Zahlwort

Zu Beginn soll es eine erste Wanderung sein, die noch nicht weit in die Höhle führt. Im Anschluß wird der Wald entzau­bert, im dem man sich schnell verirren kann.

Welcome to Adventure!!  Would you like instructions?
   YES
Somewhere nearby is Colossal Cave, where others have found fortunes in
treasure and gold, though it is rumored that some who enter are never 
seen again.  Magic is said to work in the cave.  I will be your eyes
and hands.  Direct me with commands of 1 or 2 words.  I should warn 
you that I look at only the first four letters of each word, so you'll
have to enter 'NORTHEAST' as 'NE' to distinguish it from 'NORTH'. 
(Should you get stuck, type 'HELP' for some general hints.  For infor-
mation on how to end your adventure, etc., type 'INFO'.)
                      - - - 
This program was originally developed by Willie Crowther.  Most of the
features of the current program were added by Don Woods (DON @ SU-AI).
The current version was done by Kent Blackett and Bob Supnik.  It is
DECUS Program 11-340. 
                      - - - 
The rehost to a PC, under Microsoft Fortran, was done by Ken Plotkin. 
See file PCADVENT.DOC for details.
                      - - - 
You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building.
Around you is a forest.  A small stream flows out of the building and 
down a gully. 
   HELP
I know of places, actions, and things.  Most of my vocabulary 
describes places and is used to move you there.  To move, try words 
like 'FOREST', 'DNSTREAM', 'ENTER', 'EAST', 'WEST', 'NORTH', 'SOUTH', 
'UP', or 'DOWN'.  I know about a few special objects, like a black rod
hidden in the cave.  These objects can be manipulated using some of 
the action words that I know.  Usually you will need to give both the 
object and action words (in either order), but sometimes I can infer
the object from the verb alone.  Some objects also imply verbs; in
particular, 'INVENTORY' implies 'TAKE INVENTORY', which causes me to
give you a list of what you're carrying.  The objects have side 
effects; for instance, the rod scares the bird.  Usually people having
trouble moving just need to try a few more words.  Usually people 
trying unsuccessfully to manipulate an object are attempting something
beyond their (or my!) capabilities and should try a completely
different tack.  To speed the game you can sometimes move long
distances with a single word.  For example, 'BUILDING' usually gets 
you to the building from anywhere above ground except when lost in the
forest.  Also, note that cave passages turn a lot, and that leaving a 
room to the north does not guarantee entering the next from the south.
Good luck!

Wenn schon so penetrant auf die vier Buch­staben und Wörter wie DNSTREAM und BUILDING hinge­wiesen wird, werden sie wohl etwas bewirken.

   ENTER BUILDING
You are inside a building, a well house for a large spring. 
There are some keys on the ground here. 
There is a shiny brass lamp nearby. 
There is food here. 
There is a bottle of water here.
   GO DOWNSTREAM
There is no way to go that direction. 
You're inside building. 
There are some keys on the ground here. 
There is a shiny brass lamp nearby. 
There is food here. 
There is a bottle of water here.
   DNSTREAM
The stream flows out through a pair of 1 foot diameter sewer pipes. 
It would be advisable to use the exit.
You're inside building. 
There are some keys on the ground here. 
There is a shiny brass lamp nearby. 
There is food here. 
There is a bottle of water here.
   STREAM
The stream flows out through a pair of 1 foot diameter sewer pipes. 
It would be advisable to use the exit.
You're inside building. 
There are some keys on the ground here. 
There is a shiny brass lamp nearby. 
There is food here. 
There is a bottle of water here.

Der Versuch, dem Wasser zu folgen, ist erst einmal geschei­tert, also wie empfoh­len wieder auf die Straße:

   EXIT
You're at end of road again.
   DOWNSTREAM
You are in a valley in the forest beside a stream tumbling along a
rocky bed.
   DOWNSTREAM
At your feet all the water of the stream splashes into a 2-inch slit
in the rock.  Downstream the streambed is bare rock.
   DOWNSTREAM
You don't fit through a two-inch slit!
You're at slit in streambed.
   DOWN
You don't fit through a two-inch slit!
You're at slit in streambed.

Zweimal hat DOWNSTREAM gut geklappt, weil es einfach als DOWN verstanden wird. Durch den Schlitz scheint es nicht in die Höhle zu gehen.

