Mission 3/Mission 3.zip/Mission 3.iso/spiele/sgac/manual/chapter2.doc

Text File | 1989-07-28 | 16KB | 360 lines

                         Chapter Two

                   (Using the Data Creator)

 The Sgac Data Creator is the heart of the package as this enables
 you to define our Adventure game's information, this is where our
 locations, connections and such are defined.

 When you first inserted this disk and switched on you will have
 been presented with this program, those of you who have used Sac
 will be fairly familiar about the operation of this program. Just
 like Sac the keyboard is used to select the options. Note that each
 option on any menu has a letter followed by the option, this tells
 you what letter to press for that option....ie: L=Location Menu.

 Lets try loading the data file to grannies garden first to see how
 its put together. From the main menu press D and the disk sub menu
 will appear. Press L and a file selector will appear asking you to
 select a name with the mouse. Click on the garden.dat folder and
 choose the garden.gad file. Click on return to load it. Note that
 this and the save options are of course used to load or save your
 work. So your work can be saved, loaded back and added to or edited
 at any time. The file extension must always be .GAD.

 The Create Folder does as it says, it asks for a name and creates
 a Folder on disk under that name, you can save your data file and
 your pictures in this if you wish as it gives you a tidy disk.

 The Kill File option allows you to erase an unwanted file from disk.
 Just like load a file selector comes up allowing you to erase a file.

 The Format disk option will format a disk to two sides and nine sectors.

 The last option 'Main Menu' goes back to the Main Menu.

 The option we are interested in at the moment is the Load option,
 so select it with the mouse and a file selector will appear. This
 is used to load a data file previously saved with the Data
 Creator which has the extension '.GAD', trying to load an other
 file will cause the Creator to crash, (you have been warned!!!).

 Click on the Folder entitled 'Garden.dat' then click on the file
 'Garden.gad' followed by return. We are going to look at the data
 file for 'Grannies Garden' and play about with it, once the file
 has loaded, return to the Main Menu.

   Locations

 Choose the 'Locations Menu' to enter it, you will see various
 options allowing you to enter, amend and view location
 descriptions. Choosing 'View a Location' and 'View all
 Locations' will allow you to examine all the descriptions. Note
 that 'View a Location' will ask you for a location number.

 Grannies Garden has eight locations altogether, lets add another
 one. Select 'Insert a Location' and type the following.

  You are in the local village.

 Press return and the Creator will first print the description as
 you will see it in the game and then enter it into memory.

 Now this description does'nt tell us much does it.., so lets
 amend it, Select 'Amend a Location', the Creator asks us for a
 location number. Now the one we have just inserted is Location
 number nine so type '9' and press return.

 Type the following location description.

  You are in a village which is lonely and deserted, all the shops
  are boarded up but the doors to the local church are open.

 Press Return and select 'View all Locations', as you can see,
 Location eight contains what we have just typed.

 Feel free to play about, it does'nt matter how much you mess
 things up, just make sure you don't save the file back to disk.

   Connections

 When you have finished, go back to the Main Menu and enter the
 Connections Menu, now this is where Sac users will notice one of
 the changes as connections are now entered using Exit Zones.

 Note that when you insert a location, the creator inserts a
 connection space for you to enter your Exits Zones.

 Select 'View a connection' and enter "2" then return, the message
 "Zone 1 leads to Location 1" appears, lets change the Exit Zone
 so it will be connected to our new location, number nine.

 Select 'Amend a Connection', we are asked for a location number,
 we want to create an exit from location two, so enter "2" and
 press Return. You are then asked to load the picture for the
 location, this has to be the same picture number as the location
 number so click on 'pic2.mbk' and click on return.

 Note that all pictures have to be compressed using the Stos
 Compact accessory and saved as '.mbk' files.

 Once the picture has loaded, have a good look at it, its a
 picture of the Living Room in an house. See the door, this will
 be the exit to location eight so lets create the Exit Zone.

 Postion the mouse at the top left hand corner of the door and
 press the left mouse button. Move the mouse and as you can see, a
 box shape is drawing itself on screen, move the mouse pointer to
 the bottom right hand corner of the door and press the left mouse
 button to set the box. The Exit Zone is now created.

