This package is designed to get you started with the wide (and I mean wide -- you can spend the next year playing text adventures without spending a dime) world of interactive fiction. You should find the following files in the archive: FROTZ [DOS] / ZIP INFINITY [MAC]: Interpreter for Inform gamefiles REAME.TXT: Brief instructions for Frotz [DOS only] TADS RUNTIME: Interpreter for TADS gamefiles CURSES.Z5: Curses, the first game built with the Inform language UU1.gam: Unnkulian Unventure 1, the first game built with TADS CURSES.SOL: A full solution for Curses UNNKULIAN.SOL: A full solution for UU1 EXAMPLE.TXT: An annotated sample transcript from Curses README.1ST: This file TADS and Inform are the two languages most widely used by authors of modern interactive fiction. TADS gamefiles usually use the suffix .gam, while Inform gamefiles use the suffix .z3, .z5, or .z8 (you don't really want me to explain what those mean, do you?). If you're running a TADS game on your PC, the executable you want to use is TADSR: TADSR .gam from your DOS prompt. It would be wise to put the gamefiles in the same directory as the executables. If you wish to use an Inform gamefile, then FROTZ .z5 (or .z3 or .z8) will start the game. Both interpreters provide many formatting options which can be viewed by omitting the filename. Macintosh users should just double-click on the appropriate application and choose the game they want to play. If the game isn't showing up, make sure that "Show All Files" is checked. The IF-archive at ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive is loaded with information about interactive fiction. Within the /games directory you'll find many Inform gamesfiles in the /Infocom subdirectory (Inform uses the same binary code as the classic Infocom adventures). TADS gamefiles are in the /TADS directory, while the /PC and/Mac directories contain executables (many of them executable versions of the TADS and Inform gamefiles, which don't require FROTZ, TADSR, etc.). Please note that any .gam or .z# files MUST be downloaded as BINARY data, but your browser will want to default to text. Use a dedicated FTP program or try "Save Link as Source" with your web browser. There are many other languages available, most notably AGT and HUGO, but most modern adventures are being written in Inform and TADS, particularly because their gamefiles can be played on practically any platform (Atari, Amiga, Unix, etc.). If you want to run these games on something besides a Mac or PC, check /programming/tads for TADS runtime executables and /programming/infocom/interpreters for Inform interpreters. I recommend Curses as a good starting point because it has a lot of puzzles which are representative of the genre. Once you have finished Curses, you will have mastered all of the skills required to solve any text adventure you might come across. If you have never played a text adventure before, start by reading the file example.txt. This is an annotated transcript from Curses which introduces most of the important commands you will want to master. Typing 'HELP' from within the game will also provide lots of useful information on what commands the game will accept. The solutions are provided as your last resource, so only use them when you're really stuck (i.e. you haven't slept or eaten in days because you can't open that damned child-proof medicine bottle). If you do use the solutions, do so sparingly. If you make it a point to EXAMINE (or just 'X') everything, you will have already learned the most important lesson in solving these games. Think logically, but not too logically. SAVE often. TAKE everything that's not nailed down. Read the descriptions carefully (try not to skim, especially when using a walkthrough, because you'll miss all of the good stuff). Try anything that comes to mind -- even if it doesn't work, it could reward you with an entertaining response. If you have trouble starting up, feel free to send me E-mail at russbryan@earthlink.net. I'll even offer my services for hints on Curses and UU1 (one time per customer, please, with as many questions as you can squeeze into the message) if it will keep you from peeking at the solutions. For other games, hints are readily available at rec.games.int-fiction. If you want to write your own text adventures, information can be found at rec.arts.int-fiction and, of course, at the IF-Archive. Enjoy! Russ Bryan 8/20/96 russbryan@earthlink.net