HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: adam@owlnet.rice.edu (Adam Justin Thornton)
Subject: Re: Top 10 Adventures
Organization: Milo's Meadow
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 06:30:19 GMT

In article <1992Sep28.060104.10605@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au> ins750t@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au (Jim Giannakis) writes:
>Since many other newsgroups have got their lists of movies/games/whatever ,
>Here is my list of top 10 adventures...
>1. Guild Of Thieves 
>2. Zork 2
>3. Leather Goddesses
>4. Planetfall
>5. Fish!
>6. The Pawn
>7. Zork Zero
>8. De ja Vu
>9. Bureaucracy
>10. Lurking Horror

1. Spellbreaker
2. Enchanter
3. Zork II
4. Zork Zero
5. Dungeon (the mainframe version)
6. Suspended
7. Leather Goddesses
8. Deadline
9. Lurking Horror
10. Trinity

Hon. Mention: outside of Infocom: Scott Adams' _The Count_, _Savage Island_,
_Strange Odyssey_, _Mystery Fun House_.  Crowther & Woods _Colossal Cave_.
?? (Broderbund, maybe?) _Transylvania_.  Roberta & Ken Williams, _Wizard & The
Princess_.

Within Infocom: _A Mind Forever Voyaging_, _Planetfall_, _Bureaucracy_,
_Starcross_.

Adam
-- 
"Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the
 stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud.  There is _always_
 something." -- Robert Penn Warren | Vote Cthulhu in '92! | adam@rice.edu
If Rice shared my opinions I wouldn't have this disclaimer | 64,928
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: fxmlk@acad3.alaska.edu (KIENENBERGER MIKE L)
Subject: LTOI 1 (ibm) zmachinable games
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41.UAC
Organization: University of Alaska - Fairbanks
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 05:46:00 GMT

Well, I just went out and bought the IBM version of "The Lost Treasures of
Infocom" (one) for my NeXT (unix-compatible).  I got zmachine and I've found
that the following work under it (at least they start up and show the intro
page):

ballyhoo	planetfall	stationfall	zork1
infidel		sorcerer	suspect		zork2
deadline	lurking horror	spellbreaker	suspended
zork3		enchanter	moonmist	starcross
witness

hitchhiker's guide and beyondzork were the wrong version for zmachine to work.
zork zero doesn't seem to use zcode since it doesn't have a *.dat file.

I've heard that the hitchhiker's guide dat file from the Mac version will
work with zmachine.  Does anyone want to trade some *.dat files?

I've tried all of them under my really slow ibm emulator, and they do work,
but I'd rather play them with zmachine.

So if someone out there wants to trade a L3 version of HHGTTG.dat for LH.dat
and/or PF.dat (or whatever), send me a message.  After all, I've payed for
it -- now I'd like to use it!

Well, I'm going to buy LOTI 2 next.  Anyone know if there are any differences
between computer versions?

I'm really tempted to try the Mac version next since my Mac emulator
works much faster than my IBM emulator!
=============================================================================
-Mike Kienenberger                       FXMLK@ALASKA           (BITNet)
 Academic Computing                      FXMLK@acad3.alaska.edu (Internet)
 University of Alaska-Fairbanks
 "I'm a computer programmer....<link><link><kludge><kludge> say-no-more!"
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: gamble@owlnet.rice.edu (Ben Gamble)
Subject: Re: Top 10 Adventures
Organization: Tennessee Ernie Port Authority
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 16:44:29 GMT

My own list is coming...

In article <mumble> mollems@wkuvx1.bitnet writes:
|1. Spellbreaker (Amen, brother!)

Amen and so-be-it.  Best, tightest game I ever saw.

|5. Zork Zero (if you throw out the "classic" puzzles like T. of Hanoi)

Pooh!  The classic puzzles were what simply made this game!  I saw the
Towers, and thought, oh, cute.  I saw Nim, and thought, oh, cute.  I
faced the two-containers puzzle and the Sancho Panza paradox and
realized:  Oh.  My.  God.  This game is a _catalog_ of classic
puzzles.  They put in nearly _every last one_.  (Limited only by the
fact that there's not a canonical list.)

