Parchment

[Grueslayer]

Dear all,
so I have this Inform 6 INF file, and it compiles to a Z8 file which I can play with e.g. Gargoyle. That’s about all I know about compiling. Now I’d love to make the game available on my webspace. I know I have to use Parchment, but beyond that I’m clueless. I’m certain I’m not the first to stand before this task. Would someone be so kind as to direct me to sources within or outside this forum that explain what I need to do?
Thanks and kind regards, G.

[AmandaB]

Can someone also direct to instructions for Inform 7 in Parchment? And how to get it on the PlayIF site if you don’t have a webpage?

[dee_cooke]

These threads might help:

Parchment for Noobs

Hi @Dannii … Can you assist a Parchment noob please? What I would like to do is host my own site and then have game pages (my own respectively) and have the games playable by Parchment. I’ve seen this done on Adam Cadre’s website for example. Do I download and then upload to my server? Do I need to edit any config files? Where do I store my .z5 game and where does the name of the game go in the script files? Is there a noob friendly step-by-step I could follow plea…

How do I get Parchment working?

I’ve been stuffing about all day trying to get Parchment working with a z5 file and I’m not even close to getting it working. I’ve tried the build from Inform 7 technique. No luck. I’ve tried downloading the latest build from GitHub. No luck. I’ve tried setting default_story: 'story.z5' and get a blank page. I’ve created the base64 JavaScript file and tried setting default_story: 'story.z5.js' and get a blank page. I’ve tried setting default_story: [ "interpreter/story.z5", "interpreter/story.z…

[ramstrong (Harry Hardjono)]

Speaking of iplayif/Parchment, I don’t see ScottFree/ScottKit interpreter included. Unfortunately, I let my I6 skill become rusty, so if I participate at all, it’s going to be ScottKit. I’m not sure how easy to get/common that interpreter is.

[Grueslayer]

Okay need to install Python. Otherwise everything looks feasible so far.

[Zed (Zed Lopez)]

To make a game playable with iplayif.com it just needs to be anyplace on the web directly accessible by a plain URL (i.e., with no logins or agreeing to terms of services or anything involved) and then you just construct an iplayif URL and add the game URL as described here.

[dfabulich (Dan Fabulich)]

I think a lot of the material from those threads is now obsolete.

To address the original question, much depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

1. If you just want your game to be playable on iplayif.com: Upload your game file (Z8 / blorb / gblorb / whatever) somewhere. (Preferably the IF Archive!) Copy and paste its URL, e.g. https://ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/zcode/old/curses-r10.z3 and paste https://iplayif.com/?story= at the front of it, like this:

   https://iplayif.com/?story=https://ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/zcode/old/curses-r10.z3

   You can then paste that link anywhere, including on a web site you control, on this forum, or whatever.

2. If you want your game to be playable on a web site you control:

   • You can run Parchment yourself using “single file” Parchment. https://github.com/curiousdannii/parchment-testing/raw/gh-pages/dist/single-file/parchment-single-file.zip Download that and extract parchment.html. You can put that HTML file on your site (let’s say it’s example.com and then link to https://example.com/parchment.html?story=https://ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/zcode/old/curses-r10.z3 and it will work just like iplayif.com.

   • Alternately, if you’re writing in Inform, Inform itself offers a “Release along with an interpreter” option that generates a web page for you. You can “just” use that.

   • If you already have a Z-code or Glulx game file, you can use Zarf’s ifsitegen.py instead
     Ifsitegen.py

     @zarf

     This script does essentially the same job as the “Release along with an interpreter” option of Inform 7. The differences are:

     • You can run this on any Z-code or Glulx game file.
     • It generates the playable game page as the primary page, rather than starting with a game information page. (The playable game is at index.html, not play.html.)

[Grueslayer]

So I have installed Python 3.7.9 (still running WIndows 7 on THIS computer) but when I open a DOS window and enter “python game2js.py yourgame.z5 > yourgame.z5.js” the result is “The command ‘python’ is spelled incorrectly or could not be found.”.

[dfabulich (Dan Fabulich)]

game2js.py, in particular, is obsolete, and no longer needed.

[Grueslayer]

Neither does my DOS command line know the command “python3”, nor do I have a ULX file. I am clueless.

[dfabulich (Dan Fabulich)]

What’s the URL to your game file?

[Grueslayer]

I have DM’d it to you.

[Grueslayer]

All hail Dan Fabulich! Works like a charm, case closed!

[jnelson (Jim Nelson)]

FWIW, Dan’s great answer works for any of Parchment’s supported game types. It might be useful if this thread were recategorized or had additional tags included.

(It appears I can do this myself, but I don’t want to be presumptuous.)

[AmandaB]

@dfabulich

If you just want your game to be playable on iplayif.com: Upload your game file (Z8 / blorb / gblorb / whatever) somewhere. (Preferably the IF Archive!)

Computer Idiot Alert… Warning!

OK, so for a Spring Thing game, which can’t be public before April, what’s the way to do this? If I upload it to the IF archive, it will be public (I assume). But if I don’t, then it won’t be playable online for the festival. I don’t have a website and don’t want one, so what’s the way to do this correctly?

[dfabulich (Dan Fabulich)]

The Spring Thing website, like the IFComp website, will automagically make games available online on the competition website. Just send over a game file and they’ll take care of the rest, including uploading your game to the IF Archive.