Template game bugfixes

[gumby]

Sanity-check - is this really a significant issue?

If it is, from a community standpoint I think we really should fix up the template game & post it as an 'add-on' installation.  If a 'clean' template has been created (Cloudee or MI?) would you be okay with sharing it?  I think an installer could be created (Collector?) to overwrite the existing template.

Thoughts?

[MusicallyInspired]

The template game that comes with SCI Companion is already fixed. It's the one that comes with SCI Studio that has the bugs. Although I'm not sure if that includes the F2 (toggle sound) bug or not...at any rate, all of the bugs mentioned in the SCI Companion help file are fixed in Companion's template game.

[gumby]

And as I recall, the DisposeLoad script has a bug.  I think it called 'Load' when it should have called 'Unload' or something along those lines.

[MusicallyInspired]

Oh. Never ran into that. What does the dispose script do anyway?

[gumby]

It's supposed to remove unneeded resources from memory.  Here's a thread about it:

http://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php/topic,387.0.html

[Collector]

There is some information on DisposeLoad in Troflip's memory management tutorial:

http://sciwiki.sierrahelp.com/index.php?title=Memory_Management

If any issues with the template game are fixed and the updated version works with both Studio and Companion, both packages should be updated. I had not thought about it, but I certainly could do an installer. One of the nice things about NSIS is that you can treat the installer package as a ZIP with 7zip for those that want to bypass an installer.The installer could also include any other utilities and extras, such as the DOSBox launcher.

[Cloudee1]

What Troflip is referring to there is the call in the main script to the function found in the disposeload script. It is the disposeload script that has the error. And it would be nice to have one all inclusive bug free template, but at this point I'm sure we haven't found all of the bugs 

At this point, besides this disposeload script, I don't think we are very far off from where Phil got us in the template game that comes with companion. But a debugger/ installer to cover games that were created with studio would be a handy little addition, if nothing else just to save people from the thought of having to go through and change code when they are just trying to learn how to code would be nice. Granted it isn't hard, but intimidating if you don't know what you are doing.

Since I added the template category to the tools page, whenever we decided we are there, I will stick a zipped up version there too.

[MusicallyInspired]

There's also a bug in the Door script where it doesn't open or close properly. I can't remember which one.

[Collector]

Are there any issues with using the Companion template in Studio? If not, the Studio template could be replaced with Troflip's template for the Studio package. It does seem it would be a good idea to be able to switch between the two during the development of a game. I am assuming that we should be starting with Troflip's template in any case. Whenever all of the fixes and/or extra tools and utilities are decided upon for a package, I'll throw together an installer. I would like to have the installer setup as near of a complete development package as we can have without having someone pick up on development of Studio and/or companion. Brian is gone, Troflip is done with it and I am not counting on Omni to get back to it. As nice as it would be to have someone pick up the reins, we can't expect anything on this front.

Besides fixing the template game, we should list what needs to be included.

• Soundbox? There does not seem to be be anyway to work with sound in Companion. Is working with Soundbox independently, then importing the resource into Companion the only way to do it? Any other audio tools?
• The Point&Click template?
• The DOSBox launcher for seamless testing from either Studio or Companion?
• Gumby's RESOURCE tools?

[gumby]

Are there any issues with using the Companion template in Studio?

That's what I'm doing now.  I start off with a Companion template, and then do all my compilation in Studio.  I haven't experienced any problems yet, but I'm currently working in a very small subset of the functionality.

One of the nice things about NSIS is that you can treat the installer package as a ZIP with 7zip for those that want to bypass an installer.The installer could also include any other utilities and extras, such as the DOSBox launcher.

Wouldn't this also make maintaining the installer really easy?  Every time a bug is found in the template, it would be a simple updating of a zip file?  Sounds like it would be transparent - you could peer into the zip without installing it to verify what bugs were there (or not there).

[Collector]

The way that both Studio and Companion work when creating a new game from the template is to just copy all of the contents of the "Template" folder. This is why the DB launcher can be copied into the template folder to have it automatically added to the new game. I have started to assemble a package for Companion and have added the Ravi sound drivers and the Sierra install files (that I edited to include the new drivers) to the Template game. This can replace the existing template game in Studio, too, if it works as well in Studio. I can add these extra files to Cloudee's P&C template and include it.

Once the NSIS script is made, updating an installer is as simple as replacing the updated file in the source and recompiling. The end user can use the installer as a zip, using 7zip. Maintaining the installer is no problem.

[MusicallyInspired]

SoundBox is the only way to create SCI sound resources, yes. Besides possibly some command line tools. I don't remember if any exist or not (besides the ones the NewRisingSun created for me).

It also really sucks that none of us are very experienced programmers who are able to pick up SCI Companion's source code and finish it off. Or even SCI Studio VGA's and the VGA template game, for that matter. I have the desire and some programming ability but I am just not qualified enough.

[Collector]

SoundBox is the only way to create SCI sound resources, yes. Besides possibly some command line tools. I don't remember if any exist or not (besides the ones the NewRisingSun created for me).

Are you allowed to post the NRS tools?

It also really sucks that none of us are very experienced programmers who are able to pick up SCI Companion's source code and finish it off. Or even SCI Studio VGA's and the VGA template game, for that matter. I have the desire and some programming ability but I am just not qualified enough.

I really wish that I could. I would love to develop an SCI IDE that could be a all in one tool that would let you develop and manipulate any of the resources and the RESOURCE.* files/maps for all versions of SCI from SCI0 to SCI32 with a proper plugin system. Short of that, there are a couple of changes that shouldn't be that hard to implement for a C++ dev. To add a choice of different template games in the new game dialog when starting a new game and a launch bar that would allow you to access other other tools from within Companion.

That aside, I made a GUI for the command line tool Syx2Pat tool.

[MusicallyInspired]

I released them ages ago. They're on the wiki.

[gumby]

Not a bug, but a (very) slight heap-saver.  I found this code in Main.sc while reviewing the NormalBase instance.  It's got some hard-coded logic to do something different if the ego just left room 253, which definitely should not need to be in there:

Change this:

Code: [Select]

(if(== gRoomNumberExit 253)
    = temp0 22
)(else
    = temp0 10
)


To this:

Code: [Select]

   = temp0 10

EDIT:  Or better yet, just remove the temp0 variable completely and hard-code '10' everywhere.