The Ohlone village (visited on 5/95) is another interesting example of a historical simulation (Type 'go ohlone village' on BayMOO to get there).
---------------------------------------------------------------- Bay MOO 5/95 >village Ohlone Village A village of 12 reed dwellings at the tip of the San Francisco peninsula. In the center of the village, two women are scooping acorns from their tule reed baskets. A group of young men hesitate before entering into the sweathouse to be instructed by the tribal shaman. Type ENTER to learn the lessons of Coyote, Eagle, Hummingbird and Gismen. Obvious exits: NOONO to Ohlone Language Pit House, PAST to The Past Revisited, and ENTER to Sweathouse ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ohlone visage is designed both as a puzzle and an exhibit. To enter certain rooms, objects have to be found and carried by ``understanding'' and typing words of the Ohlone language. A specially designed ``translation room'' does word to word translation of some short English sentences. Look at the next transcript for an illustation of this principle.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Bay MOO 5/95 >ENTER Sweathouse The intense heat and thick redwood smoke make the interior of the sweathouse almost unbearable. Through the haze you can make out bows, arrows, clubs and knives stacked against the earthen walls. In one corner, two hunters are conversing in Ramaytush, the local Ohlone dialect. One boasts that, in preparation for the coming hunt, he has neither touched nor nor looked directly at his wife for three days. His friend confirms that, for his part, he has eaten no meat or salt for the same period. The the far corner of the room, her eyes closed, sits the ancient shaman. She clutches her medicine pouch in one hand and a cooking basket in the other. The other occupants of the sweathouse keep a respectful distance from her. You see an opening that leads to the Coyote's den. Type COYOTE to get there. Obvious exits: VILLAGE to Ohlone Village You see Sharkeen here. >activate sharkeen Kaspar activates Sharkeen. Sharkeen exclaims, "Aue!" Sharkeen says, "[to Kaspar] cahnah roote ratichma maato roote xiwej Ohlone muwekma." [......] >noono Ohlone Language Pit House A place to turn English words into Ohlone, and Ohlone into English. The vocabulary is derived from several of the local Ohlone dialects. Obvious exits: VILLAGE to Ohlone Village and WORD to -Word St. North- >"cahnah roote ratichma maato roote xiwej Ohlone muwekma You say, "I be woman who be shaman Ohlone people" >@go sweathouse [....] >coyote You must possess the Coyote's Tooth before you can enter his den. Ask the shaman Sharkeen about Coyote, and she will tell you the room that holds the Coyote's tooth. >"majan You say, "majan" >"coyote You say, "coyote" Sharkeen says, "[to Kaspar] To enter the Coyote's Den you must possess the Coyote Tooth! Seek his tooth in room Kapapan iwesse kapapaniwesh utcahin. Go to the Ohlone Language Pit House if you need to translate my words." [....] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
By looking at objects and manipulating them, more things about the ohlone culture can be found out as the following transcript shows:
---------------------------------------------------------------- Bay MOO 5/95
[....]
>coyote
The smoke around you dissipates as you are transported from the Sweathouse to
the domain of Coyote.
Coyote's Den
Water covers the earth as far as the eyes can see -- except for the distant
peak of Mount Diabolo. From your perch atop Mount Tamalpais, you look down
the mountainside toward the encroaching ocean. You see a furtive movement
within a manzanita bush. Slowly, cautiously, a bedraggled coyote emerges. It
eyes you briefly, then begins to slink away.
Obvious exits: EAGLE to Aerie
You see Coyote here.
_
/ \ _-'
_/| \-''- _ /
__-' { | \
/ \
/ "o. |o }
| \;
',
\_ __\
''-_ \.//
/ '-____'
/
_'
_-'
_________ __ /\ ________
\_ ___ \ ____ ___.__. _____/ |_ ____)/ ______ \______ \ ____ ____
/ \ \/ / _ < | |/ _ \ __\/ __ \ / ___/ | | \_/ __ \ / \
\ \___( <_> )___ ( <_> ) | \ ___/ \___ \ | ` \ ___/| | \
\______ /\____// ____|\____/|__| \___ >____ > /_______ /\___ >___| /
\/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/
>l coyote
A sharp and shifty beast. Type STORY1 COYOTE to hear a tale about him, and
type INVOKE COYOTE to hear what he has to say.
>INVOKE COYOTE
Kaspar, in search of the Ohlone way of wisdom, invokes the Coyote spirit!
So you've come to me for advice? My friend, you couldn't have done better.
Brother Eagle and Sister hummingbird have their own ideas about life, of
course. But my wisdom is seasoned by generations of living on the ground, as
you do. Life with dirt underfoot is treacherous, seeker, as you well know
already. Not strength nor love will get you your heart's desire. But cunning
will. So heed me.
+------------------------------+
|Coyote fixes you with a stare.|
+------------------------------+
[more cut....]
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Animals found in the ``rooms'' will tell stories illustrating the culture. They are displayed in ``VCR mode'', e.g. displayed paragaph by paragraph including breaks so that people can read them at a usual pace.
Alltogether the Ohlone village offers shows a nice example of what can be done with MOO technology. The simulation is probably not polished enough for real use (on 5/95). For example, entering the ``coyote lesson'' was not really ergonomic: Reading the message ``Ask the shaman Sharkeen about Coyote, and she will tell you the room that holds the Coyote's tooth...'' in the sweathouse does not really tell the user that he has to type ``say coyote'' in order to cross the exit to ``Coyote's den''.