OVERVIEW
NOTE: These pages are a close facsimile of a Hypercard stack I created using a product I developed and sold during the late 80s and early 90s, the HyperEssay Construction Kit (HECK). The "Konquest Journal" was an easily expandable set of text and graphic HECK cards with embedded hyperlinks, an early fore-runner of web pages. Because of HyperCard limitations, the links always appeared in bold, upper-case letters. The return arrow button in the lower right corner works like a browser back button.

For a time, Paul and I carried on our Alexander dialog by shipping this journal back and forth through the mail on a diskette. When we both acquired modems and email accounts, the journal fell into disuse. The remainder of this page, and the pages linked to it, contains the original content in much the same form as it appeared at the time.

The Konquest Journal is intended to facilitate brainstorming about the new Konquest game (we still need a name for this sucker) and to keep track of what we've come up with so far. The HECK format allows for a heirarchy of linked lists. Whenever discussion emerges around a topic in one of the lists, the topic can be given its own card. Subtopics can be easily added and additional links can be formed between any two sections. We can also add graphics (examples of various continent generating algorithms, screen designs, etc.) I'll admit that it is also awkward in several respects; if need be we can jump to some other program later.

The Journal is divided into several main areas. The DIALOG section allows us to record a running conversation. The list of features/ideas is divided into an APPROVED FEATURE LIST and a set of OTHER IDEAS. As we change our minds, the features can be moved from one list to the other by simply cutting and pasting. In addition, because they promise to become major topics, I have placed the KONQUEST COMMAND LANGUAGE and the DEFINITION TABLES into the main Table of Contents.

There are two ways we can handle the process of updating this journal.

  1. When I ship the journal with each issue of Archipelago, the journal is in your possession and you can modify it at will. When you return it with your transit disks, it reverts to my possession and I can then modify it until the next cycle. If we choose this approach, there are certain conventions we should follow. In particular I recommend that each time one of us makes a series of additions, we summarize those changes in a new card added to the end of the Dialog List.

  2. If you would prefer, I can be in charge of all modifications. You could ship your comments along with specific additions and changes to me in any format you desire and I will then update the journal accordingly. I would ship the lastest version with each issue of Archipelago.
Tell me what you think. Feel free to add new categories or whatever. If you have any problems using the journal, refer to the help manual contained in your original HECK/ASK stack.