SCICompanion Prelease Testing!

[troflip]

Here is the latest .SCI Companion release

Rather than wait until I got c++ syntax fully working, I decided to release it as is.  If folks play with it for a while (doing your small contest games with it would be a good test), I'll fix the worst bugs, and release a "final" version. (and then start working on completing the c++ syntax support when I have time - you'll see a few places in the UI currently where c++ syntax is mentioned, but they are greyed out).

The current release offers pretty much all the features of SCIStudio.

A couple of notes:
- I know the script previews are crappy (it should show the script source code, instead of bits and bytes)
- I know the view editor layout kind of sucks, as Cloudee pointed out.  In fact, it may be worse than in the version he used!  It shouldn't take too much work to clean up, based on your suggestions.
- The compiler is more strict than Brian's compiler, and I had some trouble resolving the ambiguities of Brian's SCI language.  So your current games will most likely have compile errors, more or less depending on your coding style. While this may be annoying at first, I think it will help find coding bugs more easily.  The SCIStudio template game has about 5 compile errors - the fixes are described in the SCI Companion help file.  The template game included with SCI Companion already has all the fixes.  Also, if your game compiles in SCICompanion, it will almost certainly compile in SCI Studio too!
- I put in support for exporting/importing bmp files with the actual resources encoded within them.  It is not yet described in the help file, and isn't well integrated in the UI yet ... so let me describe it here:
    - to export, right click on a view in the "game explorer", and choose "Export as encoded bitmap"
    - to import, drag the .bmp file from windows explorer into SCI Companion's "game explorer".  It should bring up a little dialog with a suggested resource number.  Click ok and it should be added to the game.  Of course, this will only work with .bmps that were created using the export function.



edit... and wouldn't you know, 1 minute after I upload this, I find I'm getting a hang opening a pic resource.  But it doesn't happen when the debugger is attached, and it doesn't happen in the debug bits, only the release bits... grr....

[Cloudee1]

Excellent news indeed, especially the import bmps, thats pretty sweet it is already integrated. With that and a little sql shenannery, I should be able to link up the galleries public domain images can be displayed in their own page of the sciresources, and they really are reasources 

JT you want to try to post your fairy there with a new encoded bitmap, likewise Doan with the girl, and perhaps the other ones you zipped up.

I'm gonna download it right T, I've been wanting to work on my comp game all night long, and haven't yet. This is a perfect excuse.


* Troflip if there is any way I could get a little bit of that encode breakdown, at least what it would take to figure the area of the first box, I don't know yet, but I might be able to use some of php's image functions and on the resources page possibly maybe use php to crop the image down to the first cel for easier viewing. I guess, I don't need to know anything yet, Ilet me find out what all can be done to bmps with php first.

[Cloudee1]

Wow, this is pretty nice at first glance, I was able to compile a script without the vocab.000 error.  The full view on the right makes sorting through views easire, I still liked the animate feature, but mostly just for admiring my work, not working so I can do without it. For the most part it looks pretty good. Here's a short list of my initials

• I would like the option to close the toolbox pane.
• Could we get the compile all button next to the compile button, I like to compile all a lot.
• you have to change that tutorial link.
• The x to cloes the tabbed views seems counter intuitive being so high above. I figured it closed the game, without exiting the companion.

* guage, syswindow and jump appear not to compile with compile all, is that going to lead to issues editing the main script? Do you have a template where these three compile, mine is without Brians update, or your jump bug fix. Ammusing that those two scripts are among them.

[troflip]

Yeah, the toolbox pane is pretty useless in the "game explorer"... but it is necessary in the resource editors, that's why it can't be hidden.  I could move the preview pane into the toolbox, to reclaim that space...

Putting the compile all next to the compile button is easy... consider it done

I'll change the tutorial link to "http://scicommunity.com/tutorials.php"... will that URL stay the same?

The x to close the views is pretty high... I don't know if I can change that... it's where the application framework I'm using (prof-uis) puts it by default.  I kind of hacked together my own tabbed view though, so that's probably why it's in a bad spot.  I'll see what I can do, but that might be more difficult.

As for the compile errors, see the edits to my first post in this thread, that should answer all your questions :-)  Basically, the template game in SCI Companion has all the errors fixed, and the help file describes how to fix the ones you mention.

