The source code for the Zork and other Infocom Games using ZIL #Gaming #VintageComputing #RetroComputing

Jason Scott posts that a new GitHub archive contains Infocom games written in ZIL (Zork Implementation Language).

So, Infocom source code is now uploaded to Github. Most people don’t speak or want to speak the language it’s written in, ZIL (Zork Implementation Language). You can browse through it and kind of suss out what’s being done when and the choices made over the course of time.

There are many games in the repository. To know more about the genesis of such games, here is information from Zork I, one of the first games of the ZIL generation:

Zork I is a 1980 interactive fiction game written by Marc Blank, Dave Lebling, Bruce Daniels and Tim Anderson and published by Infocom.

Further information on Zork I:

Explanatory text from the repo

What is this Repository?

This repository is a directory of source code for the Infocom game “Zork I” (and many others), including a variety of files both used and discarded in the production of the game. It is written in ZIL (Zork Implementation Language), a refactoring of MDL (Muddle), itself a dialect of LISP created by MIT students and staff.

The source code was contributed anonymously and represents a snapshot of the Infocom development system at time of shutdown – there is no remaining way to compare it against any official version as of this writing, and so it should be considered canonical, but not necessarily the exact source code arrangement for production.

Basic Information on the Contents of This Repository

It is mostly important to note that there is currently no known way to compile the source code in this repository into a final “Z-machine Interpreter Program” (ZIP) file. There are .ZIP files in some of the Infocom Source Code repositories but they were there as of final spin-down of the Infocom Drive and the means to create them is currently lost. (See “Third-Party Tools” below)

Throughout its history, Infocom used a TOPS20 mainframe with a compiler (ZILCH) to create and edit language files – this repository is a mirror of the source code directory archive of Infocom but could represent years of difference from what was originally released.

In general, Infocom games were created by taking previous Infocom source code, copying the directory, and making changes until the game worked the way the current Implementor needed. Structure, therefore, tended to follow from game to game and may or may not accurately reflect the actual function of the code.

There are also multiple versions of the “Z-Machine” and code did change notably between the first years of Infocom and a decade later. Addition of graphics, sound and memory expansion are all slowly implemented over time.

What is the Purpose of this Repository

This collection is meant for education, discussion, and historical work, allowing researchers and students to study how code was made for these interactive fiction games and how the system dealt with input and processing. It is not considered to be under an open license.

Researchers are encouraged to share their discoveries about the information in this source code and the history of Infocom and its many innovative employees.

Third-Party Tools!

If you are interested in working with ZIL, there is a set of tools for doing so here via Jesse McGrew. It includes a ZIL to ZAP compiler, a ZAP to binary Z code assembler, a text adventure library for writing games in ZIL, a source code port for Adventure and other tools.

PS If you’re an Infocom fan, see thee Internet Archive collection of papers here.

Do you recall Adventure, Zork, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Leather Goddess of Phobos, etc? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.


Halloween season is here!
Halloween season is here! Check out all the posts, gift guides, and more!

Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards

Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.

Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 38,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — New Products 10/30/24 Adafruit LPS28 (LPS28DFW) Pressure Sensor – STEMMA QT / Qwiic

Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: New Raspberry Pi Products, 503 CircuitPython Libraries and Much More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

Adafruit IoT Monthly — Halloween, WiLo, and more!

Maker Business – Adafruit Daily — First Solar’s $1.1 billion development of vertically integrated factory in the U.S.

Electronics – Adafruit Daily — Trigger happy oscilloscope?

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !



1 Comment

  1. adafruit_support_bill

    Ah, memories. Hacking ZIL files on Terak/LSI-11 machines back in grad-school.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.