   DNSTR
You are in a 20-foot depression floored with bare dirt.  Set into the 
dirt is a strong steel grate mounted in concrete.  A dry streambed
leads into the depression.
The grate is locked.
   DNSTR
I don't know how to apply that word here. 
You're outside grate. 
The grate is locked.
   DOWN
You can't go through a locked steel grate!
You're outside grate. 
The grate is locked.
   OPEN GRATE
You have no keys! 
Are you trying to get into the cave?
   YES
I am prepared to give you a hint, but it will cost you 2 points.
Do you want the hint? 
   YES
The grate is very solid and has a hardened steel lock.  You cannot
enter without a key, and there are no keys nearby.  I would recommend 
looking elsewhere for the keys.

Die zwei Punkte fallen heute nicht ins Gewicht. Offen­sicht­lich muß ich die Schlüssel aus dem Haus holen, wohin man ja mit nur einem Kommando kommen soll.

   BUILDING
You're at end of road again.
   IN
You're inside building. 
There are some keys on the ground here. 
There is a shiny brass lamp nearby. 
There is food here. 
There is a bottle of water here.
   TAKE KEY
Ok
   OUT
You're at end of road again.

Jetzt einfach nur zurück, hieße die Land­schaft igno­rieren. Ich werde sie mir vom Hügel aus ansehen.

   UP
You have walked up a hill, still in the forest.  The road slopes back 
down the other side of the hill.  There is a building in the distance.
   SOUTH
You are in open forest, with a deep valley to one side. 
   SOUTH
You're in forest. 
   SOUTH
You're in forest. 
   NORTH
You are in open forest near both a valley and a road.
   VALLEY
You're in valley. 

Was ein Glück, daß Tal und Straße zu sehen waren. Sonst wäre ich nie aus dem Wald gekommen.

   DEPRESSION
You're outside grate. 
The grate is locked.
   OPEN GRATE
The grate is now unlocked.
   DOWN
You are in a small chamber beneath a 3x3 steel grate to the surface.
A low crawl over cobbles leads inward to the west.
The grate is open.
   WEST
You are crawling over cobbles in a low passage.  There is a dim light 
at the east end of the passage. 
There is a small wicker cage discarded nearby.

Es kann ja nicht schaden, den Käfig mitzu­nehmen und etwas weiter in die Höhle zu gehen.

   TAKE
Ok
   WEST
It is now pitch dark.  If you proceed you will likely fall into a pit.
   ENTRANCE
You're below the grate. 
The grate is open.
   LEAVE CAVE
You're outside grate. 
The grate is open.

Das ist noch einmal gut gegangen, denn ohne Licht hätte ich in eine Grube fallen können. Nun schnell nach Hause und genug für heute.

   HOUSE
You're at end of road again.
   INFO
If you want to end your adventure early, say 'QUIT'.  To suspend your 
adventure such that you can continue later, say 'SUSPEND' (or 'PAUSE' 
or 'SAVE').  To see what hours the cave is normally open, say 'HOURS'.
To see how well you're doing, say 'SCORE'.  To get full credit for a
treasure, you must leave it safely in the building, though you get
partial credit just for locating it.  You lose points for getting 
killed, or for quitting, though the former costs you more.  There are 
also points based on how much (if any) of the cave you've managed to
explore; in particular, there is a large bonus just for getting in (to
distinguish the beginners from the rest of the pack), and there are 
other ways to determine whether you've been through some of the more
harrowing sections.  If you think you've found all the treasures, just
keep exploring for a while.  If nothing interesting happens, you
haven't found them all yet.  If something interesting DOES happen,
it means you're getting a bonus and have an opportunity to garner many
more points in the master's section.  I may occasionally offer hints
if you seem to be having trouble.  If I do, I'll warn you in advance
how much it will affect your score to accept the hints.  Finally, to
save paper, you may specify 'BRIEF', which tells me never to repeat 
the full description of a place unless you explicitly ask me to.
   QUIT
Do you really want to quit now? 
   YES
Ok
You scored  25 out of a possible 350, using   35 turns.
You are obviously a Rank Amateur.  Better luck next time. 
To achieve the next higher rating, you need 11 more points.

Bemerkenswert ist „to save paper, you may specify BRIEF“. Damals waren Klein­rechner bessere Taschen­rechner und Bildschirm-​Terminals nur privile­gierten Nutzern zugäng­lich. Deshalb wickelte man auch Dialoge oft an einem sog. teletype­writer (TTY), einem Zeilen­drucker mit Tastatur ab.

Mit meiner Wanderung zwischen dem Start­punkt am Ende der Straße und dem Eingang der Höhle habe ich nicht zuviel verraten, denn zum einen steht so und so alles im Internet und zum anderen soll diese Land­schaft nur ablenken. Auslassen aber kann sie nur, wer über Vorkennt­nisse verfügt.

Auch Anfänger werden sofort alles mitnehmen, was sich im Haus befindet. Die erste Aufgabe wurde bereits mit dem Schlüssel gelöst. Das ist wichtig, um an weitere Informa­tionen zu kommen, die andere Zugänge in die Höhle ermög­lichen.

