[ANNOUNCE] Infocom's DEADLINE Inform source code uploaded to ftp.gmd.de
Volker Lanz
Inform 6 to ftp.gmd.de/incoming/if-archive/Deadline.zip. The file should
eventually move to
ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/source/inform/Deadline.zip
This zipped file contains all necessary source files to compile a complete
and hopefully mostly bug free version of Infocom's DEADLINE. A readme file
in html format is included giving further information and explaining how to
compile the source.
I'm mainly releasing this because I feel there aren't really that many
full-size game sources available for Inform games. So this might be
interesting for people learning Inform. But please keep in mind -- I cannot
guarantee that these files are completely bug free nor are all things done
in the "best" and "most efficient" way there is. Have a look and decide for
yourself.
Two more things of note:
1. The game needs the NPC Engine release 5, which I have uploaded earlier
today. As long as this hasn't been moved to its destination directory on
ftp.gmd.de, you cannot use the link in the readme html to download the NPC
Engine, because this one links to the old release. You need to manually
download the new release from ftp.gmd.de/incoming/if-archive/npc_engine.zip.
2. Activision have kindly given their permission for the release of this
source code for instructive purposes. They, however, haven't granted anyone
the permission to play DEADLINE who has not purchased the original game.
Please bear in mind that playing the compiled game without owning the
original DEADLINE is still a violation of copyright.
Activision have asked this note be included with the release:
"This material contains elements based on the game DEADLINE. It is used
with permission as instructive material. Original DEADLINE material is (C)
1982, 1999 Activision, Inc. DEADLINE and Activision are registered
trademarks of Activision, Inc. All rights reserved."
E-mail me if you have any questions. Otherwise, have fun. And please read
the enclosed readme.html file *carefully* ;-))
- v
Kevin Forchione
Would you be interested in doing a port to TADS?
--Kevin
Volker Lanz
Thank you.
> Would you be interested in doing a port to TADS?
Hehe... Yes, but before that I think I'll finish my long-awaited AGT port of
Nord and Bert...
Florian Edlbauer
murder mysteries.
Florian
Daniel Schepler
Spellbreaker soon. Some other games it would be interesting to see
source for are:
Nord and Bert (wide-scale parser hacking)
HHGG (if only for Dont.h :)
Suspended (though from what I saw from my quick look at NPCEngine.h,
it's entirely possible it could easily handle the scheduling
stuff)
Zork Zero? (as a detailed example for how to use V6Lib)
Let me know if I missed any obvious ones.
--
Daniel Schepler "Please don't disillusion me. I
sche...@math.berkeley.edu haven't had breakfast yet."
-- Orson Scott Card
Preben Randhol
| Encouraged by this, I'm planning to start an Inform port of
| Spellbreaker soon. Some other games it would be interesting to see
| source for are:
| Nord and Bert (wide-scale parser hacking)
| HHGG (if only for Dont.h :)
| Suspended (though from what I saw from my quick look at NPCEngine.h,
| it's entirely possible it could easily handle the scheduling
| stuff)
| Zork Zero? (as a detailed example for how to use V6Lib)
Pardon my ignorance, but has the source code for the Infocom games
been released?
--
Preben Randhol "Marriage is when you get to keep
[ran...@pvv.org] your girl and don't have to give
[http://www.pvv.org/~randhol/] her back to her parents." (Eric, 6)
Volker Lanz
> been released?
No, unfortunately not. There are a few code snipplets in some article Dave
Lebling and others wrote somewhen in about 1980, but that's about it, I
think.
Not too surprisingly, since the games are all still under copyright and
although Activision are obviously acting very generously with things like
the DEADLINE port and games like "A Troll's Eye View", they probably still
aren't keen on losing all rights to all the games entirely. Apart from that,
I wonder where the source codes for all the games actually _are_. I don't
think someone still has computers like the PDP-10 around these days -
certainly not Activision (although I might be wrong ;-). Maybe Mike Berlyn
can shed some light on this?
R. Alan Monroe
>I have uploaded an Inform port of Infocom's DEADLINE in source format for
It's not entirely clear to me: was this recreated by decompiling the
z5 file, or merely recreated from scratch as a workalike?
Have fun
Alan
Joe Mason
>Encouraged by this, I'm planning to start an Inform port of
>Spellbreaker soon. Some other games it would be interesting to see
>source for are:
> Nord and Bert (wide-scale parser hacking)
> HHGG (if only for Dont.h :)
> Suspended (though from what I saw from my quick look at NPCEngine.h,
> it's entirely possible it could easily handle the scheduling
> stuff)
> Zork Zero? (as a detailed example for how to use V6Lib)
Careful - Activision may regret opening that can of worms. Better talk to
(ack! author of the Deadline port scrolled away) to find out exactly what their
attitude was if you intend to release these.
