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{{short description|1976 video game}}
{{dablink|This article is about an early text based computer game. See ] and ] for other games using the name.}}
{{redirect|Twisty little maze of passages|the book ''Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction''|Nick Montfort}}

{{Featured article}}
{{Infobox CVG| title = Colossal Cave Adventure
{{Infobox video game
| image = ]
| title = Colossal Cave Adventure
| caption = Originally a text-only game, some later versions of Colossal Cave added simple graphics.
| developer = ] | image = ADVENT -- Crowther Woods.png
| alt = Introductory text and first command in Colossal Cave Adventure
| publisher = CRL
| caption = Screenshot of gameplay (1977 version)
| designer = ]
| developer = {{ubl|] (1976 version)|] (1977 version)}}
| engine =
| publisher =
| released = ]
| designer =
| genre = ]
| engine =
| modes = ]
| released = {{ubl|1976 (Crowther)|1977 (Crowther/Woods)}}
| ratings =
| genre = ], ]
| platforms = Many (initially ])
| modes = ]
| media =
| platforms = ]
| requirements =
| input = ]
}} }}
'''''Colossal Cave Adventure''''' (also known as '''''Adventure''''' or '''''ADVENT''''') is a ], released in 1976 by developer ] for the ] ]. It was expanded upon in 1977 by ]. In the game, the player explores a cave system rumored to be filled with treasure and gold. The game is composed of dozens of locations, and the player moves between these locations and interacts with objects in them by typing one- or two-word commands which are interpreted by the game's ] system. The program acts as a ], describing the player's location and the results of the player's attempted actions. It is the first well-known example of interactive fiction, as well as the first well-known ], for which it was also the ].


The original game, written in 1975 and 1976, was based on Crowther's maps and experiences ] in ] in Kentucky, the longest cave system in the world; further, it was intended, in part, to be accessible to non-technical players, such as his two daughters. Woods's version expanded the game in size and increased the number of ] elements present in it, such as a dragon and magic spells. Both versions, typically played over ]s connected to mainframe computers, were spread around the nascent ], the precursor to the ], which Crowther was involved in developing.
'''''Colossal Cave Adventure''''' (also known as '''''ADVENT''''', '''''Colossal Cave''''', or '''''Adventure''''') (Crowther & Woods, 1976) was the first computer ]. It was originally designed by ], a ] and keen ], and is based on the layout of parts of the ] system in ]. Most specifically, the name of the cave in the game comes from the section of the complex called "Colossal Cave", but the actual map layout is a faithful reproduction of the nearby "Bedquilt Cave" (which gives its name only to one particular room/passage in the game).<ref name=Montfort>Montfort, Nick (2003). Twisty Little Passages: An Approach To Interactive Fiction. Cambridge: The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-13436-5</ref> This reproduction is apparently so faithful that experienced cavers who have played the game but never seen the cave have been able to find their way around significant parts of Bedquilt.<ref name="Bedquilt">Mel Park. Bev Schwartz meets the real </ref>


''Colossal Cave Adventure'' was one of the first ] and was massively popular in the computer community of the late 1970s, with numerous ] and modified versions being created based on Woods's source code. It directly inspired the creation of numerous games, including '']'' (1977), '']'' (1978), '']'' (1980), '']'' (1980), and '']'' (1980), which went on to be the foundations of the interactive fiction, adventure, ], and ] genres. It also influenced the creation of the ] and ] genres. It has been noted as one of the most influential video games, and in 2019 was inducted into the ] by ] and the ].
== History ==
] was a ] at ], which developed the ] (the forerunner of the ]). Crowther was a ], who applied his experience in ] (in ]) to create a game that he could enjoy with his young daughters.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.rickadams.org/adventure/a_history.html | title = Here's where it all began… | work = The Colossal Cave Adventure page | author = Rick Adams }}</ref>


==Gameplay==
Crowther had explored the Mammoth Cave in the early 1970s, and created a vector map based on surveys of parts of the real cave, but the text game is a completely separate entity, created around 1975 and featuring fantasy elements such as axe-throwing ] and a magic bridge.
] with a monitor, showing the point system|alt=Monitor showing Colossal Cave Adventure]]
<!-- Unsourced image removed: ] -->
''Colossal Cave Adventure'' is a ] wherein the player explores a mysterious cave that is rumored to be filled with treasure and gold. The player must explore the cave system and solve puzzles by using items that they find to obtain the treasures and leave the cave. The player types in one- or two-word commands to move their ] through the cave system, interact with objects in the cave, pick up items to put into their inventory, and perform other actions. The allowable commands are contextual to the location, or room, the player is in; for example, "get lamp" only has an effect if there is a lamp present. There are dozens of rooms, each of which has a name such as "Debris Room" and a description, and may contain objects or obstacles. The program acts as a narrator, describing to the player their location in the cave and the results of certain actions. If it does not understand the player's commands, it asks for the player to retype their actions.<ref name="DH2007"/> The program's replies are typically in a humorous, conversational tone, much as a ] would use in leading players in a ].<ref name="Dibbell5657"/>


The original 1976 version of the game contains five treasures which can be collected. Although it is based on a real cave system, it contains a few fantasy elements such as a crystal bridge, magic words, and axe-wielding ]. The player can die by falling into a pit or being killed by the dwarves, but otherwise the game has no ending or goal beyond finding the treasures.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="Lessard2013"/> The 1977 version of the game, upon which later versions were based, adds ten more treasures and more fantasy elements. It also adds a points system, whereby completing certain goals earns a predetermined number of points. The ultimate goal is to earn the maximum number of points—350, in the 1977 version—which involves finding all the treasures in the game and safely leaving the cave.<ref name="DH2007"/>
The version that is known today is the result of a collaboration with ], a graduate student who discovered the game on a computer at ]<ref>http://www.avventuretestuali.com/interviste/woods-eng</ref> and made a number of improvements to it, with Crowther's blessing. A big fan of ], he introduced additional fantasy elements, such as ] and a ].


