Kroz Freeware Release Notes - March 2009
Kroz is (c)1987/2009 Apogee Software, Ltd.
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Kroz holds a special place in the history of Apogee.  It's the original game in the company history.  It's recognized as "The first Apogee game", and it was released in late 1987.  There actually were a few games put out before that using the name Apogee, but that was just Scott Miller solo projects, and not as "Apogee" (the company).  An awful lot of people owe their livelyhood to this 22 year old silly (by today's standards) ASCII game.  

Anyway, this game was deleted from Apogee's product line a very long time ago.  Over the years, we've had many requests to release the game as freeware, and we're finally doing that in March of 2009.  Kroz has a rather twisted naming history.  While it's recongized there were "Seven" episodes of Kroz, there were more than seven games.  Below is is Scott Miller's intended "play order" of the Kroz games.  As you can see, the "play order" is not the same as "release date order".

Caverns of Kroz - 1989 (later updated as Caverns of Kroz II) 
Dungeons of Kroz - 1988 (later updated to Dungeons of Kroz II) 
Kingdom of Kroz - 1987 
Return to Kroz - 1989 (same as Castle of Kroz and Shrine of Kroz) 
Temple of Kroz - 1990 (same as Valley of Kroz) 
The Final Crusade of Kroz - 1990 
Kingdom of Kroz II - 1990 (Kind of a "Greatest Hits" of Kroz, includes levels from previous games)
The Lost Adventures of Kroz – 1990

Valley of Kroz Note:  Several FAQ's and a few "Kroz experts" on the Internet say that the game "Valley of Kroz" is an alias name for Temple of Kroz.  Unfortunately, Valley cannot be found.  It is not available on the Internet (even illegally), neither of our experts have it, and our own archival materials do not have show this game, either complied or in source code.  It is possible this never really existed, but we cannot get a proper answer on Valley from anyone who would know, so that is why it is not in this freeware release.  If you have it, please contact us.
 
Kroz/Kroz II Note:  Additonally, there are also Kroz and Kroz II according to the Apogee FAQ.  Our research shows those versions to likely be renamed files for "Lost Adventures of Kroz".  It is hard to tell for a fact there because no such reference exists in our archival materials, nor did Scott Miller recall ever having Kroz games named that.

4206 Mayflower Note:  The Kroz games (and others of the era) refer to Apogee's ordering information being at 4206 Mayflower Dr in Garland, TX.  That is the original home of Apogee Software; it was Scott's parents' house.  Back in the 80's when you ordered from Apogee, it all was operated out of Scott's bedroom.  Documentation in games from that era also made the claim "this address will always be valid".  Some years later Scott's parents sold that house and moved away.  A unique clause in the house sale says that any mail that arrives there for Apogee Software must be forwarded to us by the new house owners.  We almost never get mail about these old games, since they've long since been discontinued, but it was an amusing factoid from the past.  If you'd like to see what the house looks like, click here.  http://tinyurl.com/cbhqyn  (Don't bother the people there now, Apogee and the Millers left long ago).

Some tech notes regarding the Kroz games:

1) We offer no support in helping to getting this freeware release running.  YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN HERE.  DON'T ASK US - YOU WILL BE IGNORED. :)

2) This game was released right around the time that Windows 2.0 was released, and as such, any of the subsequent Windows versions will have issues in running the game (most of the time manifesting itself as the game running way too fast to play).  A third party program called DOSBox has been known to have been helpful in getting the game running.  You can obtain DOSBox for free here: http://www.dosbox.com

3) This game is released as freeware.  That's not to be confused with public domain, abandonware (which is illegal), or releasing something under the GPL.   This is a freeware release, which means we retain full legal rights to the title and it's materials.  You are free to play the game as we've released it, but not free to "do whatever you want with it", which includes selling it or otherwise using the materials in other projects.

The source code is also in this release, but there is a separate readme for that, please check the source code directory.

Enjoy Kroz!
-- Apogee Software Ltd. Tech Support, March 2009

Below are some thoughts about Kroz from Scott Miller, as well as Jeremy Wrezinski & Frenkel Smeijers, two big fans of Kroz.  A big thanks to Jeremy & Frenkel, who helped out a lot in the putting together of this package.  Thanks guys!

