Zifmia
For the Infocom spell see Spells.
Zifmia
Zifmia is a story runner for Interactive fiction works created with the Sharpee authoring system. It loads and executes compiled .sharpee story files) in both web browsers and desktop environments.
Architecture
Zifmia follows the interpreter/story separation model established by tools like Frotz and Gargoyle. The runner provides:
- Status line (location, score)
- Scrolling transcript output
- Command input with history
- Save/restore via browser
- Scoped CSS theming per story
Story bundles are zip archives with .sharpee extensions containing compiled JavaScript, metadata, optional style sheets, and optional assets (images, fonts).
Desktop Distribution
The desktop version uses Tauri.
Technology
Zifmia is built with React and Typescript. It communicates with the Sharpee engine through an event-driven interface, rendering narrative text, illustrations, and styled content within a single-column transcript layout.
Name
The name "Zifmia" is borrowed from the Infocom universe, where it is a spell meaning "summon a being" — a metaphor for summoning story worlds into existence. The name was previously used in the FyreVM project.