MetaFilter posts tagged with Adventure

bop the alligator

speicus — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:11:11 -0800

DroidQuest, Gate and Logicly are modern logic puzzle games based on the classic educational games Rocky's Boots (1982) and Robot Odyssey (1984). Originally conceived as a sequel to Warren Robinett's Adventure (1979) for the Atari 2600, Rocky's Boots became a revolutionary educational game that combined Adventure's interactive graphical environment with gameplay that taught the player how to build more and more intricate digital logic circuits. And as you might expect from the creator of one of the first Easter Eggs, it also contained a few secrets (like a hidden room with an alligator that would eat your cursor). Robot Odyssey was the fiendishly difficult sequel to Rocky's Boots, in which the player tries to escape from the labyrinthine Robotropolis by programming and reprogramming three robots named Sparky, Checkers and Scanner. (Perhaps in response to Robot Odyssey's difficulty, its successor Gertrude's Secrets (1986) was much simpler and did away with logic gates entirely.) While these games have nearly faded into obscurity, thankfully there are a few nostalgia-driven games in the same style that run on modern machines. DroidQuest is an incredibly faithful remake of Robot Odyssey made in Java, while Gate presents robot rewiring puzzles with a simpler, slicker interface. Finally, if you just want to hook up some logic gates in a sandbox environment, Logicly is a bare-bones but pretty Flash implementation.

RIP Bobby Model

Matthias Rascher — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:39:34 -0800

Bobby Model, brilliant adventure photographer, died Wednesday, September 16, 2009, at the age of 36. Here are some examples of his beautiful work.

Damien Walters and Livewire's Free Running Shenanigans

LordSludge — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:41:59 -0800

Damien Walters and Tim "Livewire" Shieff: Choose Your Own Adventure. (previously)

Related to (and probably a viral vid-series for) their new-ish YouTube show, The Walters & Shieff Show -- ep1, ep2, ep3, & ep4. bonus pointless/amazing video: Livewire -- A Day in the Life (slightly NSFW -- brief man ass)

To Cape Town..

fire&wings — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:55:49 -0800

The Big Africa Cycle. Peter Gostelow is cycling from Dorset, England to Cape Town to raise funds for The Against Malaria Foundation. And it's not his first big adventure. His "Long Ride Home" a 3 year cycle journey from Japan to England saw him cover over 48,000km unsupported and largely alone. Along the way he had his bike stolen by a crazy Nepalese butcher, lost half his belongings down a gorge in Tajikistan, had a run in with Iranian shepherds, and sneaked across Tibet, before being caught, fined and sent back. Of course, he cycled on. The Long Ride Home produced some very special photography (some collected highlights here and here, as well as images of Camping Wild and of his bike) and his latest adventure down through Europe and into Africa promises more of the same. You can follow him on his blog, Flickr stream, and on Twitter.

Biggles Flies Undone, err I mean North

w0mbat — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:26:34 -0800

The awesome Michael Palin, who's comedy group used to gently mock Biggles adventure stories back in the Python days, has been reading a 1940's Biggles adventure book "Biggles Flies North", on BBC Radio 7. It's available worldwide via BBC iPlayer, five episodes available as I post, but episode one expires today, so there's no time to waste. BBC iPlayer doesn't trim its recordings very well, so you always have to skip to about a minute and a half in, to get to the Biggles goodness. As a Biggles virgin, I've really been enjoying them.

MonkeyFilter! II

shadytrees — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:50:35 -0800

Ron Gilbert (Wikipedia) recently sat down with his game, The Secret of Monkey Island, and wrote a commentary track detailing the design, secrets, and cuts made in creating the game. (via) The Secret of Monkey Island (Wikipedia) was an acclaimed adventure game released in 1990 and developed by Ron Gilbert, Tim Shafer (previously: Grim Fandango design document, GDC), and Dave Grossman. It will be re-released (warning: sound) (Wikipedia) for the PC and Xbox Live Arcade--no Atari version is scheduled--this year. And a new game in the series will be released on July 7 for the PC and WiiWare.

The Adventures of Tintin

Artw — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:19:21 -0800

Travels of a Boy Reporter - Track Tintin's travels across the globe. Click on the map to find out more about the locations or books they appear in.

Bust that Glum, Bust it good

juv3nal — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:06:09 -0800

Glum Buster is a charityware puzzle/adventure/exploration game developed over the course of 4 years by Justin Leingang. Kind of like a more linear Seiklus. Windows only.

scarygirl

juv3nal — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:49:30 -0800

Scarygirl. Flash platformer/adventure game with absolutely staggering production values and art. The intro sequence is awesome.

