The Crystal Maze

[Swevicus]

Dear EAB,

I thought about conceptualising an Amiga game based on the classic 1990s game show "The Crystal Maze", which has recently returned to TV here in the UK.

Synopsis

For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of TCM, it's a game involving a group of participants (typically five or six) who engage in four types of challenges: Physical, Mental, Mystery and Skill. These challenges are present in various games scattered across four "Zones" simulating a certain time period: Aztec, Future, Industrial (later Ocean) and Medieval. Games vary in length from two to three minutes, depending on the type of challenge and the difficulty level of each game. If a player completes a challenge in a game, then they are awarded with a crystal. Each crystal grants the team 5 seconds in the Crystal Dome at the game's finale. However, failing to complete a challenge within the time limit before exiting the game room results in a player getting locked in - some games feature an ALIS ("Automatic Lock-In Situation", a term coined by the show's most recent host, Richard Ayoade) in which the player gets automatically locked in if a predetermined failure condition is met (run out of lives, touch a hazard, provide an incorrect answer to a question, etc.). A locked in player may be released at the cost of a crystal. Each Zone typically consists of 3 games. The climax of the game takes place in the Crystal Dome, where the team must collect a minimum of 100 gold tokens which are flying around in the Dome in order to win a potential grand prize. Any silver tokens collected will count against them (example: a team collects 50 gold tokens and 25 silver - their total score is 25 points). Regardless of performance (and team quality), each player gets a commemorative crystal stating they "Cracked the Crystal Maze", the host thanks the team and bids the viewers farewell.

Premise

The idea is to integrate elements from both the original and revived versions of the show (there would be five Zones to travel though, so the map of the Maze would have to be redesigned slightly whilst retaining the Dome in the centre, along with a feature to allow the player to choose their host, whether it be "Reckless" Richard O'Brien, Ed Tudor-Pole or the show's current host, Richard Ayoade).

Planned Ideas

- Choose your host at the beginning of the game
- Name your team members (no point in nominating a Captain since YOU, the player, are the Captain)
- Select a player and a game of your choice
- An "Escape" function if they start running out of time and risk getting locked in
- A "Bail Out" function in order to release locked in players at the cost of a crystal
- "Ask the Host", a new idea of mine which involves the team asking the host for a hint or advice in a particularly taxing game/challenge (can only be done once per Zone)
- Support for keyboard, joystick AND mouse (input device depending on game/challenge - Physical games use the joystick, Skill can use all three depending on the task at hand, Mental and Mystery use the mouse)
- Ideally on a single disk (any more than three disks and it might as well be on a CD-ROM)
- An option to install onto a hard disk drive
- The host giving a player their overall performance at the end of a game/challenge
- At least one game per Zone to feature an ALIS
- The famous theme tune
- Maybe some AGA-exclusive features for those with a 1200, 4000 or 4000T

I know it's a lot to compress into just 1 MB of RAM (most Amiga computers have at least that much memory). Let me know what you think, and will you start the fans, please.

Yours sincerely,
S.

[Havie]

Can't be any worse than the game that did come out! Sounds like a plan - get coding...

[LuMan]

Interesting idea. I suppose you could have, say, 10-15 sub-games per Zone and the game choose a sub-game at random, to keep it a bit fresh.

You could even sub the sub-games and have multiple 'conundrum' type games, or domino style games, etc... Actually, thinking about it, you could possibly squeeze hundreds of games onto 1 floppy...

Any ideas how you'd like it coding? ASM, Blitz, AMOS..?

[Swevicus]

Something fast and memory-efficient, probably Blitz Basic with some machine code/assembly (I suck at coding - I'm a dab hand with designing and planning, though). Here are the challenges I've come up with so far:

NB: "Mouse?" indicates whether or not this game/challenge supports the mouse as an input device (some games require it).

Aztec Zone

Gag the Gods:
The player must "gag" a quartet of skull faces whose mouths open and close periodically, necessitating accurate timing. This game is played using a simple wooden beam along which a tennis ball slides, descending towards its intended target.

Mouse? Yes.

