Wishbringer - Manual
THE LEGEND OF WISHBRINGER
FESTERON TOWN LIBRARY
12/11/63 05/14/23
01/32/64 07/07/53
08/18/70 11/12/54
10/10/88 09/20/57
03/01/96
06/31/12
10/24/19
CHAPTER THE FIRST
Of Morning-Star's birth and great beauty, and how she was abducted
by the envious Queen Alexis.
It happened in the reign of mighty Anatinus, King of Misty Island, that
there was born into a peasant home a daughter, blessed with rare and
perfect Beauty. Morning-Star they names her; and the legend of her beauty
spread through all the kingdom, even to the court of Anatinus.
There beside the throne sat Queen Alexis, heavy-hearted. For her newborn
daughter, cursed by fate and prophecy, was sightless. Loth the Queen to
look upon her blind child's face! And how the baby Morning-Star, more
beautiful and perfect, made her jealous!
Envy breedeth Evil: Queen Alexis caused the simple peasant home of
Morning-Sate to burn. The sleeping family perished, all but Morning-Star,
who, being rescued by the Queen's design, became her daughter, sight
restored by Prayer.
(The one true Princess, left behind to fill the vacant cradle, perished
too, and never saw her mother.)
CHAPTER THE SECOND
Of Morning-Star's coming of age, and of the many knights who sought
her fair hand in Marriage.
The years were kind to Morning-Star. Her beauty blossomed like the fragrant
water-lily into full, abundant maidenhood. Anon befell her ten-and seventh
birthday.
Anatinus made it know that whosoever might desire to win the hand of
Morning-Star, should now come forth to claim it. To prove his worth, the
groom must first by needs fulfill a Love-Quest, of the Queen's own
choosing, according to the custom of the kingdom.
Many were the eager knights who journeyed to the royal palace, hoping there
to win the love of Princess Morning-Star. Alexis, dark with envy, watched
the lusty swains descend like vultures 'round her daughter and vowed in
secret not to let them have her.
From the knights assembled, Six were chosen, and stood before the heartless
Queen for testing.
CHAPTER THE THIRD
Of the Impossible Love-Quests devised by the crafty Queen Alexis,
and how the six knights fared by them.
One brave knight, a lad but one-and-twenty, was sent across the sea to beg
Lord Nimbus, God of Rain, to quench the thirsting fields of Frotzen. But
the God, not sympathetic, smote his vessel with a bolt of lightning.
The second knight, a weapons-bearer, strong of limb and spirit, scaled the
mountain peak of Matter-Horn, to seek Advice from spirits. The hopes of
Princess Morning-Star fell with him.
A third knight ventured forth to try the fabled Wings of Icarus, and learn
the secret method of their Flight, to please Alexis. But alas! the joyful
knight, whist soaring home to claim the Princess, flew into the open maw of
Thermofax, a Dragon.
Alexis sent the fourth knight deep into the Mines of Mendon, there to slay
a Grue, and drag the carcass up where all might see it. But Darkness
overcame the hapless knight, who, lost without a map, was soon Devoured.
Another knight, the fifth, directed by the Queen to steal the Cocoa-Nut of
Quendor, chanced upon a lair of hungry Implementors, and did not Foresee
his peril.
Lastly stood before the Queen a gentle boy, no older than the Princess.
Morning-Star liked well his beardless smile, and beggar her mother not to
test his Luck too harshly. But Alexis caused the youth to spend an evening
midst an unclean Cemetery, from whence he ne'er returned; for eldritch
Vapors carried him away, and gave no reason.
CHAPTER THE FOURTH
Of the Edict of Alexis, the demise of Morning-Star, and the
discovery many years after, of a Magick Stone, called Wishbringer.
Queen Alexis cried, "Is no man in the kingdom fit to wed my only daughter?
Methinks she must remain unmarried, then, and Virgin all her days." So it
was Written.
Morning-Star hoped death might grant her Freedom from the Edict of Alexis,
by her mother's timely passing. But the Reaper (busy elsewhere with a
Plague) heard not her praying; so Alexis lived, and laughed, and watched
her daughter's beauty fade away, and all her Wishes dwindle in her bosom.
Many kingdoms after, when the reign of Anatinus was forgotten, and the
names of Morning-Star and Queen Alexis lost in Time, there came unto the
Misty Isle a Scholar, who, amid the crumbling tombs of monarchs, chanced
upon the mortal relic of the Princess. All was Dust, except her Heart,
which, hard and shrunken to a pebble in the grave, was shining brightly
with the stifled Wishes of her lifetime.
Thus, the Magick Stone of Dreams discovered.
CHAPTER THE FIFTH
Of the Seven Wishes, and what ye must know to invoke them.
Seven is the number of the Wishes bound into the Stone; and if ye speak a
Wish, that wish is Spent, and lost forever. Also know, that ye must hold
the Wishing-Stone within thy hands to wield its Magick. Look ye, then,
upon the Seven Wishes:
RAIN falls only for the bearer of the Stone who standeth under an Umbrella.
ADVICE may bring wise counsel to the bearer of the Stone who listeneth to
Sea-Shells.
FLIGHT shall bear the Magick-wielder swiftly home, if ye be sitting on a
Broom-Stick.
DARKNESS, blacker than the Night, shall fall across the land if Milk of
Grue thou drinkest.
FORESIGHT lifts the veil of Time, and shows the Future, but prepare thy
eyes with Glasses.
LUCK will bring good Fortune, if ye hold a Horseshoe and the Stone in thy
possession.
