Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Introduction: Hello, Adventurer!

Welcome to Zork version Release 3 Serial number 080504 Inform7!

Known to many as Dungeon, this is the forbearer of the Zork trilogy, written between 1977 and 1979 by MIT students Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling before Infocom was formed.  It was inspired by the Adventure game of Crowther and Woods, and the Dungeons and Dragons game of Gygax and Arneson.  The original version was written in MDL (alias MUDDLE).
Basically a treasure hunt in a cave, it contains mazes, some randomized combat and puzzles.  Nearly everything in this game can be found in the Zork trilogy, although some crucial details are different.  This version is the approximate equivalent to Zork I + about half of Zork II + the endgame of Zork III.  Hats off to Dean Menezes who created an Inform version from some previous source (and there are many).
As the game tells you:
You are near a large dungeon, which is reputed to contain vast quantities of treasure.  Naturally, you wish to acquire some of it. In order to do so, you must of course remove it from the dungeon.  To receive full credit for it, you must deposit it safely in the trophy case in the living room of the house.

In addition to valuables, the dungeon contains various objects which may or may not be useful in your attempt to get rich.  You may need sources of light, since dungeons are often dark, and weapons, since dungeons often have unfriendly things wandering about.  Reading material is scattered around the dungeon as well; some of it is rumored to be useful.

To determine how successful you have been, a score is kept. When you find a valuable object and pick it up, you receive a certain number of points, which depends on the difficulty of finding the object. You receive extra points for transporting the treasure safely to the living room and placing it in the trophy case. In addition, some particularly interesting rooms have a value associated with visiting them. The only penalty is for getting yourself killed, which you may do only twice.

  
Some useful commands:

Help - provides a quick tutorial.

N, S, E, W - Moving requires direction.  Type north or n for north, east or e for east, west or w for west, and south or s for south. The game will describe the directions you are permitted to go. It will tell you, for example, that there are "Exits to the north and east." Keep in mind there are other directions besides the cardinal directions of a compass, like northeast, southeast, northwest and southwest, or in short form, ne, se, nw, sw. Also, don't be like Khan Noonien Singh and remember directions exist in three dimensions (up and down, or u and d). It is reputed that, in some locations, in and out will also be useful.

Take (or get) - The command for taking things, such as "take key".
 

Look - This will give you an explanation of where you are and what is around you. It can also be used in conjunction with other things, such as "look at leaflet".

Save - Saves a game in progress.Restore - Restores a previously saved game.
 

NOTE: the SAVE and RESTORE commands take an optional file name; by changing the name, you can save as many times as you want and have separate files. If no name is given, the file name defaults to "Zork.glksave " and each time you save it overwrites the previous save file.

There are many other commands as well, such as inventory, diagnose, open, close, read, lift, pull, etc. You can find a more detailed list in Appendix 3.



Things to keep in mind:

Actions to take are proceeded by >.

Text from the game appears in this Courier size 11 font. Nifty, huh? 

You get the verbose description of an area the first time you go there:
       This is an open field west of a white house with a boarded front door...

The short name of the area is included in square brackets as a point of reference:
   [West of House] This is an open field west of a white house with a boarded front door...

Anything without the prompt is high quality narrative. Pay attention to it!

You will find various items along the way. Prior to starting out from your home base, Check yourself! will tell you what you need for that section of the game. Pay attention!

There are many variables in this game that really cannot be completely accounted for in a walk through. The best defense is always a good offense: save early and often!
 
Regarding the Thief:

The Thief (he of the large bag) wanders around in the dungeon and is said never been seen by the light of day. He steals for pleasure (as opposed to profit) and would likely be diagnosed with sadistic personality disorder (SPD) if he ever chose to see a doctor, as he only takes things which you have seen. While preferring valuables, in his haste he may take items that are worthless. He tends to discard items at random, typically things of no value to himself. He may stop in a room when you are present, but is more likely to just wander through and rip you off.

The Thief is difficult to defeat in a fight; if you come upon him, the best choice is to leave immediately. He is easily distracted, so giving him a treasure will also keep him from attacking you for one turn. As you explore and gain points, you become a better match to the Thief; do not attack him too early in the process. The nasty knife from the Attic is a better weapon against the Thief than the sword. As an added bonus, he will do the heavy lifting for you, as whatever treasure he may steal from you or take if you leave it behind will be yours again in the end. The more of your treasure he has, the easier it is to defeat him. It is necessary for the Thief to receive the jewel-encrusted egg at some point during the game in order for you to win.