-- 
Ben Gamble                              B0 f- t+ w- g+ k- s- m- e r-v p
gamble@owlnet.rice.edu 
       Oh ye who go about saying unto each other:  "Hello sailor":
       Dost thou know the magnitude of thy sin before the gods?
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: fxmlk@acad3.alaska.edu (KIENENBERGER MIKE L)
Subject: Re: Patch for ITF V4.01 Interpreter
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41.UAC
Keywords: ITF V4.01 Interpreter Patch
Organization: University of Alaska - Fairbanks
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 16:56:00 GMT

In article <peril.718383994@extro.ucc.su.OZ.AU>, peril@extro.ucc.su.OZ.AU (Peter Lisle) writes...
>Thanks to Mike Kienenberger for pointing us to the problem with the
>script_status_ptr variable. The following patches also fix this problem.
>However, Mike's patch is not quite correct - data_head is a local copy of
>the game file's header, but it isn't updated when the interpreter uses a
>save_byte_array instruction to change the header variables during the game.
>So script_status_ptr should actually point to the region pointed to by base_ptr.
>The init_script() code is actually correct. Our mistake was to use base_ptr
>before it was given a proper value by malloc. The following patches fix this
>problem correctly.
>							The ITF.

Well, heck.  I never said my hack (and I did use the word "hack") was perfect.
I just said it worked better for me :-)

Also, how about adding something in the documention which says that the
up and down arrow keys don't work, but the space bar does? 
=============================================================================
-Mike Kienenberger                       FXMLK@ALASKA           (BITNet)
 Academic Computing                      FXMLK@acad3.alaska.edu (Internet)
 University of Alaska-Fairbanks
 "I'm a computer programmer....<link><link><kludge><kludge> say-no-more!"
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: fxmlk@acad3.alaska.edu (KIENENBERGER MIKE L)
Subject: InfoTaskForce Infocom Interpreter hack
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41.UAC
Organization: University of Alaska - Fairbanks
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 12:12:00 GMT

If you've been having problems with the InfoTaskForce Infocom Interpreter V4.01
crashing as soon as it starts up ["bus error" under BSD unix], the
following hack will probably fix it:

in "file.c", insert the following line (at line 524 -- right after all variable
declarations for script_char() but before the if statement):

	script_status_ptr = (byte_ptr) &(data_head.script_status);

This hack seems to work.  It may mess up the script command, though.
I'm reporting the bug as well.

=============================================================================
-Mike Kienenberger                       FXMLK@ALASKA           (BITNet)
 Academic Computing                      FXMLK@acad3.alaska.edu (Internet)
 University of Alaska-Fairbanks
 "I'm a computer programmer....<link><link><kludge><kludge> say-no-more!"
From: jojo@sandman.asd.sgi.com (Jojo Wesener)
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
Subject: ballyhoo radio station
Date: 3 Oct 1992 21:00:08 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.  Mountain View, CA
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: sandman.asd.sgi.com

So, I just got the LTOI last night and looked through it and sure
enough, as someone had reported, the radio station you're supposed
to tune into was supplied.  Did anyone ever post what the radio station
was supposed to be?  My machine was down for a couple days and I
missed some articles in this group.

I also don't want to start the game if I won't be able to finish it
from the start.

thanks,
--
--jojo                                         jojo@sgi.com
	In your lifetime your heart will pump 
	enough blood to fill 13 giant cargo ships.
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: spc55721@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (the Shadowlurker)
Subject: Re: ZORK question (spoiler)
Disclaimer: This article may self-destruct if exposed to flames.
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Distribution: na
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 17:09:20 GMT


It is writtent by bblumenf@ems.cdc.com (Robert Blumenfeld):

>In article <1992Sep23.182318.799@eua.ericsson.se>, euargb@eua.ericsson.se (Rolf Blom) writes:
>>PS. Anyone tried the light spell in sourcerer/enchanter (can't remember which)
>     on the grues? What a revenge! :)
>If you mean to cast it on a grue, I don't see how that would be
>possible:  they'd eat you before you had a chance to cast the spell.

I believe it is possible, although really a waste of time.
When your light source runs out, just idly cast 'frotz grue' and see the
results.

And in Sorcerer, frotzing the mutated grues won't change anything there
either.

