how do you tell what z-machine version a game is for

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

Here, Mad Scientist Jr <usenet_daughter@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I downloaded the free Zork 1-3 from the Infocom site, and just messing
> around (knowing they had developed version 1-5 (6?) of the z machine)
> tried renaming the DAT files to .z3 and they work in Frotz. But how do
> you tell for sure what Z-machine version a game is developed for?

Look at the first byte. It's 03 for version 3, 05 for version 5, etc.

> Or does Frotz not even look at the file name and figure out the
> version itself?

That's correct. All Z-machine interpreters that I know of ignore
whether the filename is .z3, .z4, or whatever. Some ignore the
filename entirely.

--Z

"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."
*
I'm still thinking about what to put in this space.

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

Andrew Plotkin <erkyrath@eblong.com> wrote:
> Here, Mad Scientist Jr <usenet_daughter@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> I downloaded the free Zork 1-3 from the Infocom site, and just messing
>> around (knowing they had developed version 1-5 (6?) of the z machine)
>> tried renaming the DAT files to .z3 and they work in Frotz. But how do
>> you tell for sure what Z-machine version a game is developed for?

> Look at the first byte. It's 03 for version 3, 05 for version 5, etc.

I sent sent new magic entries for IF-related file to Christos Zoulas about
a month ago. They should appear in the canonical magic files soon.

>> Or does Frotz not even look at the file name and figure out the
>> version itself?

> That's correct. All Z-machine interpreters that I know of ignore
> whether the filename is .z3, .z4, or whatever. Some ignore the
> filename entirely.

At least for Frotz, the filename is used only for naming save files, aux
files, and so on.

--
David Griffith
dgriffi@cs.csbuak.edu <-- Switch the 'b' and 'u'

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

Andrew Plotkin <erkyrath@eblong.com> wrote:
>
>
> Here, Mad Scientist Jr <usenet_daughter@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> I downloaded the free Zork 1-3 from the Infocom site, and just messing
>> around (knowing they had developed version 1-5 (6?) of the z machine)
>> tried renaming the DAT files to .z3 and they work in Frotz. But how do
>> you tell for sure what Z-machine version a game is developed for?
>
> Look at the first byte. It's 03 for version 3, 05 for version 5, etc.

Or if hex editors aren't your thing, you can look it up at the
unofficial Infocom Home Page: http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Infocom/


>> Or does Frotz not even look at the file name and figure out the
>> version itself?
>
> That's correct. All Z-machine interpreters that I know of ignore
> whether the filename is .z3, .z4, or whatever. Some ignore the
> filename entirely.

I believe CliFrotz for PalmOS does pay attention to extension,
actually.

--
Zed Pobre <zed@resonant.org> a.k.a. Zed Pobre <zed@debian.org>
PGP key and fingerprint available on finger; encrypted mail welcomed.