NZT3.3

“All the Grues
That Fit, We Print”

Puzzle — pp. 7 & 8
Sports — p. 6
Ask Duffy — p. 5

VOL. 3. . . .No. 3

SUMMER 1984

1NTERGALLACTIC EDITION

YOU’RE ABOUT TO GET YOURSELF INTO

VERY DEEP TROUBLE

INFOCOM INTRODUCES
CUTTHROATS™

Nights on Hardscrabble Island are lonely and cold when the lighthouse
barely pierces the gloom. You sit on your bed, thinking of better times and
far-off places. A knock on your door stirs you, and Hevlin, a shipmate you
haven't seen for years staggers in.

"I'm in trouble," he says. "I had a few too many at The Shanty. I was
looking for Red, but he wasn't around, and I started talking about.... Here,"
he says, handing you a slim volume that you recognize as a shipwreck book
written years ago by the Historical Society.

You smile. Every diver on the island has looked for those wrecks, without
even an old boot to show for it. You open the door, hoping the drunken fool
will leave. "I know what you're thinking'," Hevlin scowls, "but look!" He
points to the familiar map, and you see new locations marked for two of the
wrecks.

"Keep it for me," he says. "Just for tonight. It'll be safe here with you. Don't
let—." He stops and broods for a moment. "I've got to go find Red!" And with
that, Hevlin leaves.

You put the book in your dresser and think about following Hevlin. Then
you hear a scuffle outside. You look through your window and see two men
struggling. One falls to the ground in a heap. The other man bends down
beside him, then turns as if startled and runs away. Another man then
approaches the wounded figure. He kneels beside him for a long moment,
then takes off after the other man.

It isn't long before the police arrive to tell you that Hevlin's been murdered.
You don't mention the book, and hours later, as you lie awake in your bed,
you wonder if the book could really be what it seems.

Cutthroats is Infocom’s first new product to appear in the new
package design.

That is just the beginning of
Cutthroats, Infocom's newest title in
the Tales of Adventure genre. Writ¬
ten by Michael Bcrlyn ( Suspended,
Infidel) with the assistance of Jerry
Wolper, Cutthroats promises to be
another Infocom classic.

The story takes place on Hard¬
scrabble Island, a dying little seaport
all but forgotten. The island hasn't
got much to offer, and diving off the
treacherous reefs has long since lost
its charm. So when the chance of a
lifetime is dropped into your hands,
you're ready for action. True, your
cohorts are untrustworthy. Granted,
keeping the sunken treasure a secret
is practically impossible on such a
small island. Naturally, diving alone
in new areas is dangerous. But if you
keep your head and get the treasure,
the riches will more than offset the
risks you have to take.

There are a number of new twists

in Cutthroats. Dealing with a group
of shady characters is one thing, but
having to cooperate with them as you
do in Cutthroats is another. The
character interactions differ from
those in other Infocom stories since
the plot requires everyone involved
to agree on taking risks together. In
Cutthroats, you're not the leader of
the expedition, you're one of four
people whose survival depends on
working together.

Cutthroats comes with a book
entitled "Four Shipwrecks Off Hard¬
scrabble Island." There's also a map
showing where the shipwrecks went
down, a price list from Outfitters
International, a tide table and, of
course, the True Tales of Adventure
magazine. It is a standard level game
and will sell for $39.95 on most
systems. Q

- InfoNews

New Packaging

Infocom has been known for its
remarkable packaging since it began
selling Zork I. At the time, software
was sold in plastic bags, often with
mimeographed manuals. Along came
Infocom with full-color, profession¬
ally produced blister packs.

Over time, Infocom packaging
became more and more noteworthy.
Deadline - with its police file full
of reports, clues, photo, and even
pills found near the body - was
another software packaging break¬
through. Next to appear were
Starcross , in its distinctive "flying
saucer," and Suspended , with the
white mask which catches attention
from 50 feet away. Planetfall ,
Witness , Enchanter , Infidel ,
Sorcerer , and Seastalker were a

Roundup -

bit less far-out in appearance and
shape, but continued Infocom's
tradition of interesting and useful
package elements.

Now we have taken the next step.
We believe that we have created the
most innovative package in the
industry. Measuring 9" by 7 " by
1". the first thing you will note is that
our new packages are consistent in
size and look, without sacrificing any
of their individuality. The package
opens like a book to reveal a conven¬
ient 24-page "browsie" and improved
technical manual ("browsie" is our
term for the section which ties into
the game). The disk and package
elements are packed in a re-closable
tray for convenient storage. These
packages will store very handsomely
on your shelf.

continued on page 7

PAGE 2

THE NEW ZORK TIMES

SUMMER 1984

Editorial Page

3-Aug-84 10:43:14-EDT,580;000000000001
Mail-From: SWG created at 3-Aug-84 10:40:00
Date: 3 Aug 1984 1040-EDT
From: Stu Galley (SWG at ZORK)

Subject: grue songs
To: everybody at ZORK

What songs do you think grues might sing around a campfire, if they
ever made campfires and felt like singing?

