The Queen's Footsteps

Hi Davide, we're stuck in the game and apparently it's a bug. When we use the gum paper with the torn sheets, we get a cryptic letter. Over at Acuqverde we examine plate 12 and get the response from the butler that Mr. Rovelli has left the mansion. Nothing happens afterwards! I watched a youtube-walkthrough and at this point the game gives an additional information that Emilia is ready to move on to Turin. But this event is not triggered in our session, only in the youtube-videos. We've got the urgent telegram, we've been at the archives for GE240. Is this a bug or did we miss something? The crucial event is simply not triggered. 

How are parts 2 and 3 loaded in the MSX version of a single CAS? Is it normal that when you finish loading part 1 the cassette does not stop?

Bought the physical C64 version, and I just started playing it with my wife (It's her first text adventure). She's enjoying it a lot, which says a great deal as she's not a video game person unless it's Columns or PuyoPuyo. Currently at the part where we got the reply telegram, and have some stamped paper. Really good map, very logical.

Does the save system save to the disc, or do I need a separate disc to save on?

Wow, that nostalgia!

Played and finished this game on my Amiga 1200. I really enjoyed it to the max, the dark story behind the Queen's Sandals (although similar seen on the movies, ex. The Ninth Gate), was very well executed and kept my interest till acquiring the Sandals and escaped from the library's window.

The descriptions are very good, and the possibility to examine thoroughly the scenery and the background to reveal objects or secret entrances/passages in order to progress further in the story is a big bonus. Therefore, you cannot finish this adventure with only the objects listed in the "You Notice:" section under the description.

Another bonus are the various verbs you have to use in order to complete the game, and not just type USE for every action you want to do, which in my opinion is how text adventures must work. Although I was expecting more verbs, or at least synonyms of the verbs currently in use. There were many times that I was scratching my head which verb to use in order to perform an action, regardless if my thinking was right at the end.

The puzzles were nice, not hard but logical, which is what it matters the most in text adventures. Especially I liked the Fibonacci sequence puzzle (although I was expecting it much harder).

Also, I don't understand why PUT is similar to DROP, which I've seen in quite a few adventures. In my opinion this is wrong or misleading of the verb. For example:

SPOILER ALERT

In the sewers, after you acquire the wooden stick, you have to put some grease on it in order to make a small torch to put away the rats. My first thought was to PUT GREASE ON WOODEN STICK or PUT WOODEN STICK IN GREASE, but nothing worked. All the program wanted is to type GET GREASE!

END SPOILER ALERT

Another point which I found it very confusing, the verbs LOOK and EXAMINE are identical in adventures, but when you try to LOOK an object, you just get the room description! There were some other similar occasions of course, but I think the point was taken.

I found some bugs here and there. One obvious bug is at the first part, when you take the Headed Letter with Stamp from the officer, you cannot examine it nor drop it etc, till you find the blue ink and write the phoney order.

Also, on the third part, in the Nightmare Room, if you try to go WEST, you will face some rats blocking your path. The description says: "You will not set foot in there unless you...", which "unless you" is typed twice.

To sum up, as I said in the beginning, I enjoyed the adventure to the max. I have already started Two Days To The Race as I'm expecting the same enjoyment as the aforementioned adventure.

Already following you Davide, for more similar text adventures in the future, please keep up the good work you do there.

Will this game work on the new "theC64" maxi?

Hello,
  I use OpenMSX, too (version 0.15.0). If you prefer to use the rom files (in the "rom" directory of the archive), you just have to select "Load ROM... (slot A)" in the emulator, then select one of the three files (for example "MSXqueens1.rom") and then "Autodetect (guess)" for the choice of the mapper type. The game should start automatically.

The address 0x4000 is the starting address of the ROM to be mapped in the emulator. If you select "Plain rom starting at 0x4000" in the mapper type, the game works, too. However, the emulator seems to guess correctly the address with the simple "Autodetect".

Hope it helps,

D.