Zork Zero
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.
Several years later, Infocom created further games based in the Zork world, and the last of these to be published (although the actual gameplay precedes that of Zork I) was Zork Zero.
These are some notes on playing Zork Zero.
Objective
Apparently the objective is to collect twenty-four objects (which I assume are the things you find which you get points for picking up), two each belonging to Dimwit Flathead and his eleven siblings, place them into the Cauldron in the Banquet Hall, and utter the Magic Word.
Interpreter Problems
This game (at least, the Z-file which I have - IBM Interpreter version 6.70, Release 296 / Serial number 881019) doesn't work at all well in Gargoyle - the status line which is supposed to be at the top of the screen gets increasingly further down the screen until it encroaches on the gameplay area, and you end up with a single line of output which has to be scrolled to work out what's going on.
The main game itself works fine in Frotz (version 2.44), but the "sub-games" (I've found Peggleboz and Double Fanucci so far) don't work at all - you are not shown what's going on and have no idea what you're able to do next.
I'm still looking for an interpreter which works correctly with this Z-file, because I'm sure that playing the sub-games is essential to completing Zork Zero.
It'll be interesting to see whether the Save format is compatible between different interpreters.
Items
I've found the following presumed treasures so far (points for getting them are shown in brackets):
I've also worked out what to use the following items for (any points for doing so are shown in brackets):
- Doorbell
- Flickering Torch
- Guttering Torch
- Large Cast Iron Wheel
- Rusty Locker
- Steel Key
- Walnut
I've found the following items but not yet worked out what to do with them:
- Bag
- Bathysphere
- Bickering Torch
- Booths
- Cannonball
- Control Buttons
- Drinking Straw
- Dumbbell
- Earthworm
- Fishtank
- Flamingo
- Flamingo Food
- Framed Rebus
- Gnarled Elm
- Key-shaped Button
- Lantern
- Lobster
- Mighty Elm
- Muttering Torch
- North-south Passage
- Northwest-southeast Passage
- Package
- Pegboard
- Poster
- Ring of Ineptitude
- Rotting Treestump
- Sceptre
- Screwdriver
- Smell of Fudge
- Snake
- Spenseweed
- Squid Repellent
- Starfish
- Throne
- Toboggan
- Young Elm
Points
You get varying numbers of points for doing different things. In order of significance and alphabet, the ones I've found are:
- 8: Arriving in the West Wing
- 20: Arriving at the Inner Bailey
- 25: Escaping the Inquisition
Total points so far: 53 (of 1000).
PS: Unlike Zork I or Zork II, you lose no points for dying, but you get no chance of resurrection.
Maps
I get the impression that this is a big game.
I think I've found 87 locations so far (plus 1,992 more if you count all the rooms in the FrobozzCo HQ). It's very surprising how many of these are above ground and require no artificial light source (54 so far, not including FrobozzCo HQ). I haven't yet been able to find out how many locations there are in total…
Also, just because you find yourself somewhere dark (for example because your torch has just gone out), don't necessarily assume that you can't simply move to somewhere with light.
On the other hand, if you do manage to move to an illuminated location, it's unlikely you'll be able to get back through the darkness again, so you'd better be able to find another way home.