Source:GEnieLamp A2, December 1992

From Eamon Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page is a verbatim reproduction of original source material and should not be edited except for maintenance.
Description

Section excerpted from the December 1992 issue of GEnieLamp A2.

Source

No source specified. Please edit this description and provide a source.

Date

December 1992

Author

Darrel Raines

License

It is believed that the use of this copyrighted item in Eamon Wiki qualifies as fair use under the copyright law of the United States.

Previous item

Source:GEnieLamp A2, November 1992

Next item

Source:GEnieLamp A2, April 1993

Eamon, Part II

By Darrel Raines
[D.RAINES]

Yours for the Asking!

Eamon is a Freeware gaming system allowing a single player to experience a Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)™ type of environment on any Apple II computer. In a previous Apple II Gaming article, I described a typical scenario that a player might encounter in the world of Eamon. This article will examine how to set up Eamon on your floppy or hard drive system. We will also run through a sample dialogue for a first-time player. You should download one of the two files listed at the end of this article to get started. Each contains a number of good scenarios and a complete set of the basic files, called the Main Hall. There are two versions of the Main Hall available: Text or Graphics. The graphics version is more enjoyable and has more options, but it is less stable. There are also a few character editing programs available that you may find useful.

The Setup

If you wish to play Eamon from a hard drive, the setup is quite simple. Create a directory somewhere that you want to store all of the various Eamon files. Place each of the basic files in this directory including the Main Hall and character files. You can then store each of the scenarios as a subdirectory under this main directory. The name of the subdirectory should indicate the name that you will use to identify the scenario. Store all of the files associated with each scenario under the appropriate subdirectory. Scenario names will automatically appear when prompted for the adventure area. This setup will avoid confusion and directory listings with hundreds of entries.

If you wish to play Eamon from a floppy drive, the setup is equally simple. Create a disk that will serve as a boot disk and Main Hall area. Place each of the basic files on this disk including the Main Hall and character files. Each of the scenarios should be stored on separate disks. The title of the disk should indicate the name that you will use to identify the scenario. Store all of the files associated with each scenario on the appropriate disk. Scenario names will automatically appear when you place the disk in the drive (when prompted for the adventure area). This setup will avoid confusion and each disk will contain a separate scenario.

If you have followed the instructions listed above, then you are ready to start up Applesoft BASIC (Basic.System). Move to the directory (or disk) with the Main Hall and run Startup. You may eventually choose to start by running the Main.Hall program. The next thing that you know, you will be playing Eamon!

The Play

When a person first starts up the Eamon program, he is faced with a desk and the imposing question of "What is your name". Since our typical player has never used Eamon before, he/she is free to choose any name that they want. It is unlikely that the new name will have ever been used before. Therefore, the gatekeeper will ask if you want to create a new character. The correct answer is "yes".

The next few questions will help determine the traits of the new character. Dice will be rolled to assign values to each character trait. It is important to hold out for reasonable values in each category. A value of 10 for each trait would be a minimum with some traits reaching 17 or higher. You may find it difficult to survive with much less ability. The next order of business will be to equip yourself for battle. You should be able to purchase leather armor and a sword to begin with. If you can get a shield also, then do so. The first adventure that you pursue will help finance further wardrobe purchases. Be sure to arm yourself and put on the armor after it is paid for.

If you decide to download and play the graphical main hall, there are other shops available. I don't recommend doing business with them until after you have tried the first adventure. A note is appropriate here concerning the various scenarios. The key to Eamon is the flexibility of the gaming system. Every person who writes a game for the Eamon system is given total freedom to create whatever type of world he/she can dream up. This can also lead to chaos. Files can get mixed up, weapons may be inappropriate for certain scenarios, directories can become unmanageable, etc. All of these problems have been solved to some extent in the modern world of Eamon. Each separate scenario is given its own subdirectory under the main Eamon directory. Any files needed by that scenario must be contained in the subdirectory.

Every new character should start with The Beginner's Cave. This simple and not-to-dangerous adventure will get you started and produce reasonable gold and weapons. To choose a scenario, the new character must exit the Main Hall. This will bring up the prompt asking for the scenario that the character wishes to pursue. A listing of the various subdirectories can be obtained by pressing the return key when prompted.

Once the new character has selected The Beginner's Cave, the scene will be set by some introductory text and the adventure will begin! A question mark (?) will bring up a list of the commands that the current scenario understands. The inventory command (I) will list the items available to the character. The new character should attempt to explore the entire cave before returning to the Main Hall. If a character is unable to finish the Beginner's Cave in one outing, then the rest of the Eamon scenarios will be much too difficult to attempt. I will leave the budding Eamon game player with one final word of advice: Read descriptions completely and look for hints in the wording of those descriptions.

With this hint and the trusty question mark (?), the reader should be able to start discovering the wonderful world of Eamon on their own.

No. File Name Type Address YYMMDD Bytes Access Lib
16728 BEST.EAMONS.BXY
Desc: An incredible role-play experience!
X T.ZUCHOWSKI 910929 348544 100 36
16750 STARTER.KIT.BXY
Desc: Very Best role playing system!
X A2.DEAN 911002 331008 160 36

Author

Darrel Raines [D.RAINES] welcomes any feedback or comments via electronic mail to the listed user name.