==Development==
To this day, students at ] must re-implement the game as an assignment in the first ] course.
===Crowther's original version===
]
] ]|alt=ASR-33 Teleprinter]]
''Colossal Cave Adventure'' was originally created by ] in 1975 and 1976. Crowther and his ex-wife ] were both programmers and ] and had extensively explored ] in ], the longest cave system in the world, in the early 1970s as part of the ]. In 1972, Patricia led the expedition that found a connection between Mammoth Cave and the larger Flint Ridge Cave System. In addition to caving, the pair produced ] map surveys of the cave: they transcribed the survey data of the cave from "muddy little books" into a ] terminal in their house, which could send and print messages from programs running on the central computer and was connected to a ] ] at ] (BBN) where William Crowther worked. This data was then fed into a program developed by the pair that generated ] commands onto ], which were then fed into a ] ] attached to a ] at BBN to print paper maps. These maps were some of the earliest computer-drawn maps of caves.<ref name="BroadBand"/>


In 1975, after he and Patricia divorced, William Crowther stopped caving with the Cave Research Foundation. Driven by what he later described as an increase in spare time combined with missing his two daughters, he began working on a text-based game in ] on BBN's ] mainframe, interfacing through a teletype printer, that they could play.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="Lessard2013"/><ref name="Peterson187188"/> He combined his memories and maps of the Mammoth Cave system, particularly a 1975 map of the Bedquilt area of the caves, including ], with elements of the '']'' campaigns that he played with friends to design a game around exploring a cave for treasure.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="Peterson187188"/> Crowther wanted the game to be accessible and not intimidating to non-technical players such as his children, and so developed a ] system to control the game so that it would be "a thing that gave you the illusion anyway that you'd typed in English commands and it did what you said".<ref name="Montfort9192"/> Crowther later commented that this approach allowed the game to appeal to both non-programmers and programmers alike, as in the latter case, it gave programmers a challenge of how to make "an obstinate system" perform in a manner they wanted it to.<ref name="Montfort9192"/> This approach was also developed to allow the game to be played on a teletype printer, rather than rely on user interface elements used in programs designed for monitors.<ref name="Lessard2013"/>
''Adventure'' was the first game to feature objects that could be ] (and that could be carried by an ]).<ref>], ], ''The Video Game Theory Reader'', Foreward by ], 2003, ], ISBN 0415915880</ref>


The initial version of the game was about 700 lines of code, plus another 700 lines of data such as descriptions for 66 rooms, navigational messages, 193 vocabulary words, and miscellaneous messages.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="OriginalSourceCode"/> Once the game was complete, in early 1976, Crowther showed it off to his co-workers at BBN for feedback, and then considered his work on the game finished, leaving the compiled game on the mainframe before taking a month off for vacation. According to one of Crowther's then-coworkers in 2007, "once it was working, Will wasn't very interested in perfecting or expanding it." Crowther's work at BBN was in developing ], one of the first networks of computers and a precursor to the Internet, and the PDP-10 mainframe was part of that network. During his vacation, others found the game and it was distributed widely across the network to computers at other companies and universities, which surprised Crowther on his return. The game did not have an explicit title in it, simply stating "WELCOME TO ADVENTURE!!" as a part of the opening message and having a file name of ADVENT; it was referred to as both ''Adventure'' and ''Colossal Cave Adventure'', with the latter becoming the more common name over time.<ref name="DH2007"/> Most ]s at the time did not have ], and players would instead play the game over teleprinters connected to the mainframe.<ref name="teleprinter"/>
== Technology ==
The original Colossal Cave Adventure was written in ]. Although this was not the ideal language, due to weaknesses in its treatment of ], it was nonetheless the only language then available on BBN's ]. The program required almost 300 KB of main memory in order to run, a significant amount at that time.


===Woods's modifications===
In 1976, ] of the ] spent several weeks porting the code from Fortran to ] under ], with the agreement of both Woods and Crowther.
]
One person who discovered the game was ], a graduate student at ]. Woods found the game on a PDP-10 at the Stanford Medical School and wanted to expand upon the game. He contacted Crowther to gain access to the source code by emailing "crowther" at every domain that existed on the ARPANET.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="peterson188190"/> Woods built upon Crowther's code, introducing more ]-related elements such as a dragon.<ref name="TCW383385"/><ref name="Barton3639"/> He changed the puzzles, adding new elements and complexities, and added new puzzles and features such as a pirate that roams the map and steals treasure from the player or objects that could exist in multiple states.<ref name="DH2007"/> He also introduced a scoring system within the game and added ten more treasures to collect in addition to the five in Crowther's original version.<ref name="peterson188190"/>


According to cavers who have played the game, much of Crowther's original version matches the Bedquilt section of Mammoth Cave with some passages removed for gameplay purposes, though Woods's additions do not as he had never been there.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="BroadBand"/> According to William Mann, a caving compatriot of Crowther who played both versions when they were developed, Crowther was focused on creating the cave system as a setting for a game, while Woods was interested in making a game and not in replicating the feeling of caving.<ref name="DH2007"/>
The game was also ported to ]'s super-mini running ] in the late 1970s, utilising Fortran 4.


Woods's version, released in 1977, expanded Crowther's game to approximately 3,000 lines of code and 1,800 lines of data, growing to 140 map locations, 293 vocabulary words, and 53 objects.<ref name="WoodsSourceCode"/> Woods also added access controls to the game, allowing mainframe administrators to restrict the game from running during business hours.<ref name="DH2007"/> Woods began working on the game in March 1977; by May his version was complete enough to release, and was soon attracting attention around the United States.<ref name="DH2007"/> Woods continued releasing updated editions in Fortran until 1995.<ref name="peterson188190"/> Crowther later said that Woods's bringing fantasy elements earlier into the gameplay was an improvement to his version, though Crowther's daughters also recall him telling them when they were frustrated at puzzles in the game that it was one of Woods's additions, not his.<ref name="DH2007"/>
Later versions of the game moved away from general purpose programming languages such as C or Fortran, and were instead written for special interactive fiction engines, such as Infocom's ].


Crowther did not distribute the source code to his version to anyone else, and it was later believed to be lost until it was rediscovered on an archive of Woods's student account at the ] in 2005.<ref name="DH2007"/> Woods, however, distributed the code to his version alongside the compiled executable. Woods's 1977 version became the more recognizable and widespread version of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'', in part due to its wider code availability, as it led to several other variants of the game being produced.<ref name="Lessard2013"/><ref name="Montfort9192"/>
== Later versions ==
] Computer circa 1982]]
Many versions of ''Colossal Cave'' have been released, mostly entitled simply ''Adventure'', or adding a tag of some sort to the original name (e.g. ''Adventure II'', ''Adventure 550'', ''Adventure4+'', ...). ] released a version of ''Adventure'' with its initial version of ] 1.0 for the IBM PC (on a single sided disk, requiring 32KB of RAM). Russel Dalenberg's Adventure Family Tree page<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.io.com/~ged/www/family.html | title = Adventure Family Tree | format = ASCII Art | author = Russel Dalenberg | date = March 20|year= 2004 }}</ref>
provides the best (though still incomplete) summary of different versions and their relationships.