But like I said, depending on your coding style, you might get a lot of errors in your current game.  For example, Doan has (ProgramControl) sprinkled everywhere in his New Years game source code.  Since it is a function call, I expect a '()', like (ProgramControl()).  But SCIStudio is more lenient.  I could talk at length about how it's way too lenient and lets you compile stuff you shouldn't be able to... but I'll save that for another time.

[Cloudee1]

I figured you had a good template, how many bugs do you have fixed, that would probably be a good download to add somewhere. We need to start adding version numbers on so everyone can tell if there template is the best one they could be using.

The main tutorials page now, will always be the main tutorial page.

I saw something else which I'm sure you've seen too. When the compiler finds an error, it lists it but reports 0 errors on the last line. I almost came it to tell you that it would compile undeclared variables because I realised I had one right when I hit compile, but then I saw the error was actually listed, If i hadn't known it wouldn't have compiled, seeing the 0 errors I would have moved on assuming everything was good. Is there any way we could get a beep added when things fail to compile.

* also I couldn't find the fixes in the help file for the template game.

[troflip]

The fixes are described in the help, under Compiler->Overview.  (or search for "compiler").  (I'm pretty sure I checked that the correct help file was included in the download)

[Cloudee1]

Ah sure enough there it is, Thanks

Could you post that to the template bug fixes, board. They definately fit the bill.

Also I don't see an easy way to copy one view to another resource number, short of exporting and importing it. I need to draw a variation of my main character.

[troflip]

Also I don't see an easy way to copy one view to another resource number, short of exporting and importing it. I need to draw a variation of my main character.

do "File -> Save As" from the view editor, and specify the new resource number.  Isn't that the way it works in SCI Studio too?  I forget... maybe there's another way in SCIStudio.

Ok, I've changed the tutorial link, and also added a "community" link to scicommunity.com.

Thanks for the note about the compiler error reporting bug... I've fixed that too now.

I've also fixed the script preview so it shows the actual source code.
(none of these fixes are uploaded yet... just on my machine)

[Cloudee1]

In scistudio it opens the little resource number specify window each time you hit save.

You should note the other things your template has included already that Brian's boffed. I assume you got the jump script all done up with the bug you found earlier (years ago now, or is that the same bug the compiler finds) and the addition of the avoid script as well as adding wander to the dispose load script. I noticed you didn't fix the inventory views in main.sc, or add in your easy debug mode, but that might be nice for the next update too. Just get it out of the way for everyone now. I've started a changelog out of the game.txt file found in the template folder. I've gone ahead and attatched it, my changes are on my own machine so you can number it as you see fit. Maybe Lars might have some more input on some of the little bugs too, when he shows back up. It would be nice to get everything ironed out at about the same time. The site, the Template, and the Editor. Then we can all just sit around and make some games.

It was in the script editor that I wanted to close the toolbox. I don't like my code all spread out, I get lost to easy.

I just had a room fail becasue of this:  FormatPrint ("blah
I really can't have a space in there.

Effect all cels in loop, very nice.

[jtyler125]

Ok it took me a while to actually figure out what sci companion was...now I get that it is going to replace sci studio so I better put my input in now...

1)  Can you possibly make a navigation screen similar to a website navigation that when you organize thumbnails of the pic shots then that is where the room will navigate to?

2)  Instead of having to go to main.sh and game.sc? To add inventory items can there be a pop-up window to just add the words and that would write it into the code for us?  I know I want magic....but you coders are crazy smart and could probably do it.

3)  Maybe popup help hints...
Ex 1: In scripts When someone types wander for example a window pops up and reminds them to add the use wnader script to the top of the screen.
Ex 2: In scripts it gives examples of a successful script that you are trying to write such as (if said("open<door")) blah blah blah...I probably wrote it wrong but it tells you what this means...straight from Brian's tutprial it give a quick run down for what each said statement means...just a suggestion...

If you can do the above one....then make sure it is turn-offable I am sure the veterans will hate it kind of like the red hockey puck a few years ago...

4) Maybe a pop up window for said inputs that writes them into the script for you kind of like word art on microsoft word with maybe a spell/grammer checker for the pop up before it puts it into the script resource???

