Usually, if you tie the rope to the altar and try to walk away while holding it, the game will tell you that "You release the free end of the rope as you walk." See TELL-STAIRS-FCN.
But it only checks if you are holding the rope in your hands. It doesn't check if you've put it in a container, like the knapsack:
>TIE ROPE TO ALTAR
The rope has been tied to the stone altar.
>PUT ROPE IN KNAPSACK
Done.
>TAKE KNAPSACK
(wearing it)
You swing the knapsack over your shoulders and it settles on your back as its
cover flap closes.
>EAST
(down the wide staircase)
The staircase winds as you walk down, turning you around so you face in the
opposite direction.
Cube
You are in a room whose symmetry is uncanny, at least to the unaided eye: the
dimensions of the room seem to form a perfect cube. There are three square
doorways cut into the walls -- one to the north, and another to the west. A wide
staircase leads up through the square doorway to the east.
>DROP KNAPSACK
You take the knapsack off and place it down. As it settles, the cover flaps
open.
>EXAMINE KNAPSACK
The knapsack contains:
A rope (tied to the stone altar)
Usually, if you tie the rope to the altar and try to walk away while holding it, the game will tell you that "You release the free end of the rope as you walk." See
TELL-STAIRS-FCN.But it only checks if you are holding the rope in your hands. It doesn't check if you've put it in a container, like the knapsack:
I'm not sure what the best solution for this is.