Scenario Scripting idea?

[F Smith]

Would it work to use XML for scenario files? Below, substitute "<" and ">" in place of the "(" and ")". If I use the actual arrows, the browser recognizes them as tags and doesn't show them!:

(Player)Athenians(/Player)
(Govt)
(Type)Dictatorship(/Type)
(Leader)Military Strongman(/Leader)
(Taxation)Heavy(/Taxation)
(/Govt)
(Army)
(Unit)Spearman
(Men)1000(/Men)
(Training)34%(/Training)
(Exp)20(/Exp)
(/Unit)
(Unit)Longbowmen
(Men)1000(/Men)
(Training)34%(/Training)
(Exp)20(/Exp)
(/Unit)
(/Army)
(/Player)

We define what the format of the tags in our game, of course, and then anyone can use any text editor to easily tweak a campaign file if they want. We can also easily build a GUI editor. The idea is to allow gamers to
define all the properties of a game object in the modeling language, without any actual coding, if they want.

Or is this too complicated? Should we just use a GUI editor, like StarCraft and AoE, and never give users direct access to the file itself?

[This message has been edited by F Smith (edited June 20, 1999).]

[mca]

I'm all for human readable (and editable) tekst files, GUI editor or not. If nothing else, it might be handy during development.

Also, XML is 100% buzzword compliant :-)

Martin

[F Smith]

Whoa -- the tags didn't show. The browser mustuve recognized them as tags.

I'll edit, and try again.

[Blade Runner]

F_Smith,

I'll write a macro language for us and for the power users, scenario makers. I hope this will be ready sometime in August. I think about some kind of pascal like language (easy to use, but enough powerful). We need to produce a dinamic system because the scenario makers are upset to reinvent the wheel all the time when they would like to write something special for a scenario. The minimum level is the SLIC (the macro language of the CTP), but I think we can produce something more powerful and easier to use macro system.

Blade Runner

[Dominique]

Hmmm... XML? It's more a markup than a programming language, ain't it?

SLIC is definitely NOT the way to goy - it's not comprehensive enough, and many objects / methods are missing. Furthermore, you will drive any ambitioned programmer crazy by not including arrays and real string variables.

I know it's a lot to ask for, but would it be possible to implement a machine like JavaScript?

Anyway, for a REALLY good scripting language, the following should be included:

- no hardcoded values; editable objects instead
- comprehensive data manipulation methods (min/max, string, array, lists (like in Perl)...)

Maybe the most important thing, however, is IMHO to NOT distribute all the necessary data among dozens of files (as in Civ:CtP). I know there have to be several files, but at least some kind of interface should connect them. It is outright SCARY to edit 6 files at once with interdependent data just to fix some little effect...

[Druid2]

I agree with Dom's last point 200%.

We should write an interface to the scenario files, not require the player to edit them with a text editor, and let him hope he didnt forget a ; or make a speeling error.

[Paul Crocker]

I'm not sure if this is the best thread for this suggestion, or if we should start a new thread for it (Mark?)

The recent comments regarding place names, cultures, etc has me thinking about player modifications of the game once released. When designing the models, we may want to ensure that players can manipulate some of the details fairly easily. For example, if someone wants to add more tiles to represent certain cultures, there should (and proably will) be a set format to do so - then the player simply has to draw his tiles and plug them in. Same goes for place names, etc. Consider it part of the "Lifecycle Support" in the design - the greater control the player has over modifications (within limits), the greater staying power Clash will have. This has been said in the past, but I'd like to reiterate it for the recent newcomers, since it hasn't been touched on much lately.

[Mark_Everson]

Paul:

Agree completely. We have worked on this extensively in the past. See Blade Runner's "Macro Language" area on the web page for much more current info. (including Scenario/Mods, changing the name to be more descriptive is, I think in order) The stuff on the web page isn't the most general, look in the few more recent threads. We picture three levels of support for scenarios, from quick and intuitive, down to getting your hands dirty with either a macro language, or Java itself.