4.5 - September 17, 1993 ------------------ Infocom Fact Sheet - Part 3 ------------------ Compiled by Paul David Doherty First published on CompuServe/Internet Supplied by both Graham Cluley and Richard Hunt @~Continued from last issue III Data Files =============== III.1 Story Data Files ---------------------- a) Legend Name : Game title. "Solid Gold" releases (which have the same Product Codes as normal ones) are marked "SG". ? : Versions marked with an "*" are the ones I have only heard of but never actually seen. V.A : Version number (a.k.a. "Release") and assembly date (a.k.a. "Serial number"). Typing VERSION in a game usually gives you this information. [Assembly dates in "<>" could be fakes!] Z-C : The Z-Code version (1...6) of the data file. An "s" marks a data file that requires an interpreter with sound (not only beep) capabilities. The Z-Code versions correspond with the development stages of ZIP ("Z-machine Interpreter Program", the virtual interpreter) in the following way: ZIP Z-Code --------------- ZIP 1-3 EZIP (LZIP) 4 ("extended") XZIP 5 ("experimental") YZIP 6 Length : The "real" length of the data file, as indicated in the "game length" field of the data file header. Usually, data files are slightly longer because they have been padded to a page size of 256 or 512 Bytes. Older data files (Z-code 1, 2 and early 3) have been marked with "---"; these files have no $VERIFY command and therefore lack the game length field in the header. b) Versions Name ? V.A Z-C Length ---------------------------------------------------- A Mind Forever Voyaging 77.850814 4 262016 79.851122 4 262036 Arthur 54.890606 6 270848 74.890714 6 269200 Ballyhoo 97.851218 3 128556 Beyond Zork 47.870915 5 261952 1) 49.870917 5 261900 51.870923 5 261548 57.871221 5 261388 Border Zone 9.871008 5 178372 Bureaucracy 86.870212 4 243144 116.870602 4 243340 Cutthroats 23.840809 3 112558 Deadline * 18.820311 ? ? 26.821108 3 108372 27.831005 3 108454 Enchanter 10.830810 3 109126 16.831118 3 109234 24.851118 3 108638 29.860820 3 111126 Four-In-One Sampler '84 26.840731 3 112610 Four-In-One Sampler '87 * ? ? ? HHGG 47.840914 3 112622 56.841221 3 113444 58.851002 3 113332 59.851108 3 113334 HHGG SG 31.871119 5 158412 Hollywood Hijinx 37.861215 3 109650 Infidel 22.830916 3 93556 Journey * 26.890316 6 ? 30.890322 6 280472 83.890706 6 282312 LGOP * 118.860325 3 ? * 50.860711 3 ? 59.860730 3 129022 LGOP SG 4.880405 5 159928 Lurking Horror 203.870506 3 128986 219.870912 3s 129704 221.870918 3s 129944 Mini-Zork I * 34.871124 3 52216 Moonmist 4.860918 3 129002 9.861022 3 128866 Nord and Bert 19.870722 4 170284 Planetfall 20.830708 3 107958 29.840118 3 109052 37.851003 3 109398 Planetfall SG 10.880531 5 136560 Plundered Hearts 26.870730 3 128962 Seastalker * 86.840320 3 ? 15.840501 3 117738 15.840522 3 117728 16.850515 3 117752 16.850603 3 117762 Sherlock 21.871214 5 188444 26.880127 5s 190180 Shogun * 292.890314 6 ? 295.890321 6 341912 * 311.890510 6 ? 322.890706 6 344816 Sorcerer * 67.<000000> 3 ? 4.840131 3 109734 6.840508 3 109482 13.851021 3 108692 15.851108 3 108682 18.860904 3 111052 Spellbreaker 63.850916 3 128480 87.860904 3 128916 Starcross 15.820901 3 84984 17.821021 3 83792 * ?. ? 3 84740 Stationfall 107.870430 3 128934 Suspect 14.841005 3 118692 Suspended * 5.830222 3 ? 