Club Amiga de Montreal - CAM/CAM_CD_1.iso/files/102.lha/FPEdit.Doc

Text File | 1986-11-21 | 22KB | 565 lines

                 The FP Editor Version 2.0

                            by:
                   Brett W. Lathrope, Sr.
                   6330 Lincoln Ave
                   P.O. Box 239
                   Cypress, Ca. 90630

                   Or

                   % Dennis Reed
                   Compuserve # 74436,1303

REVISION 2.0 **** Notes ****

     This version has the Green Garage Problem fixed.  That
I know of, this was the only problem that existed.  In order
to fix it, it was necessary to go out to disk and read in
a map.......for some reason this is the only way I can get
the variable that holds the map to initialize properly.
The added fix increases the startup time about 3 seconds.

In addition, I have added prompts for single drive users to
get the proper disk in the drive at the correct time.  If you
don't get the correct disk in the drive at the correct time,
the system will exit to the Workbench menu and prompt you for
it.  Don't panic, just close the window your in, click the depth
gadget on the Workbench bar, and then click the FP window itself.


              ***** End revision notes *****

     Neither the Author of this application, or the companies
who created, own, or distribute the tools used to create this
application, or MicroIllusions are responsible for any damage
or loss of data, by software or hardware, that is the result
of using this application.  In other words, YOU USE THIS AT
YOUR OWN RISK!!

     We have easily created 60+ maps with this program and
have not harmed our FirePower disk in any way.  But, do
be aware THIS PROGRAM INTENIONALLY OVER-WRITES THE MAPS
SUPPLIED ON THE FIREPOWER DISK YOU PURCHASED!

     I would never suggest that you copy the FirePower disk,
it is copyrighted, and copy-protected, but obviously I
am able to read the maps on that disk, so use your head
and read between the lines!

            *** THIS IS SHARE-WARE SOFTWARE ***

     I am asking for $5.00 if you feel this program is
worth it.  But, PLEASE READ THIS:  If you really don't
have the money, or you really don't feel it is worth
it, then accept this as a gift from me......I have been
short on funds myself, and I wouldn't ask you to pay
for something you don't feel is worth it.  Please....
I don't want anyone going to confession because he/she
thinks they are a software pirate! To be quite honest,
I'm only trying to pay for the compiler I purchased, and
to justify all the time I spent to my wife (yes! I wear
the pants in my family.....she picks 'em out every
morning!!!).

     One other item while I have the SOAP BOX....I am a
Regional Systems Manager, and Programmer Analyst, for a
a well known Hand-Held, Barcode Reading, computer manu-
facturer.  So, you would immediately think I am anti-
software piracy.....to be quite honest I have not taken
sides in the issue either way.  I have some real concerns
and questions about an industry, that for the most part,
asks a customer to lay down a day's pay for a product that
usually cannot be tested before purchase, and will defen-
ately not be refunded if the customer doesn't like the
product, or if the product doesn't live up to the hype
on the container it is sold in (which is usually the case)!

     But, when it comes to FirePower from MicroIllusions,
there is no justification for pirating this software......
MicroIllusions has destroyed any arguement used by pirates,
by supplying a Good game at an exceptionally reasonable
price, and there is no hype on the container except what
the product does!  No, I don't have connections with the
product or the company, but dog-gone-it, this is simply
good software at a good price!  There...I said it, now
let's get to the fun.....

     If you have FirePower and you enjoy this type of
game then you probably already know all the maps.....
Or, would like to try your hand at creating your own
maps....I fell into both categories.

     Some represenatives of MicroIllusions had stated at
a local Amiga Show that they would be coming out with
additional maps......well I waited, and I waited, and
I waited......then I took the bull by the horns, and this
is the result.  Hey guys, if you are coming out with maps
....where are they?

     I wish to thank my friend Dennis Reed for putting
up with my growling when he found bugs during his hours
of play testing.....if it were not for him this project
would have ended up as a quick and dirty tool kept in
my drawer.

     Stop with the Academy Award speeches and get on with
it you say? O.K.....O.K.

     ADVANCED USERS:  The program is a stand alone,
     requiring only the space for it, and enough space
     for two other files that are 4096 bytes each
     (explained later).

     It does require at least a 512k machine, and I would
     not run any background applications due to the event
     trapping going on with the mouse.

     NOVICE USERS:  You'll need a Blank Disk.  Have you
     got it?  Good!  Now make a copy of your Workbench
     Disk......How you say?  Refer to your manual that
     came with you Amiga!!!

     Now....Rename your "copy of Workbench 1.2" to:

                    "FPEditor"

     Please make sure you name it exactly, so that the system
     can find the disk by it's name not by DRIVE! If you don't
     name it correctly, the program won't work! Simple eh?

