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The Vintage Computing Hobby as a video game, brainstormed

wumpus_byte

wumpus_byte

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Joined
Jul 9, 2024
Messages
46
Location
Wyoming, US
So I got to thinking... Which genre would you put a video game of our hobby? Strategy? Role-playing?

Actions --
  1. Acquire/Collect
    1. Why is this so enrapturing?
  2. Upgrade
    1. From that long list of possibilities!
  3. Play
    1. Do you go for nostalgia or a new experience?
  4. Socialize
    1. In person, online. Does talking with AI count?
  5. Maintain
    1. Replace capacitors, remove that smoke smell, etc.
  6. Store
    1. Is there ever enough space?
  7. Research
    1. The forums and archives get better and better! Travel/museums here too.
  8. Watch/Listen
    1. Entertainment - YouTube, Podcasts, etc.
  9. Sell
    1. Fund more acquisitions, create more storage space, make a profit
  10. Create/Contribute
    1. Code, fan art, blog, content, etc.
Currencies --
I'd like a cheat code for infinite amounts of these!!!
  1. Time
  2. Money
  3. Social (interest in coming out of The Cave)
Leveling/XP --
Options here could be:
  1. Completeness of collection
  2. Experience doing certain actions over time
  3. Uncovering new facets of certain actions
  4. Making new social connections
  5. What else?
Do you ever think of our hobby in a similar way? Or perhaps a have ideas dissimilar to these lists?
 
I had this idea for a game a few years ago. Basically you move around an office repairing computers. Perhaps with some (somehow dangererous) NPCs, pehaps they steal your tools.

Anyway basically each level has harder problems to solve. But some of the problems would be funny to solve.

For example, you have to retrieve a manual from the monochrome section of the library. This actually requires a CGA and MDA monitor.

Or you have to do something to slow the game down, like run it on another machine.

You have to setup a modem connection in the game, to transfer a file (Say an execuatable) but it requires you to use another actual computer, run the program in say something else like OS/2, continue part of the game on THAT platform then, have to send yourself back/get code, to continue with the main game. Suppose you could do a similar thing with the tape interface

Perhaps, there is an intentional bug that requires dis-assembling.

Basically the game is impossibly confusing unless you are full on vintage geek and can think out of the box. The aim would be to teach you about the computer, by requiring you to dismantle it.

It would provide hints, but you may need to look stuff up too.

Not really a story line much, thought the villain could be this hacker geek called Trixter. He writes code that makes computers do things they were not intended to. It causes them a crisis of confidence/overheating/fat-electron buildup. Your job is to fix them.

You are aided with Chuck, an A.I. robot who seems to be more knowledgeable than google. And you can always check the Kossow library.

Don't think I'd have the know-how. sure would be different though.
 
I'm picturing an action game where you have to collect complete systems and kill the keyboard goblins who are trying to steal the keyboards and break up system, making them useless. Once you kill a goblin, you take the keyboard he has and see if it matches one of the incomplete systems you have.

Alternatively, it could be a fight game like "whip the worker", where you use different punches and slaps to the face of an eBay seller selling a system you want but at ridiculous prices. The right combination of upper-cut punches and karate chops and he lowers his price so you can buy the system with your available cash.
 
Mr.Amiga500 said:
The right combination of upper-cut punches and karate chops and he lowers his price so you can buy the system with your available cash.
Click to expand...
How about a twist closer to reality, where a buyer pays for a collect item, changes his mind later.

The seller is already paid by ebay, and ebay has taken their substantial cut.

The buyer then changes their mind because they figure out it will cost more than they expected to collect it, so they request a refund from the seller.

In the meantime the seller, to help the buyer, had already packed the item up to make it convenient and safe for the buyer to collect.

Ebay takes their commission and the remainder is banked to the seller's account.

But the buyer then puts in a "complaint" to ebay saying that the Item was "not shipped" even though it was a collect item. But the AI that ebay is using "applies the ebay rules" and decides it is the seller's fault for not shipping the item and orders a refund.

The Avatar playing the seller writes to a real human being in ebay to appeal the decision, explaining that if a person buys and pays for an item, it is legally their property and if they choose not to collect it in a reasonable time frame, they have simply abandoned it, but alas it is of no help, the AI's ruling remains. (obviously this is a real case). The buyer then writes to the seller claiming victory and gloating, despite the fact they lied about the shipping.

Back to fiction: After a while the AI, better renamed Skynet, becomes conscious (What year was that ?) and we know what the final outcome is.

So before siding with the buyers all the time on ebay, give some thought to the sellers, and the dishonorable buyers, the type of people who will lie, cheat on a test or an exam and then gleefully accept a medal or a reward and victory, and the ebay administration that allows the buyer to get away with it and wastes the seller's money, efforts & time. Though, having said that, the person in ebay was was very considerate with good people & communication skills and I suspect very good at their job, but their rule system is pretty inflexible.
 
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Many years ago I wrote a first person non-shooter where Woz has to escape the Homebrew Computer Club before being captured by the minions of IBM, Tandy, and Commodore. Hey, it's Woz, so I didn't want him killing people - evasion only. Ok, a stupid premise but it was an exercise in fast ray-casting on a lowly Apple II:

 
I think a good sim to show the true nature of this hobby would be an 8 bit (or the platform of your choice) motherboard of say an apple II or c64 and the symptoms and you need to test points and swap ics... And all the while even after repairs the same chips and ram and psu will just blow.... because thats how it is.. It shouldnt be fun but an excercize in frustration.
 
if you would like to play a simulator that would feel just like this
i recommend "My Summer Car"
store.steampowered.com

My Summer Car on Steam

My Summer Car is the ultimate car owning, building, fixing, tuning, maintenance AND permadeath life survival simulator. You start the game with hundreds of loose parts and assemble both car and engine.
store.steampowered.com store.steampowered.com

yup seriously give it a shot.

it has a computer too
 
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