#infocom

[addicted2coke-theothercoke]

My past six attempts at playing Zork

Got lost

Got lost again, and the map wasn't making sense

Gave up on map, tried new method, ineffective

Refined previous method, introduced objectives, got very confused

Attempt four and five I just tried a lot of things out in a further refined system while fighting the troll. Had a new objective which I did not achieve cause I was spending too much time trying stuff out. Game says I should re-read the manual, I never read it once in the first place so yeah I should

Will update after I work on midterms first

[dandytron2000]

A truly fascinating version of hitchhiker's guide we are presented with in the infocom game, where Ford is just Gone most of the time, Arthur displays behaviour of an average dragon or a racoon, hoarding all the many random items he probably shouldn't touch and exploring every corner of whatever location he's tossed into, and Marvin is so depressed he exudes an aura powerful enough to make you depressed too.

[the-rosebush-mag]

Studies of ZIL, Part 1

by Max Fog

Infocom is well-known in the interactive fiction community for classics such as Zork, Deadline, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, as well as more experimental pieces such as Trinity, Plundered Hearts, and A Mind Forever Voyaging. In the 1980s, Infocom became a fundamental part of the history of IF and shaped the IF world as we know it today. The first way they did this was probably the most obvious. The games that Infocom made pushed boundaries in every direction – from classic puzzle games like Zork, to puzzleless atmospheric types like A Mind Forever Voyaging, all the way through to Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) games like Journey (which, while unpopular both at the time and now, was an example of early point-and-click CYOA). The games they released did wonders in introducing over a hundred thousand people to the entire broad and diverse world of interactive fiction, and inspiring people to make their own text games. The second way is more obscure, but just as important. It’s the Z-machine.

Read the full article on The Rosebush.

The Rosebush | Submissions | Mastodon

[golmac]

One of my A Mind Forever Voyaging pieces got mentioned in Critical Distance's "2023 in videogame blogging." Don't see a lot of text game writing out there in mainstream video game discourse. Feels good!

It has a Kierkegaard quote and everything, very classy.

[found-in-retro-game-mags]

The Lost Treasures of Infocom I & II

"Once you've defeated alien armies, solved murders, and overcome curses, real life seems like child's play." (PC Games, Feb. 1993)

[blacjaq1]

[asspull3x]

Kinda funky how "open it, read it" works. First, the automatic listing of things in the room description sets "it" to the mailbox. I enter two commands on one line. The first is parsed as "open mailbox", and the default "open container" handler sets "it" to the leaflet. Then the second command is parsed as "read leaflet", which causes an implicit take.

It makes sense when you think about it, but "open it, read it" on its own... not as much I think.

[2001technomancerr]

‘Zork Nemesis’ Alchemical Correspondences

[damage-cloud]

Enchanter Invisiclues Booklet Cover

[mikailborg]

Forty years later and I still remember being stuck outside the engine room for a week because, like a fool, I trusted the game narration.

[retrocgads]

USA 1990

[evilhorse]

Lane Mastodon in an Infocom ad (circa August 1988)

[kahran042]

Inside Theater

This is a movie theater unlike any you've ever seen! The seats are wide, deep and comfortable. The aisles are spotless. The air is clear of smoke, and the screen is dramatically large. A chill goes up your spine as you realize how alien your universe has become.

[golmac]

Trinity content!

[simplyghosting]

Text-based games are underrated and deserve more love send post

[boredtechnologist]

Infocom's Zork 1 for the PC-9800

Reviewing Infocom's "Zork I: The Great Underground Empire" from a philosophical standpoint invites an exploration that transcends its status as a pioneering text-based adventure game, delving into its narrative structure, gameplay mechanics, and the broader existential, epistemological, and allegorical themes it presents.

1. The Quest for Knowledge and Understanding: "Zork I" places the player in an unknown, labyrinthine underground world filled with puzzles, traps, and hidden treasures. This setting and the game’s emphasis on exploration and problem-solving resonate with the philosophical pursuit of knowledge and understanding. The player’s journey can be seen as a metaphor for the human quest for knowledge, navigating through the complexities and uncertainties of the unknown, much like the philosophical journey through the realms of the unknown in search of wisdom and enlightenment.

2. The Nature of Reality and Perception: As a text-based game, "Zork I" relies on the player's imagination to construct its world. This reliance on descriptive text and the player’s interpretation highlights philosophical questions about the nature of reality and perception. The game challenges players to question the reliability of their perceptions and consider the extent to which reality is subjectively constructed in our minds, aligning with philosophical inquiries from Descartes to Kant regarding the nature of reality as perceived through our senses.

3. The Concept of Choice and Free Will: Throughout the game, players are presented with choices that affect their progress and outcomes. These choices and their consequences echo the philosophical debates on free will and determinism. The game creates a sense of agency, yet within a world governed by predefined rules and narrative boundaries, mirroring the existential dilemma of human freedom within the constraints of the physical and societal laws.

4. The Absurdity of the Quest and Existentialism: "Zork I," with its often whimsical and absurd challenges, can be interpreted through the lens of existential absurdism, as popularized by Albert Camus. The game's sometimes illogical puzzles and unexpected outcomes reflect the absurdity of searching for rational order in an inherently irrational or indifferent universe. The player's persistence in exploring and solving these puzzles, despite the absurdity, mirrors the existentialist ethos of creating meaning through action in a seemingly meaningless world.

5. The Allegory of the Cave and Enlightenment: The underground setting of "Zork I" can be seen as an allegorical reference to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, where the shadows on the cave wall represent the illusions or half-truths accepted by those who have not yet seen the light of true knowledge. The player's emergence from the underground to the surface world with treasures in hand can symbolize the journey to enlightenment and the acquisition of true knowledge.

6. Solitude, Isolation, and the Individual Experience: "Zork I" is an inherently solitary experience, with the player isolated in an underground empire devoid of other characters. This solitude can be interpreted philosophically as a reflection on individuality and the solitary nature of personal experiences and existential journeys. It underscores the idea that fundamental understanding and self-discovery are deeply personal and often solitary pursuits.

In conclusion, Infocom's "Zork I: The Great Underground Empire" is more than a landmark text adventure game; it is a rich tapestry for philosophical exploration. Through its gameplay and narrative structure, it engages with themes of the quest for knowledge, the nature of reality and perception, the concepts of choice and free will, the absurdity of existence, allegorical enlightenment, and the solitude of the individual experience, making it a profound medium for reflecting on these enduring philosophical questions.