Ian & Stuart's Australian Mac 1993 September/September 93.iso/Archives/Games/Cheats⁄hacks⁄hints/zork.doc

Text File | 1993-06-12 | 20KB | 456 lines

                      ZORK HELP FILE.
                     ================
  Welcome to ZORK.
Until you've entered the world of ZORK you've never truly adventured underground.

Both ZORK I and ZORK II are designed so that you'll experience their
challenges in the most realistic sense.  You can communicate in
complete sentences rather than two-word commands with the largest
vocabulary and widest range of command options in the genre.
Because ZORK's mysteries are the most intricate you'll ever encounter,
it will take all your intellectual abilities to survive and emerge
victorious from the underground.  And because the challenges change
with every move you make, each time you re-enter ZORK you'll face new
intrigues.

ZORK I:  The Great Underground Empire confronts you with perils and
predicaments ranging from the mystical to the macabre, as you strive
to discover the Twenty Treasures of ZORK and escape with them and
your life!

ZORK II:  The Wizard of Frobozz takes you into new depths of the
subterranean realm.  There you'll meet the Wizard, who will attempt
to confound your quest with his capricious powers.

                        LOADING ZORK
To load ZORK follow the instructions on your Reference Card.

The copyright notice and the serial number will appear, followed
by a description of the starting location of the game.

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.

Whenever you see the prompt (>), ZORK is waiting for you to type
in your instructions.  When you have finished typing in your
instructions, press the RETURN key.  ZORK will respond and then
the prompt (>) will reappear.  Next to the prompt (>), try typing
the following.
OPEN THE MAILBOX
and press the RETURN key.  ZORK responds with this:
OPENING THE MAILBOX REVEALS A LEAFLET.
You may respond to ZORK by typing:
READ THE LEAFLET
and press the RETURN key.  ZORK cooperates and tells you:
(TAKEN)
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 MORTALS.
NO COMPUTER SHOULD BE WITHOUT ONE!
Read the RULES AND STRATEGIES section for further directions and hints.


                     TALKING TO ZORK
When you play a ZORK game, you talk to ZORK in plain English, typing
iÓ alÏ youÚ requestÛ oÓ youÚ keyboar‰ wheÓ yoı se th prompÙ çä(>).
(ZORK allows you to abbreviate some words, though, because you use
them often.)  When you have finished typing a line, press the
RETURN key and ZORK will digest your request.

ZORK usually acts as though your sentence begins with "I want to ....",
although you should not type them explicitly.  ZORK then displays a
response that tells you whether what you want to do is possible in the
current situation, and if it is, whether anything interesting happens
as a result.

All words you type are distinguished by their first six letters and
all subsequent letters are ignored.  For example, typing OPEN THE
ENCYCLOPEDIA is equivalent to typing OPEN THE ENCYCL. or better still,
OPEN THE BOOK.

ZORK "understands" many different types of sentences.  A sentence
must contain a verb and usually an object.  Some examples:
TAKE THE GOLD. DROP GOLD. PICK UP GOLD. PUT DOWN THE GOLD.
GO NORTH. NORTH. WALK NORTH. N. WALK AROUND THE HOUSE.
PUSH BUTTON. PUSH THE RED BUTTON. OPEN WOODEN DOOR.
LOOK AT THE WALL. LOOK UNDER ROCK. LOOK BEHIND CURTAIN.
LOOK IN BAG. READ A BOOK. READ ALL OF THE BOOKS.
DROP ALL. TAKE ALL. DROP ALL BUT THE KNIFE.

You must separate multiple objects of a verb by the word AND or a
comma.  For example:
TAKE ALL BUT THE KNIFE AND THE LAMP.
PUT THE GOLD AND JEWELS IN THE TROPHY CASE.
THROW THE NEWSPAPER, THE RED BOOK, AND THE MAGAZINE IN THE CHASM.

You can include several sentences in one input line if you separate
them by the word THEN or a period.  You don't need to type a period
at the end of an input line.  For example:
TAKE BOOK. N. DROP BOOK AND CANDLE.
TAKE THE BOOK THEN N. DROP BOOK AND CANDLE

There are only two kinds of questions that ZORK understands; WHAT
and WHERE. For example:
WHERE IS THE GOLD?
WHAT IS A GRUE?