Flow about:

"I could Flave Lurked All Night" "I Get a Nip out of You"

"Lurking in the Dark" "Stayin' Alive"

"I've Been Lurking on the Railroad"* "Sunglasses at Night"
"Strangers in the Night" "Flelp!"

"Tonight We Lurk" "Fley, Grue!"

* Please, no jokes about what kind of railroad.

3-Aug-84 11:01:02-EDT, 226;0000000001
Date: 3 Aug 1984 1101-EDT
From: Jerry Wolper (JW at ZORK)

Subject: Re: grue songs
To: SWG

In-Reply-To: Your message of 3-Aug-84 1040-EDT
"Flere Comes the Dark"

"Fangs for the Memories"

"Slaverin' Alive"

“I’ve been playing Zork for three years
and I haven’t gotten into the house yet.”

As seen in June 1984 Computer Games Magazine. Reprinted with permission.

WE READ THEM!

3-Aug-84 11:15:32-EDT,366;000000000011

Date: 3 Aug 1984 1115-EDT

From: Steve Meretzky (SEM at ZORK)

Subject: Re: grue songs
To: SWG

In-Reply-To: Your message of 3-Aug-84 1040-EDT

1) A grue would never light a fire, or stick around if someone else did.

2) Grues don't sing, they gurgle.

3) Isn't it a little early in the day for you to be drinking?

4) How about "Grue Moon"?

3-Aug-84 11:42:18-EDT,466;000000000001
Date: 3 Aug 1984 1142-EDT
From: Stu Galley (SWG at ZORK)

Subject: Re: grue songs
To: SEM

In-Reply-To: Your message of 3-Aug-84 1115-EDT

1) No problem. All they need is a source of intense, flickering DARK.

Remember all those weird things you
wrote on your Owner Registration
Card because you thought no one
would ever read them...?

Zork I -

"The best of all adventures. I am a
Zorker."

Richard, 15, Douglaston, NY
"Wow! I love it! I love every game
you make! Who needs graphics any¬
way?"

Jeremy, 13, USAED, Japan

Zork III -

"Infocom's games are the reason for
buying a computer!"

Ariel, 15, Mission, TX

Suspended -

"The robots have become family
members."

Arlie, 37, Chester, MA

Zork/Planetfall -

"I use these games as rewards for
good performance in my class."

Ken, 47, San Juan Capistrano, CA

Planetfall/Infidel -

"I missed a car payment to get these
two."

Joseph, 20, Ocean View, NJ

Infidel -

"Closest thing to literature yet."

Carol, 32, Honolulu, HI

Zork is a registered trademark of Infocom, Inc. Enchanter, Sorcerer, Starcross, Suspended, Planet-
fall, Deadline, Witness, Suspect, Infidel, Seastalker, Cutthroats , and InvisiClues are trademarks of
Infocom, Inc. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a trademark of Douglas Adams.

2) Ditto. Gurgling songs is okay by me.

3) Isn't it a little early in the day for you to be assuming that I didn't get
this idea last night?

4) Yaaaaaaaaaay! I guess grues love a new moon because the night is
darker.

4-Aug-84 13:17:17-EDT,290;000000000001

Date: 4 Aug 1984 1317-EDT

From: Brian Moriarty (PROF at ZORK)

Subject: On the incompatibility of Grues and Campfires
To: SWG

Silly Stu! How could a Grue even get near a campfire? Too bright!

Maybe they could have a '60s psychedelic party instead... with black
lights!

QJlje Hmk ainu's

Chairman Albert “Al” Vezza
Contributing Editor Jeff “Jeff” O’Neill
Semi-Contributing Editor Steven “Steve” Meretzky
Non-Contributing Editor Hollywood “Dave” Anderson
Features Editor Dave “Dave” Lebling
Entomology Artist Tom “TV” Veldran

Puzzle Editor Jon “Buckingham” Palace
Puzzled Editor Michael “Mike” Dornbrook
Vacationing Editor Marc “Mark” Blank
Production Manager Angela “Angela” Raup

© 1984 Infocom, Inc.

SUMMER 1984

THE NEW ZORK TIMES

PAGE 3

HOW THE WITNESS CAME TO BE

By Stu Galley

for The New Zork Times

I got hooked on interactive fiction
in early 1982, when I tested a
preliminary version of Deadline. I
had seen Zork and thought it was
interesting, even fun, but the fantasy
theme and the arbitrary nature of the
puzzles did not excite me personally.
But Deadline was different: it had a
realistic setting, a realistic and coher¬
ent puzzle to solve, and a semblance
of plot in its events and movements.
So when, in the summer of 1982, I
got the opportunity to work on a
sequel, I took it!

