20 Sep
2010
20 Sep
'10
10:47 a.m.
cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote:
On 9/17/10, Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se>
wrote:
:-)
I suspect you'd also have to work on whatever Z-machine implementation
you use to actually make it use both ANSI color control, and also user
defined fonts. And then, of course, you need a font.
> So, in the end, implementing the ANSI color
codes was the only
> reasonable way to get colored output on the VT525, and it is nice to
> have... I like playing Beyond Zork with color and primitive graphics on
> my PDP11... :-)
Ooh! Now you have my attention. Long ago, I grabbed the ITF
Z-machine source code and got it working under VMS 4.x (it was trivial
once I had a working curses library), so I was able to run an number
of v3 games on our 11/750, but now that there are many more Z-machine
choices, I haven't gone back to fiddle with newer game file types. I haven't seen a VT525 in the wild, but now I know
what to do to show
it off if I do get one (but now I'm also wondering what it would take
to get what you have working on a Tektronix 4105 since I have a couple
of those).
I don't think you want to go down that path. :-)
I did say "primitive" graphics. Beyond Zork uses font 3 to play with
some crude graphics. Basically mapping, and some bar charts and nice
framing.
And, of course, it uses color if possible.
But if you are interested, I can send you my Z-machine font definitions
for the VT200, VT200, VT400 and VT500 terminals, so you don't have to
define those yourself.
As for playing, if you just have a VT525, it's easy to test, by just
logging in to Mim.Update.UU.SE, and play any Infocom game on that
machine. My Z-machine for the PDP-11 do handle the font and color stuff
for the VT terminals (of course). :-)
Johnny