vaporware
2009-07-02 14:46:57 UTC
Introducing ZAPF: the Z-machine Assembler Program of the Future.
ZAPF is a new assembler with old roots. It supports a modern syntax
similar to Inform's, but by default it provides a fully retro
experience, using the same opcode names and syntax described in
Infocom's famous ZIP manual. You'll feel just like an Implementor in
the dark--I mean *exciting* days before ZILCH was invented.
Unlike other Z-machine assemblers, ZAPF gives you plenty of assistance
without forcing your program into a strict mold. It's an ideal tool
for low level work, whether you're coding by hand or writing a
compiler: you control what goes into RAM and ROM, and where.
Want to conserve space in the save file by putting read-only arrays in
ROM? Interleave data with code? Make a file that contains no valid
instructions and will choke any interpreter? Rock on! Now you can do
it without giving up such features as named variables and constants,
include files, and automatic dictionary sorting.
I've just uploaded version 0.1 of ZAPF to the IF Archive. In the
meantime, check out the manual and some sample code:
http://hansprestige.com/zapf/zapf_manual.html
http://hansprestige.com/zapf/beer.zap
vw
ZAPF is a new assembler with old roots. It supports a modern syntax
similar to Inform's, but by default it provides a fully retro
experience, using the same opcode names and syntax described in
Infocom's famous ZIP manual. You'll feel just like an Implementor in
the dark--I mean *exciting* days before ZILCH was invented.
Unlike other Z-machine assemblers, ZAPF gives you plenty of assistance
without forcing your program into a strict mold. It's an ideal tool
for low level work, whether you're coding by hand or writing a
compiler: you control what goes into RAM and ROM, and where.
Want to conserve space in the save file by putting read-only arrays in
ROM? Interleave data with code? Make a file that contains no valid
instructions and will choke any interpreter? Rock on! Now you can do
it without giving up such features as named variables and constants,
include files, and automatic dictionary sorting.
I've just uploaded version 0.1 of ZAPF to the IF Archive. In the
meantime, check out the manual and some sample code:
http://hansprestige.com/zapf/zapf_manual.html
http://hansprestige.com/zapf/beer.zap
vw