I love adventure games, I've just never been much for swords and sorcery. However, I do love Sci-Fi. Space Quest is one of my favourite game franchises ever. I know that I wouldn't play any of the Zork titles but is this package worth picking up soley for Planetfall? I've been reading up on the game alot but I've never played text adventures before. Is the parser in this game similar to Sierra's AGI parser or is it a little more archaic and stubborn, requiring the player to be very specific? I read that infocom labeled this title as "standard" difficulty. Is this game as easy as a LucasArts adventure or as difficult as Myst? Can you get stuck, creating a situation that renders the game unsolveable? And finally, without graphics how well does the writer create this world for the player? Please guys, I'm really curious about this one, I'd like to know everything I can, what are your opinions?

Even if you like adventure games, Interactive Fictions (that's the official name of the genre, even if most of the time the fiction aspect is immoveable) are quite different and bring their own challenges and shortcomings. Modern designers try to avoid this but the Infocom games are rather notorious for letting you get stuck if you do or do not do a certain action and often won't let you know about it. Some of them (Sorcerer comes to mind but it isn't the only one) will even let you solve a puzzle in several ways but most of them will get you stuck later; but other games, like Wishbringer, will offer you several ways but only the optimal solution will give you points. There are also time limits for some and even item with limited use (the Zork lantern is one of them, though you can find an unlimited source of light at some point, and pretty fast after you start a new game if you know where to look).

There are also the featureless mazes. Zork got one of those. These are mazes where every room looks the same, and passages twist and turns around, which means that if you exit a room to the north, you might end up entering another room from the west instead of the expected south, but the game won't tell you anything about it. Some passages will even loop you to the same room by using two different entrances. The only way to do cross it is to drop items to identify rooms and start mapping. I always found these mazes tedious because they do not really challenging my wit, just my patience, but successfully mapping one by yourself can be rewarding in its own way. Interestingly enough, it seems Infocom was aware that not everyone like these mazes and so the one in Leather Goddesses of Phobos can be bypassed by entering a certain command.

If I haven't scared you away yet, you should also know that those games also have a lot to offer. These games have some of the best puzzles I have seen in any adventure games and typically avoid the dreaded pixel hunts of point-and-click since you can easily list the content of a room. The interface also encourages you to really think before acting and not use every item on everything. Mapping (outside the featureless mazes) can be slow but fun, and you can always keep your map and notes for later.

Plus there is the whole imagination thing. Of course it depends on the writers' abilities but Infocom had some good talents there, like Steve Meretzky or Brian Moriarty. Zork is rather terse but then again I find that it works to its advantage, giving you a good sense of place without any unneeded descriptions to distract you.

While on the subject, both fantasy and sci-fi in Infocom aren't exactly your typical fare. Most of the time it's parodic and makes fun of some conventions, even back in the '80s. Some of the games will even blend stuff from our own modern world into the Zork fantasy, and it's only some details that will remind you that you are in a world where magic and fantastic creatures are considered common.

Anyway you'll likely find most of the games included in the package hard if you've never played any similar game before. Even Zork I, which is also standard, is somewhat hard for a first-timer, but it's true some other Infocom games are much more challenging :) That one and Planetfall are good ways to start but I find that the best Infocom game for beginners is Wishbringer, which is also one of their best games — a fact they acknowledged by releasing the game as part of their Solid Gold collection.

Speaking of which, and because you asked about the parser: Infocom parser is usualy pretty good and except a few rare cases it won't give you too much trouble with the way you word your actions, as long as the words are correctly written. That said the parser evolved over time and Infocom released five of their best games, including Zork I and Planetfall, as part of their Solid Gold serie. Games that received that treatment got some bug fixed, an internal hint system, but more importantly a new parser that adds a few more options and shortcuts. I doubt that the GOG release include those versions but there are unofficial patches to upgrade your version.

Hard to say if you'll like it but it should provide you with something different than what you had. It's more for the patient type than the one who wants to solve everything right away. But if you like to take your time, maybe leaving the game for a while and do other thing, you may find it very rewarding.