Crystal in the Cage:
The player must walk through a rolling log, over water. After reaching the end, the player must use a stick to get a cage containing the crystal and exit. However, if the cage hits the water, then the crystal is lost, leaving the player no choice but to exit.

Mouse: Yes.

Counterweight:
Using a shovel, the player digs sand inside a nearby chest as counterweight so they can get the crystal on the other side. The joystick must be waggled from left to right repeatedly á la Daley Thompson's Decathlon.

Mouse? No.

Totem Pole:
Introduced in the 2017 revival, the player must stack the four parts of a totem pole in the correct order to release the crystal. The player can ask the Dragon if the totem pole is correct. If the Dragon shows red eyes, it means all of the panels are incorrect. if any of them are correct, It will breath fire for each panel that's in the correct position (with the correct panels illuminated, leaving the player to work with those in the wrong place).

Mouse? Yes.

Sliding Planks (ALIS):
Also new to the 2017 incarnation is this challenge, where the player slides planks to create a walkway to the crystal. The Player will get locked in if they touch the foggy floor or jump across the sections.

Mouse? Yes.

Dynamite Fishing:
The player uses a fishing rod to fish up dynamite plungers and place them on detonators to blow up the door blocking a mine shaft containing the crystal. After blowing up the shaft door three (3) times, the player climbs up and down a ladder to get the crystal and exit the same way the player got in.

Mouse? Yes.

Futuristic Zone

Moon Buggy:
The player goes through an air lock and inside a moon buggy to drive through outer space to get the crystal. They must then bring the crystal back to the airlock. The crystal will be lost if the player drops it before getting it to the airlock.

Mouse? No.

Space Tarzan (ALIS):
Introduced in the 2017 revival, this game features the player wearing a helmet and swinging from one planet to the next to reach the crystal. The player however will be locked in if he or she falls off and touches the floor (correction: the infinite void of space, which just happens to be solid). Hold down the fire button to build up jumping power and release it when it's in a safe zone - if you undershoot it, then the player will temporarily lose his/her balance; overshoot it and the player will miss the jump and fall into the IVOS, resulting in an ALIS.

Mouse? No.

Extinguish All the Lights:
The player must press a series of buttons in the correct sequence in order to extinguish a message composed of LEDs. When ALL the lights are out, the crystal is released.

Mouse? Yes.

House of Cards:
The player assembles a house of metallic cards and then has to place a box containing the crystal on the top, so the player can attach a wire to the box. After pressing the power button, the box will unlock the crystal. The fire button on the joystick is used to pick up and drop boxes.

Mouse? No.

Marble Maze:
The player uses a controller to move a marble from the center of the maze to a terminal where it can release the crystal in simple arcade-action fashion (the fire button on the joystick does nothing).

Mouse? No.

Laser Maze (ALIS):
New to the 2017 revival, the player, wearing sunglasses, must cross a maze of lasers to get to the hand scanner to deactivate the lasers. Most of the lasers will flicker on and off. If the player touches the lasers three (3) times, then they will be locked in. This game uses the same controls as the "Space Tarzan" challenge.

Mouse? No.

Follow the Leader (AKA "Press U3"):
The player arranges four panels on a table which reads a logo, which is the first direction the player must follow by pressing a button on a control panel composed of coded instructions. (D-3 meaning "Go down three", U-4 meaning "go up four", L-2 means "Go left 2", and R-3 means "Go right 3" until the directions lead to the crystal.)

Mouse? No.

Industrial Zone

Live Wire:
The player attaches wires to form an electrical circuit and then screws in a big battery to complete the circuit.

Mouse? Yes.

Boiler Room:
Introduced in 2017, the player (wearing a helmet) traverses a boiler room, and must get a ring with a crystal attached through a long and winding pipe leading to a room under the boiler room.

Mouse? Yes.

Safe Code:
Also new to the 2017 revival, the player tries to extinguish the lights to reveal a code by pressing buttons on a module, to unlock a safe containing the crystal. Some of the buttons, however, reset the light bulbs (buttons exposed as reset buttons will be highlighted in a different colour).

