The Null Device

Retro gaming action: the Java Arcade Emulator, with which you can play a selection of old arcade games using only a Java-enabled web browser (and a fast machine; it's perhaps a bit scary to think how many CPU cycles on a modern high-end PC it uses to emulate one Z80 CPU cycle in interpreted Java). And then someone's written a Linux/X11 interpreter for SCUMM, the old LucasArts graphic adventure game system. I recall those games (Day of the Tentacle and such) looking pretty nifty back in the days before live-animated 3D or whatever the kids are playing today. (I'm showing my age, aren't I?)
(via Wil Wheaton and Slashdot, respectively)

There are 4 comments on "":

Posted by: Alex Mon Nov 5 13:10:10 2001

Hmm, SCUMM - wasn't SCUM Ms Solarnis' little anti-patriarchy stunt?

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org Mon Nov 5 16:40:31 2001

Indeed it was. _I Shot Andy Warhol_ is a good film about the whole chapter.

SCUMM, however, is a graphic adventure game engine/virtual machine invented by LucasArts. The bytecode is, I believe, machine-independent, and they ported interpreters to PCs, Macs and Nintendo consoles, and possibly a few other things. It's probably akin to Sierra's AGI/SCI.

Posted by: Luke http://www.captainfez.com/blog/ Wed Nov 7 19:04:30 2001

Yeah. You're right on the SCUMM info, acb: there's a mob out there that're still trying to code something that'll run it and any other games written for LFL's interpreter - it's called SCRAMM, I think, from memory. And as far as oldskool LFL games go: it's got to be Maniac Mansion (and not the 256-colour reworking, either) or nothing! Well, nothing except Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, that is...

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org Thu Nov 8 02:31:26 2001

Wasn't SCRAMM a SCUMM development kit, for writing third-party SCUMM games? (I believe someone's got a GPLed SDK for one or both of Sierra's systems.)