Zork III

Zork was originally an adventure game written on the DEC PDP-10 between 1977 and 1979, based heavily on the "original" Colossal Cave Adventure game, and the authors of Zork subsequently founded the company Infocom, and sold the game for play on personal computers.

Because personal computers of the time were so much smaller (in terms of memory) than the PDP-10, the original Zork was split into three sections and sold as Zork I, Zork II and Zork III.

These are some notes on playing Zork III.

Zork II ends with you descending a staircase, which in Zork III leads to a junction at the start of the game.

You're immediately presented with "your old friend, the brass lantern" although it's notable how much of Zork III is illuminated. This might be a clue that you shouldn't keep the lamp on all the time (although I don't know yet, and I certainly haven't been wandering around for long enough that the lamp starts getting dim).

Zork II had a total of 400 points which it was necessary to get to win the game (you didn't win simply for getting the points; it's just that 400 is the number of points you ended up with once you'd completed all the tasks required to get to the final location).

Zork III has a total of 7 points…

1. Arrive in Room 8
2. Arrive in Timber Room
3. Arrive On the Lake
4. Find Large Chest
5. Get Sword
6. Start solving the Puzzle
7. Successfully operate Gold Machine

I find it surprising that I have got all 7 points after only 120 moves (of which 76 were spent inside a single Puzzle, and one of those points was simply for starting the puzzle (with no further points for finishing it), so you could say that all 7 points were obtained after 45 moves), and I feel that I've got hardly anywhere through the game:

• I've only found 49 locations
• I've only found 10 things to pick up, of which 2 have been useful (and both for the rather mundane purpose in an adventure game of providing light)
• I have no idea what I'm trying to achieve
• I've only found one (or potentially two) locations where further exploration appears possible

So, it's pretty fair to say that getting the maximum score is not a goal of playing Zork III.

Unlike Zork I and Zork II you do not appear to lose any points for dying, although you only get resurrected in certain circumstances - some ways of dying are quick and final.

You don't appear to get points for finding things or picking them up in this game, and I'm not convinced there are many things to find anyway.

Here's what I've come across so far:

• Things you can pick up:
  • Book (illegible)
  • Bread (edible)
  • Broken Timber (not sure what for yet, reminiscent of Zork I)
  • Chest (locked)
  • Golden Amulet (not easy to find)
  • Grue Repellent (lets you find Key)
  • Key (no idea what for yet)
  • Lamp (standard)
  • Sword (in Rock, to start with)
  • Torch (useful after you found the Key)
  • Vial (not easy to get, no idea what it's for yet)

• Things you can't pick up:
  • Black Machine (seems defunct, reminiscent of Zork I)
  • Crown Jewels (locked in Cage)
  • Gold Machine (needs operating in the correct way, can otherwise be fatal)
  • Grey Machine (seems defunct, reminiscent of Zork I)
  • Pile of Coal (no way to get at it yet)
  • Rock (contains Sword at start of game)
  • Viking Ship (doubt it can be boarded, but can be hailed to provide an item above if you think really laterally)

• The plaque in the Jewel Room reads "Crown Jewels, Presented To The Royal Museum By His Gracious Lord DIMWIT FLATHEAD; Dedicated *777 GUE*".
• The golden machine in the Technology Museum starts out with "948" on its display.
• The FrobozzCo International Annual Report which comes with the game is dated 778.
  • This report was taken from the library in 781, 811, 846, 902 and 948.
  • It mentions looking forward to a tremendouser year in 779.
  • Flood control dam number three is scheduled for completion in 783.
  • It shows the Original Headquarters Building constructed in 667.

• 776 seems to be a reasonably good year, if you know what I mean (although only for a limited time).
  • Anything earlier is just too solid.
  • The years 777, 778, 781, 811 and 846 have people with waffles (which are not good for you)
    • You don't appear to be able to use the Sword against the waffles
      • In fact you can't take the Sword with you, which is why it's no use
        • It turns out that there is a way to take things along on the journey, but it's a bit obscure, and only works for small objects (eg: Key, yes; Vial, yes; Sword, no). It also only works backwards, not forwards.
  • 902 is just "different" (but I'm not quite sure how or whether the differences are useful)

There are clues on the Internet that 776 is in fact a good year, however I've not yet found out how to either stay there or achieve anything there.

Hint: A time machine can not only move in time, but can also be moved in space.

1. Two of the three machines are non-functioning models

Note: Until you've worked out how to solve this puzzle, the following notes should be almost as obscure as the puzzle itself.

However, once you have worked out what needs to be done, the following can save you tedious time, if that's what you want. Otherwise, feel free to simply wander about and draw a map (it's small, pretty simple, and fixed) but don't touch anything until you think you've covered the entire area. Once you have a map, you should be able to work the following out for yourself:

1. PEW - S₂ - W
2. PSW - E² - N - E
3. PSW₂ - E^₂ - N
4. PWW⁴ - S
5. PEW_³ - W³ - N₄ - W
6. PSW - E - S - E_² - N2
7. PEW - W - S³ - E2 - N²
8. PWW - E - S² - W₄ - N₃
9. PEW₂
10. PSW² - N - E_² - S_² - W
11. PWW_² - S - W
12. PNW3

The above solution provides you with two options for getting out (other solutions are possible, and some provide only one option):

1. W - N - U
2. S₃ - E - S - PBIS

(This is assuming you noticed something pretty obvious, and did something about it, whilst moving around here earlier.)

One of those exit options is good (in the long run); the other is not.

Note that if you do not follow the above guide, it is entirely possible to lock yourself in by doing the wrong thing, and then there is positively no way out (you are warned about this in the Note at the Entrance).

I think I've found 49 locations. I haven't been able to find out how many there are in total…

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