===Later versions===
Because Crowther's original version is apparently lost,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jerz.setonhill.edu/if/canon/Adventure.htm|title=Colossal Cave Adventure |author=Dennis G. Jerz|date = 17 Feb |year=2004 }}</ref> the 350 point version is held to be the "definitive original". Extended versions with extra puzzles go up to 770 points or more. The AMP ] had a multi-player ''Colossal Cave''.
] computer circa 1982|alt=Monitor showing Colossal Cave Adventure]]
Both Crowther's and Woods's version were designed to run on the PDP-10 and used features unique to ] on that architecture, meaning that the program could not be easily moved to other systems, even those that could run Fortran programs. One of the first efforts to ] the code to other languages or systems was by ] researcher ] in 1977. Gillogly, with agreement from Crowther and Woods, spent several weeks porting the code to the ] to run on the more generic ] architecture.<ref name="Electracity97"/> It can still be found as part of the ] Operating Systems distributions, or as part of the "bsdgames" package under most ] distributions, under the command name "adventure".<ref name="BSDadventure"/> Bob Supnik of ] also ported the game in Fortran to the ] minicomputer in mid-1977, spreading it to other minicomputer systems.<ref name="GetLampSupnik"/> Afterwards, numerous other ports were made of the game to different languages and systems, sometimes identified by the number of points available in the game.<ref name="RaymondHistory"/> There were enough ports and variants and alternate takes of the game by 1982 that an article in '']'' described the entire set of games wherein the player enters short commands to move between set locations as "''Adventure'' games", and provided code for the ] computer for an "Adventure-writing kit" program that could be used to generate a game with that gameplay.<ref name="ZX81writingkit"/> In 2017, ] created a port for modern computers of Woods's 1995 version of the game as ''Open Adventure'' and released the source code under an ] with permission from Crowther and Woods.<ref name="RaymondHistory"/><ref name="OpenAdventure"/>


Commercial versions of the game were also released. ] published a version titled '']'' in 1979 for the ] and ] computers, and again in 1981 for ] as a launch title for ]s, one of the few software programs and the only game at launch.<ref name="BYTE79"/><ref name="BYTEIBM"/> ] released ''The Original Adventure'' for IBM PCs in 1981; endorsed by Crowther and Woods in exchange for a nominal payment, it was the only version for which they received any money.<ref name="bilofsky"/> ] released multiple versions of the game for different computer platforms under the name '']'', beginning with a version in 1982 for the ] that includes an entire extra section where the player saves elves from flooding caves, as well as later versions that include pictures of the areas.<ref name="ColossalAdventure"/>
Dave Platt's influential 550 points version was innovative in a number of ways. It broke away from coding the game directly in a programming language such as Fortran or C. Instead, Platt developed A-code — a language for adventure programming — and wrote his extended version in that language. The A-code source was pre-processed by an F77 "munger" program, which translated A-code into a text database, and a tokenised pseudo-binary. These were then distributed together with a generic A-code F77 "executive", also written in F77, which effectively "ran" the tokenised pseudo-binary.


A 3D remake of the game, under the title ''Colossal Cave'', was released by Cygnus Entertainment as its first title in on January 19, 2023, for ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="3DAdventure"/> Designed by ] and ], co-founders of ], the game was started as a hobby project by the pair during the ] pandemic, before being expanded into a full commercial product by a team of thirty.<ref name="PSRemake"/> It was intended by lead designer Roberta to be a recreation of how playing the game felt like to her in 1979.<ref name="ViceRemake"/>
Platt's version was also notable for providing a randomised variety of responses when informing the player that, e.g., there was no exit in the nominated direction, for introducing a number of rare "cameo" events, and for committing some outrageous puns.


==Legacy==
== Memorable words & phrases ==
===Video games===
{{wikiquote}}
''Colossal Cave Adventure'' is considered one of the most influential video games.<ref name="PCGimportant"/> In 2019, it was inducted into the ] by ] and the ].<ref name="HoF"/> The game is the first well-known example of interactive fiction and established conventions that have since become standard in interactive fiction titles, such as the use of shortened cardinal directions for commands like "e" for "east", as well as inspiring the contents of the fiction titles themselves.<ref name="DigitalFictions"/> The game is the ] and the first well-known example of an ], as it combined the interactivity of computer programs with the storytelling of literature or ]s such as ''Dungeons & Dragons'', despite its lack of linear plot.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="Lessard2013"/> The only text adventure game known to precede it is '']'' from 1974, which did not have the spread or influence of ''Adventure''.<ref name="TCW383385"/>


''Colossal Cave Adventure'' was immensely popular among the small computer-using population of the time. Historian Alexander Smith described it as "ubiquitous" on computer networks by the end of 1977, alongside '']'' and '']'', and ], creator of '']'' (1977), recalled that ''Adventure'' "caused a sensation".<ref name="TCW383385"/><ref name="bright2000"/> Computer game programmers of the time were greatly inspired by the game; according to game designer and creator of the ] interactive fiction language ], "for the five years to 1982 almost every game created was another 'Advent'".<ref name="Montfort95"/> Several of these games were the initial releases of companies that would go on to become key innovators for the early adventure game genre. These included '']'' (1977)—which began development within a month of the release of Woods's version—first by the team of ], ], ], and ] at ] and later by ]; '']'' (1978) by ] of ]; and '']'' (1980) by Roberta and Ken Williams of ].<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="DigitalFictions"/><ref name="high134135"/> The 1980 ] video game '']'' was an attempt to create a graphical version of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'', and itself became the first known example of an ] and introduced the fantasy genre to video game consoles.<ref name="TCW461"/><ref name="IGNactionadv"/><ref name="EGfantasy"/> '']'', an early ] series begun in 1985, was inspired by transforming the idea of moving around the caverns of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' looking for treasure into moving around the globe searching for clues.<ref name="carmen"/>
=== Maze of twisty little passages ===
''"You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike"'' is a memorable line from the game. Among ]s it is sometimes modified to refer to something other than "passages" that one can be lost in.


In addition to inspiring adventure games, as described by Matt Barton in ''Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games'', ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' demonstrated the "creation of a virtual world and the means to explore it", and the inclusion of monsters and simplified combat.<ref name="Barton3639"/> For this, it is considered a precursor of ]s, though it was lacking several elements of the genre.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="Barton3639"/> ] and Michael Toy name the game as an influence for their game '']'' in 1980, which went on to become the namesake of the ] genre.<ref name="DungeonHacks"/><ref name="ieee insight"/> ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' also inspired the development of online multiplayer games like ]s, the precursors of the modern-day ].<ref name="PCGimportant"/><ref name="GamasutraMUD"/>
In another part of the game, the player is in a maze of passages that are different, not alike. In this maze, the phrase ''maze of twisty little passages'' is varied into eleven slightly different forms, one for each location:
* Little maze of twisting passages
* Little maze of twisty passages
* Little twisty maze of passages
* Maze of little twisting passages
* Maze of little twisty passages
* Maze of twisting little passages
* Maze of twisty little passages
* Twisting little maze of passages
* Twisting maze of little passages
* Twisty little maze of passages
* Twisty maze of little passages
Don Woods was doing doctoral research in ] algorithms, and he designed this maze as (almost) a ], with two exceptions important to game play. One potential name variation, "little twisting maze of passages", is not used.


