Author Topic: Multiple controllable egos in SCI  (Read 2894 times)

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Offline lskovlun

Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« on: August 25, 2002, 02:16:14 PM »
For your information, I'm working on support for multiple egos, as in Maniac Mansion. Most of it is already finished, so I can switch between them either by using the script code or an on-screen button, I can place the egos in the same or different rooms, and so on. There are still some things missing though: For one thing, I want to  have an ego continue to walk when I switch away from him, which is non-trivial. I'll let you know when it's completely done.

Lars



Offline Brian Provinciano

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2002, 07:45:27 PM »
Awesome! That'll be great!

I've finishied recoding all 44 scripts of the VGA class/proc system. I'm now cleaning them up, changing the variables (ie. temp23 to someVar), documenting it, etc.

I'm thinking of combining the 44 scripts into 30, 20, or even 10.

Due to SCI1's ability to have pictures any size desired, it would be a cool task to make complete SCUMM-style support for it removing the original popup bar, and even adding the scumm-style talking text. It would be as simple as a Display call, two Graph calls, and a timer. Just to prove that SCI really can be used to make any kind of game you want!

Offline OmerMor

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2002, 01:22:01 AM »
That would be so great!
Do you think is it also possible to write a parser within the script code? (because there is no parser in the SCI1 interpreter).
the tokens of course would have to be hard coded into the scripts. and it's also will be lots of work, but is it possible at all?

Offline Te Rangi

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2002, 01:45:47 AM »
Having both the parser and point & click interfaces in the SCI1 (like the repackaging of the Hugo games) would be excellent!

Offline Brian Provinciano

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2002, 02:12:16 AM »
It would be possible, but to make it as advanced as Sierra's would result in an incredibly slow game. To make it simple, it would be possible, but it would all have to be done by scratch.

An "Enter verb" think like in LSL7 would be easy.

Offline OmerMor

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2002, 06:59:19 AM »
Why would it be slow? don't forget we use very fast computers today.
I know the parser must be written from scratch but i guess it's east to find source code for parsers - we just need to translate it to the SCI language, and perform te necessary adjustments so it could be used from within the rest of the scripts.
Of course doing so is not first priority for SCI developers but maybe someday in the future. At least it's good to know it is possible, and it's nice to know there are many cool possibilites for future projects with SCI.

Offline Brian Provinciano

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2002, 03:11:18 PM »
I suppose, provided it's done in a single interpreter cycle. Try porting the FreeSCI code to script code. It'll work in SCI1 and SCI0, so you can get started right away :)

I have one interpreter, a very very early VGA SCI game, which actually has an internal debugger (the only one known), and it has all the vocabs of King's Quest I SCI, giving me the idea that maybe, just maybe, it could give us the ability to have a VGA parser based game! I'm looking into it. Stay tuned! From what I can see, it seems to be identical to SCI01 with VGA graphics--to top it off, it's Jones in the Fast Lane VGA, which runs identical to the EGA version, but with different graphics!

Joe

  • Guest
Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2002, 03:35:11 PM »
Brian, how do you access the debugger in it?

Offline Brian Provinciano

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2002, 03:53:24 PM »
The same as all other games-- shift-shift-minus

Offline Chris Cromer

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2002, 05:15:07 PM »

I suppose, provided it's done in a single interpreter cycle. Try porting the FreeSCI code to script code. It'll work in SCI1 and SCI0, so you can get started right away :)

I have one interpreter, a very very early VGA SCI game, which actually has an internal debugger (the only one known), and it has all the vocabs of King's Quest I SCI, giving me the idea that maybe, just maybe, it could give us the ability to have a VGA parser based game! I'm looking into it. Stay tuned! From what I can see, it seems to be identical to SCI01 with VGA graphics--to top it off, it's Jones in the Fast Lane VGA, which runs identical to the EGA version, but with different graphics!


Only one thing you are forgetting, people without the Jones in the fast lane, SCI interpreter would not be able to use this because they would need that specefic interpreter. I don't have Jones in the fast lane so that would be out of the question for me and probably other people as well to make a SCI VGA/parser game.
Chris Cromer

It's all fun and games until someone get's hurt then it's just fun. ;)

Joe

  • Guest
Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #10 on: August 26, 2002, 06:16:36 PM »
Jones in the fast lane?  I thought it be something more complicated...

Offline Brian Provinciano

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #11 on: August 26, 2002, 07:10:44 PM »
When creating an SCI1+ template game, it basically is created for the interpreter, and only the interpreter it is built on. Regardless, the interpreter would need to be included with it. It's okay though, because I get them from Sierra's demos :)

Offline Steven Melenchuk

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #12 on: August 26, 2002, 07:24:44 PM »
Lars, theoretically speaking, you could just not reset Ego's motion when you changed to another character. As long as the motion's doit() kept firing, Ego would keep moving even when off screen. Of course, any triggers on the screen would have to be referenced at some point in script 0 no matter the room's script...
I have my own multi-character system that I've developed for my upcoming game. Perhaps I'll look more in detail to this later.
----------------
Steven Melenchuk
"Hopefully, next time you won't play around with gauges you don't understand!"

Offline OmerMor

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2002, 04:17:59 PM »
Brian: I know of 2 VGA SCI1 interpreters with an internal debugger: The "Jones in the Fast Lane" one, and the one from the "1990 Christmas Card" VGA which is newer and is even compatible with the KQ5 resources (the Jones interpreter is not compatible with it).

Offline Brian Provinciano

Re:Multiple controllable egos in SCI
« Reply #14 on: August 27, 2002, 05:21:40 PM »
Excellent! It proved much more difficult to make the VGA template without a debugger, but if it works with my template, it should be helpful even now. Thanks!

BTW, I found KQ5 EGA, and it seems to have an identical interpreter as the VGA one, but it uses SCI0 views, and a different pic format, which isn't compatible with SCI0 or SCI1. However, the pics probably aren't too different, so they could probably be supported with a little modification to the editors.


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