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1993-06-08
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Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!att-out!cbfsb!cbnewsf.cb.att.com!forbes
From: forbes@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (Scott Forbes)
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction,rec.arts.int-fiction,comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure,comp.sys.mac.games,comp.sys.amiga.games,comp.sys.atari.games,rec.games.misc,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: rec.games.int-fiction Frequently Asked Questions, part 1 of 3
Summary: This is part 1 of the rec.games.int-fiction FAQ
Keywords: interactive fiction games frequently asked questions FAQ Infocom
Message-ID: <C89p1C.34B@cbfsb.cb.att.com>
Date: 7 Jun 93 20:03:12 GMT
Expires: Thu, 15 Jul 1993 12:00:00 GMT
Sender: news@cbfsb.cb.att.com
Followup-To: poster
Organization: I see no organization here
Lines: 287
Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.games.int-fiction:2295 rec.arts.int-fiction:2820 comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure:1262 comp.sys.mac.games:27235 comp.sys.amiga.games:33841 rec.games.misc:41228 rec.answers:1119 news.answers:9140
Archive-name: games/interactive-fiction/part-1
Last-updated: 06 Jun 1993
West of House
You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a
boarded front door. There is a small mailbox here.
>OPEN MAILBOX. READ LEAFLET
Opening the small mailbox reveals a leaflet.
(Taken)
"Welcome to rec.games.int-fiction!
This is the Frequently Asked Questions list for the group
rec.games.int-fiction, a USENET newsgroup for the discussion
of Interactive Fiction games and related topics. To read a
specific question, use your newsreader's search function on
the string "(n)", where n is the question number.
# This article is Part 1 of a three-part FAQ, and contains entries
# regarding the newsgroup rec.games.int-fiction and the FAQ itself.
#
# Part 2 contains entries regarding Infocom, including information
# about the _Lost Treasures of Infocom_ software packages.
#
# Part 3 contains information about the ftp.gmd.de software archive,
# mirror archive site wuarchive.wustl.edu:/doc/misc/if-archive, and
# about other sources for publicly available interactive fiction.
#
# All three of these articles may be FTP'd from the FAQ archive at
# rtfm.mit.edu, or from the interactive fiction archive at ftp.gmd.de.
1.0 rec.games.int-fiction
1.1 The purpose of this group and some history of IF
# 1.2 Other USENET newsgroups discussing interactive fiction
1.3 Basic netiquette rules; asking for and posting hints
# 1.4 Disclaimer and trademark/copyright notice
New questions in this FAQ or questions with updated information are
marked with a pound sign, as are changed lines in the text below.
This FAQ is currently under construction; questions and info
should be e-mailed to Scott Forbes (forbes@ihlpf.att.com).
Special thanks to Paul Smith, Magnus Olsson, Jacob Butcher,
# Paul David Doherty, Volker Blasius, Keith Lim, Luis Torres,
# Jacob Weinstein, Mark Howell, Adrian Booth, Eric Shepherd,
# Sascha Wildner, Jim Butterfield, Mark Stacey, Stu Galley and
# many others for ideas, suggestions and contributions.
No newsgroup should be without one!"
>PRAY
Altar
This is the south end of a large temple. In front of you is what
appears to be an altar. In one corner is a small hole in the floor
which leads into darkness. You probably could not get back up it.
On the two ends of the altar are burning candles.
On the altar is a large black book, open to page 570.
>READ BOOK
Commandment #12593
"The purpose of this group and some history of IF" (1.1)
here in the newsgroup rec.games.int-fiction we discuss games of the
interactive fiction genre, ranging from classic games by companies
such as Infocom and Scott Adams to 'modern' and non-text IF games.
Simply put, the IF genre includes any game that tells a story as
part of the game, usually with the player as the protagonist. The
actions of the player affect the progress of the story, which often
centers around solving puzzles or finding treasure, and leads to an
endgame in which the player 'wins' and completes the adventure.
Interactive fiction traces its electronic roots to a 1977 program
named ADVENT, better known as the Colossal Cave Adventure. It was
this program, written by Willie Crother and Don Woods, that
established many of the features now common to the genre, including
noun-verb parsing (e.g. "TAKE BOOK"), mazes ("You are in a maze of
twisty little passages, all alike") and the basis of most later IF
in fantasy/adventure settings. Soon after this the game Dungeon,
or Zork, was written by MIT grad students; these students were the
nucleus of a 1980 startup company called Infocom, which produced
a version of Zork for the TRS-80 Model I and other machines. This
led to widespread popularity of interactive fiction games, and was
later referred to as the Golden Age of the genre; for several
years, Infocom's products were the top-selling games on the market.
Later events, however, led to the decline of the IF genre. As the
educational level of the average computer user decreased and the
features and capabilities of the average computer increased, the
trend in computer games went to 'arcade' games instead of text.
By 1989 Infocom had been absorbed by another company and destroyed,
leaving a legacy of high-quality, well-written interactive fiction
and a large audience with few sources for good new material. This
newsgroup discusses 'classic' interactive fiction games, new games
keeping the genre alive, and non-text (even non-computer) IF.
>N
Temple
This is the north end of a large temple. On the east wall is an ancient
inscription, probably a prayer in a long-forgotten language. Below the
prayer is a staircase leading down. The west wall is solid granite. The
exit to the north end of the room is through huge marble pillars.
There is a brass bell here.
