Creatures Caves

Hi C-Rex
Basically Microsoft's WSRMacros should make it possible to talk to any application that uses a keyboard old or new. It's excellent for gamers who cannot type due to disability.

I'll try to upload a zip of my macros. The word list is not complete but good enough for the basics. An important end word that you have to say is:
Phrase eg) norn push button ok

where "ok" is a macro that executes:
{enter}

Makes sense and so none of this needs programming skills. The other words end in s{BS} which tells creatures to put a space after the word and then move the cursor back one. This is how spaces between words are transmitted to creatures.

I'll see if I can knock up a zip file as soon as possible. I agree that talking to norns is much more natural than typing to them. Thanks to modern computing we can now do it.

In terms of giving names to norns, the dictionary of the voice recognition software is huge. So it probably won't recognise strange names like "ZULIA" but you can use your imagination and call names as per dictionary nouns. For example you could call your norn any of the common names as well as the millions of nouns out there like "Pluto" or "Cats" or "India" things like that.

I tried using voice recognition without the WSRMacro utility, but Creatures is very old technology (with highly sophisticated computer science ideas) and doesn't respond without the utility.

By-the-way try to contain any excitement about Creatures4. I don't want to be a kill joy but I've seen it before that over excitement leads to mega disappointment.

Essentially I fear that Creatures3 may have been a once in generation or a once in a life time phenomenon because the genius that created the game is highly uncommon. It's a bit like hoping that another Mozart would appear ten years after the first Mozart died. It's possible and so there is some hope.

I cannot tell you how difficult a project it must have been to build Creatures3 in the 90's with such limited technology available. So many skills are needed from so many disciplines. It's a stunning achievement even by today's standards (it would need polishing). To balance the game play on such limited hardware was a huge achievement.

As far as I can tell, Creatures3 has not really aged as a game! It is almost timeless in quality. With today's big monitors, run Creatures in a game with the biochemistry kit running. It's really fascinating and gives a lot of insight into the little nornies in the game. Personally I think the 2D world is kinda of a "retro-cult" work of art as well. That's the other thing about Creatures, it essentially is not just a game, but a work of art that can be judged in those terms.

If you have ever played the beautiful 2D game released in 2009 "Machinarium" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinarium, you'll know what I mean about 2D art-forms. In many respects I'd be totally happy if Creatures4 was in 2D.

Edit: I've uploaded it but hopefully Laura or someone can put it in the correct location. I think I accidently put it under C1.

Cheers