SCI Script Compiler - Open Sourced!

[Dhel]

With great pleasure I am excited to announce the original SCI Script Compiler is now open source through the graciousness of Digital Alchemy Studios who are the current owners of The Realm Online. As the maintainer of this repo I have added scripts and syntax changes for building with OpenWatcom 2 and executable under modern Windows.

https://github.com/Digital-Alchemy-Studios/da-sci-compiler-pub

Another piece of Sierra history has been preserved. Maybe more to come!

[lskovlun]

Yay, this is cool. I've had it for a while, but now more people can have it. Maybe add a binary? Not everyone wants to fiddle with Watcom C... I've got a binary of the old version 4.111, and a quick diff shows that the differences are minor. Then what's next is some instructions for setting up an actual build environment (I could help with that). I don't think I've built anything with this version (I have successfully used the 16-bit version), but the process is mostly the same AFAIK.

[Dhel]

Yay, this is cool. I've had it for a while, but now more people can have it. Maybe add a binary? Not everyone wants to fiddle with Watcom C... I've got a binary of the old version 4.111, and a quick diff shows that the differences are minor. Then what's next is some instructions for setting up an actual build environment (I could help with that). I don't think I've built anything with this version (I have successfully used the 16-bit version), but the process is mostly the same AFAIK.

Actually there is a executable binary in the release section for those who don't want to compile it. Also in the readme is instructions for the build environment. Very easy to do, just install OpenWatcom 2 to the C:\watcom and run the build scripts  . Or do you mean a build environment to compile SCI games? That would be helpful! I have some resources to help with that as well.

I figured the source was out there since I have an older 16bit version that I have never compiled. But this I think was the latest that was created from Sierra, then past to Codemasters and still in use today to compile scripts for the Realm.

On a side note, I don't have a compiling version of MakeVols at the moment but I was going to look at getting that compiling as well. There is a good chance Digital Alchemy might also open source it if I request it.

[lskovlun]

Or do you mean a build environment to compile SCI games? That would be helpful! I have some resources to help with that as well.

Yes, that was what I meant.

On a side note, I don't have a compiling version of MakeVols at the moment but I was going to look at getting that compiling as well. There is a good chance Digital Alchemy might also open source it if I request it.

Aren't people simply going to use Companion for that part? It's one thing to want an original compiler experience, but I don't see the value of makevols. Maybe if you want a scripted build process. I have never tried to use it myself; but I think Kawa has.

I can still remember when one of the original Sierra people (I think it was Jane Jensen) saw Companion and said "that's what we should have had back in the day!" :-)

[Kawa]

that's what we should have had back in the day!

That's high praise.

[Collector]

Are you sure Jane Jensen? She has never had much of a public presence on social media or other outlets outside of under here pen name and that only for promotion of her work. Perhaps one of the programmers instead? Robert Lindsey is aware of Companion and especially its decompiler.

[OmerMor]

With great pleasure I am excited to announce the original SCI Script Compiler is now open source through the graciousness of Digital Alchemy Studios who are the current owners of The Realm Online. As the maintainer of this repo I have added scripts and syntax changes for building with OpenWatcom 2 and executable under modern Windows.

https://github.com/Digital-Alchemy-Studios/da-sci-compiler-pub

Another piece of Sierra history has been preserved. Maybe more to come!

Great news! Can you say what other original Sierra assets are owned by Digital Alchemy Studios?

[Dhel]

Or do you mean a build environment to compile SCI games? That would be helpful! I have some resources to help with that as well.

Yes, that was what I meant.

On a side note, I don't have a compiling version of MakeVols at the moment but I was going to look at getting that compiling as well. There is a good chance Digital Alchemy might also open source it if I request it.

Aren't people simply going to use Companion for that part? It's one thing to want an original compiler experience, but I don't see the value of makevols. Maybe if you want a scripted build process. I have never tried to use it myself; but I think Kawa has.

I can still remember when one of the original Sierra people (I think it was Jane Jensen) saw Companion and said "that's what we should have had back in the day!" :-)

I would be interested in helping out getting a build environment working and seeing if we can get some of the games from the decompile project in recompiling mode. I have done a couple of minimal attempts using the SCI32 kernel Omer has posted but have run into selector errors. Wouldn't mind give it another try now that there can be more involvement though.

I might be wrong, but I think one of the benefits to the MakeVols code over SCI Companion at the moment is SCI32 asset compatibility. Although I have the beginnings of some SCI32 compatibility started in a SCI Companion branch I started earlier this year. Otherwise the MakeVols can rebuild resmaps and ressci resources.

[Dhel]

With great pleasure I am excited to announce the original SCI Script Compiler is now open source through the graciousness of Digital Alchemy Studios who are the current owners of The Realm Online. As the maintainer of this repo I have added scripts and syntax changes for building with OpenWatcom 2 and executable under modern Windows.

https://github.com/Digital-Alchemy-Studios/da-sci-compiler-pub

Another piece of Sierra history has been preserved. Maybe more to come!

Great news! Can you say what other original Sierra assets are owned by Digital Alchemy Studios?

I will have to look into this to know what I am able to share as to not speak out of bounds. But anything else I find that can be released I will be sure to have it done asap!

[lskovlun]

I would be interested in helping out getting a build environment working and seeing if we can get some of the games from the decompile project in recompiling mode.

Well, that would be a problem since the original SCI compiler is designed without a linker phase, whereas Companion explicitly requires it. I can still remember one of the original documents by Jeff Stephenson where he touts this as an advantage. You'll have all those (use blah) statements in the decompiled code that the original compiler won't know what to do with.

It might be possible to write a tool that converts a set of .sco files (as generated by Companion) to class and classtbl files (as required by the original compiler). The way I originally wrote SCI code was sort of the opposite of that. I had binary script.xxx files and converted them to the .sco files that Brian's compiler wanted. The first game I did that with was PQ2.

The original compiler also requires you to predeclare the methods supported by a new class with a (methods ...) declaration. Companion doesn't need this and doesn't generate them. There may be other minor differences.

[Kawa]

There may be other minor differences.

Defines that take entire blocks of arbitrary stuff, not just numbers.

Oh wait you said "minor".

[lskovlun]

Defines that take entire blocks of arbitrary stuff, not just numbers.

Yeah, but not in decompiled code.

[robbo007]

Great news! Can you say what other original Sierra assets are owned by Digital Alchemy Studios?

EA brought out Codemasters a few years back. I know EA own's the rights to LSL as I had a meeting with them to try and secure the license but EA being EA did not want to allow anyone to use the IP

It would be good to know who has the other IPs from Sierra? Microsoft I gather?