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Implementor

Implementors (or Imps) are divine beings, the subject of much religious and philosophical discussion. It is known that the Implementors dwell on the Ethereal Planes of Atrii.

Ancient legends tell of the creation of the world by these Implementors, who directed the running of great engines which produced this world and others strange and wondrous, as a test or puzzle for others of their kind. These legends go on to state that these beings stand ready to aid those of their kind entrapped within their creation.

Implementors do not discourage the legends that the world was created by them as a plaything, but the idea has been hotly criticized by the magician-philosopher Helfax, who says "A creation of this kind is morally and logically indefensible, and the theory is colossal claptrap and kludgery."

Despite these remarks, worship of the Implementors has become quite common. Four Implementors in particular, Dave Lebling, Marc Blank, Brian Moriarty, and Steve Meretzky, are all extremely well-loved by the populace. In fact, another part of the legend calls the four Implementors mysterious magi who live in the lands beyond the borders of the world. All that is specifically known about these deities is that their ample free time is spent on costly luncheons where gossip and sweet nectars flow freely.

In 966 GUE it was discovered that the Implementors were once in possession of the fabled Coconut of Quendor, until it was stolen by an Ur-Grue. This fact gives added credence to the Legend of Wishbringer, that tells of a knight slain by the Implementors in search of that Coconut.

List of Infocom Implementors[]

  • "Hollywood" Dave Anderson
  • Tim Anderson
  • Bob Bates
  • Michael Berlyn
  • Marc Blank
  • Amy Briggs
  • Bruce Daniels
  • Stu Galley
  • Jim Lawrence
  • Dave Lebling
  • Steve Meretzky (also known as The Bearded Oracle of Yonkers)
  • Brian Moriarty
  • Jeff O'Neill
  • Jerry Wolper

In Infocom games[]

Zork II[]

This is the Tomb of the Unknown Implementer. A hollow voice says: "That's not a bug, it's a feature!" In the north wall of the room is the Crypt of the Implementers. It is made of the finest marble, and apparently large enough for four headless corpses. Above the entrance is the cryptic inscription: "Feel Free."

The Enchanter series[]

In Enchanter the player can find and read The Legend of the Great Implementers:

This legend, written in an ancient tongue, speaks of the creation of the world. A more absurd account can hardly be imagined. The universe, it seems, was created by "Implementers" who directed the running of great engines. These engines produced this world and others, strange and wondrous, as a test or puzzle for others of their kind. It goes on to state that these beings stand ready to aid those entrapped within their creation. The great magician-philosopher Helfax notes that a creation of this kind is morally and logically indefensible and discards the theory as "colossal claptrap and kludgery."

It is possible to cast the ZIFMIA spell ("magically summon a being") on the Implementers, revealing an Easter egg:

The implementers of the world, Marc Blank and Dave Lebling, appear before you, looking quite as confused as yourself. They speak:

:Dave: "What's happening here?"

Marc: "Uh, I dunno. YOU wrote this code, not me."

:Dave: "Hmm. Another day, another bug. Let's see here..."

They disappear a moment later.

:Dave's voice: "That should do it."

(If you attempt to cast ZIFMIA on the Implementers again after this, it no longer works, the code having been "fixed" by Lebling's fictional avatar.)

A related Easter egg is included in Sorcerer. It's possible to cast the AIMFIZ spell ("transport caster to someone else's location") on the Implementers:

You appear on a road in a far-off province called Cambridge. As you begin choking on the polluted air, a mugger stabs you in the back with a knife. A moment later, a wild-eyed motorist plows over you.

Implementors in Beyond Zork[]

In Beyond Zork, the Implementors inhabit the Ethereal Plane of Atrii, where they busy themselves with luncheons and foster speculation that they created the world. When an Ur-Grue steals the Coconut of Quendor (after the adventurer fails to catch it), the Implementors charge the adventurer with recovering the Coconut before the Ur-grue undoes all of magic.

External links[]

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