Joe
Marnie Parker
>ftp.gmd.de
>From: "Volker Lanz" volke...@gmx.net
>Date: Tue, 23 November 1999 07:52 PM EST
> Apart from that,
>I wonder where the source codes for all >the games actually _are_.
>Maybe Mike Berlyn
>can shed some light on this?
Think he said Activision had the rights to it and/or it had disappeared over
the years.
Anyway, do remember he said he only had little bits of it. Also, both he and
Lebling have both said it wasn't really that easy a language to read or use.
Been far surpassed by interactive languages/compilers now. Or something like
that. Sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.
Doe :-)
doea...@aol.com -------------------------------------------------
Kingdom of IF - http://members.aol.com/doepage/intfict.htm
Inform Tips - http://members.aol.com/doepage/infotips.htm
IF Art Gallery - http://members.aol.com/iffyart/gallery.htm
Volker Lanz
> access to the Infocom source code?) I'm assuming you didn't, and it's thus
> more of a reconstruction than a port. But it'd be pretty cool if you did
> find some original source somehow.
You're of course correct. It's a more of a reconstruction than a port.
Unfortunately I don't have access to the original source.
- v
Volker Lanz
> z5 file, or merely recreated from scratch as a workalike?
A bit of both. I did decompile the DEADLINE story file with disinform and
had a look at that while recreating the game. Plus I played through the game
endless times to find out how what I saw in the decompiled code actually
turned out to look like during gameplay.
It isn't a 100% correct in some places (McNabb's movements in the garden,
for instance), because I couldn't really figure out what it exactly was to
be like.
And I still wonder how Marc Blank did implement the NPC movements,
technically. The approach I chose with the NPC Engine (which is similar to
moveclass.h) would have been way too slow for home computers in 1982 like
the Atari 800 and the C64. But apparently the movements in the original
aren't simply hard coded into the game file: Mrs. Robner, for example, has
to be moved to the living room when the phone rings, but the game cannot
know where she is right then, so a hard coded path wouldn't work.
- v
Marnie Parker
>ftp.gmd.de
>From: "Volker Lanz" volke...@gmx.net
>And I still wonder how Marc Blank did implement the NPC movements,
>technically. The approach I chose with the NPC Engine (which is similar to
>moveclass.h) would have been way too slow for home computers in 1982 like
>the Atari 800 and the C64. But apparently the movements in the original
>aren't simply hard coded into the game file: Mrs. Robner, for example, has
>to be moved to the living room when the phone rings, but the game cannot
>know where she is right then, so a hard coded path wouldn't work.
>
>- v
Foobler has mentioned that he made an Inform "port" of the movement routines
they used. Had a name for it, "subway", or something. Promised to share it and
hasn't yet. Wanted to clean up code. Or maybe he HADN'T ported it yet. Really
can't recall, but evidentially most games used the same movement engine (or one
similar) and that is the one bit of original code he has.
Just looked this over, way cool. Great. Beautiful illustration of Inform and
you have also done something interesting things (especially with NPCs) I
haven't seen yet in other shared code.
I know I may use some of those techniques myself, being a medicore/okay/good
programmer, but not that creative a one.
Thanks, Doe :-)
Volker Lanz
routines
> they used. Had a name for it, "subway", or something. Promised to share it
and
> hasn't yet. Wanted to clean up code. Or maybe he HADN'T ported it yet.
Really
> can't recall, but evidentially most games used the same movement engine
(or one
> similar) and that is the one bit of original code he has.
AARGGH! That means, in other words, I have spent days of work on
re-inventing the wheel while Mike has the very thing I wanted sitting on his
hard drive gathering dust? :-((
> Just looked this over, way cool. Great. Beautiful illustration of Inform
and
> you have also done something interesting things (especially with NPCs) I
> haven't seen yet in other shared code.
Thank you.
> I know I may use some of those techniques myself, being a
medicore/okay/good
> programmer, but not that creative a one.
Well, it isn't exactly the peak of creativity to reconstruct other people's
games from 1982... ;-))
- v
Ross Presser
>> I know I may use some of those techniques myself, being a
>> medicore/okay/good programmer, but not that creative a one.
>
>Well, it isn't exactly the peak of creativity to reconstruct other
>people's games from 1982... ;-))
Reminds me of Jorge Luis' Borges short story about a modern writer who
wanted to recreate Don Quixote -- not by writing it as if Cervantes lived
today, but by recreating Cervantes' exact thought process as he wrote it
for the first time and coming up with exactly the same text.