ZORK tries to be clever about what you really mean when you don't
give enough information.  If you say that you want to do somrthing,
but you don't say what to do it with or to, ZORK will sometimes
decide that there was only one possible object you could have meant.
When it does so, it will tell you by displaying, for example,
(WITH THE ROPE).  If your sentence is ambiguous, ZORK will ask what
you really meant.  Most such questions (for example, WITH WHAT?)
can be answered briefly (for example, ROPE).

ZORK uses many more words than it "understands".  ZORK's vocabulary
consists of several hundred words which are nearly all you are
likely to use when conversing with ZORK.  However, ZORK's responses
may tend toward "purple prose" at times, and ZORK will display
English descriptions that it couldn't possibly analyse.  Indeed,
ZORK's response may refer to something to which you cannot referä(perhaps to your dismay).  In that case, it is not essential to
the story, and appears in ZORK's response only to enhance your
mental imagery.

Completely mystifying sentences will cause ZORK to complain in one
way or another.  After making the complaint, ZORK will ignore the
rest of the input line.  Unusual events, such as being attacked,
will also make ZORK ignore the rest of the sentences you typed,
since the event may have changed your situation drastically.


                    RULES AND STRATEGIES
                         ZORK I:
              THE GREAT UNDERGROUND EMPIRE

In ZORK I, you are near a great underground labyrinth which is
reputed to contain vast quantities of treasure.  No doubt you
wish to acquire some of it.  In order to receive full credit for
treasure, you must deposit it safely in the trophy case.

In addition to treasure, the labyrinth contains various objects
which may or may not be useful in your attempts to acquire the
treasure; you may need sources of light, since caves are often
dark and weapons, since dungeons often have unfriendly beings
wandering about in them.  Reading material is scattered around
as well; you might even find some of it useful.

Beware of the thief!  He is a dastardly anti-social type and a
skilled pickpocket.  Watch out for your valuable possessions
when he is near.

To measure your success, ZORK keeps track of your score.  You
receive points for finding treasure, for securing it in the
trophy case, for performing certain actions and for visiting
certain places.  There is a penalty for getting yourself killed.

In this story time passes only in response to your input.  You
might imagine a giant clock that ticks once per move and the
story progresses only at each tick.  Nothing happens in the story
while you are thinking and planning your next move, so you can
plan your moves slowly and carefully if you so choose.

                 CONCEPTS FOR EXPLORING
Some things that you can do with objects in the story are not
immediately obvious.

CONTAINMENT:  Some objects, called containers, can contain other
objects.  Some containers can be opened or closed and some are
always open.  Some are transparent and some are not.  Most
containers have a limited capacity and all objects have sizes, so
that it is possible to fill up containers.  Similarly, some objects
have surfaces on which other objects can be placed.

FIGHTING:  Characters in the story, as a rule, fight back when
attacked.  They may, in some cases, attack you unprovoked.  Some
of these beings are stronger than others; it might be advisable
to wait awhile before tackling them.  Coming off second-best in aäfight may leave you somewhat the worse for wear; you might want to
ask ZORK to diagnose your physical condition.

VEHICLES:  There are objects in the story that have the ability to
transport you to mysterious regions that are inaccessible on foot.
Needless to say, you face a great personal peril in venturing into
such regions.

DIRECTIONS:  The passages connecting rooms in The Great Underground
Empire sometimes twist and turn unpredictably.  You cannot always
expect that, after going north, you can return to where you started
by going south.


                   COMMANDS FOR EXPLORING

The best way to move from place to place is to type the direction you
want to go.  Acceptable directions are NORTH or N, SOUTH or S, EAST
or E, WEST or W, NE, NW, SE, SW (or NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, SOUTHEAST
or SOUTHWEST respectively), and also U or UP, and D or DOWN.

When you enter a particular place (ZORK calls any kind of place a
"room") for the first time, ZORK usually displays the name of the
room, a description of it, and then descriptions of any interesting
objects in the room with which you might want to interact.  When
you return to a room, ZORK normally displays just the name of the
room and the names of the objects in it.

The VERBOSE command tells ZORK to show the descriptions of rooms and
objects every time you go there, not just the first time.  The BRIEF
command tells ZORK to fully describe only newly encountered rooms
and objects, as it did initially.  For moving through areas you
already know well, the SUPERBRIEF command tells ZORK to show only
the name of the room (even on your first visit there), and not
even to mention the objects in the room.  You can always get a
description of the room you are in and the objects in it by typing
LOOK (or the abbreviation L).