The working title was "Invitation
to Murder." Marc Blank had
conceived the plot and made some
sketches of the scene of the crime.
The most significant part of the plot
was Linder's death scene, which
Marc had placed in a dining room
with the detective and the other
characters attending a dinner party,
like the final scene in The Thin Man.
Except for someone on the phone
and someone else in the bathroom,
everyone would be a witness to the
death. Using the Deadline package
as a model, Marc imagined that you
would learn about the characters
from newpaper stories instead of
police interviews, and that the post¬
mortem reports on Linder would be
sealed inside an envelope with these
instructions: "Do not open this pack¬
age until instructed to do so."

With Dave Lebling's help, Marc
had outlined the story in a few type¬
written pages: who the main charac¬
ters were, what their motives were,
what evidence there would be, what
you would see before the shooting,
and so on. So I began my moonlight¬
ing work at Infocom by expanding
on that outline: completing the per¬
sonal histories, designing a realistic
house, and running the story forward
and backward through my head, with
all the variations I could imagine,
until I was convinced that there were
no "holes" in the plot, that it made
sense no matter how you looked at it
or made your way through it.

Then the programming began. I
made a copy of the Deadline
program and ripped out everything
that I didn't need: the house, the
characters, the evidence, and the
plot. Then I could build my own

story on the foundation that was left. one. The Los Angeles area got cheap information about the case, the news-
I decided to begin with the house, so electricity from Boulder (now paper stories that tell you about the
that I could play the game as soon as Hoover) Dam, completed in 1935, so main characters, and an instruction
possible, even before I put in the the late thirties seemed like a good manual. There should also be some-
characters. As I had hoped, it was a choice. I didn't want the complica- thing tangible that relates to Linder's
thrill when the fledgling program let tions of wartime living, and most fears and his relationship with Stiles:
me walk around this house in my people now think of World War II the suicide note from the police file
imagination! By the time the shoot- starting in 1939, so that was too late, on Mrs. Linder's death. We all
ing first occurred, I was ready to quit And '38 has the same digits as '83, wanted something even more

my regular job and work at Infocom the year of writing, so I chose it. tangible, something like the pills in

full time, at least. Next, I wanted a contrast with Deadline that no one could forget.

In late January 1983, the program Deadline , so the season had to be But what evidence could you gather
held together enough for me to winter, and I think of February as the before even entering the property?
demonstrate it to the folks at our epitome of winter, with no connota- Finally the idea hit us: something
advertising agency, as long as I tions of New Year's Day or the that a character could have dropped

didn't stray too far from the main line spring to come. The day should be just outside the property, something

change the setting from contempo- Friday, so that a police detective
rary to the golden age of American could plausibly have time to check
mysteries, the 1930's. Since Mike out the case after work, and the
Berlyn had also suggested this, I got moon should be nearly full, so that
a copy of Raymond Chandler's The darkness would not play a part in the
Big Sleep , and within a few pages I mystery. That settled it: February 18.
was convinced! Soon my office (I didn't realize, until the day arrived,
bookshelf had an old Sears catalog that February 18, 1983, was also a
and a pictorial history of advertising Friday!)

(to help me furnish the house and In early February, Marc and I met
clothe the characters), the Dictionary with the agency's designers at a
of American Slang (to add color to restaurant to figure out how to
the text), and a 1937 desk encyclope- supply the evidence in the package,
dia (to weed out anachronisms). The designers argued strongly that

Now, how to choose a particular everything in the package should be
date for the story, as in Deadline ? I available to the detective before the
wanted a contrast between our story begins, with none of this sealed
present-day view of the thirties and envelope business. We already knew
the characters' view, so I decided to that the package should contain the
make the house a "modern" electric telegram that signifies your first

intriguing, informative, and true to
life. How about a phone number
cryptically scribbled on something?
How about a restaurant matchbook?
And so it was.

Soon the agency began seeking
sources of authentic-looking props.
Western Union was kind enough to
supply the design for a 1937
telegram, and American Optical
(another client of the agency)
supplied copies of their ads from the
period. Used magazines and pulp
novels from a second-hand store
supplied more ads and plenty of
ideas for the package cover and
magazine layout. The Register news¬
paper in Santa Ana was a great find:

continued on page 4

PAGE 4

THE NEW ZORK TIMES

SUMMER 1984

Mail Bag,

The "Call the Exterminators" article
in the Winter issue of The New Zork
Times generated more mail than any
other article we have run (excluding
the puzzles). We'd like to thank those
of you who wrote to us. We are
unable to print all of the letters re¬
ceived due to space considerations.

Dear Mr. Vezza
and Staff of NZT:

Thank you very much for The New
Zork Times. I am a real Infocom
groupie. I love all of your games

.. .Anatomy of a Game

continued from page 3

not only did they give us permission
to reprint, but also they sent enlarge¬
ments of several possible front and
inside pages from their microfilm
archives, so that we could pick the
one we liked best. All the type had to
be set again, to match our fictitious
stories, but the photos were usable.
Many of the original stories were
funnier than any we had time to
invent!