=== plugh === ===Other media===
Two phrases from the game have gone on to have a lasting impact in programming and video games. "]" is a magic word that ] the player between two locations ("inside building" and the "debris room"). It was added by Crowther at a request by his sister when play-testing the game to skip the early section of the game.<ref name="DH2007"/> As an in-joke tribute to ''Adventure'', many later games and computer programs include a hidden "xyzzy" command, the results of which range from the straightforward to the humorous.<ref name="xyzzy"/> Crowther stated that for its purpose in the game, "magic words should look queer, and yet somehow be pronounceable", leading him to select "xyzzy".<ref name="DH2007"/> Additionally, in the game there is a maze created by Crowther where each of ten room descriptions was exactly the same: "YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL ALIKE." The layout of this "all alike" maze was fixed, so the player would have to figure out how to map the maze.<ref name="Montfort9192"/> The phrase "you are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike" has become memorialized and popularized in the ], where "passages" may be ], as the situation warrants. This phrase came to signify a situation when whatever action is taken does not change the result.<ref name="TwistyPassages"/>
When the player first arrives at an area known as "Y2", the player receives the message ''A hollow voice says "plugh".'' The magic word takes the player between the rooms "inside building" and "Y2".


''Colossal Cave Adventure'' has continued to be referenced by media for decades since. The 2003 book on the history of interactive fiction ''Twisty Little Passages'' was named after the "all alike" maze, and the 2010 documentary on the history of text adventure games '']'' is named for the command to get one of the first objects the player encounters and must carry to solve the game.<ref name="TwistyBook"/><ref name="getlamp"/> The 2013 game '']''{{'}}s third act draws direct inspiration from the game, showing a computer simulation set up inside of a cave, which is itself depicting a massive cave system.<ref name="KRZ"/> The game is also a key plot point in an episode of the 2014 TV series '']'', a period drama taking place in the early days of the personal computing revolution. In it, the chief software designer uses the game as a competency test to determine which programmers will remain on the team.<ref name="HACF1"/> As a tie-in, a fully playable version of the game augmented with player hints and artwork revealed when certain locations are visited was made available on the show's official website.<ref name="HACF2"/>
All vocabulary words of the original game were truncated at five characters, and it is sometimes claimed that "plugh" is actually the truncated "plughole", which would be in keeping with the ] theme of the game.


==References==
Dave Platt's 550-point version of ''Colossal Cave'' — perhaps the most famous variant of this game other than the original, itself a jumping-off point for many other versions including Michael Goetz's 581 point ] version — included a long extension on the other side of the ] View. Eventually, the player descends into a maze of catacombs and a "fake Y2". If the player says "plugh" here the player finds himself or herself transported to a Precarious Chair suspended in midair above the molten ]. (The 581-point version was on SIGM011 from the ], 1984.)
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="DH2007">{{cite journal |url=http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/001/2/000009/000009.html |title=Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave: Examining Will Crowther's Original "Adventure" in Code and in Kentucky |journal=] |last=Jerz |first=Dennis |year=2007 |volume=1 |issue=2 |issn=1938-4122 |archive-date=June 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616070717/http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/001/2/000009/000009.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Dibbell5657">], pp. 56–57</ref>
<ref name="BroadBand">], pp. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115211817/https://onezero.medium.com/the-woman-who-inspired-one-of-the-first-hit-video-games-by-mapping-the-worlds-longest-cave-ef572ccde6d2 |date=January 15, 2022 }}</ref>
<ref name="Lessard2013">{{cite journal |last=Lessard |first=Jonathan |title=Adventure before adventure games: a new look at Crowther and Woods's seminal program. |journal=] |volume=8 |issue=3 |date=2013 |pages=119–135 |doi=10.1177/1555412012473364|s2cid=145798924 }}</ref>
<ref name="Peterson187188">], pp. </ref>
<ref name="OriginalSourceCode">{{cite book |url=http://www.icynic.com/~don/jerz/ |title=Colossal Cave Adventure source code |last=Crowther |first=William |author-link=William Crowther (programmer) |date=March 1977 |via=Dennis Jerz archive |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307184431/http://www.icynic.com/~don/jerz/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="teleprinter">{{cite web |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-forgotten-world-of-teletype-computer-games |title=The Forgotten World of Teletype Computer Games |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=April 4, 2017 |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 9, 2022 |archive-date=December 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201130907/https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-forgotten-world-of-teletype-computer-games |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="WoodsSourceCode">{{cite book |url=http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/source/adv350-pdp10.tar.gz |format=tar.gz |last1=Crowther |first1=William |author-link1=William Crowther (programmer) |last2=Woods |first2=Don |author-link2=Don Woods (programmer) |title=Adventure Fortran source code |date=1977 |via=Interactive Fiction Archive |access-date=January 8, 2022}}</ref>
<ref name="Montfort9192">], pp. 91–92</ref>
<ref name="peterson188190">], pp. </ref>
<ref name="TCW383385">], pp. 383–385</ref>


<ref name="Electracity97">], p. 97</ref>
Some games recognize "plugh" and will respond to it, usually by making a joke.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://webhome.idirect.com/~dswxyz/sol/plugh.html|title=>plugh responses|author=David Welbourn}} A web page giving responses to "plugh" in many games of interactive fiction</ref> The adventure game '']'' contained a cavern with the word "PLUGH" written on the wall; if the player typed this word into the command parser, he was sent back to his starting point.
<ref name="BSDadventure">{{cite web |url=https://man.openbsd.org/adventure.6 |title=adventure |website=OpenBSD manual page server |publisher=] |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108221305/https://man.openbsd.org/adventure.6 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="GetLampSupnik">{{cite AV media |people=Supnik, Bob |title=Bob Supnik Interview from Get Lamp |medium=Video |publisher=] |date=October 25, 2006 |url=https://archive.org/details/GETLAMP-Supnik |access-date=August 29, 2022}}</ref>
<ref name="RaymondHistory">{{cite web |url=http://www.catb.org/~esr/open-adventure/history.html |title=A brief history of Colossal Cave Adventure |last=Raymond |first=Eric S. |author-link=Eric S. Raymond |website=catb.org |date=April 19, 2019 |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418141252/http://www.catb.org/~esr/open-adventure/history.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="OpenAdventure">{{cite web |last1=Chirgwin |first1=Richard |title=Seminal game 'Colossal Cave Adventure' released onto GitLab |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/30/eric_raymond_sets_colossal_cave_adventure_free/ |website=] |publisher=Situation Publishing |date=May 30, 2017 |access-date=May 30, 2017 |archive-date=June 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602032336/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/30/eric_raymond_sets_colossal_cave_adventure_free |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="ZX81writingkit">{{cite magazine |last=Thompson |first=Graham |title=Adventure |magazine=] |publisher=IPC Electrical-Electronic Press |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=24–27 |date=April 1982 |url=https://archive.org/details/your-computer-magazine-1982-04 |issn=0263-0885}}</ref>
<ref name="BYTE79">{{cite magazine |title=Microsoft Consumer Products Continuing the Microsoft Tradition |magazine=] |publisher=] |date=December 1979 |volume=4 |issue=12 |page=179 |issn=0360-5280}}</ref>
<ref name="BYTEIBM">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1981-10/1981_10_BYTE_06-10_Local_Networks#page/n35/mode/2up |title=The IBM Personal Computer / First Impressions |magazine=] |publisher=] |date=October 1981 |volume=6 |issue=10 |last=Lemmons |first=Phil |page=34 |issn=0360-5280}}</ref>
<ref name="bilofsky">{{cite web |url=http://www.toolworks.com/bilofsky/software.htm |title=Software Publisher |publisher=] |last=Bilofsky |first=Walt |access-date=September 30, 2014 |archive-date=November 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111113635/http://www.toolworks.com/bilofsky/software.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="ColossalAdventure">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_006/page/56/mode/2up |title=The Next Level |magazine=] |publisher=Live Publishing |date=October 2004 |volume=1 |issue=6 |page=56 |issn=1742-3155}}</ref>
<ref name="3DAdventure">{{cite web |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/roberta-williams-ken-williams-interview-colossal-cave/ |title=Ken and Roberta Williams are back to evolve the adventure game genre |last=Franzese |first=Tomas |date=January 16, 2023 |website=] |access-date=January 20, 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="PSRemake">{{cite web |url=https://blog.playstation.com/2023/01/19/qa-with-roberta-ken-williams-developers-of-reimagined-colossal-cave-out-today/ |title=Q&A with Roberta & Ken Williams, developers of reimagined Colossal Cave, out today |date=January 19, 2023 |last=Shuman |first=Sid |website=PlayStation.Blog |publisher=] |access-date=January 20, 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="ViceRemake">{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7vq8x/why-roberta-williams-came-out-of-retirement-to-remake-a-beloved-text-adventure |title=Why Roberta Williams Came Out of Retirement to Remake a Beloved Text Adventure |last=Fyfe |first=Duncan |date=November 10, 2022 |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=November 10, 2022}}</ref>


