|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- OSOAWEEK--ISSUE 056--8/18/95 <-------  ||  OsoaWeek  ||  Issues  ||  Book 5  ||  -------> (Cup OWis056, Created v1 (4/27/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [[BEGIN056OW]] [[01056CV]] * * * O S O A W E E K 0 5 6 * * * August 18, 1995 "The weekly ezine of Obliviana Super Occult Amusement!" by Frank Edward Nora INSIDE THIS ISSUE 01 056 CV--Cover 02 056 LA--Lord of Obliviana 03 056 NH--Nihilistica 04 056 SU--Superior IF YOU READ THIS YOU'LL BE QUITE JUBILANT, GREG. INFORMATION: OsoaWeek056, July 28, 1995. Published weekly by Obliviana Super Occult Amusement, obliviana@aol.com, 1-800-OBLIVIANA. All contents copyright 1995 Frank Edward Nora. This release is Predatorware--you are free to make digital copies, so long as they're not altered or sold. All other forms of reproduction require permission. You're Prey unless you get a Predator Deed for this release. Contact us for more on this concept. Check out Obliviana on the WWW at: http://www.obliviana.com/~osoa Character count: 21242 / Line count: 929 *OW* [[02056LA]] Lord of Obliviana Sunday, September 10, 1995, 10:07:43 PM Threw out a whole lot of ABM magazines, but I kept a bunch I was meaning to throw out. See, I have 1,000 sets of all four issues, but I kept 1650 copies of the final issue since they were in sealed boxes and okay. Could I sell a limited edition of 1,500, say? Eh. So I wanna get back to this idea of the Fonosta as the core. I see it like, your Fonosta is something you are continually shaping and revising, and which will be accessible to all comers after you are long gone, being the mark you leave on the world, being a way to make sure you are never forgotten. You can write something, record something, videotape something, knowing that a young person in the 40th Century, for example, might eventually experience it. Pretty exciting, eh? Yeah. I remember it was in Iselin, probably in 1993, and I was either walking into my bedroom from the bathroom, or to the bathroom from my bedroom, when the phrase "Your Fonosta Device" came into my head. And I thought recently, wouldn't it be cool to have all sorts of weird PDA-like electronic devices to choose from to manage your Fonosta. Hence, "Your Fonosta Device". I think I might be about to get into Blues big time. I got a CD last night called "The Roots of Robert Johnson", featuring Blues pieces from 1927 to 1937. Man, this is where rock'n'roll came from! Awesome stuff. So back to Fonosta, I gotta develop it, for it IS the core of Obliviana. Till next time, Get all Obliviana. *OW* [[03056NH]] Nihilistica ***DEVASTATING NIGHTSCAPE NOTES*** Back when I filmed the last episode of "Beublin A. Richardson", I met a girl in a "Concentration" costume (you can see her in the video) who I later went and hung out with at her sister's place. Things were going great till I showed her part of the video with Pete dressing in drag. Yup. That did it. She musta thought I was a total screwball. I called her a couple of times, and asked her out (a rare occurrence for me--actually asking a girl out), and she said basically "Call me next year." Uh-huh. Anyway, she worked with computers, and it kind of inspired me to try to get back into programming again. Well, I never did call her next year, cuz like, y'know, when someone tell you to call them next year, they really kinda mean like to not ever call them again. Y'know? Anyway, forget Concentration. The following is a set of notes regarding the game I was working on, "Devastating Nightscape". I never programmed it, but I thought you might find the notes interesting. I may still create some form of Devastating Nightscape, but for now, you can get an idea of it from these notes, left fully intact, except for altering some non-ASCII characters. Here... Halfevil Document #355 8 Devastating Nightscape by Frank Edward Nora printout #2; 5/4/92; 11:43 pm Document nascence: 4/14/92 DEVASTATING NIGHTSCAPE Document Version 8 Intro: Devastating Nightscape is a computer game in which the player must travel across a neverending nighttime in search of day. The Interface: Devastating Nightscape will be designed as a text-only game. It will not follow the traditional model of text adventure