Meanwhile, back at the program,
the "alpha" test had begun, when a
company tester played the game over
and over, looking for bugs and in¬
consistencies. He discovered signifi¬
cant "branches" in the story that I
had overlooked. For example, what
if the player sneaks into the house or
doesn't go in at all until too late? The
first possibility raised too many
complications, so we decided to lock
all the outside doors. For the second
case, I had to invent a new sub-plot
that could involve trying to accost
Stiles and get new evidence, or
trying to get past Phong after Stiles
had come and gone.

The "beta" test began in mid-
March, when we sent copies of the
program and the prototype package
to some friends and volunteers
outside the company. Based on their
reports, and on continuing testing at
Infocom, we decided to add some
features to round out the story:
giving the characters responses to
questions about yourself, letting you
handcuff the corpse, putting the L.A.
Times (found in the Harvard library )
in Linder's office, using its radio
schedule to make the radio programs

because they are challenging and
they respect my intelligence rather
than insulting it.

As a result of this addiction. I
really appreciate getting first-hand
beef on what's new and forthcoming
from the Infolabs. I thought that you
should be commended for your in¬
formative and humorous publication.
I am sure that I speak for thousands
of others. The puzzles are also
challenging, and a lot of fun. too!
Another great idea.

I have questions for your summer
edition: How do you determine the

authentic, and so on.

In late April, we sent out copies for
final testing, which we call the
"gamma" test. During this time, I got
the feeling (which was typical. I was
assured) that there was no end to the
little bugs that kept appearing, and
that maybe I should throw away the
program and start over. But finally
the bug reports trailed off as the
deadline for production neared. In
late May, I declared the program
finished, prepared master disks for
all the different computer versions
that Infocom sold at the time, and
sent them out for duplication. It
wasn't until July that The Witness
appeared in stores, and it was several
months later that the first magazine
review appeared.

What was the biggest thrill in the
whole process? I don't know,
because there are many thrills:

► designing the story, when the op¬
portunities seem so rich;

► playing the game myself for the
first time;

► watching someone else play it for
the first time;

► making a complex feature of the
story work, after many trials;

► seeing a package design that I feel
good about;

► seeing a complete package, "hot
off the press";

► seeing my creation on the shelf (or
in the window!) of a store;

► reading a favorable review of the
story; or

► getting a special piece of fan mail
from someone who got hooked on
interactive fiction because of me! g

point value for the solving of any
particular puzzle or treasure? What
happens after Zork VT1 Are you
going to carry the Zork series further,
to 7, 8, and 9? Again, congrats.
Thanks for reading my letter.

P.S.- Crush Spinnaker and Lotus!

Editor's response: The point
values for treasures or problems are
related to the difficulty of attaining
or solving them (with some
exceptions, such as the 2 point
treasure in Zork I). Different
problems are more or less difficult
for different people, but on average
large numbers of points are
associated with difficult problems.
As for Zork VII etc., that would be
telling.

Gentlemen:

I am only 13 years old, but a true
adventurer. The article "Call the
Exterminator" reminded me of a
mirror that fights back in Zork I.

The player types HIT MIRROR
WITH SWORD and Zork replies any
one of the combat replies, like
"Clash! Clang! The mirror parries!"
or something else like "The mirror
dies in a cloud of sinister black fog."

I am glad I shared this news with
you.

Peter Schweda

Chicago Illinois

To the Editor:

I loved your newest issue, and es¬
pecially liked the part about the bugs
in the games, but I was surprised to
find that you missed the bug that is
the most fun to play with. On the
TRS-80 Model I version, if you type:

>GIVE AXE TO TROLL

it responds with something like:

The troll accepts your gift, and
not having the most discriminat¬
ing tastes, eats it.

The troll, disarmed, is cowering
and begging for forgiveness in
the gutteral tongue of the trolls.

If you give the troll to the troll, he
similarly eats himself, and disap¬
pears; however, he still bars you
from leaving the room.

Another fun bug (if you can get it
to happen) is if you give the troll to

the thief. The thief takes the troll and
puts him in his bag. When you kill
the thief, the troll pops up and blocks
off all the exits from the room. If you
give the thief to the troll, he will just
reappear later in the game.

Adam Cliff Honig

Huntington, NY

Dear Enchanter programmer:

I regret to inform you that you
have not allowed for the capture and
sacrifice of any creature besides the
humble novice enchanter such as
myself who inadvertently strays into
the Temple during a ceremony.
Having instructed the turtle to enter
the temple, I was dismayed to
discover that upon completion of the
turtle's three or four move term in the
Cell, it was I who was released from
the cell (which I had never entered)
only to be offered up as a sacrifice to
some bloodthirsty god in a rather
gruesome ritual.

Similarly, when the loyal turtle or
the shifty adventurer encounters the
hideous shapes which seem to plague
areas such as the Banquet Hall and
the Library, it is once again the
good-hearted enchanter who receives
notice of their fate as if it were his
own, although he thankfully is not
obliged to share that fate.

