Re: [M100] A z-code interpreter for the model 100

[Clinton Reddekop]

Hi Mark, thanks for the kind words.  Most of the work was done for me,
though, by Stephen Adolph's REX and the people who reverse-engineered
the Z-machine
game file format
.

I've been using LaddieAlpha to transfer the ROM images from my Win7 PC to
the REX, with no problems.

Thanks,
Clint

On Sat, Nov 14, 2015 at 1:18 PM, Mark Wickens 
wrote:

> Clint
>
> I saw this post a while ago but didn't get a chance to check it out till
> now.
> This is crazy bad ass, you do know that don't you?
>
> I played with 8085 assembler using the VirtualT IDE and struggled to get
> anything going based on the documentation available at the time, so hats
> off to you - and thanks for such a positive example that the IDE is
> suitable for large projects.
>
> I'm still getting a handle on how to move assembly language programs from
> my PC onto a real 102. Hopefully this will all come good.
>
> Regards, Mark.
>
>
> On 29/08/15 16:31, Clinton Reddekop wrote:
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I've just put a project into the Club100 Member Upload area that I hope
> will interest some of you.  It is a z-code interpreter for playing
> version-3 Infocom games on the Model 100 + REX.  I've been playing ZORK I
> quite a bit over the last 3 weeks with no problems.
>
> It is here:
>
> http://www.club100.org/memfiles/index.php?=0==Clinton%20Reddekop
>
> Some notes:
> * PLEASE keep your RAM backed up in REX just in case of bugs.  I'm not
> aware of any but there could be one or two or several lurking in there.
> * works with version-3 z-code files only (this covers *most* Infocom
> games)
> * you will probably need at least 24K RAM installed in your machine
> * save files can only be written to/read from the RAM file system
> * it doesn't support non-ASCII characters yet
> * if a game fails to start, or if saving a game fails, you probably don't
> have enough free RAM
> * As-built it works with REX v4.8, and the packaging program z100pkg.exe
> is a Windows executable.  See build.txt for instructions to build it on
> Windows; modify if your needs are different.
>
> Thanks,
> Clint
>
>
>

Re: [M100] A z-code interpreter for the model 100

[Mark Wickens]

Many thanks for this - I would consider this a 'killer app' when it 
comes to purchasing a REX.


Do we have an update on the status of orders for REX, or when the new 
version will be ready?


Kind regards, Mark.

On 29/08/15 17:31, Clinton Reddekop wrote:

Hello everyone,

I've just put a project into the Club100 Member Upload area that I 
hope will interest some of you.  It is a z-code interpreter for 
playing version-3 Infocom games on the Model 100 + REX.  I've been 
playing ZORK I quite a bit over the last 3 weeks with no problems.


It is here:
http://www.club100.org/memfiles/index.php?direction=0order=directory=Clinton%20Reddekop

Some notes:
* PLEASE keep your RAM backed up in REX just in case of bugs.  I'm not 
aware of any but there could be one or two or several lurking in there.
* works with version-3 z-code files only (this covers /most/ Infocom 
games)

* you will probably need at least 24K RAM installed in your machine
* save files can only be written to/read from the RAM file system
* it doesn't support non-ASCII characters yet
* if a game fails to start, or if saving a game fails, you probably 
don't have enough free RAM
* As-built it works with REX v4.8, and the packaging program 
z100pkg.exe is a Windows executable.  See build.txt for instructions 
to build it on Windows; modify if your needs are different.


Thanks,
Clint

Re: [M100] A z-code interpreter for the model 100

[Clinton Reddekop]

Yes I am.  Steve Adolph told me that REXMGR reloads ALTLCD before using it,
so I don't suspect a problem there.
Thanks,
Clint

On Sun, Aug 30, 2015 at 12:30 AM, John R. Hogerhuis jho...@pobox.com
wrote:

 Are you using REXMGR? I don't remember whether it uses ALTLCD.

 -- John.

Re: [M100] A z-code interpreter for the model 100

[Clinton Reddekop]

Hi Andrew,

I've never used inform, but I just grabbed the windows version here:
http://ifarchive.giga.or.at/if-archive/infocom/compilers/inform6/executables/inform633_win32.zip

The command
inform6 -h2
lists this as one of the command-line switches you can use:
  v3  compile to version-3 (Standard) story file

I expect some newer games use features unavailable in the v3 interpreter,
though.

Clint

On Sat, Aug 29, 2015 at 9:37 AM, Andrew Roach ajroac...@gmail.com wrote:

 Is it possible to compile modern sourcecode to v3 files using inform?
 On Sat, Aug 29, 2015 at 11:31 AM Clinton Reddekop 
 clinton.redde...@gmail.com wrote:

 Hello everyone,

 I've just put a project into the Club100 Member Upload area that I hope
 will interest some of you.  It is a z-code interpreter for playing
 version-3 Infocom games on the Model 100 + REX.  I've been playing ZORK I
 quite a bit over the last 3 weeks with no problems.

 It is here:

 http://www.club100.org/memfiles/index.php?direction=0order=directory=Clinton%20Reddekop

 Some notes:
 * PLEASE keep your RAM backed up in REX just in case of bugs.  I'm not
 aware of any but there could be one or two or several lurking in there.
 * works with version-3 z-code files only (this covers *most* Infocom
 games)
 * you will probably need at least 24K RAM installed in your machine
 * save files can only be written to/read from the RAM file system
 * it doesn't support non-ASCII characters yet
 * if a game fails to start, or if saving a game fails, you probably don't
 have enough free RAM
 * As-built it works with REX v4.8, and the packaging program z100pkg.exe
 is a Windows executable.  See build.txt for instructions to build it on
 Windows; modify if your needs are different.

