View source for Colossal Cave Adventure

{{short description|1976 video game}}
{{redirect|Twisty little maze of passages|the book ''Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction''|Nick Montfort}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Colossal Cave Adventure
| image = ADVENT -- Crowther Woods.png
| alt = Introductory text and first command in Colossal Cave Adventure
| caption = Screenshot of gameplay (1977 version)
| developer = {{ubl|[[William Crowther (programmer)|William Crowther]] (1976 version)|[[Don Woods (programmer)|Don Woods]] (1977 version)}}
| publisher =
| designer =
| engine =
| released = {{ubl|1976 (Crowther)|1977 (Crowther/Woods)}}
| genre = [[Adventure game|Adventure]], [[interactive fiction]]
| modes = [[Single-player]]
| platforms = [[PDP-10]]
}}
'''''Colossal Cave Adventure''''' (also known as '''''Adventure''''' or '''''ADVENT''''') is a [[interactive fiction|text-based adventure game]], released in 1976 by developer [[William Crowther (programmer)|Will Crowther]] for the [[PDP-10]] [[mainframe computer]]. It was expanded upon in 1977 by [[Don Woods (programmer)|Don Woods]]. In the game, the player explores a cave system rumored to be filled with treasure and gold. The game is composed of dozens of locations, and the player moves between these locations and interacts with objects in them by typing one- or two-word commands which are interpreted by the game's [[natural language processing|natural language input]] system. The program acts as a [[narrative|narrator]], describing the player's location and the results of the player's attempted actions. It is the first well-known example of interactive fiction, as well as the first well-known [[adventure game]], for which it was also the [[eponym|namesake]].

The original game, written in 1975 and 1976, was based on Crowther's maps and experiences [[caving]] in [[Mammoth Cave National Park|Mammoth Cave]] in [[Kentucky]], the longest cave system in the world; further, it was intended, in part, to be accessible to non-technical players, such as his two daughters. Woods's version expanded the game in size and increased the number of [[fantasy]] elements present in it, such as a dragon and magic spells. Both versions, typically played over [[teleprinter]]s connected to mainframe computers, were spread around the nascent [[ARPANET]], the precursor to the [[Internet]], which Crowther was involved in developing.

''Colossal Cave Adventure'' was one of the first [[teletype games]] and was massively popular in the computer community of the late 1970s, with numerous [[porting|ports]] and modified versions being created based on Woods's source code. It directly inspired the creation of numerous games, including ''[[Zork]]'' (1977), ''[[Adventureland (video game)|Adventureland]]'' (1978), ''[[Mystery House]]'' (1980), ''[[Rogue (video game)|Rogue]]'' (1980), and ''[[Adventure (1980 video game)|Adventure]]'' (1980), which went on to be the foundations of the interactive fiction, adventure, [[roguelike]], and [[action-adventure game|action-adventure]] genres. It also influenced the creation of the [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]] and [[role-playing video game|computer role-playing game]] genres. It has been noted as one of the most influential video games, and in 2019 was inducted into the [[World Video Game Hall of Fame]] by [[The Strong]] and the [[International Center for the History of Electronic Games]].

==Gameplay==
[[File:Colossal Cave Adventure on VT100 terminal.jpg|thumb|''Colossal Cave Adventure'' running on a [[PDP-11|PDP-11/34]] with a monitor, showing the point system|alt=Monitor showing Colossal Cave Adventure]]
''Colossal Cave Adventure'' is a [[interactive fiction|text-based adventure game]] wherein the player explores a mysterious cave that is rumored to be filled with treasure and gold. The player must explore the cave system and solve puzzles by using items that they find to obtain the treasures and leave the cave. The player types in one- or two-word commands to move their [[player character|character]] through the cave system, interact with objects in the cave, pick up items to put into their inventory, and perform other actions. The allowable commands are contextual to the location, or room, the player is in; for example, "get lamp" only has an effect if there is a lamp present. There are dozens of rooms, each of which has a name such as "Debris Room" and a description, and may contain objects or obstacles. The program acts as a narrator, describing to the player their location in the cave and the results of certain actions. If it does not understand the player's commands, it asks for the player to retype their actions.<ref name="DH2007"/> The program's replies are typically in a humorous, conversational tone, much as a [[Dungeon Master]] would use in leading players in a [[tabletop role-playing game]].<ref name="Dibbell5657"/>

The original 1976 version of the game contains five treasures which can be collected. Although it is based on a real cave system, it contains a few fantasy elements such as a crystal bridge, magic words, and axe-wielding [[Dwarf (folklore)|dwarves]]. The player can die by falling into a pit or being killed by the dwarves, but otherwise the game has no ending or goal beyond finding the treasures.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="Lessard2013"/> The 1977 version of the game, upon which later versions were based, adds ten more treasures and more fantasy elements. It also adds a points system, whereby completing certain goals earns a predetermined number of points. The ultimate goal is to earn the maximum number of points—350, in the 1977 version—which involves finding all the treasures in the game and safely leaving the cave.<ref name="DH2007"/>

