Fic

Fic is a work-in-progress Z-Machine interpreter for Windows/Mac/Linux written in Python 3. It is for use on the terminal, and has been 'tested' in Windows Command Prompt, Windows Powershell, xfce4-terminal

Currently 'supports' all V3 Z-Code games, minus the sound in The Lurking Horror. V1/V2 is mostly supported, except for one edge case where you use two digits in a row for input. Support for V4 is partial, minus games that require timed input.

Work is ongoing for full V4/V5(/V7/V8) support. Will likely never touch V6.

Usage

• If on Windows, install the Python pre-reqs as per requirements.txt
• Linux users probably already have everything they need on Python 3.7+
• python fic.py

Known Issues

• Resizing the terminal will do all sorts of horrible things to the interpreter. In this classic scenario of 'Doctor, It Hurts When I...', I suggest you don't resize the window while playing.
• Save files append a space to the end on write..?

Reporting bugs

Please open a Github issue with a screenshot/copy-paste of the bug you've encountered, and provide:

• the game file that has the issue (if non-commerical!)
• a save file close to the issue, if applicable
• the commands you entered to cause the issue (preferably after the save file)
• your operating system + terminal

Contributing

If you want to contribute to Fic development, please feel free to raise a pull request! We'll work out the guidelines for this as we go along. Fic is licensed under GPLv3, so any contributions made will also fall under this license.

It's a pain to integration test this stuff, but I recently discovered the joys of CZECH by Amir Karger - so the first little rule we could have is that you run the CZECH suite against v3 + v4 and make sure the score/output you get isn't worse than what we started with. You can find the suite here. You'll need to install Inform, but otherwise the Readme is self-explanatory.

Project Goals

Modest - the idea is to implement to some standard every opcode of V1-V5+V7-V8. Full support is not the target as Fic is currently a terminal application, so fancy font stuff isn't possible for instance. I will consider Fic viable when the enhancements given in the TODO section are done, and it is possible to complete the Infocom catalogue. In addition, it would be grand to also support a few of the modern classics/personal favourites:

• Photopia by Adam Cadre
• Spider and Web by Andrew Plotkin
• Bronze by Emily Short (implies Blorb support!)
• Anchorhead by Michael Gentry

Theoretically, correctly implementing the Z-Machine means supporting the above as well as everything else! But, sadly, I do not have time to test every game file the sun. If the above work to the degree that Frotz and other well-established interpreters support, I'll be happy. And for everything else - I've already outlined how to report bugs and contribute fixes!

Technical stuff

Dones

Opcodes implemented

• add
• and
• art_shift
• buffer_mode
• call
• call_1n
• call_1s
• call_2n
• call_2s
• call_vn
• call_vn2
• call_vs2
• catch
• check_arg_count
• clear_attr
• dec
• dec_chk
• div
• encode_text
• erase_line
• erase_window
• get_child
• get_cursor
• get_next_prop
• get_parent
• get_prop
• get_prop_addr
• get_prop_len
• get_sibling
• inc
• inc_chk
• input_stream
• insert_obj
• je
• jg
• jin
• jl
• jump
• jz
• load
• loadb
• loadw
• log_shift
• mod
• mul
• new_line
• nop
• not
• not (v5) - instruction moved
• or
• output_stream
• piracy
• print
• print_addr
• print_char
• print_num
• print_obj
• print_paddr
• print_ret
• print_table
• pull
• push
• put_prop
• quit
• random
• read
• read_char - minus timing
• remove_obj
• restart
• ret
• ret_popped
• pop
• restore
• restore_undo
• rfalse
• rtrue
• save
• save_undo
• scan_table
• set_attr
• set_colour
• set_cursor
• set_font - basically dummied
• set_text_style - minus fixed pitch
• show_status
• store
• storeb
• storew
• sub
• test
• test_attr
• throw
• tokenise
• verify

TODOs

Enhancements

• Better recording/replaying - prompt for filenames on input_stream = 1, output_stream = 4
• '[MORE]' prompts
• Introduce proper sys args stuff, kill the last of the easy-to-see exceptions
  • Give the user lots of cool options
• Implement Queztal save files - if only because the save fil format for Fic will break constantly as opcodes demand memory structure changes
• Unit tests for each opcode
• Full game run tests using replays (only confirm that we reach the end of the game, not that the display is correct)
• Speed - this thing runs terribly slowly, and it looks like we can't just throw Pypy at it and call it a day.
• Implement UNDO rather than hiding behind the header flag...

Refactor

• Split Memory into multiple classes
• Lots of mixing of underscore variable names + camelcase
• getOpcode needs tidying - mixes decimal with hex
• isAttributeSet/setAttribute needs tidying up
• Split rendering logic out into entirely separate class and loop
  • Preparation for creating GUI client?
• So many magic numbers you can call me Penn AND Teller.

Architecture / To Do

• Input streams
  • Specifically of read input as only input/output characters
  • Easier/better way of handling replays outside of built-in #comm commands
  • Supporting text buffer already being populated for timeout scenarios
  • Timeout/callback scenarios
• Sound effects
• Random number generator
  • Predictable mode

Opcodes remaining for v3 in general

• sound_effect (for Lurking Horror only) (currently dummied)

Opcodes remaining for v4

• sread (v4 - adds time + callback interrupt)
• read_char (time + callback interrupt)

Opcodes remaining for v5 - ordered by perceived difficulty

• aread (v5)
• copy_table (maybe completed - a challenge to test...)
• save (v5, table)
• restore (v5, table)

Opcodes remaining for v5 - Extension

• print_unicode
• check_unicode
• set_true_colour

Opcodes remaining for v6

• set_colour (v6)
• set_font (v6)
• pull (v6)
• erase_line (v6)
• set_cursor (v6)
• output_stream (v6)
• draw_picture
• picture_data
• erase_picture
• set_margins
• move_window
• window_size
• window_style
• get_wind_prop
• scroll_window
• pop_stack
• read_mouse
• mouse_window
• push_stack
• put_wind_prop
• print_form
• make_menu
• picture_table

Opcodes remaining for v6 - Extension

• set_true_colour (with window)
• buffer_screen