Playing existing IF file in browser or Chrome OS?

Playing Getting Started Playing IF
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I have several previously downloaded IF files (including several legally-purchased commercial games) that I’d like to make available for my daughter to play on her Chromebook. I’m surprised to be unable to find a Z-Machine interpreter for Chrome OS. I know there are browser-based solutions like Playfic, but that all seems geared to authoring your own story, which isn’t what I’m looking for. Is there a way to play an existing z file in a browser (and also have save functionality)? Or does someone know of a Chrome OS interpreter I’ve missed?

Thanks in advance!

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I’m not aware of a dedicated Chrome OS interpreter, though you may be able to install some of the Android interpreters.

You should be able to use web interpreters like Parchment, although its save functionality is far from ideal at the moment, and it won’t let you save to the computer’s harddrive. You can also follow the Play Online links from IFDB.

It would also be possible to adapt the other web interpreters like Parchment and Quixe to make a Chrome app in the same way that Lectrote does.

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My understanding is that new Chromebooks can run apps from the Play Store. If so I can recommend trying Fabularium which contains several interpreters, including a Z-Machine interpreter.

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Does ZMPP Free not work on ChromeOS?

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The Chromebook is a couple years old and doesn’t have access to Android apps. So ZMPP Free and Fabulariam are out.

As for Parchment, I simply don’t know how to load my own file. When I go to the homepage, the only links are either to a github page about the project or to the IFDB. But since what I’m trying to play is a commercial file (let’s say Planetfall), there’s no link to the .z5 file. Is there some documentation I can’t find about how to run a file in Parchment?

Thanks again for everyone’s help so far.

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You’d have to upload it somewhere accessible first.

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There aren’t any interpreters in the Chrome Web Store, which includes non-phone apps. Would any of these Android apps work there with modifications?

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I know the topic is dead, but I finished wrestling with a similar issue earlier. Turns out that you can compile Lectrote from source using Node.js, and it’ll handle all the dependency problems for you. So, if you’re still looking for a Chromebook interpreter, you can install Node.js (https://medium.com/@shovelend/guide-on-how-to-install-node-js-and-npm-on-a-chromebook-8d89a35b791a for a guide), then build Lectrote from a clone of its GitHub (https://github.com/erkyrath/lectrote) - the Readme has it in the For Developers section, but to be more clear, you execute the commands it lists from a terminal inside the directory you’ve extracted the source code to. If you need any more detailed advice, feel free to ask!

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