rdelfin / zork-cortana

Zork Game Server

This is a small web service that allows you to play Zork through an HTTP API using a JSON request format. This esencially works by running the gamebin/zork executable with the appropriate save file inside saves/. When a game request is sent with a given conversation ID, the web server first checks if the file exists already. If so, it runs the executable with that save file, runs restore, followed by the command, followed by "save\nquit\ny" to ensure the game exits. If it does not already exist, it runs zork with a new savefile, named saves/${CONV_ID}.dat, where ${CONV_ID} is the conversation ID mentioned above. It then saves the game an exits. In both cases, the game grabs the console output, filters out the unnecessary text, and returns the output as the HTTP response.

Request Format

The request should be sent as a JSON with the following format:

POST /

Headers:

X-Password: <PASSWORD>

Body:

{
    "conversation_id": "<CONVERSATION_ID>",
    "command": "<COMMAND>"
}

• : The plaintext password used to authenticate the request. This is a required field.
• <CONVERSATION_ID>: A unique string identifier for the conversation. Will be used to pick up the correct game after consecutive requests. This field is required.
• : The command/input to be sent to the Zork game. This field is optional (specially for the first request) and will default to the empty string.

Response

There are two possible responses. In case of a successful request, it will return a JSON of the format:

{
    "message": "<MESSAGE>"
}

Where is the string returned by the game to display and read.

Alternatively, if there's an error, it will return the appropriate HTTP error code and the following JSON format:

{
    "error": "<HTTP ERROR>: <ERROR DESCRIPTION>"
}

Here, is an HTTP error number and name, and is a long form description of the cause of the error.