E-mail Birds

This article is about the DVD-exclusive Strong Bad Email. For other uses, see Birds (disambiguation).

strongbad_email.exe Bonus Email #2

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Welcome to Text Quest

Strong Bad kills a few email birds with one stone, and answers three emails. This email seems to take place in the Tandy 400 era.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad

Places: Computer Room

Computer: Tandy 400

Running Time: 1:02

DVD Exclusive: strongbad_email.exe Disc One

Transcript

STRONG BAD: Okay, let's see if we can't kill a few email birds here with one big email bird killing stone. {reads email}

how are you why don't you make a joke
kiss
bettina

{Strong Bad reads the email with a drone, exactly as written}

STRONG BAD: {typing} Uh, I'm fine, Bettina. Why don't you make a sentence? {stops typing, pulls up second email} Let's see what else we've got here... {reads email}

Homestar Runner is a total dork. Don't you
think he's a total dork? I think he's a total dork!
-Jeffrey Gilligan

STRONG BAD: {typing} I agree. Don't you think I agree? I agree! {stops typing, pulls up third email} And lastly... {reads email}

Do you like to horse ride? I am horse woman!
neigh. Horse woman can beat Strong Bad up.
*kick*

-Naomi, AB

{Strong Bad reads AB as "ab"}

STRONG BAD: {typing} Strong Bad feed horse woman poison oats. *sting* Minus 15 hit points! {types that as "-15 hp"} {stops typing} Whoa. That put me in the mood for a little text adventure. I'll talk to you guys later!

{Clears screen, bringing up a text adventure, with the following text on the screen:}

Welcome to Text Quest

You are in a hallway. Obvious exits are West, South,
and Over There. Around you is a dagger and another
dagger.

What will you do?

STRONG BAD: Oooh, this is gonna be good. I hope I find some scrolls. Or maybe a flask. {typing} get dagger

{Text appears on the screen reading "What is 'dagger'?"}

STRONG BAD: {angrily} Oh, you stupid game! The dagger you just told me about!

{The Paper comes down.}

Fun Facts

Trivia

• This is another episode in which Strong Bad checks multiple emails.
• When Strong Bad speaks, the hum in the background is audible, implying that this was recorded before The Brothers Chaps got a better microphone and thus is an authentic old email.
• The emails in this episode were originally up on the now defunct WAP version of Strong Bad Email.

Real-World References

• "What is 'dagger'?" is a reference to the difficulty of older text adventures. Such games often had a very limited vocabulary and take an extremely literal translation of what the player says. As a result, many red herrings exist in these games—for instance, objects that are described in game text but are not actually a part of the game, like the daggers in Strong Bad's text adventure.
  • The parser in this instance is probably having trouble telling the two daggers apart, another frequent problem with early text adventures.
  • The dagger is probably also a reference to Sierra game King's Quest I, where one of the first items you find is a dagger.
• Some elements of the text adventure are similar to Vampire's Castle.
  • Rooms are described with the format "You are in..." and "Obvious exits are..."
  • A scroll and a flask are among the items found early in the game.

Fast Forward

• The text game is very similar to Thy Dungeonman.
  • A scroll and flask are key items in Thy Dungeonman.
  • Thy Dungeonman includes a dagger that the player can obtain without even being told about it.
• "Over There" is a place Strong Bad visited in vacation.

Related Links

• strongbad_email.exe