>READ INSCRIPTION
"Other USENET newsgroups discussing interactive fiction" (1.2)
_rec.arts.int-fiction_ is a newsgroup for *authors* of interactive
fiction, and discusses adventure development systems such as TADS,
features of a 'good' IF game and how to implement them, techniques,
hazards, tradeoffs, etc. If you're thinking about writing a game
(as opposed to playing one), rec.arts.int-fiction is your group.
_comp.sys.amiga.games_ discusses all types of computer games for
the Commodore Amiga computer, including IF games for that machine.
# _comp.sys.mac.games_ has a similar charter, discussing games for
# the Apple Macintosh line of computers.
#
# _comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure_ discusses a subset of the topics
# covered in rec.games.int-ficton: Those interactive fiction games
# available for the IBM PC. If you're looking for IBM-specific info
# about a game, or for info about a game available only on IBM PCs,
# you may find help in c.s.i.p.g.adventure.
The _rec.games.mud_ hierarchy discusses MUD (multi-user dungeon)
games. The _rec.games.frp_ groups discuss fantasy role-playing
games (not necessarily computer-based) such as Dungeons & Dragons.
_rec.games.rogue_, _rec.games.hack_ and _rec.games.moria_ each
discuss a specific "explore the dungeon" game.
[Any other groups that belong in this section? --SF]
>BLORPLE WEST WALL
Abruptly, your surroundings shift.
Nondescript Room
This is a drab, nondescript room. The only exit leads south.
>S
Enchanters' Retreat
Belboz is meditating here.
>BELBOZ, HELLO
"Hello." Belboz doesn't seem pleased to see you.
>ASK BELBOZ FOR A HINT
Belboz looks at you suspiciously. "Only the rawest apprentice would
ask for a hint (or post one) without observing proper netiquette."
"Basic netiquette rules; asking for and posting hints" (1.3)
1. Above all else, don't spoil the puzzle or game for other
people who are reading the newsgroup but DIDN'T ask for a
hint. Use spoiler warnings in the both the posting's title
and in the text.
Good example:
>Subject: Re: ZORK I question (SPOILERS)
>
>J. Random writes:
>>How do I get into the white house?
>
>SPOILERS
>Have you tried running for President?
>
*** A special note on the "form feed" character: The ASCII
character 12, if inserted as the _first_character_of_a_line_
in the text of an article, causes most newsreaders to pause
and require the user to hit a key before continuing. This
feature is useful when protecting part of a message from
people who don't want to see it, as it gives them the option
of hitting "n" instead and skipping the SPOILER section.
Some newsreaders display this character as a caret followed
by the letter L, thus: ^L . This is NOT the same as typing
the two characters ^ and L. Also, it is very important that
the "form feed" character be kept as the first character on
the line. If you reply to a message and put a ">" in front
of the form feed, it won't work, the message will be spoiled
and scores of angry netters will tear you limb from limb
(okay, maybe not THAT drastic, but it's bad manners).
Most machines can generate a form feed character if you type
a CTRL-L or (in "vi") CTRL-V CTRL-L. If you can't generate
a form feed character, either use 24 blank lines or save
this message and delete everything but the form feed below.
The last character on this line is an ASCII form feed:
2. If you're asking for a hint, please try to ask in a way
that doesn't spoil the puzzle, or spoil other puzzles in
the game. Describe whatever details are relevant, but
don't post the answer to every other puzzle you've solved
up to this point.
Good example:
>I've figured out what the gold machine is for, but I keep
>getting killed whenever I try to use it.
Bad example:
>I used the gold machine to send a message to Orkan, but the
>Warlock noticed my presence and turned me into bat guano.
If you can't ask the question without revealing part of the
puzzle, protect the question with spoiler warnings as above.
3. When giving a hint, please try to give just enough info
to send the adventurer on his/her way. Please don't post
the exact sequence of moves required to win the game from
this point, or solve the next two puzzles in order to get
the ball rolling.
Good example:
>Have you explored the area outside the house?
Bad example:
>There's a window on the east side of the house that you can
>squeeze through in order to get in. Don't bother with the
>front door; there's no way to open it. Don't eat the food,
>either: You'll need it later to feed the microscopic dog.
Belboz looks at you expectantly.
>FROTZ BELBOZ
Belboz stops you with a word of power.
"Ah! Now I have you, charlatan! Fool me twice? Never!" He rises
to his feet, makes a threatening gesture, and you find yourself
transported to....
Maze
This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
>S
Maze
This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
A seedy-looking individual with a large bag just wandered through
the room. On the way through, he quietly abstracted some valuables
from your possession, mumbling something about:
# "Disclaimer and copyright/trademark notice" (1.4)
#
# This FAQ is copyright (c) 1993 by Scott Forbes. The author
# makes no warranty with respect to the quality or accuracy of
# the information contained in this document. In no event will
# Scott Forbes be liable for damages, blah, blah, I have no $,
# don't sue me, etc.
#
# All trademarks remain the property of their respective companies.
>W
Maze
This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
Someone carrying a large bag is casually leaning against one of the
walls here. He does not speak, but it is clear from his aspect that
the bag will be taken only over his dead body.
>KILL THIEF WITH SWORD
A good slash, but it misses the thief by a mile. The thief comes in
from the side, feints, and inserts the blade into your ribs.
It appears that that last blow was too much for you.
I'm afraid you are dead.
**** You have died ****
Press any key to continue