FREEDOM springs the dreamer from confinement, but mark well that ye first
hath eaten Candy.
Now ye know the Origins
and Magick
of the Wishing Stone,
But know ye also,
bold Adventurer,
that every problem
ye encounter in thy travels
may be also bested
by the spell of Logick.
Exercise thy Brain,
and work they Wits!
Forget ye not that Morning-Star,
a Princess,
who threw away her Youth
in easy Wishing
died in vain.
Let her fate be thy Warning.
INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR WISHBRINGER
Welcome to the world of Infocom's interactive fiction, a world where:
You are the hero or heroine in a story.
You use your own thinking and imagination to guide the story from
start to finish.
You meet other people, who may or may not help you, and
You go to new places, figure out mysteries and puzzles, and fight
against enemies.
In Wishbringer, you're a postal clerk in a small seaside village
called Festeron. You deliver a strange envelope to a magic show, and
discover that an old woman's black cat has been kidnapped by "the Evil
One." The old woman asks for your help, and when you leave the magic shop,
you find yourself trapped in a nightmare world. Your once-quiet town is now
full of nasty trolls, vultures, fortress-like towers, and assorted
wickedness. You become entangled in the struggle between Good and Evil;
extraordinary help is found only in unusual places. Others seek to possess
a magic stone of dreams known as Wishbringer; but only you can find it and
use its powers to make your town safe again. And you only have a few hours!
If you're experienced with Infocom's interactive fiction, you may
not feel like reading this entire manual. However, you should at least read
about wishing for magic. Also look at the appendix of recognized verbs;
some of them can be used in all Infocom stories, but others are special for
Wishbringer. If you study the postal map, you will know where you are and
where you can go. That will make it easier to decide what to do next.
Table of Contents
An Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 12
What is interactive fiction?
Moving around
Turns and scoring
Tips for Novices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Nine useful pointers about interactive fiction.
Communicating with WISHBRINGER. . . . . . . . . . . 14
Basic sentences
Complex sentences
Why doesn't it know that word?
Wishing for Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Starting and Stopping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Starting WISHBRINGER ("Booting Up")
Saving and Restoring
Quitting and Restarting
Appendix A: Important Commands . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Appendix B: Some Recognized Verbs. . . . . . . . . . 18
Appendix C: WISHBRINGER Complaints. .. . . . . . . . 18
Appendix D: Sample Transcript and Map. . . . . . . . 20
Appendix E: We're Never Satisfied. . . . . . . . . . 22
Appendix F: If You Have Technical Problems . . . . . 23
Appendix G: About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Appendix H: Copyright Warranty Information . . . . . 23
Appendix I: Quick Reference Guide. . . . . . . . . . 24
This briefly describes the most important things to know about interactive
fiction. It is vital to know all these things before you begin your
adventure.
11
An Overview
Interactive fiction is a story in which you are the main character.
Your own thinking and imagination determine the actions of that character
and guide the story from start to finish.
Each work of interactive fiction, such as WISHBRINGER, presents you
with a series of locations, items, characters, and events. You can
interact with these in a variety of ways.
To move from place to place, type the direction you want to
go. The first time you find yourself in a new region, it's a good idea to
become familiar with your surroundings by exploring the nearby rooms and
reading each description carefully. (You may notice that WISHBRINGER
occasionally refers to a location as a "room," even if you are outdoors.)
As you explore, it is helpful to make a map of the geography.
An important element of interactive fiction is puzzle- solving.
You should think of a locked door or a ferocious beast not as a permanent
obstacle, but merely as a puzzle to be tackled. Solving puzzles will
frequently involve bringing a certain item with you, and then using it in
the proper way.
In WISHBRINGER, time passes only in response to your input. You
might imagine a clock that ticks once for each sentence you type, and the
story progresses only at each tick. Nothing happens until you type a
sentence and press the RETURN (or ENTER) key, so you can plan your turns as
slowly and carefully as you want.
To measure your progress, WISHBRINGER keeps track of your score.
You may get points for solving puzzles, performing certain actions, or
visiting certain locations. A perfect score is to be strived for, but of
course having fun is much more important.
Tips for Novices
1. Draw a map. It should include each location, the directions connecting
it to adjoining locations, and any interesting objects there. (See the
small sample map that goes along with the sample transcript on page 20.)
Note there are 10 possible directions plus IN and OUT.
2. Examine all objects you come across. Most objects in the story that you
can pick up are important for solving one or more of the puzzles you'll run
into.
3. Save your place often. That way, if you mess up or get "killed," you
won't have to start over from the beginning. See page 16 for instructions.
4. Read the story carefully. There are often clues in the descriptions of
locations and objects. Even strange or dangerous actions may provide
clues, and might prove to be more fun! You can always save your position
first if you want. Here's a silly example:
>GIVE THE ROLLER SKATES TO THE VULTURE
The vulture attempts to eat the roller skates, but eventually gives up. It
continues to peck you on the head.
Here you have learned that this vulture doesn't like to eat roller skates,
and you have a clue that maybe giving something else to the vulture (some
raw meat?) would be better.
5. Unlike other "adventure games" you may have played, there are many ways
to get to the end of WISHBRINGER. Some puzzles that you find along the way
may have more than one solution; and you may not need to solve others at
all. Sometimes solving a puzzle one way will make it harder to solve
another, and sometimes it will make it easier.
6. You'll like playing WISHBRINGER with a friend, because different people
may find different puzzles easy or hard. So two or more players can often
have more fun, and do better, than one player alone.
