tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post2940130632617888668..comments2024-03-29T02:34:55.592-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Game 88: Dunjonquest: Temple of Apshai, Datestones of Ryn, and Morloc's Tower (1979)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-87809271931669580962021-03-22T17:43:23.302-04:002021-03-22T17:43:23.302-04:00THAT's a cool piece of trivia, Jalen. I should...THAT's a cool piece of trivia, Jalen. I should have done a better job exploring the origins of the name. The Egyptian theme fits with the <i>Curse of Ra</i> expansion, too.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-5857613314531638502021-03-22T17:39:17.858-04:002021-03-22T17:39:17.858-04:00AP-shy in my mind, but I guess I never thought abo...AP-shy in my mind, but I guess I never thought about alternatives. CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-2142062366715307582021-03-22T08:13:17.814-04:002021-03-22T08:13:17.814-04:00I pronounce it ap-SHY. Doesn't seem to make s...I pronounce it ap-SHY. Doesn't seem to make sense to put the s with ap as it flows more naturally with the hai (imo), but the accent works on either syllable.Ken Brubakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-13856829871765679772021-03-22T01:17:18.745-04:002021-03-22T01:17:18.745-04:00Apshai wasn't invented by Automated Simulation...Apshai wasn't invented by Automated Simulations/Epyx; it's a monstrous corpse-eating insect in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. It only gets a brief mention in the Book of the Dead, and definitely wasn't supposed to be a god there, but the idea of Apshai as a god of insects wasn't original to Automated Simulations/Epyx either; they <a href="https://writeups.letsyouandhimfight.com/jerik/deitiesanddemigods-1e/#13" rel="nofollow">no doubt got that from <em>Gods, Demi-Gods, & Heroes</em></a>, the fourth supplement to the original Dungeons & Dragons game. (D&D's Apshai was later fleshed out a bit more in the AD&D book <em>Deities & Demigods</em>, but that didn't come out till after <em>Temple of Apshai</em>.)<br /><br />The reason I bring this up is because the fact that Apshai is a figure from real Egyptian mythology means that there is a real accepted pronunciation for the name. However... I am not an expert in the ancient Egyptian language, and I'm not sure what that pronunciation is. I've always assumed it was pronounced <em>AP-shy</em>, but that could very well be wrong.Jalen Wandererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00973042209003357278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-81059632825383387252021-03-21T22:23:34.002-04:002021-03-21T22:23:34.002-04:00So, how are we pronouncing Apshai? aps-HAI, AP-shy...So, how are we pronouncing Apshai? aps-HAI, AP-shy, something else?Zack Macomberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18077050078436768492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49948814245871453152017-07-09T17:48:48.534-04:002017-07-09T17:48:48.534-04:00I have played a lot of crpgs (but obviously nowher...I have played a lot of crpgs (but obviously nowhere near the blog's author expertise) and at 44, Temple of Apshai remains my favorite of all-time.<br /><br />I have a c64 with a tape player upstairs just to play it. I've played other versions (and the trilogy) but none compare with the tape version with the terrifying monster sounds (and the incredible victory trill when a monster is defeated) and the c64 sprites, which along with the manual demand you project your imagination onto them.<br /><br />I have nothing important to add, only that I love reading about the game, and that few games ever created more verisimilitude with so little tech to work with. I loved the movement system because it constantly demanded being aware of your fatigue in case an enemy appeared; I love the ridiculous inn-keeper at the beginning of the game; I still am enchanted by the manual's overly ambitious promises of recreating a tabletop RPG.<br /><br />I love that the save system is simply retyping your characters stats in.<br /><br />As I mentioned, I know it's not the first, but the original c64 version is the absolute best. Atmospheric. Chilling. Mesmerizing. <br />scottmbrunerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16209527917007996842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-33731081461770346912016-04-20T22:38:12.393-04:002016-04-20T22:38:12.393-04:00I played temple of apshai, gateway to apshai, and ...I played temple of apshai, gateway to apshai, and Archon I and II from ages 8-12. Of hundreds of games these stand out 30 years later. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08175599711435024821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-71907044440426996972015-08-17T01:48:13.954-04:002015-08-17T01:48:13.954-04:00I appreciate you trying to help, but either you di...I appreciate you trying to help, but either you didn't read the post carefully or you misunderstood something. I talked extensively about the room descriptions in <i>Temple of Apshai</i>. Where I said they didn't exist was in the "microquests," including <i>Morloc's Tower</i>. I'm not missing any documentation; the developers just didn't include room descriptions for those brief side-games.