private static void init() {
        //init
        command = new String();
        stillPlaying = true;
        
        //items
                
        Items item0 = new Items();
        item0.setItemName("Water");
        item0.setDesc("--Will you take some water?");
        
        Items item1 = new Items();
        item1.setItemName("Shovel");
        item1.setDesc("--There's a shovel here. Take it?");
        
        Items item2 = new Items();
        item2.setItemName("Map");
        item2.setDesc("--There is a map here. Take it?");
        
        Items item3 = new Items();
        item3.setItemName("Aegis Stone");
        item3.setDesc("--The Aegis Stone is a powerful artifact. Take it?");
        
        Items item4 = new Items();
        item4.setItemName("Star Shard");
        //Items 4, 5, and 6 lack the .desc property because they're exclusive to the Magic Shoppe.
        item4.setCost(5);
        
        Items item5 = new Items();
        item5.setItemName("Antimony Regulus");
        item5.setCost(7);
        
        Items item6 = new Items();
        item6.setItemName("Crucible");
        item6.setCost(9);
        
        Items item7 = new Items();
        item7.setItemName("Homunculus Flask");
        item7.setCost(40);

        items = new Items[8];
        items[0] = item0;
        items[1] = item1;
        items[2] = item2;
        items[3] = item3; 
        items[4] = item4;
        items[5] = item5;
        items[6] = item6;
        items[7] = item7;
 
        //locales
        Locale loc0 = new Locale(0);
        loc0.setName(">>Salt Desert");
        loc0.setDesc("You are in the Salt Desert. White sand stretches in all directions.");
        loc0.setHasVisited(true);
        loc0.setItem(item2);
        
        Locale loc1 = new Locale(1);
        loc1.setName(">>Tylavian Border");
        loc1.setDesc("You arrive at a barbed-wire barrier.");
            
        Caves loc2 = new Caves(2); // Locale(2);
        loc2.setName(">>Ruby Cave");
        loc2.setDesc("This is a dark cave, with gleaming red walls.");
        loc2.setFossil("Pleiosaur");
     
        
        Caves loc3 = new Caves(3);
        loc3.setName(">>Cave Passage");
        loc3.setDesc("A treacherously steep passage leads downward.");
        loc3.setFossil("Trilobyte");
        loc3.setItem(item1);
        
        Caves loc4 = new Caves(4);
        loc4.setName(">>Treasure Hoard");
        loc4.setDesc("A multitude of rare items within this trove.");
        loc4.setFossil("Fern");
        loc4.setItem(item3);
        
        Caves loc5 = new Caves(5);
        loc5.setName(">>Cave Cliff");
        loc5.setDesc("The ridge makes it impossible to go any further, but there is a view of the Ruby Stalactites.");
        loc5.setFossil("Archaeopteryx");

        Locale loc6 = new Locale(6);
        loc6.setName(">>Oasis");
        loc6.setDesc("You've found an oasis in the Salt Desert.");
        loc6.setItem(item0);
        
        Locale loc7 = new Locale(7);
        loc7.setName(">>Magick Shoppe");
        loc7.setDesc("After a long hike, you come across a remote Magick Shoppe of decent quality.");
        
        Locale loc8 = new Locale(8);
        loc8.setName(">>Star Plain");
        loc8.setDesc("On this plain, you get an amazing view of the night sky and constellations.");
        
        
        locations = new Locale[9];
        locations[0] = loc0; // "Salt Desert" 
        locations[1] = loc1; // "Tylavian Border"   
        locations[2] = loc2; // "Ruby Cave"   
        locations[3] = loc3; // "Cave Passage"
        locations[4] = loc4; // "Treasure Hoard"
        locations[5] = loc5; // "Cave Cliff"
        locations[6] = loc6; // "Oasis"
        locations[7] = loc7; // "Magick Shoppe"
        locations[8] = loc8; // "Star Plain"
        
        caveLocations = new Caves[6];
        caveLocations[2] = loc2; // "Ruby Cave"   
        caveLocations[3] = loc3; // "Cave Passage"
        caveLocations[4] = loc4; // "Treasure Hoard"
        caveLocations[5] = loc5; // "Cave Cliff"
        //to be able to call caveLocations[currentLocale] the indices are the same as the locations array above
        //the purpose of this separate array is to manipulate methods exclusive to the Cave subclass
        //because locations[] is of type Locale and can't call those methods
        
        System.out.println("Welcome to Fossilized 3.0. For help type 'help'");
        
        //map
        loc0.setDirs(2, 1, -1, -1);
        loc1.setDirs(0, -1, 6, -1);
        loc2.setDirs(-1, 0, 3, 5);
        loc3.setDirs(-1, 4, -1, 2);
        loc4.setDirs(3, -1, -1, -1);
        loc5.setDirs(-1, -1, 2, -1);
        loc6.setDirs(-1, -1, 7, 1);
        loc7.setDirs(8, -1, -1, 6);
        loc8.setDirs(-1, 7, -1, -1);
       
    }