==Development==
===Crowther's original version===
[[File:Will Crowther Fall 2012.jpg|right|thumb|William Crowther in 2012|alt=William Crowther]]
[[File:ASR-33 at CHM.agr.jpg|right|thumb|[[Teleprinter]] [[computer terminal]]|alt=ASR-33 Teleprinter]]
''Colossal Cave Adventure'' was originally created by [[William Crowther (programmer)|William Crowther]] in 1975 and 1976. Crowther and his ex-wife [[Patricia Crowther (caver)|Patricia]] were both programmers and [[caving|cavers]] and had extensively explored [[Mammoth Cave National Park|Mammoth Cave]] in [[Kentucky]], the longest cave system in the world, in the early 1970s as part of the [[Cave Research Foundation]]. In 1972, Patricia led the expedition that found a connection between Mammoth Cave and the larger Flint Ridge Cave System. In addition to caving, the pair produced [[vector (mathematics and physics)|vector]] map surveys of the cave: they transcribed the survey data of the cave from "muddy little books" into a [[teleprinter]] terminal in their house, which could send and print messages from programs running on the central computer and was connected to a [[PDP-1]] [[mainframe computer]] at [[Raytheon BBN|Bolt, Beranek and Newman]] (BBN) where William Crowther worked. This data was then fed into a program developed by the pair that generated [[plot (graphics)|plotting]] commands onto [[punched tape]], which were then fed into a [[Honeywell 316]] [[minicomputer]] attached to a [[Calcomp plotter|Calcomp drum plotter]] at BBN to print paper maps. These maps were some of the earliest computer-drawn maps of caves.<ref name="BroadBand"/>

In 1975, after he and Patricia divorced, William Crowther stopped caving with the Cave Research Foundation. Driven by what he later described as an increase in spare time combined with missing his two daughters, he began working on a text-based game in [[Fortran]] on BBN's [[PDP-10]] mainframe, interfacing through a teletype printer, that they could play.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="Lessard2013"/><ref name="Peterson187188"/> He combined his memories and maps of the Mammoth Cave system, particularly a 1975 map of the Bedquilt area of the caves, including [[Colossal Cavern]], with elements of the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' campaigns that he played with friends to design a game around exploring a cave for treasure.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="Peterson187188"/> Crowther wanted the game to be accessible and not intimidating to non-technical players such as his children, and so developed a [[natural language processing|natural language input]] system to control the game so that it would be "a thing that gave you the illusion anyway that you'd typed in English commands and it did what you said".<ref name="Montfort9192"/> Crowther later commented that this approach allowed the game to appeal to both non-programmers and programmers alike, as in the latter case, it gave programmers a challenge of how to make "an obstinate system" perform in a manner they wanted it to.<ref name="Montfort9192"/> This approach was also developed to allow the game to be played on a teletype printer, rather than rely on user interface elements used in programs designed for monitors.<ref name="Lessard2013"/>

The initial version of the game was about 700 lines of code, plus another 700 lines of data such as descriptions for 66 rooms, navigational messages, 193 vocabulary words, and miscellaneous messages.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="OriginalSourceCode"/> Once the game was complete, in early 1976, Crowther showed it off to his co-workers at BBN for feedback, and then considered his work on the game finished, leaving the compiled game on the mainframe before taking a month off for vacation. According to one of Crowther's then-coworkers in 2007, "once it was working, Will wasn't very interested in perfecting or expanding it." Crowther's work at BBN was in developing [[ARPANET]], one of the first networks of computers and a precursor to the Internet, and the PDP-10 mainframe was part of that network. During his vacation, others found the game and it was distributed widely across the network to computers at other companies and universities, which surprised Crowther on his return. The game did not have an explicit title in it, simply stating "WELCOME TO ADVENTURE!!" as a part of the opening message and having a file name of ADVENT; it was referred to as both ''Adventure'' and ''Colossal Cave Adventure'', with the latter becoming the more common name over time.<ref name="DH2007"/> Most [[computer terminal]]s at the time did not have [[computer monitor|monitors]], and players would instead play the game over teleprinters connected to the mainframe.<ref name="teleprinter"/>

===Woods's modifications===
[[File:Don woods cropped.png|right|thumb|Don Woods in 2010|alt=Don Woods]]
One person who discovered the game was [[Don Woods (programmer)|Don Woods]], a graduate student at [[Stanford University]]. Woods found the game on a PDP-10 at the [[Stanford Medical School]] and wanted to expand upon the game. He contacted Crowther to gain access to the source code by emailing "crowther" at every domain that existed on the ARPANET.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="peterson188190"/> Woods built upon Crowther's code, introducing more [[high fantasy]]-related elements such as a dragon.<ref name="TCW383385"/><ref name="Barton3639"/> He changed the puzzles, adding new elements and complexities, and added new puzzles and features such as a pirate that roams the map and steals treasure from the player or objects that could exist in multiple states.<ref name="DH2007"/> He also introduced a scoring system within the game and added ten more treasures to collect in addition to the five in Crowther's original version.<ref name="peterson188190"/>