--
Ross Presser
ross_p...@imtek.com
"And if you're the kind of person who parties with a bathtub full of
pasta, I suspect you don't care much about cholesterol anyway."
skipp...@my-deja.com
<ZEI_3.64499$up3.1...@news21.bellglobal.com>,
works. I've never played Deadline, but I'm sure
that the origional never had the word Inform and
the numbers 6/10 or 6/9 in the Header. Now, we
just have to find out what their policy on
derivative works is. If they say, "Fine, you can
do whatever you want with games that are
derivative works of our games, unless you make
money off them." I'll be really happy.
Incidentally, once, I tried to port Zork 1 to
TADS. I quit because of the monotony of typing in
all the rooms and scenery.
Another idea. Change one little thing, like the
timing of events or something. This also helps
make it a deriviative work.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Magnus Olsson
Ross Presser <rpre...@NOSPAMimtek.com.invalid> wrote:
>alt.distinguis...@gmx.net (Volker Lanz).wrote.posted.offered:
>
>>> I know I may use some of those techniques myself, being a
>>> medicore/okay/good programmer, but not that creative a one.
>>
>>Well, it isn't exactly the peak of creativity to reconstruct other
>>people's games from 1982... ;-))
>
>Reminds me of Jorge Luis' Borges short story about a modern writer who
>wanted to recreate Don Quixote -- not by writing it as if Cervantes lived
>today, but by recreating Cervantes' exact thought process as he wrote it
>for the first time and coming up with exactly the same text.
...and this re-written Don Quixote was a much deeper and more
significant work, since the modern writer had the benefit of the
intervening centuries of literature.
--
Magnus Olsson (m...@df.lth.se, zeb...@pobox.com)
------ http://www.pobox.com/~zebulon ------
Michael Brazier
>
> >Reminds me of Jorge Luis' Borges short story about a modern writer who
> >wanted to recreate Don Quixote -- not by writing it as if Cervantes lived
> >today, but by recreating Cervantes' exact thought process as he wrote it
> >for the first time and coming up with exactly the same text.
>
> ...and this re-written Don Quixote was a much deeper and more
> significant work, since the modern writer had the benefit of the
> intervening centuries of literature.
I've just realized why "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote" struck me
as implausible on first reading. Surely the only way to recreate
Cervantes' thought process as he wrote _Don Quixote_ is to "become"
Cervantes by (among other things) ignoring everything that has happened
between Cervantes' time and ours? And if you've done that, how can
there be more depth and significance in the rewritten _Don Quixote_ than
there was in the original?
--
Michael Brazier But what are all these vanities to me
Whose thoughts are full of indices and surds?
X^2 + 7X + 53 = 11/3
-- Lewis Carroll
Mary J Mcmenomy
: I've just realized why "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote" struck me
: as implausible on first reading. Surely the only way to recreate
: Cervantes' thought process as he wrote _Don Quixote_ is to "become"
: Cervantes by (among other things) ignoring everything that has happened
: between Cervantes' time and ours? And if you've done that, how can
: there be more depth and significance in the rewritten _Don Quixote_ than
: there was in the original?
Because you have to understand the rewritten _Quixote_ in light of the
fact that the author *is* ignoring (or suppressing, or reinterpreting)
the events between Cervantes' time and ours. So there's an added level
of meaning to be ferreted out of the rewritten version -- namely, "How
could a 20th century author have come up with this?"
And I don't think it's supposed to be *plausible*. How plausible are any
of the stories in _Labyrinths_? They're thought experiments.
-- Mary McMenomy
J. Robinson Wheeler
<skipp...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> jcm...@uwaterloo.ca (Joe Mason) wrote:
> > Careful - Activision may regret opening that can
> > of worms. Better talk to (ack! author of the
> > what their attitude was if you intend to release
> > these.
> >
> I've never played Deadline, but I'm sure that the original never
> had [copyright thread troll] in the Header. Now, we just have
> to find out what their policy on [copyright thread troll] is.
> If they say, "Fine, you [copyright thread troll], unless you
> [copyright thread troll]." I'll be really happy. Incidentally,
> once, I tried to port Zork 1 to TADS. I quit because of the
> monotony of typing in all the rooms and scenery. Another idea.
> thread troll].
Hey, I've got news for you. I don't want to read another
copyright thread right now, OK?
--
J. Robinson Wheeler http://raddial.com/
whe...@jump.net
Dan Schmidt
| Magnus Olsson wrote:
| >
| > [someone wrote]
| > >Reminds me of Jorge Luis' Borges short story about a modern writer
| > >who wanted to recreate Don Quixote -- not by writing it as if
| > >Cervantes lived today, but by recreating Cervantes' exact thought
| > >process as he wrote it for the first time and coming up with
| > >exactly the same text.