     Now, open your FPEditor disk (double click it).  Set
     your preferences to what ever you wish, and save the
     settings. Make sure you have the CLI option "ON".
     ....now click your Preferences Icon once, and then select
     DISCARD from the system menus.  Click "OK" in the
     requester box to actually delete it.

     Now click the Utilities drawer Icon once, and discard it.
     Now click the Systems drawer Icon once and discard it.

     Now double click the CLI Icon......when you get the '1>'
     prompt, type the following.....

               'CD FPEditor'
               'CD c'
               'DELETE ED'
               'DELETE EDIT'
               'ENDCLI'

     You should now be looking at the FPEditor window.

     Copy all the files pertaining to this application to
     to the FPEditor disk.

     Now open the FPEditor Disk (if not already open), and
     move all the Icons around the way you want and then
     'SNAPSHOT' it.

     You are ready to Rock n' Roll!  If you have had any
     problems, refer to your manual, and remember this;

     All that we are trying to accomplish is to make a
     Workbench disk named "FPEditor" and make enough
     room for the Program itself, this doc if you want
     it....and enough extra room for two files that are
     4096 bytes each....

                         SINGLE DRIVE SYSTEMS

     My first comment to you is that you should buy a
     second drive....No, not for my program, but for
     your own sanity!

     You can use this system just fine on single drive
     systems, but the responsibility to swap disks is
     one you.......ie.  if you are going to read or
     write a map, make sure the proper disk is in the
     drive before you make the command selection!

     It's not that I don't care about you, but I really
     don't know if anyone will even want this program,
     and most people have two drives....

                     MULTIPLE DRIVE SYSTEMS

     You'll want to boot on the FPEditor Disk, and place
     the FirePower disk in one of the other drives.  All
     disks are referenced by name, not drive number, so
     you need not worry about who, what, when, or where!


                   A Discussion about FIREPOWER

     I'm not going to discuss how to play, or the scenario
of FirePower, but I am going to discuss some of the ins
and outs of designing a map, which requires some discussion
of how the program works and reacts.

     FIRST, you need to understand that the maps are a 64X64
grid map.  Meaning it is 64 blocks wide by 64 blocks long.
It is a wrap around map, in that you could drive you tank
off the map and you come back on the opposit side.

     SECOND, the FirePower disk has three directories, that
are named "MAPP1","MAPP2", and "MAPP3".  The best I can figure
out, MAPP1 is the five maps for the single player mode, MAPP2
is the five maps for the two player mode, and MAPP3 is the
single map for modem play.  Now I'm 90% sure this is correct,
but I've been in the computer business too long to put money
on it. Also, I have not tried changing the Modem map and
playing it.....I don't know if the modem mode is map
dependant....I would be interested in some feed back.

     THIRD, the FirePower program appears to select the
appropriate Directory and randomly select which map it
will use....unless your in modem play in which case there
is only one map to choose.

     If you've been playing FirePower, you have probably
noticed that in the single player mode you tend to get
a particular map alot of the time.  That's because; of the
five maps in the single player directory, three of them
are the same map!  Don't ask me why?

     FORTH, the FirePower program loads the map, and then
proceeds to do a couple of things.  One of them is to
do the mine placement.  In doing this, it scans the map
looking for sectors that are roads (and possibly blank
areas), and randomly places a mine, continually looping
through the map from first cell to last and then starting
over until it has placed all the mines it has.

     Now, what this means for the map designer is that if
you choose not to put any roads in you map, the program
will go into a endless loop looking for roads to place
the mines on.....never finding a road, it will never
terminate the loop.  It will appear to your player that
the program has hung (crashed!).

     FIFTH, the program has to have a GARAGE for each side,
a FIRST AID STATION for each side, and a FLAG HOUSE for each
side.  There are exceptions, but don't take any chances, just
give the system these six buildings (minimum) and let it do
it's job.

     SIXTH, you can give multiple GARAGES, FLAG BUILDINGS,
and FIRST AID STATIONS....but be aware, that if you give
the program multiple occurances of the above buildings, it
appears that the system randomly selects where your 'home'
garage is, and randomly selects which flag building it will
place the flag in.....First aide stations appear to work
exactly alike no matter how many there are.

     Now, this can work to your advantage if used correctly,
in that it randomly puts your player in a differnt location
at times, sometimes requiring the player to get orientated
before proceeding on the mission.

     SEVENTH, each sector is a sprite.  Even when you blow
up a wall or a building, the destroyed image is simply a
sprite (I use sprite as a word for conception, not,
literally, as I have no idea the method used), that
replaces the original.  When I originally wrote this
editor, it gave the user the ability to place exploded
walls and building on the map before the game had started.
This option was not useful, it required precious space in
my source code and on the user screen and it removed
something from the game.

