Infocom's Z-Machine ATR generator

[jindroush]

On my site https://a8.jindrou.sh is now available the Z-Machine ATR generator https://a8.jindrou.sh/inform.html

 

It lets you upload any Z3/Z4/Z5/Z7/Z8 story, also packaged in Zblorb/blorb formats (No Z6 support though).
After uploading server presents you with list of potential images and lets you select and download them in single zip file.

 

Z3 interpreter is modified original Inform's interpreter from Plundered Hearts, Z4+ is much more heavily modified as I presented in this thread:

Currently there is a selection of several disk formats (even trying to make split SD disks), and 4 different videomodes. Only Z3 runs on stock 48KB Atari, rest needs at least 130XE compatible extended memory.
All of this is still work in progress so please don't hesitate to report any errors.

[bfollowell]

This is excellent!

 

Of course, all 24 original Z3 games were already released on the 8-bit, but not necessarily the final versions with bug fixes, etc., so it will be nice to be able to make new atrs with the most recent versions of the story files. Also, it'll be nice to be able to make atrs for the z4 & z5 games that were never released, assuming that your machine is able to take advantage of them, not to mention any good homebrew IF released since in any format other than z6.

 

Thank you so much!

[jindroush]

All the official games (except 4 Z6 games) should be part of the linked 'Incomplete Works of Infocom' - there are 36 games - Z3/Z4/Z5, most in their latest versions, some of them without copy protection. But of course, with this tool you may generate single-game versions.

[+DrVenkman]

2 hours ago, jindroush said:

All the official games (except 4 Z6 games) should be part of the linked 'Incomplete Works of Infocom' - there are 36 games - Z3/Z4/Z5, most in their latest versions, some of them without copy protection. But of course, with this tool you may generate single-game versions.

Do you plan to “finish” that package and remove the animated PM graphics overlay at some point? 

[jindroush]

I want to, but I'm afraid to do so I've found non-zero bugs while creating this generator, so I'm not sure if the multi-menu is in 'release quality' already. Don't know when to make the cut.

[VW]

Excellent project, how is the performance? I remember playing Spellbreaker on the 800XL was painful at times with a lot of disk access required for seemingly every command. I will try this out on an emulator but would love it to work on real hardware too.

[jindroush]

Performance is comparable to the original, but you may try the z3/80col/ext mem, which should touch disk less often. And of course, running this from cart/SIDE must be muuuuch faster.

[Ute]

Thank you @jindroush

 

This is excellent!

 

I was able to compile Beyond Zork with the ST style graphics instead of the Apple2 style, for both 80 and 64 column. 

[jindroush]

Glad you like it. The 64 col font3 is not perfect yet, will have to fix it. 

 

Isn't 64cols version unbearably slow? 

[Ute]

26 minutes ago, jindroush said:

Glad you like it. The 64 col font3 is not perfect yet, will have to fix it. 

It's good enough and looks a ton better than the Apple2 style.

 

26 minutes ago, jindroush said:

 

Isn't 64cols version unbearably slow? 

Maybe, I haven't had time to give a real try. But it's Beyond Zork for the A8 which I never thought would happen, so I'm already very happy.

[Ute]

Just in case anyone wants to give it a try, attached are the 64 col, and 80 col versions.

BZ64.atr BZ80.atr

[+MrFish]

On 9/16/2023 at 11:36 AM, jindroush said:

Isn't 64cols version unbearably slow? 

On 9/16/2023 at 12:09 PM, Ute said:

It's good enough and looks a ton better than the Apple2 style.

 

Speed is fine for me, and it looks wayyyy better than 80-columns soft font.

 

[jindroush]

Today I updated generator with some fixes:
 

0.9.5:
-fixed error while displaying very early messages in Z3 stories.
-fixed two disk sector computation (leading to error 12)
-reverted back to code/data buffer cross invalidation
-PunyInform games needs get_cursor opcode, implemented
-found serious bug in call implementation - when the number of call parameters is larger than number of locals
-slightly fixed font3 in s64 driver

Except for the last line, most of the changes are invisible to the user (apart from the fact that some games did not work).
The generator now has 85 combinations of options (memory/disk size/z-machine/video driver) and automatically disables those which would not fit into memory.
It also warns when the cache for reading non-resident part of story is shorter than 8 sectors, which means that the disk reads would be more or less constant (and thus game reactions slow)

[jindroush]

The generator was updated to 0.9.6 S64peedy Gonzales build with much faster software 64 column driver. Also the number of possible generated images slightly grown up.

Url is still https://a8.jindrou.sh/inform.html