How do you actually run this code?

[mikeyhogarth]

I think it'd be really good to include a README detailing how to build and work with this codebase - lots of people are going to be really interested in getting this built and working locally.

[larsbrinkhoff]

We don't yet. Some files could be missing. But certainly running it would involve running MDL on ITS or TOPS-20. I can only offer guidance for ITS: start by taking a look at http://github.com/PDP-10/its

[jasonbdyer]

I suspect it will run under Confusion (an interpreter for MDL designed to run the later version of Zork), although some tweaks will likely be required.

http://ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archiveXprogrammingXmdlXinterpretersXconfusion.html

[pabugeater]

I can't help with MDL, but a Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) engineer Bob Supnik rewrote Zork in FORTRAN in 1978. That source has been updated and runs on 64-bit Intel machines, and can be found here:

https://www.bigcatos.com/BigCatOs/tag.html

[ErikAndren]

If you want to play zork I would suggest to look at the following instruction.
It worked for me on both Mac Catalina and Debian Stretch:
https://github.com/kerrymg/mdl-confusion

[jclaar]

I did a C++ port of the 1981 version of this code. It's available with built releases for Linux and Windows at https://github.com/jclaar/zork. It's based off the final (as far as I know) version of the code, which is later than the version done by Bob Supnik.

[larsbrinkhoff]

@jclaar, as far as I understand, Supnik started his port in 1978 but received somewhat regular updates from the Zork authors. Supnik has a copy of the 1981 version here: http://simh.trailing-edge.com/games/zork-mdl.zip

[jclaar]

@larsbrinkhoff Well you learn something new every day. :-) Though it looks like his site has the FORTRAN code, updated to the final version, with the mat, slide, and brochure puzzles. I don't think the C port by Ian Lance Taylor has ever been updated with those, or at least I've never seen it. There are a lot of versions out there!

[larsbrinkhoff]

@mikeyhogarth, the January 1978 version is now running on ITS.

[heasm66]

I've patched up the different MDL versions to run under Confision. Look here.

[larsbrinkhoff]

Most of the binary MADMAN SAVE files run on ITS using Muddle 54.