Which Infocom text adventures have you actually finished?

[gollumer]

On a somewhat related topic, has anyone used Inform 7 to create some interactive fiction? I wrote a short adventure a few years ago. It's pretty easy to use, and super powerful. It compiles into z-code, which is what Infocom games are.

http://inform7.com/

[The V-Man]

That I can remember:

 

Zork I

Wishbringer (An easier one, but lots of fun.)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

 

I got to try a lot of them out, as I worked at a computer store "Software City" back in 84, my first job. But as far as finishing them, only the 3 above.

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by The V-Man

[atarialoha]

Well, since people are sharing their Infocom collections, I thought I'd make an effort. It's not at all like having the real thing but, the best I can manage right now, haha:

 

[erichenneke]

I've got CIB of Wishbringer and the Witness.    I also have CIB Fooblitsky...but that's not a text adventure (but it is Infocom!).

 

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by erichenneke

[+gnusto]

3 hours ago, bfollowell said:

I'd love to see a version of Frotz on the 8-bit

 

The best bet would be Ozmoo, after all it already works on the C64. I took a look at it but I'm pretty deep in a different project right now, and it's using an assembler I'm not familiar with, plus had a good amount of C64-ness built in (to be fair, that was the target and it's in assembler, so difficult to abstract cleanly). Frotz would likely to be too high overhead, although it's wonderfully well abstracted - it doesn't do anything about trying to handle a small heap/address space, and that would require some work. And of course it's in C, which would incur even more overhead or would need to be translated.

[atarialoha]

This is a bit blasphemous but I forget if there is a way to change the text/background colors for the Infocom games on Atari-8? And if not, then which is a better platform for that? Ideally, green text on black screen. I guess maybe Apple ][?

[bfollowell]

8 minutes ago, atarialoha said:

This is a bit blasphemous but I forget if there is a way to change the text/background colors for the Infocom games on Atari-8? And if not, then which is a better platform for that? Ideally, green text on black screen. I guess maybe Apple ][?

 

I'm not aware of being able to change anything like that on the A8 versions. If you want to change fonts, font sizes, colors, etc. WinFrotz on a PC is probably your best bet.

 

[atarialoha]

1 minute ago, bfollowell said:

 

I'm not aware of being able to change anything like that on the A8 versions. If you want to change fonts, font sizes, colors, etc. WinFrotz on a PC is probably your best bet.

 

Um, I probably have used WinFrotz before but as I recall, it runs Z machine games and there are no official Infocom modules to download for it.

 

What I need is an emulator for a vintage platform, so I can get the Infocom archives for that platform.

 

I also just browsed around and I am changing my mind about the Apple ][ because the text is not very much better. Maybe I need to find the DOS versions somewhere and try to run an emulated PC.

 

I do have my iPad of course but it's actually a bit troublesome to use as a "daily driver" device, and I would rather just run things off my main computer, and save game states to it. I can also easily copy and paste things.

[atarialoha]

I also just came across this:

 

https://www.codemystics.com/products.shtml?19

 

*sad face * sad face *

[atarialoha]

Folks, get 'em while they are still online! (Emuparadise eventually shut down its MAME ROMs, just as an example)

 

DOS and Amiga versions of Volume 1

 

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/the-lost-treasures-of-infocom-7l7

 

DOS and Mac versions of Volume 2 (probably Classic MacOS, not OS X)

 

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/the-lost-treasures-of-infocom-ii-3dp

[atarialoha]

 

[bfollowell]

  

1 hour ago, atarialoha said:

Um, I probably have used WinFrotz before but as I recall, it runs Z machine games and there are no official Infocom modules to download for it.

 

What I need is an emulator for a vintage platform, so I can get the Infocom archives for that platform.

 

I also just browsed around and I am changing my mind about the Apple ][ because the text is not very much better. Maybe I need to find the DOS versions somewhere and try to run an emulated PC.

 

I do have my iPad of course but it's actually a bit troublesome to use as a "daily driver" device, and I would rather just run things off my main computer, and save game states to it. I can also easily copy and paste things.

 

Infocom games ARE Z-machine games, or modules as you call them. Infocom is where Z-machine came from.

 

And you can download the Infocom data files, or z-machine files from dozens of sites these days. They're really not that hard to find.

 

You can play any Infocom dat file or game file with any Z-machine interpreter. Also, often, the file extension is changed to z3, z4, z5, etc. to designate the Z-machine version the games were written in/for.

 

If you have a PC, a version of Frotz is the best way to play these old games. It's what Frotz was written for.

 

I have original CD-ROM versions of Lost Treasures of Infocom I & II and Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces. Those are the best compilations available for PC/Mac. They're the most cherished items in my collection.

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by bfollowell

[devwebcl]

What is the easiest game?

