# What makes classic adventure games (and old telephones) so special? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [November 24, 2017, 3:52pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087 "2017-11-24T15:52:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![LogicDeLuxe](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/logicdeluxe/32/15335_2.png) [@LogicDeLuxe](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/LogicDeLuxe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 8:59am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/81 "2018-09-27T08:59:33Z")
> [@PiecesOfKate](#): > > I was always a bit disappointed we never have one of those ones mounted on the wall, like you see in films. Was that mostly an American thing or did anyone else have one? They were a thing in Germany, too. They called the tabletops FeTAp (Fernsprechtischapparat) and the wall ones FeWAp (Fernsprechwandapparat). The Deutsche Post, to which the telephone network belonged until the 90’s, loved to use such cryptic acronyms. Google them and you’ll find many pictures of German phones from the 60’s till 80’s. Most people preferred the table ones. They usually had enough cable to conveniently carry them throughout the house. Wall mounted phones were more likely to be found in work places were employees are not supposed to sit down and talk for a long time. Similar with coin phones, but the acronyms were less consistent there. Some are called MünzFw (Münzfernwähler). Once I’ve seen this monster in some village still in use in the 80’s: ![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/9/951fbc721305dd41d635020f720cd637fba037dd.jpeg) > **[Die Öffentlichen Telekommunikationsstellen in Deutschland Telefonzelle -...](https://telefonzelle.de.tl/M.ue.nzfernsprecher-M.ue.nzFw-57.htm)** > > Münztelefon Münztelefone Münzfernsprecher Kartentelefon ,Kartenfernsprecher Öffentliches Kartentelefon Kartentelefone Öffentlicher Fersprecher .Telefonzelle Telefonzellen Telefonhäuschen Telefonhaube Telefonhauben > Fernsprechzelle ,... It has a display for the remaining money. Full coins are visible on a slide through the window, and the fractions were displayed with light bulbs, which were controlled by a relay circuit. Hearing the clunks of the relays was certainly an interesting experience. Also unlike the US payphones, German payphones have their own coin counter instead of bells or beeps. The exchange in turn sends a tact signal, which let the payphone subtract a unit from the remaining money. If there is none left, it simply cuts the line. No easy to forge bell noises involved. ---
**Author:** ![PiecesOfKate](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/piecesofkate/32/93_2.png) [@PiecesOfKate](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/PiecesOfKate)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 9:11am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/82 "2018-09-27T09:11:03Z")
> [@LogicDeLuxe](#): > > Once I’ve seen this monster in some village still in use in the 80’s That is indeed a beast! ---
**Author:** ![milanfahrnholz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@milanfahrnholz](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/milanfahrnholz)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 9:37am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/83 "2018-09-27T09:37:47Z")
> [@PiecesOfKate](#): > > Our ‘desktop’ one was on a little shelf/cubby hole type thing in the hallway (we called it the ‘telephone table’). That´s how it was in our old flat. Between the entrance and my dad´s room the telephone was on a small table where those who wanted to use it could sit own at. But I know many who indeed perfected the art of “phone carrying” like @LogicDeLuxe described. ---
**Author:** ![milanfahrnholz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@milanfahrnholz](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/milanfahrnholz)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 10:25am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/84 "2018-09-27T10:25:08Z")
Also I wonder how long it´ll take now before @tasse-tee chimes in into our elderly talk. ![grafik](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/a/ad89a14cb8ffac129597441a202ebf787de46b58.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:16am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/85 "2018-09-27T11:16:13Z")
> [@LogicDeLuxe](#): > > They usually had enough cable to conveniently carry them throughout the house. And the cable was always too short. 😉 > [@milanfahrnholz](#): > > Between the entrance and my dad´s room the telephone was on a small table where those who wanted to use it could sit own at. We had it in a hallway on a small shelve, so we had to stand. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PiecesOfKate](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/piecesofkate/32/93_2.png) [@PiecesOfKate](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/PiecesOfKate)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 1:49pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/86 "2018-09-27T13:49:41Z")
> [@Someone](#): > > We had it in a hallway on a small shelve, so we had to stand. 🙂 You couldn’t climb into yours? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![milanfahrnholz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@milanfahrnholz](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/milanfahrnholz)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/87 "2018-09-27T14:01:58Z")
I´m still not sure how to picture that… 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![PiecesOfKate](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/piecesofkate/32/93_2.png) [@PiecesOfKate](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/PiecesOfKate)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 2:06pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/88 "2018-09-27T14:06:28Z")
Next time I’m at my ma’s I’ll see if I can help 😉 ---
**Author:** ![milanfahrnholz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@milanfahrnholz](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/milanfahrnholz)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 2:08pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/89 "2018-09-27T14:08:11Z")
Oh she still lives at that same place? Awww, that´s so nice. 😌 ---
**Author:** ![Frenzie](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/frenzie/32/4416_2.png) [@Frenzie](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Frenzie)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 4:03pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/90 "2018-09-27T16:03:05Z")
> [@milanfahrnholz](#): > > What made old phones special was that you could whack somebody with them if you needed to. A running gag in Bassie & Adriaan was that the villain always broke his phone in frustration at some point. > [@PiecesOfKate](#): > > Back to phones, I was always a bit disappointed we never have one of those ones mounted on the wall, like you see in films. Was that mostly an American thing or did anyone else have one? This ‘90s touch phones from my parents’ office (some newer standard KPN model from that time) has mounting screw holes should you want to, and you can flip some thingy where the receiver goes so it doesn’t fall off. In this restaurant where I worked we had very similar phones, perhaps even the same model, mounted on the wall. > [@Someone](#): > > We had it in a hallway on a small shelve, so we had to stand. 🙂 Our apartment has the phone connection in the hallway. We have quite the cable gymnastics going on for our VDSL modem 'cause there’s also a weird shortage of electricity outlets… 😉 For instance, we don’t use it, but how do you even have a cable output for TV/radio without an outlet next to it or even within five meters? At least phones used to be self-sufficient with two cables for the signal and two cables for the power, so at least it makes sense that it might not conveniently have everything required for ISDN/ADSL/VDSL. ---
**Author:** ![kaiman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kaiman](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/kaiman)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087/91 "2018-09-27T16:07:37Z")
> [@PiecesOfKate](#): > > I was always a bit disappointed we never have one of those ones mounted on the wall, like you see in films. As I said, my grandma had a wall-mounted phone, but I doubt it looked anything like those from films. Thanks to @LogicDeLuxe posting the official moniker, I was finally able to locate an image. Tada! ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/c/c396390e77fb258182abb5769a38a4bfdb91bfa6.jpeg) That one was actually mounted in the hallway, whereas that of my parents was more conveniently located in the kitchen/dining room. So you could at least sit down while talking 🙂. [Previous page](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/what-makes-classic-adventure-games-and-old-telephones-so-special/2087.md?page=4)