 This is our first Exit Zone, the creator imforms you of the zone
 just created. We are now asked where this exit leads to, so as we
 want it to lead to location eight, just type 9 and Return.

 Note: If you want to enter a false exit then type "0".

 If you view Connection number 2, you now get the message...

  Zone 1 leads to location 9

 Note that the creator asks you if you want to enter another zone,
 if so, then press the left mouse button and Return.

 Remember, you can only have up to five zones in each location.

   Objects and Object Locations

 Select 'Object Menu' from the Main Menu then select 'View all
 Objects', Three things will be listed.

  Object's short description
  Object's present location
  Object's ID word

 Lets amend object number one (the cake), from the Object Menu,
 select 'Amend Object' then type "1", followed by Return.

 We are asked for our objects description, this should be a short
 description no more than 18 characters long such as 'a small
 lamp','a copper pot' and so on. Our amended object used to be a
 fruit cake so lets call it a cream cake.

 When asked for the description type "a cream cake."

 We are then asked for an ID word for this object, this should be
 no more than seven characters long, if the word is longer than
 seven characters then the creator will take the first seven
 characters as the word. The word should be a single word which
 refers to the object, so 'a small key' would have its object ID
 word entered as "Key". So for the Cream Cake type...Cake
 and press Return.

 Select one of the Viewing options and you will see that object
 number one is now a cream cake. The 'Insert an Object' works in
 the same way as amend only its used to add an object to the list.

 Lets define a new object, Using the 'Insert an Object' option,
 define a china cup. Enter "a china cup." as the description and
 enter "Cup" as the ID word. Now lets put it at a location.

 Select 'Normal Location' and enter the number of our new object
 which is number six. We are then asked where the object appears
 so enter "3", we are told that our new object appears at
 location 3 which in Grannies Garden is the Lake.

 As I mentioned before, objects can have either normal or special
 locations, the special locations are Carried, Worn and Not
 Created, so lets change the location of the cake which at the
 moment is a Not Created object to a Carried object.

 Select the 'Special Location' option, and when asked for an
 object number, enter "1", with the mouse select the 'Object
  Carried' option and volia, the cake is now a carried object.

 Note you can use the two object location options to change the
 location of your objects at any time.

   Examine Messages

 In most adventure game, the user has the option to examine a
 carried object or part of their location. This would result in
 the computer giving a more detailed description of it.

 This menu is used only for normal examine messages such as..

  The lamp is light and made of copper.

  or

  The tree is an oak and stands about 10f tall.

 Other type of examine messages are Reveal Messages, we shall save
 these and enter them in the 'Messages Menu' later.

 The 'Object Message' and 'Amend Message' options are used the
 same way as the 'Insert a Location' and 'Amend a Location'
 options in the location menu. If you list these messages then
  you will see that the "Cake" object is described as...

   It looks good enough to eat.

 Using 'Amend Message', change this message to....

   The cake is two pieces of sponge with a cream filling.

 So if object number one is a Cake, then Examine Message number
 one must be the description of it. Each message number must be
 the same as the object number.

 If you've been playing 'Grannies Garden' and tried examining
 things, you may have noticed that clicking on Examine from the
 options bar with the right mouse button then clicking on part of
 the picture, the game prints a message giving a more detailed
 examination of it. This is done by Examine Zones, these are set
 up in the same way as Exit Zones, when the zone is entered by the
 mouse and the mouse button pressed the description entered for
 that zone is printed on screen.

 The 'Location Message' option does the job, select it and enter
 the number of a location, load the required location picture and
 set the zone in the normal way.

 After this you will be prompt to enter the examine message for
 the Examine Zone you have just created. If you set a zone on a
 sink in a kitchen location the message could read...

  The sink is full of dirty pots, pans and plates which are
  surrounded by dirty greasy water. You are'nt quite sure but
  you keep thinking something lives there.

 This is just a normal description of a sink, if you wanted
 something to happen when the sink was examined you would use a
 reveal message which could go something like....

  As you look into the sink an horrible green monster jumps out
  and attacks you. You try to fight it off but it is much bigger
  than you. You die screaming in pain.

