Source:Eamon Adventurer's Guild Newsletter, December 1999
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The Eamon Adventurer's Guild Newsletter, December 1999 issue. |
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| Date |
December 1999 |
| Author |
Eamon Adventurer's Guild; Tom Zuchowski (editor) |
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Permission has kindly been granted by the copyright holder for this copyrighted item to appear in the not-for-profit Eamon Wiki website. Permission granted by Matthew Clark in email with Huw Williams on 22 November 2012. |
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The Eamon Adventurer's Guild
December 1999
News and Opinion
My email address has changed. IBM.net was recently bought out by ATT, so my email address is now tzuchow@attglobal.net.
The big news here is that I am well along in assembling an Eamon CD-ROM. This CD-ROM will contain a complete set of ShrinkIt-compressed Eamons for native Apple II's, and it also contains a complete set of Eamon DSK files for emulators. Last but not least, I have set up the ApplePC and AppleWin emulators for the PC. All you will need to do to run Eamon on your PC is to copy the relevant folders onto your hard drive! (I would like to also include one or more Apple II emulators for the Macintosh as well, but I don't know anything about them. If any of you want to see Mac emulators included, please let me know which ones, and where to get them.)
That's not all. I'm also including the complete set of newsletters, plus images of the various maps I have. Every member of the EAG will receive this CD-ROM for free. I am also going to spread it around among the remaining Apple II software outlets. Finally, I may try selling them through the newsgroups for maybe $3 each to cover my costs.
NOTE: I need a couple of Beta-testers for the CD-ROM. If you'd like to volunteer, I could very much use your input! Also, if any of you are Mac users, I especially need your input, since I don't have a Mac.
In recent months I found myself less involved with the online Apple II community, and I have cancelled my account on Delphi. This means that this newsletter will no longer be a source of recent news of the Apple II world. But make no mistake, Delphi is still your best bet for online support and camaraderie. It is a particularly useful place if you are interested in web-surfing with a IIgs or with Macintosh-based IIgs emulation, and there are still plenty of people there who can answer almost any Apple II question you would have. Its only weak point is a very sparse file library.
Reader feedback has convinced me that I made a mistake compressing last issue's map onto one page, as most people appear to have overlooked much of the information that it contained. That Hunt for the Ring map is a genuine Eamon room map. All the rooms are noted, but they were marked in pencil, and you must look closely to see them. If you haven't yet done the "Hunt" walk-through that was printed last December, then you'll find the map of great interest when you do play it.
Letters
I wonder if you completely answered Clyde's question. If I were him, I'd like to build up my character in battle rather than in a character editor.
My first experience with Eamon was using a DOS 3.3 Main Hall that included a seventh choice to take weapon training. It also had a feature that allowed me to get the weapons master to make me a special weapon. Money was always scarce so I had to do this training judiciously, often after playing one of two Eamons and selling my loot. I wasn't above playing one over again to double my winnings. ;-)
The first allowed me to take weapon training in any of the four (or five) types of weapons. Now sword training was the most expensive. When you took the training you would go up (over 100% if necessary) a sort of random number. I think you could tell how much you went up.
The weapons master had an extra choice that allowed you to ASK FOR A SPECIAL WEAPON. It seems there was some randomness about this too. You could say what type you wanted and the dice numbers were random. You got a final choice of whether you wanted to buy it. It seems that the price was related to how strong it was. You could choose it's name.
I haven't used this Main Hall in a while as I usually play Eamon from a hard drive these days. So I don't remember all the details. This was a DOS 3.3 Main Hall. I've never seen this version anywhere else. I bought it at my local user group many years ago along with Eamon dungeons 2 through 24. I went through most of these Eamons. They are OK for a beginner adventurer most of the time except for the death traps which of course trap any level of adventurer.
Of course you can move up you armor and weapon experience by simply playing games and you do improve some. Playing games 2 through 24 is as good a way as any.
You know me I liked those early games a lot.
As for monster weapons. In one of those earlier games I found a cannon and a Gungnir. Do you remember those? Again this is a way of getting super weapons by playing rather than by creating. Cannon is 3x10 and Gungnir is 4x12. They are wonderful but I have broken them a lot. So I have gone back through that old game just to recover the cannon and Gungnir. But, perhaps sad to say, I have also edited them in as well.
BTW: You can add my address as well if someone wants to contact me by snail mail. Hey send //gs computers, I'll find them a home! But seriously, I can't see why people wouldn't prefer email. It is cheap and easy. But I'd gladly get mail at my house.
