External Links
- dunnet.tar.Z
(The file is compressed with the Unix-style .tar.Z "tarball" format. Free unpacking tools are available for most platforms.) - DunnetPredecessor.zip
MacLisp source code for the predecessor to Dunnet, written by Ron Schnell in 1982.
(The file is compressed with ZIP.)
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About the Story
A text adventure that is built into almost every copy of the Emacs text editor.
It can be run by running "emacs -batch -l dunnet" in a shell or the key sequence "M-x dunnet" within Emacs, the former being the preferred and official way to run it.
Ratings and Reviews
| Average Rating:   Number of Reviews Written by IFDB Members: 2 |
Dunnet is reminiscent of old school IF games such as Zork. It's a quick play and interesting.
The most appealing aspects of Dunnet are its novel little quirks. It integrates the use of basic Unix, FTP, and DOS commands in a fun way. It's a bit like exploring the pre-1995 Internet within the context of a Zork-like game.
The Unix commands are relatively simple - though the player is expected to know 'ls' without being told and figure out others using that information. Similarly, the player is expected to know the DOS commands 'type' without any support.
More attentive players should be able to map the maze. It would help if there was a 'verbose' setting. Be sure to use 'look' after each move in the maze.
Players should save frequently. It may be necessary to restore if any objects are destroyed. The player will have to use trial and error to figure out where to place the treasures - there are multiple drop off points through out the game.
Back to back, May 31, 2024*I enjoy playing, this game again!
Back in the days, I had fun playing at it. Sometimes, it is hard to find the right combination of commands! ;-)
3 Off-Site Reviews
Dickens of a Blog
Doug Bolden, Dunnet (IF)
You have to type commands into two different computers throughout. One is a VAX and the other is, um, something like a PC (I forget). In both cases, there are clues to be found by knowing your way around the interface. This is a game for computer folk, so most who play it will have a sense of how to type "ls" or "dir" depending on the OS. But not all, will. Beating the game requires a general sense of computer literacy. You must know what types are in ftp. You must know how to determine what type a file is. You must know how to read a text file on a DOS style prompt. You must know something about protocols and etiquette for logging into ftp servers. All this sort of thing. If you do, or are willing to learn (I looked up some of the stuff online) then you can get past this portion with no problem. But this can be like the maze to some people, requiring several replays to get things right.
The end result is a quirky but fun game that I wish I had known about before because now I have the feeling that my computer is hiding other secrets from me. Glad to have played. Will likely play again to see how many ways I can die.
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nPoly.com
Dunnet - The Ancient Game Hidden on Millions of Modern Computers
There's something unmistakably unique about Dunnet. I play a lot of video games. A lot. But I've never seen anything so... so... avant garde? Meta? I'm not sure, but Dunnet completely destroys the 4th wall of gaming, the same way that Uplink did. There's several gameplay conventions that I've never seen, even in the most modern of games. It's very fun and obscenely hard... If your a true, true gamer. You owe it to yourself to play this treasure that you may already own.
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Macworld
Play an 'old-school' adventure game
There’s no way this will replace modern gaming, but if you’re umm, of my vintage, or just want to know what we considered leading edge back in the day, give this a shot.
See the full review
Tags
Game Details
Current Version: 2.0
License: Freeware
Development System: elisp
Baf's Guide ID: 984
IFID: Unknown
TUID: ig3zbeoqfv4v1xl8
Dunnet on IFDB
Polls
The following polls include votes for Dunnet:Games With Unfair Beginnings by Canalboy
By this I mean games that can be made unwinnable near the start or have hellish opening puzzles.
Sublime Moments by Sam Kabo Ashwell
I've been thinking about games that provide really brilliant moments. This is not about the overall quality of the game: there are plenty of excellent games that never deliver a clear, standout moment of unalloyed excellence. And surely...
I am looking for games that involve exploring and collecting objects but don’t involve horror or creepy themes by Brennen Kinch
fore example games that involve keys and things that unlock other parts of the game that don’t involve creepy things such as ghost and monsters and things like that
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This is version 12 of this page, edited by JTN on 1 March 2024 at 2:35am. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item - Delete This Page