 The game would then end. To do this example we would have to
 create a false zone which would force the game to carry out this
 routine instead of the normal one. So when we set the zone and
 are asked to enter the Examine Message we just press return
 instead of entering one, this sets up the zone but now the game
 won't print a normal message but our routine will be carried out
 and it will then kill the player and end the game.

   Game Messages

 Game messages are what the game gives you when you command it to
 do something. The message could be used to imform the player of
 his death or when he completes the game, these messages could
 also be used to imform the player of the goings-on in his present
 location or his present condition.

 From the Game Messages menu, select the 'View all Locations'
 option and you can look at all the games messages for Grannies
 Garden. This menu works in the same way as the Location Menu.

 This is also where we can enter the Reveal Examine messages I
 mentioned earlier, the message about the sink with the monster
 can be entered here as these messages only appear when we need
 to call them. We can also put in messages that act as High
 Priorty events. More on these in Chapter 3.

     On the Main Menu, there are three other options to discuss

                              Clear Data

    Does at it says, clears all the previously loaded data from
                memory allowing you to start afresh.

                           Quit to Desktop

 Exits the Creator and returns to the Gem Desktop, remember that
 any game data is lost by choosing this.

   Other Zones

 In adventure games you get the chance to do loads of things that
 can or can't be done in real life. You could speak to another
 character, you could give an object to a character and you can
 use an object on something else, this menu allows you to do
 this. Upon Selecting the 'Other Zones' option you are presented
 with the following four zones.

   Use Zones

 Normally, clicking on use allows you to use an object, this is
 fine if you wanted to switch a torch on in a dark room, but what
 if you wanted to kill a monster with your sword?

 Chapter 3 shows how to put characters in the location picture, so
 what we need to do at this moment is pretend the character is
 already on the picture and set a Use Zone at the point where it
 is. If you go to the Witches Castle in Grannies Garden you will
 see a guard barring the way. But if you load the location picture
 for the castle (pic6.mbk), you will see that the guard is'nt
 there. This guard wants a cake so he stays there until he gets
 it. The game puts him just to the right of the drawbridge every
 time the player enters that location until the player gives the
 guard the cake.

 So, in the game, a Give Zone is used, but we can easily change it
 into a Use zone by creating and setting the zone over the part of
 the picture where the guard appears, so when the player attempts
 to use a sword on the guard he would click on that zone.

 Confused...... It will become clearer to you later on.

   Give Zones

 This are the same as Use Zones except that they are used for
 giving an object to a character. As with Use Zones you can create
 and set a zone where the character is or will be.

   Open-Close Zones

 As the name suggests, these zones are used for opening and
 closing parts of the picture which could be a door, a window or a
 chest of drawers. You just create and set the zone over them.

   Speak Zones

 Speak Zones are used for talking to characters and are used in
 the same way as Use and Give Zones. One is used to enable you to
 speak to the Keeper of the lake in Grannies Garden.

 To set a zone, just select the option you want then create and
 set the zone. We can access them in chapter 3.

 One other thing, if you want a character to remain at one
 location all the time then he can be drawn as part of the
 picture. This was done with the Keeper of the lake.

 Well thats the tour of the creator finished, I suggest you keep
 your first attempt short, for example, a couple of locations and
 mock up location pictures just to get into the swing of it.

 When you've finished creating your data, save it on a seperate
 disk along with your pictures. The saved file can be named to
 anything you wish but it must end with ".SGA" and the file and
 the pictures must be saved to the root directory of the disk,
 that is, not inside any folders.

 On this disk is a program that will test your game data which is
 called "Test.Prg", click on this from Gem and it will load your
 game data along with the location pictures. You can then check if
 your game is working okay up to now also making sure that the
 objects appear at the right locations. If you're unsure of how to
 use this program then read 'Garden.doc'.

 Remember, you must have the same number of pictures as locations.

 Update: Some of the menus such as the location and message menu
 have delete functions. Works like amend only to deletes the message
 numer you choose and puts the others in order.

 In Chapter 3, we shall add the extra routines to finish the game.