-- 
the Shadowlurker         Steven P. Calica         <spc55721@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>
From: kbos@carina.unm.edu (Kurt "Some Guy" Bose)
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
Subject: Re: Leather Goddess of Phobos II (was Re: Invisiclues)
Keywords: invisiclues
Date: 27 Sep 92 01:15:39 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

In article <27378@nntp_server.ems.cdc.com> bblumenf@ems.cdc.com writes:
>In article <1992Sep24.225510.272@cbnewsm.cb.att.com>, evans1@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (Dan Evans) writes:
>|> 
>|> Have you tried the Monkey Island series?
>|> 
>|> 
>
>No, it looked like it was aimed at the younger set (<15), so I never
>even considered it. 
>
>I read the Loom book, but I didn't think it would be THAT easy.

Well, actually, from what I understood, it was _LOOM_ that was aimed at
younger players.  The Monkey Island series is pretty good.  Get it.  I doubt
you'll be that disappointed...


-- 
Kurt Bose (as in Daisy, not Rose) *  kbos@carina.unm.edu * Make outs, not walks!
Keeper of the R.S.BB FAQ, and Junior Stathead {tm} * Yay!  Gary Blickhan's back!
Be kind...don't disillusion the RBI-lovers. * Net.Agent, "Doublin" David Rossing
I'd rather see Doug Dascenzo pitch than suffer through Roger McDowell's batting.
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: cjohnson@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Carl A. Johnson)
Subject: What the hell?
Originator: cjohnson@rodan.acs.syr.edu
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 06:40:13 EDT

David White writes:

From newstand.syr.edu!psinntp!psinntp!rutgers!concert!samba!usenet Wed Sep 30 06:23:33 EDT 1992
Article: 334 of rec.games.int-fiction
From: David.White@bbs.oit.unc.edu (David White)
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
Subject: Spellbreaker - the 12 cubes puzzle
Date: 30 Sep 92 01:05:54 GMT
Organization: Extended Bulletin Board Service


--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80







Well, that was certainly interesting David...  Unfortunately, you
have written to the interactive fiction newsgroup, not the newsgroup
for .sig only non-textual documents for the blind...

Thanks again, pal...

						-CJ-

 ______________________________________________________________________
/              -Self proclaimed man with the neatest hair-             \
|  "An elipse crazy bastard who knows no other form of puctuation..."  |
\                       cjohnson@mailbox.syr.edu                       /
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jeffyg@wyatt.ksu.ksu.edu (Jeffrey Wayne Geist)
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
Subject: Planetfall
Date: 28 Sep 1992 13:04:31 -0500
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: wyatt.ksu.ksu.edu

Here is a game that has taken quite a bit of my time....  It has stumped me now
Im miniaturized in the computer.  I have eliminated the dust particle.... I
am leaving when a microbe attacks me.  Ive tried the laser on all settings.  
Ive thrown food.  Ive used chemicals (tho not all of them).  Is anybody willing
to help?

-- 
My signature file!
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: twpierce@unix.amherst.edu (Tim Pierce)
Subject: Re: Top 10 Adventures
Organization: Amherst College, Amherst MA
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 01:47:56 GMT

In article <Bv9zEJ.5A5@rice.edu> adam@owlnet.rice.edu (Adam Justin Thornton) writes:

>Hon. Mention: outside of Infocom: Scott Adams' _The Count_, _Savage Island_,
>_Strange Odyssey_, _Mystery Fun House_.

Swoon.  A man who really knows his text adventures.  Marry me?

If anyone knows where I could get a version of Savage Island (or, for
that matter, any other Scott Adams) for a non-dinosaur, please let me
know.  I never did finish that one.

-- 
____ Tim Pierce                / "You are just naive and repressed because
\  / twpierce@unix.amherst.edu /  penis envy is here and it's now and it's
 \/ (BITnet: TWPIERCE@AMHERST) /  all around you." -- Neal C. Wickham
From: bsc7@po.CWRU.Edu (Bradley S. Corsello)
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
Subject: Re: Infidel
Date: 29 Sep 1992 06:04:11 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: bsc7@po.CWRU.Edu (Bradley S. Corsello)
NNTP-Posting-Host: thor.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, msr@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Michael Rosenberg) says:

>You have to turn them in a specific order.  If you turn them in the wrong
>order, than they snap back.  It's been too long since I played to remember
>what the order is.  There are clues though.  I have vague memories of their

SPOILER!













