King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human

Developer: Sierra On-Line
Publisher: Sierra On-Line
Platforms: DOS, Mac OS Classic, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, TRS-80 Color Computer 3, Amiga
Released in US: October 1, 1986

This game has uncompiled source code.
This game has unused graphics.
This game has unused items.
This game has unused sounds.
This game has unused text.
This game has debugging material.
This game has a hidden level select.
This game has revisional differences.

This game has a notes page

King's Quest III is a Sierra adventure game. It uses a parser interface, but you can also use the arrow keys to walk Gwydion around the map. You are Gwydion, a slave boy to the wizard Manannan who will kill you soon if you don't do something about him.

Sub-Page

Notes

Debug Functions

Like most of the games that Al Lowe programmed for Sierra, King's Quest III has a giant amount of debugging functions.

Main Debug Commands

Press ALT+D or type FAST TALK to enable some debugging functions. These features are disabled upon entering a new room.

Here's the complete word list:

SET PRIORITY: Sets Gwydion's priority variable.
RELEASE PRIORITY: Sets Gywdion's priority variable to 0.
TP: Teleport to the appropriate room.
POSITION: Change Gwydion's X and Y positions.
SHOW POSITION or SP: Displays Gywdion's X and Y positions at the bottom of the screen.
GET OBJECT: Puts the appropriate object by ID in the player's inventory.
FIND: Gives the current status (X, Y, Priority, Stepsize) on the player object.
OBJECT or SP: Gives the current status on the appropriate object.
SET VAR: Sets a chosen variable to a given value.
SHOW VAR or SV: Displays the value of a variable.
SET FLAG: Sets the appropriate flag.
RESET FLAG: Resets the appropriate flag.
SHOW FLAG or SF: Displays info on a flag (can be either set or not set).
AREA: Displays the current room ID.

Special Commands

WIZARD STATUS: Displays a screen full of useful stats for Manannan.
SLEEP WIZARD: Puts Manannan to sleep.
HERE WIZARD: Teleports Manannan to the current room.
BYE BYE WIZARD: Turns Manannan into a cat.
DO CHORE: Completes Gwydion's current chore.

GIMME GIMME or SET UP SPELL: Puts every item (except for the ones obtained through spellcrafting) in the player's inventory.
GIMME SPELL: Puts every spellcrafting component into the player's inventory.
SET UP MOUNTAIN: Puts the player into "End-Game" mode on the shores of Daventry, and adds the appropriate items to the player's inventory.
SET UP BOAT: Puts the player on the pirate ship section of the game, and adds the appropriate items to the player's inventory.

Engine Debugging

Press F8 (Version 1.01) or ALT+M (Versions 2.00 and up) to display info on memory use.

Press F6 (Version 1.01) or ALT+P (Versions 2.00 and up) to display priority settings for the current room.

Press Scroll Lock to toggle the AGI engine's trace debugger. Press Enter to advance the debugger by one line.

Other

While debug mode is active, the text for handling unknown words is simplified.

Unknown word: "<word>"

In Version 1.01 only, the current room number is displayed on the bottom of the screen.
If player input is disabled, an 'H' is displayed on the bottom-right corner of the screen.
All roaming enemies (Medusa, Manannan, Bandits, Sharks) will have their coordinates displayed on-screen.

While debug mode is on, the player can't actually die from falling. Instead, the point of descent is displayed at the bottom of the screen and the player's position is reset.
If the player is on a looping screen (Desert or Ocean), the Exit Edge ID will be displayed on the bottom of the screen.

Unused Graphics

While generating the endless desert, the game randomly places four types of cacti. A fifth cactus type, the largest of them all, isn't referenced by the landscape generator.

More randomly placed elements that weren't. These vultures would, presumably, be placed on top of the cacti.

This battered yellow flag should appear atop Castle Daventry, but a purple flag is used instead.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Items

One item in the game, the Empty Lard Jar, is unobtainable. Well, technically, you get the item through crafting the invisibility ointment, but since the jar is filled with the ointment, you never get to examine it in your inventory.