Christopher P. Thorman (MIT ’88)

Great Falls, VA

To Whoever (preferably the writer
of "Call the Exterminator" for the
Volume #3, Issue #1 of The New
Zork Times):

Talk about bugs. Poor Michael has
one in Suspended. What happened
was: I had Waldo get the four-inch
cable which ended up in a "Sizzle...."
Big Deal! I had Poet drag Waldo to
Alpha Repair and pull him up on the
glider so he could get fixed. After he
got fixed, I had them go back to the
Primary Channel where Waldo got
zapped. But I noticed something
when I asked Poet to look. He
replied, "...in the room with me is a
non-functional Waldo." I immedi¬
ately had Waldo look to make sure
he was working. Waldo was working
and replied, "...in the room with me
is non-functional Poet"!

John Eric Markey

Houston, TX

SUMMER 1984

THE NEW ZORK TIMES

PAGE 5

Dear Zorkers:

I just read The New Zork Times and
I loved it. When I first got Zork I,
which was a long time ago, I found
out that if you get in the raft and put
the torch in the raft, the raft will burn
to ashes and you won't be able to
move. If you say WEST (or another
direction), it says "You can't control
the magic boat with words." But if
you say GET OUT OF THE BOAT,
it says "You can't see any boat here."
Anyway, keep up the good work!

P.S.- On all my games (and I have
all to date), if I say AGAIN as the
first move, they say "Brief Descrip¬
tions."

Kevin Clark

Editor's Note: The boat is
"magic."

★ ★ Letter of the Month ★ ★
Dear Sirs:

I am presently designing a game of
my own, but I am basing it from
games like Zork II, to do this I have
to make the program like the follow¬
ing example LET C EQUAL 24, and
that would take a considerable time
to program.

The main reason why I am writing,
is that on the monitor screen Zork II
aids or prompts you with an arrow
for your answer to the question
which is in words not numbers which
I like. If possible, could you please
explain in great detail how to pro¬
gram for prompt arrow. Thank you
for your time and consideration.

(name withheld)

LET US KNOW

Here at Middlesex County offices
of The New Zork Times, we take
great pride in the quality of our
work. Even after issues are "out the
door," we're constantly improving,
honing, and perfecting. If you find an
error, feel that an article was boring
or particularly good, a puzzle was
too hard or too easy, or have sugges¬
tions for future articles or puzzles,
drop us a note! We love every excuse
to stop working, and a letter from
you is just such an excuse! Write to:

New Zork Times Editor

Infocom

55 Wheeler Street.

Cambridge, MA 02138

ASK DUFFY.

Dear Duffy:

Some of my friends in the play¬
ground told me that opening a disk
drive while it's running can cause
warts. Is this true?

-Worried About Warts

Dear Wart:

To answer your question, I went
straight to an expert: Professor
Humbick Q. Fiddleberry, Depart¬
ment Head of Harvard University's
School of Dermatology and
Computer Science. He claims there's
absolutely no chance of getting warts
from opening a disk drive - unless,
of course, there's a frog inside it.

Dear Duffy:

There's a girl in my Science class
who I really have a crush on. I in¬
vited her to my house to play Zork II
on my TI-99. We had a really good
time, but then her parents found out
about it. They've seen "Wargames"
and think that all computer hackers
are dangerous criminals. What
should we do?

-Not A Dangerous Criminal
Dear Not:

This is a common syndrome
among parents. Explain to them, in
an intelligent and mature way, that
you are not going to blow up the
world, and that Zork II is a harmless
and educational pastime. If this does¬
n't work, get a lucrative job in the
computer industry, start your own
high-tech company, attract millions
in venture capital, buy a huge estate
in California, take lots of world
cruises, get elected to an important
government post, discover a cure for
cancer, and write several best-selling
novels. After that, her parents proba¬
bly won't mind if she visits you to
play Zork III.

Dear Duffy:

I recently discovered that my
daughter has been visiting the home
of a boy in her Science class to play
computer games. My husband and I
are terrified that they will acciden¬
tally break into some secret defense
network and start World War III. We
have told her to stop going there. Are
we being overly protective?

-Nervous Mom

Dear Nerv:

You're doing exactly the right
thing. The kid is probably some kind
of dangerous Commie prevert. You
should give his name to the FBI so
they can stop him before it's too late.
Also, if your home is near any major
strategic nuclear targets. I'd start
thinking about moving.

Dear Duffy:

I'm very worried about my parents.
Lately, they spend all their time
playing those mindless arcade games
on our home computer. I've tried
turning them on to my favorite
Infocom games, like Planetfall and
Enchanter, but they say they find
them too difficult, and just keep
playing Eggplant Kong. My dad
used to be a news hound, and my
mother loved the Times' crossword

puzzle, but neither of them has
picked up a newspaper for months!
I'm worried about their brains
turning to mush.