7. If you really have trouble, you can order a hint booklet and a complete
map using the order form in your package. You don't need this booklet to
enjoy the story, but it will make solving the puzzles easier.
8. Read the sample transcript on page 21 to get a feel for how Infocom's
interactive fiction works.
9. You can word a command in many different ways. For example, if you
wanted to pick up a yellow hoop, you could type in any of the following:
>TAKE HAMMER
>TAKE THE HAMMER FROM THE TABLE
>PICK UP THE SHINY HAMMER
>GET THE HAMMER
In fact, if the hammer is the only thing in sight that you can take, just
typing TAKE would have been enough. But more about that in the next
section...
Communicating with WISHBRINGER
In WISHBRINGER you type your sentence in plain English each time you see
the prompt (>). WISHBRINGER usually acts as if your sentence begins "I want
to.....," although you shouldn't actually type those words. You can use
words like THE if you want, and you can use capital letters if you want;
WISHBRINGER doesn't care either way.
When you finish typing a sentence, press the RETURN (or ENTER)
key. WISHBRINGER will respond by telling you whether your request is
possible at this point in the story, and what happened as a result.
WISHBRINGER recognizes your words by their first nine letters, and
all subsequent letters are ignored. Therefore, HYPNOTist, HYPNOTize, and
HYPNOTic would all be treated as the same word by WISHBRINGER.
To move around, just type the desired direction. You can use the
eight compass directions: NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST, NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST,
SOUTHEAST, and SOUTHWEST. You can abbreviate these to N, S, E, W, NE, NW,
SE, and SW, respectively. You can use UP (or U) and DOWN (or D), IN and
OUT will also work in certain places.
WISHBRINGER understands many different kinds of sentences. Here
are some examples. (Note that some of these items do not actually appear in
WISHBRINGER.)
>WALK NORTH
>DOWN
>NE
>GO UP
>TAKE THE FOUR-LEAF CLOVER
>PUT ON THE HAT
>WISH FOR RAIN
>LOOK UNDER THE GLASS CASE
>DROP THE ENVELOPE ONTO THE COUNTER
>EXAMINE THE PELICAN
>PUSH THE RED BUTTON
>LOOK AT THE TREE
>WALK INTO THE POLICE STATION
>GO TO THE POST OFFICE
>GIVE THE BOOK TO THE LIBRARIAN
If you want to TAKE or DROP more than one object, you can do it in
one command by separating the objects with a comma or the word AND. Here
are some examples:
>TAKE THE BLACK UMBRELLA, THE HAT, AND THE COIN
>DROP THE LETTER AND THE ENVELOPE
You can type several sentences on one line if you separate them by
the word THEN or by a period. (Each sentence will still cause time to
pass.) You don't need a period at the end of the input line. If
Wishbringer doesn't understand one of the sentences, or if something
unusual happens, it will ignore the rest of your input line (see
"Wishbringer Complaints"). For example, you could type all of the following
at once, before pressing the RETURN (or ENTER) key:
>OPEN THE MAILBOX THEN PUT THE LETTER IN IT. CLOSE THE MAILBOX THEN GO
SOUTH THEN TAKE THE GLASS OF WATER THEN GO NORTH. DRINK THE WATER
The words IT and ALL can be very useful. For example:
>TAKE THE BOX. OPEN IT. PIT IT ON THE TABLE
>CLOSE THE HEAVY METAL DOOR. LOCK IT
>KNOCK ON THE LIBRARY DOOR THEN OPEN IT
>GIVE THE LETTER TO THE WOMAN THEN ASK HER FOR A BOOK
You will meet other people and creatures in WISHBRINGER. You can
ask them questions of talk to them like this:
>ASK MISS VOSS ABOUT THE VIOLET NOTE
>ASK SERGEANT MACGUFFIN FOR THE CHOCOLATE
>QUESTION THE OLD WOMAN
>BETTY, TELL ME ABOUT STEVE
>ALICE, SIT DOWN
But remember: Most people in the story don't have time for idle chatter.
Your deeds will speak louder than your words.
WISHBRINGER tries to guess what you really mean when you don't give
enough information. For example, if you say that you want to do something,
but not what you want to do it to or with, WISHBRINGER may decide that
there is only one possible object you could mean. When it does so, it will
tell you. For example:
>GIVE TROMBONE
(to the musician)
The musician accepts your kind gift and starts playing "Dixie."
If your command is not clear enough, WISHBRINGER will ask what you
really mean. You can answer by typing just the missing information, not
the whole sentence again. You can do this only at the very next prompt.
For example:
>OPEN THE DOOR
(Which door do you mean, the sliding door or the storage room door?)
>SLIDING
The sliding door is now open
WISHBRINGER uses many words in its descriptions that it will not
recognize in your commands. For example, you might read, "The full moon is
bright and clean, and the wagons case eerie shadows." However, if
WISHBRINGER doesn't recognize the words MOON or SHADOWS in your input, you
can assume they are not important to your completion of the story, except
to provide you with a more vivid description of where you are or what is
going on. WISHBRINGER recognizes over 900 words, nearly all that you are
likely to use in your commands. If WISHBRINGER doesn't know a word you
used, or any of its common synonyms, you are almost certainly trying
something that you don't need to do.
Wishing for Magic
Wishbringer is a powerful and magical stone. If you're holding Wishbringer,
you can make seven special wishes come true. You can wish for ADVICE,
DARKNESS, FLIGHT, FORESIGHT, FREEDOM, LUCK or RAIN. You wish for these
simply by typing WISH FOR ADVICE, WISH FOR DARKNESS, etc.
