From: utzoo!decvax!duke!harpo!eagle!mhtsa!allegra!psuvax!sibley
Newsgroups: net.games
Title: More and better zork questions
Article-I.D.: psuvax.1071
Posted: Wed Aug 11 23:07:25 1982
Received: Sat Aug 14 04:40:17 1982



Recently there were some questions about zork in this newsgroup.  When I
was seriously playing zork several months ago I ran 'strings' on the
various zork object files, so I know essentially everything the game can
say.  I guess this really earns me the rank of cheater.  Although I solved
all of the problems in the game and the endgame, there are still several
interesting looking responses the game can make that I don't know how to
cause.  I would be interested in any information on how to get the
following responses.

"The troll scratches his head ruminatively.  Might you be magically
protected, he wonders?"  Is there some magic protection from the troll?

"Congratulations! You've managed to break all the bottles.  Fortunately
for your feet, they were made of magic glass and disappear immediately."
So it is possible at least to break the bottles.  How is this done?  Is it
possible to take the bottles?  (Presumably, "bottles" here refers to the
coke bottles.)

"You'll have to speak up if you expect me to hear you."

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Annoyed to be left unarmed in such an obviously dangerous neighborhood,
the thief slips off into the shadows."  Related to this seems to be
"The robber, somewhat surprised by this turn of events, nimbly recovers
his stilletto."  Is there some way to get the stilletto away from the
thief?  These responses are not near the other responses used in the
fights, so they might be special.  Also, in the section for (long)
descriptions of objects there is "There is a vicious-looking stilletto
here."

"By some miracle of elven technology, you have managed to stop the leak in
the dam."  How does the dam start leaking and how can it be stopped?
Maybe with the glue?

"There is a large case here, containing objects which you used to possess."
This sounds like it is related to the thief or the endgame, but I don't
remember a case. (This is again the long description.  The short
description appears to be just "large case.")

Finally, are there sure-fire ways of dealing with the troll and the thief?
I know one easy way to kill the thief, but it entails not being able to
get one of the treasures - the brass bauble.  I'd especially like to be
able to get rid of the thief early so I can use the torch for light
safely.

Dave Sibley
Frobozz Magic Quiz Company
Department of Mathematics
Penn State University
psuvax!sibley