According to cavers who have played the game, much of Crowther's original version matches the Bedquilt section of Mammoth Cave with some passages removed for gameplay purposes, though Woods's additions do not as he had never been there.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="BroadBand"/> According to William Mann, a caving compatriot of Crowther who played both versions when they were developed, Crowther was focused on creating the cave system as a setting for a game, while Woods was interested in making a game and not in replicating the feeling of caving.<ref name="DH2007"/>

Woods's version, released in 1977, expanded Crowther's game to approximately 3,000 lines of code and 1,800 lines of data, growing to 140 map locations, 293 vocabulary words, and 53 objects.<ref name="WoodsSourceCode"/> Woods also added access controls to the game, allowing mainframe administrators to restrict the game from running during business hours.<ref name="DH2007"/> Woods began working on the game in March 1977; by May his version was complete enough to release, and was soon attracting attention around the United States.<ref name="DH2007"/> Woods continued releasing updated editions in Fortran until 1995.<ref name="peterson188190"/> Crowther later said that Woods's bringing fantasy elements earlier into the gameplay was an improvement to his version, though Crowther's daughters also recall him telling them when they were frustrated at puzzles in the game that it was one of Woods's additions, not his.<ref name="DH2007"/>

Crowther did not distribute the source code to his version to anyone else, and it was later believed to be lost until it was rediscovered on an archive of Woods's student account at the [[Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory]] in 2005.<ref name="DH2007"/> Woods, however, distributed the code to his version alongside the compiled executable. Woods's 1977 version became the more recognizable and widespread version of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'', in part due to its wider code availability, as it led to several other variants of the game being produced.<ref name="Lessard2013"/><ref name="Montfort9192"/>

===Later versions===
[[File:You are standing.jpg|thumb|Unix version of the game on an [[Osborne 1]] computer circa 1982|alt=Monitor showing Colossal Cave Adventure]]
Both Crowther's and Woods's version were designed to run on the PDP-10 and used features unique to [[Fortran#FORTRAN_IV|DECSYSTEMS-10 Fortran IV]] on that architecture, meaning that the program could not be easily moved to other systems, even those that could run Fortran programs. One of the first efforts to [[porting|port]] the code to other languages or systems was by [[RAND Corporation]] researcher [[James Gillogly]] in 1977. Gillogly, with agreement from Crowther and Woods, spent several weeks porting the code to the [[C (programming language)|C programming language]] to run on the more generic [[Unix]] architecture.<ref name="Electracity97"/> It can still be found as part of the [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] Operating Systems distributions, or as part of the "bsdgames" package under most [[Linux]] distributions, under the command name "adventure".<ref name="BSDadventure"/> Bob Supnik of [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] also ported the game in Fortran to the [[PDP-11]] minicomputer in mid-1977, spreading it to other minicomputer systems.<ref name="GetLampSupnik"/> Afterwards, numerous other ports were made of the game to different languages and systems, sometimes identified by the number of points available in the game.<ref name="RaymondHistory"/> There were enough ports and variants and alternate takes of the game by 1982 that an article in ''[[Your Computer (British magazine)|Your Computer]]'' described the entire set of games wherein the player enters short commands to move between set locations as "''Adventure'' games", and provided code for the [[ZX81]] computer for an "Adventure-writing kit" program that could be used to generate a game with that gameplay.<ref name="ZX81writingkit"/> In 2017, [[Eric S. Raymond]] created a port for modern computers of Woods's 1995 version of the game as ''Open Adventure'' and released the source code under an [[open-source license]] with permission from Crowther and Woods.<ref name="RaymondHistory"/><ref name="OpenAdventure"/>

Commercial versions of the game were also released. [[Microsoft]] published a version titled ''[[Microsoft Adventure]]'' in 1979 for the [[Apple II Plus]] and [[TRS-80]] computers, and again in 1981 for [[MS-DOS]] as a launch title for [[IBM Personal Computer|IBM PC]]s, one of the few software programs and the only game at launch.<ref name="BYTE79"/><ref name="BYTEIBM"/> [[The Software Toolworks]] released ''The Original Adventure'' for IBM PCs in 1981; endorsed by Crowther and Woods in exchange for a nominal payment, it was the only version for which they received any money.<ref name="bilofsky"/> [[Level 9 Computing]] released multiple versions of the game for different computer platforms under the name ''[[Colossal Adventure]]'', beginning with a version in 1982 for the [[Nascom (computer kit)|Nascom]] that includes an entire extra section where the player saves elves from flooding caves, as well as later versions that include pictures of the areas.<ref name="ColossalAdventure"/>

A 3D remake of the game, under the title ''Colossal Cave'', was released by Cygnus Entertainment as its first title on January 19, 2023, for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[macOS]], [[Linux]], [[Nintendo Switch]], [[PlayStation 5]], [[Xbox Series X]], and [[Meta Quest 2]].<ref name="3DAdventure"/> It was designed by [[Ken Williams (game developer)|Ken]] and [[Roberta Williams]], co-founders of [[Sierra Entertainment]]. The original text version of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' was Roberta's first video game experience and got her into game development, and her goal in remaking the game was to recreate of how she felt playing the game in 1979.<ref name="AltaRemake"/><ref name="ViceRemake"/> The remake was started as a hobby project by the pair during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], before being expanded into a full commercial product by a team of thirty.<ref name="PSRemake"/>

