Phoenix CD 2.0/Phoenix_CD.cdr/02a/pcgjan87.zip/ADVENT.PCG

Text File | 1987-01-18 | 6KB | 169 lines

 Welcome back to the world of Adventure
 game  writing  and  the  eighth  in  a
 series  that  will end about the  same
 time  as all my other  projects  (when
 sunny  Southern California slides  off
 into the Pacific with a loud rumble).

 This  time  around  we need  to  start
 making  certain revisions in our  word
 list   and  produce   another   array.
 First,  the  revisions to the data  in
 the  file WORDS.TXT have to be made to
 accommodate the new words that we  are
 going to need for our game.

 The  new words are going to cover  the
 objects  that aren't already listed in
 the word list.  The words and the data
 for them are as follows-

 HOOK,67,1            BLOCK,572,1
 PAINTING,568,1       DRAWER,573,1
 PICTURE,568,1        WORKBENCH,74,1
 CLOTHES,569,1        BENCH,74,1
 HANGERS,569,1        SAFE,75,1
 CHAIR,570,1          WATCH,76,1
 SEAT,570,1           FLASHLIGHT,577,1
 PANEL,571,1          LIGHT,577,1
 CONTROL,572,1

 Please  note that some of  the  object
 numbers  are  in the  500's.  That  is
 because  we  need  a way  to  set  the
 objects we can carry off from the ones
 that  we  can't.  (This isn't  a  game
 where  we can run in and carry off the
 FREEZER.)

 Three  ways to show the computer which
 objects you can carry are:  1.  Set up
 an array, 2. mark the movable objects,
 or  3.  make all the  movable  objects
 occupy the lower part of the nouns.  I
 have   choosen  to  mark  the  movable
 objects  by  making  them  500  series
 object numbers.  Marking the immovable
 objects   would  involve   less   work
 changing  the existing data and really
 would  work the same.   Setting up  an
 new array would work.  However,  I  am
 letting the array I already have carry
 that load.

 But,  why  not  put  all the carriable
 objects in the beginning of the  nouns
 and  tell the computer that any object
 between 1  and  76  is  carriable?  It
 would perhaps be the easiest way to do
 the  job.  However,  I  like  the idea
 that,  to add an object to  the  data,
 all  you  have  to do is put it at the
 end.   This  approach  does   have   a
 drawback,   however.   You  lose  some
 speed,  especially if you object is at
 the end of the list.

 Notice  also  that I haven't  cut  the
 words off at 6 letters.  I am going to
 let this array also handle the load of
 giving  me the object names.   In  the
 games  Aaron and I used to write there
 was  an  string  with  all  the  words
 represented   by  their  first   three
 letters.  This was  what  we  compared
 against  using  the  location  in  the
 string to give us the object number.

 It worked fine; unless you want to use
 two words  to  mean  the  same  thing.
 Then you have to have alot of-

      If O=45 then O=42

 This  had  to  be done for  the  verbs
 also.   But,  you  could  handle  that
 operation in the-

      On F GOTO 750,800,800,945, etc.

 However, this only gave you the object
 number. What if you walked into a room
 and looked around?   Telling you  that
 there  was a BOO or a TOO in the  room
 wouldn't help you very much. So we had
 to  have  an  array with  all  of  the
 object names in it.

 So  far  we have modified the data  in
 the word list and set it up to let  us
 carry only certain objects.   Also  we
 have added some other objects that may
 prove to be useful in our game.

 Now we need to add an array that  will
 let us know where the object is in our
 world.   This  array will also let  us
 put  things in the room but have  them
 hidden   from  the  player  until   he
 'discovers'  them.   This  'discovery'
 can  be as simple as opening a drawer,
 or as complex as you like.

 The first thing we need to do is add a
 line  105 that will dimension our  new
 array  as OL(25,2) -  Where 25 is  the
 number  of  objects that  inhabit  our
 world.   Then  between  line 9350  and
 line  9358  we will  insert  our  data
 where it will be read at the same time
 as all the other arrays.   These lines
 will be as follows-

 9350 FOR X = 1 TO 25:FOR Y = 1 TO 2
 9351 READ OL(X,Y)
 9352 NEXT Y: NEXT X
 9353 DATA 75,1,569,2,67,-2,571,3
 9354 DATA 554,-3,60,3,528,4,546,4
 9355 DATA 545,4,20,4,21,4,553,4
 9356 DATA 570,6,547,-6,542,-6,538,-6
 9357 DATA 559,6,22,6,73,-6,74,6,23,6
 9358 DATA 577,-6,568,7,572,-8,567,0

 The  first number is the object number
 and the second is the location of that
 object.   To  see what objects are  in
 any of the rooms all we have to do  is
 to  have  a check done to see  if  the
 second  number  is equal to  the  room
 number.

 The  negative numbers are the 'hidden'
 objects,  for instance, objects in the
 toolbox.  I also tend to 'hide' things
 like  drawers and other  objects  that
 are  in  plain  sight  but  that  most
 people   wouldn't  notice  at   first.
 Other  'hidden' objects would be under
 or  behind  other  objects.   This  is
 another  area  that  you  have  to  be
 somewhat realistic in.  Otherwise  you
 end  up with all the objects hidden so
 deeply that the player can't make  any
 headway.   The object that has a 0 for
 it's location is the watch,  and it is
 on  the  players wrist.   Zero is  the
 'room' that we check if we  are  doing
 an   inventory   of   objects  in  our
 possession.

 Next month I hope to work all of these
 changes  and additions into the  basis
 of our game,  plus put out a  copy  of
 the  game  and  data files as they are
 now  (Unless  someone  brings in a new
 game  to  the  office...   then,   the
 article could be a month or two late).
 Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!