However, you need more than the stone to make the wishes come true.
According to The Legend of Wishbringer, you also need a different object
for each wish. These are described below.
To WISH FOR ADVICE, you need both Wishbringer and a sea shell. As
long as you're holding both, you'll continue to receive ADVICE
periodically.
To WISH FOR DARKNESS, you need to drink grue's milk and hold the
stone. You must WISH FOR DARKNESS soon after drinking the milk; otherwise
the wish won't come true.
To WISH FOR FLIGHT, you need to sit on a broomstick while holding
the stone. In the story, flying on the broomstick will always take you to
the Magick Shoppe.
To WISH FOR FORESIGHT, you must be holding the stone while wearing
a pair of glasses. Your wish won't come true if you're simply holding the
glasses; you must be wearing them.
To WISH FOR FREEDOM, you must hold the stone and eat candy. Like
DARKNESS, you have to WISH FOR FREEDOM soon after eating the candy;
otherwise your wish won't come true.
To WISH FOR LUCK, you must be holding both the stone and a
horseshoe. Your luck will be broken whenever you drop either the horseshoe
or the stone, but will come back whenever you pick them up again.
To WISH FOR RAIN, you need to be holding an open umbrella and the
stone. This wish won't work indoors.
Remember that most wishes can be used only once. If you get trapped
and use your WISH FOR FREEDOM successfully, you won't be able to use it
again later. So use your wishes carefully; you don't want to waste them.
Starting and Stopping
Starting the Story: Now that you know what to expect when you venture
into WISHBRINGER, it's time for you to "boot" your disk. To load
WISHBRINGER, follow the instructions on the Reference Card in your package.
First the program will display the title of the story, followed by
the first bit of action and a description of the place where the story
begins. (Your Reference Card tells what to do when a full screen of lines
rolls by and the program waits until you're ready to go on.) Then the
prompt (>) will appear. The prompt (>) means that Wishbringer is ready for
your command.
Each time you finish typing a command, press the RETURN (or ENTER)
key. The program will carry out your command(s), and another prompt will
appear.
Here's a quick exercise to help you get used to WISHBRINGER. For
your first command after the story begins, type in next to the prompt (>):
GO WEST
Then press the RETURN (or ENTER) key. WISHBRINGER will respond with:
Outside Cemetery
You're standing next to an open iron gate that leads west into the Festeron
Cemetery. A road runs east to the top of Post Office Hill. What next?
Maybe you'd like to try climbing the gate, so at the next prompt (>) type:
CLIMB THE GATE
After you press the RETURN (or ENTER) key, WISHBRINGER will respond:
The iron gate is much too high!
Saving and restoring: It will probably take you several days to complete
WISHBRINGER. Using the SAVE feature, you can continue the story at a
later time without having to start over from the beginning, just as you
can place a bookmark in a book you are reading. SAVE puts a "snapshot" of
your place in the story onto another disk. If you are cautious, you may
want to save your place before (or after) trying something dangerous or
tricky. That way, you can go back to that position later, even if you
have gotten lost or "killed" since then.
To save your place in the story, type SAVE at the prompt (>), and
then press the RETURN (or ENTER) key. Then follow the instructions for
saving and restoring on your Reference Card. Most computers need a blank
disk, initialized and formatted, for snapshots. If you use a disk with
data on it (not counting other WISHBRINGER snapshots) that data may be
destroyed.
You can restore a saved position any time you want. To do so, type
RESTORE at the prompt (>), and press the RETURN (or ENTER) key. Then
follow the instructions on your Reference Card. You can then continue the
story from the point where you used the SAVE command. You can type LOOK
for a description of where you are.
Quitting and restarting: If you want to start over from the beginning,
type RESTART and press the RETURN (or ENTER) key. (This is usually faster
than re-booting). Just to make sure, WISHBRINGER will ask if you really
want to start over. If you do, type Y for YES and press the RETURN (or
ENTER) key.
If you want to stop entirely, type QUIT and press the
RETURN (or ENTER) key. Once again, WISHBRINGER will ask to make sure this
is really what you want to do.
Remember when you RESTART or QUIT: if you want to be able to return
to your current position, you must first use the SAVE command.
Appendix A
Important Commands
There are a number of one-word commands which you can type instead of a
sentence. You can use them over and over as needed. Some count as a turn,
others do not. Type the command after the prompt (>) and press the RETURN
(or ENTER) key.
AGAIN - WISHBRINGER will respond as though you had exactly repeated your
previous sentence. Among the cases where AGAIN will not work is if you
were just talking to another character. You can abbreviate AGAIN to G.
BRIEF - This tells WISHBRINGER to give you a full description of a
location only the first time you enter a it. On subsequent visits,
WISHBRINGER will tell you only the name of the location and any objects
present. This is how WISHBRINGER will normally act, unless you tell it
otherwise using the VERBOSE or SUPERBRIEF commands.
INVENTORY - WISHBRINGER will list what you are holding. You can
abbreviate INVENTORY to I.
LOOK - This will give you a full description of your current location. You
can abbreviate LOOK to L.
QUIT - This lets you stop. If you want to save your position before
quitting, follow the instructions in "Starting and Stopping" section on
page 18. You can abbreviate QUIT to Q.
RESTART - This stops the story and starts it over from the beginning.
RESTORE - This restores a saved position made using the SAVE command. See
"Starting and Stopping" on page 16 for more details.
