Temple of Apshai Trilogy Maps

[ballyalley]

Thanks to the BASIC source code and plain-text level data, I am now quite sure there is no Treasure 10 and no Rooms 36 and 37.

 

I love that "icetique" has spent time examining this game's BASIC code. It's worth remembering that Curse of Ra started out on the TRS-80. I wonder if any version of the this game has the two missing rooms and treasure 10?

 

I just examined the Atari ATX disk version of The Temple of Apshai Trilogy in a hex editor and searched for the word "ruby." Treasure 10 is certainly in the game's code (as data, I guess). Treasure 10, along with the other treasures from level 4 of Curse of Ra are all listed together. In this list, the crystal is called a "LARGE RUBY," which is what the treasure's description calls the crystal. Is this term in the BASIC code of the game. Is that information useful?

 

Adam

[ballyalley]

I realize that these forums are Atari forums, but the game is the cross-platform mystery, let's use everything we have to find or deny the existence of these rooms and treasure.

 

Posting the information about any other non-Atari releases of the Dunjonquest games makes sense here because this game was on so many different platforms. It makes even more sense when you consider that my earliest map postings were all maps based on the Commodore 64 version of the game.

[ballyalley]

I just realized that the original Temple of Apshai for DOS is written in basic, so I may be able to see what's going on in the code. So maybe this will be easier.

 

In September of 2014, in this thread, I created a separate posting called "Temple of Apshai - Read Files from ATX Disk Image." Here is a direct link to the announcement of the post in this thread:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/183584-temple-of-apshai-trilogy-maps/page-3?do=findComment&comment=3082180

 

Here us a link to the ATX image thread, which contains BASIC listings of the Atari version of the game:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/230278-temple-of-apshai-read-files-from-atx-disk-image/

 

I really need to post my information about level 4 of the game, but my wrists have been hurting lately when I type and use the mouse. I got a ergonomic keyboard yesterday and I'm testing it out for the first time today. If all goes well, then maybe I'll post soon.

 

Adam

[ballyalley]

but can you teleport in some way?

 

You can't technically teleport in the three games that make up the Temple of Apshai Trilogy... but, you can end up in different rooms in unexpected ways. I think this is a sort of invisible-to-the-player kind of teleportation. A great example of this is in Merlis' Cottage, which is level 2 of the Upper Reaches of Apshai. Mapping that level wasn't hard, but creating a readable, usable map of that level was time consuming, even bordering on difficult. You can see my not-quite-satisfyable-to-me results here:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/183584-temple-of-apshai-trilogy-maps/page-2?do=findComment&comment=3033108

 

Maybe the magical cottage holds a hint to where Rooms 36 and 37 were supposed to be in Curse of Ra's fourth level?

 

Adam

[icetique]

I just examined the Atari ATX disk version of The Temple of Apshai Trilogy in a hex editor and searched for the word "ruby." Treasure 10 is certainly in the game's code (as data, I guess). Treasure 10, along with the other treasures from level 4 of Curse of Ra are all listed together. In this list, the crystal is called a "LARGE RUBY," which is what the treasure's description calls the crystal. Is this term in the BASIC code of the game. Is that information useful?

 

I don't see any treasure names in the DOS game data (not trilogy). BASIC do not contain any treasure names neither do LVL and SHP files. If you are able to get LEVEL and BASIC files from Atari's Curse of Ra I can check there also, but Trilogy is impossible to check without debugging I think.

[icetique]

Maybe the magical cottage holds a hint to where Rooms 36 and 37 were supposed to be in Curse of Ra's fourth level?

 

 

Here is the data from magical cottage. It seems that everything is present. However please notice that nonexistent room 41 has "teleport" to non existent room 32, but this is probably a bug (dev leftovers).