Mouse? Yes.

Memory Test:
ALSO new to the 2017 version, the player (without the help of the other adventurers) inputs two-digit codes for each of the 5 doors to get the crystal and then must exit the room by inputing the codes in reverse. This is one of the few games played with the keyboard.

Mouse? No.

Chronological Numeracy:
Again, introduced in 2017, the player arranges a series of clocks (except the first one) by adding or subtracting. If the final answer is correct, then the crystal is released.

Mouse? Yes.

Burglary (ALIS):
The player must cut wires that are secondary colors (colours that are made up of other "primary colours" and cannot be composed on their own - compound colors) five (5) times to deactivate the alarm system, allowing the player to get a key unlocking a portrait containing the crystal. However, the player will get locked in if he or she cuts the wrong wire three (3) times (an alarm will sound with each wrong wire cut).

Mouse? Yes.

Medieval Zone

Tangram Puzzle:
The player arranges seven (7) pieces to form a square - the crystal will be released upon doing so successfully.

Mouse? Yes.

Crystal in the Cage:
The player arranges wooden gears and must turn a crank (which is on one of the gears) to make a fire inside a cage burn a rope keeping the crystal inside. Once the rope is burned, the crystal is free to be taken. The crank can be turned by waggling the joystick left and right repeatedly.

Mouse? No.

Mumsie/Mumsey:
The player is given some silver coins to pay a fortuneteller, who will give the player three (3) questions - the player cannot ask his/her teammates or the host for help. The crystal is awarded upon answering a single question correctly. This is a multiple-choice-based game played with the keyboard.

Mouse? No.

Sundial:
The player constructs a sundial to find the correct time, then must set a clock on the wall to the time stated by the sundial to get the crystal.

Mouse? Yes.

Mind the Breeze:
The player wields a crossbow and shoots a quartet of moving targets whilst dealing with an intermittent burst of wind. When all four (4) targets are shot down, the crystal is revealed.

Mouse? Yes.

Jailer Riddler (ALIS, Infinite Time):
Introduced in the 2017 revival, the player gets the crystal but must escape a prison cell (shut by a cloaked figure) by answering two of three questions correctly or the player will be locked in. This is a multiple-choice-based game played with the keyboard.

Mouse? No.

Ocean Zone

Revolving Steps (ALIS):
The player walks on a narrow stairway - they must then traverse a series of rotating steps to the other side of the room WITHOUT falling to the floor, or the player will get locked in. After reaching the other side, the player uses a tool to undo the screws keeping the crystal up a tube. After getting the crystal, the player must return to the other side of the room without falling and get to the entrance (attempting to jump over the revolving steps will also result in an instant ALIS).

Mouse? No.

Signal Flags:
This is a memory test, where the player must discover matching pairs of flags which are upside down and hidden from view. If the flags match, then they will vanish. Otherwise, they will be covered up again. The crystal is revealed when ALL the flags have been matched up correctly.

Mouse? Yes.

U-Boat Gunman:
The player uses a periscope and must shoot down three (3) battleships. After successfully sinking a trio of ships, the player can get the crystal.

Mouse? No.

Flood:
The player wears goggles and must use a pull-trigger BB gun to shoot the glass parts of a few rotating cylinders containing water, which can cause a level to rise. If it gets high enough, then the crystal will fall next to the player.

Mouse? Yes.

Zipline Tarzan (ALIS):
The player, while on a zipline, uses a rope and swing to get to different spots in the room, without touching the deck. The player will have to to turn the wheel, pull a steam-release lever, and get the newly-released crystal. Touching the deck results in an instant ALIS. The controls for this would be the same as the "Space Tarzan" challenge.

Mouse? No.

Red Skull:
The player uses red discs to cover the entirety of a skull-and-crossbones. When the ENTIRE S&CB is covered up, the crystal will be released.

Mouse? Yes.

The Crystal Dome

This section is played out in first-person view - the player must click on the gold tokens while avoiding the silver ones until the timer reaches zero (0).

Mouse? Yes.