Puedes visitar la versión en español en esta página.
«The Errand Boy» is a short conversational adventure, originally written for MSDOS by Dwalin in 2021, using JSJ’s SINTAC G3 parser.
Later it has been ported to DAAD, and also published for Spectrum, Spectrum Next, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST and MSX2.
It is the first adventure that I translate into English (with the help of Jade, @lecambre and @buleste), so I hope you can forgive any mistakes I may have made.
The history:
Your boss reintroduced you as «the errand boy» … and you’re done! A thousand years of service does not deserve this, and someone will pay for it.
Because every story has two sides.
Downloads:
Although playing on physical computers undoubtedly has its charm, if you do not have them, you can enjoy the adventure through emulators. There is a list of recommended emulators, at least for Windows in Rudolphine Rur’s entry (in Spanish):https://www.rudolphinerur.com/blog/2020/04/19/las-aventuras-de-rudolphine-rur/
PC MSDOS version:
You can download it by clicking here.
The most comfortable thing in modern Windows computers is to play it through DOS emulators like DOSBOX or similar.
If you don’t want to mess with DOSBOX, you can try this version online (not compatible with mobile devices, I’m afraid): online version.
ZX Spectrum version:
You can download it by clicking here.
You can download the ESXDOS version, to run via DIVMMC, by clicking here.
ZX Spectrum Next version:
You can download it by clicking here.
If you are not lucky enough to have a physical Next, you can emulate it, for example, with ZEsarUX emulator. The process of running a DAAD game for Spectrum Next in ZEsarUX is explained in this post (in Spanish): https://www.rudolphinerur.com/blog/2021/06/21/ejecutando-aventuras-daad-en-un-zxnext-emulado-en-zesarux/
Amstrad CPC version:
You can download it by clicking here.
This version is also executable without problems through the M4 expansion card.
Atari ST version:
You can download it by clicking here.
MSX2 version:
You can download it by clicking here.
How to play:
The game will show you an illustrative graphic at the top and a descriptive text at the bottom. Read the descriptions carefully, there you will find the clues to advance in the adventure, as well as information about the objects and characters present.
Write your commands in the basic form:> NAME VERB, for example GET HERRING, or CLOSE DOOR. Sometimes (not many), it may be necessary to write a more complicated command: OPEN DOOR WITH KEY, etc.
To re-read the description of a locality, write LOOK (L).
You can know the existing exits in a locality by typing: EXITS.
To move use the cardinal points NORTH (N), SOUTH (S), EAST (E), WEST (W), UP, DOWN.
It is essential to examine everything you can using: EXAMINATE, EX or X. This way you will find clues or hidden objects.
Type INVENTORY (I), to know the objects you have in your possession.
Manipulate objects with GET, DROP, PUT, REMOVE, PUSH, PULL, etc.
To talk to the characters you must use SPEAK [CHARACTER], for example SPEAK GNOME.
The game understands dozens of verbs, try to use the most appropriate verb in each case: WAIT (Z), ATTACK, OPEN, CLOSE, BURN, etc.
If you are sure of something and the game does not understand you, try writing it in different words.
In general, the use of the verb USE is not allowed, or more specifically the unnatural construction USE [SOMETHING] OVER [SOMETHING]. If you have a broom and you want to sweep the floor, type> SWEEP no> USE BROOM. If they have a knife and you want to attack a troll with it, use> ATTACK TROLL or> ATTACK TROLL WITH KNIFE, not> USE KNIFE ON TROLL, etc.
Credits:
«The Errand Boy» was written by Dwalin in 2021, using JSJ’s SINTAC G3 parser. Also, it was tested by Jade and Raster. The AD font used was adapted by Uto from its original in DAAD.
«The errand boy» comes to settle a kind of historical debt that I had with SINTAC, since although I was a registered user in the early 90s, I never finished any adventure with him.
It is a short adventure, without too many pretensions, which, however, shows how, without too much effort, SINTAC G3 can be a perfectly valid tool to create colorful adventures for DOS environments.
Later it was ported to the DAAD parser (Tim Gilberts and Aventuras AD), using the DRC and Maluva extensions by Uto and MSX2DAAD by NatyPC. The port to DAAD has allowed me to «refresh» the process of creating adventures with DAAD, which I had almost forgotten.
The report of any bug detected would be appreciated.
You can contact me through email (dani.carbonell@gmail.com) or through my Twitter account (@ Dwalin15).
(C) 2021 Dwalin. The adventure can be distributed, always free of charge, without altering its content and citing the source.
