Legends of Zork Goes Live

TinBromide writes "The developers over at Jolt Online Gaming have released Legends of Zork to the general public. It's a free, browser-based, adventure game based on the world of Zork. You play as a Traveling Salesman, recently laid off from FrobozzCo. You start off in a clearing, where a white house has a boarded up door. From there, you can do what you like. Explore the world, fight other salesmen in PVP, or try out your Darkvision Goggles in the dark — just try not to get eaten by a grue." It's free in that you're given 30 Action Points each day, which are consumed by moving about and fighting. Their business model is that if you want more Action Points, you can purchase more.

Comments

Actually seems kinda fun

[shinmai]

Plays easy, doesn't require flash or other plugins, and everything actually is sort of "Zorky".

Most browser-based games have perks for paying players, and being able to buy action points isn't really the worst I've seen. It doesn't overly imbalance the gameplay, at least in my opinion.

Only time will tell how this really fans out, but I'm in positive spirits. (Between this and Battlefield Heroes I'm going to be spending even more time at my browser in the future :D)

Re:Actually seems kinda fun

[montyzooooma]

I played until level 3 or 4, basically a days worth of action points and really don't see the appeal. RPS did a reasonably in depth rant here:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/04/02/grue-some-zork-remake-live-horrible/#more-9807

Summary of the game

[uigrad_2000]

All you need to know is here:

• The game is text-based, with static images of monsters to show what you are currently fighting.
• There are no dungeons to learn. Your only options for moving is "step forward to fight a new monster" or "retreat to your home".
• The main focus of the game is the leader board, which can be sorted by total XP or total gold.
• Each day, you receive 30 more action points.
• Action points let you fight monsters and level up. One Action point is needed per battle.
• More action points can be bought with Coconuts. The best rate is +200 action points for 10 coconuts.
• Coconuts can also be used for buying armor. The best rate for buying coconuts is 60 coconuts per $20.

In conclusion, if your friend spends $20, in one day, then you'll need to play 40 days to catch up with him. The rankings really just show which players have spent the most money.

I've been playing since the first slashdot story about this, and I think it's pretty well done, when the server isn't crashing. The need to pay real money to be competitive is really a shame. Everyone who tries it should know this going in.