     After all, most of us use the exploded buildings and
walls to keep track of where we've been, and should the
map designer start throwing in random junk it makes it hard
(if not impossible) to follow the trail we've already
'blazed'.

     But.....getting back to the sprite issue....beside
the items already identified as sprites, so are the little
men, the blood spots, the shells as they fly through the
air and the Helicopters.

     So what?  Well, if you design a map that is too dense
(no I don't mean stupid!!, in other words too many items
on the screen at one time......)the program will "bog"
down to an annoying point.

     There are a couple of places in the current FirePower
maps that this occures.....No, it wasn't your computer going
to 'South Hackensack'!  Its just so much going on at one
time, that the system can't handle it.  Keep this in mind
when you decide to build a wall of field guns, it will make
your map un-enjoyable.

                   *** THE FPEDITOR PROGRAM ***

     The program is written in Basic.  Why, because I do not
subscribe to the idea that Basic is a NOVICE or "below me"
language.  I am competent in 'C', PASCAL, COBOL, and four
other proprietary system languages, and I like basic!

     I use computers for work, so, when I get home I don't
want to have to aggrevate myself with the poor 'C' compilers
that are on the market for the Amiga. Borland are you
listening?  Lattice.....get the hint guys?

     I used Absoft's A/C Basic to compile the AmigaBasic
source code.  Originally I intended to release this as
an AmigaBasic source listing, but it was far too slow
in displaying the sections (Now all the 'C' guys are
in the corner saying: 'Tee hee hee').

     This, is the reason I made this share-ware,
and the fact that I only intended on spending about three
hours for a quick and dirty (That's why basic guys!), and
my pal Dennis (I use the term 'pal' loosely) talked me into
cleaning it up for release, and promised me millions of
dollars in share-ware contributions.  I now have about
three weeks of evenings spent and my wife has been getting
mail from a lawyer lately.

     The program itself is very simply to use.  Simply
boot it up and slip your keyboard under your Amiga (if
you have a 1000, tee hee hee), everything from here on
out is mouse driven.

     The first thing you will see is the screen that blows
my horn for me, and the Absoft license agreement statement.
By the way, I highly recommend the A/C Basic compiler....it
is a fine product that can be used by the total Novice, and
has features that will more than satisfy the Advanced user.

     After the title page, the screen will clear, and groups
of graphic symbols will be drawn around the screen.

     Let's look at this screen......this is where you will
work from during your entire session.

     By the way, don't 'wig out' because I change your colors,
they will be set back to the original Preferences settings when
we leave the program.  Besides, one of the advantages of being
the programmer is being able to choose the colors you like.

     If you click and hold down the right mouse button, you
will see the menus at the top of the screen.  The first
menu is "Quit".

     If you go to that menu, you will see the option,
"LEAVE FP EDITOR".  If you select it, that is exactly what
will happen, you will return to the Workbench screen or
the CLI (oh...I forgot, you can run this from CLI).  If
you select this option before saving an edited map, you
work becomes history! IT WILL NOT ASK YOU IF YOU WANT TO
SAVE YOUR WORK BEFORE LEAVING!  I hate requestors, and
its my program!!

     The second menu is the READ menu.  Let's look at it.
I believe the first few options are self expalnatory. But
look at the three CREATE options.  The first creates a
totally blank map.  The second creates a map that contains
only trees.  And the third creates a map that contains
a mixture of open (blank) spaces and Trees.

     The CREATE options are used when you wish to create
a map from scratch.  There will be no buildings, walls,
or guns!

     The next option in the READ menu is the IN PROCESS
selection.  This is a "SAVE MAP" option.  Once you start
to create your maps, you find that it takes a bit of time
to do it right.  But, you may want to play FIREPOWER
between when you start and finish a map.  This option
allows that by saving the current map (the one you have
currently loaded at the time) to the FPEditor disk as
'FP.sav'.

     The last option is FOUNDATION.  I added this little
options for the following:  I wanted to create five maps
for the single player mode that were similar but not
exactly alike (add a twist of confusion).

     Create a General foundation of what you want your
map to be like, and then make subtle changes, and save
them to the FIREPOWER disk in what ever order you wish.

     NOTE:  I have not supplied an IN PROCESS file or a
FOUNDATION file, so if you try to load one of them before
you have saved a map to those files (see below on how to
write a map), you will get a UNKNOWN FILE error and the
program will exit.

     The next menu is the WRITE menu.  This is where you
save your map.  I believe all the options are self explan-
itory with the following exceptions.  When you write the
IN PROCESS or the FOUNDATION, your file (map) will go to
the FPEditor disk (the one you are using for Workbench).