<ref name="PCGimportant">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/most-important-pc-games/ |title=The most important PC games of all time |work=] |publisher=] |date=January 17, 2016 |access-date=January 19, 2016 |archive-date=April 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430071630/https://www.pcgamer.com/most-important-pc-games/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Down the hall from Platt, three programmers were developing a debugger for a commercial operating system (CP6). They added a command to show a ], and called the command “plugh”. The command passed all internal reviews for release until a technical writer refused to allow a funny word that didn’t mean anything to be included in the product. A lengthy development meeting determined that plugh stood for “Procedure List Used to Get Here”.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
<ref name="HoF">{{cite web |url=https://www.museumofplay.org/games/colossal-cave-adventure/ |title=Colossal Cave Adventure |website=The Strong National Museum of Play |publisher=] |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108150731/https://www.museumofplay.org/games/colossal-cave-adventure/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="DigitalFictions">], pp. 57–58, 77</ref>
<ref name="bright2000">{{cite web |last=Bright |first=Walter |author-link=Walter Bright |year=2000 |title=A Brief History of Empire |url=https://www.classicempire.com/history.html |access-date=August 17, 2024 |website=Walter Bright's Classic Empire |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620051920/http://www.classicempire.com/history.html |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Montfort95">], p. 95</ref>
<ref name="high134135">], pp. 134–135</ref>
<ref name="TCW461">], p. 461</ref>
<ref name="IGNactionadv">{{cite web |url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/903/903024p1.html |first=Levi |last=Buchanan |title=Top 10 Best-Selling Atari 2600 Games |date=August 26, 2008 |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520101821/https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/08/26/top-10-best-selling-atari-2600-games |archive-date=May 20, 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="EGfantasy">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1983-06/Electronic_Games_Issue_16_Vol_02_04_1983_Jun#page/n45/mode/2up |title=The Players Guide to Fantasy Games |magazine=] |publisher=Reese Publishing Company |date=June 1983 |volume=2 |issue=16 |page=47 |issn=0730-6687}}</ref>
<ref name="carmen">{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/the-making-of-carmen-sandiego-1804490410 |title=The Making Of Carmen Sandiego |first=David L. |last=Craddock |date=September 15, 2017 |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=September 15, 2017 |archive-date=September 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915144341/https://kotaku.com/the-making-of-carmen-sandiego-1804490410 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="Barton3639">], pp. 36–39</ref>
<ref name="DungeonHacks">], ch. 2: "Procedural Dungeons of Doom: Building Rogue, Part 1"</ref>
<ref name="ieee insight">{{cite web |url=http://insight.ieeeusa.org/insight/content/views/371703 |title=Going Rogue: A Brief History of the Computerized Dungeon Crawl |first=Nathan |last=Brewer |date=July 7, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |work=Insights |publisher=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919020229/http://insight.ieeeusa.org/insight/content/views/371703 |archive-date=September 19, 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="GamasutraMUD">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/hunt-the-syntax-part-one |title=Hunt The Syntax, Part One |first=Michael |last=Heron |date=August 3, 2016 |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108020637/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/hunt-the-syntax-part-one |url-status=live }}</ref>


<ref name="xyzzy">], p. 496</ref>
=== Cheat Codes ===
<ref name="TwistyPassages">{{cite web |url=http://www.science20.com/staring_empty_pages/youre_maze_twisty_little_passages_all_alike-77025 |title=You're in a Maze of Twisty Little Passages, All Alike |first=Barry |last=Leiba |author-link=Barry Leiba |date=March 9, 2011 |access-date=February 22, 2016 |website=Science 2.0 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305031716/http://www.science20.com/staring_empty_pages/youre_maze_twisty_little_passages_all_alike-77025 |url-status=live }}</ref>
] <ref name=xyzzy>{{cite web | url = http://www.rickadams.org/adventure/c_xyzzy.html | title = Everything you ever wanted to know about…the magic word XYZZY | work = The Colossal Cave Adventure page | author = Rick Adams }}</ref> is a magic word found in the game. It often confounds early players. They will type in "xyzzy" to see if it's useful at different parts and get the generic response "Nothing happens". This became an inside joke amongst gamers.
<ref name="TwistyBook">{{cite web |url=https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/twisty-little-passages |title=Twisty Little Passages |website=] |access-date=February 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114162915/https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/twisty-little-passages |archive-date=November 14, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="getlamp">{{cite web |url=http://www.cnet.com/news/get-lamp-illuminates-the-text-adventure-game/ |title='Get Lamp' illuminates the text adventure game |work=] |publisher=] |first=Gordon |last=Haff |date=August 10, 2010 |access-date=February 23, 2016 |archive-date=February 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224075152/http://www.cnet.com/news/get-lamp-illuminates-the-text-adventure-game/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="KRZ">{{cite magazine |url=https://egmnow.com/as-above-so-below-kentucky-route-zero/ |title=As Above, So Below: Touring Mammoth Cave with Kentucky Route Zero's Jake Elliott |magazine=] |last=Solberg |first=Dan |date=February 5, 2020 |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108195941/https://egmnow.com/as-above-so-below-kentucky-route-zero/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="HACF1">{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/6/30/5855632/close-up-halt-and-catch-fire-season-1-episode-5 |title=Close Up: 'Halt and Catch Fire' and the smallest TV in the world |first=Brian |last=Bishop |date=June 30, 2014 |access-date=February 22, 2016 |website=] |publisher=] |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045100/http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/30/5855632/close-up-halt-and-catch-fire-season-1-episode-5 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="HACF2">{{cite web |url=https://www.amc.com/shows/halt-and-catch-fire/exclusives/colossal-cave-adventure |title=Halt and Catch Fire Exclusives: Colossal Cave Adventure |date=2014 |access-date=May 31, 2018 |work=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905165135/https://www.amc.com/shows/halt-and-catch-fire/exclusives/colossal-cave-adventure |archive-date=September 5, 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}


