Uh, and the difference between that and Jaws reading text games woudl be...? Sorry, confused. Or will Jaws for some reason not read them?
----- Original Message ----- From: "matt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 3:14 AM Subject: Re: audyssey: A Talking WinFrotz Interpreter for the blind! > It is a program called win frotz. It is just the program that reads text > games. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "FigureInTheCloak" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 2:08 AM > Subject: Re: audyssey: A Talking WinFrotz Interpreter for the blind! > > >> Um, what's a Frotz? >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "feliberto Escobar III" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: <[email protected]> >> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 6:59 PM >> Subject: audyssey: A Talking WinFrotz Interpreter for the blind! >> >> >>> Hello Everyone: >>> >>> My name is Beto (Bay toe) Escobar III, and I am, most likely, the newest >>> entry into this list serve. Here's the deal, I've befriended a >>> programmer, which works for a very large computer company, and he, >>> through my pleading, decided to update one of the Windows Frotz >>> Interpreters to work specifically for the blind. He included the MS >>> speech engine in it so blind gamers, such as us, can now play all of >>> those wonderful Infocom games on our Windows based PC! Hurray! >>> >>> Now, I know, just as you do, the Microsoft SAPI 5 speech Engine speech >>> quality is disgusting, but the company NextUP sells fantastic SAPI 5 >>> speech Engines which work wonderfully with this updated WinFrotzTTS >>> Interpreter for the blind gamer! I can say this because I am using it >>> right now to play all of these games! >>> >>> Now, believe it or not, but W. Scott Dillman, found the original Zork >>> game which was written at MIT by some of the charters members of the >>> Infocom Corporation, and included it in the game zip file. It is-the >>> original Zork-and it is hard! I've yet to win even though I've made it >>> through Zork I, II, and III! Look, just go and download the interpreter >>> first, then download all of the public domain text adventures, **and** >>> if you still have, or can purchase any of the Infocom games, they will >>> work wonderfully as well. >>> >>> I was fortunate to purchase all major releases of the Infocom games e.g. >>> Lost Treasures of Infocom I, II, and Masterpieces of Infocom only a >>> couple of years ago, and they were all new! If I found them, you can >>> too. Just read below, where the programmer, W. Scott Dillman, wrote out >>> this little memo! Have fun playing! >>> >>> You New Friend, >>> Beto Escobar III, LMSW >>> >>> >>> >>> WinFrotzTTS2002 Interpreter >>> By W. Scott Dillman >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> >>> >>> Welcome to the most updated version of the popular WinFrotz Interpreter. >>> This is an updated version of David Kinders great Inform interpreter >>> 'WinFrotz 2002'. The main goal of WinFrotzTTS2002 Interpreter was to >>> design an interface that was easy to use for the visually impaired gamer >>> and to allow game play without the use of a screen reader by leveraging >>> Microsoft's SAPI 5 speech Engine API. The application is freely >>> available on my website for download along with a module of over 300 >>> games from the Interactive Fiction Archive. This last version took a lot >>> of hard work and testing, and still needs some improvement in areas. >>> WinFrotzTTS was developed in my spare time and is a bit lean on good >>> documentation. I advise anyone interested to stop by the forum links >>> listed below and contribute to the enhancements request list and general >>> conversation. The site will also run polls now and again to see which >>> new features are most needed. I encourage everyone interested to stop by >>> and make their voices heard. I have also briefly tested text-to-speech >>> additions to 'Scare' which is another interpreter that runs Adrift text >>> adventures which there seems to be a fair number of games, and a >>> modification to the Level9 interpreter mostly just for nostalgia sake. >>> Please direct all questions about this updated version of the >>> WinFrotzTTS2002 to me at >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> >>> Here are the important links: >>> >>> Main website: >>> >>> http://www.binaryrevelations.com/iftts >>> >>> Main download page: >>> >>> http://www.binaryrevelations.com/iftts/modules.php?name=Downloads >>> >>> Deep link to the updated WinFrotzTTS2002 Interpreter download: >>> >>> http://www.binaryrevelations.com/iftts/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=v >>> iewdownload&cid=2 >>> >>> Deep link to the IF Archive game module download: >>> >>> http://www.binaryrevelations.com/iftts/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=v >>> iewdownload&cid=5 >>> >>> Link to the forums for discussion: >>> >>> http://www.binaryrevelations.com/iftts/modules.php?name=Forums >>> >>> Below is a list of features and a brief introduction to how the >>> application works. >>> >>> Game loading: >>> >>> When the app is started it will search a directory for games, the >>> default is the directory where WinFrotzTTS is installed. You will >>> probably never have >>> to change this so when the app starts just hit return when it asks you >>> to pick a directory to scan. After the app has scanned the directories >>> looking for >>> games it will present you with a list by telling you how many games it >>> has found. At this point you can use the up and down arrow keys to move >>> through >>> the list of games and it will read the titles aloud. You can also hit >>> the first letter of a title and it will skip to that letter in the list, >>> the list >>> is sorted alphabetically, so you would hit the letter z and it would >>> skip ahead in the list to Zork 1 most likely. The arrow keys work well >>> for the short >>> list of Infocom games, but I have 326 games installed and it is easier >>> to jump ahead to a letter if I know the game I want to play. >>> >>> After finding the game you want just hit return and it will load up. >>> >>> You can hit 'escape' to dismiss this dialog. If you click cancel the >>> standard file dialog is presented. Games loaded using the standard >>> dialog are not guaranteed >>> to work with the extra text to speech functionality, so be warned. It >>> will also ask you to type the title of the game so it can be added to >>> the supported >>> list of games. If this is a game you plan to play often it is a good >>> idea to put the game in a folder under the main WinFrotzTTS application >>> so it is found >>> on every startup. >>> >>> Game saving: >>> >>> When you type save the app will tell you to type some text. This text is >>> used to create a file name in the same directory that the current game >>> is running >>> from. Text entered in the dialog is spoken aloud as well as deleted >>> characters. It also handles file overwriting. You can always hit >>> 'escape' to dismiss >>> the dialog. >>> >>> Game restoring: >>> >>> When you type 'restore' the same kind of dialog for game loading comes >>> up. The app tells you it is going to search a certain directory for >>> saved games. >>> You simply hit return and the app scans the directory for saved games. >>> It then presents you with a list of save game titles and the name of the >>> game that >>> they were saved from, and you can use the up and down arrow keys again >>> to find the saved game you want and hit enter to load it. >>> >>> You can also delete a game by highlighting a game and hitting the delete >>> key. The app will then confirm your deletion by asking you to hit 'Y' or >>> 'N'. >>> >>> The app will tell you whether it was successful or not. >>> >>> Command line speech: >>> >>> Most speech in the game can be interrupted. For example when the app is >>> telling you which directory it wants to scan you can just hit return >>> instead of >>> sitting through the whole speech. When the game list comes up you can >>> browse from game to game with the arrow keys, as soon as you move to the >>> next game >>> in the list, the previous game title read aloud is cut off. This is all >>> done to save time and cut out a lot of repetitious reading. >>> >>> This also works on the command line in the game.. For instance when you >>> continue to move into the same room in the game and the app reads the >>> description >>> over and over again. Simply hitting the space bar will clear the speech. >>> You can also use the up and down arrow keys on the command line of the >>> game to >>> scroll through commands you have already entered and it will read them >>> aloud. Don't worry about extra spaces before and after words, the game >>> just ignores >>> them so use spaces to verify what you have typed even if it is just one >>> word. When backspace is used the deleted character is read aloud. >>> >>> Read again: >>> >>> Sometimes you want to hear a room description read again and not waste a >>> turn to hear it. This can be done by hitting CTRL R which will read the >>> last bit >>> of text saved since the last command typed. >>> >>> Word list spelling: >>> >>> Many times, games use words that are not easy to spell or are not really >>> words at all. Some thing like Frobozz. You would not know how many 'z's >>> are in >>> the word. To help with this you can hit CTRL Z after a room description, >>> and a word list will be presented to you. Using the up and down arrow >>> keys you >>> can move from word to word or use a character to skip to a word in the >>> alphabetic list and the word will be spoken aloud. If you hit 'space >>> bar' the word >>> is spelled out loud. If you hit 'enter' while on a word, the dialog is >>> closed and the word is added to the command line so you don't have to >>> type it. If >>> you know you are going to use the word a lot, you can hit 'insert' and >>> the word will be added to a scratch list that I will describe later. You >>> can always >>> hit escape to dismiss the dialog. >>> >>> Scratch list: >>> >>> Sometimes you want to save typing or keep track of certain word. By >>> using the 'insert' key in the word list, words can be added to the >>> scratch list. hit >>> CTRL X to bring up the list. This list can be navigated just like the >>> word list. Arrow keys move between entries ( spoken aloud ), characters >>> move to words >>> alphabetically, 'enter' adds the word to the command line, and 'space >>> bar' spells the entry. The only difference is that 'delete' removes the >>> entry from >>> the list. The nice thing about the scratch list is that it is saved >>> between WinFrotzTTS uses, so the next time you play it is still there. >>> >>> Input processing: >>> >>> Text entered on the interpreter command line is processed and words are >>> read aloud after a space is entered. Since the interpreter ignores >>> spaces, before >>> and after words it can be used to verify input or stop speech. This can >>> be useful if you are in and out of the same room over and over again and >>> don't >>> want to sit through the same boring description; just hitting space will >>> clear the speech buffer. Hitting the 'delete' key will read the last >>> deleted character >>> out loud. Using the up and down arrow keys will cycle though the command >>> history and read aloud the commands. Hitting enter on the command line >>> will read >>> the whole entry aloud before the interpreter's response. >>> >>> Options: >>> >>> I have added an setting in the options dialog to disable speech is >>> application dialogs for people with screen readers. As well as fixed the >>> voice selection >>> dropdown. >>> >>> Voices: >>> >>> Speech voices can be chosen by hitting CTRL+Y. This is the standard >>> speech list dialog used throughout WinFrotzTTS. You can use insert to >>> hear a voice and >>> then hit enter to select it. >>> >>> Code update: >>> >>> I have updated the code base to David Kinder's 'Windows Frotz 2002 >>> 1.05'. >>> >>> Games support: >>> >>> In order to be able to have the interpreter recognize games despite >>> their filenames, and since serial numbers don't seem to be a constant. I >>> devised a fingerprinting >>> system that identifies games. These numbers are read in from a simple >>> XML file at interpreter startup and associates a file fingerprint with a >>> game title. >>> This makes it easier to add new games to the supported list and remove >>> games that don't work and not have to make a new release. I will >>> probably be making >>> the tool for creating entries for this file available for people who >>> want to add games to the list. At this time I have 328 games in the >>> supported list. >>> >>> A caching system keeps this from bogging down application loading. You >>> will see a performance slowdown when the first time the application is >>> loaded and games are >>> parsed. >>> POST SCRIPT: >>> >>> >>> I have done some things to modify the updated WinFrotzTTS2002 >>> Interpreter, WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF W. SCOTT DILLMAN. This is replaceing >>> the Microsoft Speech Engine. The AT&T's Natural Voices is also a SAPI 5 >>> compliant speech engine. However, make note, there are some >>> stipulations your PC **must have** in order to use this fantastic speech >>> engine. Contact the makers of the AT&T's Natural Voices at >>> http://www.nextup.com <http://www.nextup.com/> for further assistance. >>> >>> >>> The E-mail with the link to the interpreter written by David Kinder is >>> below::: >>> >>> The original version, without Scott's changes, is just called Windows >>> Frotz 2002". You can get it here: >>> >>> http://mirror.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/frotz/Window >>> sFrotz2002.zip >>> >>> David Kinder >>> >>> Hello Beto, >>> first I'd like to apologize for delay in respoding to your email, next >>> time I'll respond in 24 hours on business days. >>> Because there is many text adventures from Infocom/Activision on our >>> site, probably the best option is to use our fulltext search: >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/search.php?s=infocom >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/search.php?s=activision >>> Here are some deep links, however this list is not complete: >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/role_playing_games/ga >>> mes_n_r/quarterstaff_tomb_of_setmoth.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_g_h/h >>> itchhiker_s_guide_to_the_galaxy_the.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_d/dea >>> dline.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_p_r/p >>> lundered_hearts.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_b/bey >>> ond_zork_the_coconut_of_quendor.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_b/bal >>> lyhoo.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_k_l/l >>> eather_goddess_of_phobos_solid_gold_.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_k_l/l >>> urking_horror_the.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_p_r/p >>> lanetfall_solid_gold_.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_sa_so >>> /seastalker.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_m_o/n >>> ord_and_bert_couldn_t_make_head_or_tail_of_it.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_g_h/h >>> ollywood_hijinx.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_sp_sw >>> /spellbreaker.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_sp_sw >>> /starcross.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_t_z/z >>> ork_zero.