Text-based Classics

[Ze_ro]

Was The Hermit an old C64 game with "Reading Rainbow" style slow-drawn graphics? Or am I thinking of The Hobbit?

--Zero

[scooterb23]

I've never heard of Hermit, so I can't say for sure there...but yes, the Hobbit had those kind of graphics.

What a wretched game it was as well.

[stonic]

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[SpasticFuctard]

Man, I loved these games. A buddy of mine got Zork Zero for his mac and I ate that up with a spoon. I still have a vast majority of the H2G2 soltion indelibly burned into my skull. Save H2G2 my favorite's gotta be Suspended with Planetfall and Enchanter tied for 3rd.

SF - How the hell did I miss this forum?

[Jorpho]

Rematch is the most stupendous text adventure I have ever found.

Try it. It will not occupy too much of your time, but it will challenge you with a pithy, well-thought-out puzzle that will give you satisfaction to solve.

I don't need to mention Pick Up The Phone Booth and Die, do I?

[calthaer]

It's true...as much as I enjoyed Zork and the rest, I really think that games like *Mines of Titan* were some of Infocom's best works.

Did anyone play Mines of Titan and wait to open that envelope that came in the package until they actually got to the point in the game where they told you to? That was a great moment for me, opening that envelope.

Oh, back to the topic at hand...I, too, wax fond of the Scott Adams adventures, although I played them on the VIC-20 and not the TI-99a.

[NoahsMyBro]

I've recently put frobnitz on my Visor, FrotzDC on my Dreamcast, and frotz on my SuSE laptop. I've been having fun with HHGTTG, of course. ALSO, at last year's PhillyClassic I met and spoke with a guy that writes text adventures in his spare time, and produces and sells them.

His name is Howard Sherman, and his company is Malinche Entertainment. While not quite as elaborate, he packages the games similarly to the early Infocom packaging - my game came with a writ on parchment, as well as an old-fashioned metal key.

His games are compatible with the z-machine interpreter used by the infocom games. I haven't spent enough time with the game I bought from him yet (Pentari:First Light), but after my initial play-session I was very impressed at quality of writing, and the complete absence of misspellings or grammatical errors. I expected lower quality from a homebrew. Of course, considering Koffi, Thrust+, SCSIcide, etc... I should have considerably higher standards now.

-- Steve

[Griking]

My favorite Infocom games were Planetfall, Sorcerer, Beyond Zork and Trinity.

During the Infocom days I also remember downloading and playing a ton of the Eamon text adventures. anyone else play these?

And while its kinda off topic because they have graphics, some of my favorite graphical adventures were Transylvania by Penquin/Polarware and The Spellcasting x01 series by Legend.

[Gapporin]

I don't need to mention Pick Up The Phone Booth and Die, do I?

Pick Up The Phone Booth And Aisle is probably the funniest text adventure I've ever played.

[Jibbajaba]

Did any of you guys play those MUD games back in the day? I remember I used to dial into a CRAY machine in town and use it to log into a game of Diku-MUD that was located in Indiana or somewhere around there. Apparently they still have text-based MUDding on the internet...

[digitalpress]

While re-organizing my Commodore 64 stuff I stumbled into my home-made ZORK map, circa 1984. The map was crudely drawn on graph paper and I clearly had a difficult time with it despite the fact that I was at one time a master D&D cartographer.

That reminded me of a really old DP article on Infocom text games, thought I'd share it with you.

http://www.digitpress.com/archives/arc00027.htm

[Jred]

Hitchhikers and Trinity.. I love those two. As for Zork.. I spent more time on the first one than I'd like to admit.

[Professor Hector]

I remember playing through some of Infocom's stuff as a child. I spent a lot of time with A Mind Forever Voyaging, and I recall messing around with Trinity and The Lurking Horror as well. I never spent much time with the Zork games, oddly enough. The packaging for some of these games was really remarkable, like the instructions that came with Trinity on how to make an origami crane.

The best IF-related game I played through recently was Shade, a very surreal game with a haunting premise. Everyone should give it a try, it can be completed in half an hour or so and the game's puzzles are mostly straightforward so even newbies to these sorts of games shouldn't have too many problems. Once what's really happened to your character in the story dawns on you I think you will be very suprised.

[DaBargainHunta]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Deadline. It's a detective murder mystery and an absolute classic - hard as hell though! I still haven't finished it. Who knows if I ever will.

[DaBargainHunta]

You can play a Java-based version of HHGTG or download the software version (you need the infocom emulator to play it).

Where can I find this Infocom emulator? I may be blind, but as far as I can see, a Google search brings up nothing.

[Jorpho]

It's not called an Infocom emulator, really; it's referred to as a Z-machine. WinFrotz is usually recommended.

By the way, you can now play a shiny Flash version of HHGG at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game.shtml .

[Cobra Commander]

I still don't know how the hell you get through the bedroom door. x_x

Something about taking the buffered analgesic in the pocket of the old gown laying on the chair. What a great game!

[Djfinny]

Some of my favorites:

The Count - Scott Adams Adventure
Infidel - Infcom
Haunted House - Radio Shack (not necessarily the best text adventure - but the first one I beat!)

And yes, I've played Eamon adventures on my old Apple 2e computer. Very cool game. There was a series even better than that called SwordThrust. Not as many "adventures" made for it like the tons on Eamons but a more detailed game. Look up SwordThrust if you get a chance