{"id":132937,"date":"2020-12-14T09:40:55","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T06:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-commander-keen-changed-pc-gaming\/"},"modified":"2020-12-14T09:40:55","modified_gmt":"2020-12-14T06:40:55","slug":"how-commander-keen-changed-pc-gaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-commander-keen-changed-pc-gaming\/","title":{"rendered":"#How Commander Keen Changed PC Gaming"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2de202115f4\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2de202115f4\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-commander-keen-changed-pc-gaming\/#Keen_Playful_Console_Magic_on_the_PC\" >Keen: Playful Console Magic on the PC<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-commander-keen-changed-pc-gaming\/#1990_The_Year_of_Mario\" >1990: The Year of Mario<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-commander-keen-changed-pc-gaming\/#Carmacks_EGA_Breakthrough\" >Carmack\u2019s EGA Breakthrough<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-commander-keen-changed-pc-gaming\/#Enter_Commander_Keen\" >Enter,\u00a0Commander Keen<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-commander-keen-changed-pc-gaming\/#Keens_Legacy\" >Keen\u2019s Legacy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-commander-keen-changed-pc-gaming\/#How_to_Play_Commander_Keen_on_a_Modern_PC\" >How to Play Commander Keen on a Modern PC<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#How Commander Keen Changed PC Gaming&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_704824\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-704824 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/xkeen_hero_5.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.R0eHqhsVzB.jpg\" alt=\"Graphics from Commander Keen 1\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-credittext=\"id Software\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">id Software<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On Dec. 14, 1990, Apogee Software released <em>Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons<\/em>. It was\u00a0the first in a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of PC shareware <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s that brought fluid, Mario-like platforming to the PC. It also launched legendary developer id Software. Here\u2019s why it was special.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keen_Playful_Console_Magic_on_the_PC\"><\/span>Keen: Playful Console Magic on the PC<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The first Commander Keen game, <em>Invasion of the Vorticons<\/em>, is split into three episodes designed for PCs with MS-DOS. In the first episode, you play as Billy Blaze (aka Commander Keen), a kid who must <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> to Mars to repel an invasion of dog-like aliens called Vorticons.<\/p>\n<p>The aliens have dismantled your ship and scattered its parts across the planet. Your job is to retrieve those parts so you can get back home.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_704914\" style=\"width: 642px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-704914 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,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\" alt=\"A character in &quot;Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons&quot; standing atop some Mario-style blocks. \"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The first level of <em>Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Along the way, <em>Commander Keen<\/em> builds a compelling backstory through special stages. The mini-narrative scenes present items like a pogo stick and an alien language written in glyphs. Keen also picks up whimsical items, like teddy bears and books with the word \u201cKANT\u201d on them. This gives the game a playful and amusing feel.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of its release,\u00a0<em>Keen\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0real achievement was the fluid, Mario-style of platforming gameplay on the IBM PC. Few thought this was even possible, given side-scrolling platformer games were the most popular on home video game consoles at the time.<\/p>\n<p>People with PCs, though, could get a taste of console-style gaming by <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">download<\/a>ing a free game from a BBS, thanks to <em>Commander Keen<\/em>. This was magical at the time.<\/p>\n<p>To understand why, let\u2019s rewind and take a look at what gaming and computing were like the year of <em>Keen\u2019s<\/em> release.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Remember BBSes? Here&#8217;s How You Can Visit One Today<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1990_The_Year_of_Mario\"><\/span>1990: The Year of Mario<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In 1990, the Nintendo Entertainment System console was at the pinnacle of its success thanks to smoothly scrolling platform games, like\u00a0<em>Super Mario Bros. 3.<\/em>\u00a0The smooth scrolling of\u00a0<em>Super Mario Bros.<\/em> (1985) was the technical breakthrough that made it the stunning, killer-app that it was.<\/p>\n<p>The secret of <em>Super Mario Bros.<\/em> was certain NES game cartridges included special memory management chips that allowed for the smooth-scrolling graphics on-screen. Other consoles included special graphics handling and acceleration hardware, as well, which made smooth-action games relatively easy to make.<\/p>\n<p>In the late 1980s, though, almost no IBM PC compatibles included game-oriented graphics acceleration hardware. Instead, programmers worked with standards created by IBM, including <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/CGA\">CGA<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Enhanced_Graphics_Adapter\">EGA<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Video_Graphics_Array\">VGA<\/a>, all of which required software tricks to create interesting graphical effects.<\/p>\n<p>Due to these technical limitations, very few PC games at the time had attempted to duplicate the Mario run-and-jump platform. It\u2019s also why slower-paced games, like RPG, strategy, and simulation titles, dominated the PC game market back then.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Carmacks_EGA_Breakthrough\"><\/span>Carmack\u2019s EGA Breakthrough<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One programmer, in particular, changed the future course of PC game genres. In mid-1990, John Carmack, who was then working at a publisher called Softdisk, invented a new graphical technique for EGA graphics cards called \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Adaptive_tile_refresh\">adaptive tile refresh<\/a>.\u201d It utilized quirks in the EGA standard to produce smooth, sub-pixel scrolling that was on par with the Mario games.<\/p>\n<p>Soon after, Carmack and his Softdisk colleague, Tom Hall, created a scrolling demo that replicated the first level of <em>Super Mario Bros. 3<\/em>. It was called <em>Dangerous Dave in Copyright Infringement<\/em>, as it was based on a character created by another Softdisk employee, John Romero.<\/p>\n<p>When Romero came into work the next day, he was blown away. He realized he held the future of the trio\u2019s independent success\u2014away from Softdisk\u2014in his hands.