=== Other lines === ===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
Other memorable lines from the game are:
* {{cite book |title=Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games |edition=2nd |last1=Barton |first1=Matt |last2=Stacks |first2=Shane |date=2019 |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-138-57464-9 |ref=CITEREF_BartonDungeons}}
* ''A huge green fierce snake bars the way!''
* {{cite book |last1=Craddock |first1=David L. |editor1-last=Magrath |editor1-first=Andrew |title=Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, and Other Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games |date=2015 |publisher=Press Start Press |isbn=978-0-692-50186-3 |chapter=Procedural Dungeons of Doom: Building Rogue, Part 1 |ref=CITEREF_CraddockDungeonHacks}}
* ''With what? Your bare hands?'' (refers to killing the snake, a ], etc.)
* {{cite book |title=High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games |last1=DeMaria |first1=Rusel |last2=Wilson |first2=Johnny L. |publisher=] |edition=2nd |date=2003 |isbn=978-0-07-223172-4 |ref=CITEREF_DemariaHighScore}}
* ''With what? Your bare hands? Against his bear hands?'' (refers to killing the bear)
* {{cite book |title=My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual World |first=Julian |last=Dibbell |date=1998 |isbn=978-0-8050-3626-8 |lccn=98-13636 |publisher=] |url=https://archive.org/details/mytinylifecrimep0000dibb_c6m4 |url-access=registration |ref=CITEREF_DibbelTinyLife}}
* ''It's not hungry (it's merely pinin' for the fjords).'' (if you try to feed the bird) &mdash; a reference to ]'s ]
* {{cite book |title=Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet |last=Evans |first=Claire L. |date=2018 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-593-32944-3 |ref=CITEREF_EvansBroadBand}}
* The game responds to a frustrated player's swearing with ''watch it!'' and to commands to eat inappropriate things (e.g., the bird, the snake) with ''Yecch!''
* {{cite book |title=Inter/vention: Free Play in the Age of Electracy |last=Holmevik |first=Jan Rune |date=2012 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-262-30090-2 |ref=CITEREF_HolmevikElectracity}}
* {{cite book |last=Montfort |first=Nick |author-link=Nick Montfort |date=2003 |title=Twisty Little Passages: An Approach To Interactive Fiction |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-262-13436-1 |ref=CITEREF_MontfortTwisty}}
* {{cite book |last=Peterson |first=Dale |title=Genesis II, Creation and Recreation with Computers |date=1983 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-8359-2434-4 |ref=CITEREF_PetersonGenesis}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Raymond |editor-first1=Eric S. |editor-link1=Eric S. Raymond |editor-last2=Steele |editor-first2=Guy L. |editor-link2=Guy L. Steele Jr. |title=] |edition=3rd |date=1996 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-262-68092-9 |ref=CITEREF_RaymondHacker}}
* {{cite book |last=Sloane |first=Sarah |title=Digital Fictions: Storytelling in a Material World |date=2000 |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-56750-482-8 |ref=CITEREF_SloaneDigitalFictions}}
* {{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Alexander |title=They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol. I: 1971-1982 |date=2019 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-429-75261-2 |ref=CITEREF_SmithTCW}}
{{refend}}


==External links==
Dave Platt's's influential 550-point F77 version had some memorable moments as well:
{{wikiquote}}

{{Commons category|Colossal Cave Adventure}}
* ''Into view there bounces a horrible creature!! Six feet across, it resembles a large blob of translucent white jelly; although it looks massive, it is bouncing lightly up and down as though it were as light as a feather. It is emitting a constant throbbing sound, and it >ROAR<s loudly as it sees you.'' &mdash; this is a reference to ] from '']''
* '''' at the with downloadable versions for many platforms

* '''' at the with downloadable versions for many platforms
Platt also had a number of "cameos" — very rare random events of no consequence. For example:
* and for modern Fortran compilers of Crowther's 1976 version

* of a port of the 1995 version
* ''From the darkness nearby comes the sound of shuffling feet. As you turn towards the sound, a nine-foot ] ambles into the light of your lamp. The cyclops is dressed in a three-piece suit of ], and is wearing a black silk ] and cowboy boots and is carrying an ] walking-stick. It catches sight of you and stops, seeming frozen in its tracks, with its bloodshot eye bulging in amazement and its fang-filled jaw drooping with shock. After staring at you in incredulous disbelief for a few moments, it reaches into the pocket of its vest and pulls out a small plastic bag filled with a ], and examines it carefully. "It must be worth eighty pazools an ounce after all" mumbles the cyclops, who casts one final look at you, shudders, and staggers away out of sight.''
* of the PDP-11 version of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' for modern Windows

* '''', containing downloadable versions and details about each version of the game
Other versions added their own flavour to the proceedings.
* Interviews with and for the '']'' documentary film

* ''With extreme difficulty, you take down from the wall a seven foot high, twenty foot long, three hundred and sixty degree view of Mars taken from the Viking lander.'' — from the Witt's End extension in Mike Goetz's CP/M version (1983); this action would summon Rover (see above)

* ''I am sorry, but magic rug flying regulations specifically prohibit any activity other than (a) enjoying the view (recommended), (b) reviewing one's possessions (optional) and (c) clutching rug edges in sheer stomach-churning terror (not recommended).'' — from Mike Arnautov's 770-point version (2003)

== See also ==
*]

== References ==
<references/>

== External links ==
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Rick Adams' , with downloads
* with downloadable versions for many platforms.
*
*


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Latest revision as of 01:25, 9 November 2024

1976 video game "Twisty little maze of passages" redirects here. For the book Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction, see Nick Montfort.

1976 video game
Colossal Cave Adventure
Introductory text and first command in Colossal Cave AdventureScreenshot of gameplay (1977 version)
Developer(s)
Platform(s)PDP-10
Release
  • 1976 (Crowther)
  • 1977 (Crowther/Woods)
Genre(s)Adventure, interactive fiction
Mode(s)Single-player

Colossal Cave Adventure (also known as Adventure or ADVENT) is a text-based adventure game, released in 1976 by developer Will Crowther for the PDP-10 mainframe computer. It was expanded upon in 1977 by Don Woods. In the game, the player explores a cave system rumored to be filled with treasure and gold. The game is composed of dozens of locations, and the player moves between these locations and interacts with objects in them by typing one- or two-word commands which are interpreted by the game's natural language input system. The program acts as a narrator, describing the player's location and the results of the player's attempted actions. It is the first well-known example of interactive fiction, as well as the first well-known adventure game, for which it was also the namesake.