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-58659661396708854852015-08-16T18:48:23.448-04:002015-08-16T18:48:23.448-04:00I noticed you mentioned in the article about a lac...I noticed you mentioned in the article about a lack of description of the rooms. The problem is probably that you don't have a manual. I had the game when it first came out originally on the TRS-80 Model 1 and it came with a manual that you looked up the room number and it had a full description of each room. This was pretty much true for all the "Automated Simulation"/Dunjon Quest games. I collected all the "Automated Simulation" games when they came out back in the day and loved them. "Crush, Crumble, Chomp" was a riot I thought at the time.<br /><br />Anyway, just thought I would mention that about the manual descriptions. Also I don't remember there being a way to save the game given it came on cassette at the time.Protektorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00721569782822016319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-53695883620536476752013-11-06T00:17:30.525-05:002013-11-06T00:17:30.525-05:00I've had a lot of trouble finding the game, bu...I've had a lot of trouble finding the game, but based on your enthusiasm, I'll give it another try.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-57177971334658276192013-11-05T13:54:59.859-05:002013-11-05T13:54:59.859-05:00Temple pf Apshai was awesome only because it was o...Temple pf Apshai was awesome only because it was one of the first CRPGs, and more importantly it was the first I experienced. 12 year-old me was just blown away. "Hold on!? I can play D&D on my computer?!?"<br /><br />Unfortunately, the controls sucked, the story was non-existent, the dungeon boring, and the items blah.<br /><br />But then Epyx released Hellfire Warrior. While the controls were still annoying, there were items (7 League Boots!) that solved some of that problem. More importantly, the story, items (esp. the cool potions!), and dungeon were actually interesting.<br /><br />None of the ensuing DunjonQuest games came close to repeating the fun of the last level of Hellfire Warrior. I must of re-played that one level 20 times. It would be a few years before any CRPG excited me like that (probably Ultima 3).<br /><br />I found this page (http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/dunjonquest/dunjonquest2.htm) that gives a good review of Hellfire Warrior and the rest of the Epyx catalog.<br /><br />If you can get over the controls (a big IF), Hellfire Warrior *might* be worth a play.<br />Joshwitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17405753636994561439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-38259821889943941982013-03-18T00:12:04.773-04:002013-03-18T00:12:04.773-04:00I appreciate the enthusiasm with which people ask ...I appreciate the enthusiasm with which people ask questions like this, but I can't emphasize enough that I don't have any specific plans when it comes to non-DOS games from 1980-1989. I've been picking up a few here and there that I thought were important, but I clearly can't play all of them.<br /><br />In the case of this game, MobyGames doesn't even have it listed, so I'd never heard of it until I saw this comment. I'll add it to my list of possibilities, but I'm not promising anything.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-56132144930852264382013-03-14T21:40:09.185-04:002013-03-14T21:40:09.185-04:00Revisiting these old games, do you plan to play Fo...Revisiting these old games, do you plan to play Fortress of the Witchking? It was a multiplayer turn based RPG of sorts that I remember playing on my Grandpa's old C64. <br /><br />I believe it had you collect various troops which you could purchase. Different troop types had different advantages, which led to some amount of tactics. monkeyfungushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06214285597402730026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55909694926849299742013-03-13T16:27:06.503-04:002013-03-13T16:27:06.503-04:00Quite odd how that detail sticks in my mind too......Quite odd how that detail sticks in my mind too...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-27297070252948815472013-03-01T07:06:49.224-05:002013-03-01T07:06:49.224-05:00Actualy there are a huge number of different relea...Actualy there are a huge number of different releases of Temple of Apshai. The Apple II and TRS-80 bundle is a mid release from 1981. The first Apple II release came shortly after the TRS-80 Release in 1979 on tape without the TRS-80 version on it.<br />There is also a 1981 Apple II only release. There are at least 15 different temple of apshai releases, if not more.Thoriumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-18046110575293548272013-03-01T02:02:27.408-05:002013-03-01T02:02:27.408-05:00So glad you went back to play this. My parents bro...So glad you went back to play this. My parents brought home an Apple ][+ when I was a wee lad of 9, and Apshai was the first game I ever played on it, as well as my first CRPG. The controls are dreadful, and the gameplay requires a great deal of imagination and forgiveness, but my mind was well and truly blown by the simple fact that I was able to play some approximation of D&D without having to round up 4-5 other misfits.