| Zork III | |
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| Developer(s) | Infocom |
| Publisher(s) | Personal Software / Infocom |
| Designer(s) | Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Dave Lebling and Bruce Daniels |
| Engine | ZIL |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple Macintosh, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Commodore 128, Commodore Plus/4, CP/M, DOS, MSX, TRS-80 |
| Release date | Release 10: August 18, 1982
Release 12: October 25, 1982 |
| Genre(s) | Text adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media | 3½" or 5¼" disk |
| System requirements | No special requirements |
| Input methods | Keyboard |
Zork III: The Dungeon Master is an interactive fiction computer game written by Marc Blank, Dave Lebling, Bruce Daniels and Tim Anderson and published by Infocom in 1982. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video Infocom was a Software company, based in Cambridge Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of Interactive fiction. VisiCorp was an early personal computer software publisher Its most famous products are VisiOn and VisiCalc. A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer Tim Anderson is a Computer programmer who helped create the Adventure game Zork, one of the first works of Interactive fiction and Marc Blank is an American Computer game designer and Game programmer. P David Lebling (born 1949 was an Interactive fiction Game designer, or Implementor, at Infocom. A game engine is a software system designed for the creation and development of computer and video games The Z-machine is a Virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows The Amiga is a family of Personal computers originally developed by Amiga Corporation. The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit Home computers produced by Amstrad Plc during the 1980s and early 1990s Macintosh, commonly nicknamed Mac is a Brand name which covers several lines of Personal computers designed developed and marketed by Apple Inc The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 The Atari ST is a home / Personal computer that was commercially available from 1985 to the early 1990s The Commodore 128 ( C128, CBM 128, C=128) home / Personal computer was the last 8-bit machine which was commercially The Commodore Plus/4 was a Home computer released by Commodore International in 1984 CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers is an Operating system originally created for Intel 8080 / 85 based Microcomputers by Gary Kildall DOS, short for "Disk Operating System" is a shorthand term for several closely related Operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation 's desktop Microcomputer model line sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction In video gaming, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session Digital media (as opposed to analog media) usually refers to Electronic media that work on digital Codes. A floppy disk is an increasingly Obsolete data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin flexible ("floppy" Magnetic storage medium encased A floppy disk is an increasingly Obsolete data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin flexible ("floppy" Magnetic storage medium encased In Computing, a keyboard is an Input device partially modelled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather Marc Blank is an American Computer game designer and Game programmer. P David Lebling (born 1949 was an Interactive fiction Game designer, or Implementor, at Infocom. Tim Anderson is a Computer programmer who helped create the Adventure game Zork, one of the first works of Interactive fiction and Infocom was a Software company, based in Cambridge Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of Interactive fiction. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) It was the third game in the popular Zork trilogy and was released for a wide range of computer systems. Zork was one of the first Interactive fiction Computer games and an early descendant of Colossal Cave Adventure. It is Infocom's fourth game.
Contents |
Plot
The player begins at the bottom of the Endless Stair from Zork II.
Zork III is somewhat less of a straightforward treasure hunt than previous installments. Instead, the player—in the role of the same "adventurer" played in Zork I and Zork II—must demonstrate worthiness to assume the role of the Dungeon Master. The player must get past the Guardians of Zork, with the complete garb of the Dungeon Master, and then endure a final test. The player must be wearing the amulet (found at the bottom of the lake), the cloak and hood (received when the player chooses to look under the hood of the vanquished opponent in the Land of Shadow rather than deal the final blow), the staff (received from the man at the Cliff for helping him retrieve the chest of valuables; attacking the man in any way or trying to take the valuables from him inevitably breaks the staff), the strange key (found in the Key Room when the player uses the grue repellent (from Zork II) to get past the dark places), the royal ring (retrieved from the Royal Museum by using the gold machine to travel back to the year 776 GUE), and the black book (found in the Royal Puzzle). Zork II The Wizard of Frobozz is an Interactive fiction Computer game published by Infocom in 1981.
Unlike Zork I and Zork II there is a time-sensitive event, an earthquake which is randomly triggered about 130 turns into gameplay. Zork I The Great Underground Empire is an Interactive fiction Computer game written by Marc Blank, Dave Lebling, Bruce Daniels Zork II The Wizard of Frobozz is an Interactive fiction Computer game published by Infocom in 1981. The player must retrieve the key before the earthquake (when the Aqueduct is broken, leaving no escape route from the Key Room) and can't complete the Royal Puzzle or retrieve the ring until after the earthquake (when the unopenable Great Door breaks). Also unlike the previous two Zork games, the lantern is of little relevance. It is needed only to walk through the dark areas of the Junction, Creepy Crawl and Foggy Room at the beginning of the game (often done after completing the Land of Shadow, Cliff, and Flathead Ocean—saying "Hello, Sailor" to the viking yields an invisibility vial—tasks). "Hello sailor" is a sexual proposition made to a sailor presumably by a Prostitute or promiscuous woman supposing the sailor to be male and sexually Another light source, the torch from the Scenic Vista, is used to retrieve the repellent from Zork II and deposit it in the Damp Passage via the teleportation table to provide a light source for the return journey after retrieving the key. Zork II The Wizard of Frobozz is an Interactive fiction Computer game published by Infocom in 1981.