Well, not by recreating Cervantes' thought process; see below.
| > ...and this re-written Don Quixote was a much deeper and more
| > significant work, since the modern writer had the benefit of the
| > intervening centuries of literature.
|
| I've just realized why "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote" struck me
| as implausible on first reading. Surely the only way to recreate
| Cervantes' thought process as he wrote _Don Quixote_ is to "become"
| Cervantes by (among other things) ignoring everything that has happened
| between Cervantes' time and ours? And if you've done that, how can
| there be more depth and significance in the rewritten _Don Quixote_ than
| there was in the original?
The whole point of the story is that Menard has not ignored everything
that has happened between Cervantes' time and ours. On the contrary,
he has written a 20th century novel (actually, he only ever finishes a
couple chapters) that has deliberately adopted the style of colloquial
17th century Spanish.
Menard's Quixote is, at every turn, informed by the three hundred years
of history and literature that have passed between Cervantes' work and
his own. If it were not, it would just be a mechanical copy, and what
good is that? Every phrase, though it happens to be word-for-word
identical with the 'original', has been written, and must be read, in a
20th-century context rather than that of Cervantes' time.
A sample quote:
The contrast in styles is equally striking. The archaic style of
Menard - who is, in addition, not a native speaker of the language
in which he writes - is somewhat affected. Not so the style of
his precursor, who employs the Spanish of his time with complete
naturalness.
--
Dan Schmidt | http://www.dfan.org
skipp...@my-deja.com
"J. Robinson Wheeler" <whe...@jump.net> wrote:
>
> <skipp...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> >
> > Actually, these should be regarded as [copyright thread troll].
> > I've never played Deadline, but I'm sure that the original never
> > had [copyright thread troll] in the Header. Now, we just have
> > to find out what their policy on [copyright thread troll] is.
> > If they say, "Fine, you [copyright thread troll], unless you
> > [copyright thread troll]." I'll be really happy. Incidentally,
> > once, I tried to port Zork 1 to TADS. I quit because of the
> > monotony of typing in all the rooms and scenery. Another idea.
> > [copyright thread troll]. This also helps make it a [copyright
> > thread troll].
>
> Hey, I've got news for you. I don't want to read another
> copyright thread right now, OK?
I'm not trying to start a copyright thread, and I don't like being
referred to as a troll. (Yes, I know what that means.) I simply think
that everyone should have a chance to play games like AMFV, Trinity,
and Spellbreaker, without having to track down someplace where they can
get a copy leagally (which will become increasingly difficult) or
pirating it. If Activision doesn't mind us reproducing these games, I
don't see why not. Perhaps you could set your newsreader to filter out
any message containing "copyright".
Andrew Plotkin
>
> The whole point of the story is that Menard has not ignored everything
> that has happened between Cervantes' time and ours. On the contrary,
> he has written a 20th century novel (actually, he only ever finishes a
> couple chapters) that has deliberately adopted the style of colloquial
> 17th century Spanish.
>
> Menard's Quixote is, at every turn, informed by the three hundred years
> of history and literature that have passed between Cervantes' work and
> his own. If it were not, it would just be a mechanical copy, and what
> good is that? Every phrase, though it happens to be word-for-word
> identical with the 'original', has been written, and must be read, in a
> 20th-century context rather than that of Cervantes' time.
In other words -- to quote another luminary of modern literary theory --
"That was *deliberate*."
--Z
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the
borogoves..."
Andrew Plotkin
>
> I'm not trying to start a copyright thread, and I don't like being
> referred to as a troll. (Yes, I know what that means.) I simply think
> that everyone should have a chance to play games like AMFV, Trinity,
> and Spellbreaker, without having to track down someplace where they can
> get a copy leagally (which will become increasingly difficult) or
> pirating it. If Activision doesn't mind us reproducing these games, I
> don't see why not.
Don't tell us; tell Activision. They're the ones that can give or withhold
the word.
Ross Presser
>Incidentally, once, I tried to port Zork 1 to
>TADS. I quit because of the monotony of typing in
>all the rooms and scenery.
I'd have thought you could take a long transcript file and use cut-and-
paste.
Matthew T. Russotto
Ross Presser <rpre...@NOSPAMimtek.com.invalid> wrote:
}alt.distinguis...@my-deja.com.wrote.posted.offered:
}
}>Incidentally, once, I tried to port Zork 1 to
}>TADS. I quit because of the monotony of typing in
}>all the rooms and scenery.
}
}I'd have thought you could take a long transcript file and use cut-and-
}paste.
Three letters.
'T X D'
--
Matthew T. Russotto russ...@pond.com
"Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit
of justice is no virtue."