IF interpreter list for beginners?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

I've haven't found exactly what I'm looking for: a simple, easy guide
where beginners can learn where to download the various IF
interpreters. I consulted the Ifaq and found
http://ifarchive.org/if-archive/info/playgame.FAQ, but it would take a
pretty determined beginner to sift through all that, and it also
doesn't cover non-PC interpreters.

I wanted a simple list of links, like this:

-----------------------------------------

INTERACTIVE FICTION INTERPRETERS

INFORM (.z5 or .z8) - also known as 'Z-Code' files
Windows 95/Me/2000/XP link
Windows 3.x/MS-DOS link
Mac OS link
Palm OS link
etc.

TADS (.gam)
Windows 95/Me/2000/XP link
Windows 3.x/MS-DOS link
Mac OS link
etc.

And so on for Glulx, Hugo, Alan, ADRIFT, and the rest.

-----------------------------------------

Unfortunately, with all the interpreter/platform combinations, making
such a list would take a long time if you were aiming for
completeness. Has anyone ever done something like this before?

Greg

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

Here, Greg Boettcher <WRITETOgregAT@gregboettcher.com> wrote:
> I've haven't found exactly what I'm looking for: a simple, easy guide
> where beginners can learn where to download the various IF
> interpreters.

Have you looked at <http://www.microheaven.com/IFGuide/>?

--Z

"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."
*
* Make your vote count. Get your vote counted.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

Andrew Plotkin <erkyrath@eblong.com> wrote in message news:<cd14cm$mt$2@reader2.panix.com>...
> Have you looked at <http://www.microheaven.com/IFGuide/>?
>
> --Z

Well, that is closer than anything else I've stumbled across, so
thanks for that. I hadn't looked at that part of that web site before.

When I finish up my web page, maybe I'll post the results here and see
if anyone's interested.

Greg

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

On 13 Jul 2004 09:40:13 -0700, WRITETOgregAT@gregboettcher.com (Greg
Boettcher) wrote:

>I've haven't found exactly what I'm looking for: a simple, easy guide
>where beginners can learn where to download the various IF
>interpreters. I consulted the Ifaq and found
>http://ifarchive.org/if-archive/info/playgame.FAQ, but it would take a
>pretty determined beginner to sift through all that, and it also
>doesn't cover non-PC interpreters.
>
>I wanted a simple list of links,

The 'playing interactive fiction games' mini-FAQ, which I post
approximately weekly to rgif, incorporates a list of game-formats and
appropriate interpreters for various computers. I certainly haven't
aimed at completeness though. I'm aiming at providing the most widely
useful info on the most common game-formats and computing environments
while keeping the list as short as possible. I'm always happy to
receive info on other game-formats and OSes to add to it though.

I haven't posted the mini-FAQ for a couple of weeks as I've been away.
The most recent one:
<http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=hrpge05440ehe0iaqqfoq4hnkqeooahdcq%404ax.com>

I'm thinking that I should put that mini-FAQ onto a webpage somewhere
as it could be a useful link for other IF webpages needing a very
succinct IF info summary.

The 'playgame.FAQ' file at the IF Archive was written many years ago
when most people ran MSDOS and needed to know a lot more about the
software they're running and how and why it works. I haven't updated
it for a few years now because there hasn't been much interest in it.

I should really update the Ifaq entry so that it points to a more
modern information source now, perhaps Fredrik's Web-based IFGuide
which provides info on a wide variety of computing platforms.

>like this:
[snip]
>
>Unfortunately, with all the interpreter/platform combinations, making
>such a list would take a long time if you were aiming for
>completeness. Has anyone ever done something like this before?


-- SteveG
remove _X_ from my reply address to send me email

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

SteveG <stev_X_grif@NOT_actrix.gen.nz> wrote:
> On 13 Jul 2004 09:40:13 -0700, WRITETOgregAT@gregboettcher.com (Greg
> Boettcher) wrote:
>
> The 'playing interactive fiction games' mini-FAQ, which I post
> approximately weekly to rgif, incorporates a list of game-formats and
> appropriate interpreters for various computers. I certainly haven't
> aimed at completeness though. I'm aiming at providing the most widely
> useful info on the most common game-formats and computing environments
> while keeping the list as short as possible. I'm always happy to
> receive info on other game-formats and OSes to add to it though.
>
> I haven't posted the mini-FAQ for a couple of weeks as I've been away.
> The most recent one:
> <http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=hrpge05440ehe0iaqqfoq4hnkqeooahdcq%404ax.com>
>
> I'm thinking that I should put that mini-FAQ onto a webpage somewhere
> as it could be a useful link for other IF webpages needing a very
> succinct IF info summary.
>
> The 'playgame.FAQ' file at the IF Archive was written many years ago
> when most people ran MSDOS and needed to know a lot more about the
> software they're running and how and why it works. I haven't updated
> it for a few years now because there hasn't been much interest in it.
>
> I should really update the Ifaq entry so that it points to a more
> modern information source now, perhaps Fredrik's Web-based IFGuide
> which provides info on a wide variety of computing platforms.

Sorry for not seeing this sooner; I don't follow the newsgroups all
that closely, and I follow raif more than rgif. That's also why I
missed your mini-FAQ -- which I feel sort of sheepish about.

