Fic

Fic is a work-in-progress Z-Machine interpreter for Windows/Mac/Linux written in Python 3. It is for use on the terminal, and has been 'tested' in Windows Command Prompt, Windows Powershell, xfce4-terminal

Currently 'supports' all V3 Z-Code games, minus the sound in The Lurking Horror. V1/V2 is mostly supported, except for one edge case where you use two digits in a row for input. Support for V4 is partial, minus games that require timed input.

Work is ongoing for full V4/V5(/V7/V8) support. Will likely never touch V6.

Usage

If on Windows, install the Python pre-reqs as per requirements.txt
Linux users probably already have everything they need on Python 3.7+
```
python fic.py <your Z-code game>
```

Known Issues

Resizing the terminal will do all sorts of horrible things to the interpreter. In this classic scenario of 'Doctor, It Hurts When I...', I suggest you don't resize the window while playing.
Save files append a space to the end on write..?

Reporting bugs

Please open a Github issue with a screenshot/copy-paste of the bug you've encountered, and provide:

the game file that has the issue (if non-commerical!)
a save file close to the issue, if applicable
the commands you entered to cause the issue (preferably after the save file)
your operating system + terminal

Contributing

If you want to contribute to Fic development, please feel free to raise a pull request! We'll work out the guidelines for this as we go along. Fic is licensed under GPLv3, so any contributions made will also fall under this license.

It's a pain to integration test this stuff, but I recently discovered the joys of CZECH by Amir Karger - so the first little rule we could have is that you run the CZECH suite against v3 + v4 and make sure the score/output you get isn't worse than what we started with. You can find the suite here. You'll need to install Inform, but otherwise the Readme is self-explanatory.

Project Goals

Modest - the idea is to implement to some standard every opcode of V1-V5+V7-V8. Full support is not the target as Fic is currently a terminal application, so fancy font stuff isn't possible for instance. I will consider Fic viable when the enhancements given in the TODO section are done, and it is possible to complete the Infocom catalogue. In addition, it would be grand to also support a few of the modern classics/personal favourites:

Photopia by Adam Cadre
Spider and Web by Andrew Plotkin
Bronze by Emily Short (implies Blorb support!)
Anchorhead by Michael Gentry

Theoretically, correctly implementing the Z-Machine means supporting the above as well as everything else! But, sadly, I do not have time to test every game file the sun. If the above work to the degree that Frotz and other well-established interpreters support, I'll be happy. And for everything else - I've already outlined how to report bugs and contribute fixes!

Technical stuff

Dones

Opcodes implemented

add
and
art_shift
buffer_mode
call
call_1n
call_1s
call_2n
call_2s
call_vn
call_vn2
call_vs2
catch
check_arg_count
clear_attr
dec
dec_chk
div
encode_text
erase_line
erase_window
get_child
get_cursor
get_next_prop
get_parent
get_prop
get_prop_addr
get_prop_len
get_sibling
inc
inc_chk
input_stream
insert_obj
je
jg
jin
jl
jump
jz
load
loadb
loadw
log_shift
mod
mul
new_line
nop
not
not (v5) - instruction moved
or
output_stream
piracy
print
print_addr
print_char
print_num
print_obj
print_paddr
print_ret
print_table
pull
push
put_prop
quit
random
read
read_char - minus timing
remove_obj
restart
ret
ret_popped
pop
restore
restore_undo
rfalse
rtrue
save
save_undo
scan_table
set_attr
set_colour
set_cursor
set_font - basically dummied
set_text_style - minus fixed pitch
show_status
store
storeb
storew
sub
test
test_attr
throw
tokenise
verify

TODOs

Enhancements

Better recording/replaying - prompt for filenames on input_stream = 1, output_stream = 4
'[MORE]' prompts
Introduce proper sys args stuff, kill the last of the easy-to-see exceptions
- Give the user lots of cool options
Implement Queztal save files - if only because the save fil format for Fic will break constantly as opcodes demand memory structure changes
Unit tests for each opcode
Full game run tests using replays (only confirm that we reach the end of the game, not that the display is correct)
Speed - this thing runs terribly slowly, and it looks like we can't just throw Pypy at it and call it a day.
Implement UNDO rather than hiding behind the header flag...

Refactor

Split Memory into multiple classes
Lots of mixing of underscore variable names + camelcase
getOpcode needs tidying - mixes decimal with hex
isAttributeSet/setAttribute needs tidying up
Split rendering logic out into entirely separate class and loop
- Preparation for creating GUI client?
So many magic numbers you can call me Penn AND Teller.

Architecture / To Do

Input streams
- Specifically of read input as only input/output characters
- Easier/better way of handling replays outside of built-in #comm commands
- Supporting text buffer already being populated for timeout scenarios
- Timeout/callback scenarios
Sound effects
Random number generator
- Predictable mode

Opcodes remaining for v3 in general

sound_effect (for Lurking Horror only) (currently dummied)

Opcodes remaining for v4

sread (v4 - adds time + callback interrupt)
read_char (time + callback interrupt)

Opcodes remaining for v5 - ordered by perceived difficulty

aread (v5)
copy_table (maybe completed - a challenge to test...)
save (v5, table)
restore (v5, table)

Opcodes remaining for v5 - Extension

print_unicode
check_unicode
set_true_colour

Opcodes remaining for v6

set_colour (v6)
set_font (v6)
pull (v6)
erase_line (v6)
set_cursor (v6)
output_stream (v6)
draw_picture
picture_data
erase_picture
set_margins
move_window
window_size
window_style
get_wind_prop
scroll_window
pop_stack
read_mouse
mouse_window
push_stack
put_wind_prop
print_form
make_menu
picture_table

Opcodes remaining for v6 - Extension

set_true_colour (with window)
buffer_screen

mjdarby / Fic

Fic