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After writing to Infocom-inspired text adventure games, Beyond the Titanic and Supernova, I decided it was time to step up my game and make something with graphics.  This was style four-color CGA days, and while 16-color EGA was making headway, the vast majority of PCs didn't have it.  So, I decided to try making a game with ASCII characters, using a lot of the high-end character, many of which worked quite well for games back then.  One of those games was Rogue, released by long-gone Epyx Games (also famous for Jumpman and several games based on the Summer and Winter Olympics).

I had a love/hate relationship with Rogue.  I loved it, yet I hated that it was really quite random, meaning that even the best player in the world could not be assured of finishing the game, because too much luck was involved.  I decided I could out-do Rogue, and that's what Kroz attempts to do.  In the end, Kroz was more arcade-ish in nature, and less RPG-ish.  The key is that a good player can finish Kroz each and every time.  This became an important design rule I've stuck with in the 20+ years since making the first Kroz game.

Anyway, hope people enjoy the game, and maybe get a kick out of the source code.

Scott Miller
Founder, Apogee Software Ltd.

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My first contact with Kroz was when I saw my brother playing it. I thought: "What's this for an ugly game? How can this be any fun to play?"  The first PC game I ever played was Secret Agent, so those bright and detailed 16 color graphics set the standard for me.  My brother kept playing it so I guessed it must a fun game and I tried it myself.  And guess what? When you get used to the graphics, it's a really entertaining game to play.  

Each level fills almost the entire screen. This makes a level look small, but it takes longer than you think on first sight to complete a whole level.

Most of the time, at the start of a new level, there are a lot of enemies on the screen, but you don't have to whip them all. You can also lure them into breakable walls  and both the enemy and the wall will disappear. This adds a strategic angle to the game.  Another strategic angle is that you don’t have to kill the enemies with you whip, you can also walk through them and lose health, but you’ll keep whips that you might need later on to remove some walls.To sum it all up, it's a real fun game when you don’t mind the 22 year old text mode graphics.

Frenkel Smeijers

P.S.  Oh, and in Kingdom of Kroz II, level 18, "Klose Enkounters of the Krazy Kubikal Kind!"-level touch the left- and bottommost tree for a little surprise :).

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Growing up in the 70's and 80's gave me a wide view of the many things that have happened with computers, programming, and most importantly gaming. Some of the early games that I remember playing were text based games (either by myself, or with the occassional Sysop of a local Wildcat BBS). 
 
When computers starting coming out with more than two colors to see (gee.. remember the "color card software"?) the advancement of games were great. My first computer was a commodore 16. I remember playing pitfall from a cassette tape, and having to wait for the tape to spin forward in order to continue playing.
 
Once I got my first IBM PC, everything started changing. Small games were coming out, but none that grabbed my attention like Kingdom of Kroz. The fact that it was a game that could keep me awake for HOURS upon HOURS, while still needing to focus on my college degree, was one of the things that I liked most. Everytime you played the game, you would find something new. Then you would test yourself to beat out the high scores at the end of the game.
 
With the many different variations of the game, extra levels, different scenarios, GRAVITY, it was something that kept my attention for many years to come. Even after my battle with Duke Nukem (or as Duke Nukem) or the early Doom games, I still find the time to relax to a nice adventure into the Caverns of Kroz.
 
As one of the first games to allow a "try before you buy", it really opened up a huge door for game developers to come. I was never able to dabble in that field, as I always felt that the ground was pretty well covered. Being a participant during the beginning of Apogee games, has always been something I rant about.
 
Kroz will always hold a soft spot in my heart when it comes to Retro-Gaming. To this day, with every computer that I set up for myself, amongst the first things I install, is a DOS emulator allowing me to relive the early years.
 
Jeremy Wrezinski
http://www.talon-designs.com
 
Homage to Kingdom of Kroz:
http://www.littlearea.com/2009/02/flash-game-kingdom-of-kroz/