Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
Path: nntp.gmd.de!Dortmund.Germany.EU.net!Germany.EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!torn!watserv2.uwaterloo.ca!undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca!svanegmo
From: svanegmo@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (Stephen Van Egmond)
Subject: rec.games.int-fiction updated FAQ beta
Message-ID: <DBuGyJ.1MG@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca>
Sender: news@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (news spool owner)
Nntp-Posting-Host: cantor.math.uwaterloo.ca
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 1995 05:08:42 GMT
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Scott Forbes has dubbed me the new FAQ maintainer.  I'm on a quest to get 
it updated with modern information and sanctified by the people at 
rtfm.mit.edu.

Please, pick away at it and let me know if you find any areas that need 
to be updated fixed or if you just don't like something.

------begin

West of House
You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a
boarded front door.  There is a small mailbox here.

>OPEN MAILBOX.  READ LEAFLET
Opening the small mailbox reveals a leaflet.

(Taken)
    "Welcome to rec.games.int-fiction!

    This is part 1 of the Frequently Asked Questions list for
    the group rec.games.int-fiction, a USENET newsgroup for the discussion
    of Interactive Fiction games and related topics.  To read a
    specific question, use your newsreader's search function on
    the string "(n)", where n is the question number.

#   This file is in 2 parts.  It is posted to the following newsgroups on
#   the 18th of the month:
#
#       rec.games.int-fiction
#       rec.arts.int-fiction
#       comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure
#       comp.sys.mac.games
#       comp.sys.amiga.games
#       rec.games.frp.misc
#       rec.answers
#       comp.answers
#       news.answers
#
#   The most recent version can be obtained at
#   ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/rec.games.int-fiction/FAQ
#
#   Throughout this file, there will be URL references to relevant files
#   if they are available on the ftp.gmd.de site.  See section 1.4 for more
#   information.

    Contents of this file:
    1.0  rec.games.int-fiction
        1.1  The purpose of this group and some history of IF
        1.2  Other USENET newsgroups discussing interactive fiction
        1.3  Basic netiquette rules; asking for and posting hints
#       1.4  The ftp.gmd.de IF archive and other Net resources
#       1.5  Games, walkthroughs, hints and source available for FTP
#       1.6  Disclaimer and trademark/copyright notice
#
#   The current maintainer is Stephen Van Egmond.  Questions and information
#   should be mailed to svanegmo@uwaterloo.ca.

    Special thanks to Paul Smith, Magnus Olsson, Jacob Butcher,
    Paul David Doherty, Volker Blasius, Keith Lim, Luis Torres,
    Jacob Weinstein, Mark Howell, Adrian Booth, Eric Shepherd,
    Sascha Wildner, Jim Butterfield, Mark Stacey, Stu Galley and
#   many others for ideas, suggestions and contributions.  Scott Forbes
#   created and maintained the original FAQ.

    No newsgroup should be without one!"

>PRAY
Altar
This is the south end of a large temple.  In front of you is what
appears to be an altar.  In one corner is a small hole in the floor
which leads into darkness.  You probably could not get back up it.
On the two ends of the altar are burning candles.
On the altar is a large black book, open to page 570.

>READ BOOK
Commandment #12593

    "The purpose of this group and some history of IF"          (1.1)
    Here in the newsgroup rec.games.int-fiction we discuss games of the
    interactive fiction genre, ranging from classic games by companies
    such as Infocom and Scott Adams to 'modern' and non-text IF games.

    Simply put, the IF genre includes any game that tells a story as
    part of the game, usually with the player as the protagonist.  The
    actions of the player affect the progress of the story, which often
    centers around solving puzzles or finding treasure, and leads to an
    endgame in which the player 'wins' and completes the adventure.

    Interactive fiction traces its electronic roots to a 1977 program
    named ADVENT, better known as the Colossal Cave Adventure.  It was
    this program, written by Willie Crowther and Don Woods, that
    established many of the features now common to the genre, including
    noun/verb parsing (e.g. "TAKE BOOK"), mazes ("You are in a maze of
    twisty little passages, all alike") and the basis of most later IF
    in fantasy/adventure settings.  Soon after this the game Dungeon,
    or Zork, was written by MIT grad students; these students were the
    nucleus of a 1980 startup company called Infocom, which produced
    a version of Zork for the TRS-80 Model I and other machines.  This
    led to widespread popularity of interactive fiction games, and was
    later referred to as the Golden Age of the genre; for several
    years, Infocom's products were the top-selling games on the market.