Use the debug command GET OBJECT with a value of 35 to get this item. Since the graphics for the object aren't in the game, trying to examine it through the F4 menu will cause a "View not found" error, exiting the game.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Text

ID	Message	Notes
Logic 2 - Manannan's Bedroom
16	You hurriedly return the key to the top of the closet.	Returning the golden key to the top of the closet is not possible or necessary.
Logic 4 - Gwydion's Bedroom
33	The hallway is uninteresting, except for the tapestry on the wall.	Some combination of location and LOOK AREA would produce this message.
Logic 6 - Manannan's Kitchen
2	Near the fireplace is a crude broom made of straw.	This message draws unneeded attention to the broom. Players might have confused the broom for an obtainable item.
53	Using your fingers?	Completely unknown. Please don't ask.
Logic 8 - Manannan's Dining Room
17	Evidently, Manannan has important things on his mind.	Two messages for LOOK WIZARD that aren't used for unknown reasons. Manannan is old and cantankerous.
20	Oh, Manannan is here! You wonder what mood he's in, as you never know from one minute to the next what he will do. To your relief, he is preoccupied. He's muttering mumbo-jumbos you don't understand.
Logic 11 - Desert (Snakeskin Room)
3	It is an old, dried snakeskin.	For some reason, LOOK SKIN and LOOK GROUND give the same message.
Logic 13 - Rushing Stream
4	There is a rushing stream flowing through the forest floor.	There's a message in the General River Logic for examining the creek. This room-specific message isn't used, and it's less interesting.
Logic 22 - Acorn Tree
18	You are much too big to fit into that small hole.	Trying to enter the hole in the tree would prompt this text.
Logic 32 - Endless Desert
7	The snake scurries around without noticing you.	While a snake can appear in the desert randomly, the player can't interact with it.
8	That is not a wise idea. The snake is probably dangerous.
9	What snake?
Logic 36 - Cave of The Oracle
4	Silence again...then, "Behold the crystal ball!" Within the ball, the medley of colors swirl together to form a vision of a dragon with three hideous heads. Then, the image changes to reveal a beautiful blond girl, crying. Your heart goes out to her.	The existence of this message alludes to an earlier version of the Oracle sequence. In the earlier sequence, this sequence is five messages long. The crystal ball would do nothing for the first three messages. Then, with this fourth message, the entire crystal ball animation would play. In the final version, this sequence is four messages long. Messages two and three are timed with animations on the crystal ball: A closeup of the three-headed dragon, and a closeup of Rosella, respectively.
15	DELETE	Obviously, they didn't.
16	DELETE	Obviously, they didn't.
Logic 37 - Outside of Bandits' Hideout
4	It's hard to tell without entering.	Thankfully, it's possible to see any bandits in the house from outside.
Logic 39 - Llewdor Shop
9	"I'll be right with you sir," the storekeeper tells you.	The shopkeeper is never busy enough to warrant this text.
14	The shopkeeper offers, "Let me know if I can be of any help to you, sir."	Should be used after waiting some amount of time without buying anything.
20	"That will be one gold coin."	This'd be used after typing BUY <item> but before actually receiving it. Look, you've been in a store before, right? You know how this works.
Logic 40 - Llewdor Bar
6	"There ya go, boys. Now, drink up an' behave yer selves."	This should pop up after the barmaid gives drinks to the bandits / pirates. It doesn't.
40	You signal the barmaid, "I'd like to buy these two gentlemen a round." When she brings the drinks, you discover that you only have one coin. With a look of scorn, she takes your last coin and leaves one drink for the two oafs to fight over.	Two things here. One, it's possible to buy a round of drinks, but it only costs one coin. Two, even if you buy a round, the bandits won't actually get the drinks. So, both of these messages will never appear. Ever.
41	You signal the barmaid, "I'd like to buy these two gentlemen a round." "If ya says so, sir," she replies. "That'll be two gold, if ya please." The bandits down the drinks with nary a thank you.
Logic 41 - Bears' House (First Floor)
18	You ate it all.	At one point it might have been possible to eat all three bowls of porridge.
23	There are only two bowls on the table; one is too hot, and the other too cold.	Trying to take a second bowl after taking the "just right" porridge, maybe.
Logic 42 - Bears' House (Second Floor)
24	I'm not asleep, are you?	Trying to wake up while awake won't do anything. And don't think too hard about that.
Logic 49 - Daventry Shores (East Coast)
13	He doesn't understand you.	Talking to sharks is a fool's endeavor. They only know of cards, loans, and the street.
Logic 60 - Snowman's Cave
6	Horrors! You have just entered the awful cave of the Abominable Snowman, and to your extreme bad luck he happens to be home!	Two messages for entering the Abominable Snowman's cave. The message for entering without the Abominable Snowman present was never written.
7	No message.
Logic 66 - Room of the Dragon
6	That was a mistake; now he knows you're here!	Text for doing something to alert the dragon of your presence. Use your imagination as to what that might be.
Logic 69 - Gnome Home
6	It is a little too high to climb.	Would be used after struggling to climb the fence.
Logic 75 - Ship Dock
15	<Message 14> You notice the captain looking at you and laughing with one of the crew, and you decide they are as happy to be starting this voyage as you are.	These two messages reference an earlier version of Message 14. The final message has the captain ordering his men to take all of your loot. Anyways, these messages would be used while walking down the ship dock.
16	<Message 14> You have this dreadful feeling that you've missed something important as you walk down the now-deserted pier.
Logic 80 - Pirate Ship (Stern)
1	Darn that flimsy ladder!	An unused death message for falling off of the rope ladder.
Logic 84 - Pirate Ship (Sleeping Quarters)
17	Poofing in.	An oddly placed message for warping here via the Magic Map. Perhaps.
Logic 109 - Pirate Ship Storage Logic
2	You try to jump up on the large crates, but they are too tall!	In the final game, typing JUMP in any part of the room will not return an error message. You'll just jump. Simple, right?
Logic 110 - General Stream Logic
6	You only need one spoonful of mud.	An unused response for trying to GET MUD twice.
12	You need a spoon to get mud.	An alternate response for trying to GET MUD without a spoon.
Logic 118 - Medusa Handler
12	You need to move closer.	At one point you'd need to get up close to Medusa to use the mirror on her. Thankfully, this isn't necessary in the finished product.
Logic 121 - Understanding Animals Spell
15	You have two feathers. Which do you mean?	As a gesture of geniality, the game chooses which feather to add for you. The chicken feather takes precedences over the eagle feather...if you were wondering.
Logic 124 - Sleeping Powder Spell
14	You pour the contents of the cup into the bowl.	This intermediary step was skipped, which is appreciated.
26	You must grind the acorns first.	An error message for trying to put whole acorns in the mix.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Early Draft