games, but rather have a different focus. Essentially, commends will be one word long, and anything referred to in the descriptive reports will elicit a rational response. The system will allow entries as short as one character, with no upper- or lowercase restrictions. In the case that there are more than one word with the same initial letters, the program will ask to clarify, listing the words in question. As well, entering nothing will be taken as "wait one minute". As well, certain common words will be reacted to. The command processor will use the words in full. Currently, only global command words are used, but it would be good to localize some commands so that the program won't ask for clarifications where one of the possible words is wholly inappropriate for the given location. Character: The main character is simply the player him or herself. The player can carry only a limited number of things. There are several constant items which are always with the player, currently crowbar, flashlight, and magic marker. The character can obtain and carry money, food, and reading material. Locations: DN is played by driving on roads, walking around service areas, and riding on mass transit. Each specific situation is called a "location". Here is a list of all locations-- [1] ROADS * Driving down road. * Pulled over on the side of the road. * Car broken down on side of road. * Walking down road. [2] TRANSIT * On a transit vehicle. * Reading paperback. * Reading ads on walls. [3] SERVICE AREA * Inside. * At snack bar. * Tourist pamphlets. * At vending machines. * At videogames. * At payphones. * At cash machine. * In bathroom. * Reading graffitti. * Parking lot. * In vehicle in parking lot. * Gas Station * Building * In the lobby. * In an elevator. * In an office. * On the roof. * In a store. * Facing an insane person. * Field. * At radio tower. * At a party. * By a dead body. * In the woods. * Confronted by a bear. * By power lines. * Station. * Waiting for transit. * At ticket booth [4] SPECIAL * Hospital * Dreaming * Skyscraper Routes (* for road/% for transit): [1] Route (1-digit) * [2] Bus % (35-65) [3] Highway (2-digit) * [4] Railway % (40-100) [5] Interstate (3-digit) * [6] Passenger Ferry % (15-25) [7] Turnpike * [8] Airport % (110-500 <375>) [9] Parkway * [10] Subway % (20-40) [*] Skyscraper Observation Deck (finale) Service Area Generation: Every Service Area is generated randomly as it is gotten to, either from Road or Transit. There are a number of elements at each Service Area: [1] Parking Lot (& entrance to road) [2] Transit Station (& entrance to transit system) [3] Building [4] Field [5] Gas Station [6] Vending Machines [7] Videogames [8] Payphones [9] Bathrooms Each of these is given a value when the stop is generated. A value of zero means that that thing is not there. Otherwise, the values are from 1 to 10. For each, the meaning of a higher value is different: * Parking Lot has access to: [1-2] 3-digit highway (Route) [3-4] 2-digit highway (Highway) [5-6] 1-digit highway (Interstate) [7-8] Turnpike [9-10] Parkway * Transit Station is: [1-2] Bus Stop [3-4] Train Station [5-6] Ferry Terminal [7-8] Shuttle bus to airport [9-10] Subway station * Buildings have the number of floors of their value * Fields have the number of acres of their value * Other stuff gets better as the numbers get higher -the calculation uses the journal value and a random number as variables. The journal is divided by a constant, and the resulting value will be in the 0-10 range. A random number is then added or subtracted to that value. But some curve needs to be applied. If coming from transit, the value of the station is automatically determined by the nature of the transit. Likewise, the value of the parking lot is also determined if coming from a road. As well, a station or parking lot cannot exceed the current transit level. General Program Structure: [1] Accept command [2] Process command [3] Update variables [4] Make report Location Structure [1] main Routine get command process command [2] +++cruise process turns (minutes) until a set amount of time has passed or an event occurs [3] +++minute update all relevant variables and check for events [4] +++report gosub minute gosub text [5] +++text