Robert CummingsFeb 23
Jon Hancock

> LOOK

You are in a room. There are exits to the north and west. There is an armchair.

> SIT

You are sitting in an armchair in a room. There are exits to the north and west. A small black cat enters the room.

> TAKE CAT

You cannot take the cat.

> PET CAT

You pet the cat. It starts to purr.

> PET CAT

You pet the cat. It jumps onto the chair, purrs, and settles on your lap.

> N

You cannot go north. You are immobilised by a cat.

> STAND UP

You cannot stand up. You are immobilised by a cat.

> W

You cannot go west. You are immobilised by a cat.

> PET CAT

The cat purrs.

#Cats

Feb 20 at 3:22pmWeb
Show thread Kale Feb 20

@BigJackBrass

> PRESS BUTTON

A small robot comes out with some tea for you. It places the tea slightly out of reach

> Stretch to reach tea.

You cannot stretch. You are immobilised by a cat.

Show threadRoger BW 😷Feb 20

@BigJackBrass
> MAKE A NOISE LIKE A TIN-OPENER IN THE NEXT ROOM

I don't know how to do that.

Show threadReayFeb 20
@RogerBW @alicemcalicepants @BigJackBrass Maybe be like… “Ch-UNK. Roll, roll, roll…”
Show threadBrian LavelleFeb 20

@BigJackBrass

When is this text adventure going to be available? I’ll take two copies please.

Show threadJon HancockFeb 20

@brian I think that's pretty much it. You can probably code it yourself.

(When I was at school we had a new computer room equipped with LINK 480Z machines. I wrote a fake text adventure game—it basically responded to prompts for a few actions and vaguely hinted that some actions could not be performed at the current time, or location, or without a particular item—which I was delighted to later learn remained semi-hidden on the network for several years, frustrating anyone who found it immensely 😁 Called it Ultramulch, for reasons I cannot recall)

Show threadBrian LavelleFeb 20

@BigJackBrass

Wonderful! Curious to think how many of these decades-old programs are lurking on networks all over the country.

Show threadJon HancockFeb 20

@brian Probably a lot, judging by some of the hidden Easter eggs that have turned up in programs like Excel over the years. The main limiting factor in a situation like mine would be that the computer network was closed (machines in a single room) and I don't imagine it lasted terribly long before they were forced to replace the hardware with something actually functional, eliminating anything left behind by people like me.

The only other useful thing we did with that network was play Lost Worlds combat books on it without the teachers noticing.

Show threadMan aging with madnessFeb 21

Oh, they very likely noticed that.

@BigJackBrass @brian

Show threaddrweissbrotFeb 26
@BigJackBrass @brian ended up coding it myself, ty for inspo :D https://drweissbrot.net/curios/text-catventure
text catventure · drweissbrot

Show threadJon HancockFeb 26
@drweissbrot @brian Magnificent! I feel so proud 😁
Show threadBrian LavelleFeb 27

@drweissbrot @BigJackBrass

This is brilliant - thank you!

I really enjoyed that, although both doors are locked, “A small black cat enters the room.” Could not be more cat.

Show threaddrweissbrotFeb 27
@brian @BigJackBrass > ASK THE CAT HOW IT ENTERED THE ROOM EVEN THOUGH BOTH DOORS ARE LOCKED

The cat meows as if to say, "The laws of physics and logic don't apply to cats."

> PET CAT

The cat purrs.
Show threadsonjaFeb 20
@BigJackBrass is there a lantern?
Show threadJon HancockFeb 20
@emily_rugburn Not within arm's reach.
Show threadJaKFeb 20

@BigJackBrass
> SAY “JÄ JÄ! CTHULHU FTAGN!”
The cat continues to purr

> ASK IS THIS A LOVECRAFT REFERENCE?

A feeble breeze travers the room, shaking slightly the flame of the candle letting all the shadows dance

> THINK
Comes to your mind about that idea of an interactive fiction about a journalist friend trapped in a village where a billionaire lives

> SAY “PERHAPS I SHOULD START IT”
The cat looks at you

Show threadDavid NashFeb 20

@BigJackBrass > INVENTORY

You are not carrying anything.
Lying on your lap is a cat.

> LOOK
Living Room (sitting in the armchair)

You are in a room. There are exits to the north and the west.

Lying on your lap is a cat.

Suddenly, the lights go out!

> LOOK

It it pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.

You feel a warm weight in your lap, but cannot tell what it is. The weight is purring softly.

> FEEL WEIGHT

There is a sudden squirm, a growling sound, and some flailing, but it is not directed at you. A strange, vaguely animal (but definitely not catlike) sound is audible briefly, then all is silent again.

> LOOK

It is pitch black. You are no longer likely to be eaten by a grue.

> WAIT

The lights come back on.

Living Room (sitting in the armchair)

You are in a room. There are exits to the north and the west.
There is a cat in your lap.

The cat has:
A partially eaten grue

(Your score has gone up 10 points.)

