Skill 1:
Medieval Insulter

 Based on a similar theme as the French knight taunts in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. You would ask Alexa to insult you and she would return the favor, you spleeny, boil brained codpiece!

This idea seems an odd choice for an Alexa skill but should pass Amazon’s testers. The skill has not been submitted for review and approval yet. The skill is based somewhat on an activity I remember from grade school where three or four groups of words could be combined from separate lists. I reviewed Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Boccacio’s Decameron as well as other medieval texts for phrasing that sounded right. I chose a column that I thought the phrases would work in. Each column is contained in an array, I created another function that handles parsing out a random phrase from the list. These are then reassembled for some interesting phrasing in the InsultIntent and delivered as speech output for Alexa to deliver. This skill may be better using a male voice and perhaps in the english accented version but for now, I’ve left the original voice. If she only knew what she were really saying.

Skill 2:
Courtly Talk

Self-help books and pamphlets exist from the Romantic and Victorian periods on how to talk to women (some to seduce and others to be poetic). Generally, Shakespeare was a good guide on how to compliment. You would ask the skill to compliment you and Alexa would talk nicely to you.The challenge of this skill was to try and make it all gender neutral and non-sexist. The pamphlets of women seducing men were extremely helpful in overcoming this challenge but the majority of literature is associated with the seduction of women.

The skill is similar in nature to Medieval Insulter. The impetus for this skill was to balance the Medieval Insulter. I felt better about creating one with the other. The skill is setup somewhat similar to the insulter in that three arrays of words are available for a random compliment to be drawn. One differentiator is more phrasing included to be less repetitive between compliments. For the insulter, that repeating seems perfectly normal but I wanted Courtly Talk to be more conversational. And I think the experiment works.

This skill has not been submitted to Amazon Alexa for approval. We’ll even see if it makes it through their censors. I think it should be approved but some of the comments are a bit bawdy which makes it even more fun to share.

Skill 3:
Camel Escape

Your camel is burning across the desert sands. The idea for Camel originally came from the Heath Users Group and was published in More BASIC Computer Games in 1979 but has never been ported to Alexa. I think it would be a popular game. The idea is to ride your camel across the desert while being chased. You need to manage your thirst, how tired the camel is, while keeping in mind your lead on the outlaws. It’s really hard to win. Because, the original game might have contained some culturally insensitive references and cannibalism, I worked to scrub this language and present a version that some parents might find suitable for their older kids. Certainly younger children can play the game. The camel can die due to lack of attention on the part of the player but at least it’s not eaten as part of a  human/camel soup.

Adding storytelling elements to this game was most enjoyable. I tried to make the interactions humorous and related throughout the game. I hope that as one plays the game long enough that it becomes clear that certain situations, such as a camel hurting its hump and running across a group of dreaded Gobihari scorpions chasing an adventurer whose camel has hurt its hump, are related. I hope some even find it humorous.

The game is not quite done. As you can see from the sample game play below, that the death function is not quite working. But the game is close. I’m in bug finding with it.

•         “The scorching sun blazes overhead.”,
•         “Heat mirages rise from the burning desert.”,
•         “Harsh sunlight, buzzards and a blue sky are all that meet your eyes.”,
•         “You start your way across the winding dunes in the heat of the day.”,
•         “Dust devils swirl in the distance as you wipe gritty sweat from your brow.”,
•         “A dust devil swirls across the sand like a desert python.”,
•         “Faraway mountains shimmer as the heat of the day sets in.”,
•         “A hot wind dries your mouth instantly before you set your foot in your camel’s harness.”,
•         “A hot wind creates tiny dust devils at the feet of your camel before you set off.”,
•         “The hard, baked earth and miles of dunes meet your eye as you begin.”,
•         “Dusty, windy dunes engulf your senses as you look across the scorching landscape.”,
•         “Relentless sun and a barren landscape fill your sight as you set off across the great Gobihara.”,
•         “Gobihara scorpions the size of a plate skitter across the blazing sands as you set off.”,
•         “A pair of carrion eaters with black eyes, no doubt hoping for their next meal, follow your every move as you begin your journey.”,
•         “A hot, dusty wind raises dust devils in the shimmering distance as you set off on your journey.”,
•         “Crumbling rock, shifting sand and harsh sunshine are all that meet your eyes as you set off.”,
•         “Sandstone canyons and drifting dunes dominate the dusty landscape of the great Gobihara as you set off.”,
•         “A brown dusty pall darkens the sky as you set off across the hot baked earth of the Gobihara.”,
•         “All you wipe from your brow is hot dust as your camel races across the blazing sands.”