I solved Infidel a few years ago, but I ended up by being trapped beneath
the pyramid.  Is there any way to solve the game without being entombed?
(Straight answer is OK.)
-- 
Brad Corsello (bsc7@po.cwru.edu) 2L Case Western Reserve Law School
"The Fanaticks have always had a way of affecting to run into Per-
secution, and count vast Merit upon every little Hardship they suffer."
^ J. Swift.  "Factum clarum, jus nebulosum."  Rex v. Haddock.
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: gamble@owlnet.rice.edu (Ben Gamble)
Subject: Re: The trend in adventure games
Organization: Tennessee Ernie Port Authority
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 16:47:49 GMT

In article <mumble> Norman St. John Polevaulter <MBS110@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
|Be fair, though. Graphical adventures aren't ALL bad.

I agree, especially with regard to Space Quest III, and most
particularly getting into the complex on Pestulon.  Watching the
Terminator's footsteps sent chills down my spine.

-- 
Ben Gamble                              B0 f- t+ w- g+ k- s- m- e r-v p
gamble@owlnet.rice.edu 
       Oh ye who go about saying unto each other:  "Hello sailor":
       Dost thou know the magnitude of thy sin before the gods?
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: jmr5125@tamsun.tamu.edu (James Reed)
Subject: Re: Top 10 Adventures
Organization: Texas A&M University, College Station
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 02:38:37 GMT

Well, while we are on the topic, if any knows how you where supposed to solve
Return to Pirates Isle (I'm not sure if it ever came out for anything but the
4a), I'd be gratefull...  I eventually concluded that there was a bug that made
the game unsolvable, but...

jmr5125@tamsun.tamu.edu
From: dmb@lf.ai.mit.edu (David Baggett)
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
Subject: Re: Unnkulian Unventure II
Date: 29 Sep 92 00:40:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: life.28535
Organization: MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

In article <92272.123037MBS110@psuvm.psu.edu> MBS110@psuvm.psu.edu (Norman St. John Polevaulter) writes:
>Incidentally, I like a lot the character of... um... whatisname, the
>Adventure Game Wizard, wandering around in the underground complex and
>giving me his cryptic hints and/or wild guesses for each object and
>problem.

The Adventure Game Wizard is Robert Abernathy, who is actually a real
person, and who really did solve UU1 in record time.

Dave Baggett
--
dmb@ai.mit.edu           MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory                  
ADVENTIONS: interactive fiction (text adventures) for the 90's!
dmb@ai.mit.edu *** Compu$erve: 76440,2671 *** GEnie: ADVENTIONS
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: xeno@iastate.edu (Gary L Snethen)
Subject: Re: Q: Please help with Unnkulian Unventure I [spoilers]
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 07:27:19 GMT


WARNING: DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT PAST THE GUARDIAN















In <1992Oct2.033113.22750@news.columbia.edu> jml12@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Jonathan M Lennox) writes:

>  I got Unnkulian 1 the other day, and I'm afraid I'm stuck at the
>Guardian.  I describe my current situation after the
>  I've figured out how to trigger the guardian and not have it kill
>me, but I am, after this, left in the dark.  The only thing I can do
>which does not leave me permanently stuck is to go back above ground,
>but this seems counterproductive, as I believe I've done most of what
>is possible up there.

Hey... this sounds VERY familiar...

>  I'd guess there's either (a) an alternative light source somewhere,
>or (b) something that lets me move around below ground without one,
>but I haven't been able to discover either one.  I haven't been able
>to either burn anything or get any of the fungus from the pillar room.

These are all my conclusions as well...

>  To let you know my current situation: I've managed to get the
>scroll, key, acmid, notice, rod, egg, and gloves above ground (I
>believe these were the only things up there that were worth
>points--did I miss anything?), and underground I killed the beast and
>got past the droll.  (I also "discovered" the drum, though I imagine
>that won't be useful for a while.)

I haven't been paying attention to points (although I know the advantages
in the Unnkulian games)...   I have gotten the scroll, iron key, cheez key,
rod, pretzel, bucket, skin, collar, sceptre, lamp, postcard, metal plate,
basket ball, etc...  (I am sure MANY of these are window dressing, but it
makes the beginning more enjoyable for me if I don't know what's important.)

I discovered the drum through 'put all in bucket'...

I have absolutely NO clue where the acmid, notice, egg, and gloves are...
so I obviously need to adventure some more above ground.

I'm not in need of a cheat yet, myself...  but since you are in such a
similar position, I thought I would offer you some comiseration... ;)

>  Can anyone help me out?  Either e-mail or posts are fine.  No
>outright answers please, just hints.

