From: Eric K Idema <eki@...>
Date: 2008-10-16T09:45:08+09:00
Subject: [ANN] Dorothy 0.0.1 -- A Z-Machine interpreter library

= Dorothy

Introducing Dorothy a Z-Machine interpreter library.  The Z-Machine is the
virtual machine used by many commercial and amateur works of interactive
fiction.

Dorothy is mostly C (taken in part from Frotz) with a Ruby interface.  The goal
of the project is to provide the base for writing interpreters and other tools.

You can get the code from Github:

  <http://github.com/eki/dorothy/tree/master>

Currently, most of the core instructions are implemented and tested.  But, a
sizable number of instructions are still on the todo list.  Those related the
the Z-Machine's screen model are mostly missing.  As are save, restore, and
restart instructions.

= Demo

It's functioning well enough to power the demo here:

  <http://ifrotz.org>

= RubyGems

Sorry, no gem available for this release.  Go to Github to get the code.

= Sample IRB Session

eki@indus> irb -r dorothy
>> m = Z::Machine.new( "minizork.z3" )   # Create a new machine from the given
=> #<Z::Machine:0xb7cd7be0>              # filename

# Z::Machine#run executes instructions until the program finishes or until
# it needs input and none is available.

>> m.run
=> nil

# The machine writes output to an array.  Each token is the result of one of
# the print instructions.

>> m.output
=> ["MINI-ZORK I: ", "The Great Underground Empire", "\n", "Copyright (c) 1988
Infocom, Inc. All rights reserved.\nZORK is a registered trademark of Infocom,
Inc.\nRelease ", 34, " / Serial number ", "8", "7", "1", "1", "2", "4", "\n",
"\n", "West of House", "\n", "You are standing in an open field west of a white
house, with a boarded front door. ", "You could circle the house to the north
or south.", "\n", "There is a ", "small mailbox", " here", ".", "\n", "\n",
">"]

>> m.output.clear
=> []

# You can feed input into the machine via Z::Machine#keyboard.  The machine
# usually wants a full line of input, though sometimes it will try to read
# individual characters.  Z::Machine#run will only proceed if there's enough
# input available.

>> m.keyboard << "open mailbox\n"
=> "open mailbox\n"
>> m.run
=> nil

>> m.output
=> ["> ", "open mailbox", "\n", "Opening the ", "small mailbox", " reveals ",
"a ", "leaflet", ".\n", "\n", ">"]