Anyway, that FAQ is really cool, Steve, pretty close to what I have in
mind. I'm going to email both you and Frederick Ramsberg about it
later today and tomorrow.

Greg

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

SteveG wrote:
> [...]
> The 'playing interactive fiction games' mini-FAQ, which I
> post approximately weekly to rgif, incorporates a list of
> game-formats and appropriate interpreters for various
> computers. I certainly haven't aimed at completeness though.
> [...] I'm always happy to receive info on other game-formats
> and OSes to add to it though.

It ignores Unix somewhat. A lot of people use some form of Unix (Linux,
some BSD, OS X, and many more).

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

On Wed, 21 Jul 2004 01:42:50 +0300, "Nikos Chantziaras"
<me@privacy.net> wrote:

>SteveG wrote:
>> [...]
>> The 'playing interactive fiction games' mini-FAQ, which I
>> post approximately weekly to rgif, incorporates a list of
>> game-formats and appropriate interpreters for various
>> computers. I certainly haven't aimed at completeness though.
>> [...] I'm always happy to receive info on other game-formats
>> and OSes to add to it though.
>
>It ignores Unix somewhat. A lot of people use some form of Unix (Linux,
>some BSD, OS X, and many more).

I would like to add Linux and Mac OS X to the list. But it seems it
would clutter the list a lot with different compiled packages required
for different Unix/Linux distributions and source-code compilation
required for others. And there doesn't seem to be many OSX-native
'terps but if there's any good ones better than the OS8/9 ones I'd
like to highlight them. There's a few commandline-only OSX 'terps but
I don't think they're what a newbie IF player with a pretty MacOSX
machine would be interested in.

I was thinking of recommending that unified Linux package which lets
you plug in various Glk interpreters ... hmm, googling for a moment...
Simon Baldwin's IFP. Plays Z-Code, TADS, Hugo, Alan, Glulx, AGT,
AdvSys, Level 9 and Magnetic Scrolls! But it hasn't been updated since
March '03 so perhaps some 'terp versions (eg Frotz, TADS?) are
outdated? And unless you're running Debian or Redhat Linux you'd still
have to compile from source.

Looks like the best idea would be to list the directory where the
various Linux 'terp versions are and let the reader find the
appropriate download for their flavour of Linux -- for example, for
Z-Code games go to the Frotz directory and find a suitable V2.43
package.

Here's a proposed list based on a draft list Greg Boettcher emailed me
and on Fredrik Ramsberg webpages at
<http://www.microheaven.com/IFGuide/>
but with quite a lot of my own opinion dolloped on top so I could be
way wrong :


Linux
-----
Z-Code
Frotz 2.43

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archiveXinfocomXinterpretersXfrotz.html
TADS
'TADS2/3' or QTADS?

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archiveXprogrammingXtads3Xsource.html
Hugo
Hugo 3 executable or source

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/hugo/executables/hugov30_linux.tar.gz

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/hugo/source/hugov30_unix_source.tar.gz
Glulx
Glulxe binary or source

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/glulx/interpreters/glulxe/glulxe-0.3.5.linux.tar.gz

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/glulx/interpreters/glulxe/glulxe-035.tar.Z
perhaps Zag Java 'terp?

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/glulx/interpreters/zag/zag-1.05.tar.gz
Alan

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/alan/executables/glkarun-2.86-linux-i386-2.tar.gz
or get V2.8.7 source
http://welcome.to/alan-if
Adrift
Scare

http://www.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/adrift/scare-1.3.2_linux.tgz
AGT
Glk Agility binary or source

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/agt/agility/agil111linux_glk.tgz

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/agt/agility/agil111src_glk.zip
Vanilla Agility source

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/agt/agility/agil111src.zip

and also consider the 'IFP' multi-format player
http://mirror.ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archiveXprogrammingXifp.html



MacOS X
-------
Z-Code
is this pretty GUI version? (else use the OS8/9 recommendations)

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/frotz/frotz-2.41-MacOSX.dmg.sit
OS8/9

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/zip/MaxZip-178.hqx
TADS
no OSX-native GUI 'terp so use HyperTADS

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/tads2/executables/HyperTADS-138.sit
Hugo
no OSX GUI 'terp so use the OS8/9 one

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/hugo/executables/hugov30_macos.sit
Glulx
no GUI Glulxe for OSX so use the OS8/9-native

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/glulx/interpreters/glulxe/Glulxe-034.hqx
Alan
No OSX version, use the OS8/9 'MacAlan' or 'GlkAlan'

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/alan/executables/MacAlan-2.8.2.1-Binary.sit.hqx

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/alan/executables/MacGlk-Alan-020.sit.hqx
Adrift
MacScare

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/adrift/MacScare-GUI.zip
AGT
no OSX version of Agility, try OS8/9 version:

http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/programming/agt/agility/MacAgility_0.89.sit.bin


Feedback on these lists is very welcome, especially from people who
actually play IF on Unix, Linux or Mac computers. Then I'll add some
of this info to the 'playing interactive fiction games' mini-FAQ.


-- SteveG
remove _X_ from my reply address to send me email