé Adventure Club Disk #1 Behind Closed Doors #1 (playable online, ZX Spectrum version) Classic articles on games by Jonathan Partington
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| 06 Apr 2024 | Episode 1 - The Pawn and Around the World | 01:43:04 | |
(Please note that Episode 1 has some audio issues which are ironed out in future episodes.) The premiere of The Retro Adventurers. Three old-school gamers talk about text adventures they have loved, hated, or are just experiencing for the first time. In this episode, Ben Collier, Jason Compton, and Dave Hawkins take a look at early text adventure Around the World and the first Magnetic Scrolls adventure, The Pawn. Includes news, biographical notes, and a dive into both games. Links Infocom Z-Machine interpreter source code Softside adventure archive including Around the World (Apple II emulator image) | |||
| 18 Dec 2024 | Episode 12 - Avon and Macbeth | 01:18:30 | |
Chewing the food of sweet and bitter fancy, Jason and Nick ask for a double-helping of Shakespeare text adventures. The chef heaps a challenging amount of "appetizer" Macbeth (1984, Oxford Digital Enterprises) on their plates, but main course Avon (1982/1988, Topologika) has its day. And that day may be foul, and/or fair, as you like it. Avon (Playable online, BBC Micro) Topologika on The Digital Antiquarian
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| 22 Aug 2024 | Episode 6 - Twin Kingdom Valley and Sphinx Adventure | 00:44:56 | |
Dave and Jason take on a pair of BBC Micro originals from the early 1980s in this episode, with the appetizer course of Acornsoft's first adventure game Sphinx Adventure by Paul Fellows, followed by the main course of Twin Kingdom Valley by Trevor Hall. | |||
| 11 Mar 2025 | Episode 18 - Bored of the Rings / Calixto Island with Iain Lee | 01:00:51 | |
Iain Lee, "an old bloke who was popular in the Nineties" as well as counsellor, broadcaster, and I'm a Celebrity survivor joins Dave and Jason this episode. They discuss Tolkien sendup Bored of the Rings by Fergus McNeill and the Mark Data classic Calixto Island. Iain shares his love for the Dragon 32, memories of sneaking text adventure time on school BBC Micros, and Experienced Media Professional Image Advice with Jason. Bored of the Rings (playable online) Calixto Island (playable online, MS-DOS with graphics) Calixto Island (playable online, "Play Now" button next to "Calixto Island (Text)", CoCo plain text) Iain Lee's Random Access Memories podcast Quill Adventure Guides (Bored of the Rings and other Quill games, deconstructed)
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