[Question] Building New Game

[Cryptonomic]

In order to learn SCI Studio and the SCI language as much as possible, I started out with a blank game and started adding in scripts manually to best understand how they work. So I called up the Script Editor (from within SCI Studio) and made a Main.sc file.

When I go to Add that script into the general game, I get the following error:

"The file you are trying to add, C:\SCIStudio\Games\_Exericse\Main.sc, is not a valid SCI resource, or does not contain a valid header."

My question is: why is this happening?

(Note: I realize I can just go through the template and use those files. But a development system should also let you create those files from scratch. So I am curious what I am doing wrong that is preventing me from doing this.)

[Cryptonomic]

I should add that if you create a blank game and try to Add the main.sc from the template game into your blank game, you also get the same error I described above.

[Brian Provinciano]

When you edit the scripts in the script editor they are ASCII text files, source *.sc files. The game uses binary script files (script.*). In order for the .sc file to be added to the game, you need to compile it into script.*. The file name is irrelevant, you could call main.sc dhlkjhgkjfhdkljfd.sc. However, you can't just use main.sc from the template in your game. There are 29 scripts which all link together, and main.sc is just one of them. In order for the game to function, the template's main.sc will also require the other 28 ones. Also, they are interlaced, so need their SCOs. Also, they need the graphics (views, pics, cursor, fonts), as well as the vocabs and sounds. Just use the template

[Cryptonomic]

When you edit the scripts in the script editor they are ASCII text files, source *.sc files. The game uses binary script files (script.*). In order for the .sc file to be added to the game, you need to compile it into script.*.

Yep. As I think on it, that makes perfect sense. In fact, I did know there was a Script Compiler so, in hindsight, this should have been blindingly obvious to me.

Just use the template

That, indeed, seems to be the better solution. I spent some of the night playing around and I realize just how interlinked (interlaced) everything is. I come from development backgrounds where sometimes templates are more harm than good; in the case of SCI Studio the template is quite obviously very, very helpful and best for a starting point.

Thanks for the info.