NOTE: should the Thief steal the torch from you before you have been to the Coal Mine, you have some choices to make. You either restore the game to a point where you still have the torch or you will need to kill him earlier than this walkthrough suggests.


The Way Around:

The map is self-attributed to Steven Roy, and some searching reveals that it was scanned from November 1982 issue of The DEC Professional. I updated it to version Release 3 Serial number 080504 Inform7 using as much of the original features from the map as possible. Each chapter will show you only what you know to date...no spoilers, sweetie.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...

Chapter 1: Box Full of Letters (Wilco, 1995)

[West of House] This is an open field west of a white house with a boarded front door. There is a small mailbox here. A rubber mat saying "Welcome to Dungeon!" lies by the door.

Let's start off on the right foot. A boarded up door means it can't be opened. Don't spend your time looking for a hammer. It is closed and closed it shall remain. Things that are lying around are typically useful somewhere else. Taking and dropping items in a central location (which you will find soon enough) is the best way to assure you have what you want when you want it.

>open mailbox

>read leaflet

Welcome to ZORK!

   ZORK is a game of adventure, danger, and low cunning. In it you will explore some of the most amazing territory ever seen by mortal man. Hardened adventurers have run screaming from the terrors contained within.

   In ZORK, the intrepid explorer delves into the forgotten secrets of a lost labyrinth deep in the bowels of the earth, searching for vast treasures long hidden from prying eyes, treasures guarded by fearsome monsters and diabolical traps!

   No system should be without one!

   ZORK was created at the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science by Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling. It was inspired by the Adventure game of Crowther and Woods, and the long tradition of fantasy and science fiction games.

   On-line information may be obtained with the commands HELP and INFO.

>take rubber mat

>west

[Forest #1] This is a dimly lit forest, with large trees all around.

Welcome to the Forest Maze, not to be confused with the Maze or the Coal Mine Maze. Being an adventurer can be…ready for it?...a-maze-ing.

>east

[Forest #4] This is a dimly lit forest, with large trees all around. One particularly large tree with some low branches stands here.

Welcome to a clue…ignore nothing that is out of the ordinary.

>up

[Up a Tree] You are about 10 feet above the ground nestled among some large branches. The nearest branch above you is above your reach.


>take egg

On the branch is a small birds nest. In the bird's nest is a large egg encrusted with precious jewels, apparently scavenged somewhere by a childless songbird. The egg is covered with fine gold inlay and ornamented in lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl. Unlike most eggs, this one is hinged and has a delicate looking clasp holding it closed. The egg appears extremely fragile. You hear in the distance the chirping of a song bird.


Do not futz with the egg. Yes, you can eventually open it, but then it is rendered useless. In this case, the Thief is our friend.

>down

>east

[Clearing] This is a clearing, with a forest surrounding you on the west and south. There is a pile of leaves on the ground.

You can count the leaves, if you are so inclined. There are 69,105 of them, which is another programmer joke: decimal 69 is equal to octal 105, and hexadecimal 69 is equal to decimal 105. I’m telling you, these guys knew how to party!

>move leaves

Moving the leaves reveals a grating.

For the intrepid adventurers of earlier versions (i.e., 2.6A), this grate was an absolute necessity as a way out of the underground. We will figure out how to open it later in the game.

>se

[Forest #2] This is a forest, with trees in all directions around you.

>se

[Canyon View] You are at the top of the great canyon on its south wall. From here there is a marvelous view of the canyon and parts of the Frigid River upstream. Across the canyon, the walls of the White Cliffs still appear to loom far above. Following the canyon upstream (north and northwest), Aragain Falls may be seen, complete with rainbow. Fortunately, my vision is better than average, and I can discern the top of Flood Control Dam #3 far to the distant north. To the west and south can be seen an immense forest, stretching for miles around. It is possible to climb down into the canyon from here.

