From: rcsaito@cs.washington.edu (Richard Saito)
Subject: infocom bugs
Organization: Computer Science & Engineering, U. of Washington, Seattle
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 07:48:19 GMT


Here's a little textfile I came across regarding bugs in Infocom games:


    _____ ZORK I _____


     THERE IS AN OBSCURE CONTAINER BUG THAT IS PROBABLY IN EVERY SINGLE
   VERSION OF THE GAME. A WHILE BACK, WE WERE WONDERING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN
   IF YOU HAVE TWO LARGE CONTAINERS, AND YOU TRIED PUTTING THEM INSIDE
   EACH OTHER. SO, WE WENT INTO ZORK I, PUT THE COFFIN INSIDE THE RAFT,
   AND THEN SAID PUT RAFT IN COFFIN. THEY BOTH DISAPPEAR!
     ZORK I, BEING OUR OLDEST GAME, CONTAINS SOME CLASSIC INFOBUGS IN
   ITS EARLY VERSION. SHAKING ANY NON-EMPTY OPEN CONTAINER MAY CAUSE
   A CRASH. YOU "BUMP YOUR HEAD ON THE RIVER" IF YOU TRY TO ENTER IT.
   AND SAYING GO <SOMETHING>, SUCH AS GO ROPE, MAY SEND YOU INTO A TOTALLY
   BIZARRE LOCATION.


   _____ ZORK II _____


     ONE OF THE FUNNIEST BUGS EVER DISCOVERED WAS THAT YOU COULD "TALK"
   TO VARIOUS OBJECTS IN ZORK II, SUCH AS THE AQUARIUM. A COMMAND LIKE
   AQUARIUM, WEST WOULD ELICIT THE RESPONSE, "THE AQUARIUM LEAVES THE ROOM."
   ONE PLAYER LED THE AQUARIUM HALFWAY ACROSS THE DUNGEON IN SEARCH OF
   THE SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM.


   _____ ZORK III _____


     POSSIBLY THE MOST EMBARRASSING BUG EVER RELEASED OCCURS AT THE VERY END
   OF THE EARIEST VERSION OF THIS GAME. IF YOU ARE CARRYING THE SWORD IN
   PRISON CELL NUMBER FOUR WHEN THE DUNGEON MASTER PUSHES THE BUTTON ON
   THE PARAPET, THE GAME CRASHES. THIS HAPPENS BECAUSE THE SWORD'S ROUTINE
   CHECKS ADJOINING ROOMS TO KNOW WHETHER TO GLOW, AND THE RELOCATED
   PRISON CELL HAD TWO DIFFERENT NORTH EXITS. THE REASON NONE OF THE
   TESTERS EVER FOUND THIS BUG WAS BECAUSE THEY ALL USED THE SWORD TO BLOCK
   THE BEAM OF LIGHT, AND THEREFORE NEVER BROUGHT IT AS FAR AS THE PRISON CELL!
     A REALLY FUN BUG OCCURS WHEN YOU ENTER THE DUNGEON, DROP ONE OF THE
   SEVEN ITEMS NECESSARY FOR ADMISSION, AND THEN KNOCK ON THE DUNGEON DOOR
   FROM THE INSIDE! THE DUNGEON MASTER WILL TELL YOU YOU'RE NOT READY AND
   SEND YOU BACK TO THE BUTTON ROOM, BUT ALSO FOLLOW YOU! YOU CAN LEAD
   HIM ALL OVER THE GAME, AND EVEN STRAND HIM IN THE ZORK I AREA, IF
   YOU'RE CLEVER.
     IN AN EARLY VERSION OF THE GAME, YOU COULD CARRY A LIGHT SOURCE ACROSS
   THE LAKE INSIDE THE CHEST, THUS AVOIDING USING THE VIEWING TABLE TO
   GET THE GRUE REPELLENT, AND CONSEQUENTLY FINISHING THE GAME WITH ONLY
   6 OF THE 7 POINTS. SINCE THIS BUG WAS FIXED, WE'VE HAD PEOPLE CALL UP,
   SAYING "BUT MY FRIEND SAYS THE WAY TO GET TO KEY ROOM IS TO BRING
   A LIGHT SOURCE ACROSS THE LAKE INSIDE THE CHEST!"


   _____ DEADLINE _____


    WELL, THERE'S THE FIRST FLOOR BATHROOM DOOR THAT WAS DIFFICULT TO OPEN.
  IF YOU SAID OPEN DOOR, YOU WERE ASKED "WHICH DOOR DO YOU MEAN, THE DOOR
  OR THE SOUTH CLOSET DOOR."
    A BUG THAT ONLY FEW PEOPLE HAVE MANAGED TO DUPLICATE IS THE STRANGE CASE
  OF THE TWO DUNBARS - THE CORPSE LYING UPSTAIRS IN THE BEDROOM, AND THE LIVE
  DUNBAR WANDERING AROUND AS THOUGH NOTHING STRANGE HAS HAPPENED!
    FINALLY, HERE'S ANOTHER FAVORITE. SIT DOWN ON A PIECE OF FURNITURE,
  SUCH AS THE COUCH OR A BED. THEN SAY (SOMETHING LIKE) BAXTER, TELL ME
  ABOUT MARSHALL ROBNER. DEADLINE REPLIES "YOU CAN'T SEE ANY ME HERE."


  _____ STARCROSS _____


    SPEAKING OF TALKING TO INANIMATE OBJECTS, THIS BUG IS RAMPANT IN EARLY
  VERSIONS OF STARCROSS. A SIMPLE (THOUGH TOTALLY UNINTENDED) SOLUTION
  TO THE RED ROD PROBLEM IS TO SAY NEST, DROP ROD. THE GAME REPLIES "DROPPED."
  ALONG THE SAME LINES, ONE PLAYER WAS TRYING TO TURN THE BEAM OF ENERGY
  OFF IN THE LABORATORY, AND SAID BEAM, OUT. THE GAME'S RESPONSE: "THE
  BEAM LEAVES THE ROOM."
    TRY THIS ONE: GO TO THE TOP OF THE TREE AND SAY THROW HANDS. IF YOU HAVE
  AN EARLY VERSION, STARCROSS REPLIES "THE PAIR OF HANDS SAILS AWAY,
  DRIFTING IN A LONG ARC TOWARDS THE GROUND."


  STRETCH YOUR IMAGINATION A BIT AND TRY TO FIND SOME SPECTACULAR BUGS OF
  YOUR OWN. THE FINEST BUGS BEGIN IN THE HUMAN MIND! HERE'S AN EXAMPLE -
  WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU SAID AGAIN ON THE FIRST MOVE OF THE GAME?
-- 
-Richard