SAVE - This puts a "snapshot" of your current position onto a storage
disk. You can return to a saved position in the future using the RESTORE
command. See "Starting and Stopping" on page 16 for more details.
SCORE - WISHBRINGER will show your current score.
SCRIPT - This command tells your printer to begin making a transcript of
the story as you venture onwards. A transcript may aid your memory but is
not necessary. It will work only on certain computers; read your Reference
Card for details.
SUPERBRIEF - This commands WISHBRINGER to display only the name of a place
you have entered, even if you have never been there before. In this mode,
WISHBRINGER will not even mention which objects are present. Of course,
you can always get a description of your location, and the items there, by
typing LOOK. In SUPERBRIEF mode, the blank line between turns will be
eliminated. This mode is meant for players who already know their away
around. Also see VERBOSE and BRIEF.
TIME - This tells you the current time of day in the story. (You can use
the abbreviation T instead.)
UNSCRIPT - This tells your printer to stop making a transcript.
VERBOSE - This tells WISHBRINGER that you want a complete description of
each location, and the objects in it, every time you enter a location, even
if you've been there before. Also see BRIEF and SUPERBRIEF.
VERSION - WISHBRINGER responds by showing you the release number and serial
number of your copy of the story. Please include this information if you
ever report a "bug" in the story.
WAIT - This will cause time in the story to pass. Normally, between turns,
nothing happens in the story. You could leave your computer, take a nap,
and return to find that nothing has changed. You can use WAIT to make
time pass in the story without doing anything. For example, you can wait
for a specific time, or wait for an event to happen, etc. You can
abbreviate WAIT to Z.
Appendix B
Some Recognized Verbs
These are only some of the verbs that WISHBRINGER understands. There are
many more. Remember that you can use a variety of prepositions with them.
For example, LOOK can become LOOK INSIDE, LOOK BEHIND, LOOK UNDER, LOOK
THROUGH, LOOK AT, and so on.
ATTACK ENTER LISTEN SHOW
BLOW EXAMINE LOOK SIT
BREAK EXIT MOVE TAKE
CLIMB FIND OPEN TELL
CLOSE FOLLOW PULL THROW
DESTROY GIVE PUSH UNLOCK
DIVE KICK PUT WAIT
DRINK KILL RAISE WALK
DROP KISS READ YELL
EAT KNOCK SEARCH
Appendix C
WISHBRINGER Complaints
WISHBRINGER will complain if you type a sentence that confuses it
completely, and will then ignore the rest of the input line. (Certain
events in the story may also cause WISHBRINGER to ignore the rest of the
sentences you typed, since the event may have changed your situation
drastically.) WISHBRINGER's complaints always appear in brackets "[like
this]" to distinguish them from the text of the story. Some of
WISHBRINGER's complaints:
I DON'T KNOW THE WORD "__________". The word you typed is not in the
story's vocabulary. Sometimes using a synonym or rephrasing will help. If
not, WISHBRINGER probably doesn't know the idea you were trying to get
across. Remember WISHBRINGER recognizes your words by their first nine
letters.
YOU USED THE WORD "_______" IN A WAY THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND. WISHBRINGER
knows the word you typed, but couldn't use it in that sense. Usually this
is because WISHBRINGER knows the word as a different part of speech. For
example, if you typed PRESS THE LOWER BUTTON, you are using LOWER as an
adjective, but WISHBRINGER might know LOWER only as a verb, as in LOWER THE
BOOM.
THERE WAS NO VERB IN THAT SENTENCE! Unless you are answering a question,
each sentence must have a verb (or a command) in it somewhere.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A NOUN MISSING IN THAT SENTENCE. This usually means that
your sentence was incomplete, such as EAT THE BLUE.
THERE WERE TOO MANY NOUNS IN THAT SENTENCE. An example is PUT THE SOUP IN
THE BOWL WITH THE LADLE, which has three noun "phrases," one more than
WISHBRINGER can digest in a single action.
I BEG YOUR PARDON? You pressed the RETURN (or ENTER) key without typing
anything.
YOU CAN'T SEE ANY ________ HERE! The item you referred to was not
visible. It may be somewhere else, inside a closed container, and so on.
THE OTHER OBJECT(S) THAT YOU MENTIONED ISN'T (AREN'T) HERE. You referred
to two or more items in the same sentence, and at least one of them wasn't
visible to you in your present location.
YOU CAN'T USE MULTIPLE (IN)DIRECT OBJECTS WITH "______." You can use
multiple objects (that is, nouns or noun phrases separated by AND or a
comma) or the word ALL only with certain verbs. Among the more useful of
these verbs are TAKE, DROP, and PUT. An example of a verb that will not
work with multiple objects is ATTACK; you couldn't say ATTACK ALL or
ATTACK THE PRIEST AND THE POLICEMAN.
YOU CAN'T GO THAT WAY. There was no passage or exit in the direction you
tried to move.
THAT SENTENCE ISN'T ONE I RECOGNIZE. The sentence you typed may have been
gibberish, such as TAKE ROPE WITH READ. Or, you may have typed a
reasonable sentence but used a syntax that WISHBRINGER does not recognize,
such as WAVE OVER THE MOUNTAIN. Try rephrasing the sentence.
Appendix D
Sample Transcript and Map
This transcript is not from WISHBRINGER, but it does show most of
the usual things you can do in the story. It contains several simple
puzzles and their solutions, and will give you a good idea of how Infocom's
interactive fiction works. The player's sentences appear in capital letters
after each prompt (>). The map represents the terrain in the sample
transcript as you might have drawn it.