==Legacy==
===Video games===
''Colossal Cave Adventure'' is considered one of the most influential video games.<ref name="PCGimportant"/> In 2019, it was inducted into the [[World Video Game Hall of Fame]] by [[The Strong]] and the [[International Center for the History of Electronic Games]].<ref name="HoF"/> The game is the first well-known example of interactive fiction and established conventions that have since become standard in interactive fiction titles, such as the use of shortened cardinal directions for commands like "e" for "east", as well as inspiring the contents of the fiction titles themselves.<ref name="DigitalFictions"/> The game is the [[eponym|namesake]] and the first well-known example of an [[adventure game]], as it combined the interactivity of computer programs with the storytelling of literature or [[role-playing game]]s such as ''Dungeons & Dragons'', despite its lack of linear plot.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="Lessard2013"/> The only text adventure game known to precede it is ''[[Wander (1974 video game)|Wander]]'' from 1974, which did not have the spread or influence of ''Adventure''.<ref name="TCW383385"/>

''Colossal Cave Adventure'' was immensely popular among the small computer-using population of the time. Historian Alexander Smith described it as "ubiquitous" on computer networks by the end of 1977, alongside ''[[Star Trek (1971 video game)|Star Trek]]'' and ''[[Lunar Lander (video game genre)|Lunar Lander]]'', and [[Walter Bright]], creator of ''[[Empire (1977 video game)|Empire]]'' (1977), recalled that ''Adventure'' "caused a sensation".<ref name="TCW383385"/><ref name="bright2000"/> Columnist [[Jerry Pournelle]] said that "two weeks' work would be lost" whenever it arrived at a computer installation as employees played it. Attempts to restrict the game failed; the only cure was to let everyone solve it.<ref name="pournelle198012"/>

Computer game programmers of the time were greatly inspired by the game; according to game designer and creator of the [[Inform]] interactive fiction language [[Graham Nelson]], "for the five years to 1982 almost every game created was another 'Advent'".<ref name="Montfort95"/> Several of these games were the initial releases of companies that would go on to become key innovators for the early adventure game genre. These included ''[[Zork]]'' (1977)—which began development within a month of the release of Woods's version—first by the team of [[Dave Lebling]], [[Marc Blank]], [[Tim Anderson (programmer)|Tim Anderson]], and [[Bruce Daniels]] at [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] and later by [[Infocom]]; ''[[Adventureland (video game)|Adventureland]]'' (1978) by [[Scott Adams (game designer)|Scott Adams]] of [[Adventure International]]; and ''[[Mystery House]]'' (1980) by Roberta and Ken Williams of [[Sierra Entertainment|On-Line Systems]].<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="DigitalFictions"/><ref name="high134135"/> The 1980 [[Atari 2600]] video game ''[[Adventure (1980 video game)|Adventure]]'' was an attempt to create a graphical version of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'', and itself became the first known example of an [[action-adventure game]] and introduced the fantasy genre to video game consoles.<ref name="TCW461"/><ref name="IGNactionadv"/><ref name="EGfantasy"/> ''[[Carmen Sandiego (video game series)|Carmen Sandiego]]'', an early [[educational game]] series begun in 1985, was inspired by transforming the idea of moving around the caverns of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' looking for treasure into moving around the globe searching for clues.<ref name="carmen"/>

In addition to inspiring adventure games, as described by Matt Barton in ''Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games'', ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' demonstrated the "creation of a virtual world and the means to explore it", and the inclusion of monsters and simplified combat.<ref name="Barton3639"/> For this, it is considered a precursor of [[role-playing video game|computer role-playing game]]s, though it was lacking several elements of the genre.<ref name="DH2007"/><ref name="Barton3639"/> [[Glenn Wichman]] and Michael Toy name the game as an influence for their game ''[[Rogue (video game)|Rogue]]'' in 1980, which went on to become the namesake of the [[roguelike]] genre.<ref name="DungeonHacks"/><ref name="ieee insight"/> ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' also inspired the development of online multiplayer games like [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]]s, the precursors of the modern-day [[massively multiplayer online role-playing game]].<ref name="PCGimportant"/><ref name="GamasutraMUD"/>

