Messages

1

SCI Syntax Help / Re: Script disposal question

« on: August 02, 2026, 03:34:31 AM »

I predict the next question may be "what is a clone?"

2

SCI Syntax Help / Re: Script disposal question

« on: July 31, 2026, 04:51:38 AM »

dispose: is just a method. There is no magic there; it does what it was written to do.

The real magic and the answer to "how come things still mostly work after disposing" is in what the kernel calls do, and I already went through that.

3

SCI Syntax Help / Re: Script disposal question

« on: July 30, 2026, 03:13:14 PM »

That depends entirely on the implementation of the two.

Ultimately, Object::dispose calls the (DisposeClone self) kernel call, which only releases the memory block used by the object without wiping it.

What delete does depends on what's being deleted -- Collection::delete ends up doing the same thing to the indicated items, while for Views and everything derived from them like Actors and Props, it manages removal from the cast list and disposing of the underbits (little screenshot of what's behind them).

In both cases, the data is still there. And I still highly recommend not trusting it to remain there.

4

SCI Syntax Help / Re: Script disposal question

« on: July 30, 2026, 01:22:25 PM »

It's just sitting there waiting to be overwritten. If you have a pointer to an object and delete the object, that does not change the pointer's value. It will be stale and unsafe to use.

5

SCI Syntax Help / Re: Script disposal question

« on: July 30, 2026, 01:10:45 PM »

You're right in that the data is still left there to be reused. But use-after-free is a common source of issues in many languages and you should never rely on it.

6

AGI Development Tools / Re: Getting latest WinAGI studio to work on linux mint

« on: July 26, 2026, 03:07:02 PM »

I'm sure I've mentioned it before but a .Net WinForms application that does not use any custom DLL files (except if they too are .Net) should run fine on Mono, according to my own experiences as a recovering C# dev.

7

SCI Syntax Help / Re: Stopping IconBar eating mouse events.

« on: July 16, 2026, 04:12:10 PM »

The trick I recall seeing from studying Gabriel Knight and LSL6 is that the icon bar you see is not the real icon bar. If I remember correctly off the top of my head there was a separate "draw everything" function or method, and putting the mouse cursor in the hot zone activated the "real" icon bar. Hope this helps~

8

SCI Development Tools / Re: SCI0: SCI0 Interpreter with added PKWare DCL Implode compression (comp_method=3)

« on: July 07, 2026, 03:23:34 AM »

How much of this memory footprint is in heap, and how much is in hunk?

I don't think I understand the question. The decompressor is not itself a resource, and once uncompressed for use the resources are as big as always. Right?

9

SCI Syntax Help / Re: SCI0: GoToIfSaid ?

« on: May 23, 2026, 05:12:02 AM »

Wouldn't you need pathfinding support for "GoToIfSaid" type functionality? I don't think that was added until after SCI0.

It seems to use Avoiders.

10

SCI Syntax Help / Re: SCI0: GoToIfSaid ?

« on: May 22, 2026, 06:16:04 AM »

Considering they're both script functions, not engine or language features, the only reason they wouldn't be accepted is if you simply don't have that script file, or forgot to use it.

As for how it's used, looking at Sluicebox's decomp here's an example from [?]Codename ICEMAN[/i]'s beachHuts3.sc:

Code: [Select]

((Said '[/door]>')
(cond
((TurnIfSaid self event 'look/*'))
((Said 'look[<at]') (Print 12 3) ; "This is the door to hut #2.")
Note that this is hutDoor::handleEvent, so self is the hut door.

So it makes sure to turn toward the door if you need to turn toward it first, which stops the cond block. If you're already looking at the door, this condition fails and (Said 'look[<at]') gets a turn.

This script is also known as GotoSaid.sc in the leaked Larry 3 and 5 code, though it's unused there. The proper definitions of both IfSaid functions are:

Code: [Select]

(GoToIfSaid obj event theTargetOrX theDistanceOrY optSpec)
(TurnIfSaid obj event optSpec)

11

SCI Development Tools / SSCI, ScummVM, and polygons

« on: April 30, 2026, 05:39:59 PM »

Some two hours ago, another commit was made to ScummVM involving differences between its pathfinder and Sierra's. In this case, it involved SQ6 and a spike shape in one of the rooms' polygons which is removed by a script patch. Another commit fixes a barred-access poly that extends beyond a contained-access poly which trips up the logic. I've seen patches like this before where a problematic polygon shape needs to be tweaked (LB2 comes to mind, not sure if correctly) and now I have to wonder.

What exactly are the problematic shapes that ScummVM's pathfinder has trouble with? Knowing what to avoid and how could help home-made SCI games run correctly on both interpreters.

12

SCI Development Tools / Re: Converting Pics from SCI1 to SCI1.1 format

« on: April 15, 2026, 11:00:22 AM »

I believe it's also the reason most actors keep to the first 16 (or 32) colors so they can move between all rooms without issue. The rest of the colors are then used for pics or per room objects.

The global palette tends to be 64 colors (0-63, plus 255). Other than that you're basically on the money.

13

SCI Syntax Help / Re: QfGIVCD view corruption when editing 936.v56

« on: April 13, 2026, 03:14:06 PM »

Wait. How does that relate to view corruption?

14

AGI Development Tools / Re: The Plot [Pen Style] Thickens

« on: April 03, 2026, 03:23:57 AM »

Well, I guess I gotta eat my words now.



*nom*

15

AGI Development Tools / Re: The Plot [Pen Style] Thickens

« on: March 26, 2026, 04:48:09 AM »

One week later, there are multiple pen tables in ScummVM. Mark my words.

*My beleaguered manservant Mark hands me my dictionary*