You awake suddenly from a deep sleep. You are about to roll over and doze
off again when you hear your unicorn, Harry, neighing outside. You get out
of bed, turn on the light, and look under the pillow. Whew! There's
Wishbringer, where you left it. But your wallet, which had been on the
bedside table is missing!
!----------!
! Bedroom !
! !
! !
!----|-----!
|Wishbringer
!----------! !----|-----! !-------------!
! Closet ! ! Living ! ! !
! !-------! Room !---! Porch !
!----------! !----------! ! !
Coat !----|--------!
Umbrella |
!---|------!
N ! Outside !
| ! Barn !
W------|------E /!----------!
| / In Bucket
S !-----------! Out Pump
! Barn !
!-----------!
Horseshoe
Bedroom
You're standing in your bedroom, which is small but comfortable. A closed
door leads south into the living room. In a corner of the room sits a
bedside table. Under the pillow on your bed is the magical stone,
Wishbringer.
>TAKE WISHBRINGER
Taken
>GO SOUTH
The bedroom door is closed
>OPEN THE BEDROOM DOOR
Okay, the bedroom door is now open.
>GO SOUTH
Living Room
This is your Cozy Living Room, one of the latest models from the Frobozz
Magic Cozy Living Room Company. Two rocking chairs sit in front of a
fireplace at one end of the room; a telephone rests on an oak desk at the
other end. A small picture hangs above the fireplace. The closet door on
the west wall is closed. A cool breeze blows through the open front door,
which leads east onto your porch.
>LOOK AT THE PICTURE
The picture above the fireplace shows a small white farmhouse, not unlike
your won. In red letters above the house are the words "Home Sweet Home."
The cool breeze continues to blow through the open front door, making you
shiver.
>CLOSE THE FRONT DOOR
You push the door against the wind and close it. Ah, that's better!
>FIND THE WALLET
You can't see any wallet here. Again, you hear your unicorn Harry neighing.
>GO OUTSIDE
The front door is closed.
>OPEN THE DOOR
(Which door do you mean, the closet door or the front door?)
>FRONT
Okay, the front door is now open. A cool breeze blows into the room.
>GO OUTSIDE
Porch
You're standing on the front porch of your home. The white paint is
chipped, and the floorboards creak. To the south is the barn. It's chilly
out here. You better not go anywhere without your coat.
>GO INSIDE
Living Room
>OPEN THE CLOSET DOOR
Okay, the closet door is now open.
>GO INTO THE CLOSET
Closet
This is your cedar-lined closet. The aromas make you light-headed. Your
coat and an umbrella are here.
>TAKE THE COAT, PUT IT ON
Taken
Again, you hear your unicorn Harry neighing.
Okay, you're now wearing the coat.
>GO OUT THEN WALK EAST THEN SOUTH
Living Room
Porch
Outside Barn
Your red-and-black barn is here. That's odd; you thought your barn was
yellow and green. You look again. Ah. That explains it - the red is the
flames licking the walls of the silo, and the black is the thick smoke
billowing from the door and windows. A bucket and a pump sit nearby.
>GO INTO THE BARN
The flames are too hot.
>TAKE THE BUCKET. PUMP WATER INTO THE BUCKET THEN POUR THE WATER ON THE
BARN
Taken
You rhythmically pump water into the bucket. There! The bucket is full of
water.
You pour the water on the barn and douse a few embers. However, the fire is
out of control, and the blazing barn continues to burn.
>LOOK FOR HARRY
You can't see Harry here.
>NORTH. WEST. GO IN THE CLOSET THEN TAKE THE UMBRELLA
Living Room
Porch
Outside Barn
The umbrella is now open.
>WISH FOR RAIN
A searing bolt of lightning shatters the sky! It strikes the glowing Stone
of Dreams, and fractures the sky into a billion raindrops. Everything
around you is soaked in a brief but savage downpour. The raging fire dies
down and is extinguished.
>GO INTO THE BARN
Barn
The inside of the barn is scorched and charred. Some smoking embers are
scattered on the floor. A blackened horseshoe lies on the ground.
>TAKE THE HORSESHOE
The horseshoe is still too hot to pick up.
>OUT
Outside Barn
>PUMP WATER INTO THE BUCKET
You rhythmically pump water into the bucket. There! The bucket is full of
water.
>GO IN THE BARN. POUR THE WATER ONTO THE HORSESHOE
Barn
A blackened horseshoe lies on the ground.
At first the horseshoe sizzles as you pour the water over it. Then it cools
and just gets wet.
>TAKE THE HORSESHOE
You're carrying too many things already!
>INVENTORY
You're carrying Wishbringer, an umbrella, a coat (being worn) and a bucket.
>DROP THE UMBRELLA
Dropped
>TAKE THE HORSESHOE
Taken
>WISH FOR LUCK
The Stone of Dreams brightens as you speak the Wish, and the edges of the
blackened horseshoe begin to twinkle with Luck. You hear the phone ringing
inside the house.
>GO NORTH THEN WEST
Porch
You hear the phone ringing inside the house
Living Room
The phone is ringing
>ANSWER THE PHONE
You pick up the receiver. It's the police calling! They tell you that
they've just caught a thief, the Mad Arsonist of Festeron, and they found
your wallet! You thank them and hang up the phone. Then you hear someone -
or something - outside.
>GO OUTSIDE
Porch
Here's Harry! He's soaking wet, which unicorns hate, but he's obviously
happy to see you.
