How should my town/outdoor script editor work?

Author	Topic: How should my town/outdoor script editor work?
Arenax Shock Trooper Member # 5181	written Thursday, November 11 2004 09:21 Profile Homepage #0 (Posted on both Spidweb and The Lyceum) Well, now that AvDialogue is done, I'm onto my second little project: AvScript. This one will be more ambitious and will definitely take more time than the last one. ====================================== I see two ways I can do this. 1) An editor "helper" tool. This sort of thing would be a fairly standard text editor with a sort of pseudocoding button. You push a button and it opens a menu that asks "What would you like to do?" You select what you want to do, it asks you in plain English for the values you want to use for various things, and then it writes it in Avernumscript. This is doable, and in a short timeframe--but I've never done it before and I don't aim to put in some features right away that text editors usually have: namely, I don't plan to code find-and-replace features and stuff right off the bat. The advantage of a helper tool is that it teaches people to write Avernumscript themselves while at the same time doing much of the work for them. Newbies could use it fairly easily, graduating to regular code for harder projects as they wished. I'd also probably make it so end-users could make their own libraries of commands. 2) A fully node-based scripting wizard. This would be much easier on the end-user, but that comes at a price: code bloat. Without some very large-scale coding on my part (which I'd be willing to do, but it would take a fairly long time) I don't see this as being remotely efficient. You remember how BoE took 50 nodes to do some fairly simple things? This wouldn't be quite that bad, but it wouldn't be very good, either. This would be a piece of cake for a newbie to use--and could be used to assemble scenarios pretty quickly--but people would soon be frustrated at its limitations. Also, it doesn't teach how to write Avernumscript. ====================================== I am personally in favor of the helper tool. It's something newbies and people like TM alike could probably use effectively--and it's something I'd use, too. However, if there's a better turnout on the node-based idea, I'll consider that. Posts: 262 | Registered: Thursday, November 11 2004 08:00
teh banana BANNED Member # 4860	written Thursday, November 11 2004 10:31 Profile Homepage #1 I'm in favour of the option 1, too. The moment a tool like that pops out, I'll begin designing a serious BoA scenario. Seriously. ^^ -------------------- The Great Mister kommari@gmail.com[/url] Posts: 103 | Registered: Sunday, August 15 2004 07:00
Kelandon Off With Their Heads Member # 4045	written Thursday, November 11 2004 10:53 Profile Homepage #2 I think it might be useful to start with a scripter that makes custom objects scripts. Several have been released, but none are comprehensive or good at all. Ideally, you could make one that can work with existing scripts, too. That would take slightly less time than a full-on scripting helper, and it would be equally useful. -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Dastal Warrior Member # 3610	written Thursday, November 11 2004 13:19 Profile #3 I think #1 is way better! I'd also suggest a feature I really like in my HTML editor of choice: color coding. For instance, dialogue commands might show up in green, cinematic commands in blue, etc. Additionally, open statements (no "end;", ")", or "}") might be yellow, red, and orange, respectively. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00
Arenax Shock Trooper Member # 5181	written Thursday, November 11 2004 13:21 Profile Homepage #4 I tried the color coding thing before. It doesn't work correctly unless you code your own text box to do it--and I'm certainly not awesome enough for that. Posts: 262 | Registered: Thursday, November 11 2004 08:00
Dahak Infiltrator Member # 148	written Thursday, November 11 2004 15:56 Profile #5 See sure to add () and {} highlighting. Please? -------------------- My ego is bigger than yours. Posts: 480 | Registered: Thursday, October 11 2001 07:00
Arenax Shock Trooper Member # 5181	written Thursday, November 11 2004 15:58 Profile Homepage #6 Uuuuh...highlighting could be a fairly difficult thing to do. I'll give you a "maybe" on all colored-highlighting tricks. Posts: 262 | Registered: Thursday, November 11 2004 08:00
Dahak Infiltrator Member # 148	written Thursday, November 11 2004 19:17 Profile #7 No worries. -------------------- My ego is bigger than yours. Posts: 480 | Registered: Thursday, October 11 2001 07:00
mistica Warrior Member # 5165	written Friday, November 12 2004 06:56 Profile #8 I like 2) plan. [ Friday, November 12, 2004 06:58: Message edited by: mistica ] -------------------- he who puts his head inside a dragon's orifice is likely to get a lot of... Posts: 104 | Registered: Saturday, November 6 2004 08:00
Sticky Infiltrator Member # 4256	written Friday, November 12 2004 07:02 Profile #9 plan 1 sounds really nice, and plan 2 would be decent. And color coding on scripts is really nice ;0; -------------------- "Let's just say that if complete and utter chaos was lightning, he'd be the sort to stand on a hilltop in a thunderstorm wearing wet copper armour and shouting 'All gods are false'." Posts: 564 | Registered: Wednesday, April 14 2004 07:00
Arenax Shock Trooper Member # 5181	written Friday, November 12 2004 09:56 Profile Homepage #10 It's been decided: #1 it is. Your votes counted. Well, no, they didn't. It's just that I'd never use a node-based thing and I would use a script editor like the one I've outlined. And the more I look at it, the less likely color highlighting is. Sorry, but it'd take more work than the output would be worth. On another note, AvDialogue with a prototype of CallWizard (what I'm calling the plug-in command scripting thingy) grafted into the dialogue node CODE command will be done soon (like, by tomorrow morning). http://arenaxcreations.tripod.com Posts: 262 | Registered: Thursday, November 11 2004 08:00
Pachat Apprentice Member # 4833	written Sunday, November 14 2004 12:37 Profile Homepage #11 AvScript seems to have great potential, but there are some obvious things that I'd like to see fixed: First, the text editor crashes with every time I write a line with more than 29 or so letters. Also, the undo quick-key (ctrl+z) doesn't seem to be working for some peculiar reason. The one from the right-click menu works. In addition to those stretch-to-fit editing area would be nice. And perhaps the tools could be accessible side-by-side with the actual code. I think it's easier to think of statements and structures if you see where they are to be appended to while making them. I hope you can pull through polishing these programs of yours. Especially the pc-side of things needs a boost from people like you to get the scenarios start rolling out. EDIT: Oh yeah! I'm sitting on 1.0ghz 512mb winxp if that helps a bit with the crash thing. [ Sunday, November 14, 2004 12:39: Message edited by: Pachat ] Posts: 16 | Registered: Monday, August 9 2004 07:00
Arenax Shock Trooper Member # 5181	written Sunday, November 14 2004 14:12 Profile Homepage #12 Yeah...I was trying to get the computer to STOP being pathetic and let me do tabs, but I made it so whenever you pressed ANY key, it incremented the number of tabs the computer was keeping track of. Thowwy. That's fixed, but I'm going to do a few more things before I upload a new one. EDIT: As for stretch-to-fit editing, I *suppose* I can do that. I think I even know how. :P The side-by-side bit could be tricky, because to do that would sacrifice a lot of space on the editing screen. I'll think about that. [ Sunday, November 14, 2004 14:14: Message edited by: Arenax ] Posts: 262 | Registered: Thursday, November 11 2004 08:00