print a report appropriate for the given location and return to main routine Commands: speed = set vehicle speed cruise = cruise until something happens wait OR <return> = wait for a minute maximum OR floor it = set maximum speed vandalize = vandalize something exit = exit road or transit quit = quit game help OR ? = help instructions = instructions restart or % = restart game rn = generate random names pull over = pull over to side of road report = generate report anytime go back = go back somewhere walk = walk along *wander = wander around *gas station = go to gas station *building = go to building *field = go to field *parking lot = go to parking lot *station = go to station *service area = go to service area *elevator = enter elevator ROUTINES: BEGIN: print title, randomize, initialize variables, goto Road ROAD: driving down a road, accept and process command SPEEDSET: new speed entry routine ROADCRUISE: cruise until 60 minutes are passed or an event occurs ROADMINUTE: update variables and check for events ROADREPORT: gosub Roadminute and goto Roadtext ROADTEXT: text of the road report PULLOVER: pulled over and car is okay PULLCRUISE: cruise until 60 minutes are passed or an event occurs PULLMINUTE: update variables and check for events PULLREPORT: gosub Pullmiute and goto Pulltext PULLTEXT: text of the Pullover report BREAKDOWN: pulled over and car is disabled WALK: WALKREPORT: WALKTEXT: INCAR: In vehicle at parking lot COMMAND: accept command, make all lowercase, match to command word ANALOG: change analog word for command into main word VANDALCAR: vandalize a car TIMEREPORT: convert seconds into clock format UNIVCOM: universal commands QUITTING: prompts user to verify quit HELPER: lists commands INSTRUCTOR: gives instructions and credits RESTARTER: prompts user to verify restart RANDOMNAME: generates random names ARRAYDATA: fills arrays with data MPG Calc: VT=Top Speed VM=Miles per Gallon VC=Cruising Speed VS=Current Speed (MPH) if VS<=VC, MPG=(VS/VC)*VM if VS>VC, MPG=VM-(((VC/VT)*VM)*((VS-VC)/(VT-VC))) AREAS WHICH NEED A LOT OF WORK: Breakdown Factors: Reliability factor (1-10) is main factor. Going too fast, braking too much, stopping & starting, etc. Breakdown types: * out of gas * overheating * flat tire (so change tire--& encounters at side of road?) * crash * engine failure (seize/explode) * transmission collapse * stall Global Variables: Total mileage Total elapsed time Dollars in wallet Total dollars spent Journal (unseen; extent of experience) Skill (unseen; skill at videogame(s)) Weather Graffitti log? Metabolism: In DN, one has a metabolism which has to be tended to. One must eat and drink, and subsequently sh*t and piss. As well, one must sleep, and also maintain a good caffeine level. The following variables have numeric values: * Food * Drink * Sh*t * Piss * Caffeine * Alertness/Consciousness The calculations associated with these values will only roughly approximate real life. Food level is what you have in your stomach, and that value goes over to Sh*t as it is digested. Likewise, Drink comes from what you drink, and is passed to Piss, albeit much faster. Caffeine comes from coffee, caffeine pills, cola, etc. and it can affect digestion. Low caffeine makes for nasty headaches which tend to distract, as does being too thirsty or hungry. Also, as you continue on, you'll eventually get less and less alert and will need to sleep (and dream). Naming Convention: There are three elements. The main element is #2, which can serve as the name of an exit, train line, or station. Element #1 is a separate word before element #2, such as the New in New York. Element #3 is a suffix which can be added to element #2, such as ville in Yorkville, or Hills in Beverly Hills. So the possible names are: 2 1 2 23 1 23 13 [1] First element: New, Old, Grand, Mid, Greater, Industrial, Upper, Lower, St., [2] Second element: Blair, Scott, City, State, College, Saviour, Anthony, Lynn, Valley, Arthur, River, Drake, Litkey, Hopkins, Luther, Craven, Lance, Fletcher, Bellamy, Geary, Storer, Bloom, Blossom, Van, Franklin, Donavan, Carol, Dick, Able, Benny, Stewart, [3] Third element ton, ville, town, ton, brook, gate, bridge, burg, bury, Hills, Bend, Falls, Mountain, Lake, Run, Market, Fair, Neck