The original game, written in 1975 and 1976, was based on Crowther's maps and experiences caving in Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the longest cave system in the world; further, it was intended, in part, to be accessible to non-technical players, such as his two daughters. Woods's version expanded the game in size and increased the number of fantasy elements present in it, such as a dragon and magic spells. Both versions, typically played over teleprinters connected to mainframe computers, were spread around the nascent ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet, which Crowther was involved in developing.

Colossal Cave Adventure was one of the first teletype games and was massively popular in the computer community of the late 1970s, with numerous ports and modified versions being created based on Woods's source code. It directly inspired the creation of numerous games, including Zork (1977), Adventureland (1978), Mystery House (1980), Rogue (1980), and Adventure (1980), which went on to be the foundations of the interactive fiction, adventure, roguelike, and action-adventure genres. It also influenced the creation of the MUD and computer role-playing game genres. It has been noted as one of the most influential video games, and in 2019 was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame by The Strong and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games.

Gameplay

Monitor showing Colossal Cave Adventure
Colossal Cave Adventure running on a PDP-11/34 with a monitor, showing the point system

Colossal Cave Adventure is a text-based adventure game wherein the player explores a mysterious cave that is rumored to be filled with treasure and gold. The player must explore the cave system and solve puzzles by using items that they find to obtain the treasures and leave the cave. The player types in one- or two-word commands to move their character through the cave system, interact with objects in the cave, pick up items to put into their inventory, and perform other actions. The allowable commands are contextual to the location, or room, the player is in; for example, "get lamp" only has an effect if there is a lamp present. There are dozens of rooms, each of which has a name such as "Debris Room" and a description, and may contain objects or obstacles. The program acts as a narrator, describing to the player their location in the cave and the results of certain actions. If it does not understand the player's commands, it asks for the player to retype their actions. The program's replies are typically in a humorous, conversational tone, much as a Dungeon Master would use in leading players in a tabletop role-playing game.

The original 1976 version of the game contains five treasures which can be collected. Although it is based on a real cave system, it contains a few fantasy elements such as a crystal bridge, magic words, and axe-wielding dwarves. The player can die by falling into a pit or being killed by the dwarves, but otherwise the game has no ending or goal beyond finding the treasures. The 1977 version of the game, upon which later versions were based, adds ten more treasures and more fantasy elements. It also adds a points system, whereby completing certain goals earns a predetermined number of points. The ultimate goal is to earn the maximum number of points—350, in the 1977 version—which involves finding all the treasures in the game and safely leaving the cave.

Development

Crowther's original version

William Crowther
William Crowther in 2012
ASR-33 Teleprinter
Teleprinter computer terminal

Colossal Cave Adventure was originally created by William Crowther in 1975 and 1976. Crowther and his ex-wife Patricia were both programmers and cavers and had extensively explored Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the longest cave system in the world, in the early 1970s as part of the Cave Research Foundation. In 1972, Patricia led the expedition that found a connection between Mammoth Cave and the larger Flint Ridge Cave System. In addition to caving, the pair produced vector map surveys of the cave: they transcribed the survey data of the cave from "muddy little books" into a teleprinter terminal in their house, which could send and print messages from programs running on the central computer and was connected to a PDP-1 mainframe computer at Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN) where William Crowther worked. This data was then fed into a program developed by the pair that generated plotting commands onto punched tape, which were then fed into a Honeywell 316 minicomputer attached to a Calcomp drum plotter at BBN to print paper maps. These maps were some of the earliest computer-drawn maps of caves.

In 1975, after he and Patricia divorced, William Crowther stopped caving with the Cave Research Foundation. Driven by what he later described as an increase in spare time combined with missing his two daughters, he began working on a text-based game in Fortran on BBN's PDP-10 mainframe, interfacing through a teletype printer, that they could play. He combined his memories and maps of the Mammoth Cave system, particularly a 1975 map of the Bedquilt area of the caves, including Colossal Cavern, with elements of the Dungeons & Dragons campaigns that he played with friends to design a game around exploring a cave for treasure. Crowther wanted the game to be accessible and not intimidating to non-technical players such as his children, and so developed a natural language input system to control the game so that it would be "a thing that gave you the illusion anyway that you'd typed in English commands and it did what you said". Crowther later commented that this approach allowed the game to appeal to both non-programmers and programmers alike, as in the latter case, it gave programmers a challenge of how to make "an obstinate system" perform in a manner they wanted it to. This approach was also developed to allow the game to be played on a teletype printer, rather than rely on user interface elements used in programs designed for monitors.

The initial version of the game was about 700 lines of code, plus another 700 lines of data such as descriptions for 66 rooms, navigational messages, 193 vocabulary words, and miscellaneous messages. Once the game was complete, in early 1976, Crowther showed it off to his co-workers at BBN for feedback, and then considered his work on the game finished, leaving the compiled game on the mainframe before taking a month off for vacation. According to one of Crowther's then-coworkers in 2007, "once it was working, Will wasn't very interested in perfecting or expanding it." Crowther's work at BBN was in developing ARPANET, one of the first networks of computers and a precursor to the Internet, and the PDP-10 mainframe was part of that network. During his vacation, others found the game and it was distributed widely across the network to computers at other companies and universities, which surprised Crowther on his return. The game did not have an explicit title in it, simply stating "WELCOME TO ADVENTURE!!" as a part of the opening message and having a file name of ADVENT; it was referred to as both Adventure and Colossal Cave Adventure, with the latter becoming the more common name over time. Most computer terminals at the time did not have monitors, and players would instead play the game over teleprinters connected to the mainframe.

Woods's modifications

Don Woods
Don Woods in 2010

One person who discovered the game was Don Woods, a graduate student at Stanford University. Woods found the game on a PDP-10 at the Stanford Medical School and wanted to expand upon the game. He contacted Crowther to gain access to the source code by emailing "crowther" at every domain that existed on the ARPANET. Woods built upon Crowther's code, introducing more high fantasy-related elements such as a dragon. He changed the puzzles, adding new elements and complexities, and added new puzzles and features such as a pirate that roams the map and steals treasure from the player or objects that could exist in multiple states. He also introduced a scoring system within the game and added ten more treasures to collect in addition to the five in Crowther's original version.

According to cavers who have played the game, much of Crowther's original version matches the Bedquilt section of Mammoth Cave with some passages removed for gameplay purposes, though Woods's additions do not as he had never been there. According to William Mann, a caving compatriot of Crowther who played both versions when they were developed, Crowther was focused on creating the cave system as a setting for a game, while Woods was interested in making a game and not in replicating the feeling of caving.

Woods's version, released in 1977, expanded Crowther's game to approximately 3,000 lines of code and 1,800 lines of data, growing to 140 map locations, 293 vocabulary words, and 53 objects. Woods also added access controls to the game, allowing mainframe administrators to restrict the game from running during business hours. Woods began working on the game in March 1977; by May his version was complete enough to release, and was soon attracting attention around the United States. Woods continued releasing updated editions in Fortran until 1995. Crowther later said that Woods's bringing fantasy elements earlier into the gameplay was an improvement to his version, though Crowther's daughters also recall him telling them when they were frustrated at puzzles in the game that it was one of Woods's additions, not his.