Since Gragt only mentioned Planetfall in asides (Meretzy wrote Planetfall, you see), I'll just focus on it:

Its parser is one of the older Infocom parsers without scraping the bottom of the barrel found in early releases of Zork, but is better than Sierra's because it had to be. The Solid Gold upgrade Gragt linked (haven't tried it yet) improves the parser to the upper tier of Infocom parsers.

Planetfall is much, much harder than LucasArts games or Myst. You can get stuck, although thinking back I believe this only really happens if you lose an item you still need by tossing it into a pit or leaving it in a room you later lose access to, and Planetfall is full of back doors (just save before going through something that might be one-way!) Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that point. The Invisiclues (a list of progressively helpful clues released at the time, now on the internet) for the game are very helpful (found in the Solid Gold upgrade Gragt linked, as well as http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Infocom/Invisiclues/]here[/ur]). With their help I managed to beat about 75% of the game at age 13 or 14, but without them I would have never have reached 25%, then or now.

Planetfall is one of Infocom's richest and best-written worlds.

Is it worth $6? I'd personally say no, and I consider myself a big fan of it in particular. But I also consider myself a big fan of Zork, so the package was a no brainer to me. You might want to try a modern Interactive Fiction game to see how these sorts of games play, just don't get used to using "x" to mean "examine" :P.

SG Planetfall allows you to use "x" to examine :D But it's worth noting it doesn't work for SG Zork I, which makes it the only SG title, and I think the only Z-Machine 5 title, to not support that feature.

On another note, the Invisiclues are also another great feature of Infocom. Better than a simple walkthrough, you get hints by topics (do not think that the titles will serve as some sort of walkthrough because there are some red herrings there!) and each clue has several levels of hints, more and more obvious, until it plainly gives you the exact solution.

Taking my time and soaking up the atmosphere is what I love about playing adventure games, in stark contrast to my other love in video games (Sonic the Hedgehog). And creating an unsolveable situation isn't a deal breaker for me, I just wanted to know if I should create one save file or many.

It's interesting that you say the parser is better than Sierra's. I always had difficulty with the parser used in the Apple II SierraVenture titles but found that the AGI and SCI parser was really intuitive. In the Apple II titles you were mostly limited to two word commands (go north, get knife, use switch) but you could use almost complete sentences in the later ones (pick up the knife, turn switch off). I thought Infocom's would be more like the former but if you say it's better, I gotta see this.

For me, I'm always game to try a new adventure (or an interactive fiction). There's nothing better than spending an off day with a hot cup of tea and tearing into a new adventure. I've made the descision, I'm going to give this pack a shot starting with Planetfall, if I enjoy it alot then I'll try Zork from the first title. I still would like to hear from other GOGers though, what do you guys think about interactive fiction titles?

You'll want to create several saves and you will likely have to restart a few games from scratch with some new knowledge. The advantage of that type of game is that you can progress very fast once you know what to do and just type the necessary actions. Again the map you drew previously will serve you well. Assuming you screw things up and need to start again, you'll only spend a few minutes doing that. I think that if you know what to do and the game doesn't have any random elements like a few do, you can complete the game in roughly 10 mins.

While you can type basic commands, a typical Infocom parser will let you ask questions to some characters and even give them orders. You can even do several actions in succession using "then" or a period, and the word "and" will also let you manipulate several items at once. Plus other stuff you'll find out :) But while you can do complicated stuff, you can also learn to rely on the various shortcuts, so instead of typing "go north" you can simply type "n". It saves time.

Doesn't the GOG version come with a map for Planetfall? What kind of stuff is on the map GOG included? What should I be sure to record when making my own maps? What other shortcuts do you know? "x" is for examine, right? Is there ever a time I'll need to string complex actions together or can I always take it one action at a time?

Sorry to be so inquisitive. But when I first got into adventure games I taxed my father with alot of questions so that I'd feel prepared. All the first titles in the genre I played were his old ones. I was pretty young so it took some doing on his part to teach me how to use the Sierra parser but I everntually got it. My ability to type really fast comes from trying to pull Roger Wilco out of the fire.

