Microsoft makes Zork I, II, and III open source under MIT License
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I...am in awe. The MDL versions are in tact and run on simh. But this is bigger than that.
Time to get eaten by a grue--again.
Time to get eaten by a grue--again.
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That’s nice that Microsoft did this, because anyone who cares about Zork in the year 2025 was pirating it anyway.
You know what would kick ass? If Microsoft put all the retro Activision games into the public domain. Anything that shipped on a cartridge that doesn’t have a third party license. Lead by example.
You know what would kick ass? If Microsoft put all the retro Activision games into the public domain. Anything that shipped on a cartridge that doesn’t have a third party license. Lead by example.
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And some may be surprised that text adventures are not dead, but continue to thrive! Dozens are written every year, and some of the best can be found at the IF Competition every year, at ifcomp.org!
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This was presented on an Altair 8800 then shown running on a cluster of containers in Azure just now. It's always a treat to be at Microsoft Ignite when Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich do their shows. Scotts LinkedIn post
edit - added links
edit - added links
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The official license for the source code is in the repository (GitHub is having issues right now, so that link might not work immediately, but it should come good eventually), and the license itself is well known in open source circles as one of the officially sanctioned open source licenses. But for people who aren't regulars in those areas, it's a reasonable question.
Have a read of that link - it's extremely short and easy to understand.
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I had to switch my browser out of dark mode to read this.
Real Zork fans will know why.
Real Zork fans will know why.
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Would be nice if they did the same for the entire infocom catalog that they have the intellectual property for
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“Microsoft’s Open Source Programs Office worked with Jason Scott to do it.”
Microsoft provided the code and engineering all the hard work, and Jason Scott provided the steampunk top hat.
Microsoft provided the code and engineering all the hard work, and Jason Scott provided the steampunk top hat.
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The entire Infocom library is playable online at the Interactive Fiction Archive, if anyone is curious: https://ifdb.org/search?searchbar=infocom
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Well, the man might have been a big fan 40 years ago, but moved on in the interim. Which isn't to say he isn't still fond of it but it might not be something he thinks about much anymore.
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I may have many issues with Microsoft, especially lately, but this in and of itself is a net good with no downsides I can think of. The other materials would be nice to release to the public domain, but that's a matter of incompleteness, not a criticism of this act itself. Well done. Now I wonder if we'll see source code for Windows made open source. Wait let me try something...
OPEN WINDOWS
OPEN WINDOWS
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I applaud the move for sure.
Some of the last MS-DOS games, first Windows games, specifically the 3D accelerated ones, would be great to release - I think those are some of the trickier ones to get working perfectly on a modern OS, even if there are various wrappers.
Hmm, do they still have the source code for Mechwarrior 2...
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I'd be all for a Zork point and click style adventure..... I know Zork fans might get upset by that though......
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There were three CD-ROM games, more in the Myst turn-and-click style than the LucasArts style. The last two basically trade on the Zork name and nothing else.
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I hope that they release the source for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy someday. I would love to poke around in that code.
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Zork III is probably the oldest game that manages a genuinely creepy atmosphere. After two games of sprawling treasure-hunting maps, Zork III is abruptly small and haunting, bordering on surreal... and yet it manages to feel like a real space, not just connected rooms and compass directions. A forbidding box of wonders.
I can only imagine what it must've felt like to be one of the first to run the game when it was first released. Happy to see the games get a little love and attention again.
I can only imagine what it must've felt like to be one of the first to run the game when it was first released. Happy to see the games get a little love and attention again.
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You're in luck! Unofficial, but available here: https://github.com/historicalsource/hitchhikersguide
It goes without saying that the source in the above link would be considered read-only and for historical interest only, and not for redistribution or modification of any kind. The IF Database itself links to it from this page: https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=ouv80gvsl32xlion
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Frotz Grue
BTW, for those interested in reading the history of Zork (or adventure games and similar), the digital antiquarian is a great resource. Here's his article on Zork on the PDP-10: https://www.filfre.net/2012/01/zork-on-the-pdp-10/
BTW, for those interested in reading the history of Zork (or adventure games and similar), the digital antiquarian is a great resource. Here's his article on Zork on the PDP-10: https://www.filfre.net/2012/01/zork-on-the-pdp-10/
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A couple of months ago, I tried to get some LLMs to play Zork. Hilarity ensued. Well, if you think hilarity includes the LLM wandering around lost in the forest.
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Not just Zork fans! I've never played any of them but I know why. I really should remedy that, but my brain is so fried from depression and chronic pain I will require a walkthrough and am not sure if that'll take away all of the fun or not...
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