        SUGGESTIONS FOR MORE SUCCESSFUL ZORK PLAYING

It is essential that you draw a map.  Some of the problems in the
game (the Maze in ZORK I, for example), cannot be solved without
mapping.  Remember that there are 10 possible directions.  In
certain circumstances ENTER, EXIT (or IN, OUT) apply.

Read everything carefully.  There are clues in some of the
descriptions, labels, engravings, and books, etc.

Most objects in the game which can be taken are important, either
as treasures or for solving problems.  Sometimes treasures are
also needed to solve problems.

Unlike other games with which you may be familiar, there are many
possible routes to the successful completion of ZORK.  There is
no "correct" order for solving problems.  Some problems have more
than one solution, or don't need to be solved at all.ä
It is often helpful to play ZORK with another person.  Different
people find different problems easy, and can often complement
each other.

Don't be afraid to try something bold or strange - you can always
save your state first if you want.  Trying the bizarre can be fun
and often will give you a clue.  A nonsense example:
> GIVE THE CATERPILLAR TO THE CHRISTMAS-TREE MONSTER.
THE CHRISTMAS-TREE MONSTER IS REVOLTED AT THE THOUGHT OF ADORNING
ITS BRANCHES WITH A CATERPILLAR.
You have just learned that there is probably something which would
be a decoration pleasing to the monster and possibly a solution to
the problem.


                       HOW TO QUIT

If you want to stop playing, and never continue from this particular
position again,type QUIT.  ZORK will respond:
YOUR SCORE WOULD BE score (TOTAL OF 350 POINTS) IN number MOVES.
THIS SCORE GIVES YOU THE RANK OF rank.  DO YOU WISH TO LEAVE THE
GAME? (Y IS AFFIRMATIVE):>

Type Y next to the prompt (>) and press the RETURN key.

If you never want to continue from this particular position again,
but you want to keep playing, type RESTART after the prompt (>).
ZORK responds by starting the game over from the beginning.

If you want to continue playing from this particular position,
but at a later time, follow the SAVING A GAME POSITION instructions.

                   SAVING A GAME POSITION

It will take you some time to play ZORK through to the end, just as
it takes you some time to finish a good book.  You will almost
certainly not finish in one sitting.  ZORK allows you to continue
playing at a later time without having to start over from the
beginning, just as you can place a bookmark in a book you are
reading.  There is a ZORK command called SAVE, that make a
"snapshot" of your position in the game.  If you are a cautious
or prudent player, you may want to save your position before you
embark upon (or after you finish) any particular tricky or
dangerous part of the journey.  Having taken a snapshot, you can
go back to that position even though you may get lost or killed
afterward.

When the prompt (>) appears, type: SAVE, then press the RETURN key.
Then follow the instructions on your Reference Card.

               RESTORING A SAVED GAME POSITION

When you want to continue playing from where you made a snapshot,
follow the RESTORE procedure.  You can RESTORE a saved snapshot at
any time during play.
äWhen the prompt (>) appears, type: RESTORE and press the RETURN
key.  Then follow the instructions on your Reference Card.

ZORK will now let you continue playing from your restored position.
You can type LOOK for a description of where you are.


                       LIST OF ZORK COMMANDS

To simplify your adventuring, you may order ZORK to give you information
by typing specific commands.  These commands can be used over and over
again as needed, but they are each considered one complete move.  Type
your command as a sentence to ZORK after the prompt (>) appears.

The list of commands is:
AGAIN
ZORK will respond as if you had repeated your previous sentence.

BRIEF
This commands ZORK to fully describe only newly encountered rooms and
objects.  Rooms already visited and objects already seen will be
described by printing the room name and object names only.

DIAGNOSE
ZORK gives you a medical report of your physical condition.  This is
particularly useful if you have just survived a dangerous battle.

INVENTORY
ZORK lists your possessions.  If you've noticed the thief lurking
about, you might want to check to see if your belongings are still
there.  You may abbreviate INVENTORY by typing I.

LOOK
ZORK describes your surroundings in detail.  You may abbreviate
LOOK by typing L.

QUIT
This gives you the option to quit playing.  If you want to save your
position, first read the instructions under SAVING A GAME POSITION.
You may abbreviate QUIT by typing Q.

RESTART
This ends the game and starts the game over from the beginning.

RESTORE
Restores a game position you saved with the SAVE command.  See the
section RESTORING A SAVED GAME POSITION.

SAVE
Saves a game position on your storage diskette.  See the section
SAVING A GAME POSITION.