-Frantic Son

Dear Fran:

If your parents found other
Infocom games too hard, maybe you
should try giving them Seastalker.
It's easier than the games you
mentioned. Better hurry, though,
before your parents start smoking,
hanging around the local pool hall,
and staying out late.

Dear Duffy:

Are you any relation to the Sgt.
Duffy in Deadline and The Witness ?

-Curious in Canada

Dear Can:

I'm not telling.

Who said a career
can’t be fun and games?

Objective: To join Infocom's staff of creative profes¬
sionals.

To Begin: Select a suitable player below.

The Players:

■ Game designers — Conceive, develop and implement fictional
interactive stories for use on personal computers, alone and in
collaboration with published authors. Write stories within
existing genres and develop new genres suitable for the inter¬
active mode.

■ Staff Writer — Create and compose fictional pieces (magazine
articles, letters, etc.) and non-technical instructional materials
to accompany interactive stories for use on personal
computers. Versatility and writing samples required.

■ Junior Product Tester — Test and debug new products on
microcomputers. Help develop new product support materials.

■ Software Engineer — Write virtual machine emulators for
Macintosh. Assist in developing the virtual machine specifica¬
tion to provide Macintosh support in a LISP-like language. Write
system utilities to communicate between a DEC 2060 and the
Macintosh. Requires 68000 experience and Pascal or C/UNIX.

■ Software Engineer — Write virtual machine emulators for
MS/DOS and IBM compatible systems. 8086/88/87 experience a
plus.

To Play: Stand at the threshold of Infocom, Inc., the creators
of Zork, Deadline, Planetfall and many other exciting, innova¬
tive text adventures.

To Win: The next move is yours...

Hint: Call Judith Forsythe at (617) 492-1031 or send your
resume to: Dept. 002, Infocom, Inc., 55 Wheeler St., Cam¬
bridge, MA 02138.

npoconv

PAGE 6

THE NEW ZORK TIMES

SUMMER 1984

THE INFOTEAM. First row (left to right)'. Richard Ilson, Dave Lebling, Betty Rock, Linda “Tex” Avery, Joanne Avtges, Harle “The Big H” Perkins, Paul DiLascia,
Michael Berlyn, Muffy Berlyn; Second row: Barry Starr, Tom Smaldone, Barry Jacobson, Duncan Blanchard (in striped shirt), Richard Weissberg, Mike Dornbrook,
Jeff O’Neill, Ernie Brogmus, Mark Sawtelle; Back row: Hollywood “Dave” Anderson, Mary Ellen O’Connor, Marc Blank, Jon Palace, Kristin Palace, Elizabeth Metz.

>TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

Ballpark

You are standing at the entrance to a large field of wilted grass...

Absent among the spectators of
Infocom's softball games this year
were pro scouts (though, it was said,
the Red Sox' should have been the
exception). So the careers of the
likes of Dave Winfield, Steve
Garvey, and Doug Gwodsz remain
secure.

Then again, would these perform¬
ers in a different recreational indus¬
try negotiate the twists of the Zork I
Maze as confidently as they round
the bases of their familiar diamond?
And would their slugging percentage
suffer if they were to face the
Hooded Figure or the Troll in the
shadowy world of Zork rather than
the sunny offerings of Fernando
Valenzuela? Different strokes.

When the dust settled in the second
year of the Boston area's Software
Softball league, Infocom had earned
the rank of Good Team with a 5-2
record, beating archrival Spinnaker
in the playoffs, then dropping a
heartbreaking best-of-three series to
Softrend. Afterward, spirits had not
been as low since Floyd died.

The taste of defeat still fresh as
waybread, the Infocom faithful
gathered at a Polynesian restaurant in
hometown Cambridge, to huddle for
the last time over sweet-and-sour

pork and a veritable Frigid River of
Mai Tais to commiserate over an
equally bittersweet season.

Among the heroic on the team was
"Hollywood" Dave Anderson,
product testing supervisor, who
found more holes in the opponents'
defense than in the first version of
Seastalker. HDA's dress code
(Hawaiian shirts five days a week)
determined the team uniform, but his
reputation as a swinger also applied
to his batting, as he again took the
Babe Flathead Award for the second
straight season, with five homeruns.

Also performing at the Advanced
level was Marc Blank, who, while
leading the team with 22 RBI's,
apparently had learned a lesson from
his own Zork III , since he demurred
from the ostentation of the exces¬
sively gaudy Triple Crown by finish¬
ing slightly behind in homers (3) and
batting average (.680).

A later season addition, relief
pitcher Barry Star (his real name),
captured three SAVEs coming off
the bench. His downfall came when
he was almost ejected from one los¬
ing effort: he insisted that the umpire
allow him to RESTORE the game to
an earlier position in which Infocom
was then leading. The beleaguered

reliever was quieted down as player-
manager Richard Ilson rushed from
the bench into the Oddly-Angled
Room, and deftly explained the dif¬
ference between the game of softball
and those of interactive fiction.

