Z-code
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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 | ||
| + | * GLUZMA ([[Glulx]], open source; big-endian ZIP only) | ||
* Parchment (web, open source, [https://github.com/curiousdannii/parchment website]): browser-based Z-code interpreter. | * 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 | ||
* Twisty (Android, open source, [https://bitbucket.org/sussman/twisty website], [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.code.twisty Google Play]) | * 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. | ||
| + | * 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] | ||
| + | * [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 | ||
| + | * {{DexvertSamples|document/zcode}} | ||
== Information == | == Information == | ||
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* [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] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Infocom documentation: | ||
| + | * [http://zzo38computer.org/backup/zspec/zip_old.txt ZIP] | ||
| + | * [http://zzo38computer.org/backup/zspec/zip.txt EZIP/XZIP] | ||
| + | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120309172205/http://xlisp.org/zip.pdf YZIP] | ||
[[Category:Executables]] | [[Category:Executables]] | ||
[[Category:Programming Languages]] | [[Category:Programming Languages]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Infocom]] | ||
Latest revision as of 04:07, 28 December 2023
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
- Inform is an IF development system by Graham Nelson that outputs Z-code.
- ZILF by Jesse McGrew is a reimplementation of Infocom's ZIL development system. Outputs Z-code.
- IF Archive: Z-code compilers
- IF Archive: Z-code tools
- Run Z-code games on PDP-10 with TOPS-20
[edit] Sample Files
- Advent.z5: Adventure aka Colossal Cave, the original 350 points version ported to Inform by Graham Nelson
- SoFar.z8: So Far, by Andrew Plotkin
- zdungeon.z5: Zork, by Infocom
- dexvert samples — document/zcode
[edit] Information
- IFwiki: Z-machine
- The Z-Machine Standards Document (version 1), by Graham Nelson
Infocom documentation:
Categories:
- File Formats
- Electronic File Formats
- Interactive Fiction
- File formats with extension .z1
- File formats with extension .z2
- File formats with extension .z3
- File formats with extension .z4
- File formats with extension .z5
- File formats with extension .z6
- File formats with extension .z7
- File formats with extension .z8
- File formats with extension .dat
- File formats with extension .zip
- Executables
- Programming Languages
- Infocom