•         ” Ahead moderate speed then. “,
•         ” Your camel likes this pace. “,
•         ” Your camel takes off at a nice trot. “,
•         ” Your camel is trotting across the desert sands. “

•     ” Full speed ahead. “,
•     ” Your camel is burning across the desert sands. “,
•     ” Your camel is blazing across the dunes. “,
•     ” You are blazing across the sand. “,
•     ” Your camel is galloping across the landscape. “,
•     ” You are galloping across the desert sands. “

• oasis: 75-80
  • Is it a mirage? You find an oasis! A lush patch of palm trees and a pool of cool, clear water meet your eyes! You fill your canteen as your camel munches on some figs. You could take a nap if not for the knowledge that the outlaws are out there, somewhere, hunting you.
• sandstorm: 81-85
  • The sky becomes dark as a sandstorm engulfs you. You and your camel huddle under a blanket losing precious time. Just know…the outlaws have learned the art of traveling in wild sandstorms.
• wildfolk: 86-90
  • Suddenly, out of the dunes, you are surrounded by the mythical wildfolk of the Gobihari. Luckily you speaka their language and tell them that outlaws are chasing you. Because of their intense hatred of the outlaws, they promise to delay them with a clever trap. You promise to return one day and open a school for riding sandworms.
• quicksand: 91-93
  • Your camel pitches forward and throws you into hot quicksand. Luckily, you are able to grab a rope. It holds solid as you pull yourself out. You have no time to consider what the rope is attached to as your camel gives you a sloppy kiss, happy that you are alive. You lose some time as the outlaws draw ever closer.
• giant Gobihari scorpions: 93-95
  • You and your camel squeal in terror as you crest a dune and see a pack of dreaded, giant Gobihari scorpions. Luckily for you, they are focused on chasing a poor adventurer whose camel hurt its hump.
• hurt hump: 96-98
  • Your camel has hurt its hump. You hope that a pack of dreaded, giant Gobihari scorpions are not in the area as you limp your camel across the blazing sands.
• aliens: 99
  • As you crest a high dune, you surprise a gathering of angelic aliens lounging on blankets in the hot sun. They explain that they have traveled a long time from a planet in a galaxy far away. They wonder if you have some water to spare. They take a drink and offer for you to sail away in their starship. The camel chooses to return to the last oasis, munch on splendid figs and ride with the mythical wildfolk of the Gobihari. Your camel gives you a parting kiss as you climb aboard their starship and head for the skies.
• All others: all clear

• “You died in the desert.”,
• “You dirty rapscallion, you ran your poor camel to death “,
• “The local chieftain uses your skull as a coin purse. “,
• “Your body was eaten by vultures. “,
• “Turkeys should fly, not ride camels. “,
• “The Global Camel Union is boycotting your funeral. “

• “Game over adventurer! The outlaws caught you. They take back their camel and turn you out into the blazing sands. Without water. Without a camel.”,
• “The outlaws catch you near a pit lined with razor-sharp, wiggling roots. Then again, maybe they are tentacles. They walk you to the edge. This won’t end well. Game over!”,
• “It’s game over, adventurer, as the outlaws catch up to you, they take back their favorite camel, throw sand fleas into your wild hair and set you loose into the wide Gobihari.”,
• “The outlaws corner you in a box canyon. The leader mentions that your head will make a nice, new adventurer coin purse. Game over!”,
• “The outlaws catch up with you and have time set an elaborate trap as you enter the narrow canyon. You hear what sounds like thunder, then you see the giant, round rock hurtling toward you. You turn to run but trip. There is no escape this time, adventurer.”
• “The outlaws catch you. They take back their prized camel and start digging a pit. Once complete, they tell you to climb in. With just your head sticking out, the outlaws fill the hole. As the outlaws leave, kicking away a buzzard and a few dreaded Gobihari scorpions, a canteen falls to the ground just feet away. There may be no escape this time, adventurer.