September/ October 1996 Issue #11 The Magazine for Interactive Fiction Enthusiasts “Zorkers do it under the rug...” — quote from an Infocom fan’s .sig file Two items from the blowing my own horn department: first, I hope you’ll all stop by Folio magazine’s mediacen- tral.com Web site to see a short but sweet review of XYZZYnews by Steve Wilson in the Zine & Noted sec- tion. You’ll find the URL inside this issue as a Top 10 Pick for IF on the Web—naturally! :-) Secondly, it looks like—yet again!—it’s time for me to let you all know I’m changing jobs. I’m joining IBM’s cor- porate Internet programs, where I’ll serve as managing editor for the IBM home page. If there are any IBM employees out there in the XYZZYnews readership, please give me a holler—you should have no trouble finding me in PROFS. :-) In real IF news, it sounds like all material for the CD project shepherded by Andrew Plotkin is proceeding apace; I’ll report back on when the CD will be available. I also may give a talk in the spring at New York University about the popularity of interactive fiction, as part of their Contents: Computer Advocacy Club's annual Theme Week. Top 10 Picks for IF on the Web.................2 (My apologies for such a short editorial this time Letters .......................3 around, but I swear this issue would never get out otherwise!) A Conversation with CosmoServe’s Judith Pintar ...............5 Until next issue, happy gaming! XYZZYnews Talks to Eileen Mullin the Bearded Oracle of Yonkers ..................9 [email protected] Announcing the XYZZY Awards...........14 Game Review: The Windhall Chronicles.............15 What’s on the Disk....16 NEWSBRIEFS…NEWSBRIEFS…NEWSBRIEFS…NEWSBRIEFS… September/October Top 10 Picks XYZZYnews is published bimonthly by Bran Muffin Communications, 160 West for IF on the World Wide Web 24th Street, # 7C, New York, NY 10011, USA. Email: [email protected]. URL: The rec.arts.int-fiction Silly Game http://www.interport.net/~eileen/design http://www.arnod.demon.co.uk/IF/sillygame/ /xyzzynews.html. Send all inquiries, let- ters, and submissions to any of the Illusory Mental Images addresses above. http://www.execpc.com/~illusory/illusory.html Contents © 1996 XYZZYnews. All rights Frotz Z-machine interpreter home page reserved. Published in the United States http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/3222/ of America. frotz.html Electronic versions: There are War of the words: Review of XYZZYnews currently three versions of XYZZYnews made available online. One is in ASCII http://www.mediacentral.com/Magazines/Folio/Zines/ and can be viewed with any text reader. 19961115.htm/737896 You can also download a .PDF file that mirrors the layout of the print version. Atlantide 1664 Use the Adobe Acrobat Reader (available http://www.1664.com/ for Windows, Mac, DOS and UNIX) to view the .PDF file; no special fonts or linked Matthew's Computer Game Reviews graphics are needed. You can obtain http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~i9717029/Reviews.html Acrobat Reader from ftp.adobe.com in the pub/adobe/applications/Acrobat Digital Dimensions folder, or follow the links from their Web page at http://www.adobe.com. Thirdly, http://www2.scifiu.com:80/scifiu/spaceb.html you can also read this issue of XYZZYnews on the World Wide Web at Space Bar Preview http://www.interport.net/~eileen/design http://www.cdmag.com:80/adventure_vault/ /xyzzy.11.html space_bar_preview/page1.html Subscriptions: All electronic versions are Representing Human Characters in Interactive Games available at no cost. You can obtain either http://reality.sgi.com/employees/prevost_studio/ the ASCII or PDF versions by FTPing to the personality.html ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/magazines/ XYZZYnews directory. To be added to the Space on your hard drive: A brief history of science fic- mailing list, please write to eileen@inter- port.net and specify text-only or .PDF ver- tion gaming sion. The print version includes a 3.5" Mac http://www.scifi.com:80/scifi.con/gameroom/gamespot/ or PC disk and is $21 (U.S.) for one year (6 issues) or $3.50 for a sample issue. For print subscriptions outside the U.S. or Canada, please email or write for rates. All products, names, and services are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Editorial deadline for Issue #12 is October 31, 1996. Editor: Eileen Mullin Contributors to this issue: Rob Daviau Neil deMause C.E. Forman Matt Newsome Space on your hard drive: A brief history of science fiction gaming