Be The Gamer » zork http://www.bethegamer.com Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history http://www.bethegamer.com/2011/04/05/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-the-history/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2011/04/05/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-the-history/#comments Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:00:00 +0000 Justin Olivetti http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/05/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-the-history/ Filed under: , , , , ,

You know that sinking feeling when you get into something that's way, waaaay over your head and you have no choice but to swim furiously or drown? That's exactly how I felt when I started to do research for this month's series on MUDs -- Multi-User Dungeons -- and their descendants.

At first I was thrilled, because I knew that along with Dungeons & Dragons and Bulletin Board Systems, the MUD was one of the key predecessors to the MMORPG as we know it today. It was, and still is, vital gaming history that helped to shape the genre. The only problem was that for various reasons -- mostly a lack of good internet access in college and general ignorance -- I'd missed out on MUDs back in the day.

But it's not like that stopped me from covering any of the other games in this series that I never experienced first-hand way back when; after all, there are few among us who can honestly say they did everything. So the problem wasn't the lack of first-hand knowledge but the sheer, overwhelming scope of this subject. One game alone is a manageable subject -- MUDs are an entire genre unto themselves. It's intimidating, to say the least.

It doesn't still my excitement, however, nor will it stop us from diving into this topic no matter how deep the waters get. This week we'll take a look at the brief history of the MUD/MUSH/MOO/et al. and then get into specific games later this month. So hold your breath and jump on in with me!

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MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.bethegamer.com/2011/04/05/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-the-history/feed/ 0 Call of Duty: Black Ops Hides Zork Easter Egg http://www.bethegamer.com/2010/11/09/call-of-duty-black-ops-hides-zork-easter-egg/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2010/11/09/call-of-duty-black-ops-hides-zork-easter-egg/#comments Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:50:56 +0000 Jason Schreier http://www.wired.com/gamelife/?p=30715 Call of Duty: Black Ops is not like other menu screens. That's because it lets you play adventure games.]]>

The menu screen in Call of Duty: Black Ops is not like other menu screens. That’s because it lets you play a classic adventure game.

Players like YouTube user BoredMunkey have already discovered a fantastic Easter egg in the shooter game, which Activision released Tuesday. Following the steps in the video above, players can break away from the game’s main menu and access an old computer that’s running DOS. Type in “Zork” and you’ll get to play the classic Infocom text adventure in its entirety. You’ll also get the “Eaten by a Grue” achievement, which will make more sense once you play the game.

As depicted in the video above, you can access a top-down zombie shooter called Dead Ops Arcade by typing “DOA” into the computer.

In case you’re wondering how this is all possible, Activision currently owns the licensing rights to Zork, having purchased the game’s developer, Infocom, in 1986. Although Infocom is long gone, Activision still owns the brand, which means the Call of Duty publishing company can include Zork in every game it releases.

Did you hear that, Activision? We demand Zork in every game you release.

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]]> http://www.bethegamer.com/2010/11/09/call-of-duty-black-ops-hides-zork-easter-egg/feed/ 0 New Web based: Legends of Zork http://www.bethegamer.com/2009/01/14/new-web-based-legends-of-zork/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2009/01/14/new-web-based-legends-of-zork/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:40:42 +0000 Xavier http://www.bethegamer.com/?p=787 Just awesome to read, I remember this game when I was young:

+ A BRAND NEW (WEB) PAGE +
+ FOR THE CLASSIC ADVENTURE GAME +

“The Great Underground Empire has recently fallen and the land is in disarray. The stock market has collapsed, leading even mighty FrobozzCo International to fire employees from throughout its subsidiaries. A craze of treasure-hunting has swept through the remnants of the Great Underground Empire. It’s a dangerous time to be a newly-unemployed traveling salesman, but it’s also a great time to try a bit of adventuring.”

http://legendsofzork.com/

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