    Later events, however, led to the decline of the IF genre.  As the
    educational level of the average computer user decreased and the
    features and capabilities of the average computer increased, the
    trend in computer games went to 'arcade' games instead of text.

    By 1989 Infocom had been absorbed by another company and destroyed,
    leaving a legacy of high-quality, well-written interactive fiction
    and a large audience with few sources for good new material.  This
    newsgroup discusses 'classic' interactive fiction games, new games
    keeping the genre alive, and non-text (even non-computer) IF.

>N
Temple
This is the north end of a large temple.  On the east wall is an ancient
inscription, probably a prayer in a long-forgotten language.  Below the
prayer is a staircase leading down.  The west wall is solid granite.  The
exit to the north end of the room is through huge marble pillars.
There is a brass bell here.

>READ INSCRIPTION

    "Other USENET newsgroups discussing interactive fiction"    (1.2)

    _rec.arts.int-fiction_ is a newsgroup for *authors* of interactive
    fiction, and discusses adventure development systems such as Inform and
    Inform, features of a 'good' IF game and how to implement them,
    techniques, hazards, tradeoffs, etc.  If you're thinking about writing
    a game (as opposed to playing one), rec.arts.int-fiction is your group.
    <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/rec.arts.int-fiction/FAQ>

    _comp.sys.amiga.games_ discusses all types of computer games for
    the Commodore Amiga computer, including IF games for that machine.
    _comp.sys.mac.games_ has a similar charter, discussing games for
    the Apple Macintosh line of computers.

    _comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure_ discusses a subset of the topics
    covered in rec.games.int-ficton:  Those interactive fiction games
    available for the IBM PC.  If you're looking for IBM-specific info
    about a game, or for info about a game available only on IBM PCs,
    you may find help in c.s.i.p.g.adventure.

    The _rec.games.mud_ hierarchy discusses MUD (multi-user dungeon)
    games.  The _rec.games.frp_ groups discuss fantasy role-playing
    games (not necessarily computer-based) such as Dungeons & Dragons.

    _rec.games.roguelike.misc_ is for general discussion of games in
    the "Rogue" family (games that display an ASCII representation of
    a dungeon and its contents).  _rec.games.roguelike.announce_ is a
    moderated newsgroup for announcements about Rogue-like games.  The
    other groups in the roguelike hierarchy each discuss a specific
    game in the "Rogue" genre.

>BLORPLE WEST WALL
Abruptly, your surroundings shift.

Nondescript Room
This is a drab, nondescript room.  The only exit leads south.

>S
Enchanters' Retreat
Belboz is meditating here.

>BELBOZ, HELLO
"Hello." Belboz doesn't seem pleased to see you.

>ASK BELBOZ FOR A HINT
Belboz looks at you suspiciously.  "Only the rawest apprentice would
ask for a hint (or post one) without observing proper netiquette."

    "Basic netiquette rules; asking for and posting hints"      (1.3)

    1. Above all else, don't spoil the puzzle or game for other
       people who are reading the newsgroup but DIDN'T ask for a
       hint.  Use spoiler warnings in the both the posting's title
       and in the text.

       Good example:
       >Subject: Re: ZORK I question (SPOILERS)
       >
       >J. Random writes:
       >>How do I get into the white house?
       >
       >SPOILERS

       
       >Have you tried running for President?
       >

       *** A special note on the "form feed" character:  The ASCII
       character 12, if inserted as the _first_character_of_a_line_
       in the text of an article, causes most newsreaders to pause
       and require the user to hit a key before continuing.  This
       feature is useful when protecting part of a message from
       people who don't want to see it, as it gives them the option
       of hitting "n" instead and skipping the SPOILER section.

       Some newsreaders display this character as a caret followed
       by the letter L, thus:  ^L .  This is NOT the same as typing
       the two characters ^ and L.  Also, it is very important that
       the "form feed" character be kept as the first character on
       the line.  If you reply to a message and put a ">" in front
       of the form feed, it won't work, the message will be spoiled
       and scores of angry netters will tear you limb from limb
       (okay, maybe not THAT drastic, but it's bad manners).

       Most machines can generate a form feed character if you type
       a CTRL-L or (in "vi") CTRL-V CTRL-L.  If you can't generate
       a form feed character, either use 24 blank lines or save
       this message and delete everything but the form feed below.

       The last character on this line is an ASCII form feed:  

    2. If you're asking for a hint, please try to ask in a way
       that doesn't spoil the puzzle, or spoil other puzzles in
       the game.  Describe whatever details are relevant, but
       don't post the answer to every other puzzle you've solved
       up to this point.