 Thanks,
 Clint

Re: [M100] A z-code interpreter for the model 100

[John R. Hogerhuis]

On Sunday, August 30, 2015, Clinton Reddekop clinton.redde...@gmail.com
wrote:

 Yes I am.  Steve Adolph told me that REXMGR reloads ALTLCD before using
 it, so I don't suspect a problem there.
 Thanks,
 Clint



Well unless you're actually writing past the end of it on accident that's
all I can think of.

-- John.

Re: [M100] A z-code interpreter for the model 100

[Andrew Roach]

Is it possible to compile modern sourcecode to v3 files using inform?
On Sat, Aug 29, 2015 at 11:31 AM Clinton Reddekop 
clinton.redde...@gmail.com wrote:

 Hello everyone,

 I've just put a project into the Club100 Member Upload area that I hope
 will interest some of you.  It is a z-code interpreter for playing
 version-3 Infocom games on the Model 100 + REX.  I've been playing ZORK I
 quite a bit over the last 3 weeks with no problems.

 It is here:

 http://www.club100.org/memfiles/index.php?direction=0order=directory=Clinton%20Reddekop

 Some notes:
 * PLEASE keep your RAM backed up in REX just in case of bugs.  I'm not
 aware of any but there could be one or two or several lurking in there.
 * works with version-3 z-code files only (this covers *most* Infocom
 games)
 * you will probably need at least 24K RAM installed in your machine
 * save files can only be written to/read from the RAM file system
 * it doesn't support non-ASCII characters yet
 * if a game fails to start, or if saving a game fails, you probably don't
 have enough free RAM
 * As-built it works with REX v4.8, and the packaging program z100pkg.exe
 is a Windows executable.  See build.txt for instructions to build it on
 Windows; modify if your needs are different.

 Thanks,
 Clint

[M100] A z-code interpreter for the model 100

[Clinton Reddekop]

Hello everyone,

I've just put a project into the Club100 Member Upload area that I hope
will interest some of you.  It is a z-code interpreter for playing
version-3 Infocom games on the Model 100 + REX.  I've been playing ZORK I
quite a bit over the last 3 weeks with no problems.

It is here:
http://www.club100.org/memfiles/index.php?direction=0order=directory=Clinton%20Reddekop

Some notes:
* PLEASE keep your RAM backed up in REX just in case of bugs.  I'm not
aware of any but there could be one or two or several lurking in there.
* works with version-3 z-code files only (this covers *most* Infocom games)
* you will probably need at least 24K RAM installed in your machine
* save files can only be written to/read from the RAM file system
* it doesn't support non-ASCII characters yet
* if a game fails to start, or if saving a game fails, you probably don't
have enough free RAM
* As-built it works with REX v4.8, and the packaging program z100pkg.exe is
a Windows executable.  See build.txt for instructions to build it on
Windows; modify if your needs are different.

Thanks,
Clint

Re: [M100] A z-code interpreter for the model 100

[Brian Brindle]

Very cool! Thanks Clint!

On Sat, Aug 29, 2015 at 11:37 AM, Andrew Roach ajroac...@gmail.com wrote:

 Is it possible to compile modern sourcecode to v3 files using inform?
 On Sat, Aug 29, 2015 at 11:31 AM Clinton Reddekop 
 clinton.redde...@gmail.com wrote:

 Hello everyone,

 I've just put a project into the Club100 Member Upload area that I hope
 will interest some of you.  It is a z-code interpreter for playing
 version-3 Infocom games on the Model 100 + REX.  I've been playing ZORK I
 quite a bit over the last 3 weeks with no problems.

 It is here:

 http://www.club100.org/memfiles/index.php?direction=0order=directory=Clinton%20Reddekop

 Some notes:
 * PLEASE keep your RAM backed up in REX just in case of bugs.  I'm not
 aware of any but there could be one or two or several lurking in there.
 * works with version-3 z-code files only (this covers *most* Infocom
 games)
 * you will probably need at least 24K RAM installed in your machine
 * save files can only be written to/read from the RAM file system
 * it doesn't support non-ASCII characters yet
 * if a game fails to start, or if saving a game fails, you probably don't
 have enough free RAM
 * As-built it works with REX v4.8, and the packaging program z100pkg.exe
 is a Windows executable.  See build.txt for instructions to build it on
 Windows; modify if your needs are different.

 Thanks,
 Clint

Re: [M100] A z-code interpreter for the model 100

[Clinton Reddekop]

Hi John,

I took your advice and used the stack for most of the RAM I needed.  I also
used the INPBUF and ALTLCD RAM areas for some interrupt code, a jump table
to some functions I needed to be in RAM, and some variables.  So nothing
clever to share, sorry :D

I found that using most of ALTLCD somehow caused Bad Things to Happen -
after turning the computer off and then later on again, sometimes it would
freeze either right away or when I tried to start my game again.  I don't
know why.  Currently I'm using 201 bytes of the 320 in ALTLCD and this has
been reliable for me.  If you have any idea why I have problems using more
than that could you please let me know?

I found that juggling variables using only push/pop/xthl got too
complicated in some functions, so I ended up using more static variables
than I would have liked (in INPBUF, ALTLCD).

Thanks for your advice and help with this project.

Clint


On Sat, Aug 29, 2015 at 11:19 AM, John R. Hogerhuis jho...@pobox.com
wrote:

 Congratulations!

 I seem to recall some memory management discussions. Any final design
 decisions you would like to share? It's always intriguing to see how
 programmers do more with less.

 -- John.