>Jonathan Lennox
>jml12@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu

---Xeno
From: brl@kopasker.is (Bjorgvin Runar Leifsson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
Subject: Re: Top 10 Adventures
Date: 3 Oct 92 14:31:00 GMT
Organization: Primary School of Kopasker, Iceland

These top ten lists are very text adventure (if not to say Infocom) oriented.
Now I am a text adventure and Infocom fan, but I also like the frp types
of adventures.  It would be very difficult for me to give any 10 games a
priority above others, but my list would probably include:

The AD&D series (Pool of Radiance and so on)
The Might and Magic series
Many of the good old Infocom games
The games from Mindscape (Deja Vu and so on).

Bjorgvin R. Leifsson
brl@kopasker.is
From: uerics@mcl.ucsb.edu (Eric D. Shepherd)
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
Subject: Re: Top 10 Adventures
Date: 28 Sep 92 15:48:28 GMT

1. Trinity
2. Zork I
3. Enchanter
4. Sorcerer
5. Hitchhiker's Guide
6. Zork Zero
7. A Mind Forever Voyaging
8. Zork II
9. Hollywood Hijinx
10. Sherlock

This doesn't include games I haven't _fishished_ yet of course... :)

- Eric S.

--
Eric Shepherd  |  Internet: uerics@mcl.mcl.ucsb.edu  |  AOL: Sheppy
-------- ACM Member ----- Apple II Alliance Charter Member --------
Erroneous statements and inappropriate opinions stated herein are
caused by network glitches and are not attributable to the author.
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: jes2x@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (John Sommerville)
Subject: T-Zero
Organization: University of Virginia
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 22:30:24 GMT

I require some hints for this game, which I just started.  I'm having trouble
with the topiary.  Maybe my terminology isn't right.  At any rate, after having
not played any Infocom games for so long, my mind is boggled.  Any assistance
would be appreciated.  


--
John Sommerville (jes2x@Virginia.Edu)     "I'll see you in the trees..."
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
From: magnus@thep.lu.se (Magnus Olsson)
Subject: Re: The trend in adventure games
Organization: Theoretical Physics, Lund University, Sweden
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 16:40:43 GMT

In article <1992Sep28.123712.2756@wkuvx1.bitnet> mollems@wkuvx1.bitnet writes:
>In article <28441@life.ai.mit.edu>, dmb@lf.ai.mit.edu (David Baggett) writes:
>> Infocom established many of the basics of the genre, but they left an
>> unimaginable amount of variation totally unexplored (in many cases
>> because they were at the limits of 8-bit machines).  Things like
>> intelligent actor planning, text generation, etc. haven't ever been
>> tried to any great extent, not to mention the whole spectrum of themes
>> you find in conventional literature that have no current counterparts
>> in the interactive fiction genre.  (For example, there isn't even a
>> single work of interactive fiction with a tragic hero in it.)
>
>You might notice that in order to create a game such as you describe,
>one would have to be a real author.  Today's games are written by
>programming whizzes who may or may not be actually able to write. 
>Companies like Origin that have script teams and programming teams
>make the games, but I believe that there are less and less real
>WRITERS in the world today.

The problem, I think, is not that there aren't any "real" (literary)
writers with the know-how to write interactive fiction, it's rather a
matter of pay-off. I mean, writing a good piece of IF is probably at
least as difficult and takes much more time than writing a full-length
novel. The reward for writing a good novel is much higher than for
writing a good piece of IF, however - even a rather unsuccessful novel
will reach a *lot* more people than will a computer game. Not to
mention, of course, that IF is not an established art form (yet), and
will probably give the writer no recognition whatsoever outside a
rather limited circle of computer geeks.

I've written one adventure game (The Dungeons of Dunjin) and I've got
ideas for at least two more. I haven't written any novels yet, but I've
got a few ideas in that area, too. Considering that I've so far gained
about $150 on Dunjin (it's distributed as shareware), plus some
*extremely* limited recognition on rec.games.misc (the game has been
mentioned twice by people other than myself), I don't think it's very
likely that I'll ever find the time to write another piece of IF. I've
simply got better and more worthwhile uses for my time...

Magnus Olsson                   | \e+      /_
Dept. of Theoretical Physics    |  \  Z   / q
University of Lund, Sweden      |   >----<           
Internet: magnus@thep.lu.se     |  /      \===== g
Bitnet: THEPMO@SELDC52          | /e-      \q

Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction