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intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed Jul 27, 2016 5:15 pm

I am beyond ecstatic to share my latest conquest: A Mind Forever Voyaging (AMFV) by Infocom ((c) 1985; most likely available in 1986 on Amiga). After you read the shipment/sales figures below, I think you'll agree this is a uniquely rare piece of software.

AMFV was one of the earliest Infocom titles to grace the Amiga, and is considered by some to be one of the best interactive fiction titles ever produced. Written by the ultra-talented and prolific Steve Meretzky (Hitchhiker's Guide, Leather Goddesses of Phobos, Planetfall, among many others) , this is one of his most fondly remembered titles by fans of the interactive fiction genre.

From a collecting standpoint I can say this: it took me over 6 months to even locate this single copy. On top of that, Amiga ADFs for the game are not readily available online, making the game even more painfully difficult to find, let alone play.

In terms of this particular copy, it is in VG+ condition and is only missing one component in the feelies department. Originally, this game included in the box:
  • A printed copy of Dakota Online Magazine from April, 2031, featuring an article about "Perry Simm"/PRISM
  • An advertisement presented by the "Joybooth Manufacturers of North America" arguing that "Joybooths are not the problem"
  • A "PRISM Project Facility Class One Security Mode Access Decoder", a paper wheel device that provided access codes needed in-game
  • A map of Rockvil, "Jewel of the Quad-State Area" (the quad-state area consisting of South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming)
  • A ballpoint pen from QUAD Mutual Insurance. ("From seafarms to spacelabs, you're covered by QUAD.")
My missing piece is the ballpoint pen. Que sera sera. I can't believe I actually, finally, own a copy!

How rare is this thing?
The Amiga version definitely seems to be the most rare of all original versions available at the time. From what I've been able to ascertain, between 1985 and 1986, only 28,093 copies of AMFV were ever "shipped" (the term Infocom used was shipped, not sold) across all computer platforms, including Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 128, DOS, and Macintosh. The game itself (original release 77) came out in August of 1985. Release 79 came out on November 22, 1985. In 1985, 26,275 total copies were sold.

The Amiga wasn't even "born" until July 23, 1985 - and that was the Amiga 1000, which (due to production issues) wasn't really available on a wide scale until early 1986. The popular 500 model wasn't available until 1987. So it is pretty fair to assume that the 1985 sales numbers don't apply to the Amiga at any substantial level.

That takes us to 1986. In 1986, Infocom reported a mere 1,818 total sales for AMFV - across all platforms! . That right there could explain why 1) no ADFs were ever created by the pirating community back in the day - no one had it! and 2) why this game is so damned hard to find in the market today as well, especially for the Amiga. And between 1987 and 1989, "sales" for AMFV tallied 6,122 across all platforms. It's pretty safe to say that this game is ultra-rare on the Amiga platform.

I will definitely be copying my working disk a.s.a.p.. Heck, this thing probably deserves to be in a computer museum somewhere.
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Front cover. Note how the box doesn't even have a platform sticker on it.

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Original floppy disk

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Inside Box

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Feelies

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IT WORKS!






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