Thanks for your wonderful letter. I enjoy it every time I get it. I too will be glad to help you keeping Eamon alive. Right now I have been trying to finish Silvern Castle but I may give up or at least slow down. It will be in my retirement that I get to write Eamons. But from time to time I get ideas.
Thanks for the comments, Bruce! They add another solution to Clyde's predicament. Personally, I want to get on with new Eamon play rather than slog through known stuff to pump up my character, and I don't see any difference between using the editor and resurrecting your character. But everyone has his own preferences, and many have said over the years that they enjoy the approach you describe.
I well remember Gungnir and Cannon from my early days of Eamon gaming! I would bet that those two make the arsenal of most people who play the Eamons more or less chronologically. I remember my pleased reaction while writing Journey to Jotunheim when I learned that Gungnir is the name of Odin's magic spear. A formidable weapon, indeed!
As for the email question, some people prefer snail mail to email because they are not online. Some of our members are still using their trusty Apple II as their only computer and do not have the option of email. Some people are on limited incomes, they find a stamp more affordable than a new PC and $120 per year for ISP access. —Tom
Eamon Adventurer's Guild
Thomas Zuchowski, Editor
Membership/subscription fee for 4 issues:
US-Canada: $7.00; foreign: $12.00; in U.S. funds
This newsletter is published 4 times per year, in March, June, September, and December.
This newsletter was composed in its entirety using Word 7 on a Pentium-166 computer. It was then printed on a Hewlett-Packard 722c inkjet printer.
We are always looking for new material! If you would like to publish your own letter or article in this newsletter, feel free to send one in.
If you would like to add your own Eamon adventure to the EAG list, send it on a disk to the above address. It will be assigned an Adventure number, and tested for bugs and other problems. An informal critique and disk with bug corrections will be returned for your final comment, action and approval before release.
Back issues
NEUC Adventurer's Log:
Mar'84, May'84, Aug'84, Oct'84, Jan'85, Mar'85, May'85, Aug'85, Oct'85, Jun'86, Jan'87, Oct'87
EAG back issues:
1988: Jun, Sep, Dec
1989, '90, '91, '92, '93: Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec
1994, '95, '96, '97, '98: Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec
1999: Mar, Jun, Sep
Price:
EAG members: $1.00 each
non-members: $2.00 each
Our mail-order Eamon vendor:
Eamons are available online at various sites. Two that I can recommend are ground.ecn.uiowa.edu and ftp.gmd.de.
EAG Eamon Disk Offer
EAG members can obtain the complete Eamon set from the EAG. This contains both the DOS 3.3 and 80-col. ProDOS Eamon collections archived to 3.5 disks. These are ShrinkIt archives. To access the ProDOS titles, you must at least one 3.5 drive. The DOS 3.3 titles require both 3.5 and 5.25 drives.
The EAG members' price for the entire set is $25.00. To take advantage of this offer:
- This offer requires that you supply the disks. You must include 19 DD 3.5 floppies with your payment. NOTE that these MUST be DD disks. My drives cannot read nor write to HD disks!
- You must use a shipping container that I can re-use to return the filled disks to you.
- The $25.00 price includes formatting the floppies with ProDOS If you format the disks for me, the price is $20.00. This reflects the time savings I get from not having to do the formatting. It doesn't matter what ProDOS volume name you use since they will be rewritten.
- If any of the above requirements are not met, the disks will be returned unfilled, and the shipping cost will be deducted from your refund.
- Both versions of 8-bit ShrinkIt and basic instructions are included with the set.
Purchasers of the set will automatically get free updates at irregular intervals.
Eamon Walk-Through
| 19 | Death Trap | Mar98 |
| 62 | The Caverns of Doom | Mar97 |
| 77 | Temple of the Trolls | Mar99 |
| 114 | Thror's Ring | Dec96 |
| 120 | Orb of My Life | Sep98 |
| 126 | Pyramid of Anharos | Jun98 |
| 127 | The Hunt for the Ring | Dec98 |
| 129 | Return to Moria | Jun99 |
| 132 | Rhadshur Warrior | Jun96 |
| 145 | Buccaneer! | Dec97 |
| 147 | The Dark Brotherhood | Sep96 |
| 150 | Walled City of Darkness | Mar96 |
| 161 | Operation Endgame | Jun97 |
| 239 | Idol of the Incas | Sep99 |
I want to make a note about Sam Ruby's best Eamons. You are not seeing Walk-Throughs in this section for Sam's best works, because these Eamons typically include very complete hints and solutions programs on the disk. For example, Storm Breaker has a SOLUTIONS program, and Animal Farm has BASIC TRAINING. Both of these programs offer fairly complete walk-throughs of their own.
