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From: svanegmo@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (Stephen van Egmond)
Subject: rec.games.int-fiction FAQ 1/3 (Introduction)
Sender: news@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (news spool owner)
Message-ID: <E4vBsJ.CIH@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca>
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 10:29:06 GMT
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Organization: University of Waterloo
Lines: 546

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 part 1 of 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 file is in 3 parts.  It is posted periodically to the following
    newsgroups:

    rec.games.int-fiction
    rec.arts.int-fiction
    comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure
    comp.sys.mac.games.adventure
    comp.sys.amiga.games
    comp.sys.acorn.games
    comp.os.os2.games
    rec.answers
    comp.answers
    news.answers

    The most recent version can be obtained at
    <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/rec.games.int-fiction/FAQ>

    Throughout this file, there will be URL references to relevant files
    if they are available on the ftp.gmd.de site.  See section 1.5 for
    more information.

    Contents of this file, part 1:
    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  Netiquette rules; asking for and posting hints; "bug reports"
       1.4  Are there any 'zines related to Interactive Fiction?
       1.5  The ftp.gmd.de IF archive and other Net resources
       1.6  Games, walkthroughs, hints and source available for FTP
       1.7  Disclaimer and trademark/copyright notice
       1.8  XYZZY?

    Part 2 covers Infocom.
    Part 3 covers other adventure or IF-producing companies.

    The current maintainer is Stephen van Egmond.  Questions and
    information should be mailed to svanegmo@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca.

    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, Dorinda Hartmann, Tomas
    Schafer, Hans Persson, Gareth Rees, Robert Pelak, Juergen Christoffel,
    James Montanus, Russell Bryan, Werner Punz, David Kinder, and Matt 
    Ackeret for ideas, suggestions and contributions.  Scott Forbes
    created and maintained the original FAQ. 

    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.

    One of the earliest games that could at least be termed interactive is
    Hunt The Wumpus, from the early 1970s.  In this game, you have three
    arrows, and are trapped in a maze that is a dodecahedron, with the nodes
    being rooms and the edges being the room connections.  In any room, you
    are given hints as to phenomena that are going on in adjacent rooms (you
    can't tell from which one though) - breezes from bottomless pits, grunts
    from the (very hungry) wumpus, and so on.  The wumpus can move, and
    the bottomless pits are frequently rearranged by earthquakes.  Your
    goal is to hit the wumpus with one of your arrows by firing it down a
    passageway into an adjacent room.

    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 Crowther 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.

    Many of Infocom's implementors have moved on to other exploits.
    Steve Meretzky works for Legend Entertainment, which produces
    commercial 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)

    Many people make the mistake of assuming that rec.arts.int-fiction
    and rec.games.int-fiction are the same group.   Nobody in rgif can answer
    programming questions, and few people in raif want to see hint requests.
    Be very careful when crossposting to both newsgroups: do both audiences
    care?  Even if you do crosspost, direct followups to the appropriate
    forum with a Followup-To: header line.

    _rec.arts.int-fiction_ is a newsgroup for *authors* of interactive
    fiction, and discusses adventure development systems such as Inform
    and 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. <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/rec.arts.int-fiction/FAQ> is the
    FAQ.

    _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.roguelike.misc_ is for general discussion of games in the
    "Rogue" family (games that display an ASCII representation of a
    dungeon and its contents).

    _rec.games.roguelike.announce_ is a moderated newsgroup for announcements
    about Rogue-like games.  The other groups in the roguelike hierarchy each
    discuss a specific game in the "Rogue" genre.

>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."

    "Netiquette, hints, and bug reports"                        (1.3)

    Before asking for a hint, consider that many people before you have
    asked for hints.  At ftp.gmd.de there are numerous hint files and 
    walkthroughs available.  See question 1.6 for more information.

    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.  One common way of
    doing this, if you're asking for a hint, is to put the number of points
    you have earned so far, or the area of the game you're dealing with, 
    in the subject line, so that people who are not yet that far into the
    game can skip your post.

    When asking for or giving hints, try to put spoiler warnings in the
    subject line and text, and if possible, a form feed character in the main
    text before the spoiling content.

    Good example:
    >Subject: Re: ZORK I at 10 points (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 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.


    Other common messages seen on rec.games.int-fiction involve bugs that
    the poster has found (or thinks they have found) in a particular game.
    A bug is broadly defined as behaviour that was not intended by the
    author.  The most common error is one where characters or objects
    behave in strange ways; less common is the existence of ways of getting
    around a puzzle that the author did not intend.  Lists of known errors
    in Infocom games are published in some editions of XYZZYnews and on
    the Infocom home page.  See below for the locations of these resources.