Crowther did not distribute the source code to his version to anyone else, and it was later believed to be lost until it was rediscovered on an archive of Woods's student account at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 2005. Woods, however, distributed the code to his version alongside the compiled executable. Woods's 1977 version became the more recognizable and widespread version of Colossal Cave Adventure, in part due to its wider code availability, as it led to several other variants of the game being produced.

Later versions

Monitor showing Colossal Cave Adventure
Unix version of the game on an Osborne 1 computer circa 1982

Both Crowther's and Woods's version were designed to run on the PDP-10 and used features unique to DECSYSTEMS-10 Fortran IV on that architecture, meaning that the program could not be easily moved to other systems, even those that could run Fortran programs. One of the first efforts to port the code to other languages or systems was by RAND Corporation researcher James Gillogly in 1977. Gillogly, with agreement from Crowther and Woods, spent several weeks porting the code to the C programming language to run on the more generic Unix architecture. It can still be found as part of the BSD Operating Systems distributions, or as part of the "bsdgames" package under most Linux distributions, under the command name "adventure". Bob Supnik of Digital Equipment Corporation also ported the game in Fortran to the PDP-11 minicomputer in mid-1977, spreading it to other minicomputer systems. Afterwards, numerous other ports were made of the game to different languages and systems, sometimes identified by the number of points available in the game. There were enough ports and variants and alternate takes of the game by 1982 that an article in Your Computer described the entire set of games wherein the player enters short commands to move between set locations as "Adventure games", and provided code for the ZX81 computer for an "Adventure-writing kit" program that could be used to generate a game with that gameplay. In 2017, Eric S. Raymond created a port for modern computers of Woods's 1995 version of the game as Open Adventure and released the source code under an open-source license with permission from Crowther and Woods.

Commercial versions of the game were also released. Microsoft published a version titled Microsoft Adventure in 1979 for the Apple II Plus and TRS-80 computers, and again in 1981 for MS-DOS as a launch title for IBM PCs, one of the few software programs and the only game at launch. The Software Toolworks released The Original Adventure for IBM PCs in 1981; endorsed by Crowther and Woods in exchange for a nominal payment, it was the only version for which they received any money. Level 9 Computing released multiple versions of the game for different computer platforms under the name Colossal Adventure, beginning with a version in 1982 for the Nascom that includes an entire extra section where the player saves elves from flooding caves, as well as later versions that include pictures of the areas.

A 3D remake of the game, under the title Colossal Cave, was released by Cygnus Entertainment as its first title in on January 19, 2023, for Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Meta Quest 2. Designed by Ken and Roberta Williams, co-founders of Sierra Entertainment, the game was started as a hobby project by the pair during the COVID-19 pandemic, before being expanded into a full commercial product by a team of thirty. It was intended by lead designer Roberta to be a recreation of how playing the game felt like to her in 1979.

Legacy

Video games

Colossal Cave Adventure is considered one of the most influential video games. In 2019, it was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame by The Strong and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games. The game is the first well-known example of interactive fiction and established conventions that have since become standard in interactive fiction titles, such as the use of shortened cardinal directions for commands like "e" for "east", as well as inspiring the contents of the fiction titles themselves. The game is the namesake and the first well-known example of an adventure game, as it combined the interactivity of computer programs with the storytelling of literature or role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, despite its lack of linear plot. The only text adventure game known to precede it is Wander from 1974, which did not have the spread or influence of Adventure.

Colossal Cave Adventure was immensely popular among the small computer-using population of the time. Historian Alexander Smith described it as "ubiquitous" on computer networks by the end of 1977, alongside Star Trek and Lunar Lander, and Walter Bright, creator of Empire (1977), recalled that Adventure "caused a sensation". Computer game programmers of the time were greatly inspired by the game; according to game designer and creator of the Inform interactive fiction language Graham Nelson, "for the five years to 1982 almost every game created was another 'Advent'". Several of these games were the initial releases of companies that would go on to become key innovators for the early adventure game genre. These included Zork (1977)—which began development within a month of the release of Woods's version—first by the team of Dave Lebling, Marc Blank, Tim Anderson, and Bruce Daniels at MIT and later by Infocom; Adventureland (1978) by Scott Adams of Adventure International; and Mystery House (1980) by Roberta and Ken Williams of On-Line Systems. The 1980 Atari 2600 video game Adventure was an attempt to create a graphical version of Colossal Cave Adventure, and itself became the first known example of an action-adventure game and introduced the fantasy genre to video game consoles. Carmen Sandiego, an early educational game series begun in 1985, was inspired by transforming the idea of moving around the caverns of Colossal Cave Adventure looking for treasure into moving around the globe searching for clues.

In addition to inspiring adventure games, as described by Matt Barton in Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games, Colossal Cave Adventure demonstrated the "creation of a virtual world and the means to explore it", and the inclusion of monsters and simplified combat. For this, it is considered a precursor of computer role-playing games, though it was lacking several elements of the genre. Glenn Wichman and Michael Toy name the game as an influence for their game Rogue in 1980, which went on to become the namesake of the roguelike genre. Colossal Cave Adventure also inspired the development of online multiplayer games like MUDs, the precursors of the modern-day massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

Other media

Two phrases from the game have gone on to have a lasting impact in programming and video games. "Xyzzy" is a magic word that teleports the player between two locations ("inside building" and the "debris room"). It was added by Crowther at a request by his sister when play-testing the game to skip the early section of the game. As an in-joke tribute to Adventure, many later games and computer programs include a hidden "xyzzy" command, the results of which range from the straightforward to the humorous. Crowther stated that for its purpose in the game, "magic words should look queer, and yet somehow be pronounceable", leading him to select "xyzzy". Additionally, in the game there is a maze created by Crowther where each of ten room descriptions was exactly the same: "YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL ALIKE." The layout of this "all alike" maze was fixed, so the player would have to figure out how to map the maze. The phrase "you are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike" has become memorialized and popularized in the hacker culture, where "passages" may be replaced with a different word, as the situation warrants. This phrase came to signify a situation when whatever action is taken does not change the result.

Colossal Cave Adventure has continued to be referenced by media for decades since. The 2003 book on the history of interactive fiction Twisty Little Passages was named after the "all alike" maze, and the 2010 documentary on the history of text adventure games Get Lamp is named for the command to get one of the first objects the player encounters and must carry to solve the game. The 2013 game Kentucky Route Zero's third act draws direct inspiration from the game, showing a computer simulation set up inside of a cave, which is itself depicting a massive cave system. The game is also a key plot point in an episode of the 2014 TV series Halt and Catch Fire, a period drama taking place in the early days of the personal computing revolution. In it, the chief software designer uses the game as a competency test to determine which programmers will remain on the team. As a tie-in, a fully playable version of the game augmented with player hints and artwork revealed when certain locations are visited was made available on the show's official website.

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Sources

External links


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