Always check your Eamons for bonus programs on the disk! Several of the better authors have been known to do this on occasion.
A Walk-through of Eamon #107, The Last Dragon
First, hints for those who want to solve it themselves:
There is much important information in the introduction text.
There are three magic words or phrases for you to learn that can get you past certain obstacles. One of them also serves as a secret password that identifies you to potential allies, both animate and inanimate. A magic ring is required for some results.
If you find and read all of the clues carefully, you will know that the old dragon has lived a full life and is now in pain, and she deserves to die a noble death in combat. If you have properly interpreted the clues, you will also know that the world will be a poorer place without dragons in it, and you will have resolved to preserve the young breeding pair.
All bottles found are healing potions.
You don't learn of your true Quest until halfway through the adventure! A successfully completed Quest consists of whupping the bad guys and exiting the treasure vault in the company of both baby dragons.
NOTE — you need a blank disk for a saved game. The saved files are deleted when you resume the game, so if you want to preserve your saved place, make a copy of the Save disk.
Let's get started!
(This walk-through will not give you every single move as I have done with the most difficult ones. Instead, here are general guidelines to follow.)
You start on a beach. Board the ship and look around. When asked to pay, respond by saying QUAAL DRACIS. Remember that phrase!
As you exit the ship look for a torch. As you proceed further, keep a sharp lookout for hidden passages– there are a lot of them! Also keep a lookout for hidden objects that can give you information about your Quest.
When you reach the dusty plain above the beach, explore to the east first. There is no key for the first door you encounter, so you will have to break it down. Same for the large chest you find.
By the time you leave the stronghold, you should have a good idea what Invictus is for, and should have found a lamp and a copper ring.
After returning to the dusty plain, explore to the west. By the time you reach the cave entrance that is blocked by a light, you should have Invictus.
Your magical password will get you into the cave, but it will put you in one of four different paths. Each winds up in a room blocked by a golden light which can be passed via the usual means in this adventure. Note that one of the four paths can rob you of your personal weapons if you are injured by the unicorn.
The Last Dragon! By now you have learned to recognize that Vincingotrix is old and in pain, and is worthy of an honorable exit in combat. Ready Invictus and give it to her. After the Elf takes Invictus, remember to ready your usual weapon.
Go west through the secret passage, and discover dragon eggs! Vincingotrix was not the Last Dragon after all! Watch them hatch, then say the words that reveal you as a friend.
Now you have learned your true quest. Say the word, and be about your business!
Stay on the trails as you traverse the woods, unless you want to spend a little time being lost. Proceed to the spot where you kill Kinth.
First, explore to the east, and free Igraine, then return to Kinth and travel one move north.
From here, explore the path to the west. Use your magic to free Woglinthe from the ice and Lisolet from the temple. Ishi gives you a warning: what does it mean? (You will find out!)
Return to the main path and continue to Sauron's stronghold. Explore the upper tower first.
Sauron awaits beyond the bronze door in the lower level. You will find him a worthy adversary as he shape-changes several times and turns a companion against you before you defeat him. Remember that the whole purpose of this foray is to blood the pair of dragons, never forget that they both must survive lest the trip become meaningless.
After you've killed Sauron, help yourself to the treasure in his vault. If the dragons are not with you at this point, summon them with the remaining magic word that you've found no use for. They must be with you as you exit back to the Main Hall.
I really love this Eamon. It's one of my favorites. I hope you had a successful Quest!
A Walk-through of Eamon #116, The Iron Prison
Your mission is to enter Angband, the stronghold of the evil Morgoth, and recover the blessed silmarils for the Valar.
For those of you who want to try it on your own, there aren't a lot of hints to give for this Eamon. It is very hard because of the many traps and strong enemies you will encounter. This Eamon dates from a time when Sam believed that any good Eamon will kill the player several times before he wins through to the end. The theory was that, as you got killed, next play you would know to avoid that room or that trap.
(Historical note: as I recall, the original version of this Eamon was literally impossible, with many bad-guy Hardiness ratings in the mid to high hundreds, and I knocked a zero off most of these ratings for the EAG release. Arguably, the difficulty could have been dropped to perhaps (8) at that time.)
Actually, it isn't all that difficult if you use a moderately strong character with some good weapons (like Fresh Sam) and line up your friends early on. But if you intend to play it without the benefit of this walk-through, you can expect to be killed out a minimum of two or three times and perhaps many more. There is no SAVE! Keep a good map so you can remember what rooms to avoid!
Here is my only true hint: be on the lookout for a magic stone. It will be well-hidden, but it is the key to easy victory over Morgoth.
Let's get started!