7.830419 3 105500 8.830521 3 105492 8.840521 3 105584 Trinity 11.860509 4 262016 12.860926 4 262064 Wishbringer 68.850501 3 128952 69.850920 3 128904 Wishbringer SG 23.880706 5 164712 Witness 13.830524 3 102608 20.831119 3 104740 21.831208 3 104704 22.840924 3 104664 Zork I * 5.< > 1 --- * 15. ? ? 23.820428 3 --- 25.820515 3 (75808) 2) 28.821013 3 76018 30.830330 3 76324 75.830929 3 84868 76.840509 3 84874 88.840726 3 84876 Zork I SG 52.871125 5 105264 Zork I German 3.880113 5 116216 Zork II 7. 2 --- 17.820427 3 --- 18.820517 3 --- 22.830331 3 82920 * ?. ? 3 89136 48.840904 3 89912 Zork III 10.820818 3 82334 15.830331 3 82558 15.840518 3 82642 16.<823242> 3 81626 3) 17.840727 3 82714 Zork Zero 296.881019 6 295536 366.890323 6 296376 393.890714 6 299968 c) Footnotes 1) The IBM version appears longer because the character definitions (used for the runes) are simply appended to the data file. On other platforms (e.g. Amiga and Atari ST), the definitions are in a separate font file. 2) I have seen ZorkI.025 with and without a game length field in the header. I don't know how it was originally released by Infocom. 3) Either a beta test version or a fake. III.2 Graphic Data Files ------------------------ At the moment I only have information about the IBM graphics files. I don't know whether the "version numbers" shown by the VERSION command (byte 0x1b of the graphic file) are really version numbers. The MS-DOS versions of the YZIP games came with 3 graphics files: for MCGA/VGA graphics cards (*.MG1), for EGA (*.EG1) and for CGA (*.CG1). You could chose the graphics file via command line options; the syntax was "YZIP /D[M,E,C]". EGA support was the default. Arthur and Shogun contained the program FILECVT.EXE, which can create EG1 and CG1 graphics from the MG1 graphics file. Arthur (Darrell Myers/Tanya Isaacson/Sophie Green/Donna Dennison/Jim Sullivan) MG1 Pix 27 292279 (89-07-14 11:32) EG1/2 [EGA file not included] CG1 Pix 15 209359 (89-07-13 18:50) Journey (Donald Langosy) MG1 Pix 2 465606 (89-06-23 13:38) EG1/2 Pix 12 360500/249241 (89-07-07 12:37/38) CG1 Pix 8 297105 (89-07-07 17:01) Shogun (Donald Langosy) MG1 Pix 9 213425 (89-07-06 15:21) EG1 Pix 21 278669 (89-06-28 11:47) CG1 Pix 20 141450 (89-07-06 15:34) Zork0 (James Shook & Tanya Allan/Denise Audette/Andy Briggs/Rob Dunlavey/Sophia Green/Joy Pulver/Charlie Voner) MG1 Pix 14 226436 (89-07-10 11:35) EG1 Pix 29 333654 (89-07-13 17:48) CG1 Pix 29 244507 (89-07-14 16:42) III.3 Title Pictures -------------------- The 4 YZIP games had title pictures which were incorporated in the graphics files. The only other game with a title picture was the Atari ST version of "Beyond Zork". III.4 Font Files ---------------- It seems that the only game that needed special character definitions was "Beyond Zork". Infocom put these special characters in a separate font file (called "Graphic.Data" on the Amiga and "FONT3.DAT" on the Atari ST). In the MS-DOS version, the font file was appended to the game's data file. The Amiga versions of "Journey" and "Arthur" also came with font files (called "Char.Data"). In "Arthur", it is used for the game's proportional font. (The "Journey" font file is identical with the one from "Beyond Zork".) III.5 Boss Keys --------------- The (original) MS-DOS version of "Leather Goddesses of Phobos" came with a boss key picture ("LEATHER.DAT") displayed by the ZIP (version 3 N). @~To be continued next issue - o -