Letters

Hi there,

Thanks for running the XYZZY Awards again. In the aftermath of this year's ceremony, a bunch of us were kicking around some ideas. First off, most people seem to be in favor of breaking the voting up into a pair of two-week periods. The first would be for nominations, in which people could submit as many choices as they like for each category. Top five vote-getters in each category would be the nominees. Then there would be another two weeks in which people would vote. A lot of people said that it'd be much less daunting to select a favorite from a list of five than from a list of 120 games multiplied by all the puzzles and characters therein.

I personally would really like to see this second round done with Instant Runoff Voting, in which each voter would rank the choices from 1 to 5, with votes redistributed as candidates drop out. This would help prevent splits in the Individual categories - so if Dragon Town has a bunch of NPCs that people love, they won't end up splitting their votes and throwing the victory to the solitary NPC in Tornado Dogs or some such.

Finally (for now), David Dyte says that because of the medals, he'd like an absolute cap on ten awards per year. Nevertheless, IF changes over the years, and it might be nice if each year we could consider phasing out categories that come to seem marginal and phasing in ones that seem more relevant. (For instance, prior to 1997, a Best PC award probably wouldn't have occurred to many people - but now it seems quite essential. Who knows what'll seem essential at this time next year?)

Anyway, just thought I'd pass these ideas along while they're still fresh. Thanks again.

Adam Cadre
grignr@retina.net

Dear XYZZYnews,

Thank you for maintaining such a wonderful site. For years I have played the Infocom text adventures found the LTOI volumes 1 and 2. Only recently have I started looking on the Internet for other resources. The most pleasing surprise for me was the discovery of other Z- machine interpreters for various operating systems. It was these interpreters that got me thinking the other day.

Has anyone used the Dragon Naturally Speaking (or other speech recognition) software with the Win '9x Z-machine interpreters?

If Activision would take the time and effort to bundle the Infocom games with a decent interface and speech recognition (and synthesis) software, these titles could remain viable for quite some time. Since I do not run Win '9x or have a machine at home capable of handling speech recognition, this question is moot for me at this point. However, if people do have success with speech recognition and the Z-machine interpreter, that would be enough right there for me to save a few pennies and invest in a more contemporary model.

On a more philosophical note though, how do you feel about the use of speech recognition and synthesis for text adventures? Would this added capability detract from the spirit of the games? These games would not expand vocabulary nearly as much. But, we would get away from tedious typing. (Admit it, typing can be tedious at times.) I would like to see the option remain open though for typing or speech synthesis. I don't believe the Z-code would need to be changed. Merely altering the front end or the interface should be enough. I am not sure though how to handle games like Beyond Zork where there is an automapping feature (which I personally really liked).

Those are my thoughts for the day on text adventures and where they may go. For what it's worth, the biggest loss came when graphic adventures dropped their parsers. The games and the computers they were played on lost their personalities.

Sincerely,
Bob Langer
writerbob@aol.com

Hello XYZZY!

Just a note on the convention article in issue #16. From what I've read of the Erasmatron so far (XYZZYnews #14), it seems an abysmal failure at any sort of "revolution." I also strongly agree with Lucian Smith that the idea of "simplifying" code so that "artists" are able to bring there ideas to life in software is somewhat misled. I am both a computer programmer (programming since the age of five - ah, the days of the TRS-80 Color Computer!) and an artist (professional actor, professional graphic designer, amateur writer and illustrator); any "artist" who doesn't want to bother learning a new medium should not attempt to work within that medium -- game design is simply another medium that an artist can choose to work in if so desired. I'm not sure whether Chris Crawford is belittling artists or pandering to them, but either way, I think his ideas are flawed.

Semper Bufo
sbufo@earthlink.net

Dear XYZZYnews,

One thing I've found is that there are an awful lot of people going on about the golden age of Infocom. I haven't yet heard mention in XYZZYnews about an Infocom/Mag Scrolls game before -- so I'm mentioning it. Since I had a Spectrum, we got a vast range of games unique to our system, but very few ported from other systems -- one or two Magnetic Scrolls ones, but that's about it.

So therefore, I'm (practically) new to all this stuff - I'm used to games where GET ALL is a luxury - heck, even some games where they don't allow GET, just TAKE... now that's going a long way back!

On the other hand, there were some classics there. I still laugh at the bizarre humor in Bugsy and Very Big Cave Adventure, and I still idolize the first text adventure I ever played properly -- and the first I ever completed, the utterly wonderful Escape. A perfect beginners game, while a little too reliant on puns, it was a lot of fun, and got me bitten by the text adventure bug.