Stuff on the radio: the Twin Peaks theme an early Beatles song Stairway to Heaven boring religious music queer oriental music new age crap Videogames (10 total): Sparrow of Parchment (only game that counts?) Find Fairies ("You found # fairies and scored #!") Thirteen Mean Foxes ("Your slaughter ratio was #%, and you scored #!") Ms. Genocide ("You wiped out # races and scored # points!") Arctic Hothead (You melted #% of the ice cap, and scored # points!") Odin's Backhoe ("You excavated #% of Mount Olympus, and scored # points!") Vincent the Idiot ("You f*cked up # times and scored # points!") Hypergod Super Tabby Suit Ripsaw Protocol Missoula Spawn Mottled Roads Sawdust Winter Sparkling War Several Tons of Gold That of the Grim Builder Nihilistica (total destruction and stuff) Sapwood Totality Lumber Vaccuum Dreadful History ARRAY DATA: Random Naming Elements: 'First naming element DATA Van, Saint, Franklin, New, Doctor, Donavan, Carol, Old, Grand DATA Mid, Greater, Dick, Able, Benny, Stewart, Industrial, Upper, @ 'Second naming element DATA Blair, Scott, City, State, College, Falls, Mountain, Saviour DATA Anthony, Lynn, Valley, Arthur, Lake, River, Drake, Litkey, Hopkins DATA Luther, Craven, Lance, Run, Market, Fletcher, Bellamy, Geary DATA Storer, Bloom, Blossom, @ 'Third naming element DATA ton, ville, town, brook, gate, bridge, burg, bury, lin, tad, @ Command Words: 'list of command words DATA speed, cruise, vandalize, maximum, exit, quit, help DATA instructions, restart, spruce, soot, sprint, spice, wait DATA ?, %, rn, pull over, report, go back, walk, floor it, @ Motor Vehicles (top speed, mpg, cruising speed, reliability (1 very poor to 10 most excellent), fuel tank capacity): DATA Station Wagon, 90, 16, 50, 5, 27 DATA Porsche,140, 20, 70, 4, 10 DATA Pickup Truck,110, 22, 55, 6, 15 DATA Cadillac, 95, 20, 65, 5, 18 DATA Minivan, 85, 23, 60, 2, 20 DATA Motorcycle, 160, 19, 65, 10, 5 DATA Jeep, 105, 25, 60, 6, 15 DATA Volkswagon, 90, 27, 50, 9, 7 DATA Convertible, 135, 22, 70, 7, 16 DATA Police Car, 170, 12, 75, 10, 25 DATA Ambulance, 190, 10, 75, 10, 27 DATA Hearse, 80, 20, 50, 9, 33 DATA Tractor Trailer, 95, 9, 65, 6, 100 DATA Fire Engine, 180, 18, 60, 8, 60 DATA Ford Econoline Van, 100, 18, 70, 2, 23 DATA Yugo, 70, 40, 45, 1, 6 DATA Chevette, 70, 37, 50, 2, 14 DATA Edsel, 40, 6, 20, 2, 21 DATA Hovercraft, 375, 10, 145, 3, 20 DATA Honda Civic, 110, 45, 65, 10, 12 DATA Couch, 850, 1000, 400, 3, 1000, @, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 temp unusued vehicles: no trailer (100, 12, 70, 7, 100) Hellcar (200, 20, 100, 10, 40) Colors: DATA red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, gold, silver, copper DATA bronze, brown, pink, tan, white, gray, black, turquoise, stainless steel DATA lavender, @ Descriptive Words: 'list of descriptive words DATA beat-up, brand new, polka dot, shiny, muddy, filthy, dented, eerie DATA ugly, snow-covered, charred, expensive, strange, nice, lovely DATA smelly, glowing, sporty, @ VARIABLES: (*=not in program yet) ARRAYS: NE(3)=number of random naming elements in sets #1, 2, and 3. NE$(3,100)=the specific random naming elements RNDNM$(5)=store random names of 5 different sorts WD$(100)=set of command words MATCH$(100)=number of commands words matched by the command entry VHN$(50)=vehicle names VHT(50)=vehicle top speed VHM(50)=vehicle mpg VHC(50)=vehicle cruising speed VHR(50)=vehicle reliability VHP(50=vehicle fuel tank capacity CL$(50)=set of colors DS$(50)=set of descriptions RD=randomize number RD$=TIME$ used to gain randomness MT=Total Miles MR=Miles on this Route MS=Miles since last Stop ST=Total Elapsed Minutes SR=Minutes on this Route SS=Minutes since last Stop DP=Dollars Possessed DT=Total Dollars spent RT=Type of Road RN$=Name of Road EN$=Name of this Exit JL=Journal Value SK=Skill at Videogame WR=Weather Level WR$=Weather Description *TT=Type of Transit *TN$=Name of Transit *SN$=Name of this Station *TL=Transit Level VN$=Vehicle Name VT=Top Speed VM=Miles per Gallon at cruising speed VC=Cruising Speed VP=Gas Tank Capacity VG=Current Gallons of Gas VS=Current Speed (MPH) VR=Reliability VX=Radio Status VY$=What's on the Radio VZ$=Vehicle Color VV=0 for not vandalized, 1 for vandalized TIM$=text