Blorb
Encyclopedia
Blorb is a package format
for interactive fiction
games. Many such games incorporate resources such as sound effect
s, music, or pictures. Blorb's purpose is to bind these together into one file. The format was devised by Andrew Plotkin
and is used in both the Z-machine
and Glulx
virtual machine
s, as well as by the Glk library.
In the days when games were distributed only on disk, there was no problem in associating a game with its resources: the resources were simply shipped on the same disk. Since all Z-machine
games were produced by Infocom
, there was also no chance that resources would be shipped in a format which a user's interpreter program could not handle. Blorb is needed because neither of these assumptions hold true in modern times: games are typically downloaded as single files, and a user may be using any of a large number of interpreters.
A Blorb file may optionally include the executable
code of the game itself. This allows authors of modern games to ship one file containing everything needed to play the game, while also allowing the creation of resource files for classic Infocom games without running the risk of copyright infringement
by distributing Infocom's Z-machine
executable code.
Glulx
games are almost always shipped in the Blorb format. A rather smaller proportion of Z-machine
games make use of it, since Z-machine games often rely only on text, and so have no need for the extra resources. As of 2004 Blorb files are supported by all Glk interactive fiction
interpreters
, including Nitfol and Glulxe.
The Blorb format continues the tradition of naming interactive fiction tools after spells in Infocom
's Enchanter
trilogy. Blorb was a spell to bind objects into boxes.
Blorb is an IFF
format, with FORM IFRS. The MIME
type commonly in use is "application/x-blorb", and the filename extension
is ".blorb", or, for systems where filename extensions are limited to three characters, ".blb". Blorb files containing Z-code games may be named with the extension ".zblorb" or ".zlb"; or, for Glulx games, ".gblorb" or ".glb". These alternative extensions are intended to make it easier for interpreters to ascertain the type of game contained inside.
Package management system
In software, a package management system, also called package manager, is a collection of software tools to automate the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing software packages for a computer's operating system in a consistent manner...
for interactive fiction
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
games. Many such games incorporate resources such as sound effect
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
s, music, or pictures. Blorb's purpose is to bind these together into one file. The format was devised by Andrew Plotkin
Andrew Plotkin
Andrew Plotkin , also known as Zarf, is a central figure in the modern interactive fiction community. Having both written a number of award-winning games and developed a range of new file formats, interpreters, and other utilities for the design, production, and running of IF games, Plotkin is...
and is used in both the Z-machine
Z-machine
The Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions , and could therefore port all its text adventures to a new platform simply by writing a...
and Glulx
Glulx
Glulx is a 32-bit portable virtual machine intended for writing and playing interactive fiction. It was designed by Andrew Plotkin to relieve some of the restrictions in the venerable Z-machine format...
virtual machine
Virtual machine
A virtual machine is a "completely isolated guest operating system installation within a normal host operating system". Modern virtual machines are implemented with either software emulation or hardware virtualization or both together.-VM Definitions:A virtual machine is a software...
s, as well as by the Glk library.
In the days when games were distributed only on disk, there was no problem in associating a game with its resources: the resources were simply shipped on the same disk. Since all Z-machine
Z-machine
The Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions , and could therefore port all its text adventures to a new platform simply by writing a...
games were produced by Infocom
Infocom
Infocom was a software company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced one notable business application, a relational database called Cornerstone....
, there was also no chance that resources would be shipped in a format which a user's interpreter program could not handle. Blorb is needed because neither of these assumptions hold true in modern times: games are typically downloaded as single files, and a user may be using any of a large number of interpreters.
A Blorb file may optionally include the executable
Executable
In computing, an executable file causes a computer "to perform indicated tasks according to encoded instructions," as opposed to a data file that must be parsed by a program to be meaningful. These instructions are traditionally machine code instructions for a physical CPU...
code of the game itself. This allows authors of modern games to ship one file containing everything needed to play the game, while also allowing the creation of resource files for classic Infocom games without running the risk of copyright infringement
Copyright infringement of software
Copyright infringement of software=The copyright infringement of software refers to several practices which involve the unauthorized copying of computer software. Copyright infringement of this kind varies globally...
by distributing Infocom's Z-machine
Z-machine
The Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions , and could therefore port all its text adventures to a new platform simply by writing a...
executable code.
Glulx
Glulx
Glulx is a 32-bit portable virtual machine intended for writing and playing interactive fiction. It was designed by Andrew Plotkin to relieve some of the restrictions in the venerable Z-machine format...
games are almost always shipped in the Blorb format. A rather smaller proportion of Z-machine
Z-machine
The Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions , and could therefore port all its text adventures to a new platform simply by writing a...
games make use of it, since Z-machine games often rely only on text, and so have no need for the extra resources. As of 2004 Blorb files are supported by all Glk interactive fiction
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
interpreters
Interpreter (computing)
In computer science, an interpreter normally means a computer program that executes, i.e. performs, instructions written in a programming language...
, including Nitfol and Glulxe.
The Blorb format continues the tradition of naming interactive fiction tools after spells in Infocom
Infocom
Infocom was a software company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced one notable business application, a relational database called Cornerstone....
's Enchanter
Enchanter (computer game)
Enchanter is a 1983 interactive fiction computer game written by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling and published by Infocom. It belongs to the fantasy genre and was the first fantasy game published by Infocom after the Zork trilogy...
trilogy. Blorb was a spell to bind objects into boxes.
Blorb is an IFF
Interchange File Format
Interchange File Format , is a generic container file format originally introduced by the Electronic Arts company in 1985 in order to ease transfer of data between software produced by different companies....
format, with FORM IFRS. The MIME
MIME
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions is an Internet standard that extends the format of email to support:* Text in character sets other than ASCII* Non-text attachments* Message bodies with multiple parts...
type commonly in use is "application/x-blorb", and the filename extension
Filename extension
A filename extension is a suffix to the name of a computer file applied to indicate the encoding of its contents or usage....
is ".blorb", or, for systems where filename extensions are limited to three characters, ".blb". Blorb files containing Z-code games may be named with the extension ".zblorb" or ".zlb"; or, for Glulx games, ".gblorb" or ".glb". These alternative extensions are intended to make it easier for interpreters to ascertain the type of game contained inside.
Formats supported in Blorb files
- Images: PNG and JPEGJPEGIn computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
- Sound: AIFFAIFFAudio Interchange File Format is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for personal computers and other electronic audio devices...
, Ogg Vorbis - Music: MODMOD (file format)MOD is a computer file format used primarily to represent music, and was the first module file format. MOD files use the “.MOD” file extension, except on the Amiga where the original trackers instead use a “mod.” prefix scheme, e.g. “mod.echoing”...
External links
- Blorb specification
- Graham Nelson's page of Blorb resources. (Warning: the demo game The Spy Who Came In From The Garden on this page is actually an invalid Blorb file.)
- Some tools for working with Blorb files
- Blorb files for Infocom games