Ms. Gorf research lab

Unfinished Midway / Dave Nutting Associates arcade sequel to Gorf (Jamie Fenton, ~1982–83), written in Nutting TERSE. This repo is a source-faithful recovery lab: extract what is on the floppies, build toolchain toward a compiled ROM, and not invent a fake game.

Goal	Status
Primary: compiled arcade ROM (or closest faithful binary)	Blocked — application TERSE / XC.LOGIC not in public dumps
Pattern art + XC.PATTERNS decode	Done
Browser pattern lab (play/)	Done — browse-only, no invented gameplay
Python TERSE parse → host IR → C/SDL validator	Runnable for patterns / blit / collision ABI
Full playable Ms. Gorf (from original logic)	Needs missing media (see below)
GUESS playable sketch (video-derived)	Live — msgorf.mikedx.co.uk (desktop / mobile)

Faithfulness rule: if it is not on the disks (or a clearly labeled reconstruction), it does not go in play/ or pretend to be the arcade game.

Playable GUESS remake

While XC.LOGIC is missing, there is a clearly labeled guesswork sketch — disk patterns + rules inferred from prototype video, not the original TERSE game:

• Play (desktop / mobile): https://msgorf.mikedx.co.uk
• Source: reconstructed/sdl-demo/

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What we need (blocker)

Public Bitsavers images are the pattern toolchain only. Jamie’s application program and/or the cross-compiled object XC.LOGIC are not in this tree.

Missing	Why it matters
Application TERSE screens (“Jay’s program”)	Missions, sticks, real game loop
XC.LOGIC (and likely XC.VIDEO)	Binary artists BINLOAD / LLOAD into the IceBox
Likely 8″ disks (historically cited; labels like “RIP Ms. Gorf…”)	Not the three 5¼″ Dysan pattern disks we have

Full write-up: docs/findings/missing-files-hunt.md · outreach drafts: docs/findings/missing-files-outreach.md

Contact path for existing workers: Matthew Garrett — GORF page (info@professionalmagic.com).

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Progress snapshot

Area	Status	Where
Disk inventory + polarity normalize	Done	docs/inventory/disks.md, work/*.img.corrected
Tim’s per-file extract	Done	extracted/msgorf_floppy_files/
Pattern PNGs from source	Done	extracted/patterns/ (see gallery below)
Web pattern lab	Done	play/index.html + play/assets.json
XC.PATTERNS @ ROMSTART	Done	out/msgorf_patterns_at_4000.bin
Simple XC pattern decode	Done	docs/findings/xc-patterns-format.md
Host IR + BULLETS stubs	Done	python3 -m tools.terse.compile_host --bullets
SDL2 pattern validator	Done	make -C tools/terse/runtime run (not a game)
GUESS playable sketch (web)	Live	msgorf.mikedx.co.uk · reconstructed/sdl-demo/
Jamie TERSE/Ice manuals	Mirrored	docs/references/jamie_fenton_via_garrett/
Game logic / XC.LOGIC	Missing	docs/findings/xc-logic.md

Docs map: docs/README.md

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Quick start

# Needs: Python 3; for SDL validator also `brew install sdl2`

# Corrected images (if regenerating)
python3 tools/normalize_img.py

# Pattern lab (browse-only)
python3 tools/export_play_assets.py
open play/index.html          # or any static file server
# Cycles CLONE / KAMI / SMINE / BANG frames; shared BYBR palette

# SDL atlas of animated patterns (validator, not gameplay)
make -C tools/terse/runtime run

# Host IR + tests
python3 -m tools.terse.compile_host --bullets
python3 -m unittest tools.terse.test_compile_host

Toolchain notes: docs/architecture/terse-toolchain.md

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Gallery — extracted graphics

Authentic 2bpp patterns from the TERSE sources. Lab palette hypothesis: 0 black · 1 yellow · 2 blue · 3 red (same for all). Full set under extracted/patterns/; animate in play/index.html.