A dam? Hmmm…must be another way to get there…

>down

[Rocky Ledge] You are on a ledge about halfway up the wall of the river canyon. You can see from here that the main flow from Aragain Falls twists along a passage which it is impossible to enter. Below you is the canyon bottom. Above you is more cliff, which still appears climbable.

>down

[Canyon Bottom] You are beneath the walls of the river canyon, which may be climbable here. There is a small stream here, which is the lesser part of the runoff of Aragain Falls. To the north is a narrow path.

>n

[End of rainbow] You are on a small, rocky beach on the continuation of the Frigid River past the falls. The beach is narrow due to the presence of the White Cliffs. The river canyon opens here, and sunlight shines in from above. A rainbow crosses over the falls to the west, and a narrow path continues to the southeast.

A dead end…likely won’t be the last one we find.

>se

Canyon Bottom

>up

Rocky Ledge

>up

Canyon View

>s

[Forest #5] Forest

>west

[Forest #3] Forest

>north

[South of House] You are facing the south side of a white house. There is no door here, and all the windows are barred.

>east

[Behind House] You are behind the white house. In one corner of the house there is a small window which is slightly ajar.

Breaking and entering is the criminal act of entering a residence or other enclosed property through the slightest amount of force (even pushing open a door), without authorization. At a minimum, forcing the window open and entering the house would be illegal trespass. Since we are looking for treasure, might as well add burglary, as there is intent. Time to decide: go home or go in. Ah yes, you have chosen wisely.

>open window

With great effort, you open the window far enough to allow entry.

>west

[Kitchen] This is the kitchen of the white house. A table seems to have been used recently for the preparation of food. A passage leads to the west, and a dark staircase can be seen leading upward. To the east is a small window which is open.

 On the table is an elongated brown sack, smelling of hot peppers.

  A bottle is sitting on the table.

  The glass bottle contains:
   A quantity of water.

>take all

>west

[Living Room] This is the living room. There is a door to the east. To the west is a wooden door with strange gothic lettering, which appears to be nailed shut. In the center of the room is a large oriental rug. There is a trophy case here. On hooks above the mantelpiece hangs an elvish sword of great antiquity. A battery-powered brass lantern is on the trophy case. There is an issue of US NEWS & DUNGEON REPORT here.

The US NEWS & DUNGEON REPORT contains information regarding the version of the game, and is not worthy of reading.

Other versions allow you to "read lettering". In this one, reading any lettering isn't possible, but looking at the wooden door (don't forget to specify which door) will allow you to read the strange gothic lettering.

>Look at wooden door


The engravings translate to, "This space intentionally left blank".

As Sir Nigel Archibald Thornberry would say, "That's sarcasm, isn't it?"

>drop all

>take lamp

The companion to all underground adventurers, this lamp will definitely save your bacon. It has finite power, so turning it off when it is not needed is a good idea.

>east

Kitchen

>save

Saved.


Chapter 2: It Is Pitch Dark (MC Frontalot, 2007)


>up

It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.

Crap. A grue? What the heck is that?

>what is a grue?

The grue is a sinister, lurking presence in the dark places of the earth. Its favorite diet is adventurers, but its insatiable appetite is tempered by its fear of light. No grue has ever been seen by the light of day, and few have survived its fearsome jaws to tell the tale.

Great...something else to be worried about at night. FYI, this is not Zork III and there is no can of Frobozz Magic Grue Repellent. Light is your friend.

>turn on lamp


You switch the battery-powered brass lantern on.

Told you it would be useful.

[Attic] This is the attic. The only exit is stairs that lead down. A large coil of rope is lying in the corner. On a table is a nasty-looking knife. There is a square brick here which feels like clay.

>take all

>down

Kitchen

>turn off lamp

You switch the battery-powered brass lantern off.

>west

Living Room

>drop all but lamp

>take egg, sword

We're planning on getting treasures, right? Might as well open the trophy case now and be ready.

>open trophy case

Well, now what? We've been outside (as far as we could go) and inside (all of it that we can see). Hmmm…that we can see…is there anything that might be hiding something in here? How about this large rug we're standing on?

>move rug

With a great effort, the rug is moved to one side of the room. With the rug moved, the dusty cover of a closed trap door appears.

Nice…you're getting the hang of it.

>open trap door

The door reluctantly opens to reveal a rickety staircase descending into darkness.

