[ATMachine]

As I understand it, Ivanhoe is the reason why everybody since the 19th century onward has linked Robin Hood indelibly with King Richard the Lionheart. Before that he was associated with various kings and queens, of whom Richard was one; the early ballad A Gest of Robyn Hode refers to a King Edward, and another one has Robin meeting a "Queen Katharine" who is presumably wife #1 of Henry VIII.

Never have read the novel myself, though.

And you're right, Robin met bunches of people in the old ballads; the usual routine was that he'd pick a fight with a stout tradesman, get soundly beaten, and invite the fellow to join the Merry Men.

Back to Longbow, though. Days 10 and 11 are all right, if too short.

Spoiler:

Yet another instance of mysticism occurs on Day 10, when you heal Marian with the sacred gems. If you heal her, that is.

I like the dialogue that takes place at camp once you seize the treasure on Day 11; the successive toasts are funny.

Day 12 is okay. I'm really glad Christy Marx put in only two instances of hiding among the trees from the Sheriff's men. Three would have been overkill.

Also, I enjoyed how she slowly builds up our suspicions about the false Knight; how he sends Robin's men away, he acts extremely rude, he doesn't know the Hand Code, he won't swear allegiance to Richard... until Robin (and the player) understand at last.

On Day 13, it's a good thing IMHO the "following the wisps" puzzle only takes place on one screen. Another designer might well have stretched it out far longer than it needs to be.

The minigame is fun, too. It even offers you the option to save your game! Awfully courteous. Christy Marx learned well the lessons of Camelot, I see.

As for the endings, they're pretty good. Although it really troubles me that the Troubadour suddenly addresses the player as "you," which is typical of Sierra's style, after an entire game in which Robin himself serves as our narrator, LucasArts-style. Surely it would have been far less jarring, and a nice nod to the ballads, to have the Troubadour speak of Robin in the third person?

For those who haven't achieved all four endings, I'll summarize them below, in more detail than Christy Marx's design document has.

1) If you do really villainous things (steal disguises with the bow, let townsfolk die, don't save Marian) Robin will be hanged, although the King will pardon his men. However, if you look closely during the hanging, Little John and Friar Tuck are securely bound with rope, suggesting they too might be in for a date with the noose.

2) Robin and his men are pardoned. The Prior of the Fens Monastery is banished and his monastic order is disbanded.

3) Robin and his men are pardoned, and King Richard offers them jobs as royal foresters. The Sheriff and Abbot are ordered to pay fines of 50,000 marks each for plotting with Prince John against the King. The Prior of the Fens Monastery is exiled, and his monastic order is disbanded. Robin asks for Marian's hand in marriage, but Richard refuses because Robin is not a nobleman.

4) The best ending. Robin and his men are pardoned, and Richard makes Robin the Earl of Huntingdon. The Sheriff is arrested for treason, and is replaced by Little John. The Abbot is exiled, on pain of being burnt at the stake, and Friar Tuck takes his job. The Prior of the Fens Monastery is banished as well, and his monastic order is disbanded. Robin asks to marry Marian, and the King grants his request. Friar Tuck performs the wedding ceremony in St. Mary's, as the Merry Men, Richard, and Fulk look on.

All the endings except #4 also feature the Troubadour at the very end, telling you to do better next time you play the game.

If you don't do really stupid or mean-spirited things (like letting peasants die, or letting Marian die, or threatening people with your bow, or getting too many of your men killed by choosing bad battle plans), then the main variable in what ending you get is how much ransom you raise.

If you raise ~10000 marks (fail to get the treasure on Day 11 but win the Golden Arrow), then you'll get Ending 2, a pardon. If you raise ~50000 marks (seize the treasure on Day 11 but fail to win the Golden Arrow on Day 8), then you'll get Ending 3.

If you let Marian die, the best ending you can hope for is Ending 2. However, if you do all the really evil things except letting her die, you'll be hanged anyway. Richard will still blame Robin for killing her, despite the fact that she gives evidence in the very same trial! Christy Marx forgot to write some special dialogue to cover that possibility, it seems.