===Other media===
Two phrases from the game have gone on to have a lasting impact in programming and video games. "[[Xyzzy (computing)|Xyzzy]]" is a magic word that [[teleportation|teleports]] the player between two locations ("inside building" and the "debris room"). It was added by Crowther in response to a request from his sister when play-testing the game to skip the early section of the game.<ref name="DH2007"/> As an in-joke tribute to ''Adventure'', many later games and computer programs include a hidden "xyzzy" command, the results of which range from the straightforward to the humorous.<ref name="xyzzy"/> Crowther stated that for its purpose in the game, "magic words should look queer, and yet somehow be pronounceable", leading him to select "xyzzy".<ref name="DH2007"/> Additionally, in the game there is a maze created by Crowther where each of ten room descriptions was exactly the same: "YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL ALIKE." The layout of this "all alike" maze was fixed, so the player would have to figure out how to map the maze.<ref name="Montfort9192"/> The phrase "you are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike" has become memorialized and popularized in the [[hacker culture]], where "passages" may be [[snowclone|replaced with a different word]], as the situation warrants. This phrase came to signify a situation when whatever action is taken does not change the result.<ref name="TwistyPassages"/>

''Colossal Cave Adventure'' has continued to be referenced by media for decades since. The 2003 book on the history of interactive fiction ''Twisty Little Passages'' was named after the "all alike" maze, and the 2010 documentary on the history of text adventure games ''[[Get Lamp]]'' is named for the command to get one of the first objects the player encounters and must carry to solve the game.<ref name="TwistyBook"/><ref name="getlamp"/> The 2013 game ''[[Kentucky Route Zero]]''{{'}}s third act draws direct inspiration from the game, showing a computer simulation set up inside of a cave, which is itself depicting a massive cave system.<ref name="KRZ"/> The game is also a key plot point in an episode of the 2014 TV series ''[[Halt and Catch Fire (TV series)|Halt and Catch Fire]]'', a period drama taking place in the early days of the personal computing revolution. In it, the chief software designer uses the game as a competency test to determine which programmers will remain on the team.<ref name="HACF1"/> As a tie-in, a fully playable version of the game augmented with player hints and artwork revealed when certain locations are visited was made available on the show's official website.<ref name="HACF2"/>

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="DH2007">{{cite journal |url=http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/001/2/000009/000009.html |title=Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave: Examining Will Crowther's Original "Adventure" in Code and in Kentucky |journal=[[Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations|Digital Humanities Quarterly]] |last=Jerz |first=Dennis |year=2007 |volume=1 |issue=2 |issn=1938-4122 |archive-date=June 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616070717/http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/001/2/000009/000009.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Dibbell5657">[[#CITEREF_DibbelTinyLife|Dibbel]], pp. 56–57</ref>
<ref name="BroadBand">[[#CITEREF_EvansBroadBand|Evans]], pp. [https://onezero.medium.com/the-woman-who-inspired-one-of-the-first-hit-video-games-by-mapping-the-worlds-longest-cave-ef572ccde6d2 83–94] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115211817/https://onezero.medium.com/the-woman-who-inspired-one-of-the-first-hit-video-games-by-mapping-the-worlds-longest-cave-ef572ccde6d2 |date=January 15, 2022 }}</ref>
<ref name="Lessard2013">{{cite journal |last=Lessard |first=Jonathan |title=Adventure before adventure games: a new look at Crowther and Woods's seminal program. |journal=[[Games and Culture]] |volume=8 |issue=3 |date=2013 |pages=119–135 |doi=10.1177/1555412012473364|s2cid=145798924 }}</ref>
<ref name="Peterson187188">[[#CITEREF_PetersonGenesis|Peterson]], pp. [https://archive.org/details/genesisiicreatio0000pete/page/187 187–188]</ref>
<ref name="OriginalSourceCode">{{cite book |url=http://www.icynic.com/~don/jerz/ |title=Colossal Cave Adventure source code |last=Crowther |first=William |author-link=William Crowther (programmer) |date=March 1977 |via=Dennis Jerz archive |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307184431/http://www.icynic.com/~don/jerz/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="teleprinter">{{cite web |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-forgotten-world-of-teletype-computer-games |title=The Forgotten World of Teletype Computer Games |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=April 4, 2017 |website=[[PCMag|PC Magazine]] |publisher=[[Future plc|Future]] |access-date=January 9, 2022 |archive-date=December 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201130907/https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-forgotten-world-of-teletype-computer-games |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="WoodsSourceCode">{{cite book |url=http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/source/adv350-pdp10.tar.gz |format=tar.gz |last1=Crowther |first1=William |author-link1=William Crowther (programmer) |last2=Woods |first2=Don |author-link2=Don Woods (programmer) |title=Adventure Fortran source code |date=1977 |via=Interactive Fiction Archive |access-date=January 8, 2022}}</ref>
<ref name="Montfort9192">[[#CITEREF_MontfortTwisty|Montfort]], pp. 91–92</ref>
<ref name="peterson188190">[[#CITEREF_PetersonGenesis|Peterson]], pp. [https://archive.org/details/genesisiicreatio0000pete/page/188 188–190]</ref>
<ref name="TCW383385">[[#CITEREF_SmithTCW|Smith]], pp. 383–385</ref>

