2024 Note on Registrations

Sebby · 2013-05-10 08:10:00

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It's true. Activision released Lost Treasures of Infocom as an iPhone and iPad app.

I can't imagine that it's of use to anybody but old-time players, and what I've read of it supports that theory. Indeed, it's just another re-release, which is hardly much of a commemoration, though it's about all they can do.

Sadly, the app is not accessible at all. Happily, the z-code data is (though you aren't authorised to use it until you've paid for it, obviously). Most of us probably know how to get these elsewhere, and have already done so by now anyway. But at least it's official.

The games aren't all there. 27 of them are represented, from the 36 available (including ZTUU). The missing ones are the four Z6 games (Shogun, Arthur, Zork 0 and Journey), of course, but also Nord and Bert, Beyond Zork, Sherlock, Bureaucracy and Hitchhiker's. The games aren't patched to the latest versions, and are still protected by the included print material. Patches from the IF Archive can fix that.

Cheers,

Sabahattin

Just myself, as usual.

Sebby · 2013-05-10 08:19:43

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Does this mean, incidentally, that if we wait another 24 years (last Infocom game released in 1989) that we can expect BlindSoftware.com to re-release their games as an iPhone app?

These games play just fine on the BrailleNote's interpreter (minus the stupid bugs it has, of course) with the exception of the v6 games. The BrailleNote's interpreter is based on jzip.

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Dark · 2013-05-10 13:09:22

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Well it sounds like activision have done a pretty shoddy job with that, ---- and I'm not just saying that because they've managed to make accessible games inaccessible, (which is pretty dire in itself).

However, fortunately all the infocom games can be found Here (including arthur and the others you mention), and played in any zcode interpreter of your choice. For copywrite info, see the copywrite section of that site, though of course if the games are! now available in a rerelease the webmaster may take the originals he's got there down, (all the more reason to get these while you can).

it's a shame, since activision could have potentially done much more with these, then again after the travesty that was the brouser game legends of zork, I don't really expect activision to do much good with the old infocom games.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

queenslight · 2013-05-10 17:40:30

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Does anyone need that 500 MB archive of every? single? Infocom game, that was linked once long ago on the Audyssey gamer's list? I backed that thing up to my pen drive! No way I was gonna pass up getting that...
To rare of a find!

big d · 2013-05-18 06:28:03

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Mmm, sounds interesting. Can you send that along? Also, not that it'd work on too much these days but, anyone want cornerstone?

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Dark · 2013-05-18 09:31:26

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That's true trenten, Ibrahim's archive is fantastic, particularly with all the instructions and other materials about the games. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind you passing it around.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

mattymc2 · 2013-05-19 01:10:55

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oooo i would looove to get my hands on that archive!

queenslight · 2013-05-20 05:08:00

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Greetings!
You can now get this fine collection, via my Sky Drive, which I wish more people would use!
Anyway, here's the link!
http://sdrv.ms/17RQxAg
Enjoy!

jaybird · 2013-05-20 07:08:46

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Um, there doesn't seem to be anything there.

queenslight · 2013-05-20 14:37:44

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Hmmm.
Will Double check. That link should be working fine...

jaybird · 2013-05-20 14:43:47

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It is, I grabbed the file a few hours ago.

queenslight · 2013-05-20 15:29:03

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Ah, good!
Updated link in that 8th post. The file itself, is now part of a "Precious Jewels" folder.

grryfindore · 2013-05-20 15:43:28

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Hi,
To download this collection, we need a microsoft account? Oh well. I'll have to see if I can dig up info for that hotmail account I have and never use.
Either way,thanks for the upload,Trenton.

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fastfinge · 2013-05-21 14:35:51

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Can someone please put this collection on dropbox or sendspace or...a web server somewhere or...something? SkyDrive is the worst website I have ever had to use, even more bloated and irritating than rapid share. I do not have, nor do I want, a Microsoft account. I do not want to go through the 89 step sign-up process, plus CAPTCHA. I do not want a hotmail email address for any reason.

queenslight · 2013-05-21 16:02:31

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you're welcome folks.
Ah, ya know, I probably should have posted it up on my web space I suppose... Think I shalt do that!
Will update the link once done.
Oh! No way I'm using dropbox for that... I'm not getting no 509 band with mess!

kwork · 2013-06-14 07:07:34

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Thank you Trenton. Got here in about two minutes. Dang fast for over 500 mb. This will be fun.