Once the player has all the items, they must give the waybread to the elderly man in the Engravings Room to find the doorway leading to the final hallway. Here the "elvish sword of great antiquity" is used for the second and only time to block the beam in the Beam Room. Next the adventurer must get through the Guardians of Zork. This can either be accomplished by using the complicated Mirror Box or by simply drinking the invisibility potion in the vial from the Flathead Ocean. When the player knocks on the Dungeon Master's door he will only open it if the player is fully equipped (see above). He then tells the adventurer that he will obey their commands. The corridors lead to a parapet which overlooks the fiery cells. Reading the book here reveals a map of "The Dungeon and Treasury of Zork" which has 8 cells, one of which with a bronze door that leads to the Treasury of Zork. The eight positions of the dial in the parapet correspond to the 8 cells. The adventurer must use trial and error at this point to summon the cell with the bronze door and have the dungeon master return it to its original position by replacing it with any other cell. The key will now unlock the door revealing the Treasury of Zork, which contains the wealth of the Great Underground Empire as well as a controlling share in FrobozzCo International. FrobozzCo International is a fictional monopolous conglomerate from the Infocom text adventure Zork universe
Notes
Zork games
Enchanter trilogy
Other games
Wishbringer • Return to Zork
Zork: Nemesis • Zork Grand Inquisitor
Zork: The Undiscovered Underground
Companies
Miscellaneous
Compared to the other games in the series, the scoring system is unusual in that it measures the player's "potential", and is not simply a reflection of the number of treasures found. Zork was one of the first Interactive fiction Computer games and an early descendant of Colossal Cave Adventure. Zork I The Great Underground Empire is an Interactive fiction Computer game written by Marc Blank, Dave Lebling, Bruce Daniels Zork II The Wizard of Frobozz is an Interactive fiction Computer game published by Infocom in 1981. Beyond Zork (full title Beyond Zork The Coconut of Quendor) was an Interactive fiction Computer game written by Brian Moriarty and Zork Zero The Revenge of Megaboz is an Interactive fiction Computer game, written by Steve Meretzky and published by Infocom in Spellbreaker is an Interactive fiction Computer game written by Dave Lebling and released by Infocom in 1985, the third Wishbringer The Magick Stone of Dreams is an Interactive fiction Computer game written by Brian Moriarty and published by Infocom Return to Zork is a 1993 Adventure game in the Zork series for the PC and Apple Macintosh. Zork The Undiscovered Underground (or ZUU for short is an Interactive fiction Computer game written by former Infocom Implementors Infocom was a Software company, based in Cambridge Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of Interactive fiction. Activision Inc is an American Video game developer and publisher. FrobozzCo International is a fictional monopolous conglomerate from the Infocom text adventure Zork universe The Z-machine is a Virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games AFGNCAAP (pronounced Afghan-cap or Afghan-cop is a satirically politically correct Initialism for " Ageless Faceless Gender-Neutral Culturally-Ambiguous The Zork books were a series of four books written by S Eric Meretzky, which took place in the Fictional universe of Zork. Points are awarded for taking creative steps toward solving problems rather than actually solving them (e. g. jumping in the lake earns the adventurer a point, but successfully taking the amulet on the bottom of the lake does not). This system makes it possible for the player to have all 7 points without being close to finishing the game.
This game contains the payoff to the "Hello, Sailor" joke that was introduced in Zork I. "Hello sailor" is a sexual proposition made to a sailor presumably by a Prostitute or promiscuous woman supposing the sailor to be male and sexually Saying hello sailor has the effect of:
- The seaman looks up and maneuvers the boat toward shore. He cries out "I have waited three ages for someone to say those words and save me from sailing this endless ocean. Please accept this gift. You may find it useful!" He throws something which falls near you in sand, then sails off toward the west, singing a lively, but somewhat uncouth, sailor song.
For the rest of the game, saying hello sailor elicits the response Nothing happens anymore. Everywhere else, saying hello sailor induces the response, Nothing happens here. [1]
A gold machine (known as the "Temporizer") is used to travel through time. According to the Zork Nemesis strategy guide, Zork Nemesis is caused by using of the machine. Strategy guides (攻略本 in Japan, literally "capture book" are instruction books that contain hints or complete solutions to specific Video games The The name's shortened form, "golmac", is the name of one of the spells in Sorcerer.
Bugs
There are several bugs in this game:
- In the very first version of the game, Version 10, the player could freeze the game by keeping the sword to the end of the game. In Cell #4, there are two possible North exits. This confuses the sword's "check for danger" routine and it therefore crashes the game.
- In all versions after Version 10, the chest apparently shrinks when it's emptied. This is known because in V10, the chest could hold the staff or lamp or torch. The staff is known to be taken out of the chest by the man at the cliff, who is the Dungeon Master in disguise.
- In any version, the ring, sceptre, and jeweled knife can be picked up simply by trying to use them to unlock the cage that they're locked in.
Taglines
It all comes down to this.
A land where nothing is as it seems!
References
- ^ Game response to "hello sailor" at the first prompt. ZORK III: The Dungeon Master; 1982; Infocom, Inc. ; Release 17, serial number 840727.
External links
- Zork III: The Dungeon Master at MobyGames
- The Infocom Bugs List entry for Zork III
- The Dot Eaters page featuring a history of the Zork games and Infocom
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