[Dinadan67]

12 minutes ago, devwebcl said:

What is the easiest game?

that should be Seastalker, acccording to Infocoms own rating it is "Junior level" (for ages 9 and up)

[jacobus]

16 hours ago, atarialoha said:

Infocom really started going cheap when they stopped producing the original amazing boxed sets and made those flatpack boxes.

 

I think they didn't even include the feelies right?

It wasn't so much a matter of cheapness (the feelies were all included in the grey boxes) so much as outraged retailers who wanted smaller and more conventional packaging.  Can you imagine trying to put the original StarCross saucer on a store shelf?  Never mind the folios that either took up a massive amount of space when displayed face forward, or disappeared completely when shelved sideways.

[jacobus]

1 hour ago, devwebcl said:

What is the easiest game?

Seastalker is the easiest but it so simple (the game keeps offering help) that solving it does not feel satisfying at all.

 

I would recommend either The Witness (murder mystery) or Hollywood Hijinx (fairly logical puzzle solving)  Planetfall is a bit tougher, but a lot of fun!

[digdugnate]

Zork I, Hitchhiker's Guide, Planetfall, The Lurking Horror, Zork 0.

 

The Lurking Horror is one of my all-time favorites!

 

(edit to add that I've finished more of the Scott Adams Adventures than Infocom.  )

Edited May 5, 2021 by digdugnate

[Atari_Bill]

Since I got my new PI setup, I’ve been playing through all the Infocom adventures one by one.  So far, I’ve finished

 

• Zork I, II, III
• Beyond Zork
• Zork Zero
• Enchanter
• Sorcerer 
• Spellbreaker
• Wishbringer
• Deadline
• Witness
• Suspect
• Moonmist
• A Mind Forever Voyaging

 

My favorite so far is the Enchanter series.  The Zorks are great too especially Beyond Zork.  I didn’t care much for the Deadline series.   A mind forever voyaging was pretty interesting.  I just finished this one.   Very unusual, but great story.  Could have been released today and still been relevant.  

[atarialoha]

5 hours ago, bfollowell said:

  

 

Infocom games ARE Z-machine games, or modules as you call them. Infocom is where Z-machine came from.

 

And you can download the Infocom data files, or z-machine files from dozens of sites these days. They're really not that hard to find.

 

You can play any Infocom dat file or game file with any Z-machine interpreter. Also, often, the file extension is changed to z3, z4, z5, etc. to designate the Z-machine version the games were written in/for.

 

If you have a PC, a version of Frotz is the best way to play these old games. It's what Frotz was written for.

 

I have original CD-ROM versions of Lost Treasures of Infocom I & II and Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces. Those are the best compilations available for PC/Mac. They're the most cherished items in my collection.

 

Ok thanks. I wasn't aware you could download the Infocom DAT files. Yes I knew the Z-machine came from the Great Underground Empire. Z for Zork.

[erichenneke]

44 minutes ago, Atari_Bill said:

Since I got my new PI setup, I’ve been playing through all the Infocom adventures one by one.  So far, I’ve finished

 

• Zork I, II, III
• Beyond Zork
• Zork Zero
• Enchanter
• Sorcerer 
• Spellbreaker
• Wishbringer
• Deadline
• Witness
• Suspect
• Moonmist
• A Mind Forever Voyaging

 

My favorite so far is the Enchanter series.  The Zorks are great too especially Beyond Zork.  I didn’t care much for the Deadline series.   A mind forever voyaging was pretty interesting.  I just finished this one.   Very unusual, but great story.  Could have been released today and still been relevant.  

Some how I had completely forgotten about Enchanter.  I agree, that one was really good!   I never finished it though.  I should pick that one back up again. 

 

 

[atarialoha]

6 hours ago, bfollowell said:

And you can download the Infocom data files, or z-machine files from dozens of sites these days. They're really not that hard to find.

Well, they're not THAT easy to find either LOL.

 

I guess I am already on a text adventure... haha

 

I found this

 

https://github.com/erkyrath/lectrote/releases

 

Even included M1 binaries! ARM64 build!

 

The IFDB only had a remake of Deadline, not the original, but I assume there is no difference in content:

 

https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=p976o7x5ies9ltdh

 

Then I went around several more places, downloaded several more files, realized some of them needed to be compiled with a Z-machine interpreter, etc.

 

And eventually landed on the goldmine:

 

https://eblong.com/infocom/

 

Thanks for giving me the quest!

 

 

[atarialoha]

 

 

[atarialoha]

But I think I will go with Infidel actually... ?

 

[atarialoha]

Invisiclues and maps collection

 

http://www.ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archive/infocom/hints/

Edited May 5, 2021 by atarialoha

[Pokeypy]

13 hours ago, bfollowell said:

I'd love to see a version of Frotz on the 8-bit.

It probably would have to be a quite stripped down version.

Besides Ozmoo, one could also look at the code of "Rezrov". It's a more simpler Z-machine-interpreter in Perl. Maybe it could be ported to CC65 compatible C.