       Good example:
       >I've figured out what the gold machine is for, but I keep
       >getting killed whenever I try to use it.

       Bad example:
       >I used the gold machine to send a message to Orkan, but the
       >Warlock noticed my presence and turned me into bat guano.

       If you can't ask the question without revealing part of the
       puzzle, protect the question with spoiler warnings as above.

    3. When giving a hint, please try to give just enough info
       to send the adventurer on his/her way.  Please don't post
       the exact sequence of moves required to win the game from
       this point, or solve the next two puzzles in order to get
       the ball rolling.

       Good example:
       >Have you explored the area outside the house?

       Bad example:
       >There's a window on the east side of the house that you can
       >squeeze through in order to get in.  Don't bother with the
       >front door; there's no way to open it.  Don't eat the food,
       >either:  You'll need it later to feed the microscopic dog.

Belboz looks at you expectantly.

>FROTZ BELBOZ
Belboz stops you with a word of power.
"Ah! Now I have you, charlatan! Fool me twice? Never!" He rises
to his feet, makes a threatening gesture, and you find yourself
transported to....

Maze
This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

>PLUGH
A hollow voice says:

    "The ftp.gmd.de IF archive and other Net resources"         (1.4)
    The interactive fiction archive site at ftp.gmd.de (129.26.8.90)
    is by far the largest collection of interactive fiction games,
    development systems, "walkthrough" solution files and related IF
    materials available.  Uploads of new material are encouraged;
    please send e-mail to blasius@gmd.de when uploading.
#   <ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive>.
#
#   Mirror site wuarchive.wustl.edu (192.20.239.131) is also available
#   for FTP downloading at <ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/misc/if-archive>.
#
#   Another mirror site is <ftp://ftp.luth.se/pub/misc/if-archive>.
#
#   A browsable index of the ftp.gmd.de archive is available at
#   <http://www.undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca/~svanegmo/if-index.html>.
#   The maintainer is svanegmo@uwaterloo.ca (Stephen Van Egmond).

>S.W.SW.W.W.
Flathead Ocean
Passing alongside the shore now is an old boat, reminiscent of an
ancient Viking ship.  Standing on the prow of the ship is an old and
crusty sailor, peering out over the misty ocean.

>HELLO SAILOR
The seaman looks up and maneuvers the boat toward shore.  He cries out:

    "Games, walkthroughs, hints and source available for FTP"   (1.5)
    Thanks to Magnus Olsson for much of the info in this section.

#   Games are available at ftp.gmd.de in the /games directory.

    Archives of both rec.games.int-fiction and our sister group
    rec.arts.int-fiction are available at the ftp.gmd.de site, along
    with the world's largest collection of IF software and related
    texts.  If what you're looking for is even remotely IF-related,
    then this should be your first place to look.

    Source code for some text adventures (including various versions of
    Colossal Cave/ADVENT, Dungeon/Zork and World) have been posted to
    comp.sources.games and comp.sources.misc.  They're available from
    FTP sites archiving these groups, such as ftp.uu.net.

    Some Macintosh IF games are available from sumex-aim.stanford.edu,
    including Colossal Cave and Dungeon.  [Unnkulian may be there too.]

    "Walkthrough" solution files for many popular IF games are
    available from ftp.uu.net, in the directory "/pub/games/solutions".

Please accept this gift.  You may find it useful!" He throws something
which falls near you in the sand, then sails off toward the west,
singing a lively, but somewhat uncouth, sailor song.
The boat sails silently through the mist and out of sight.

A seedy-looking individual with a large bag just wandered through
the room.  On the way through, he quietly abstracted some valuables
from your possession, mumbling something about:

    "Disclaimer and copyright/trademark notice"                 (1.6)

    This FAQ Copyright 1995 by Stephen Van Egmond.  Permission to
    reproduce this document is granted, provided the content is
    unaltered.  The author makes no warranty with respect to the
    quality or accuracy of the information contained in this document.

    All trademarks remain the property of their respective companies.

>W
Maze
This is part of a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

Someone carrying a large bag is casually leaning against one of the
walls here.  He does not speak, but it is clear from his aspect that
the bag will be taken only over his dead body.

>KILL THIEF WITH SWORD
A good slash, but it misses the thief by a mile.  The thief comes in
from the side, feints, and inserts the blade into your ribs.

It appears that that last blow was too much for you.
I'm afraid you are dead.

   ****  You have died  ****

Press any key to continue