This walk-through pretty much hits every room that offers a reward not too far out of line with the associated combat difficulty. It avoids the death traps and the side trips that offer high-risk combat for little reward.
First off, let's enter a bogus command such as ‘X' to see the command list. There are two new commands, THROW and PULL. And SAVE is missing! Let's be careful out there.
Go N, then W, then U twice, then E, then U again, and meet the Great Eagles. They are friends, and are very good company in a fight.
Return D, then go E, then N, and kill the white dragon. LOOK, and GET the white crystals.
Return S. then go D. Kill the blue dragon. LOOK, and GET the blue crystals.
Continue D, and kill Celegorm. I played this several times for this walk-through, and Huan was always friendly. GET Angrist (4D4) and the Miruvor.
Go W, then N to the stronghold. Kill Carcharoth. Be sure to GET the torch. If you continue N, you will quickly find the first death trap, a pit. Instead, LOOK around and find a lever. PULL the lever. Oops, you're trapped, but now the way is safe.
Go N. It's dark! LIGHT the torch. Continue N twice more, and kill the guards. Then go N once more to the 4-way intersection.
The iron doors block the way north, so go W, and kill the vampire. GET the ring and the iron key, and return E.
OPEN the doors. Go N, then D, then N, and meet Luthien.
Go W, then N. OPEN the bag, then GET ALL. Return S and E. (If you go S instead of E, you find the second death trap, a 1000-orc army!)
Continue further E, then S, and meet Super Orc. (I don't know what he's doing here, as he is totally out of place in this deadly-serious Tolkein outing, That's not Sam's normal style. But he is another friendly companion. Note: you'll want to be careful when attacking orcs with Super Orc along. If you type ATTACK ORC, and they have all been killed, then ol' Supe gets the hit!)
Return N, then W to the 4-way intersection. Go N twice and kill some orcs.
Continue N twice, and kill the balrog. Get the steel key and Demonflame (2D10).
Return S, then go E, then N, and kill the troll. Attack the chest several times until it shatters; open it and get the jewelry.
Return S. Open the steel doors, then continue S and kill the troll. Ignore the rocks. LOOK and discover a secret passage down. Go D, then S and get the lamp. Then go E, kill another troll and get the gold ore. Return W, then S, kill more trolls and get the gold nuggets. LOOK and find a secret passage to the south.
Go S and LOOK, and get the mithril. That's it. Now return N, N, N, U, N, W to the four-way passage.
Continue W. LOOK, and find a secret passage to the north. Go N to a storage room. LOOK again, and find a secret passage down. Go D and kill the troll and orcs. GET the diamonds.
LOOK and find another secret passage down. Go D, then N, and kill the orcs. Continue N, then go E and kill more orcs. GET the strange brew, a healing potion. LOOK. READ the sign. Balrogs! We'll pass that one by.
Return W, then go N twice, and kill the sentries. LOOK, and GET the black key. OPEN the gate.
Go N though the gate. LOOK around and find a lever. PULL the lever. LOOK again, and find a secret passage down.
Go D, then N, then W. Kill the slaver, and free the chained man. (He is Beren, a very important character in the story.) LOOK around. EXAMINE the corpse. Hmm. EXAMINE the skull. Aha. OPEN the skull. GET the magic stone!
Return E, then continue E, and kill Gothmog. Get the key he drops, and Bloodfang (3D8).
Return W to the tunnel, then go N, then E, and kill Thuringwethil. Get the gold key and the cloak.
Return W to the tunnel, then continue W into the other room, and GET the chained lizard. Don't free it. (Strangely, the lizard is a pretty good treasure.)
Return E to the tunnel, then go N twice to the stone door, and OPEN it. Go W into the room with the bubbling stuff. (It has no use that I know of.) LOOK and find a secret passage down.
Go D and kill the breeder. LOOK, and get the key. Examine the oak boxes, then OPEN them, and GET the potion.
Return U and E. Then continue N and kill the sentries.
OPEN the gate and go N. (There is some very good treasure to E and W, but you have to fight some big dragons for it. Feel free to take them on, if you're up for it.)
Go N again, and kill the balrog. LOOK and find a secret passage north.
Go N twice, and kill Sauron.
Go N again. You meet Morgoth! THROW MAGIC STONE. (You must use that exact command, or it doesn't work.)
Morgoth dies! The Valar arrive! You win! If you got the mithril, your reward is Druinval, a quite valuable 4D8 magic sword that you were already carrying if you were using Fresh Sam.
See, it really isn't that bad if you manage to miss the Bad Stuff. There is one other death trap involving poison darts that we avoided.
Eamon Adventure Listing
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