I am dumb to make these suggestions but they are a wish list I guess...I have no idea if it is possible...still just a dumb newbie but not bad huh?

Thanks,
JT

PS....being able to put picture as background of pic image was good enough...thanks tro.

I am sure I will come up with more...but that is already too much

[troflip]

In scistudio it opens the little resource number specify window each time you hit save.

In SCI Companion it just saves it with the same resource # when you hit save.
"Save as" let's you specify a different resource number.  Just like saving a file in Windows.  I thought it made more sense.

It was in the script editor that I wanted to close the toolbox. I don't like my code all spread out, I get lost to easy.

I'll look at moving the box... but did you try using the combobox to jump around in your code?

I just had a room fail becasue of this:  FormatPrint ("blah
I really can't have a space in there.

Unfortunately yes... it's the only way to distinguish the grammar of a function call, versus something else.  It's possible for me to "fix this", but it would require some re-architecture of my parser on my part, so I can do symbol look ups while I'm still construction the grammar tree.

[troflip]

1)  Can you possibly make a navigation screen similar to a website navigation that when you organize thumbnails of the pic shots then that is where the room will navigate to?

Ok, I got no idea what you mean there, mate... can you explain some more?  Is this where you draw the room layout, and it populates the east/west/north/south properties of the room for you?

2)  Instead of having to go to main.sh and game.sc? To add inventory items can there be a pop-up window to just add the words and that would write it into the code for us?  I know I want magic....but you coders are crazy smart and could probably do it.

Tricky, but possible.  I had started work on something sort of like that, which I called the "visual script editor", where you could add actors, place them in the room, give them properties, all without having to write any code.  The problem is there are so many ways to do this in code, that it was too difficult to reliably read this back out into the visual script editor.  I could maybe do something simple like a little wizard/dialog box that let's you enter a new inventory thing - sort of like the "Insert Object" function currently in SCICompanion for adding Actors and Props and stuff.
The other thing is, you're going to need to write code anyway, and adding things directly in the code helps you learn I think?

3)  Maybe popup help hints...
Ex 1: In scripts When someone types wander for example a window pops up and reminds them to add the use wnader script to the top of the screen.

When you try to compile, it will actually ask if you forgot to put the script in the use command up top...

Anyway, great suggestions, thanks!  Some of them are too much for "this version" though, but maybe in future versions.

I'm glad this is the kind of feedback I'm getting, instead of "it crashed here", or "it corrupted my game!"....

[jtyler125]

The whole mapping system I am talking about instead of east west north south....if it had thumbnail slides kind of like a power point where you put the pic screen(slide) next to it, it makes a spider web next to it or something...and that means go east to that screen....it sounds more difficult than it is because I am trying to explain the picture in my head and I assumed that you have seen the navigation bar in frontpage or something which shows you how screens are attached to each other...

Imaginge just drawing all of your screens and then having a master layout mapping screen which outlines which screen leads to which screen just by dragging and dropping the thumbnail image of the screen...(the preview picture) that is fine...just drop them next to each other....sorry....maybe we can chat about this one one day on chat....or maybe I cna attach a word doc or something I am much better at explaining things with word docs...

Thanks Tro...I look forward to using sci companion.


Thanks,
JT - Mad Chatter

[Cloudee1]

If I picture what you are talking about JT, where you just kind of drag and drop images around a page and the software programs the room changes for you, I don't think it is really going to be feasable.

SInce the rooms a script transport to are only held internally in each roomscript, there's no master area for this drag and drop area to update to, and with all the different ways to enter a room, it wouldn't really know how.

[troflip]

I'm pretty sure I know what you're talking about.  Again, I started doing something like that.  It went as far as analyzing the code, and mapping out the rooms all visually, using their pic to represent them.  That's as far as I got.  I didn't have it working the other way yet, where you move the images around to re-arrange the rooms.

It gets difficult when you have rooms connected in code right (as opposed to just as the east/west/north/south properties).  Because then, where do you put them?  I think for many, that is the common case (e.g. the ego walks on top of a green control colour -> send him to room 5).  How can you express that visually, and let the user edit it visually?

btw, winagi has something like this it seems... I haven't played with it too much, and I'm not familiar enough with agi to know if the problem is easier there.