Twin Kingdom Valley

Infobox VG|title = Twin Kingdom Valley


developer = Trevor Hall
publisher = Bug-Byte
designer =
engine =
released = 1983
genre = Text adventure
modes = Single player
ratings =
platforms = Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum
media = Cassette
requirements =
input = Keyboard

"Twin Kingdom Valley" was a text adventure game with animated pictures (on most formats) for the BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, Commodore 64, Commodore 16 and ZX Spectrum. It was released in 1983 by Bug-Byte Software.

The game was inspired by the original "Adventure" by Will Crowther, and was one of the first games to have active non-player characters.

The characters are interactive, and have their own personalities: some are friendly, and will follow and defend the player, whilst others are hostile. Witches and kings are complex characters, whereas gorillas and trolls are simpler. Battle sequences have additional features including weapons which can be dropped, broken, thrown or taken away by enemies.

Architecture

A major section of the software is a custom graphics language, which was a very early "scalable vector graphics" format. Hundreds of images are drawn (of objects and locations) using this custom tool.

The game has "micro databases" of information, representing the locations, objects which can be used, various creatures, and other data. The game engine runs a simulated world for these items. A small AI module allows the non-player characters to make decisions.

History

The original game engine was written in 6502 assembly language. The game was then ported to Z80 (for the Spectrum). The newer versions (for Commodore 64 and Spectrum) have an extended game.

The game was in active development again in 2006, due to the availability of new platforms. The game engine has been ported, from the original 6502, into Java, with some game design tools in C#.

External links

* [http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Mobile/Twin+Kingdom+Valley/review.asp?c=1864 Review of the mobile version of the game, which uses predictive texting]
* [http://8bit.microheaven.com/En/Nof/Ahtml/engtkv.html Description of Twin Kingdom Valley]
* [http://baf.wurb.com/if/game/867 BBC, Commodore 64 executables and solution]
* [http://www.computerbrains.com/ccs64/ Commodore 64 emulation]
* [http://www.twinkingdomvalley.com/ Official Home Page]
*WoS game|id=0007144