 

https://nayee.net/data2.php

Edited February 16, 2018 by icetique

[icetique]

I removed my maps and scripts from the server. For anyone interested and for preservation, I included them in the ZIP file attached to this post (you can also find the script that reads all the variables from the files, so you can examine them by yourself). Meanwhile you can wait for ballyalley to complete his thread. I am probably moving to Zork series, though I will probably wait for Morloc's Tower to appear. I was able to run it on Atari emulator, but it's not working properly (as ballyalley mentioned in the Morloc's Tower thread).

maps_scripts.zip

Edited February 18, 2018 by icetique

[McDeath]

I believe the CRPG addict played these and other games similar. I wonder exactly how many are like this? Now that theyve been deconstructed I wonder if nostalgia buffs will reconstruct the engine in modern computers and create a construction engine.

 

I need to look at the Morlocs tower, dates tones of ryn, sorcerer of Siva, etc threads and see if they were mapped and deconstructed as well.

Edited October 23, 2018 by McDeath

[ballyalley]

Now that theyve been deconstructed I wonder if nostalgia buffs will reconstruct the engine in modern computers and create a construction engine.

 

I would love to design my own Apshai levels. It would be nice to make new maps, but the really fun part would be describing each room and environment so that the new levels could be shared, explored and experienced by other fans of the Temple of Apshai games. I'd also love to play and read what other people who designed levels would create.

 

Adam

[leech]

I believe the CRPG addict played these and other games similar. I wonder exactly how many are like this? Now that theyve been deconstructed I wonder if nostalgia buffs will reconstruct the engine in modern computers and create a construction engine.

 

I need to look at the Morlocs tower, dates tones of ryn, sorcerer of Siva, etc threads and see if they were mapped and deconstructed as well.

Ha, I know you edited it, but I was laughing at Mormon Tower, living in Utah I see a few of those...

 

Anyone see the post on facebook about porting/recreating Epyx games to the Jaguar. Would LOVE to see the Dunjonquest games on there.

[ballyalley]

Anyone see the post on facebook about porting/recreating Epyx games to the Jaguar. Would LOVE to see the Dunjonquest games on there.

 

The Jaguar seems to have had quite a few Atari ST ports lately. I presume that this would be the version of Eypx games to appear on the Jaguar. Is that right?

 

My favorite versions of The Temple of Apshai Trilogy are the Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 versions, but the Amiga and Atari ST ports (which are basically identical in look and feel) are worth playing too. If "Apshai" was released on the Jaguar, then it would certainly be the first homebrew that I'd buy for that system.

 

Adam

[leech]

 

The Jaguar seems to have had quite a few Atari ST ports lately. I presume that this would be the version of Eypx games to appear on the Jaguar. Is that right?

 

My favorite versions of The Temple of Apshai Trilogy are the Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 versions, but the Amiga and Atari ST ports (which are basically identical in look and feel) are worth playing too. If "Apshai" was released on the Jaguar, then it would certainly be the first homebrew that I'd buy for that system.

 

Adam

The claim would be a new game based on Temple of Apshai trilogy (so original graphics) since someone got the rights to make the Epyx library. They were asking for coders on the Facebook group. The Facebook group is Jaguar Sector III. I could post a link later.

[McDeath]

I realized a bit late that I could have designed Adventure Construction set adventures in a similar way to Apshai games. I wish I would have thought of that decades ago. ACS is a side project Im trying to collect via emulation. I have a lot but Apple II is giving me issues as Im missing lands of Adventuria, a fantasy, spy/mystery clean MAKE AN ADVENTURE disks. I should make sure Rivers of light and science fiction sets are good. Chances are its a mess. Need someone to turn physical version of freshly made disks into .dsk images.

 

Its a long shot.

[leech]

I thought you were talking about Adventure Creator for a minute. I had that as a cartridge back in the 80s. Would have loved a map maker for the Apshai games.

[McDeath]

I recently saw the archives at Atarimania and it had a copy of that. I naturally downloaded a copy but havent explored it further. Heck, I still need to load up battle zone for the 2600 after watching an awesome YouTube vid on it.

 

But heck yeah a game creator for dunjonquest games. After Kroah decompiled the Arcade Gateway to Apshai I started to drool on an idea for the colecovision version. Now if only someone would modify Gateway to apshsai and

 

1. kill the timer

2. Allow going up and down

3. Keep fog of war rooms cleared even if going up/down then returning

4. Add blast spell from c64

5. Add key (since its in the tileset)

6. Add the gate and and ending (perhaps in a random room on a random lvl 8 dungeon.

 

99 dungeons, 8 levels, tons of room a level... hmmmm.