>PET HARRY
Harry nudges you fondly with his horn and looks at you lovingly with his
gentle brown eyes.
Appendix E
We're Never Satisfied
Here at the Infocom Game Writers Clown Society, we take great pride in the
quality of our products. Even after our stories are "out the door," we're
constantly improving, honing and perfecting.
Your input is important. No matter how much testing we do, it
seems that some bugs never crawl into view until thousands of you begin
doing all those wild and crazy things to the story. If you find a bug, or
if you think a certain puzzle was too hard or too easy, or if you have some
other suggestion, or if you'd just like to tell us your opinion of the
story, drop us a letter! We love every excuse to stop working, and a
letter from you is just such an excuse! Write to:
Infocom
125 CambridgePark Drive
Cambridge, MA 02140
Attn: Mr. Crisp
Appendix F
If You Have Technical Problems
You can call the Infocom Technical Support Team to report "bugs" and
technical problems, but not for hints to solve puzzles, at (617) 576-3190.
If your disk develops a problem within 90 days after purchase, we will
replace it at no charge. Otherwise, there is a replacement fee fo $5.00
(U.S. funds). If you call to report a bug, please provide your version
number, which you can find by typing VERSION. Please return the
registration card from you WISHBRINGER package if you'd like to be on our
mailing list and receive our newsletter, The New Zork Times.
Appendix G
About the Author
"Professor" Brian Moriarty built his first computer in the fifth grad. This
early experience with electronics led him to seek a degree in English
Literature at Southeastern Massachusetts university, where he graduated in
1978. He lives near the bridge in Historic Concord, does not hate
children, and is a member in good standing of the Nathaniel Hawthorne
Society. Wishbringer is his first work of interactive fiction.
Appendix H
Copyright and Warranty Information
Limited Warranty
This software product and the attached instructional materials are sold
"AS IS", without warranty as to their performance. The entire risk as to
the quality and performance of the computer software program is assumed by
the user. However, to the original purchases of a disk prepared by
Infocom and carrying the Infocom label on the disk jacket, Infocom warrants
the medium on which the program is recorded to be free from defects in
materials and faulty workmanship under normal use and service for a period
of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase. If during this period a
defect on the medium should occur, the medium may be returned to Infocom
or to an authorized Infocom dealer, and Infocom will replace the medium
without charge to you. Your sole and exclusive remedy in the event of a
defect is expressly limited to replacement of the medium as provided
above. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also
have other rights which vary from state to state.
N.B. After the warranty period, a defective Infocom disk may be
returned to Infocom with a check or money order for $5.00 U.S. funds for
replacement.
23
Appendix I
Quick Reference Guide
1. To start the story ("boot up"), see the separate Reference Card in your
WISHBRINGER package.
2. When you see the prompt (>) on your screen, WISHBRINGER is waiting for
your input. There are four basic kinds of sentences or commands that
WISHBRINGER understands:
A. Direction commands: To move from place to place, just type the
direction you want to go: N (or NORTH), S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, SW, U (or UP),
D, IN, or OUT.
B. Actions: Just type what you want to do. Some examples: READ THE BOOK
or OPEN THE DOOR or LOOK THROUGH THE WINDOW or GIVE THE BALL TO THE CAT.
Once you're familiar with simple commands, you'll want to use more complex
sentences are described in "Communicating with WISHBRINGER" on page 14.
C Special one-word commands: Some one-word commands, such as INVENTORY or
DIAGNOSE, give you specific information or affect your output. A list of
these appears in the "Important Commands" appendix on page 17.
3. Important! After typing your input, you must press the RETURN (or ENTER)
key before WISHBRINGER will respond.
4. On most computers, your screen will have a special line called the
status line. It tells you the name of your current location, your score,
and the number of turns you have taken.
5. You can pick up and carry many of the items you'll find in the story.
For example, if you type TAKE THE FLASK, you will be carrying it. Type
INVENTORY to see a list of the items you are carrying.
6. When you want to stop, save your place for later, or start over, read
"Starting and Stopping" on page 18.
7. If you have trouble, refer to the specific section of the manual for
more detailed instructions.
Interactive Fiction Reference Card for the
COMMODORE AMIGA
This booklet tells you how to run your Infocom story on your computer, and
provides a few other handy bits of information.
I. What You Need
Required:
Amiga computer
For Interactive Fiction PLUS only: A monitor that supports
an 80-column display, such as an RGB-type monitor.
Optional:
256K memory expansion cartridge (for faster execution;
especially recommended for Interactive Fiction PLUS)
Extra 3-1/2 double-sided disks (for SAVEs)
A second disk drive (for convenience with saves)
Compatible printer (for SCRIPTing)
II. Making a Backup Copy
In accordance with the licensing agreement in your package, we recommend
that you make a backup copy of the original story disk for your personal
use. See your hardware manual for instructions on how to make disk copies.
Store your original disk in a safe place and always start the story from
the backup.
III. Starting the Story
Turn on the Amiga and wait for the Workbench to appear. Insert the story
disk and open the disk icon into a window, then double- click on the story
icon.
The story can also be started from within the Command Line Interpreter
(CLI). If the default drive and directory are not the same as the
story's, they must first be changed with the "CD" command (for example, CD
DF1:) Then type in the story name.
IV. Talking to the Story
Whenever you see the prompt (>), the story is waiting for your
instructions. If you make a mistake, use the backspace key to erase the
error. When you have finished typing in your instructions, press the
RETURN key. The story will respond and the prompt (>) will reappear.