Andrew Pontious 2 Issue #11 September/October 1996 LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS… Hi Eileen! tion disk are somewhat similar reading... even though he is in to mine, and therefore, I rarely his bedroom! Just wanted to tell you that the waste my time if I FTP to ASCII versions of both Issue #9 gmd.de and look for those spe- —SLaM and #10 of XYZZYnews are cific games. Perhaps this is a [email protected] missing a very important “S” use for your “What's on The in the Legalese. The kind offer Disk” column which you had- for the readers to send any- n’t counted on, but I assure you Dear Eileen, thing to your address has that in my opinion, it is never- become a harsh denial: “end all theless an extremely valuable First off, I’d like to thank and inquiries, letters, and submis- portion of the XYZZYnews, and congratulate you regarding this sions to any of the addresses it shouldn't be left out, if at all excellent and needed publica- above.” possible. tion. I thought I was one of the Still grateful (boy, have I Thanks for everything, last people on Earth who still been missing something ignor- had an interest in Infocom ing the .PDF version), —Meg games, as well as IF in general. [email protected] Recently, I happened to be —Miron shopping for entertainment [email protected] software and was becoming a To XYZZYnews: bit depressed by the fact that Yikes! Let me thank you for there are only a few games, catching that typo; that should Back in the early ’80s a friend constantly re-packaged, avail- explain any lapses in the of mine and I spent several able anymore (war simulations, amount of e-mail I get. :-) —EM afternoons playing Adventure. sci-fi and action type shoot- Just before the floppy drive on ’em-ups, icon-driven fantasy the PC went dead, we had dis- adventures, sports simulators Hi Eileen, covered a set of rooms under and classic board and strategy the Troll Bridge. To get down, games), or so it would seem. Firstly, I want to say that I we had to remove the Troll's Much to my astonished enjoy reading the XYZZYnews Sign and hang the Golden delight, I found a single copy of each and every time it is Chain from the Sign Post. I Infocom Masterpieces, which mailed to me, and I do appreci- have been looking for a version includes 33 of their published ate the trouble that you take to of Adventure that has this text adventures (apparently send it directly. It's a fine publi- “feature” but can not find one. every one except Hitchhiker's cations which celebrates an all- Do you or any of your readers Guide, Shogun, Quarterstaff too-ignored genre in the gaming have any insight? and Mini-Zork). The fact that world. ——Jim Mcdonnell the price, $19.94, was about At the end of the last issue, [email protected] half what a single Infocom title you asked if you should discon- used to cost me was arguably tinue the “What's on the Disk” I’ll throw this one open to the the best news of all! section to save time and space group for answers…any sugges- Needless to say, my for those of us who receive it tions, folks? —EM intense, but by necessity, large- electronically, and therefore ly dormant interest in IF was don't receive the diskette. Well, re- kindled in a big way so I I thought I'd throw my two To XYZZYnews, decided to to do a Net search of cents in and say that I really did “Infocom,” expecting to find miss that section, because it Hi! First of all…let me say that nothing, but still hopeful. often serves as a reminder and XYZZYnews is terrific…you Again, it was wonderful to be guide to me to all the new have just done an outstanding wrong. During the 1980s I games out there that I should job. It's a treat to read. solved 12 text adventures, be looking for. It also serves as I have a bug for the list... in including Zork I and II, a bit of an unintentional quali- the Witness (the LTOI I ver- Enchanter, Planetfall and ty guide, because I assume that sion, anyhow), if you drop the Witness, plus seven from other your standards for including mystery book in the office, companies. I’m currently mak- these games on your distribu- Phong picks it up and starts ing rapid progress on Sorcerer, September/October 1996 XYZZYnews 3 LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS…LETTERS… Stationfall and Infidel, plus the wearing a cloak. ingly flat plain of original Adventure, which I sun-bleached sand. The downloaded from the glorious >DROP PIGEON plain seems to stretch IF archive. Anyway, my ques- Dropped. endlessly in all direc- tion is this: I would like to tions.