 

CRPG addict went through a lot of the games from early systems and I thought they looked awesome.

 

Today, lots of people like graphical facelifts. Eh, theyre ok but the core mechanics of the game should be intact. And that music for c64 was pretty cool (I like the original better than the trilogy remake).

 

I should check the forums here on the adventure maker.

Edited October 25, 2018 by McDeath

[Rhod]

I'm looking for the HP150 version

[leech]

I recently saw the archives at Atarimania and it had a copy of that. I naturally downloaded a copy but havent explored it further. Heck, I still need to load up battle zone for the 2600 after watching an awesome YouTube vid on it.

 

But heck yeah a game creator for dunjonquest games. After Kroah decompiled the Arcade Gateway to Apshai I started to drool on an idea for the colecovision version. Now if only someone would modify Gateway to apshsai and

 

1. kill the timer

2. Allow going up and down

3. Keep fog of war rooms cleared even if going up/down then returning

4. Add blast spell from c64

5. Add key (since its in the tileset)

6. Add the gate and and ending (perhaps in a random room on a random lvl 8 dungeon.

 

99 dungeons, 8 levels, tons of room a level... hmmmm.

 

CRPG addict went through a lot of the games from early systems and I thought they looked awesome.

 

Today, lots of people like graphical facelifts. Eh, theyre ok but the core mechanics of the game should be intact. And that music for c64 was pretty cool (I like the original better than the trilogy remake).

 

I should check the forums here on the adventure maker.

I would love just a full port of the entire series to some other systems. Only ones I ever played were Hellfire Warrior, Gateway to Apshai and the Apshai trilogy.

[McDeath]

With so many indie projects out there of a wide variety you could hope and wish. Just doesnt seem likely though. Damn shame.

[Major Havoc 2049]

This thread was fun to read. I admire your hard work and dedication to Temple of Apshai Trilogy, ballyalley.

 

The Temple of Apshai Trilogy was always one of those games that I wanted back in the day, but never got around to buying. The Temple of Apshai Trilogy print ad in video game and computer magazines was great and always piqued my interest. I got a complete copy for the ST a couple years back and I'm finally going to sit down and play it. I've already created my character and explored the first few rooms in Temple of Apshai on Level 1. I'm curious, does each game have an ending, after defeating a final boss, completing an objective or exploring all the rooms? Or is there an ending after you learn about the secret of the Sphinx in the Curse of Ra? Or do you just end the game on your own terms, after seeing everything and exploring everything?

[ballyalley]

This thread was fun to read. I admire your hard work and dedication to Temple of Apshai Trilogy, ballyalley.

It is a neat coincidence that you posted to this thread today. I haven't given Temple of Apshai Trilogy much thought for a while, but I have been playing Dungeons & Dragons for the past year or so with a group of friends whom I met through a local game store in January 2018. We have been playing the game using the 1st edition AD&D rules about 3-4 times a month. Those 1st edition rules are the game rules that most of us originally played back in the early 1980s. Some of us did dip our toes into the newer rule sets (specifically the fifth edition), but the new rules play more like modern video games.

 

Returning to D&D after so many years has been an eye-opener to me. I realize now that The Temple of Apshai games have the true spirit of D&D: the story that you follow absorbs you as you play the game. I'm not saying that the story to the DunjonQuest games is fantastic, but it is certainly fun to follow along in the current that swirls around you. For me, the scent of vanilla that radiates from the Ant Men sticks with me: I love that any of the story at all stays close in my mind. That must mean something, right?

 

In the last couple of weeks I have wanted to play "Apshai" again. I never did finish and post the last map (level 4) of Curse of Ra here. I also want to play some more of the true sequel to Temple of Apshai, Hellfire Warrior. The sequel is much more primitive, as it was never updated with better graphics, sound effects or rewritten in machine language as was "Trilogy."