... all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by

madamjujujive — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:28:32 -0800

Around Cape Horn - if you've ever wished for an authentic glimpse into the bygone era of the majestic age of sailing, this is it - a rare 1929 true adventure film about sailing a four-masted commercial barque around the Cape Horn during a huge gale. It was shot with a hand-cranked camera by Captain Irving Johnson who offers a spirited narration. 36 minutes, B&W

It's Nippy Out There

william_boot — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:42:40 -0800

Scenery: check. Hiking boots: check. Spicy sausage: check. Immodesty: check.

What will become of the Baron? Surely this time he will not escape.

TimeTravelSpeed — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:22:49 -0800

A man whose bravery and fame is matched only by his commitment to truth, the great Baron Münchhausen has permeated all artistic mediums of any worth: books (on-line and off), films (old and new), cartoons (french, english), an animated short film, an online graphic novel, even a game of role-playing -- if you are so despicable a person as to, for no other reason than the amusement of yourself and your fellows, slander the Baron's name with lies of your own invention. Though a similarly-named syndrome would falsely imply otherwise, he is an entirely honest man who exaggerates as little as he boasts, and as to the latter I have assurances from no less a personage than the Baron himself that his humility is without equal in the 7 earth continents, and 2 out of 3 of the moon's.

Mega Air

netbros — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:27:49 -0800

New Extreme Sports. Mega ramp skateboarding, ostrich racing, underwater golfing, pole dancing and pillow fighting are just a few of the innovative new sports you may see in future X Games. (via SpoFi)

Brought Men to Their Knees

netbros — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:04:21 -0800

"Well behaved women rarely make history," said Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Scandalous Women brings you the lives, loves, and sexual adventures of some of the most fascinating women who rocked the world. Like Olimpia Maidalchini who managed to achieve something that no woman ever has, for the 11 years of her brother-in-law Innocent X's reign as pope, Olimpia was the real power at the Vatican; or Elizabeth Armistead, wife of a cabinet minister, courtesan to many. Read the bios and follow the tales of nearly a hundred women of scandalous pursuit from Mata Hari to Typhoid Mary.

Obit. Young men climbed Everest and visited both poles

peter_meta_kbd — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:22:43 -0800

Youngest Briton to climb Everest dies in Alps Last year, two British kids skied, sailed, and biked through North, Central, and South America, en route from the north pole to the south pole. They made it the whole 180 degrees, but as you can read in the articles, they almost died several times. You may enjoy reading an interview about that trip. They had already climbed to the top of Everest at 19 years of age. They were named Adventurers of the Year for 2008 by National Geographic. They died this weekend, January 10, 2009, climbing in the French Alps.

The Lure of the Open Road

Fuzzy Skinner — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 10:39:43 -0800

Wartime wandering through the Eastern states by bicycle, truck, and riverboat. 1944.

In 1944, a dear friend, Doris Roy, and I undertook an adventurous journey that we dreamed of during countless hikes together over our college holidays. We had been Camp Fire Girls together, loving the out-of-doors, camping and hiking the open road. Our dreams finally developed into a plan to ride bicycles from our home in Buffalo, New York, to Cairo, Illinois, where the Ohio River met the Mississippi. We admired Mark Twain’s adventures, had read his Life on the Mississippi, and sought to follow his path to the Midwest. We were 21 years old...

Burj Dubai BASE Jump

homunculus — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:20:31 -0800

World Record BASE Jump: from 650 meters up the Burj Dubai. [Via]

Small World After All?

Xurando — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 05:50:34 -0800

The circumnavigators are out there. In February, Mike Beaumont completed the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle. Tomorrow, Rosie Swale, age 62, finishes her 4 1/2 year run around the world. As posted previously, Zac Sunderland is now attempting to break the record for the youngest sailing circumnavigation of the planet, now held by Jesse Martin.