    All other WRITE selections will be written to the
FirePower Disk.  MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE PROPER DISK
AVAILIBLE IF YOU ARE USING A ONE DRIVE SYSTEM....If you
have a two drive system just make sure you have the
FirePower disk in one of the external drives.

    The next menu is the DISPLAY menu.  READ THIS!
I default to section 1.  Section 1 is the first twenty-
two lines of the map (22 X 64).

    Section 2 is lines 22 through 44, and Section 3 is
lines 42 through 64.

    As you might be able to tell, this system allows
at least a one line overlap.  It does not allow for
an over lap between the first line of Section 1 and
the last line of Section 3.  If you don't understand
what I am saying don't worry about it, you'll be
cussing me soon enough!!

    If the share-ware response is there, I will add
this option.  I am not saying this as a come on, I
will do it.....but I didn't need it the way I create
my maps, and to add this will take a considerable
amount of time (about three or four days of solid
coding, because it will require that I completely
restructure my display routines). And it will
probably increase the program size by about 3k.

    By selecting Section X, you will cause the program
to display that portion of the map.

    The GRID ON and GRID OFF options will draw or
remove a grid that can be used for placement.

    The REDRAW option is there for what should never
happen.  If you select this option, It will completely
clear the screen, and redraw it.

     The AUTODISPLAY if selected will cause the
program to automatically draw the designated Section
after a map has been read or created.

     The last menu, MAP REPORT, will count each sector
of your map and give you a report back on how many
Road, Buildings, Guns.....etc you have used.  It will
also show you percentages where appropriate to help
keep your map balanced.

                 ***  The Pieces ***

     The graphic symbols along the bottom and the
right side are the pieces you use to edit and
create your maps.

     Simply point to the piece you want, click the
left mouse button, and you will have selected that
piece.  For verification and reference, I draw a
CURRENT SELECTION representation of what you have
selected at the bottom/center of the screen.

     Once you have selected the piece you want,
simply point to the cell in the map that you
want it to be placed at.  That's all there is
to it!

                 *** The WAIT/GO Bar ***

     There will be several times (such as drawing
a blank Section) that you will not be able to see
what the program is doing, or you won't be close
enough to the screen to see if it is done.

     I have solved this problem by putting a YELLOW
bar across the bottom of the screen when the system
is busy, and putting a GREEN bar there when it is
ready for your input.

     This WAIT/GO Bar is not there when the program
first comes up!

                   *** INCIDENTALS ***

     You may wish to print this off, or make notes to
reference while you are creating your map.

     The map represented in the display, is not the
same orientation as the map you will play!  I'm am
not going to go into the technicallities (is that how
you spell it?) of why this is, just understand that
the map you create will be rotated to the left once,
and flip completely over.

     If you drew a map on a piece of paper, turned it
on its side (counter clock wise) and the looked at it
against a light from the back, that is what is
your map would look like when you play it.  I have no
intention of ever writing the code to display it as
it is played. Now, if someone has a couple of thousand
dollars laying around.......uh...oh well.

     Under the current situation, I can create a map
and play it with no advantage over my friends.  I can
create maps and have hours of fun trying to figure
out where I am, and how it turned out.  If you don't
like this, I am truly sorry, but not sorry enough to
change it.

     If you look at the pieces along the right side,
you will see what looks like a "GREY FOUR WAY INTER-
SECTION".  This is what I call the 'Brown Indestructable
Bunker'.  This will put a Brown four-way wall (with no
gun) on your map.  It cannot be destroyed, and that I
can, see serves absolutely no purpose.  I was not going
to put in at first but then I figured someone out there
may want it or may want to play a joke on someone.....so,
there it is boys and girls!

     You will see three trees availible, a large, medium,
and small one.  At first you may have trouble
distinguishing them apart but with time you catch on.
I only had a 9x7 pixels area to draw the symbols in,
ideas were getting short.

     When you place a Garage it is nice if you place
a road to the right of it.  No road actually conntects
to the garage, but the entrance/exit is to the right
when you are looking at it on the screen.

     The first aid station need a connecting road from
the bottom (as oriented on your screen).

     The flag houses need connecting roads from the
top of the screen.

     The Helicopter pad needs connecting roads from
the right.

     The gates can only have connecting roads from the
top and bottom.

     If you wish to create a map then play it. Here
is what I suggest.  Create the map you wish to play.
Select the Write  for Player 1/Map 1, then Player2/
Map2 and so on until you have saved it to all five
maps.  Then boot up FirePower and select the one player
mode.  You will get to play your map.

     By the way, I have a BARD's TALE character editor
that works much the same way as this program, but it
would have to be cleaned up.....I would be interested
if any one else could use it.  It doesn't use a mouse,
and it doesn't edit the pictures.

     I hope you have fun, and I am interested in your
comments!