It was a noisome task for Ilson,
who had volunteered to skipper
Team Infocom, to transform soft¬
ware players into softball players.
But he seemed to be going overboard
when he lectured that "mit" must be
thought of, no longer as the acronym
for many of the players' alma mater,
but rather as "an input device worn
on the hand to facilitate the reception
of a thrower's or batter's output."

And his assigning push-ups and
demerits to his players who per¬
formed lackadaisically on the field
garnered him the quality of respect
and affection normally reserved for
someone of Ensign First Class
Blather's stature. Indefatigably,
Playietfall author S. Eric Meretzky,
his voice echoing out of the Great
Underground Dugout, exorted the
troopers on to victory, when he him¬
self was not coming off the bench to
provide timely hits.

Yet more controversy erupted in
one game when catcher Joanne
Avtges, in an effort to prevent the

opposing team from stealing her
signals, decided to flash signals in
reverse hexadecimal notation. This
plan was aborted, however, when
pitcher Paul DiLascia summarily
called time out to request that a PC
be installed behind the pitching
mound as an aid to deciphering his
catcher's signs.

As it turned out, the season saw
Witness to Infocom's 23-to-7 trounc¬
ing of the eventual league champs,
Miller Communications, as well as
defeats over Acorn (25-4), Business
& Professional Software (14-7),
CSA (13-9), and Spinnaker (8-4 and
25-15).

Holding down the corners in the
infield were Jerry Wolper at first and
Michael Berlyn at third, co¬
conspirators of Infocom's latest
release, whose no-nonsense efforts
helped earn the team itself a reputa¬
tion as "Cutthroats."

This steely image was softened, no
doubt, not only by the players'
flowery jerseys, but also by their
enchantingly unique cheer which
followed each game, win or lose:
"Frobizz! Frobozz! Frobozzle!" The
opposing team was generally, and
appropriately, held spellbound by the
display. g

SUMMER 1984

THE NEW ZORK TIMES

PAGE 7

PUZZLE MANIA: PUZZLE WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Solution to Puzzle Number One

We goofed in section A of the
puzzle. The total number of robotic
extensions in Suspended is 35;
however, we asked for "grasping
extensions," and two of Sensa's are
non-grasping. Therefore, we decided
to accept both 33 and 35 for section
A. Thanks to the many people who
wrote to point out this error.

Dunbar sat in seat number 7 when
she went to the symphony on July 7,
1982. (The first release of Deadline
has a typo, and the ticket stub says
"1981." Sorry for the confusion this
may have caused anyone.)

The stamp in Zork II was 3 zork-

rnids; the Royal Museum in Zork III
lay unguarded beginning in the year
883 GUE; there are 5 matches in the
matchbook in Zork I, Flood Control
Dam Number Three cost 37 million
zorkmids; there are 8 entries in the
Starcross tape library.

Using 35 for part A, the answer
comes out to 128; using 33 for part
A, the answer comes out to 107.77.
There were 103 entries for NZT
Puzzle #1, of which 48 had one of
the two correct answers (47%). The
most popular wrong answer was 30
(with 13 entries, or 13%). This
wrong answer seems to be produced
by guessing 11 for the seat number
in section B.

The following ten lucky people
were selected at random from the 48
correct entries, and will receive a
copy of Sorcerer.

1. Steve Booth
Ashland, Oregon

2. Lawrence Rasbid
Chicago, Illinois

3. Andrew Sherman
Concord, Massachusetts

4. Dean Kimball

Fall City, Washington

5. Dan Gonzales
Canfield, Ohio

6. Michael Schirpke
Bellerica, Massachusetts

7. Brian Klein

Valencia, California

8. Edward Rose
Wilmington, Ohio

9. Linda Barrington
Friendswood, Texas

10. John Wolfenden
Chapel Hill, N. Carolina

Solution to Puzzle Number Two

The Living Room description is
from Deadline and The Witness. The
knapsack is from Infidel , the fancy
violin appears in Zork II. the disfig¬
ured device is from Suspended, the
high-protein liquid is found in

continued on page 8

... Yet More InfoNews

continued from page 1

Difficulty Ratings

Another improvement you will
find on our new packages is the level
of difficulty. We have established
four difficulty levels:

Junior: Best introduction to inter¬
active fiction. Written for everyone
from age 9 up. ( Seas talker)

Standard: Good introductory level
for adults. This is Infocom's most
popular level of interactive fiction.
{Zork I. Enchanter, Planetfall, Wit¬
ness, Cutthroats, and Hitchhiker's)

Advanced: A greater level of
challenge. Recommended for those
who've already experienced Info¬
com's interactive fiction. {Zork II.
Zork III. Sorcerer, Infidel, and
Suspect)

Expert: For real diehards seeking
the ultimate challenge in interactive
fiction. {Starcross, Suspended, and
Deadline)

We expect the designation of diffi¬
culty level to make it much easier for
purchasers to choose the appropriate
game.