Ships & figures

GORF-PAT	PLY1-P	PLY2-P	LAZON	P1UP / P2UP

CLONE frames (CLN0 → CLN32 → CLN64)

CLN0	CLN32	CLN64

KAMI / SPINV frames

COMC5	COMC5A	COMC5B	COMC6

Critters & hardware

TRION-P	MITE-P	HK-P	GB-P	GRD-P	DEB-P	SHLD-P

Mines, base, bang, indicator

SMINE0	SMINE1	SBASE	FBEXP5	FBEXP6	INDICATING

GORF4A QUADPAT (from MSGORF)

One of four frames from the GORF4A strip (gorf4a_frame0–3); full strip in extracted/patterns/.

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Prototype stills & disk labels

Prototype / playfield photos (web gallery + local). On-screen PLAY is almost certainly a VCR/tape overlay, not game HUD — see docs/findings/display.md.

Gameplay stills mirrored from Matthew Garrett’s Gorf page → docs/references/garrett_ms_gorf_gallery/:

Still 1 — score / lives / sprites	Still 6 — spiral / warp field
Still 2 — figures + PLAY overlay	Local msgorf_screenshot.jpg

Also in that gallery: phone captures of wiki pages (ms_gorf_3–5) that embed further stills and 8″-disk notes.

Disk labels in this dump:

Pattern Disk	PATLOAD	GORF4A
Ms. Gorf — Pattern Disk	PATLOAD / MS GORF / 5/17/83	Ms. Gorf — GORF4A

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Original disks (do not modify)

Folder	Role
MSGORF/	GORF4A pattern (SCP + .img; format quirks — redump still desirable)
MSGORPAT/	Pattern Disk (IMD)
MSGPATLD/	PATLOAD 5/17/83 (IMD)

Polarity: decoded .img bytes are bit-inverted. Use tools/normalize_img.py → work/*.img.corrected, or Tim’s extract / .inv files.

Upstream zip: Bitsavers MSGORF.zip · file split: MsGorf_floppy_files.zip

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Repo layout

Path	Contents
docs/	Findings, inventory, lab notebook, references, architecture
extracted/	Screens, dictionary, Tim’s files, pattern PNGs
play/	Source pattern lab only
tools/	Normalize, extract, export, tools/terse/ compiler + SDL runtime
out/	ROM fragment, FLOAD reports, host IR
work/	Corrected images, Ice unpack, scratch (included for collaborators; see .gitignore)
reconstructed/	Labeled guesses only — playable sketch: sdl-demo/ → msgorf.mikedx.co.uk
docs/references/	Manuals, MAME IceBox stub, Garrett notes

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References (external)

Resource	Link
Matthew Garrett — Gorf / Ms. Gorf notes + Jamie manuals	https://www.professionalmagic.com/gorf
Local mirror of those PDFs	docs/references/jamie_fenton_via_garrett/
Bitsavers Nutting bits	https://bitsavers.org/bits/Nutting_Assoc/
Bitsavers Nutting / IceBox PDFs	https://bitsavers.org/pdf/nuttingAssoc/
MAME IceBox skeleton	docs/references/mame/icebox.cpp (upstream)
Hashed local reference set	docs/references/SOURCES.md
Arcade Museum thread	https://forums.arcade-museum.com/threads/ms-gorf.456506/

Jamie’s write-cycle collision note and dual-stick prototype context are summarized in docs/references/professionalmagic-gorf.md.

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Contributing / collaborating

1. Prefer extract / decode / document over inventing gameplay.
2. New disk images → normalize, string-hunt for XC.LOGIC / application : defs, open an issue or PR with hashes.
3. Tooling PRs: keep host IR clearly labeled as not authentic Z80 TERSE encoding until proven.
4. work/ is shared scratch; do not commit secrets; respect .gitignore.

License / rights: historical Midway/Nutting materials and Jamie Fenton’s sources — redistributed here for preservation/research consistent with Bitsavers / museum release. Do not assume commercial rights.