I would like to build or setup or configure a site like playfic.com on my own webspace. Can this be done? How can this be done?
I’m a german teacher and I would like to have this option for the classroom. Therefore I need the version 6G60 of Inform7 to use the extention GerX. It actually works online with 6G60, I know it. But there is no guarantee that it will work forever in the future. As a teacher I need stability. I want to rely on it. I want to be save. I want to host it on my own. That would be great.
It can certainly be done, if you have a server and sufficient time!
The first step would be downloading the command-line version of 6G60 from here and installing it on your server.
Then you’d need a way for users to send their source code to the server, have it compiled, and get the results back. For simplicity’s sake it’s probably easier to have all the extensions stored on the server, so the users only send their story.ni file.
Finally, set up some sort of front-end that would let them send their code to the server and launch the story file that’s sent back.
This is unfortunately not a trivial process. It’s likely easier just to install 6G60 locally on whichever computers your students will be using.
On the long run it would be a real benefit. If i use it often at school. No hassle with the local installation. I tried a local installation of the win ide. Its really annoying in a school network environment. Although it works, it is really time consuming. Every student has to install it on his pc → in his home directory → with the right extension → in the right directory → has to save his game in his right directory. This is not a comfortable working environment.
Think of all the lost time which is needed for the instructions in inform 7 to get the things done.
But at present I’m lacking the knowledge in order to do it. Some documentation would be fine. Maybe I should write to the inventor of this site? I’m wondering about it. Has nobody tried the same on his own webspace?
I don’t need a online comunity. A web application would be fine. In which I can insert inform 7 source and get a working game file with *.z5 or *.z8 out of it. That would be sufficient for the first time.