Es liegt auf der Hand, daß Wasser nach unten und in die Höhle fließt, doch dessen Verfol­gung durch die Röhren im Haus und den Schlitz im Tal ist nicht von Erfolg gekrönt. Das wird auch so bleiben und soll nur ablenken. Ebenso der Wald auf dem Hügel.

Wer als Anfänger in den Wald gerät, dem wird er größer vorkommen als er wirklich ist. Doch er besteht aus nur zwei Räumen. Wenn man von Anfang an beständig nach Norden geht, kommt man immer wieder in diesen Wald und kann nach einiger Zeit erkennen, wie er program­miert ist:

You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building.
Around you is a forest.  A small stream flows out of the building and 
down a gully. 
   N
You are in open forest, with a deep valley to one side. 
   N
You are in open forest near both a valley and a road. 
   N
You're at end of road again.
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're at end of road again.
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're at end of road again.
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're at end of road again.
   N
You are in open forest, with a deep valley to one side. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building.
Around you is a forest.  A small stream flows out of the building and 
down a gully. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You are in open forest, with a deep valley to one side. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You are in open forest near both a valley and a road. 
   N
You're at end of road again.
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're at end of road again.
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You are in open forest, with a deep valley to one side. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're at end of road again.
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're at end of road again.
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building.
Around you is a forest.  A small stream flows out of the building and 
down a gully. 
   N
You're in forest. 
   N
You are in open forest, with a deep valley to one side. 

Es handelt sich um drei Räume, die Straße (1), den tiefen Wald (5) und den Wald­rand (6), die in dieser Reihen­folge betreten wurden:

156156156155615555615555615615556156156155

1: You are standing at the end of a road ...
5: You are in open forest, with a deep valley to one side.
6: You are in open forest near both a valley and a road.
1: You're at end of road again.
5 und 6: You're in forest.

Die Zahlenfolge selbst wird ganz einfach erzeugt: Vom Wald­rand (6) geht es immer zur Straße (1) und anschlie­ßend in den tiefen Wald (5). Dort bleibt man in der Hälfte aller Fälle, sonst gerät man wieder an den Wald­rand (6). Jede fünfte Wieder­holung einer Ziffer ist fett, wozu der längere Text ange­zeigt wird. Durch den Zufall und die identi­schen Kurz­texte für den tiefen Wald (5) und den Wald­rand (6) entsteht der Eindruck eines umfang­reichen Gebietes, in dem man sich verirren kann.

Doch muß man den Wald nicht fürchten. [1] Zum einem kann man immer wieder herausschauen, zum anderen geht es mit VALLEY in jedem Falle ins Tal, und vor allem kann man nicht nur den Wald, sondern auch den Hügel, das Tal und den Schlitz vergessen. Einzig relevat sind die drei Orte der Abbildung, zwischen denen mit den angegebenen Kommandos gewechselt werden kann.

                      +-------+          +------+
             Start--->|  Weg  |IN-----OUT| Haus |
                      +-------+          +------+
                        DEPRE
                          |
                          |
                        HOUSE
                      +-------+
                      | Senke |
                      +-------+
                          |
                        Gitter

Alles andere dient der Zerstreuung und Verwir­rung der Höhlen­forscher. Dazu gehören die Mel­dun­gen „You don't fit“ am Schlitz und „use the exit“ im Haus. Während die erste direkt ange­zeigt wird, ist die zweite Beschrei­bung eines Raumes, von dem man direkt wieder ins Haus geschickt wird. Und noch abstruser sind zwei expli­zite Zeilen im Programm, die an drei Orten dem Kommando GRATE die gleiche Funktion wie DEPRESSION zuweisen. Das schien wohl erforder­lich, weil GRATE zugleich ein Gegen­stand ist, man aber auf das Kommando nicht verzichten wollte. Es bleibt zu hoffen, daß in der wahren Welt die Physiker nicht mit eben­solchen Mätz­chen ihrer Schöpfer konfron­tiert werden. Die katho­lische Kirche glaubt an derartige Wunder.

[1] Lorre, Aronsohn, Molaro: The Irish Pub Formulation. Staffel 4, Folge 6 der Fernsehserie The Big Bang Theory, 2010. Sheldon Cooper spielt Abenteuer und sagt: „Go north. You are in a forest. Go north. You are in a forest. Go north. You are in a forest.“ Es ist nicht so schlimm, daß er eine aufgebohrte Version benutzt, aber in den Wald zu geraten, nachdem er schon beim Troll war, wirft ein schlechtes Licht auf das Drehbuch.

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