Early	Final	Notes
Logic 23, Message 2 The many beautiful trees bring a sense of peace to this forest.	Logic 13, Message 2 The many beautiful trees bring a sense of peace to this forest. You see an impassable mountain to the South.	A sentence was added to explain why heading south is impossible.
Logic 28, Message 25 The cottage is too dimly lit to make out any details.	Logic 28, Message 5 You peer through the window, but the inside is dimly lit and you cannot make out any details.	Reworded to clarify what, exactly, is dimly lit.
Logic 70, Message 1 Dark storm clouds gather until you are completely enveloped. You hear the loud reports of thunderclaps, and lightning flashes frighteningly close.	Logic 87, Message 1 Dark storm clouds begin to gather around until you are enveloped by them. You hear loud reports of thunderclaps and lightning flashes frighteningly close.	Some minor rewording for improved sentence flow.
Logic 83, Message 24 Adding insult to injury, all of your belongings have been taken from you again.	Logic 85, Message 8 Adding insult to injury, all of your belongings have been taken from you again!	Sierra games love adding exclamation points to otherwise staid sentences.
Logic 84, Message 6 You already have the shovel.	Logic 108, Message 2 You already have it.	This message was shortened through advanced pronoun alchemy.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Sounds & Music

Standard PC	Tandy PC

Sound 14 isn't used. It's, uh...it definitely has the qualities of a sound. It has volume and length and you can hear it.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Version Differences