If a description will not fit on a screen all at once, "[MORE]"
will appear at the bottom of the screen. After reading the screen, press
any key to see the rest of the description.
V. The Status Line
At the top of the screen is a status line. This line is updated after
every move to show your current position in the story. Depending upon the
type of story, it may also show other information.
Score and Moves
In stories that keep a score, such as the ZORK underground adventures, the
right side of the status line will show something like this:
Score: 245/920
The first number is your score and the second is the total number of moves
you have made. In the example above, you have 245 points in 920 moves.
Time
In stories that keep track of the time, such as the mystery thriller
DEADLINE, the right side of the status line will look something like the
following:
Time: 9:22 a.m.
This shows the current time of day in the story.
VI. SCRIPTing
You can use the SCRIPT command to print out a transcript of your moves as
you go along. SCRIPTing is an optional feature which is not necessary to
complete the story and may not be available with certain hardware.
1. Connect the printer to the appropriate port at the back of
the computer. Use the Preferences tool (see Section IX) to
make sure the system is configured correctly for your
printer.
2. Turn on the printer and make sure it's ready.
3. Type SCRIPT at the prompt (>) to start the transcript. To
stop the transcript, type UNSCRIPT.
4. SCRIPT and UNSCRIPT may be used as often as desired.
If a problem occurs with the printer, the story will "timeout" (appear to
hang) for 30-seconds or so, then a printer error message will appear. If
you don't correct the problem before the 30 seconds are up, scripting is
automatically cancelled.
VII. Saving a Story Position
You can save your current position in the story to any disk in any drive,
space permitting. The save disk must not be write- protected. No other
data on the save disk will be affected.
1. Type SAVE at the prompt (>). A message will appear asking
you to choose a name for the save file.
2. If you want to SAVE to the story disk itself, just enter a
file name and press RETURN.
3. If you want to save to another disk, you must prefix the
file name with either the name of the second disk (e.g.,
Saves:) or the name of the drive containing it (e.g., DF0:).
The prefix is needed even if the two disks were swapped
using a single drive. If the save succeeds, the prefix
becomes the default prefix, and need not be typed again for
the next save.
The disk drive will spin for several seconds. If all is
well, the story will respond:
OK
If it responds:
FAILED
consult the Troubleshooting section (see Section XI).
After saving your position, you may continue with the story.
NOTE: The file "Icon.Data" is used to create icons for new
save files. If you delete this file, new save files will not
have visible icons.
VIII. Restoring a Saved Story Position
You can return to a previously saved story position at any time. Type
RESTORE at the prompt (>). The most recently saved or restored position
will be displayed as the default. Then enter the name of a save file, as
in Section VII.
If you want to return to the default position, you can just press
the RETURN key.
IX. Amiga Preferences
Several aspects of the story presentation can be changed using the Amiga
Preferences tool, including text size (60 or 80 columns, except for
Interactive Fiction PLUS, which requires 80 columns) and color. The size
can be changed only before the story is started. You also use Preferences
to specify your type of printer and the port to which it is connected. The
Amiga supports both parallel and serial devices.
X. Memory Usage and Multi-tasking
On a multi-tasking computer such as the Amiga, all tasks share the
available memory. Some tasks may require that a certain amount of memory
be available to work correctly. Also, actions like opening and resizing
windows or loading a printer driver can use large blocks of memory.
When the Infocom story loads, it will normally leave a minimum of
64 Kbytes (32 Kbytes for Interactive Fiction PLUS). This can be changed
by starting the story from the CLI with a special argument of the form
"F/n", where n is the new minimum number of free bytes (for example,
Deadline F/32000). If you supply an argument, memory use statistics will
be displayed when the story loads.
You may need to increase the amount of free memory if, for
example, you are running several tasks and switching between them causes
the system to hang. On the other hand, you can probably decrease free
memory if you are running only the story. This may reduce or eliminate
disk activity on versions of the Amiga with limited memory.
X. Troubleshooting - Load, SAVE, RESTORE and Other Problems
A. If the story fails to load properly, or SAVE/RESTORE or SCRIPT fails,
check each of the following items. If none of these offers a solution,
consult your Commodore dealer for assistance.
1. Inspect all disks carefully for any visible damage.
2. For SAVEs, make sure the save disk is not write-protected
(the small opening in the corner of the disk should be
covered).
3. For SCRIPTing, make sure the printer is connected properly,
enabled for printing, not out of paper, etc.
4. Try again; the problem may be only momentary. If all else
fails, you can call the Infocom Technical hotline at (617)
576-3190. Please note that this number is for technical
problems only, not hints.
B. If the story produces an error message, run the following procedure:
Restart the story. When the initial screen appears, type $VERIFY and press
the RETURN key. The disk drive will spin for a minute or so, and a message
similar to one of the following will appear:
1. "DISK CORRECT". The disk has not been damaged and the data is intact.
If you are having problems, they are most likely hardware related. It is
also possible that there is a bug in the program. If you suspect that
there is a bug, call the Infocom Technical Hotline.
2. "DISK FAILED" or "DISK READ ERROR". This reply indicates either
hardware trouble or disk damage. Repeat the $VERIFY procedure several
times. Also try the $VERIFY process on another computer (such as your
dealer's). If the story ever replies "DISK CORRECT", the problem is your
hardware.
If you repeatedly get a negative response on more than one
computer, the disk has most likely been damaged. Please send the disk only
to Infocom for testing and replacement.
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