New Pricing

Effective September 1, Infocom's
recommended retail prices have been
changed. This is the first time we
have adjusted our prices. The price is
determined by level of difficulty and
by computer system. On most
systems. Junior and Standard level

games are $39.95, Advanced $44.95,
and Expert $49.95. Commodore 64
and Atari prices are $5 less at all
levels.

New Catalog

Included with this issue of The
New Zork Times is our new product
catalog. In it you will notice a
preview of our new products for the
fall - more to come on Suspect and
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy in our Fall issue.

Infocom Sampler

Do you know someone who would
love interactive fiction if they would
only try it? Infocom has the answer:
The Four-in-One Sampler, including
excerpts from four genres - The
Witness (mystery), Infidel (Tales of
Adventure), Planetfall (science
fiction), and Zork I (fantasy).

We have found that 9 out of 10
people who try Infocom interactive
fiction love it. Because of this, we
are able to make an offer that no one
can refuse. The sampler retails for
$7.95 and comes with a money-back
guarantee - if the buyer decides he is
not interested, he can send it back to
us for a full refund. If he wants more,
there's a coupon enclosed that enti¬
tles him to an $8 rebate on purchase
of any Infocom title. He can't lose! g

Next time you walk into our store, you'll be in for a life-and-death struggle.
Because the free demo for ZORK 1, Infocom's best-selling underground
classic, awaits you. You'll get a taste of exploring the mysteries and dan¬
gers of an incredible subterranean world. You'll experience firsthand how
Infocom's interactive fiction is revolutionizing computerized entertainment
by actually putting you inside stories that grow out of your actions. And
you'll live to tell the tale of the Great Underground Empire of ZORK.

&uT only if you $urvjoe your wipi H&J

Infocom now has a demo kit for Zork I for dealers. You can help us
spread the word on interactive fiction. If your local dealer doesn't have
a Zork demo for his or her store, tell your dealer to contact us.

PAGE 8

THE NEW ZORK TIMES

SUMMER 1984

NEW ZORK TIMES PUZZLE NUMBER 3

In the diagram below, each horizontal line represents the name of a character in an Info-
com game (up to and including Seastalker). Each blank represents one letter. Fill in as many
of these as you can. Several letters have already been filled in to get you started.

When you have filled in enough names, the letters in the boxes (reading downwards) will
form a question. Put the answer to this question in the answer box. Only the answer placed
in this box will be used to judge your entry.

CONTEST RULES:

1. All entries must be submitted on this form. No
copies accepted.

2. All entries must be received by December 1, 1984.

3. Up to 25 prizes will be awarded for correct
answers. If more than 25 correct answers are
received, a drawing will be held to determine the
winners. Void where prohibited by law.

PRIZE:

The all-new, prestigious New Zork Times Puzzle

Winner T-Shirt.

Name:_

Address:_

Phone Number:_

T-Shirt Size (S, M, L, XL):

. . .Puzzle continued from page 7
Planetfall, the hellhound is from
Sorcerer , and the Forest description
comes from Starcross.

That covers ten of the first eleven
Infocom games. The remaining
game, the solution to Puzzle #2, is
Zork III. (Several entrants guessed
Seastalker, but that's not one of
Infocom's first eleven games.)

This puzzle must have been consid¬
erably easier than Puzzle #1, because
the number of entries rose to 694, and
the percentage of correct answers
also rose slightly (396 correct entries,
or 57%). The most popular wrong
answer was Suspended (110 entries,
16%).

The following 10 people, selected
randomly from the correct entries,
have won a copy of Seastalker :

1. Marc Wontorek
Northford, Connecticut

2. Diann Harris
Arlington, Texas

3. Jeff Leonard

Spring Valley, New York

4. Peter De Gano

Grand Terrace, California

5. Tim Walters
Marietta, Georgia

6. Rushton Potts
Summit, New Jersey

7. Sean Blair

San Ramon, California

8. Fred Crandall
Mukwonago, Wisconsin

9. Craig Davis

Sirni Valley, California

10. Peter Merriken
Elverson, Pennsylvania

Other Puzzle News

Due to a screw-up by the wonderful
people who also fill hint booklet
orders for us, 12,000 New Zork Times
readers received their issues two
months late. These people received a
special puzzle memo with their
issues, with a revised deadline. There
will be a second drawing for ten addi¬
tional Seastalkers for these entrants.

Many people have been complain¬
ing about our policy of awarding the
latest Infocom game as the prize for
the NZT Puzzle: they dislike having
to wait for the puzzle results before
knowing if they should buy the new
game. Therefore, we are announcing
a new prize for puzzle winners: New
Zork Times Puzzle Winner T-shirts!
These shirts are 100% cotton, and are
certain to become a mark of distinc¬
tion among adventurers. In addition,
we are increasing the maximum
number of winners for each puzzle
from 10 to 25.