A different way to play, part 4: GTERM

This is the fourth installment in my series “A different way to play” about front-end clients for BBS door games.

GTERM

GTERM was a front-end for Land of Devastation that enabled an SVGA-resolution interface with graphics, music, and sound effects.





Land of Devastation in a terminal Land of Devestation in GTERM
Land of Devastation in a traditional terminal Land of Devestation in GTERM

Above you can see a comparison of the same location in LOD as experienced on a BBS in the terminal Telemate (left) and in the front-end GTERM (right). Click on the images to see them at full-size. Since GTERM runs in SVGA, the interface is considerably larger than the traditional BBS interface.

The graphics are a big improvement over the ANSI maps of the plain BBS version and help the player better visualize his movements through the game’s world.

As a designer, though, I can’t help but wish GTERM took better advantage of the screen real estate afforded by SVGA. The “map grid” (top left), where maps and special graphic screens are displayed, should have been the largest element; the inventory display (bottom left) could have been shrunk.

READ MORE

Click these links to read the rest of this series about front-end clients:

YOUR MEMORIES

Did you ever use GTERM to play Land of Devastation? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments.

Share your thoughts!