Quite simple. The included maps lie, or at least don't tell the whole truth. The directional commands: n, s, e, w, ne, nw, se, sw, with most games supporting u and d for up and down; QUIT is q but there isn't one for SAVE, RESTORE and RESTART, so you'll have to type those out; i for Inventory; y and n for yes and no; l (that's an L) should give you LOOK / LOOK AROUND in all Infocom games so is probably one of the most important.

GET and DROP are the shortest form you're going to get for acquiring and setting aside inventory items. The games support ALL (GET ALL) for referring to everything in a room that isn't bolted down (careful with that one) and IT for referring to the last object you were fiddling with (> EXAMINE LOCKET, > TAKE IT). Last of all, x is EXAMINE in later games, but if you're stuck without it LOOK AT is the exact same length if you prefer.

If you want to talk to an NPC, don't use TALK TO MONK or TALK MONK because the games don't understand those. You can ask them questions, though. ASK MONK ABOUT RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPE. ASK MONK ABOUT MONK. You can sometimes order them around with their name and then a comma, followed by a command in the same format you'd use as though you were ordering yourself around. MONK, TICKLE MONKEY.

Make sure not to confuse EXAMINE with SEARCH or LOOK UNDER / OVER / IN / BEHIND [object], though normally it does often cover the same ground.

Lastly, a preferences thing: if you prefer the game show you the room description every time you enter, type VERBOSE. If you're cool with walking around without descriptions for some reason, try SUPERBRIEF (TERSE in modern IF). BRIEF is the default mode, where room descriptions only appear the first time you enter, and when you hit l to LOOK AROUND. I don't believe so in these games, but it does support the option to do so with AND. TAKE LOCKET AND OPEN IT.

Typically the games did not come with any map, or at least not a complete and detailed one, so they could sell you one with the Invisiclues — well, ok, most games were built around the fact that you had to map the area yourself, buying it was mostly if you were lazy to map it yourself or were really lost. Some came with a basic map, like the postcard of Festeron for Wishbringer, but you were strongly encouraged to make your own map. Manuals had exemples of a fictious but typical map you'd want to draw. If you do not feel like using paper, there are a few programs that can help you.

Chaining commands isn't really useful unless you want to save some time by typing them at once. Say you want to go back to some place, you can chain the various directions in one line. It can actually be useful when dealing with other characters because it works on them too. It's possible to tell someone: "lowly farmer, go north. pick poisoned apple. eat it". That allows you to have them carry on a set of actions without the need for you to be there. Of course something might prevent them from doing part of it, or they will simply refuse, and if you aren't present you may miss that, but it should give you an idea what the parser let's you do.

Anyway for your first game, just type one command at a time. Keep in mind you can do more fancy stuff with it if needed, and you'll likely start to use them to save time later.

Thanks guys, This is all really good stuff. You all get gold stars in my book.

If they release all the old collections from the nineties, Planetfall will be sold in the Sci-Fi Collection as well:

http://www.mobygames.com/game/sci-fi-collection

For some mysterious reasons, Planetfall was included in every single collection of that series as a "bonus" item except for the Adventure Collection, where it was one of the main items.

I hope the Sci-Fi Collection gets re-released. I really want to play Stationfall.

edit: Activision's license to distribute Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy expired after the release of the Sci-Fi Collection. Do you guys think that GOG could fix it with Douglas Adams' estate so that package can be released again?

I wouldn't say it was so mysterious.

Remember, Planetfall was one of Infocom's top 5 games and one which introduced significant innovations to Infocom (Obviously, Infocom's first sidekick was a huge thing, plus it introduced "red herrings" in the form of items which were unneeded and locations and items which either served no purpose other than wasting time (players were up against a couple of turn limits) or that were deliberately inaccessible (again, serving to waste time as players tried to reach them).

Not going to spoil plot points for those who've never experienced Planetfall, but I'd also point out that this game is what started the discussion on games as an art due to the game's ability to affect emotions in players.

And finally, Planetfall's been considered for years as one of infocom's more accessible titles for newcomers to the world of IF, so....Doesn't surprise me at all that they included it as a bonus on every collection they put out.