http://sciprogramming.com SCIProgramming.com, where we make adventure games using the Sierra Creative Interpreter. Just like Space Quest, Kings Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry! en-us computer,games,programming,community,adventure games 2007 - 2012, SCI Programming Community Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:35:35 -0900 cloudee1@yahoo.com Empty SAC Designs Notepad 5 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3144 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3144#When:11:01:16AM Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:01:16 EST Games Ahh, okay...now I see it. I thought the picture editor looked more like LOGO than LISP, but LOGO was influenced by Smalltalk to begin with. Alan Kay is a genius. http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3143 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3143#When:00:14:03AM Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:14:03 EST Games We have had a couple of threads here about the original syntax with some external links.

http://www.mwilden.com/smalltalk/index.htm
http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php/topic,372.0.html
http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php/topic,363.msg2026.html#msg2026
http://www.sierrahelp.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2102&start=30#p33222
http://sierrahelp.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=134&p=26699#p26699


http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3142 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3142#When:23:14:31PM Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:14:31 EST Games Do you know which one, roughly? I thought it might have been based off of Common Lisp (ANSI X3J13) http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3141 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3141#When:23:10:53PM Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:10:53 EST Games Yes the sci syntax is based off lisp http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3140 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3140#When:20:40:49PM Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:40:49 EST Games Just a thought occurred to me...is this based off of MACLISP or Common Lisp? There's just something very familiar and LISP-like about SCICompanion. http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=558.msg3139 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=558.msg3139#When:20:47:14PM Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:47:14 EST Games I belive there is a way to make multiple text boxes on the screen at once. I think it is rather convoluted and I can't remember all the specifics, but I believe it is accomplished by preventing the background from 'refreshing' and then making the text appear on it. That way, when the player presses 'enter', the text box does not disappear. Note that if you have any 'views' around the text box, you need to prevent them from refreshing as well because it causes the text box around the view to be cleared. Sorry I can't give specifics because I can't remember them anymore. :( If I can muster the motivation, I'll see if I can flush out the details for you.

An additional technique that you could use:
Make a view that is a blank white box, draw the view on the background and stop it from refreshing, use the command to write text on the screen (Like when 'you think you hear footsteps!' in SQ1). This would allow you to have multiple areas of text on different parts of the screen but can also allow the player to move around while the text is there. (See Mixed Up Mother Goose when the riddles are written out for an example of how this works)

-klownstein http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3138 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3138#When:16:59:03PM Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:59:03 EST Games Some things left to do before a second demo is ready:

My GET routine needs to be debugged.
I need to introduce "EAT MUSHROOMS" into the general statements, as it's not a room specific command. It's an inventory command.
The first of the Death screens is about ready.

It's looking better, now that I tied more of the book into the game. http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=281.msg3137 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=281.msg3137#When:14:22:17PM Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:22:17 EST Games Also, the fact that you are the first to run into the limit shows that it is not normally a factor. http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3136 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3136#When:09:21:37AM Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:21:37 EST Games [quote author=JRedant link=topic=559.msg3131#msg3131 date=1329613701]
6) Actually that input is necessary. I need those kind of harsh words, actually. I have some of the same issues with the game myself. I give you 5/5 points in being a pretty darn good Beta tester! Once I iron out the Canyon Beast scene and iron out some more issues, would you like to try out what I have now?
[/quote]
I would be happy to try try it out for you http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=281.msg3135 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=281.msg3135#When:09:06:47AM Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:06:47 EST Games [quote author=Collector link=topic=281.msg3134#msg3134 date=1329639921]
How about a tool to automate concatenating scripts?
[/quote]
I like that idea. I could separate the concat logic into into it's own utility, keeping the complexity outside of the code porting tool; a post-processing step.

