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From: john@moncol.UUCP (John Ruschmeyer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.misc,comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: zork decoding
Message-ID: <502@moncol.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 7-Nov-87 20:54:08 EST
Article-I.D.: moncol.502
Posted: Sat Nov  7 20:54:08 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Nov-87 03:30:45 EST
References: <2804@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <7639@reed.UUCP> <434@ur-tut.UUCP> <436@ur-tut.UUCP> <7364@eddie.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: john@moncol.UUCP (John Ruschmeyer)
Organization: Monmouth College, W. Long Branch, NJ 07764
Lines: 32
Keywords: zork,infocom
Xref: mnetor rec.games.misc:1123 comp.sys.apple:3242

In article <7364@eddie.MIT.EDU> rassilon@eddie.MIT.EDU (Brian Preble) writes:
>In article <434@ur-tut.UUCP> jra1@tut.cc.rochester.edu.UUCP (The Super Abuser) writes:
>> I get the impression that the basic coding technique is that all the words
>> that are used in Zork's descriptions are stored in some mildly compressed
>> format on the disk (probably "3-2" packing of characters), and the text
>> descriptions are arrays of pointers to the words on disk. 
>
>I don't know how Infocom stores anything but I can help.  There is a program
>called ZorkTools which will allow you to play your game as normal but, at any
>point, you may do such things as looking at all the text descriptions, get a
>list of valid verbs and nouns, make a copy suitable for installing on a hard
>disk, etc.  The program runs on IBM PC's and compatibles and I will, if there
>is enough interest, post it here.

One note, the only version of ZorkTools that I have seen only works for the
older copy-protected games. Recently, Infocom has begun shipping thwir
games unprotected, with in install program to copy the correct files, set
up directories, etc. (They also now do all screen I/O through ANSI.SYS.

I have not heard of a version of ZorkTools which will work with these
games.

-- 
Name:		John Ruschmeyer
US Mail:	Monmouth College, W. Long Branch, NJ 07764
Phone:		(201) 571-3557
UUCP:		...!vax135!petsd!moncol!john	...!princeton!moncol!john
						   ...!pesnta!moncol!john

	Give computers an artificial intelligence and the
	next thing you know they want to use the same bathroom.
					- Allan Dean Foster