Z-code

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== Description ==
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{{FormatInfo
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|formattype=electronic
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|subcat=Interactive Fiction
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|extensions={{ext|z1}} {{ext|z2}} {{ext|z3}} {{ext|z4}} {{ext|z5}} {{ext|z6}} {{ext|z7}} {{ext|z8}} {{ext|dat}} {{ext|zip}}
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}}
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'''Z-code''' is an [[Interactive Fiction]] (IF) file format. A Z-code file contains a series of instructions for the Z-machine, a virtual machine designed by Infocom. A Z-code file typically contains an IF game which can be played using a Z-code interpreter. It is sometimes referred to as Infocom format. There are eight versions of Z-code. The first six were created by Infocom, while versions 7 and 8 were created by Graham Nelson, the author of [[Inform]]. Version 6 supports sound and images.
  
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Z-code is an [[Interactive Fiction]] (IF) file format. A Z-code file contains a series of instructions for the Z-machine, a virtual machine designed by Infocom. A Z-code file typically contains an IF game which can be played using a Z-code interpreter. It is sometimes referred to as Infocom format. There are eight versions of Z-code. The first six were created by Infocom, while versions 7 and 8 were created by Graham Nelson, the author of [[Inform]]. Version 6 supports sound a images.
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Infocom games were developed in the higher-level language [[ZIL]], which was compiled into Z-code using a compiler that's apparently lost now.
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Text within a Z-code file is represented using the specialized character encoding [[ZSCII]], a variant of [[ASCII]] that is encoded for compactness and a bit of obscurity (nothing resembling normal ASCII strings is visible in a raw dump of a file, making it harder to cheat in games by seeing descriptions this way).
  
 
Z-code files can be packaged in [[Blorb]] container files along with other resources needed for the game, such as images and sounds.
 
Z-code files can be packaged in [[Blorb]] container files along with other resources needed for the game, such as images and sounds.
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** [https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/frotz/id287653015?mt=8 iPhone version]
 
** [https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/frotz/id287653015?mt=8 iPhone version]
 
* Gargoyle (cross-platform, open source, [http://ccxvii.net/gargoyle/ website]): can interpret multiple IF formats, including Z-code
 
* Gargoyle (cross-platform, open source, [http://ccxvii.net/gargoyle/ website]): can interpret multiple IF formats, including Z-code
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* Parchment (web, open source, [https://code.google.com/p/parchment/ website]): browser-based Z-code interpreter.
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* GLUZMA ([[Glulx]], open source; big-endian ZIP only)
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* Parchment (web, open source, [https://github.com/curiousdannii/parchment website]): browser-based Z-code interpreter.
 
* Spatterlight (Mac OS X, open source, [http://ccxvii.net/spatterlight/ website]): can interpret multiple IF formats, including Z-code
 
* Spatterlight (Mac OS X, open source, [http://ccxvii.net/spatterlight/ website]): can interpret multiple IF formats, including Z-code
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* Twisty (Android, open source, [https://code.google.com/p/twisty/ website], [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.code.twisty Google Play])
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* Twisty (Android, open source, [https://bitbucket.org/sussman/twisty website], [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.code.twisty Google Play])
 
* Zoom (Mac OS X and Unix-like, open source, [http://www.logicalshift.co.uk/unix/zoom/ website]) can interpret multiple IF formats, including Z-code.
 
* Zoom (Mac OS X and Unix-like, open source, [http://www.logicalshift.co.uk/unix/zoom/ website]) can interpret multiple IF formats, including Z-code.
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* ZORKMID (cross-platform, open source, written in C, include debugging functionality; ZIP only, supports big-endian and small-endan story files)
  
 
The IF Archive contains many other interpreters:
 
The IF Archive contains many other interpreters:
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* [http://ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archiveXinfocomXcompilers.html IF Archive: Z-code compilers]
 
* [http://ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archiveXinfocomXcompilers.html IF Archive: Z-code compilers]
 
* [http://ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archiveXinfocomXtools.html IF Archive: Z-code tools]
 