Kings (and Queens) Of Their Own Domains

Bora Horza Gobuchul — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:53:20 -0800

Josiah Harlan, first American in Afghanistan, Commander-In-Chief of the Afghan Army, Quaker, and Prince of Ghor; the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's short story "The Man Who Would Be King" (and thus the John Houston film). The title was gained for himself "and his descendants in perpetuity" and never rescinded, making actor Scott Reiniger (Dawn of the Dead), Harlan's great, great, great grandson, technically a prince of Afghanistan. (previously)
Ursula Graham-Bower, an English archeology student who ventured to India in 1939 "to putter about with a few cameras and do a bit of medical work, maybe write a book" and ended up in the jungle on the Burmese border as "Queen of the Nagas", leading headhunting tribes against the advancing Japanese Army. (Real Audio BBC Radio history segment, extended MP4 video interview from 1985, shortly before her death, online archive).
The "White Rajas" of the Kingdom of Sarawak, a dynasty of the Brooke family, who ruled a region of Brunei for over a century; the progenitor of the family, James Brooke, was likely an inspiration for Joseph Conrad's "Lord Jim". The rule of these "Kings and Queens" was not without controversy, often being characterised by paternalism and attitudes of racial and cultural superiority. However, it is also true that they were fascinated by, and in some cases deeply admired, the culture and history of their subjects, and attempted to shield them from the corruptive influence of colonialism. Josiah Harlan, in particular, appeared prescient in foreseeing the effects of the British invasion of Afghanistan, a move in the Great Game which removed him from power and forced his return to America, and had disastrous results. "To subdue and crush the masses of a nation by military force," he wrote, "is to attempt the imprisonment of a whole people: all such projects must be temporary and transient, and terminate in a catastrophe.".

Parer & McIntosh

homunculus — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:25:14 -0800

Ray Parer & J C McIntosh; The Flying Wreck. In 1919 six teams entered an Air Race from England to Australia, but only two teams finished. The winning team finished in 28 days, while the second team didn't even get started until the race was already over, but they didn't let that stop them. Ray Parer and John McIntosh in their de Havilland DH9 airplane deviated considerably from their intended course, suffered many mechanical problems, had 7 crash landings, and took 237 days to finish. But they sure did have an adventure. In 1934 Parer and a new co-pilot entered the MacRobertson Air Race and had a similar experience.

Yes, I'll take the full insurance coverages please.

allkindsoftime — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:56:53 -0800

Rental Car Rally. (From the guys who brought Street Wars to NYC). That is all.

Paddling with Polar Bears

cabingirl — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:24:09 -0800

In 1930, Eric Sevareid and Walter Port embarked on a wild adventure when they launched a canoe at Fort Snelling on the Minnesota River and paddled over 2200 miles north to Hudson Bay. Sevareid later documented their story in the book Canoeing with the Cree. The book has since served as inspiration for young adventurers. Two such men, Colton Witte and Sean Bloomfield, departed on their own trek on April 28, 2008. The pair made it to Hudson Bay on June 17, 2008, in only 49 days. They aren’t the only ones to follow in Sevareid’s and Port’s footsteps – Scott Miller and Todd Foster made the same journey in 2005.

Angola, it's not like they said

jcruelty — Mon, 26 May 2008 21:29:04 -0800

Fascinating account (w/ pix) of a motorcycle journey through Angola. Stumbled onto this from the Black Flag forums and have not been able to stop reading it.

An Untitled Story

juv3nal — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:53:27 -0800

An Untitled Story. (apologies, pc download only). An action-platformer by Matt Thorson in the tradition of Seiklus, Knytt (previously 1 2), & Metroid It is full of awesome. Protip: there's some pretty difficult jumping stuff in there, but the most difficult stuff is generally optional so if you get stuck in one area it may be that you need a power up from somewhere else. Bonus link: karoshi2 (also pc download only). Clever puzzler. (I hate the phrase "think outside the box" but it's very literally appropriate to the solution of at least one of the puzzles.)

Duck-dragons, dancing raccoons, and robots

wanderingmind — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:38:55 -0800

Inspired by this earlier post, I thought it was time to formally introduce people to Rocky's Boots. Created in 1982 by Warren Robinett, Rocky's Boots was intended to teach digital logic to elementary-school kids. It was a sort of spiritual sequel (in that you also play a rectangle who can pick up and drop stuff) to his better-known game, Atari Adventure. Robinett is not only entirely responsible for that game (including the duck-dragons), but was the inventor of the Easter Egg, used there to make sure people knew whose work it was; it was Atari's policy at the time to never name its programmers or let them share in the profits from the sale of the games they'd spent so much hard work on. After leaving Atari, Robinett got funding from the NSF to found The Learning Company, which, in addition to producing Rocky's Boots, also came out with a much more difficult sequel two years later called Robot Odyssey, which has the player burning microchips and rigging up automated robots to solve puzzles. Robot Odyssey itself has been given an enhanced port to Java, although it hasn't been updated in a while.