    If you know that you've found a bug or contradiction in a game,
    please refrain from posting about it to the entire newsgroup.  There is
    no point in embarrassing the author.  Almost every author provides an
    electronic-mail address, which you should use to inform her about the
    bugs.  Many authors don't see everything on rgif, or don't read it at
    all.

    On the other hand, if you're not sure whether what you've encountered
    is a bug or not, it makes sense to post about it; don't forget to 
    put spoiler warnings in where appropriate.

Belboz looks at you expectantly.

>ASK BELBOZ ABOUT THE DUSTY SCROLL
Belboz looks at you suspiciously.  "Curious little enchanter, aren't you?"

    "Magazines about interactive fiction"                       (1.4)

    There are two magazines archived at ftp.gmd.de which are still
    producing new issues.  They are:

    SPAG ("Society for the Preservation of Interactive Fiction") and
    XYZZYnews (Xyzzy is a magic word from Adventure)

    They are both excellent.  Issues are made available in either PDF
    (requiring an Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format reader) or in
    plain text.  The magazines are free.  XYZZYnews encourages subscription
    by giving giving subscribers the latest issue before everyone else.
    SPAG focuses almost entirely on game reviews.

    Someone went through the first 33 issues of a PC-only magazine
    called SynTax and made the IF-relevant files and articles
    available in a file at ftp.gmd.de.  It's a promotion for the
    subscription-only magazine.

    Everything is available at <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/magazines>

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.

>PLUGH
A hollow voice says:

    "The ftp.gmd.de IF archive and other Net resources"         (1.5)

    The interactive fiction archive site at ftp.gmd.de is by
    far the largest collection of interactive fiction games, development
    systems, "walkthrough" solution files and related IF materials
    available.  It is generously maintained by Volker Blasius.  Uploads of
    new material are encouraged; please send e-mail to blasius@gmd.de when
    uploading.  It is at <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive>.

    Other mirror sites:
    in the USA:         <ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/doc/misc/if-archive>
                        <ftp://ftp.achilles.net/wuarchive/doc/misc/if-archive>
    in Canada:          <ftp://ftp.io.org/pub/mirrors/if-archive>
    in Finland:         <ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/misc/if-archive>

    Through the Web, offering links to ftp.gmd.de:

    <http://www.undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca/~svanegmo/if-index.html>
      A browsable hypertext index of the ftp.gmd.de archive.  You can look
      through the file listings, click on a file name to download it, and 
      view game reviews (contributions of reviews encouraged).  Some
      information for Inform developers is also available.

    Other Web sites of general interest:

    + <http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~pete/Infocom>
    The unofficial "Infocom" home page, compiling a lot of widely
    distributed Infocom-specific information into a very usable form.
    There's articles on Infocom published in the computer industry and
    in Infocom's own newsletter, as well as invisiclues, maps and known bugs
    on every Infocom text adventure.

    + <http://speedracer.nmsu.edu/~jholder/intfiction.html>
    John's Interactive Fiction home page offers a hypertext version
    of the Encyclopedia Frobozzica, the rec.arts.int-fiction FAQ,
    and some commentary on parsers.

    + <http://yallara.cs.rmit.edu.au/~s9406702/if/index.html>
    Maintained by Paul Gilbert, this provides a convenient, annotated
    "reference" to net-accessible IF materials.

    + <http://www.tiac.net/users/baf/if-guide.html>
    A huge pile of game-reviews written by Carl Muckenhoupt with links
    to the files they're talking about, specific to ftp.gmd.de, and
    primarily the games/pc directory.

>S.W.SW.W.W.
Flathead Ocean
Passing alongside the shore now is an old boat, reminiscent of an ancient
Viking ship.  Standing on the prow of the ship is an old and crusty sailor,
peering out over the misty ocean.

>HELLO SAILOR
The seaman looks up and maneuvers the boat toward shore.  He cries out:

    "Games, walkthroughs, hints, source and other FAQs"         (1.6)

    Thanks to Magnus Olsson for much of the info in this section.

    Games and source:
    =================
    + http://www-und.ida.liu.se/~d91frera
    Contains numerous "starter kits" to get newcomers playing interactive
    fiction.  These contain all you need to start playing: interpreters,
    game files, instructions, FAQs, and some even have full installers.
    Versions are available for the most common operating systems, including
    the Amiga.

    + ftp.gmd.de in games/, programming/, infocom/compilers/inform/,
    and their subdirectories.  Read part 3 of this FAQ for more information
    on continuing game development.

    + Source code for some text adventures (including various versions of
    Colossal Cave/ADVENT, Dungeon/Zork and World) have been posted to
    comp.sources.games and comp.sources.misc.  They're available from FTP
    sites archiving these groups, such as ftp.uu.net.

