iPad Interactive Fiction Heaven

[HarryT]

I've just downloaded the free "Frotz" app for the iPad, and I'm now in heaven, being able to replay all the old "text adventure" games of my youth. I've dug out my old "Infocom" floppy disks and, lo and behold, they still work, so I've been able to transfer all the classic Infocom adventure games to the iPad.

I always wanted an IF interpreter for my eBook readers, and now I can use the iPad for it - it's great!

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've just downloaded the free "Frotz" app for the iPad, and I'm now in heaven, being able to replay all the old "text adventure" games of my youth. I've dug out my old "Infocom" floppy disks and, lo and behold, they still work, so I've been able to transfer all the classic Infocom adventure games to the iPad.

I always wanted an IF interpreter for my eBook readers, and now I can use the iPad for it - it's great!

Brilliant I new when people were questioning why no USB on iPad that the choice of a floppy disc drive instead made sense!

[HarryT]

I did have to go out and buy a USB floppy drive to read the floppy disks. Given that they are all at least 10 years old, I was rather surprised that they are still readable, but fortunately they all were.

The Frotz app has a really nice "web server" file transfer mechanism built in. You just start it, then run a web browser on the PC and upload files using a web interface. Very slick indeed.

[scottjl]

i have floppy disks that are 30 years old and still work just fine.

[petermillard]

The scary part is that you know they work just fine; does this mean that you're still using them regularly??

Pete

[Rique]

OK, can we go back to the OP, please? ...

Harry, please tell me how you got your Infocom games on the iPad! I have Frotz also and have a nice library of Infocom games (on my Macs HD, not on floppies). Can I actually somehow copy those games onto my iPad? Wow, that would be great.

(on the down-side, that would mean that between old Infocom games, Plant vs Zombies, iBooks, Kindle, Stanza and iCab - that would really leave very little time for work or for the wife.... must. be. careful.)

Thanks,
-- Rique

[HarryT]

First, make sure you have a WiFi connection on your iPad, then run Frotz, and tap the "i" symbol in the status bar at the top of the screen - that displays the "Settings" screen. Select "File Transfer" and tap the "Start File Transfer Server" button. Frotz will show you the IP address of its web server.

Go to your Mac, and type that IP address into your web browser. You'll see a "Frotz" web page. At the bottom of the screen there's an "Upload Story File" section. Browse to the ".dat" file for the Infocom game on your hard disk, type in a title for the game, and then click the "Submit" button to transfer it to the iPad. Repeat for each game in turn.

Works beautifully!

[The Old Man]

Originally Posted by HarryT

First, make sure you have a WiFi connection on your iPad, then run Frotz, and tap the "i" symbol in the status bar at the top of the screen - that displays the "Settings" screen. Select "File Transfer" and tap the "Start File Transfer Server" button. Frotz will show you the IP address of its web server.

Go to your Mac, and type that IP address into your web browser. You'll see a "Frotz" web page. At the bottom of the screen there's an "Upload Story File" section. Browse to the ".dat" file for the Infocom game on your hard disk, type in a title for the game, and then click the "Submit" button to transfer it to the iPad. Repeat for each game in turn.

Works beautifully!

Yes, this works with the PC also.
Activision released all the Infocom adventures on a CD many years ago.
These use the .DAT extension which works just fine in Frotz. Extensions with a .z (like .z5) will also work but extensions with a .t will not.

[curtw]

What's left of Infocom has made the three "Zork" games available as free downloads, here, if you don't already have them.

"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is available from Douglas Adams' web site. You may need to jump through the hoops at the entry page, and enter the serial number to get access to the next directory, but once you've done that, the actual game file is at http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/hhgg.z3 (right-click and save to disc).

[Rique]

Originally Posted by HarryT

First, make sure you have a WiFi connection on your iPad, then run Frotz, and tap the "i" symbol in the status bar at the top of the screen - that displays the "Settings" screen. Select "File Transfer" and tap the "Start File Transfer Server" button. Frotz will show you the IP address of its web server.

Go to your Mac, and type that IP address into your web browser. You'll see a "Frotz" web page. At the bottom of the screen there's an "Upload Story File" section. Browse to the ".dat" file for the Infocom game on your hard disk, type in a title for the game, and then click the "Submit" button to transfer it to the iPad. Repeat for each game in turn.

Works beautifully!

Harry, I did not have good luck with my Mac Classic versions of the games (on my hard drive) - they were just Classic Map apps, and I think the .dat is probably embedded.

However - undaunted, I plunged into Google and easily located this site, from which (with some digging) I found a goldmine of old Infocom titles (not to mention the original Adventure - Colossal Cave) - in just about any format you could imagine:

http://www.ifarchive.org/

I uploaded just about every title I could think of - and am going to put them to the test this afternoon - very happy!



-- Rique

[kjk]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've just downloaded the free "Frotz" app for the iPad, and I'm now in heaven, being able to replay all the old "text adventure" games of my youth. I've dug out my old "Infocom" floppy disks and, lo and behold, they still work, so I've been able to transfer all the classic Infocom adventure games to the iPad.

I always wanted an IF interpreter for my eBook readers, and now I can use the iPad for it - it's great!

That is awesome, Harry. I downloaded that Frotz app way back when (it was one of the first iPhone apps, actually) but the choice of games wasn't as rich as I remembered...I had no idea the format was the same as the originals! I'm gonna dig thru my archives

[The Old Man]

I have played these games on many-a-device, not finishing very many of them, I confess. But the iPad seems to be the PERFECT interaction device. Sit in my chair, legs crossed, cigar in hand, drink at my side, and wander into another world. Watch those ashes on the pad!

So what is your favorite game? I like Leather Goddesses of Phobos, in the "lewd" mode.

[jes1]

Since all my old Infocom games were in the Amiga format, I don't think I will have much luck moving them to my iPod or my pc. I did load Frotz on my iPod awhile back, and have enjoyed the free games it came with.

[Bluebaize]

Yes, I have this on my iPad too, great app.

I still have all my Commodore 64 originals of Infocom's great adventures and all their covers, papers and bits are intact too.

I hold on to them mainly as nostalgia and the fact that while I still have them I know they haven't just been lost, ruined or thrown away somewhere.

Sad, I know, but I have such fond memories of these days gone by.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by jes1

Since all my old Infocom games were in the Amiga format, I don't think I will have much luck moving them to my iPod or my pc. I did load Frotz on my iPod awhile back, and have enjoyed the free games it came with.

*high five* I had Amigas too!