Sebby · 2013-06-16 22:27:10

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I couldn't make the SkyDrive link work, even after signing in. There's just nothing there.

And yeah, SkyDrive is awful. I know Dropbox has problems, but at least it's actually cross-platform.

Just myself, as usual.

fastfinge · 2013-06-17 16:50:13

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I've found several archives with all the infocom titles, complete with sound files and multimedia. The largest was, like, 50 mb. I'm not sure what's in that archive to make it 500 mb.

Phil · 2013-06-17 23:43:34

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Hi,
I bet the 500 mb was image versions of pdf instruction booklets.
They ahd plenty of pictures and maps in them so would have to be included as images.
Or it could be photos of the feelies.
Those were physical objects that were packed with the game.
They added them to promote someone to buy the game rather than just copy the floppy disk from a friend.
I think I still have a baggie of lint from Hitchhikers.
They probably vaccumed the carpet at Infocom and dumped the result into the little bags.
Smart!

Sebby · 2013-06-19 06:43:37

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I've seen plenty of Infocom archives already, so it's probably OK. I'm just collecting; staying complete. I certainly don't need Activision's crappy PDFs though; better docs are on http://infodoc.plover.net/ (still an incomplete list for us blinks, sadly). Deprotection patches can also be useful; find them in Infocom/Patches on any IF-Archive mirror.

Cheers,

Sabahattin

Just myself, as usual.

ksapergia · 2013-07-24 17:32:50

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Hi,

Those decryption patches sound interesting, I'll have to check those out. What program do you use to patch the games?

Also, regarding one of Infocom's titles, Cutthroats, is there a text version of the Book of Shipwrecks? I ask because I read in a solution file that you have to get latitude and longitude information from the book at some point during the game.

Thanks.

Yours Sincerely,
Kelly Sapergia

Dark · 2013-07-25 14:34:31

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Actually, pdfs from the original instructions are usually needed since infocom stuck in some clues like passwords that only come up in the documentation as an anti piracy measure, and those are slightly harder to find on the internet, as are the invisiclue help files (which are actually pretty necessary for much of infocom I found).

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

Sebby · 2013-07-25 20:03:24

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Invisiclues are all now on the IF-archive as plain text files. You can usually locate the hardcoded values in solutions; just keep looking. (Unfortunately, the actual text of the various feelies is rather harder to come by.) The PDFs are sadly almost completely useless even after OCRing the hell out of them, because they just aren't very high-resolution scans.

The encrypt/decrypt programs are in the patches directory. They're DOS executables, so you'll need an x86 (32-bit) Windows box, or a C compiler to compile the source code on some other platform.

Just myself, as usual.

2024 Note on Registrations

Lost Treasures of Infocom, the app

Posts: 23

#1 Topic by Sebby 2013-05-10 08:10:00

#2 Reply by Sebby 2013-05-10 08:19:43

#3 Reply by Dark 2013-05-10 13:09:22

#4 Reply by queenslight 2013-05-10 17:40:30

#5 Reply by big d 2013-05-18 06:28:03

#6 Reply by Dark 2013-05-18 09:31:26

#7 Reply by mattymc2 2013-05-19 01:10:55

#8 Reply by queenslight 2013-05-20 05:08:00 (edited by queenslight 2013-05-20 15:27:38)

#9 Reply by jaybird 2013-05-20 07:08:46

#10 Reply by queenslight 2013-05-20 14:37:44

#11 Reply by jaybird 2013-05-20 14:43:47

#12 Reply by queenslight 2013-05-20 15:29:03

#13 Reply by grryfindore 2013-05-20 15:43:28

#14 Reply by fastfinge 2013-05-21 14:35:51

#15 Reply by queenslight 2013-05-21 16:02:31

#16 Reply by kwork 2013-06-14 07:07:34

#17 Reply by Sebby 2013-06-16 22:27:10

#18 Reply by fastfinge 2013-06-17 16:50:13

#19 Reply by Phil 2013-06-17 23:43:34

#20 Reply by Sebby 2013-06-19 06:43:37

#21 Reply by ksapergia 2013-07-24 17:32:50

#22 Reply by Dark 2013-07-25 14:34:31

#23 Reply by Sebby 2013-07-25 20:03:24

Posts: 23