    + Some Macintosh IF games are available from sumex-aim.stanford.edu,
    including Colossal Cave and Dungeon.  [Unnkulian may be there too.]

    + Amiga IF games are available from any Aminet mirror site, such as
    ftp.wustl.edu or ftp.netnet.net, in the pub/aminet/games/role directory.


    Walkthroughs and hints:
    =======================
    A walkthrough is a start-to-finish "most direct route" way to
    finish the game, which guarantees that you will miss out on
    lots of the pleasant details that make IF worthwhile.  Hint files are
    usually in the question-and-answer form.  Infocom's variation on this was
    the Invisiclue booklet: answers were printed in invisible ink and you used
    a special marker to make them visible when you needed a hint.  The
    electronic version of this (receiving progressively more hints on the
    screen) is implemented in many games.  Type HINT or HELP to see if they're
    available.  There is also a shareware-ish program called UHS ("Universal
    Hint System") which has many hint files compiled for it; beware of the
    author's registration scheme and the lack of attention given to porting
    the UHS reader to non-PC platforms.

    + ftp.gmd.de in the solutions/ and infocom/hints/ directories.

    + Walkthroughs for many popular IF games are available from ftp.uu.net,
    in the directory /pub/games/solutions/.

    + The Invisiclues for all v3 to v5 Infocom games are available through
    the Infocom home page at http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~pete/Infocom; these
    are derived from the Invisiclues stored at 
    ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/infocom/hints/invisiclues


    Relevant mini-FAQs and information compilations:
    ================================================
    + <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/info/playgame.FAQ>
    FAQ by stevgrif@moc.govt.nz (Stephen Griffiths) oriented
    towards owners of MS-DOS machines who wish to play any of the games
    at ftp.gmd.de.  Covers all different games systems there are.  Very
    helpful if you're stuck.

    + <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/info/adventure-game-history>
    A history of the interactive fiction genre.  (Hans Persson)

    + <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/info/tolkien-games.list>
    A list of computer games related to J.R.R.Tolkien's works.
    (Fredrik Ekman)

    + <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/info/fact-sheet.txt>
    Games, authors, history, statistics, interpreters, and tools for
    Infocom games.  (Paul David Doherty)

    + <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/info/gameinfo.txt>
    Infocom game information table. (Paul D. Smith)

    + <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/infocom/how-to-play-these-games>
    FAQ by Gareth Rees on what to do if you have an Infocom-format
    game file (.z3, .z5, .z7, .z8 or .dat) but don't know how to "make it
    go".  See also section 2.8 of this FAQ.

Please accept this gift.  You may find it useful!" He throws something
which falls near you in the sand, then sails off toward the west, singing a
lively, but somewhat uncouth, sailor song. The boat sails silently through
the mist and out of sight.

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"                 (1.7)

    This FAQ Copyright 1997 by Stephen Van Egmond.  Reproduction of this
    document and printing it for personal use is OK.  Putting it into an
    off-Net compilation without permission is not OK.  Ask first.

    All trademarks remain the property of their respective companies.

>XYZZY                                                          (1.8)
Nothing happens.  In the distance you hear a voice:

    People frequently ask about the origins of XYZZY.  From the Jargon file
    3.2.0:

    :xyzzy: /X-Y-Z-Z-Y/, /X-Y-ziz'ee/, /ziz'ee/, or /ik-ziz'ee/
       adj.  [from the ADVENT game] The canonical `magic
       word'.  This comes from ADVENT, in which the idea is to
       explore an underground cave with many rooms and to collect the
       treasures you find there.  If you type `xyzzy' at the appropriate
       time, you can move instantly between two otherwise distant points.
       If, therefore, you encounter some bit of magic, you might
       remark on this quite succinctly by saying simply "Xyzzy!"
       "Ordinarily you can't look at someone else's screen if he has
       protected it, but if you type quadruple-bucky-clear the system will
       let you do it anyway."  "Xyzzy!"

       Xyzzy has actually been implemented as an undocumented no-op
       command on several OSes; in Data General's AOS/VS, for example, it
       would typically respond "Nothing happens", just as ADVENT
       did if the magic was invoked at the wrong spot or before a player
       had performed the action that enabled the word.  In more recent
       32-bit versions, by the way, AOS/VS responds "Twice as much
       happens".

       The popular `minesweeper' game under Microsoft Windows has a
       cheat mode triggered by the command `xyzzy<enter><right-shift>'
       that turns the top-left pixel of the screen different colors
       depending on whether or not the cursor is over a bomb.

>SE
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
