Trinity

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
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JaySevenZero
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Trinity

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Trinity for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
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Alex79
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Re: 467 - Trinity

Post by Alex79 »

I really want to play this, and wondered if anyone has had any luck finding a way. I'm not unfamiliar with using Z Machine emulators to play old Interactive Fiction games, but I can't seem to find a working copy of this game anywhere. It doesn't seem like it's going to be possible to play (for me, at least) without some form of emulation, and I'd hoped to be able to get something running on my phone (which is treason, I'm sure) to play it, but no luck so far. There are emulators on phone, it's the game I'm struggling to find.

I don't know whether people here have played many old text adventures lately, but the majority of the better known older games have been complied in to a format which runs on Z Machine emulators, which was the original engine most the Infocom games were running in. I suppose I might be able to get the Amiga version running via an emulator if I can find a ROM, but I'd really wanted the PC Z code file...

If anyone has any luck, let me know!
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ratsoalbion
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Re: 467 - Trinity

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Alex79
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Re: 467 - Trinity

Post by Alex79 »

Ah, fantastic! I was clearly overthinking it, haha. Thank you :)
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Alex79
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Re: 467 - Trinity

Post by Alex79 »

I'm enjoying this - it is every bit the classic Infocom text adventure that you'd expect. Obtuse, confusing, frustrating - but oddly addictive. I'm making progress, slowly.

FYI, if anyone is interested, I did end up managing to play it on an Android phone. It's not ideal, but saves getting the laptop out for a quick go. If anyone wants to know how to do it just let me know.
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Jesse Fuchs
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Re: 467 - Trinity

Post by Jesse Fuchs »

This was my pick for the year, so here's a few notes I've been giving the other folks as I go:

Source for the latest version of the Apple II version of the game, which is the one I've been playing on an "amber monitor" setting, for vibes: https://archive.org/details/wozaday_Trinity

I've been playing in the Mac-based Virtual II emulator, which costs $20 (unless you don't mind it interrupting you every 5 minutes with a shareware plea) but is fantastic, and between that and the woz-a-day archives you can definitely get your money's worth. AppleWin, for Windows, is a little clunkier, but free. Note that, while it claims you can also play it in browser instead of downloading the .woz file, I wasn't able to get it past the "insert disk #2" screen. But maybe I'm missing something.

One important thing with Infocom games is that the "feelies"—the lore-establishing documentation and physical objects that came with the game—were also a soft form of copy protection, in that the game was a lot harder to figure out without the hints embedded in them. So with that in mind, check out this page for the manual/comic book, along with pictures of the various accompanying feelies: https://mocagh.org/loadpage.php?getgame=trinity

And one reason I selected an Infocom game in particular was because they all have accompanying "Invisiclues"—invisible ink books that contained hints for when you're stuck, which, as you rub them with the pen and make them appear, gradually go from vague nudges to just telling you exactly what to do. It's not quite as magical as HTML, but it works fine, and I wish every adventure game had something like this, that allowed you to take a middle path between banging your head against a puzzle endlessly and just consulting a walkthrough and typing in what it says.

http://www.infocom-elsewhere-org.cypher ... y/_._.html

Lastly, here's a roughly contemperaneous 8-minute video (sorry for the facebook, but I can't find it on youtube) from the BBC, which does a remarkably good job of summing up how Infocom worked. Featuring future Plundered Hearts author Amy Briggs as Dave Lebling's friendly QA nemesis. :)

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=370943990432516
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Simonsloth
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Re: 467 - Trinity

Post by Simonsloth »

Thanks for the information Jesse. It made it a much more rewarding experience.

I just finished the game and my main overriding thought was that I both hate the fact I had to use a guide to finish but also acknowledge there is no way I would have ever completed it without one. The solutions were far too complicated even with the hints and often I didn't have enough time left or had forgotten an item which made solving the problem impossible.

I actually got nearly all the way to the end with a walkthrough and I was standing in front of some wires with time ticking away and full knowledge what I had to do but unfortunately I had forgotten to pick up a knife. Biting the wire or sharpening the screwdriver didn't help so I died and lost a significant amount of progress. Many adventure games force you to use a specific item to solve an earlier problem then make it permanent in your inventory ensuring you have said item for a puzzle later. I was able to load an earlier save state and whizz back to the point I was stuck in no time but I can imagine the frustration if that was not the case.

My favourite text adventure is Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which along with also being extremely hard is incredibly amusing and revels in how much it tortured you. It feels like you are constantly trying to outwit Adams himself with the solutions being delightfully silly. My problem with trinity is that it is missing the playfulness that I associate with my favourite text adventures and before using a guide I found the whole experience incredibly obtuse and confusing. I didn't really know what was going on as by the time I had found the solution I had forgotten many key plot points and incidental details which would have heightened the experience. There were extremely clever moments like returning the umbrella to the young girl realising this was the crying old lady at the beginning and that the corpse you raid for the boots and shroud to trick the oarsman were from your own dead body.

The "playing" of the game is about thinking, reading and writing but strangely I got more enjoyment thinking, reading and writing ABOUT the game than actually playing it. The core narrative and the way it unfolds is fascinating but without the modern quality of life improvements playing it in 2021 is a rough ride.
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