From: Algernon Petrofsky <Alge...@Petrofsky.Berkeley.CA.US>
Subject: Announcing Dumb-Frotz: finally play Zork Zero on your Teletype!
Date: 1998/07/07
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My frotz port for a standard C library and dumb terminal is now
available at ftp.gmd.de:/incoming/if-archive/dumb-frotz-2.32r1-std10.tar.gz
The recent emacs thread encourages me to think there might actually be
two or three other people out there who would use this. It's perfect
for use in shell-mode buffers, and in grand emacs style it suffers
from creeping featuritus in its very first release!
Included below is an excerpt from the readme file, followed by some
sample output.
-al
==============================
HISTORY AND ALLEGED USEFULNESS
==============================
In 1995 I quickly hacked zip to make it usable in an emacs shell-mode
buffer. This gave me unlimited scrollback and a gazillion
input-editing features. It also mixed in the status line with the
game text so that as I scrolled back I could easily see where and when
I had been at each input line. (This work eventually became the
dumbio.c file that was added to the jzip distribution in release
2.02.)
In 1997, I decided to do a similar job on frotz, partially so as to be
able to play v6 games, and partially as a silly exercise in unnatural
ways to support Z-machine I/O. I included some sort of support for
all the required z-machine features, including all the ones that are
impossible to do naturally with just the standard library:
cursor-addressable screen output, reverse video, pictures,
single-character input, timed input, and input editing.
The result is potentially useful to/for:
- emacs junkies like myself
- character cell displays that are too dumb for curses.
- retro-freaks using a Teletype.
- speech synthesizers that work on a simple input stream.
- systems for which you have an ansi C library and no other port of frotz.
- collectors of z-machine curiosities
Sample Output:
West of House Score: 0 Moves: 0
ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire
Copyright 1982 by Infocom, Inc.
All rights reserved.
ZORK is a trademark of Infocom, Inc.
Release 25 / Serial number 820515
West of House
You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded
front door.
There is a small mailbox here.
>n
North of House Score: 0 Moves: 1
North of House
You are facing the north side of a white house. There is no door here, and
all the windows are boarded up. To the north a narrow path winds through
the trees.
>e
Behind House Score: 0 Moves: 2
Behind House
You are behind the white house. A path leads into the forest to the east.
In one corner of the house there is a small window which is slightly ajar.
>
Zork Zero:
+-------------------------------+---------+-------------------------------+
|:::::::Banquet Hall ::::::|:::::::::|::::: Flatheadia:::::::|
|:::::::Moves:::0 :::::::::::|:::::::::|::++::::::::::Score: 0::::::5|
+-------------------------------|:::::::24|-------------------------------+
+------+ +---------+ +-------+
|::::::| |:::::::|
|::::::| +--------+ nother frantic day at the castle; Lord |:::::::|
|::::::| |::::::::| Dimwit Flathead the Excessive has invited a |:::::::|
|::::::| |:::::::2| few thousand friends over for dinner. Three |:::::::|
|::::::| +--------+ hundred dragons have been slaughtered for |:::::::|
|::::::| the occasion, and the kitchen is suffocated by the |:::::::|
|::::::| stench of their roasting flesh. |:::::::|
|::::::| |:::::::|
|::::::| Banquet Hall |:::::::|
|::::::| +---+ The hall is filled to capacity, and the thousands |:::::::|
|::::::| |216| of reveling guests are raising quite a din. The |:::::::|
|::::::| +---+ primary exits are to the west and south; smaller |:::::::|
|::::::| openings lead east and northeast. |:::::::|
|::::::| Dimwit is seated at the dais. His loud voice carries |:::::::|
|::::::| across the crowded hall. "Now that the statue is done, |:::::::|
|::::::| we must do something ceremonial. I have it! A |:::::::|
|::::::| dedication! We'll give everyone in the kingdom a year |:::::::|
|:::497| off and invite them to the Fublio Valley..." |::::498|
] +------+ +-------+
***MORE***
|:::::::Moves:::0 :::::::::::|:::::::::|::++::::::::::Score: 0::::::5|
.
|::::::| Someone thrusts a platter of hellhound bones into |:::::::|
|::::::| your hands. "Bring this to the scullery, servant!" An |:::::::|
|::::::| insistent finger points northeast. |:::::::|
|:::497| |::::498|
] +------+ > +-------+
> +------+ >ne
|:::::::Scullery ::::::|:::::::::|::::: Flatheadia:::::::|
|:::::::Moves:::1 :::::::::::|:::::::::|::++::::::::::Score: 0::::::5|
+-------------------------------|:::::::23|-------------------------------+
.
|::::::| Scullery |:::::::|
|::::::| This is where the castle's pots and pans, the output |:::::::|
|::::::| of the forges of Borphee for three years, are cleaned |:::::::|
|::::::| and stored. Passages open to the south and southwest, |:::::::|
|::::::| and a stair descends. |:::::::|
|::::::| A scrubwoman grabs the platter, dumps the bones down |:::::::|
|::::::| a chute, and tosses the platter into a scrub basin. |:::::::|
|::::::| Someone drops a load of monogrammed napkins into |:::::::|
|::::::| your arms and pushes you toward the south. "Bring these |:::::::|
|::::::| to the kitchen! They're running low!" |:::::::|
|:::497| |::::498|
] +------+ > +-------+
> +------+ >s
|:::::::Kitchen ::::::|:::::::::|::::: Flatheadia:::::::|
|:::::::Moves:::2 :::::::::::|:::::::::|::++::::::::::Score: 0::::::5|
+-------------------------------|:::::::15|-------------------------------+
.
|::::::| Kitchen |:::::::|
|::::::| +---+ You are assaulted by waves of greasy odors and |:::::::|
|::::::| |217| buffetted by mobs of bustling cooks and servants. |:::::::|
|::::::| +---+ There are passages to the west and north, and a |:::::::|
|::::::| stair leads downward. |:::::::|
|::::::| "Finally," gasps one of the head servants, snatching |:::::::|
|::::::| the linen and dashing off. |:::::::|
|::::::| A baker gives you an enormous cake in the shape of |:::::::|
|::::::| Double Fanucci trebled fromps. "To the king's table," |:::::::|
|::::::| he orders, aiming you westward. |:::::::|
|:::497| |::::498|
] +------+ > +-------+
> +------+ >