>save

Saved. 


Chapter 3: Wanderlust (Paul McCartney, 1982)

Check yourself! You need the sword, the lamp and the egg. Use the inventory command to see what you are carrying and then take accordingly.

You want to give the egg to the Thief at some point, so carry it around until you do.

>down


The trap door crashes shut, and you hear someone barring it.

[Darkness]


>turn on lamp


You switch the battery-powered brass lantern on.

[Cellar] This is a dark and damp cellar with a narrow passageway leading east, and a crawlway to the south. To the west is the bottom of a steep metal ramp which is unclimbable.

>east

[Troll Room] This is a small room with passages off in all directions. Bloodstains and deep scratches (perhaps made by an axe) mar the walls. A nasty-looking troll, brandishing a bloody axe, blocks all passages out of the room.

Missing from this room is the tell-tale glow of the sword when something puts you in peril. Still, you recognize the troll is bad news without it, right? Yes? Hello, McFly? Jeez, they will let anyone down here, won't they…


Not known to be great conversationalists, trolls require a much more direct approach. In short, you won't get past the Troll while it is conscious. If you knock it out and move on, it will be here waiting for you later. Your best choice is to kill the troll with the sword. Think of it as urban renewal.

>kill troll with sword

Repeat as necessary. There is a finite chance the troll will kill you; if he does, restore and start again. Do not repair!

Almost as soon as the troll breathes his last, a cloud of sinister black smoke envelops him, and when the fog lifts, the carcass has disappeared.

>save

Saved.


Chapter 4: The Maze (Dokken, 1995)

>south

[Maze #1] This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

Welcome to the Maze, not to be confused with the Coal Mine Maze, which you will find later, or the Forest Maze, which you already encountered. Follow the directions to the letter to get out. If you get lost, keep trying or restore.

>east

[Maze #2] This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

>west

[Maze #4] This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

>up

[Maze #5] This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

A skeleton, probably the remains of a luckless adventurer, lies here. The deceased adventurer's useless lantern is here. There is a set of skeleton keys here. Beside the skeleton is a rusty knife. An old leather bag, bulging with coins, is here.


Poor guy...bought the farm in the maze. Told you the lantern had a finite life. Don't bother with the burned out lantern, as there are no battery stores in the area. Taking the skeleton will cause a ghost to appear in the room, banishing your treasures to the Land of the Living Dead. The ghost also mutters obscenities at you as it leaves.

The rusty knife is the most intriguing of the items.  Despite the fact the sword was useless in telling us the troll was bad news, it can give you advanced warning about imminent danger. If you pick up the rusty knife, your sword will give a single pulse of blinding blue light. That should be enough for you to know the rusty knife is bad news and drop it. However, you may be inexperienced in the ways of the underground world and be foolish enough to keep it. If you used it to attack someone, your mind is submerged by an overmastering will, you turn the knife on yourself and slit your throat with what is clearly a haunted knife. The sword knows, so pay attention. Final answer: leave the skeleton, useless lantern and knife alone.

>take coins, keys

Taken.

>sw

[Maze #6] This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

>up

[Maze #7] This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

>east

[Maze #11] This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

>ne

[Below Grate] This is a small room near the maze. There are twisty passages in the immediate vicinity. Above you is a grating locked with a skull-and-crossbones lock.

Good thing you had the key.

>unlock grate with key

The grating is unlocked.

>open grate

The grating opens to reveal trees above you.

>up

[Clearing] This is a clearing, with a forest surrounding you on the west and south. There is an open grating descending into darkness. There is a pile of leaves on the ground.

We’ve been here before…good thing you moved the leaves or they would have fallen on you as you opened the grate.

>turn off lamp

The lamp is now off.

>sw

Behind House

>west

Kitchen

 
>west

Living Room

>put coins in case

>drop keys, sword

>save

Saved.



Chapter 5: Over At The Frankenstein Place (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, 1975)

The lamp doesn't last forever, so we'll need another light source.

Check yourself! You need the lamp, rope and the egg (unless you already gave it to the Thief). Use the inventory command to see what you are carrying and then take accordingly.

>open trap door

This will be the last time you need to open this door. It could be worse...in version 2.6, there is no opportunity to keep the trap door from closing.

