SCI0 - Custom buttons, windows and gauges

[Kawa]

I'd ask if there might be a better way to do it but my math skills are lacking and it's already one of the more optimized ways to to round up to the nearest eight.

Might be why so many SCI10/11 games with custom borders just drew lines for the edges. In fact, that might be more efficient -- just use a highly simplified take on the BorderWindow to draw all this stuff instead of using views, and leave the size of things alone.

[MusicallyInspired]

I never really liked Brian's custom GUI code because it draws all the cels inside the textbox instead of outside (like KQ1SCI does). I always meant to go back and try to rewrite it, especially now that we have the KQ1SCI decompiled source. Just another of those things in the long list of things I haven't gotten around to. That would also solve the rounding error that causes the extra space on the right side of the window. Because, as was said, depending on the size of the textbox it doesn't always draw the cel exactly to the edge of the window. I think some of this has to do with the cel widths honestly. It can't really predict properly somehow.

Interestingly, I think sometimes (again, depending on the size of the window), it actually cuts off the cell instead of giving it too much space.

[Kawa]

I meant to add a link in my previous post to my blog post series about custom windows, but importantly, King's Quest 1 draws the edges as lines, with cels on the corners and a single cel as decoration on the top.

That's almost like how King's Quest 5, King's Quest 6, and Colonel's Bequest draw their windows. Basically a bunch of lines for the edges and cels on the corners. And BorderWindows don't even have those.


Yeah. You'd think those wooden planks were cels, but they're not.

[MusicallyInspired]

Heh that's awesome. It's always neat to see how Sierra used the line-drawing features of SCI because it's not really that common I don't think. SQ4's Sequel Police laser shots is one really cool implementation.

[Kawa]

How can you say it's "not that common" when the BorderWindow is used in every single one of these SCI10/11 games?

In general: SQ1, SQ4, SQ5, Brain1, PQ1, PQ3
Control window only: Longbow, Brain2, MUFT
Inventory window only: Eco2, Freddy, Brain2, LB2, LSL1, LSL5

Fifteen out of, what, twenty four?



You're not wrong about the Sequel Police though.

[MusicallyInspired]

Well yes besides that. KQ6's was certainly unique though.

[Collector]

https://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/273577-ai-does-not-help-programmers/fulltext