Show threadFritz AdalisFeb 20
@dpnash @BigJackBrass
PET GRUE
Show threadDavid NashFeb 20

@FritzAdalis @BigJackBrass > PET GRUE

It is partially eaten. You withdraw your hand before touching it and reconsider your life choices.

Show threadxyla!! 🐀Feb 20

@BigJackBrass > LOOK

You are in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They put me in a room-

Show threadEndlessMasonFeb 20
@BigJackBrass
Show threadTobias 🌒🌕🌘Feb 21
@BigJackBrass > SHINE DOT
Show threadAri "Second Breakfast" JacksonFeb 21
@BigJackBrass Ahh, it's as good as any a way to die.
Show threadDavid Mitchell Feb 21

@BigJackBrass

Cats make the most effective jailers…

Show threadLeif SamuelssonFeb 21

@BigJackBrass

All those hours wasted on Zork when I was 25 is why I don't play computer games anymore.

Show threadLeif SamuelssonFeb 21

@BigJackBrass

> XYZZY

A hollow voice says 'fool'

Show threadCassandrichFeb 22
@BigJackBrass Reminds me of the first and only time I played a text MUD. Hungry cat showed up and I typed "FEED CAT". Little did I know the FEED verb was for vampire type attacks. Cat rightfully killed me.
Show threadrascalFeb 23
@BigJackBrass hell yeah
Show threadStefan Edward JonesFeb 23
@BigJackBrass One of my GURPS books, "Alphabet Arcane," features an esoteric magic beast, the Immobilizing Kitty.
Show threadJon HancockFeb 23
@StefanEJones Perfect 😁
Show threadDavid BenderFeb 23
@BigJackBrass
BEST. GAME. EVER.
Show threadAutumn MeadowFeb 23
@BigJackBrass
I remember this game. It's quite old. I think it's called Prrk.
Show threadFurbland's Very Cool Mastodon™Feb 23
@BigJackBrass
> GET YE FLASK
Show threadMartinFeb 24
@BigJackBrass That sounds about right.
Show threadNickiFeb 24
@BigJackBrass I know that kind of dialogue. Spells mud to me. Mud is a bad word for me right now. A mud left a bad taste in my mouth. Unless I can go into the one in question and throw a certain character through a window, which probably wouldn't be very appropriate, I am just, staying away.
Show thread食 Shoku the UmbreonFeb 24
@BigJackBrass The armchair is quite incapable of drinking tea.
Show threadNazoFeb 24

@BigJackBrass
> MOVE CAT

You can't move the cat. You are immobilize by a cat.

> TRY AGAIN

You can't move the cat. You are immobilized by a cat.

> GIVE UP AND PET THE CAT

You give up and try to pet the cat some more. Suddenly the cat jumps up and leaves just to mess with your head. You are no longer immobilized.

Show threadNot a Spring OnionFeb 24

@BigJackBrass

`> CAT CAT

The cat opens its mouth and emits another cat.
The two cats get into a fight.
The cat tries to leap off your lap.
It cannot leap of your lap. It is immobilised by a cat.

Show threadgnateFeb 28
@wakame With 'CAT CAT | less' they don't all happen at once, at least...
@BigJackBrass
Show threadAtkelarFeb 24
@BigJackBrass you have completed 100% of this game. Thnak you for playing! 😸
Show threadSarah SammisFeb 24
@BigJackBrass Agnes Aubert saves the world with a cat.
Show threadRustyFeb 24
@BigJackBrass I've had an idea for a while, if I had the time and know how (I tried programming many times and can't get past the simplest things) to make a text based game like this, except it links to the airport weather services (which are public) and you can only do certain things when the weather is right. I think it could be awesome. Something mostly text based, but yet surreal because its based on real weather..
Show threadMatt Hardy 3.11 for WorkgroupsFeb 25
@bridgeenjoyer @BigJackBrass you don't need programming skills to make a text based adventure. Taught my kid to create in Twine aged 11
https://twinery.org/
You can do it all in a browser and export as html.
However linking it to weather data sounds far more complex and would probably require additional skills.
Twine / An open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories

Show threadRustyFeb 26
@technicaladept @BigJackBrass I may try this! Though I tend to not do anything unless its grandiose and end-all...part of the reason I have trouble ever finishing anything!
Show threadDave FischerFeb 24

@BigJackBrass

> CUT SLEEVE OFF ROBE.

Show threadTonya Marie 🏳️‍⚧️Mar 11

@davefischer Ooh, deep cut reference. Good job! :D

@BigJackBrass

Show threadStéphane Charette 🇨🇦Feb 25
@BigJackBrass Is someone standing outside by the mailbox?
Show threadLuna Dragofelis ΘΔ🏳️‍⚧️🐱Feb 25
@BigJackBrass PUT CAT ON SHOULDER
Show threadSirMarsFeb 25
@Ranger1138 @BigJackBrass Oh any game witha Cat is much better.