This is the second, and probably final release of "Zugzwang - the Interactive Life of a Chess Piece", part of the TextFire 12-pack, originally published on April 1, 1998. Release 2 fixes some bugs in release 1 and adds some (minor) functionality. It also reveals the true identity of the author. This distribution contains both a z-code game file (playable with any modern Z-code interpreter, such as Frotz or Zip) and the Inform source code for the game. Some questions you might feel inclined to ask: Q: Who wrote this game? Alfred Timpson or Magnus Olsson? A: Magnus Olsson. Alfred Timpson is a pseudonym - see below. Q: The game says something about this being a demo of a larger game, to be published by a company called TextFire. How come I've never heard anything about this? A: TextFire was an April Fool's joke - a number of IF authors decided to publish a set of "demos" for games that would be impossible to write, or publish, or sell, or some combination of this. We wrote the games pseudonymously, of course, and invented some more or less outrageous personalities for our alter egos. Q: So the full game, of which "Zugzwang" purports to be a demo, doesn't exist? A: No. I'm fascinated by the thought of an IF game where you play the part of a chess piece in a game. But I have no idea of how such a game would work, or how to write it, unless the game is a really limited one, where all moves are forced. This "demo" is such a limited game, but a full-scale game would have to contain more general positions (which I have no idea of how to implement), or it would be very boring indeed. But in this small format, the idea actually works. Sort of. Q: But the other TextFire demos really exist? A: Sure. See, for example, ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/demos/textfire. If I, one of the conspirators, may say so, they're well worth downloading. Q: How do I register the game? A: You don't. The game talks about registering, but that's part of the joke. It's actually free. Q: So then it's public domain? A: No, it's copyrighted. But it's free! For the full copyright notice, see the source code files (the files ending in ".inf"). Q: How do I play it? A: You need a Z-code interpreter, such as Frotz or Zip. You can download free Z-code interpreters for most computers from ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/infocom/interpreters. You then yse the Z-code interpreter to play the file zugzwang.z5. See the instructions that came with your interpreter. Q: What are all the files with names ending in ".inf"? A: They are the Inform source code for the game. Q: Do I need the source code to play the game? A: No. Q: Then may I ask what I'm supposed to do with the source code? A: It depends. If you just want to play the game you can delete the files and forget about them. If you're interested in writing your own adventure games (especially ones involving chess) you may find the source code interesting. It may even teach you a trick or two. Q: How do I compile the source code? A: Ah, so you're a programmer? Well, you need the Inform compiler and the Inform library. If everything is set up correctly, it should be sufficient to type "inform zugzwang" (or, if you're on a Mac, to select the file "zugzwang.inf" as the input file). If all this sounds like Greek to you, then I suggest you ask for help on the newsgroup rec.arts.int-fiction. Note 1: The compiler will give you a few warnings about constants being declared but not used. It is safe to ignore them. Note 2: The source code was developed and tested with Inform 6.14 and Library 6/7. It's not guaranteed to work with any other compiler/library combination. Q: How did you fit a chess program into this little game? Doesn't that require a lot of fancy AI programming? A: I didn't. Actually, I cheat: there are very few moves you can make and all the game's responses are hard-coded. Q: Finally, what on Earth does "Zugzwang" mean? A: It's a chess term, and it's explained in the game. Play the game and read the book you're carrying. Or, if you're lazy, read the file book.inf. With this, I leave the gentle reader to do what he or she prefers: play the game, spend hours poring over the source code, or just delete the entire archive from your disk. The choice is yours; I hope my efforts will provide some enjoyment. Linköping, Sweden, July 1999 Magnus Olsson (zebulon@pobox.com)