Version 1.01 to 2.00

Text Changes

Situation	V1.01	V2.00	Notes
Logic 34 - Chicken Pen
Listening to the hens	"The poor boy," clucks one of the speckled hens. "He thinks his name is Gwydion."	"The poor boy," clucks one of the hens. "He thinks his name is Gwydion."	This change fixed a discrepancy between text and graphics. The hens aren't speckled. The hens aren't speckled at all!
Logic 45 - Game Intro
N/A	N/A	Kim Covert Linda Bye	Two names were added to the Quality Assurance credits.
N/A	Gaffer:	Key Grip:	Ken Williams' fake title was changed to a different fake title.
Logic 57 - Snowman Labyrinth
Completing the puzzle	You congratulate yourself on succesfully eluding the abominable snowman.	You congratulate yourself on successfully eluding the abominable snowman.	The spelling of "successfully" was corrected in Version 2.00.
Logic 66 - Room of the Dragon
Falling off the screen (Invisibility has worn off)	N/A	While you have regained visibility... ...you'll never regain conciousness.	There's only one response for falling off of the cliff in 1.01, and it assumes that the player is invisible.
Gettin' scorched	Hypnotized by it's baleful glare, you stand frozen in your tracks!!	Hypnotized by its baleful glare, you stand frozen in your tracks!!	A minute change, but an appreciated one.
Logic 74 - Ending
N/A	We're sure you'll enjoy the other three-dimensional, graphic animated adventure games from Sierra: "King's Quest," "King's Quest II," "The Black Cauldron," "Space Quest, Chapter One," and (coming soon) "Police Quest."	We're sure you'll enjoy the other three-dimensional, graphic animated adventure games from Sierra: "King's Quest," "King's Quest II," "The Black Cauldron," "Space Quest, Chapter One," and (coming soon) "Police Quest," and "Space Quest, Chapter Two."	More advertising opportunities means more text!
N/A	N/A	And, just for the adults in your family, we recommend "Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards," Sierra's first PG13-rated game.	Of course, Al Lowe's very own game gets mentioned in Version 2.00.
Logic 89 - Magic Map
Listening to squirrels	F6 = teleport F8 = put map away	Press F6 to teleport. Press F8 to put the map away.	In version 1.01, this text appears directly below the map. In Version 2.00+, this is displayed in a standard message box.
Logic 111 - General Forest Logic
Listening to squirrels	Chatters one gray squirrel to the other, "Manannan's terrorizing the countryside again. I'm afraid for my life."	Chatters one squirrel to the other, "Manannan's terrorizing the countryside again. I'm afraid for my life."	The squirrels can be either gray or red, so this message was changed.

Parser Changes

Logic 10 - Manannan's Lab

Action: Manipulating the books / bookshelf.
Version 1.01: MOVE BOOK, EXAMINE BOOK, READ BOOK, LIFT BOOK, LIFT BOOK SHELF
Version 2.00 Adds: MOVE BOOK SHELF

Logic 118 - Medusa Handler

Action: Using the mirror on Medusa.
Version 1.01: TRY MIRROR, CARRY MIRROR, AIM MIRROR, LOOK MEDUSA MIRROR, AIM MEDUSA MIRROR, LOOK MIRROR MEDUSA, AIM MIRROR MEDUSA
Version 2.00 Adds: TRY HAND MIRROR, CARRY HAND MIRROR, AIM HAND MIRROR, LOOK MEDUSA HAND MIRROR, AIM MEDUSA HAND MIRROR, LOOK HAND MIRROR MEDUSA, AIM HAND MIRROR MEDUSA

Bug Fixes

In Version 1.01, there's no cycle limit on the opening credits. As a consequence, the credits will go by at lightning speed on faster computers.
Three infinite score bugs were fixed for Version 2.00.
- In Version 1.01, every time the player obtains the Purse & Gold Coins, they will get 4 points. Since the bandits can steal this item from you, this can be done an unlimited number of times.
- In the pirate ship, getting all your possessions back earns you 3 points. Your possessions can get stolen again if you get caught.
  In Version 1.01, you are rewarded points each time you get your stuff back. In Version 2.00 and up, you only get the points the first time.
- It's possible to get the Treasure Chest (and the points) multiple times in Version 1.01.
You can open the front door and leave Manannan's house as a snail in Version 1.01. That makes no damn sense.
In the Llewdor village, the falling logic is never properly called. If the player falls, no falling sound is played, and they're simply warped to the next screen.

Miscellaneous

In Version 1.00, the chance of having a bandit in the hideout is 50%. In Version 2.01, this was increased to ~75%.

Version 1.01	Version 2.00

The priority settings in Manannan's Study were changed to limit the cat's movements.
- In Version 1.01, the cat can move wherever it wants.
- In Version 2.00, the cat is limited to moving in the teal-colored field.

Version 1.01	Version 2.00

The cat's initial position was changed as well.