* [http://ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archiveXinfocomXtools.html IF Archive: Z-code tools]
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* [https://github.com/athornton/gnusto-frotz-tops20 Run Z-code games on PDP-10 with TOPS-20]
  
 
== Sample Files ==
 
== Sample Files ==
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* [http://ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/zcode/SoFar.z8 SoFar.z8]: So Far, by Andrew Plotkin
 
* [http://ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/zcode/SoFar.z8 SoFar.z8]: So Far, by Andrew Plotkin
 
* [http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/zcode/zdungeon.z5 zdungeon.z5]: Zork, by Infocom
 
* [http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/zcode/zdungeon.z5 zdungeon.z5]: Zork, by Infocom
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* {{DexvertSamples|document/zcode}}
  
 
== Information ==
 
== Information ==
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* [http://www.ifwiki.org/index.php/Z-machine IFwiki: Z-machine]
 
* [http://www.inform-fiction.org/zmachine/standards/z1point0/index.html The Z-Machine Standards Document (version 1)], by Graham Nelson
 
* [http://www.inform-fiction.org/zmachine/standards/z1point0/index.html The Z-Machine Standards Document (version 1)], by Graham Nelson
 
** [http://ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/specification/ZMachineSpec-1.0.zip PDF version, zipped]
 
** [http://ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/specification/ZMachineSpec-1.0.zip PDF version, zipped]
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Infocom documentation:
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* [http://zzo38computer.org/backup/zspec/zip_old.txt ZIP]
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* [http://zzo38computer.org/backup/zspec/zip.txt EZIP/XZIP]
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120309172205/http://xlisp.org/zip.pdf YZIP]
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[[Category:Executables]]
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[[Category:Programming Languages]]
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[[Category:Infocom]]

Latest revision as of 04:07, 28 December 2023

File Format
Name Z-code
Ontology
Extension(s) .z1 .z2 .z3 .z4 .z5 .z6 .z7 .z8 .dat .zip

Z-code is an Interactive Fiction (IF) file format. A Z-code file contains a series of instructions for the Z-machine, a virtual machine designed by Infocom. A Z-code file typically contains an IF game which can be played using a Z-code interpreter. It is sometimes referred to as Infocom format. There are eight versions of Z-code. The first six were created by Infocom, while versions 7 and 8 were created by Graham Nelson, the author of Inform. Version 6 supports sound and images.

Infocom games were developed in the higher-level language ZIL, which was compiled into Z-code using a compiler that's apparently lost now.

Text within a Z-code file is represented using the specialized character encoding ZSCII, a variant of ASCII that is encoded for compactness and a bit of obscurity (nothing resembling normal ASCII strings is visible in a raw dump of a file, making it harder to cheat in games by seeing descriptions this way).

Z-code files can be packaged in Blorb container files along with other resources needed for the game, such as images and sounds.

Contents

[edit] Extensions

  • .z1 - .z8 (current convention, depending on what Z-code version the file is)
  • .DAT (used by Infocom for most of their commercial releases)
  • .ZIP (rarely seen, conflicts with the common extension used for ZIP compression)

[edit] Interpreters

A z-code game can be played on any platform that has an appropriate interpreter. Most interpreters can handle any Z-code version, although version 6 is not as widely supported as the other versions.

  • Frotz (cross-platform, open source, website)
  • Gargoyle (cross-platform, open source, website): can interpret multiple IF formats, including Z-code
  • GLUZMA (Glulx, open source; big-endian ZIP only)
  • Parchment (web, open source, website): browser-based Z-code interpreter.
  • Spatterlight (Mac OS X, open source, website): can interpret multiple IF formats, including Z-code
  • Twisty (Android, open source, website, Google Play)
  • Zoom (Mac OS X and Unix-like, open source, website) can interpret multiple IF formats, including Z-code.
  • ZORKMID (cross-platform, open source, written in C, include debugging functionality; ZIP only, supports big-endian and small-endan story files)

The IF Archive contains many other interpreters:

[edit] Other Tools

[edit] Sample Files

[edit] Information

Infocom documentation:

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