Do all Z-code interpreters truncate lines in upper window?

If the upper window is 40 characters wide, and a game prints a little more, let’s say 45 characters, do all interpreters truncate the output at 40 characters, not overflowing into the next line, not causing an extra line break etc?

Have you seen an interpreter that doesn’t do this properly?

Some discussion here. Windows Frotz cuts it off, Unix Frotz corrupts the next line(!), Bocfel cuts it off, Parchment lets it word-wrap.

1 Like

Even older discussion: Z-Machine undefined behavior - #7 by cas

Consensus seemed to be that clipping is correct. It’s on my list to fix for ZVM. (Parchment now uses Bocfel so will clip.)

2 Likes

Thanks both of you!

This means I can’t trust all terps to clip.

(This may affect a design decision in PunyInform)

That said, the Unix Frotz behavior is a bug that’s now being fixed due to that other thread, and it sounds like the Parchment behavior is being changed too.

3 Likes

I get that, and I’m glad the interpreters are being worked on.

PunyInform aims to make games play as well as possible across all interpreters we know of. Off the top of my head, I remember us incorporating design decisions based on bugs or peculiarites in the Gameboy interpreter, Infocom’s Apple II interpreter, Infocom’s Amiga z5 interpreter, and now this, And of course, it can compile to z3, to cater for the platforms where a z5 interpreter isn’t available.

3 Likes