I think what I'm trying to say is that there is more than one way to get into text adventuring -- you don't have to go via Infocom.

Anyway, congratulations on an excellent (and very flashy) magazine.

Matt
Matthew.Clemson@keble.ox.ac.uk

Dear Eileen,

Hi! I am a computer programmer. Over the past 10 years I and my friends have built, played, and then filed away many text adventures that we got together and wrote. The adventures were admittedly simple and hand-developed (we had no idea that such systems like TADS existed!), but they worked and we enjoyed building them, even if we were the only people who ever saw them.

The reason that I'm writing is because I'm currently developing yet another text-adventure. When I planned it all out a few weeks ago I was just planning to build it and file it away like I have all of the others. After thinking it over, though, I thought that perhaps it was time that I started releasing our text-adventure games instead of just filing them away and forgetting about them.

Upon thinking the matter over, I wasn't sure what to do. I don't use any text adventure development system; I simply sit down and build my application from the ground up in Visual Basic. The text-parser I developed on my own, and it probably isn't as advanced as it should be. Moreover, the game I have in mind is rather large and complex; it's quite likely that I won't have the time to do it as thoroughly as I'd like to -- and I don't want to turn out a low-quality product.

So I had an idea: what if I were to ask the fans of interactive fiction for help? If I were to do this on my own my game probably wouldn't be a quality production. However, if I could have some help (perhaps some advice, perhaps some programming help, perhaps a few design ideas, etc.) I think that I could turn out a good product.

So, then: if anybody would be interested in having a hand (however large or small) in developing what I'm currently calling "The Tomorrow Problem" (perhaps someone could think of a better name!), or if anyone would just like to know what's under development, let me know!

Sincerely,
Jonathan K. Cooper
ednacooper@compuserve.com

Dear XYZZYnews, In the "Reporter's Notebook, L.P. Smith incorrectly identifies "Rite of Spring" as Shostakovitch. It was, of course, Stravinsky who wrote "Le Sacre" (even though he denied it in later years ;-)).

Blake BlakeWatson@compuserve.com

Dear XYZZYnews,

I read the [letter] by Mrs. Mixon (XYZZYnews #15) about emotion being an important part of an interactive fiction, and have to agree with her. I haven't played the game mentioned, but at the whole, I think that both technical puzzles and character interaction/ emotions are important. There are some IF games with hardly any characters at all, and it's strange to explore a large map and never find someone to talk to.

This was one thing I liked in Curses, where you can often find some life, and may it just be the cat Austin. The people in the streets of the Unreal City are well done, too, even though they're just mentioned and cannot be referred to. Walking around a place alone can be irritating, especially when it is supposed to be a place where one should expect to find people.

Creating emotions is important, too. If something very important happens, why not making the messages a bit more exciting? Let's suppose you are an orphan, and find your father during the course of the game; why not creating a message like "With great excitement, you walk towards your father, trembling with..." and such, instead of just "You see your father here."

Some IF players I know think there should always be neutral messages in a game, blank spaces where the player can insert his own emotions. And the player's character should never actually speak, for this might ruin the illusion (never ask me what illusion they mean). This is true, to some extent. But I still think even though the main part of imagination should be done by the player, the game is allowed to manipulate feelings in some cases.

Bjoern Ludwig
ramghost@hotmail.com

Dear Eileen,

I've loved interactive fiction ever since I played Wumpus Hunter back in 1990. (If that counts as IF, hmmm)

You wanna know how much I love IF? Well, see, back in 1996 my dad found an old book and bought it at a library sale. He gave it to me and it said "How to make adventure games in Basic", so I thought "Hey, this is great, I used to make Basic programs with my old TRS- 80" So I found something called QBasic, and it took me about 12 to 15 hours to type in the whole adventure game from the book.

That was so horrible, afterwards my eyes were bloodshot and I was in a daze but sooo happy because I had finished the game. So I try to run it. It didn't work!

I found out later that QB doesn't work with old Basic! So, I found out that my school had some old computers in the old computer room. I snuck in, early in the morning, with my 5.25 disk and copied the old GW-Basic on it and then snuck back out, I was so happy to be able to play the game I had typed I almost skipped school! But I got through school, ran to my computer, put it in, and it worked! Now, do you see to what lengths I went to to get my interactive fiction! It makes me laugh to think back on it now, I must have been nuts to work all that time on that blasted game!