<br /><br />Somehow I never made the connection that this was the same Jon Freeman who did Archon and Murder on the Zinderneuf. Great designer.<br /><br />A little bonus Apshai trivia: The Apple II release had the TRS-80 version on the back, a practice that was common for early Epyx, but fell out of favor pretty quickly, presumably because somebody finally realized they were losing potential sales. Also, Upper Reaches of Apshai and Curse of Ra were add-on dungeons that required the base Temple of Apshai game to play, making them almost certainly the first ever expansion packs.Steve-Onoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4580343397846202322013-02-26T15:21:53.447-05:002013-02-26T15:21:53.447-05:00If you realy want it, you could ask Howard Feldman...If you realy want it, you could ask Howard Feldman to dump it, he actualy owns a original Datestones of Ryn PET version.<br />http://mocagh.org/loadpage.php?getgame=datestonesryn-pet<br /><br />I dont know if his tape is still functional but looks in good condition.Thoriumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26214595425114814202013-02-26T12:20:26.356-05:002013-02-26T12:20:26.356-05:00a little kown info about Temple of Apshai:
There i...a little kown info about Temple of Apshai:<br />There is a early Apple ][ version of it called "Le Temple d'Apshai".<br />I am not sure if it was been released in france after all. My research showed it was been released in Canada and USA. Marketed as a educational game in USA to teach french. ^^<br />I did upload a cover scan some time ago on TheLegacy.de: http://www.thelegacy.de/pics/cover/Thumb/t/TNT_3110_1197628326_LetempledapshaiFrontCover.jpg<br />http://www.thelegacy.de/pics/backcover/Thumb/t/TNT_3110_1197628356_LetempledapshaiBackCover.jpg<br /><br />By the way: TheLegacy is similar to Mobygames and might be also a interessting source for you.Thoriumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60206111326411414262013-02-25T08:01:31.117-05:002013-02-25T08:01:31.117-05:00I am glad that CRPG Addict is breaking from his or...I am glad that CRPG Addict is breaking from his original rule. And I admittedly prefer the early CRPG era.<br /><br />I think that if he hasn't done so already, the blog owner should just try the Commodore 64 version of Ultima IV. If he is averse to disk-swapping, he can try the single disk version (3.5" floppy in the form of .D81 image) here: http://www.paradroid.net/u4/<br /><br />The pre-VGA IBM PC was inferior to the 8-bits of the 1980s when it came to graphics and sound.hitfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03585339553144825190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11879386719357005082013-02-25T07:54:01.735-05:002013-02-25T07:54:01.735-05:00It is definitely a conversion from the PET. It...It is definitely a conversion from the PET. It's a good thing somebody took the time and energy to make it run on the C64 since the PET version can't be found.<br /><br />So perhaps somebody will go through the C64's BASIC program listing and convert it back to the PET.hitfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03585339553144825190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-74276586045206102072013-02-24T23:49:00.259-05:002013-02-24T23:49:00.259-05:00I've been working on pages that index all the ...I've been working on pages that index all the postings by year and title, but it's a bit of a pain in the neck. But when I finish, I'll add notes to the early postings (or on the main blog page) pointing new readers to these indexes rather than necessarily the posting order.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-39535703946465390392013-02-24T22:07:35.102-05:002013-02-24T22:07:35.102-05:00You know, now that I read this, I've got to ag...You know, now that I read this, I've got to agree with Fenrus. It is too bad that you are trapped on a blog, with its (Somewhat arbitrary) ordering of posts by posting time. It would really improve your reader retention if you could insert some of these classic posts in before your early ones. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-28770118126342358632013-02-20T13:12:51.018-05:002013-02-20T13:12:51.018-05:00Oh, it absolutely was. Wasn't trying to rag on...Oh, it absolutely was. Wasn't trying to rag on Andreas at all.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16946742995687817751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-87143888090585847252013-02-20T12:24:41.923-05:002013-02-20T12:24:41.923-05:00ditto on remembering the music. cant believe there...ditto on remembering the music. cant believe there are other people who do as well. i played apshai a decent amount of time but cheesed it by just assigning myself all 18's and a greatsword +9 or something dumb...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-77985753876188818552013-02-20T01:22:47.763-05:002013-02-20T01:22:47.763-05:00Fair enough. Thanks for the alternate perspective....Fair enough. Thanks for the alternate perspective. CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.com