I don't think that such a tool would be useful in any other scenario - due to memory constraints it makes sense to keep things in separate scripts as much as possible.
http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=281.msg3134 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=281.msg3134#When:03:25:21AM Sun, 19 Feb 2012 03:25:21 EST Games [quote author=gumby link=topic=281.msg3132#msg3132 date=1329621925]
I've just hit a brick wall with Spellbreaker. The number of scripts exceeds 1000, exceeding the limitations of Studio (and Companion). I was working off of the model of 'one script per procedure', and I guess at this point I'll just have to arbitrarily 'double-up' procedures within a single script to get below the maximum.
[/quote]

How about a tool to automate concatenating scripts? http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=281.msg3133 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=281.msg3133#When:23:19:41PM Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:19:41 EST Games You will find this true with any software development interface. There will always be "that one" that goes beyond the capable limits of what's available. Pitfall II for the Atari 2600, for example.

This brick wall is calling upon you to see how far you can stretch your own limits. http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=281.msg3132 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=281.msg3132#When:22:25:25PM Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:25:25 EST Games Enchanter & Sorcerer are compiling! Good news is that the time between compilations is accelerating & I think I'm very close to a fully working, although incomplete, code-porting tool :). Still lots of gaps, but the logic that can be ported, has been.

It was a good thing that I started with Zork - so far, it's the one that has the most compete symbol file. As I've progressed, each game seems to have gotten worse & worse with the de-compilation data due to progressively more incomplete symbol files. The result is still usable, it's just there is a large amount of code with non-descript code segments (variables, procedure names, etc).

I've just hit a brick wall with Spellbreaker. The number of scripts exceeds 1000, exceeding the limitations of Studio (and Companion). I was working off of the model of 'one script per procedure', and I guess at this point I'll just have to arbitrarily 'double-up' procedures within a single script to get below the maximum. That ought to complicate things sufficiently to put a speed-bump in my progress.

I suspect that the more recent games will contain a total number of procedures that will push me over the max.

In order to not lose forward momentum, I will attempt to find other games that will compile under the current procedure-per-script model. http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3131 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3131#When:20:08:21PM Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:08:21 EST Games Thanks for all of that, Doan!

1) That is a hard thing about translating a text game into a graphic game. When all the text game says is "You are at the southern edge of the forest", well sure you can draw the southern edge of the forest. But now after having completed seven of these screens, I feel that I need to write a story about all of these screens, thread them together somehow. Which means I'm going to have to start using a lot more of the book than just the program.

2) Resolved with the additional screens that I've rendered.

3) Resolved with the "look" statement. Although I should have an automatic statement that says "There are mushrooms here". Those are tough buggers to interpret on that kind of a scale.

4) Lack of inactivity, I hope, will continue to develop as I become more familiar with the game. As it stands now, there's hardly anything to interact with. Which is also another drawback to interpreting a text game into a graphical one.

5) That walking horse is pretty valuable, isn't it? :-)

6) Actually that input is necessary. I need those kind of harsh words, actually. I have some of the same issues with the game myself. I give you 5/5 points in being a pretty darn good Beta tester! Once I iron out the Canyon Beast scene and iron out some more issues, would you like to try out what I have now? http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3130 http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=559.msg3130#When:11:50:54AM Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:50:54 EST Games I played the demo and I have a few criticisms. First I want to say it is remarkable how much work you were able to get done in such a short time (on the pics I mean). Pics take me eons to do and I dread them!

First thing I noticed was that you cannot really "look" at almost anything. I know it's a demo, but this will be important in just a minute.

Second, when I entered the cave, I do not believe you have a way to get out of the cave.

Third, in the cave, I have no idea what the yellow/gold things are on the ground. I tried looking at the ground to see, but the "look" message gives me no input.

So I ended the gam ewith 0/5 puzzle points because there is virtually no interactivity in the game.

Again, I know it's a demo, so I'm not trying to be harsh. Just treat this as a beta test review ;)

EDIT - I looked at your website and I lol'ed when I saw how you made your canyon beast! I used the exact same black and white pic for my horse sprite! It worked very well. Finding a running one was harder, but I made one and you can use the sprite (with color modifications of course). It may save you some time. You can find it in the art gallery (public domain)