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_t_z/z >>> ork_quest_1_assault_on_egreth_castle.html >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/adventure/games_t_z/t >>> ombs_and_treasure.html >>> etc. For more games, please use our fulltext search as mentioned above. >>> Is it only one game for that price, or are there >>> more than one game in the Gold Seriesrice? >>> We charge $4 or $6 fee for access to download section of our site. For >>> $4 you'll able to download games without limitations for one day (24 >>> hours), for >>> $6 you'll be able to use our download service for 30 days. This period >>> doesn't apply to playing the games, just for downloading. >>> Would you encounter any probems, please don't hesitate to contact me. >>> >>> Regards, >>> Ondrej Muncinsky >>> http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/ >>> Block quote start >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: >>> Beto Escobar III >>> To: >>> Ondrej Muncinsky >>> Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 8:28 PM >>> Subject: Would You Please... >>> >>> Hello Ondrej-- >>> Hello, this is Beto (Bay toe) Escobar III, LMSW, and I am the guy who >>> E-mailed you a question regarding the Solid Gold Series of the >>> Infocom/Activision >>> games. Let me try to give you a brief synopsis of why I am asking these >>> types of questions. The deal is that I am totally blind, and use a >>> program on >>> my Gateway PC entitled JAWS. JAWS is a screen reader, and reads out the >>> text to me on my PC monitor. The thing is, however, that it is only a >>> text reader, >>> and as a result, the games I play are solely text. As a result, the >>> games I really enjoy playing are all of the old Infocom text Adventures. >>> This is >>> not too bad because I really enjoyed playing all of these games when I >>> purchased them in the mid to late 80's when I **did** have my sight! >>> Well, what >>> I want to ask of you Ondrej is if you would not mind sending me another >>> E-mail with all of the Infocom/Activision games you have on your >>> website? Please? >>> I am specifically asking for the deep links to the exact pages where >>> the links are at to download. >>> One more thing, the only reason I am doing this now is that a new friend >>> of mine, W. Scott Dillmanm, who is a programmer, by profession, at IBM >>> has updated >>> an Interpreter to play on Window N.T., 2000, and XP environments! You >>> see Ondrej, when I played these games in the 80's I had my sight, and >>> the most beautiful >>> IBM PC with an 8088 processor! Do you remember those days! Well, now >>> that I am blind, I was unable to get any type of Interpreter to work >>> with a screen >>> reader like JAWS. My friend, however, took it upon himself to do >>> something for a community of people which would bring them some joy at >>> this date and >>> time in their lives. I make this statement because I am blind, and I >>> have enjoyed being in the beta team helping Scott fix, and refix, and >>> re-refix , >>> the WinFrotzTTS2002 Interpreter! >>> I will ask the question one more time, but would you please put together >>> an E-mail with "deep links" to all of the Infocom and Activision games >>> you have >>> on your website. Especially all of the Gold Series of games... Please >>> send the E-mail to both me and Scott... I will put both E-mail >>> addresses below... >>> Beto Escobar III: >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> W. Scott Dillman: >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> Thank you my new friend, >>> Beto Escobar III >>> Block quote end >>> >>> >>> >>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >>> >>> >>> >>> to leave send a blank Email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> You can contact the list owners/moderators by Emailing >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> to go nomail send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> change "nomail" to "normal" to resume messages. >>> Yahoo! Groups Links >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> >> to leave send a blank Email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> You can contact the list owners/moderators by Emailing >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> to go nomail send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> change "nomail" to "normal" to resume messages. >> Yahoo! Groups Links >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > > to leave send a blank Email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > You can contact the list owners/moderators by Emailing > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to go nomail send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > change "nomail" to "normal" to resume messages. > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > to leave send a blank Email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can contact the list owners/moderators by Emailing [EMAIL PROTECTED] to go nomail send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] change "nomail" to "normal" to resume messages. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindgamers/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
