Show threadroot422d ago
And after a long hiatus: another stint with #thelurkinghorror!
So we go back to the lab and get into the pentagram. However, once the professor is in his pentagram, we cut the line on ours and step outside.
#infocom #interactivefiction
Show threadmartin3d ago

@kyonshi I looked around at various lists of best loved Infocom adventures and added them to my plan (https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/z1xo8c163g5bfd9p0lt7w/Adventure-game-plan.md?rlkey=5vp89hdyrymkrsij29o0hup0d&st=n9ca76cb&dl=0). I have found a friend willing to play through them with me, so I'm going to start off with another crack at Zork, invisiclues in hand - even though it's probably not the best it's just so influential and I really want that context.

#adventuregame #videogames #infocom #interactivefiction #textadventure #zork

Adventure game plan.md

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Andrew Plotkin4d ago

Time to figure out those ZIL grammar flags that Steve Meretzky said were confusing! (Back in 1989.)

https://blog.zarfhome.com/2026/05/zil-grammar-flags

#InteractiveFiction #Infocom #ZIL

Those ZIL grammar flags

A couple of months ago I referred to a quote from Infocom's internal ZIL manual: The other four tokens—ON-GROUND, IN-ROOM, HELD, and CARRIED—are incredibly confusing, and no one really understands them except Stu, so he should probably write ...

Zarf Updates
Show threadmartin4d ago

Here is the list so far, for those interested: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/z1xo8c163g5bfd9p0lt7w/Adventure-game-plan.md?rlkey=5vp89hdyrymkrsij29o0hup0d&st=zifwosg0&dl=0

Currently the post-2000 entries are just a few I didn't want to forget. I'm planning to add a bunch more - including the cream of Wadjet Eye's output.

#videogames #adventuregame #sierra #infocom #pointandclick

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Show threadmartin5d ago

I am assembling myself a "syllabus" of the best classic adventure games to play through in chronological order. The 90s seems straight forward: there are widely praised favourites (e.g. Secret of Monkey Island, Broken Sword, Gabriel Knight).

But what of the 80s? Do any of those adventure games (and their text predecessors) hold up? Especially if I'm not a child with time to bang my head against the same puzzles for weeks and weeks?

#videogames #adventuregame #sierra #infocom #pointandclick

Andrew PlotkinMay 1

Visible Zork 3 is now available!

https://eblong.com/infocom/visi/zork3/

Status of the Visible Zorker project: This is fun! I want to keep going. More notes and previews of upcoming games:

https://blog.zarfhome.com/2026/05/visible-zork-3

ObNote: The Visible Zorker is a Patreon-supported project. I just released Starcross for Patreon supporters.

#InteractiveFiction #Zork #Infocom

The Visible Zorker: Zork 3

A software exhibit that allows you to explore Zork and also Zork's source code at the same time.

polyplayApr 29
Years in the making: the sequel to a landmark modern interactive fiction game #Hibernated. Berlin author Stefan Vogt, inspired by 1980s pop culture & #Infocom classics, continues the the award-winning story in Hibernated 2. You can pre-order now: https://rtro.de/h2
#InteractiveFiction #TextAdventure #Retrogame
Hacker NewsApr 26

The Visible Zorker: Zork 1

https://eblong.com/infocom/visi/zork1/

#HackerNews #Zork #Zork1 #Infocom #Gaming #AdventureGames #TextAdventure

The Visible Zorker: Zork 1

A software exhibit that allows you to explore Zork and also Zork's source code at the same time.

Shawn SijnstraApr 19
Fellow #infocom text adventure fans, the newest #Vezza #zmachine #interpreter is now available for the #Amstrad #NC200 running CPMish. Using the glorious built in LCD display at 79x18 characters, it was a lot of fun to build. Special mention to Matthew Logue for not only requesting the NC200 version and providing platform information, but also for sending me a huge amount of photos from real hardware so I could debug, and doing a complete play though of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to prove it worked.
#retrogaming #retrogaming
Ben GriffithsApr 17

Blogged about some of the complications in supporting .v5 Z-machine games in my elm Z-machine.

https://whitebeard.blog/posts/ask-the-vm-where-is-the-player/

#infocom #if

> ASK THE VM WHERE IS THE PLAYER

In which the author hunts through virtual memory for a player whose whereabouts the machine no longer remembers, and settles on a layered heuristic that is almost certainly good enough.

Whitebeard's Realm