>down

>turn on lamp

Cellar

 
>east

Troll Room

>north

[East-West Passageway] This is a narrow east-west passageway. There is a narrow stairway leading down at the north end of the room.
 

>down

[Deep Ravine] This is a deep ravine at a crossing with an east-west crawlway. Some stone steps are at the south of the ravine, and a steep staircase descends.

>west

[Rocky Crawl] This is a crawlway with a three foot high ceiling. Your footing is very unsure here due to the assortment of rocks underfoot. Passages can be seen in the east, west, and northwest corners of the crawlway.

>east

[Dome Room] This is the periphery of a large dome, which forms the ceiling of another room below. Protecting you from a precipitous drop is a wooden railing which circles the dome.

 
>tie rope to rail

The rope drops over the side and comes within ten feet of the floor.

Instant staircase!

>down

[Torch Room] This is a large room with a prominent doorway leading to a down staircase. To the west is a narrow twisting tunnel, covered with a thin layer of dust. Above you is a large dome painted with scenes depicting elfin hacking rites. Up around the edge of the dome (20 feet up) is a wooden railing. In the center of the room there is a white marble pedestal. A large piece of rope descends from the railing above, ending some five feet above your head. Sitting on the pedestal is a flaming torch, made of ivory.

Another light source…sweet.

>take torch

>turn off lamp

 
The lamp is off now.

>west

[Tiny Room] This is a tiny room, which has an exit to the east. On the north side of the room is a massive wooden door, near the top of which, in the center, is a window barred with iron. A formidable bolt lock is set within the door frame. A keyhole covered by a thin metal lid lies within the lock.

We'll need some help for this, so we'll be back later.

>east

Torch Room

>down

[North-South Crawlway] This is a north-south crawlway; a passage also goes to the east. There is a hole above, but it provides no opportunities for climbing.

>east

Troll Room

>north

East-West Passage

>down

Deep Ravine

>west

Rocky Crawl

>east

Dome Room

>untie rope

The rope is now untied.

>take rope

Taken.

It might be here later when we need it, but then again the Thief is known for moving things from place to place. Better safe than sorry.

>east

Rocky Crawl


There is a bug in this version of the game that prevents you from going nw from this room. The source code uses two descriptors for this room: Rocky Crawl and Low Crawl. Rocky Crawl is accessible from the Dome Room and the Deep Ravine. Low Crawl is east of the Egyptian Room, which is on our list of places to visit. There are no exits from the Low Crawl except back to the Egyptian Room. It is best to think of them as two rooms occupying the same space but in parallel universes.

>west

Deep Ravine

>down

[Reservoir South] This is a long room on the south shore of a large reservoir. There is a western exit, a passageway south, and a steep pathway climbing up along the edge of a cliff.

>west

[Stream View] You are standing on a path beside a gently flowing stream. The path travels to the north and the east. There is a coil of thin shiny wire here.


>take wire

Taken.

>north

[Glacier Room] This is a large room with giant icicles hanging from the walls and ceiling. There are passages to the north and east. A mass of ice fills the western half of the room.

An ice filled room? Heat melts ice and I have a torch...hmmm. We'll revisit this room.

>east

[Egyptian Room] This is a room which looks like an Egyptian tomb. There is an ascending staircase in the room as well as doors east and south. The solid gold coffin used for the burial of Ramses II is here.

There is nothing in the coffin, which is different than in Zork I, where it contains a scepter. "Approximate equivalent," remember? No one said it was exactly the same.

>take coffin

Taken.

>south

[Volcano View] You are on a ledge in the middle of a large volcano. Below you the volcano bottom can be seen and above is the rim of the volcano. A couple of ledges can be seen on the other side of the volcano; it appears that this ledge is intermediate in elevation between those on the other side. The exit from this room is to the east.

A volcano! This is seriously cool!

>east

Egyptian Room

>up

Glacier Room

>north

Stream View


>east

Reservoir South

Drop the coffin here. We can pick it up later or let the Thief will do the heavy lifting; it's all good.

>south

Deep Ravine

>south

East-West Passage

>west

Troll Room

>west

Cellar

>up

Living Room

>drop all but lamp, torch, egg

>save

Saved.