<ref name="Electracity97">[[#CITEREF_HolmevikElectracity|Holmevik]], p. 97</ref>
<ref name="BSDadventure">{{cite web |url=https://man.openbsd.org/adventure.6 |title=adventure |website=OpenBSD manual page server |publisher=[[OpenBSD]] |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108221305/https://man.openbsd.org/adventure.6 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="GetLampSupnik">{{cite AV media |people=Supnik, Bob |title=Bob Supnik Interview from Get Lamp |medium=Video |publisher=[[Jason Scott]] |date=October 25, 2006 |url=https://archive.org/details/GETLAMP-Supnik |access-date=August 29, 2022}}</ref>
<ref name="RaymondHistory">{{cite web |url=http://www.catb.org/~esr/open-adventure/history.html |title=A brief history of Colossal Cave Adventure |last=Raymond |first=Eric S. |author-link=Eric S. Raymond |website=catb.org |date=April 19, 2019 |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418141252/http://www.catb.org/~esr/open-adventure/history.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="OpenAdventure">{{cite web |last1=Chirgwin |first1=Richard |title=Seminal game 'Colossal Cave Adventure' released onto GitLab |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/30/eric_raymond_sets_colossal_cave_adventure_free/ |website=[[The Register]] |publisher=Situation Publishing |date=May 30, 2017 |access-date=May 30, 2017 |archive-date=June 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602032336/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/30/eric_raymond_sets_colossal_cave_adventure_free |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="ZX81writingkit">{{cite magazine |last=Thompson |first=Graham |title=Adventure |magazine=[[Your Computer (British magazine)|Your Computer]] |publisher=IPC Electrical-Electronic Press |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=24–27 |date=April 1982 |url=https://archive.org/details/your-computer-magazine-1982-04 |issn=0263-0885}}</ref>
<ref name="BYTE79">{{cite magazine |title=Microsoft Consumer Products Continuing the Microsoft Tradition |magazine=[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]] |publisher=[[McGraw Hill Education|McGraw Hill]] |date=December 1979 |volume=4 |issue=12 |page=179 |issn=0360-5280}}</ref>
<ref name="BYTEIBM">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1981-10/1981_10_BYTE_06-10_Local_Networks#page/n35/mode/2up |title=The IBM Personal Computer / First Impressions |magazine=[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]] |publisher=[[McGraw Hill Education|McGraw Hill]] |date=October 1981 |volume=6 |issue=10 |last=Lemmons |first=Phil |page=34 |issn=0360-5280}}</ref>
<ref name="bilofsky">{{cite web |url=http://www.toolworks.com/bilofsky/software.htm |title=Software Publisher |publisher=[[The Software Toolworks]] |last=Bilofsky |first=Walt |access-date=September 30, 2014 |archive-date=November 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111113635/http://www.toolworks.com/bilofsky/software.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="ColossalAdventure">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_006/page/56/mode/2up |title=The Next Level |magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] |publisher=Live Publishing |date=October 2004 |volume=1 |issue=6 |page=56 |issn=1742-3155}}</ref>
<ref name="3DAdventure">{{cite web |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/roberta-williams-ken-williams-interview-colossal-cave/ |title=Ken and Roberta Williams are back to evolve the adventure game genre |last=Franzese |first=Tomas |date=January 16, 2023 |website=[[Digital Trends]] |access-date=January 20, 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="PSRemake">{{cite web |url=https://blog.playstation.com/2023/01/19/qa-with-roberta-ken-williams-developers-of-reimagined-colossal-cave-out-today/ |title=Q&A with Roberta & Ken Williams, developers of reimagined Colossal Cave, out today |date=January 19, 2023 |last=Shuman |first=Sid |website=PlayStation.Blog |publisher=[[Sony Interactive Entertainment]] |access-date=January 20, 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="AltaRemake">{{cite web |url=https://www.altaonline.com/culture/movies-tv-shows/a46976900/sierra-on-line-video-games-roberta-williams-joy-lanzendorfer/ |title=Falling in and out of Love with Sierra On-Line |first=Joy |last=Lanzendorfer |date=March 24, 2024 |access-date=August 10, 2025 |work=Alta |publisher=San Simeon Films }}</ref>
<ref name="ViceRemake">{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/why-roberta-williams-came-out-of-retirement-to-remake-a-beloved-text-adventure/ |title=Why Roberta Williams Came Out of Retirement to Remake a Beloved Text Adventure |last=Fyfe |first=Duncan |date=November 10, 2022 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |publisher=[[Vice Media]] |access-date=November 10, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name="PCGimportant">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/most-important-pc-games/ |title=The most important PC games of all time |work=[[PC Gamer]] |publisher=[[Future plc|Future]] |date=January 17, 2016 |access-date=January 19, 2016 |archive-date=April 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430071630/https://www.pcgamer.com/most-important-pc-games/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="HoF">{{cite web |url=https://www.museumofplay.org/games/colossal-cave-adventure/ |title=Colossal Cave Adventure |website=The Strong National Museum of Play |publisher=[[The Strong]] |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108150731/https://www.museumofplay.org/games/colossal-cave-adventure/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="DigitalFictions">[[#CITEREF_SloaneDigitalFictions|Sloane]], pp. 57–58, 77</ref>
