Have IF, Will Travel

A primer on playing text adventures on PDAs and handheld devices

by Eileen Mullin

Whether you flash a Philips Velo or hang on to an HP 200LX when you're on the go, you're toting far more portable potential than your fellow commuters armed with Game Boys. So why not have at least as much fun? If you currently use your personal digital assistant (PDA) primarily for keeping your calendar or electronic note- taking, here's your chance to find out how you can add text-based gaming to your handheld's repertoire.

This article discusses two of the more popular modern handheld designs, those running Palm OS and Windows CE for Handheld PC devices. We'll look at how to find and download game files that you can run on your mobile device, as well as tips for optimizing performance and your playing experience.

The game files you'll be able to play will depend on which game interpreters are available for your handheld's operating system. Currently, for example, you can run Inform games using Window CE for handheld PCs, but there is no Z-machine interpreter available under Windows CE for palm-sized devices. While it should be technically possible to create a Z-machine interpreter for palm-sized PCs based on Windows CE -- such as the Philips Nino, Casio E-10 and E-100 and Compaq Aero -- no one has done so yet. If you're wondering whether there's a Z-machine interpreter available for another particular platform, you can check the IF FAQ on interpreters at http://www.cs.uu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/games/interactive- fiction/ part2.html. You may be happily surprised to discover that yes, you can run text adventures on everything from an Apple Newton to a Psion 3c.

Get connected

Before you can stroke, pen or key in your palm-sized pursuits, you'll need to get the game files onto your portable device. To do so, you'd typically either connect your handheld device to your PC or directly to the Internet in order to download game files. If you're used to synchronizing or copying over files between your PC and your handheld device, you're all set to move on to the next step. However, this may be a new experience for you if you've just recently acquired your PDA or if you conduct your handheld computing in an entirely separate way from what you do on your PC.

Most PDAs use a serial connection and many, like the Palm devices, use a cradle. For Palm Pilots, and the Palm III, V, and VII, install the Palm Desktop software that comes with the PDA; you can also obtain the latest upgrades from http://palm.3com.com/custsupp/downloads/. Once the Palm Desktop software is installed on your PC, you must install an interpreter and convert and install game files as explained in the next section.

For Windows CE devices that are primarily keyboard-based -- such as the HP 320LX, LG Phenom Express, Vadem Clio, or Sharp Mobilon -- you can use Windows CE ActiveSync to connect your handheld device to your PC. Simply drag the files you want to install into the synchronized folder; there's no need to go through the installation wizard. The files will transfer at the next sync or immediately depending on your preferences. Check out the support or downloads section of the handheld manufacturer's Web site first to see there are any additional files you'll need to help you sync up with your PC or connect directly to the Web.

Run, games, run!

For the purposes of this article I looked exclusively at playing games that could be run with a Z-machine interpreter -- namely, any of the Inform or Infocom games. Several Z-machine interpreters are available for Palm OS-based devices and Windows CE Handheld PCs. I've included below some of the useful links I've found to Web sites that house these interpreters and discuss playing games on handheld devices. You can also find these Z-machine interpreters at the IF archive at GMD by drilling through the ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if- archive/infocom/interpreters/ directory.

Paul Hargrave's PilotFrotz is a robust Palm OS-based interpreter for Z-machine games. It's a port of the Frotz interpreter by Stefan Jokisch, and downloadable from http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Way/2367/.

[screen shot of PilotFrotz]
Paul Hargrave's PilotFrotz features word lists, automatic carriage returns, and a compass rose.

To transfer files such as the PilotFrotz program from your PC to the Palm Computing device, drag them to the installation program(instapp.exe on the PC). The next time you HotSync, the files will be transferred to the handheld.

Once you're set up with PilotFrotz, you'll need to convert your Infocom or Inform text adventures (files with a .z3 or .z5 extension, for example) to .PDB files, a format for files to be used on a Palm OS-based device. There is a file converter included with PilotFrotz; and you can readily download Inform games from GMD at ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/ games/inform/.

You can save yourself some work on this front by availing yourself of the game files available for download on Leisa ReFalo's interactive fiction page (http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/9590/interactive.htm). She has converted a number of Inform games for use with Palm OS-based devices. This page unfortunately has not been updated in some time, but you'll find many favorite Inform classics and the IF '97 Competition game files available here. Once your .z* files are converted, they are installed via the same program you used to install the interpreter.

If you use a Windows CE handheld PC, you can pick up Ian Dean's FrotzCE interpreter at http://www.pyram- id.demon.co.uk/FrotzCE.html. Best of all, you don't need to re-package or convert the standard Inform game files at all before playing them -- you can just download them from GMD and go.

[screen shot of FrotzCE]

FrotzCE running Zork I. Use your device's pen to tap the icons in the navigation bar to issue common commands; use the keyboard to type in more complex sentences.

Experience points

So, how can you judge whether you'd enjoy playing text adventures well enough the justify the time and effort it would take to get set up -- or to justify the cost, if you're still debating buying one in the first place? Here are some factors to consider:

Writing preferences -- Playing text adventures can be a typing-intensive activity. Is your mobile device's keyboard so small that typing at length becomes a hindrance? Determine how comfortable you are typing at a stretch -- if you're forced to hunt and peck because the keys are too small for anything remotely resembling touch-typing, you'll find it hard to focus on your game at hand.
Ease of connecting -- If it's a drag to hook up your PDA to your PC for file transfers, you're unlikely to add new games to your repertoire. You want to make sure you're comfortable with synching with your PC, especially if you're playing a game at home so compelling you want to take it with you when you go out.
Speed -- Does your handheld respond as soon as you press the carriage return, or do you spend spine- tingling seconds in limbo waiting for a response? Check your device's memory capacity, and experiment with other Z-machine interpreters, if more than one if available for your device's platform.

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