Frogman302@aol.com

Dear Eileen,

This letter is open to any developer(s) who wish to reply. Currently I am working on developing a text editor which among other things is able to pick AGT commands and change their color real time (while you type).

My next step is to make a proper development environment that will create and AGT Script file output. Maybe a compiler with it or even a run engine for 32bit environment (W95)... All that will be free of charge.

If anyone out there is interested or willing to help designing and implementing such a project is more than welcome to contact (please be informal, its for pure fun!)

If anyone responsible for AGT sees this please contact me. We can talk!

Eileen, my congrats on your Web site. It's definitely top of my list. Cheers!

Leon
lvenediktou@csc.ragroup.co.uk

Infocom bugs, continued

Plundered Hearts: In the cargo hold with the burning fuse, if you throw your hand through the gap, you lose your hand.

Second, in the gallery, if you type BURN ROPE, it tells you:

You have no source of fire. The rope is consumed instantly in flames.

The version I found those bugs in is: Release 26, serial number 870730.

Mike
m_cuffa@alcor.concordia.ca

I may have a new bug for your Zork bug list. I call it The Boat Of Holding Bug.

I have recently started replaying Zork I (last time was ages ago, and I forgot almost everything since then). I therefore cannot be sure if this is a bug or a feature, but it has the earmarks of a bug. The bug is a artifact of there being two distinct objects for the boat: one inflated, one deflated.

It is possible to inflate the boat, take everything that is not sharp, pile it in the boat, and deflate the boat. You may now pick the boat up and carry it around (along with the pump and whatever sharp objects you want to carry). This was discovered in Zork I 88/840726. On a different note, I noticed on your bug list, you mention:

When you get to the Dungeon area, try this (in any version):

>DUNGEON MASTER, KILL ME WITH THE STAFF
"If you wish," he replies.
If you insist... Poof, you're dead!
**** The dungeon master has died ****
The dungeon master follows you.
Your sword has begun to glow very brightly.

Or this:

>DUNGEON MASTER, KILL DUNGEON MASTER WITH STAFF
"If you wish," he replies.
"If you wish," he replies.
You aren't even holding the staff!

The last message appears even though you are holding the staff! Very surreal. I'm still scratching my head over these.

It would appear to me that these messages are caused by the engine performing output while interpreting the orders with the dungeon master as the subject. Put differently, some of the messages are the game talking to the Dungeon Master.

For instance, in the last case:

YOU> DUNGEON MASTER, KILL DUNGEON MASTER WITH STAFF

invokes

DM> KILL DUNGEON MASTER WITH STAFF

Parser interprets:

Subject: DM
Verb: KILL
DO: DM
IO: Staff
Game engine checks for staff in inventory of DM (since 
he is the     subject).  Not there.  Engine dumps out 
with error:
You aren't even holding the staff!

which is displayed.

From the point of view of a Lisp hacker, this is a fairly straightforward bug. However, the dungeon master dying but not dying in the first message is what twigs me. Perhaps I will know more when I experiment with that bit of the game.

One final item. In Zork I, if you type DIVE while at Aragain Falls, you plummet to your death. This is accompanied by a couple of messages, such as:

  Aragain Falls
  >DIVE
  This was not a very safe place to try jumping.
  In the movies, your life would be passing before your 
eyes.

  ****  You have died ****

(You are then resurrected in whatever manner is appropriate for your situation.) The second line varies, although I have not yet figured out what it is based on. At one point, I elicited garbage. I will have to get back to you to tell you just how to do this. This is also in Zork I 88/840726.

Piquan
joelh@gnu.org

I have an addition to your complete Infocom Bug list:

In Suspended (early versions, anyway; I never tried it on LTOI), you could type HUMANS, KILL SELF, and the humans would obey the order and kill themselves. Although this kept the humans from turning you (the player) off, it had the side effect of making the game unsolvable, since the humans wouldn't be alive to perform their necessary plot functions. I don't think the humans obeyed any other orders.

Monty
monty@blarg.net

I found some bugs in Planetfall, but most of them are a matter of opinion:

>look at benches
I see nothing special about the benche.

I can scrub the scrub brush!

>kick me
Kicking the you is as worthwhile as cleaning a Grotch 
cage.

>push/kick/turn/get on me
pushing the you...

Chad Schultz chadschultz@yahoo.com

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