<ref name="bright2000">{{cite web |last=Bright |first=Walter |author-link=Walter Bright |year=2000 |title=A Brief History of Empire |url=https://www.classicempire.com/history.html |access-date=August 17, 2024 |website=Walter Bright's Classic Empire |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620051920/http://www.classicempire.com/history.html |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="pournelle198012">{{cite magazine |last=Pournelle |first=Jerry |author-link=Jerry Pournelle |date=December 1980 |title=BASIC, Computer Languages, and Computer Adventures |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-12/1980_12_BYTE_05-12_Adventure#page/n223/mode/2up |magazine=[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]] |publisher=[[McGraw Hill Education|McGraw Hill]] |page=222}}</ref>
<ref name="Montfort95">[[#CITEREF_MontfortTwisty|Montfort]], p. 95</ref>
<ref name="high134135">[[#CITEREF_DemariaHighScore|Demaria]], pp. 134–135</ref>
<ref name="TCW461">[[#CITEREF_SmithTCW|Smith]], p. 461</ref>
<ref name="IGNactionadv">{{cite web |url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/903/903024p1.html |first=Levi |last=Buchanan |title=Top 10 Best-Selling Atari 2600 Games |date=August 26, 2008 |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520101821/https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/08/26/top-10-best-selling-atari-2600-games |archive-date=May 20, 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="EGfantasy">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1983-06/Electronic_Games_Issue_16_Vol_02_04_1983_Jun#page/n45/mode/2up |title=The Players Guide to Fantasy Games |magazine=[[Electronic Games]] |publisher=Reese Publishing Company |date=June 1983 |volume=2 |issue=16 |page=47 |issn=0730-6687}}</ref>
<ref name="carmen">{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/the-making-of-carmen-sandiego-1804490410 |title=The Making Of Carmen Sandiego |first=David L. |last=Craddock |date=September 15, 2017 |website=[[Kotaku]] |publisher=[[G/O Media]] |access-date=September 15, 2017 |archive-date=September 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915144341/https://kotaku.com/the-making-of-carmen-sandiego-1804490410 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="Barton3639">[[#CITEREF_BartonDungeons|Barton, Stacks]], pp. 36–39</ref>
<ref name="DungeonHacks">[[#CITEREF_CraddockDungeonHacks|Craddock]], ch. 2: "Procedural Dungeons of Doom: Building Rogue, Part 1"</ref>
<ref name="ieee insight">{{cite web |url=http://insight.ieeeusa.org/insight/content/views/371703 |title=Going Rogue: A Brief History of the Computerized Dungeon Crawl |first=Nathan |last=Brewer |date=July 7, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |work=Insights |publisher=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers|IEEE USA]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919020229/http://insight.ieeeusa.org/insight/content/views/371703 |archive-date=September 19, 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="GamasutraMUD">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/hunt-the-syntax-part-one |title=Hunt The Syntax, Part One |first=Michael |last=Heron |date=August 3, 2016 |website=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] |publisher=[[Informa]] |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108020637/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/hunt-the-syntax-part-one |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="xyzzy">[[#CITEREF_RaymondHacker|Raymond, Steele]], p. 496</ref>
<ref name="TwistyPassages">{{cite web |url=http://www.science20.com/staring_empty_pages/youre_maze_twisty_little_passages_all_alike-77025 |title=You're in a Maze of Twisty Little Passages, All Alike |first=Barry |last=Leiba |author-link=Barry Leiba |date=March 9, 2011 |access-date=February 22, 2016 |website=Science 2.0 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305031716/http://www.science20.com/staring_empty_pages/youre_maze_twisty_little_passages_all_alike-77025 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="TwistyBook">{{cite web |url=https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/twisty-little-passages |title=Twisty Little Passages |website=[[MIT Press]] |access-date=February 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114162915/https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/twisty-little-passages |archive-date=November 14, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="getlamp">{{cite web |url=http://www.cnet.com/news/get-lamp-illuminates-the-text-adventure-game/ |title='Get Lamp' illuminates the text adventure game |work=[[CNET]] |publisher=[[Red Ventures]] |first=Gordon |last=Haff |date=August 10, 2010 |access-date=February 23, 2016 |archive-date=February 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224075152/http://www.cnet.com/news/get-lamp-illuminates-the-text-adventure-game/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="KRZ">{{cite magazine |url=https://egmnow.com/as-above-so-below-kentucky-route-zero/ |title=As Above, So Below: Touring Mammoth Cave with Kentucky Route Zero's Jake Elliott |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |last=Solberg |first=Dan |date=February 5, 2020 |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108195941/https://egmnow.com/as-above-so-below-kentucky-route-zero/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="HACF1">{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/6/30/5855632/close-up-halt-and-catch-fire-season-1-episode-5 |title=Close Up: 'Halt and Catch Fire' and the smallest TV in the world |first=Brian |last=Bishop |date=June 30, 2014 |access-date=February 22, 2016 |website=[[The Verge]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045100/http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/30/5855632/close-up-halt-and-catch-fire-season-1-episode-5 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="HACF2">{{cite web |url=https://www.amc.com/shows/halt-and-catch-fire/exclusives/colossal-cave-adventure |title=Halt and Catch Fire Exclusives: Colossal Cave Adventure |date=2014 |access-date=May 31, 2018 |work=[[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905165135/https://www.amc.com/shows/halt-and-catch-fire/exclusives/colossal-cave-adventure |archive-date=September 5, 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |title=Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games |edition=2nd |last1=Barton |first1=Matt |last2=Stacks |first2=Shane |date=2019 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-1-138-57464-9 |ref=CITEREF_BartonDungeons}}
* {{cite book |last1=Craddock |first1=David L. |editor1-last=Magrath |editor1-first=Andrew |title=Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, and Other Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games |date=2015 |publisher=Press Start Press |isbn=978-0-692-50186-3 |chapter=Procedural Dungeons of Doom: Building Rogue, Part 1 |ref=CITEREF_CraddockDungeonHacks}}
* {{cite book |title=High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games |last1=DeMaria |first1=Rusel |last2=Wilson |first2=Johnny L. |publisher=[[McGraw Hill Education|McGraw Hill/Osborne]] |edition=2nd |date=2003 |isbn=978-0-07-223172-4 |ref=CITEREF_DemariaHighScore}}
* {{cite book |title=My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual World |first=Julian |last=Dibbell |date=1998 |isbn=978-0-8050-3626-8 |lccn=98-13636 |publisher=[[Henry Holt and Company|Holt Paperbacks]] |url=https://archive.org/details/mytinylifecrimep0000dibb_c6m4 |url-access=registration |ref=CITEREF_DibbelTinyLife}}
* {{cite book |title=Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet |last=Evans |first=Claire L. |date=2018 |publisher=[[Penguin Group]] |isbn=978-0-593-32944-3 |ref=CITEREF_EvansBroadBand}}
* {{cite book |title=Inter/vention: Free Play in the Age of Electracy |last=Holmevik |first=Jan Rune |date=2012 |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |isbn=978-0-262-30090-2 |ref=CITEREF_HolmevikElectracity}}
* {{cite book |last=Montfort |first=Nick |author-link=Nick Montfort |date=2003 |title=Twisty Little Passages: An Approach To Interactive Fiction |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |isbn=978-0-262-13436-1 |ref=CITEREF_MontfortTwisty}}
* {{cite book |last=Peterson |first=Dale |title=Genesis II, Creation and Recreation with Computers |date=1983 |publisher=[[Prentice Hall|Reston Publishing Company]] |isbn=978-0-8359-2434-4 |ref=CITEREF_PetersonGenesis}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Raymond |editor-first1=Eric S. |editor-link1=Eric S. Raymond |editor-last2=Steele |editor-first2=Guy L. |editor-link2=Guy L. Steele Jr. |title=[[Jargon File|The New Hacker's Dictionary]] |edition=3rd |date=1996 |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |isbn=978-0-262-68092-9 |ref=CITEREF_RaymondHacker}}
* {{cite book |last=Sloane |first=Sarah |title=Digital Fictions: Storytelling in a Material World |date=2000 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-1-56750-482-8 |ref=CITEREF_SloaneDigitalFictions}}
* {{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Alexander |title=They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol. I: 1971-1982 |date=2019 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-0-429-75261-2 |ref=CITEREF_SmithTCW}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Colossal Cave Adventure}}
* ''[http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=fft6pu91j85y4acv Colossal Cave Adventure]'' at the [http://ifdb.tads.org Interactive Fiction Database] with downloadable versions for many platforms
* ''[http://ifwiki.org/index.php/Adventure Colossal Cave Adventure]'' at the [http://ifwiki.org Interactive Fiction Wiki] with downloadable versions for many platforms
* [http://jerz.setonhill.edu/intfic/colossal-cave-adventure-source-code/ Original source code] and [https://github.com/ghfbsd/adventure modified source code] for modern Fortran compilers of Crowther's 1976 version
* [https://gitlab.com/esr/open-adventure ''Open Adventure'' source code] of a port of the 1995 version
* [http://sierrahelp.com/Games/AdventureHelp.html 1987 Windows port] of the PDP-11 version of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' for modern Windows
* ''[https://rickadams.org/adventure/ The Colossal Cave Adventure Page]'', containing downloadable versions and details about each version of the game
* Interviews with [https://archive.org/details/GETLAMP-Woods Don Woods] and [https://archive.org/details/getlamp-djerz Dennis Jerz] for the ''[[Get Lamp]]'' documentary film

[[Category:1970s interactive fiction]]
[[Category:1976 video games]]
[[Category:Adventure games]]
[[Category:Atari ST games]]
[[Category:Caving mass media]]
[[Category:Commercial video games with freely available source code]]
[[Category:CP/M games]]
[[Category:Fantasy video games]]
[[Category:Linux games]]
[[Category:Mainframe games]]
[[Category:Public-domain software with source code]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:World Video Game Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Teleprinter video games]]

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