Keys to Zork question

[DataAngel]

yes it had inventory, just not as full blown as games like Kings Quest or Kyrandia. Kyrandia1 was insane with inv. you could literally pick up tons of crap you didn't even need lol. Kinda sucked but the game was still awesome nonetheless.

[Nemesis]

What I mean by no inventory is that it's not an item-based game. Everything doesn't revolve around items.

[zorket]

Hi.  I guess I am the newbie here.  Actually, I have been nosing about for a very long time, and have had some contact with you die hard zork fans on other boards & emails.  
Anyway...answering the question...the key would be "stick-to-it-iveness."  
I love the zork humor, and have had to use an occassional cheat.  I actually love the mystery of the text games better than the ones with graphics.  I have been playing them since way back when in high school!!  (late '70's early 80's).
I wrote a few text based games on my own then, but got sidetracked for 20 or so years.

[DataAngel]

yes zorket you are right as well, some of the puzzles are dang annoying. I remember the spell making one in ZGI, oh how annoying that one was. I didn't want to decode everything lol, so I looked it up. ;-}

glad to have you aboard.

[Nemesis]

Why do people cheat? I've managed to resist all my life. What's the point of the game if you cheat?

[Not_Afgncaap5]

Decode everything? Are you referring to the Beburtt spell? You do know you can just use "Kendall" in the "Better Spellcasting" book, right?  Ah well, that's all of topic.

[DataAngel]

the point of cheating is to progress through the game when you find that point where you are sick to death of the puzzle and start to hate the game, I cheat occassionally so that ONE puzzle or tough spot doesn't ruin the entire game experience.

A GOOD example is 'Ripper' its a 6CD game made in I think 1996. A really good game but impossible without a walkthrough, I suppose its not IMpossible, but it did take me the better part of 6 months hours a day even WITH a walkthrough to complete it. There are things in it, just so complicated even a genius would have trouble. Other than those spots in the game I didn't cheat otherwise.

Other games are just SOOOO long that you just get tired of playing it, and if you cheat it will keep your interest longer. A good example was 'Baldurs Gate 2', I played that game for nearly 50 hours and wasn't even halfway through the game. I ended up just removing it and never want to play it again. I spent that long just to not get halfway, the game got boring and it just wouldn't progress fast enough or seem to get anywhere, it was just quest after quest after quest, with no end in sight.

I used to be JUST like you Nemesis, until I played a FEW REALLY hard games that would be nearly impossible or take you the better part of eternity to finish one puzzle. It drove me to HATE the game and not want to play it, spending 2hours on ONE puzzle is not that bad ONCE IN A WHILE, but if every other puzzle consumes 2hours of time to complete, you'll find that VERY quickly you'll go nowhere in just a week.

[Nemesis]

Okay...I want to try 'Ripper'. Do you know anywhere to find it? See if I can beat it without cheats and how long it will take.

[DataAngel]

I don't know where you can get it, its by Take Two Interactive though. You can always try ebay if you can't find it through a regular buying website.

[Basse]

I love Zork because of it's inventivness. The funny comparisons to our world. Basically the majority of Zork humour is a look of our world through a twisted view, e.g. the Flatheads, and I love it.

But also the serious part of Zork, it's complex history and such that only Tolkien can outmatch is also very enjoyable. I really like games, books ect. that makes a world with a realistic sort of society. So that you can actually imagine yourself living in an everyday life in that world, and Zork does that.

Of course the funny small notions that also is parallels to our world and also the paculiarty of the puzzles which, though they may be illogical, provides loades of fun.

Yep, Zork is one of the best computer series made with the best kind of worlds to it. The Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo worlds are also pretty neat (Blizzard ROCKS!).

[Nemesis]

Actually, the 'complex history that only Tolkien could outmatch', I think Frank Herbert could too, because his way of writing and developing is so much like Tolkien's. There's plenty of history there. And the Dune games are neat too.

Ripper looks pretty interesting, hopefully I can get it soon.

[Garius_Lupus]

Here's the page from Moby Games on Ripper:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/gameId,3198/

And here are a bunch of them on ebay:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dl ... &catref=C1

[zorket]

I just finished playing "Schizm" - mysterious journey.  I did like the graphics in that game, but as in many of the adventure games lately, the ending left a lot to be desired.  I LOVED the puzzles.  I would give it about a 7 out of 10.  It had the feeling of Myst III.  Now I am looking for a new game.  My brother suggested Siberia.  Anybody heard of it?

zorket

[DataAngel]

yes, syberia is really cool, I borrowed it, didn't play it, but didn't have the time yet. I would HIGHLY recommend getting it.

[JDS]

I thing the key to Zork is just the feeling. When you play a game like Zork, it get a hold on you and never let's it go! Actually, when I started playing Zork: N (the best Zork game I think), I forgot about the rest of my life (as fas as I had it, that is), and just played, played, played!

As for Myst, the first was pritty good - but it really wasn't Zork. I never played Riven, but I did play Exile, and allthough it have some neat graphics, there wasn't the adventure-feeling.

And inventories are VERY important - I think that was one of the bad things of Z: Nemesis: you had a inventory, but you used it rarely - actually, I forgot to put some items back and so for the rest of the game I hade to walk around with a big torch in my hand. Please don't do this me in Z: THE.  ;)