Silicon Dreams

Silicon Dreams description

"People went to know other worlds, other civilizations, not knowing until the end of a private hiding places, corners, wells, barricaded doors of the dark."
Stanislaw LEM, "Solaris"
Silicon Dreams is a common name of the trilogy, published by the firm Rainbird in 1986. The trilogy includes the game released earlier and linked by a common story: Snowball (1983), Return to Eden (1984) and the Worm in Paradise (1985). The author of the games is known and respected then the company Level 9 Computing, which specialized exclusively in text adventure. All these games have received many positive (and sometimes enthusiastic) reviews from both players and critics. Where did this success at a time when the genre as a whole has experienced growth and lack of text adventure, is not it?

Let us first consider the technical side of the issue. When the natural constraint on the size of the world, the total number of text and graphics was the amount of RAM the game from Level 9 was breaking records on all counts. The texts in the game were subjected to compression, after which their volume is decreased by about half. Hence such a large number of unique locations and objects with detailed descriptions. The graph is drawn during the game by means of primitives (lines, circles), resulting in looks a little sketchy, but to create an atmosphere that is enough. In addition to all this, the game space also undergoes a kind of compression. Where appropriate, descriptions and connections between different areas of the world are formed mathematically. This gives you the opportunity to add to the game a few thousand locations (albeit slightly different from one another).

With regard to the ideological and semantic aspects, we need to pay tribute to the talent of the founder and head writer Pete Austin (Pete Austin). In the words of Pete in a game he was not trying just to link the story set of puzzles, the main goal for him was to create a logical world. Indeed, during the game you will instantly get used to the image, and not for a moment doubt whether such a world is to take place in reality. All the problems that you face, there is quite natural and logical in the decision. In this case, you will be relieved of puzzles in the style of "guess the verb" - often for committing the same actions with multiple verbs in common use. A few words about the graphics: it is not for everybody, but tastefully done, especially considering by what means. For each location there is a picture, in my opinion, sophisticated enough to prod the imagination without restricting it.

Following are brief descriptions for each part of the trilogy. If you are confident that you will play, read them at least after the game. But the Game Scenarios section in the manual I would read it only after passing to the middle of each of the games (otherwise, from the beginning, reveals the whole plot of the story).

Snowball

"Good morning, Kim Kimberly. Welcome to cosmic interstellar colony ship Snowball 9. We are still in flight and was captured by the kidnapper, which is not - please forgive me the criticism of a man - completely out of your mind...". So you brought out of sleep master computer as the ship was in danger. Your awakening did not go unnoticed, so that the trouble for you will begin before the entire ship. Pretty simple start, but did you notice the underlined courtesy of the computer even in respect of a person who is not in your mind? I believe that respect for all the people it laid in person at the design stage? You will have the opportunity to learn about the attitude of the other robots to you personally and to observe the change of this ratio depending on your actions. But now we need to get out of the module for transportation of passengers and not to get caught fighting droids, rigidly programmed to destroy. How does the module of the spacecraft hosting 200 000 of the sleeping colonists? It is logical that this set is the same type of labeled compartments, each of which are, again, labeled containers with passengers. A typical situation for a graphical adventure where the main hero (who always knows more than the player) just pass to the right compartment, or declare that it is not necessary. Then you choose when and where you go. And in order to find out, we first need to understand the structure of the module.

Return to Eden

It continues the storyline of the first part. You, Kim Kimberly, had to abandon the ship of the colony in strategythere and landed on the planet Eden. After reaching the planet's surface you will immediately become clear why it is so named. But now is not the time to admire the beauty of the local flora and fauna. The crew saved the Snowball 9 accuses you all of the destruction and the killings on the ship. No, you will not send any bailiffs. It "local" nuclear explosion of sufficient radius so you will not have time to escape. So people getting their hands on the excess of destructive power, takes on the mission to carry a higher justice. In his arrogance, he is not considered to be so small (compared to his great purpose) the damage caused to the surrounding world. First you need to find a way to avoid the instant and painless death. After that, you'll find far unidentified city, which is patrolled by robots. Already from here he produces a terrible impression. What is happening there? But until the city need to get.

Worm in Paradise

You are... in Paradise! Personal! You are surrounded by flowers, butterflies, the garden of Eden is attached. In the center of the garden grows a huge tree, and on tree Apple. Nothing like? Mind the fact that heaven is somewhat cramped and enclosed brick wall. You have a choice. Assume that you have already achieved the ultimate goal, and be happy with what you have, not paying attention to the small troubles. Either try to understand what is in this Paradise so wrong, what gives you peace of mind. From the outset, the striking grotesqueness of the events. What is it? Nightmare? Crazy? When you, literally, thrown out into reality, comes the understanding that this is only the beginning, and your own crazy - a faint echo of the madness going on around. Now you find yourself in the heart of the manmade Paradise. All the hard work and most of the mental robots. Medicine has reached such heights that people here are potentially immortal. The crime is missing. A perfect world! But why have money? Previously, they served as a motivation, now it's motivation is loyalty to the system. You seemed to notice a slight roughness in the picture of the world, want to look at it closer and suddenly realize that the whole picture is far from perfect. Trying to wipe out roughness, and decoration descend upon you, revealing the ugly side of reality. People still need to feel needed, so they continue to work in management and bureaucratic positions. Medicine followed, not only for physical but also for mental health - the poor man is unhealthy, and therefore dangerous to society. For visiting prohibited areas stipulated penalties (to leave the city limits is also prohibited). If you are having shortage of funds, medical institutions are always ready to offer a decent amount of donor organs. For "assistance" police also are assumed to be small rewards. Amid all this kind of smiling people in the streets and the slogans "the whole duty of man" terrifying. What to do now? Remember your vision and look around - there are no differences. Paradise for the passive majority, the wall of limitations, barbed wire of sanctions. And finally, the fruit-knowledge not as a harbinger of exile, but rather as a symbol of a voluntary release.

The names of all the parts not chosen by chance and have at least two meanings: literal and figurative. You will have noticed that the developments of the first part (well, and the trilogy as a whole) like a snowball, and about the true meaning of the phrase "Worm in Paradise" you have yet to learn. During the game affects how closely all the events are linked both externally and internally. Pete Austin compares his creations with the works of Larry Niven, I have having a firm Association with the philosophical fiction of Stanislaw LEM. Also, you can draw Parallels with many dystopias, the sharp contrast between the perfection of the technology and long staying moral development of the person.

It's been a while since I first saw Return to Eden, not knowing that it was part of something bigger. But even now, the Silicon Dreams trilogy is for me the consummate example of how far a computer game can go beyond just games.

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Source: Archive.org, Mobygames.com