Quest of the Alchemists

History

Quest of the Alchemists was based upon adventure game code structure developed by Tim Stryker of Galacticomm. Stryker had previously written a multi-user interactive text adventure game called Fazuul in 1984. After the founding of Galacticomm, Stryker converted Fazuul to operate as a module within The Major BBS in 1986. The resulting code was the foundation for all of the multi-user interactive text adventure games to follow from Galacticomm and Moonshae Telecomm.

From a historical perspective, Quest of the Alchemists is one of the very first adventure/RPG/MUD games for The Major BBS. It follows only Fazuul and Quest for Magic, and represents the first official Moonshae Telecomm third-party add-on.

Quest of the Alchemists was being revamped for re-release in 1989, however, the revamp was never completed and the module was not available until this project.

Game Information

Players awaken in a cell in the Dungeons of Avagadro, an evil alchemist of the fantasy world of Peyennuu (the same world of Quest for Magic). Their "quest" is to escape...either by defeating Avagadro, or by some other means. However, to accomplish this, they must experiment in the mystical (and oft dangerous) realm of alchemy, mixing potions with each other and discovering their effects when swallowed...the hard way. Potions can have a wide variety of effects including: invisibility, protection from certain attacks, see invisibility power, special attack abilities, hallucinations of hints for the game, and much, much more. Also, other items can be found, such as wands and orbs, which offer additional powers. With both offensive and defensive powers and weapons, players can spend hours battling each other, either individually, or in teams. The "fantasy" setting adds excitement and intrigue to the combat.

Yet, this game is more than just "attacking" and "mixing". The world comes alive with the intricate storyline of "good vs. evil" in an ongoing campaign, as detailed text descriptions open the players' imaginations. Additional depth is added with the introduction of "romance", bringing a heartwarming touch to those players who prefer more intellectual and emotional aspects of fantasy gaming. Finally, a computer controlled demon adds "supernatural terror" as it roams the Dungeons when summoned by a foolishly power-hungry alchemist.

Gameplay

Gameplay within Quest of the Alchemists is fairly typical of text "adventure" games (now more commonly called interactive fiction games) like Zork, Colossal Cave, etc; and MUD games, like Dungeon, Rogue, etc. Players issue simple verb-noun command pairs, such as "north", "get object", "mix object1 object2", etc. Players can interact with other players in the game, as well.