of clock MPG=mpg at current speed *VD$=current vehicle description *XF=Field Value (acres) *XF$=Description of Field *XB=Building Vaue (floors) *XB$=Description of Building *XS=Station Value (transit type) *XP=Parking Lot Value (road type) *XR=Rest Area Type *XG=Gas Station Type (gas price per gallon) CD$=entered command word VST$=entered new speed VSTB=flag for while loop in SPEEDSET VSAS$=first character of VST$ VST=value of legal VST$ MIN=number of minutes spent cruising TRND=random number for event checks RNRD$=name of road at this exit ENDS$=used to endprogram in incomplete locations X=local for-next variable Y=local for-next variable Z=local for-next variable AB=command routine for-next variable AN=temporary variable in cap to lc conversion NOW$=command converted to all lowercase MATCH=number of commands matched by entry in command routine CHECK=checks for matched words in command routine QT$=decision entry to quit or restart DAT$=read data WD=number of command words VH=number of vehicle types CL=number of colors DS=number of descriptions Variables Alphabetically: AB=command routine for-next variable AN=temporary variable in cap to lc conversion CD$=entered command word CHECK=checks for matched words in command routine CL$(50)=set of colors CL=number of colors DAT$=read data DP=Dollars Possessed DS$(50)=set of descriptions DS=number of descriptions DT=Total Dollars spent EN$=Name of this Exit ENDS$=used to endprogram in incomplete locations JL=Journal Value MATCH$(100)=number of commands words matched by the command entry MATCH=number of commands matched by entry in command routine MIN=number of minutes spent cruising MPG=mpg at current speed MR=Miles on this Route MS=Miles since last Stop MT=Total Miles NE$(3,100)=the specific random naming elements NE(3)=number of random naming elements in sets #1, 2, and 3. NOW$=command converted to all lowercase QT$=decision entry to quit or restart RD$=TIME$ used to gain randomness RD=randomize number RN$=Name of Road RNDNM$(5)=store random names of 5 different sorts RNRD$=name of road at this exit RT=Type of Road SK=Skill at Videogame SN$=Name of this Station SR=Minutes on this Route SS=Minutes since last Stop ST=Total Elapsed Minutes TIM$=text of clock TL=Transit LevelVN$=Vehicle Name TN$=Name of Transit TRND=random number for event checks TT=Type of Transit VC=Cruising Speed VD$=current vehicle description VG=Current Gallons of Gas VH=number of vehicle types VHC(50)=vehicle cruising speed VHM(50)=vehicle mpg VHN$(50)=vehicle names VHP(50=vehicle fuel tank capacity VHR(50)=vehicle reliability VHT(50)=vehicle top speed VM=Miles per Gallon at cruising speed VP=Gas Tank Capacity VR=Reliability VS=Current Speed (MPH) VSAS$=first character of VST$ VST$=entered new speed VST=value of legal VST$ VSTB=flag for while loop in SPEEDSET VT=Top Speed VV=0 for not vandalized, 1 for vandalized VX=Radio Status VY$=What's on the Radio VZ$=Vehicle Color WD$(100)=set of command words WD=number of command words WR$=Weather Description WR=Weather Level X=local for-next variable XB$=Description of Building XB=Building Vaue (floors) XF$=Description of Field XF=Field Value (acres) XG=Gas Station Type (gas price per gallon) XP=Parking Lot Value (road type) XR=Rest Area Type XS=Station Value (transit type) Y=local for-next variable Z=local for-next variable *OW* [[04056SU]] Superior SUPERIOR 325 Ling, the glory, the safety. Colors of your team, you cling to the concept of being able to feel pride in something. Buy the original memo book this Superior was originally written in. I'm writing it now. I'll even sign it for you. Signed, Frank Edward Nora. SUPERIOR 326 Like a Torigowar, she was really bright without being really hot. SUPERIOR 327 Suptormier. Is it a stranding, the buddy system, why was I holding hands with George at the museum--years ago--in the Cub Scouts...? Fun Time arcade--roller skating--bitch den mother wouldn't let me play any video games. Bike trick, cheated out of gum, quit the f*ckin' cub scouts, man. SUPERIOR 328 I like stampeding with a thousand naked girls through a dusty universe. I wanna thrill to the sound of an impossible musical instrument. Pay attention. *OW* [[END056OW]] -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----