The Obsessively Complete Infocom Catalog

I’ve updated the catalog page to note which version of each game was on the Masterpieces CD.

(In some cases, the Mac and PC directories on the CD had different versions. I just spent a bunch of time comparing them…)

I suppose I should also check whether the LTOI disks had exactly the same versions as Masterpieces. I bet they did, though.

4 Likes

Perhaps it should also make a note which versions were released official and which weren’t? The information can be found in the Infocom Fact Sheet, of course, but it would be nice to have it all in one place.

It would also be interesting, but quite time consuming for any one person, to figure out which versions (besides the official ones) are actually playable.

From my own humble investigation, I can say that:

A Mind Forever Voyaging

  • 841226 starts, but there is very little to see.
  • 850313 doesn’t start in Frotz.
  • 850628 doesn’t start in Frotz.

Wishbringer

  • 880609 doesn’t start in Frotz.

Trinity

  • 851202 quits immediately.
  • 860221 is completable, with a couple of placeholder (“Film at eleven”) messages and some differences including, but almost certainly not limited to:
    • You can simply pick up the umbrella (you’re probably supposed to use the rake).
    • There is no bubble-blowing boy in Kensington Gardens.
    • The Wabe is behind a locked gate. You can open - but not pick - it with the credit card.
    • There is no book of hours.
    • There is no barrow wight.
    • The skink is a gecko.
    • You can’t take the lamp.
    • You don’t need the skeleton key to get to the ice cave, though the game expects you to use it.
    • You need to actively hold your breath to dive underwater.
    • The breaker under the tower is locked with screws. You have to use a coin since the screwdriver is the wrong type.

Moonmist

  • XXXXXX crashes Frotz on your first command.

Leather Goddesses of Phobos

  • 851008 - Starts, but there is very little to see. I don’t think you can even escape the cell.

860121 and 860325 are notable because they include some things that were cut during testing or for space, but I haven’t played them very far.

Stationfall

  • 861017 - Starts, but there is very little to see. Has a forklift that seems to have no use.

860218 is notable for not having the thermos, but I haven’t played it very far.

Bureaucracy

880521 - Probably miscompiled? Seems to run fine at first, but has corrupted text. This may have been around the time the Infocom toolchain was ported to C? (At least, the date fits well with the preserved C version of ZAP.)

Zork Zero

  • 870831 starts, but covers only a small part of the final game.
  • 880830 crashes Sfrotz with “Illegal window property”.
  • 880901 crashes Sfrotz with “Illegal window property”.
  • 890217 crashes Sfrotz with “Illegal attribute”.
  • 890323 is a demo, and can be completed as such.
  • 890714 (demo-r393) is a demo, and can be completed as such.

Shogun

  • 890217 I could not get through the Mariko chapter, because when I tried to greet her it was Toranaga that responded.
  • 890222 completable, but “WEAR CLOTHES” in the Prison chapter causes a stack overflow.
  • 890224 In the Yabu chapter, “BREAK CRUCIFIX” doesn’t work because it makes you automatically stand up. (“THROW CRUCIFIX TO GROUND” works, though.) I was not able to finish the game because the maze in the Escape chapter didn’t work in Sfrotz.
  • 890228 completable, but “WEAR CLOTHES” causes an infinite loop.

All other versions were completable, though the timing was sometimes slightly different. Also, in 890209 and 890211 the maze in the Escape chapter has to be navigated one step at a time. In later versions, you would automatically walk to the next intersection.

Mini-Zork I

  • 840207 - The map is severely broken, with several exits pointing to object 0.

Mini-Zork II

  • 871123 - The game is pretty much complete, but has several game-breaking bugs. Not the least of which is usually crashing Frotz when exiting the carousel room. But even if you managed to avoid that, the balloon appears broken.

Infocom Sampler

  • 840512 bizarrely crashes Frotz with an “Illegal attribute” error if I type “$VERIFY” after picking up the lamp.

Other than that, the samplers were completable.

Restaurant at the End of the Universe

There is nothing here that’s even close to a game.

3 Likes

I hate to make requests, since the page is an incredible resource as-is, but this would be useful.

1 Like

Is that list complete?

I don’t know. It’s a bit out of date since your archive includes versions not listed there (e.g. most of Shogun), and some versions listed as lost appear to have been found (e.g. the Planetfall beta). But I was hoping it would be reasonably complete when it comes to official releases. You could always list them as “believed to be an official release” or something like that if you want to err on the side of caution.

1 Like

Thanks for this!