The Zork Library Forum

Looks good Not_A.

Hmmm real life Zork models would be interesting but difficult. As for the comic Diamond, go ahead and post it now that you've peaked our interest!

There is something that bugs me about the white house as portrayed by ActiVision in ZGI.  That depiction has come to be how most people seem to imagine the white house.  But it's wrong!  Well, maybe not.  The problem is that Infocom was not consistent in it's portrayal in the first place.

Taking the description from Infocom's original Zork I:

West of House
You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here.

>examine white house
The house is a beautiful colonial house which is painted white.  It is clear that the owners must have been extremely wealthy.

Now, I don't think I need to draw us a picture because I think we all know what a colonial-style house looks like and it definitely is nothing like the white house in ZGI.  Colonials are two stories.  The entrance is in the center.  A huge living room takes up all of one wing of the ground floor.  A kitchen and dining room and possible a small bedroom occupy the other wing.  A hallway and stairs are in the center.  Upstairs are four bed rooms (one in each corner and a bath or two.  Above that is an attic.  That is the layout of a typical small colonial.

Now the inconsistency comes from Zork 1's description of the *inside* of the white house.  In Zork 1, the kitchen is on the east side of the house and the living room is on the west side.  This would be ok for a colonial who's front door is on the north or south wall.  But in Zork 1, the front door (which is boarded up) is, apparently, on the west wall.  That is definitely *not* a colonial layout.  The only way it could be is if the door we see in the living room on the west wall is not the front door but is a side door leading, perhaps, to a screened in porch or something like that.

Another problem with Zork 1's interior description is that going up the stairs leads to the attic.  Well, that's ok if we go up two flights of stairs, but where is the 2nd floor with all the bed rooms?  

This is a problem.  The white house is sort of like an inverse TARDIS.  It's smaller on the inside than it is on the outside.  But however you cut it, from the outside, the white house is described as a beautiful colonial, not a shack.

I blame ActiVision for getting this wrong and perpetuating the wrong image.

I almost wanted to mention that, but I decided I didn't want to get a reputation for being the only Infocom canon nitpicker on board since I do it all the time.  ;)

Perhaps the first DM spelled it to look like a cottage inside to keep adventurers out of the private rooms he/she didn't want them in? That's the way I worked it out.

The many ways in which Activision ignored or mangled existing canon is a subject unto itself.  ::)

The many ways in which Activision ignored or mangled existing canon is a subject unto itself.

I'm glad you said that.  Now we have lots of things to talk about.  

I also like your idea about the cottage spell.  Very clever.  What do you think about trying to create aview of a  'proper' white house (big white colonial in a field with a mailbox?

I would love to see a big, white colonial house done up Zork I-style.  :)

I have seen many wonderful Zork I style colonials in similar situations. New England is full of them. Not usually with boarded front doors, unfortunately. I saw a few stock photos of traditional white colonials that might be good for photo manips.... it would make a good commission for an artist who likes drawing buildings or working with house photos.

I live in a white colonia myself.  It's actually called a Dutch Colonial.  They are distinguished by a standard Colonial layout, except that the roof is double-angled like a traditional barn roof.  Most people that see our house think it looks like the Amityville Horror house.  It even has the ominous eyebrow windows in the attic.  But I like to think of it as a Zorkian white house.

Cool... why aren't you posting any pictures then people???? :-/