SCORE
ZORK shows your current score with the number of moves you have
made, and your rank.  Your rank is your rating as a professional
ZORK player and is based on the number of points you have.
äSCRIPT
This command assumes you have a printer.  It commands the
printer to begin printing a transcript of your game session.

SUPERBRIEF
This command tells ZORK to show you only the name of the room
you have entered, and no other information.  It is briefer than
BRIEF.

UNSCRIPT
This command stops your printer from printing.

VERBOSE
This command tells ZORK to show you a long description of the room
and the objects in it whenever you enter a room.

VERSION
ZORK responds by showing you the release number and serial number
of your copy of the game.

WAIT
This command causes time in the game to pass.  Normally, between
moves, no time is passing as far as ZORK is concerned - you could
leave your computer, take a nap, and return to the game to find
that nothing has changed.  WAIT is used when you want to find
out what will happen in the game if you do absolutely nothing
while time passes.  For example, if you encounter an alien
being, you could WAIT and see what it will do.


                          APPENDIX

                      ZORK'S RESPONSES

ZORK may occasionally have a few words for you when it wants you to
clarify your instruction.  Some of ZORK's responses are:

I DON'T KNOW THE WORD "your word".  The word you typed is not in the
game's vocabulary.  Sometimes a synonym or rephrasing will be
understood.  If not, ZORK probably doesn't know the idea you were
trying to get across.

I CAN'T USE THE WORD "your word" HERE.  ZORK knows the word you typed,
but the word made no sense where you put it in the sentence.  "Open
the take", for example.

YOU MUST SUPPLY A VERB!  Unless you are answering a question, each
sentence must have a verb (or a command) in it somewhere.

THERE IS A NOUN MISSING IN THAT SENTENCE.  This usually indicates an
incomplete sentence, such as "Put the lamp in the" where ZORK expected
another noun and couldn't find one.

TOO MANY NOUN CLAUSES.  An example is "Put the troll in the basket
with the shovel".  A valid ZORK sentence has, at most, one direct
object and one indirect object.
äBEG PARDON?  You did not type anything after the prompt (>) and before
you pressed the return key on your keyboard.

IT'S TOO DARK TO SEE.  In the story there was no light to see objects
in the room.

I CAN'T SEE ANY object HERE.  In the story the object you referred to
was not accessible to you.

MULTIPLE OBJECTS CANNOT BE USED WITH your verb.  It is legal for you
to use multiple objects (that is, nouns or noun phrases separated by
"and" or a comma) only with certain verbs.  Among the most useful of
these verbs are "take", "drop", "put".

I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT SENTENCE.  You typed a sentence that is
gibberish; for example, "Give troll with sword".  You might try
rephrasing the sentence.


                     REFERENCE SECTION

                      SENTENCE SYNTAX

*  A ZORK sentence must contain at least a verb or a command (eg.
AGAIN).
*  Separate multiple objects of the verb by the word "AND" or a
comma (,).
*  Several sentences typed to ZORK at one time must be separated by
a period (.) or by the word "THEN".  A period is not needed at the
end of a line of input.
*  Only two kinds of questions may be asked: "WHAT" and "WHERE".
*  Compass directions may be abbreviated to N, E, S, W, NE, NW, SW,
SE, and UP and DOWN maybe be abbreviated to U and D respectively.
*  The letter "L" may be used to abbreviate the LOOK command.
*  The letter I may be used to abbreviate the INVENTORY command.

                      COMMAND SUMMARY
The following commands can be entered when the prompt (>) has
appeared on the screen.  (For explanations, see the LIST OF ZORK
COMMANDS section).

AGAIN          BRIEF           DIAGNOSE        INVENTORY
LOOK           QUIT            RESTART         RESTORE
SAVE           SCORE           SCRIPT          SUPERBRIEF
UNSCRIPT       VERBOSE         VERSION         WAIT

                       COMMON VERBS
The following is a list of verbs commonly used by adventurers.  This
list does not represent the entire vocabulary available and makes no
mention of the numerous variations you can construct using prepositions
(eg. LOOK UNDER, LOOK AT, LOOK INSIDE, LOOK THROUGH, etc.)

ATTACK         BURN            CLIMB           CLOSE
DIG            DRINK           DROP            EAT
ENTER          EXAMINE         FILL            FOLLOW
GET IN         GIVE            GO              KILL
LOOK           MOVE            OPEN            POUR äPULL           PUSH            PUT             READ
SLIDE          TAKE            THROW           TIE
TURN           WALK            WAVE            WHAT IS
WHERE IS

           == ## HAPPY ZORKING ## ==