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Super Mario Bros 3 PC Prototype from id Software\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1YWD6Y9FUuw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Soon after, the three developers, working under the name \u201cIdeas from the Deep,\u201d secretly crafted a <em>Super Mario Bros. 3<\/em> demo while still employed at Softdisk. They used EGA graphics and Carmack\u2019s new scrolling engine. Eventually, they pitched it to Nintendo through a friend, and while the company was impressed, it passed on the project.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Enter_Commander_Keen\"><\/span>Enter,\u00a0<em>Commander Keen<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Around that time, Scott Miller, the president of shareware publisher Apogee Software, contacted Romero to see if he\u2019d like to come work for him. Romero then pitched Miller a game idea of Hall\u2019s about a boy who saves the galaxy with a spaceship cobbled together from spare household parts. This became\u00a0<em>Commander Keen<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In the fall of 1990, Carmack, Romero, and Hall quickly whipped up the first <em>Commander Keen<\/em> game, <em>Invasion of the Vorticons<\/em>. According to Romero, Carmack handled the engine and gameplay programming and Hall did the game design and graphics.<\/p>\n<p>Romero coded the level editor, did half the level design, and handled other production work. Adrian Carmack (no relation to John) joined later and contributed some graphics before the game shipped.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_704913\" style=\"width: 642px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-704913 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/xcommander_keen_title_screen.png.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.Mx6GEfPQf3.png\" alt=\"A spaceship under the title &quot;Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons Episode One: Marooned on Mars.&quot;\" width=\"642\" height=\"402\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The title screen of <em>Commander Keen.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Apogee\u2019s episodic shareware model was compelling at the time. It used the loose network of dial-up bulletin board systems (BBSes)\u00a0to distribute the first episode of games for free. Players downloaded the game, and, if they liked it, they could mail a check to Apogee to buy more episodes.<\/p>\n<p>The beauty of shareware is it did an end-run around the entrenched PC game publishing industry. The latter required connections to retail stores, and large investments to duplicate disks and print boxes and manuals.<\/p>\n<p>The shareware model also allowed Apogee to experiment with publishing alternative genres (like console-style action platformers) that might\u2019ve been shunned by the mainstream PC game publishers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaking Keen shareware was critical to its success,\u201d recalled Romero. \u201cIt was easily accessible to everyone and was legal to pass around. People could just give a copy to their friends to show them something really fun, and it was okay to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Apogee published <em>Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons<\/em>\u00a0on Dec. 14, 1990, by making the first episode, \u201cMarooned on Mars,\u201d available on BBSes. To get the other two episodes, customers paid $15 each or $30 for the entire trilogy<\/p>\n<p>Miller said the response was overwhelming. Typical Apogee shareware games sold only a few thousand copies, but <em>Commander Keen<\/em> sold 30,000 in just a few months, and almost 60,000 over the next few years.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keens_Legacy\"><\/span><em>Keen\u2019s<\/em> Legacy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The amazing success of <em>Commander Keen<\/em> charted a new future for both Carmacks, Romero, and Hall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe game\u2019s first month did so well that all four of us could quit Softdisk and start id Software officially on Feb. 1, 1991,\u201d said Romero. \u201cAnd sales of Keen just kept going higher. By the end of 1991, Keen\u2019s sales were five [times that of] the first month\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_704910\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-704910 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/xcommander_keen_ega_monitor_3.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.mz_-KinXgf.jpg\" alt=\"A menu in &quot;Commander Keen&quot; on an old PC monitor.\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" data-credittext=\"Benj Edwards\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The <em>Commander Keen<\/em> title screen on an EGA monitor. <span class=\"imagecredit\">Benj Edwards<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>id Software would go on to create other technically groundbreaking games, like\u00a0<em>Wolfenstein 3D<\/em>, <em>Doom<\/em>, and <em>Quake<\/em>. But before that, the quartet worked on several other <em>Commander Keen<\/em> shareware games, each of which was a success in its own right.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years, there have been several attempts to relaunch the <em>Commander Keen<\/em> series, including a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commander_Keen_(video_game)\">2001 Game Boy Color version<\/a> and a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/gamerant.com\/commander-keen-mobile-game-cancel\/\">poorly received 2019 mobile reboot<\/a> that was eventually canceled. Neither captured the magic of the original or the place it held in the zeitgeist.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Play_Commander_Keen_on_a_Modern_PC\"><\/span>How to Play <em>Commander Keen<\/em> on a Modern PC<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you want to play classic <em>Commander Keen<\/em> today, <em>Invasion of the Vorticons <\/em>runs under emulation in a pack <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/9180\/Commander_Keen\/\">available on Steam for $4.99<\/a>. This also includes the sequel, <em>Commander Keen in Goodbye Galaxy!\u00a0<\/em>It\u2019s the officially supported way to play classic <em>Commander Keen<\/em> on Windows 10 (or any other recent version).<\/p>\n<p>If you happen to have an old MS-DOS PC in a closet, you can drag that out and play\u00a0<em>Commander Keen<\/em> as it was originally intended. It still scrolls just as smoothly as it did in 1990.<\/p>\n<p>Happy Birthday, <em>Commander Keen<\/em>!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/704727\/30-years-of-vorticons-how-commander-keen-changed-pc-gaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#How Commander Keen Changed PC Gaming&#8221; id Software On Dec. 14, 1990, Apogee Software released Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons. It was\u00a0the first in a series of PC shareware games that brought fluid, Mario-like platforming to the PC. It also launched legendary developer id Software. Here\u2019s why it was special. Keen: Playful Console Magic&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":132938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/thumbcache\/2\/200\/bd9d0a86f9e1ba421098b719c463672d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/keen_hero_5.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}