 

I also had hopes to properly play the Atari 8-bit version of Morloc's Tower. I got the original disk and manual and sent it off to Kevin Savetz last year, but the disk was not readable. I've mentioned in this thread that while the Atari 8-bit version of Moloc's Tower has been dumped already, it doesn't play properly.

 

My group of D&D buddies and I are going to the Albuquerque Renaissance Faire today. That's another reason that "Apshai" has been on my mind. I haven't been to a Renaissance Fair in a very long time. I guess I'll be witness to people walking around eating giant turkey legs and drinking mead. Most of the other people that I play Dungeons & Dragons with on a regular basis also play The Lord of the Rings Online. They have tried on several occasions to get me to play that game with them, but The Temple of Apshai Trilogy is more my style.

 

The Temple of Apshai Trilogy was always one of those games that I wanted back in the day, but never got around to buying.

In the early 1980s when I got my Commodore 64, I bought Jumpman by Epyx. There was a catalog in the box advertising other games that Epyx carried, including the earlier Automated Simulations games such as the DunjonQuest games. It just occurs to me now that, possibly, the name "Epyx" is a re-spelling of the plural word "Epics." This makes sense, as Automated Simulations specialized in creating games with epic stories.

 

When I began to see ads for The Temple of Apshai Trilogy in the Commodore magazines, I wanted it. However, I didn't end up getting it until around 1988/89 for around $8 in the discount section of a computer store at the mall.

 

The Temple of Apshai Trilogy print ad in video game and computer magazines was great and always piqued my interest.

Yes, the ad for "Trilogy" is wonderful. It really brings out the spirit of the game. It would make a pretty neat, if a bit grim, poster to hang on the wall.

 

I got a complete copy for the ST a couple years back and I'm finally going to sit down and play it.

The Atari ST version of the game, which I've only played under emulation, is quite good. If you put the Amiga and Atari ST versions side-by-side it is probably impossible to tell the difference between them. Well, unless you glance down at the computer itself and realize that one has the Atari Fuji symbol and one has the Commodore logo on it. I prefer the 8-bit versions of the game, but the 16-bit versions are good too, but they do play a little differently. I mean, the rules are the same, but the gameplay is just different enough to notice (well, to someone like me, who has played so many of the different versions of the game).

 

Speaking of the Atari ST version of the game, I might as well mention again in this thread, that it would be wonderful to see someone port this to the Atari Jaguar. The Atari Jaguar's controller has plenty of buttons to make this possible.

 

I've already created my character and explored the first few rooms in Temple of Apshai on Level 1.

 

You have explored the first few rooms of the temple...? All right! It looks like we might have another Apshai fan in-the-making! As I always advise, play the game without using a map. Also, it is important to read the room descriptions and the background about the game as you play it. If you skip this information, the game is quite shallow.

 

Since you're playing the Atari ST version, you can get the room description by pressing a key on the keyboard, meaning you don't have to have the paper manual by your side constantly. That said, even with the 16-bit versions of the game, it will benefit your gameplay experience to read the background story. You will become more immersed in the game. The gameplay is simple, repetitive and yet somehow strangely addictive. Oh, and if you haven't figured it out yet, avoid close combat: use a bow when possible.

 

I'm curious, does each game have an ending, after defeating a final boss, completing an objective or exploring all the rooms?

The Apshai games don't have any proper endings. Nor, are there really any "bosses" in the game. There are creatures and monsters that can defeat you quite quickly as you get further into the game, but there is no big battle that your one character has to deal with to clear out an area or explore further into the game. That said though, there are a couple of monsters in the game but I have discovered will kill your character with one hit, no matter what level you have achieved. Perhaps these are a boss-type creature?

 

Or is there an ending after you learn about the secret of the Sphinx in the Curse of Ra? Or do you just end the game on your own terms, after seeing everything and exploring everything?

There is no ending when you "learn about the secret of the Sphinx," for you will never learn that secret. The secret lies only in your imagination. As you gracefully worded it, you must end the game on your own terms. For me, there is no ending; there is only the continued chance of coming back and playing the game at some point in the future. The "Apshai" games hold a story that I enjoy playing through now and again.

 

I have come to appreciate this thread on AtariAge immensely, for it has allowed me to hear from other people who are fans of this game, but even more enjoyable for me, posts here translate to, "Hey, Adam, what you doing today? Why not play some Temple of Apshai?"

 

Adam

[Lord Thag]

 

 

I also had hopes to properly play the Atari 8-bit version of Morloc's Tower. I got the original disk and manual and sent it off to Kevin Savetz last year, but the disk was not readable. I've mentioned in this thread that while the Atari 8-bit version of Moloc's Tower has been dumped already, it doesn't play properly.

Yeah, I'm still waiting for this one too. Had a line on an original disk but it didn't pan out, ended up being the Apple II version.

 

 

 

Returning to D&D after so many years has been an eye-opener to me. I realize now that The Temple of Apshai games have the true spirit of D&D: the story that you follow absorbs you as you play the game.

Yes, and the key here is that something is left to the player's imaginiation. Like the old Infocom ads used to say, the best graphics are between your ears. The only modern games I've played that seem to get this are the demob/dark souls games. Much of the story, characters and plot must be painstakingly teased out of item descriptions, conversations etc. The world is vast and strange, and much of the truth is left up to the player to decide in the end, as are the goals.

 

Apshai actually benefited from the tech being so new in this case. The manuals and descriptions painted a picture, but it was up to the player to fill in the gaps as to why things were the way they were. This is what makes DnD so good. The DM comes up with a story, but the characters ultimately alter it by playing. The result, in my experience, is much better than something that either the players or the DM would have come up with on their own.

 

 

 

I have come to appreciate this thread on AtariAge immensely, for it has allowed me to hear from other people who are fans of this game, but even more enjoyable for me, posts here translate to, "Hey, Adam, what you doing today? Why not play some Temple of Apshai?"

Hah, yeah, same.

 

I really need to dive into Hellfire Warrior. It's the last boxed game I need for the main set, and I'm trying to wait until I get a physical copy. So maybe I'll try some of the spinoff/standalone games this week. Haven't tried Drinidisti yet.

[leech]

There were some random talk about someone now owning the rights to Epyx games, and I really wish someone would take up the Dunjonquest games to port to a newer system (like the Jaguar). I'd certainly buy that.

 

How are people collecting physical copies of this? Are they all on floppy? The only one I've seen on cartridge is Gateway to Apshai.

[ballyalley]

How are people collecting physical copies of this? Are they all on floppy? The only one I've seen on cartridge is Gateway to Apshai.

 

"Gateway" came on cart, but the other games were released on tape and disk.

 

Adam

[Lord Thag]

There were some random talk about someone now owning the rights to Epyx games, and I really wish someone would take up the Dunjonquest games to port to a newer system (like the Jaguar). I'd certainly buy that.

 

How are people collecting physical copies of this? Are they all on floppy? The only one I've seen on cartridge is Gateway to Apshai.

Some are on floppy as well as on tape. Some are only on tape.

 

Gateway is the only cart, but not really the same game. It's more of an action rpg a la Gemstone Warrior.

 

Everything else comes in the black-box Epyx style. Physical is really required on this series too as all the room/item/monster descriptions are in the manuals.

 

The first couple games are fairly easy to find. The expansions can be very hard/pricey to get. Some, like Morloc's Tower, are almost unicorns.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Lord Thag

[leech]

Some are on floppy as well as on tape. Some are only on tape.

 

Gateway is the only cart, but not really the same game. It's more of an action rpg a la Gemstone Warrior.

 

Everything else comes in the black-box Epyx style. Physical is really required on this series too as all the room/item/monster descriptions are in the manuals.

 

The first couple games are fairly easy to find. The expansions can be very hard/pricey to get. Some, like Morloc's Tower, are almost unicorns.

Yeah, saw on eBay a few copies of some of the series on floppy that were unopened, but some were asking for 100+ for it. Too bad i already sunk a ton of money I shouldn't have into one of my other Jay Miner systems....