Compiled HTML Help DromEd Manual (draft) released!

Nameless_Voice on 16/6/2004 at 23:33

I've just finished the first draft of a Compiled HTML Help DromEd Manual.
You can have a look at it (http://www.geocities.com/nameless_voice/Downloads/Misc/DromEdManual.zip) here.(Remember that Geocities doesn't like external linking, so you might need to go though the Tower's downloads section...)
At the moment, all it has is the tutorials and reference sections from (http://www.geocities.com/nameless_voice/) The Nameless Tower, and there's still a lot to do:

<ul>
<li>Add the official LGS DromEd tutorial and official LGS documentation, complete with colour-coded cross-referencing.</li>
<li>Add Telliamed's Convict/Gen descriptions, if he will give permission (email address seems to be dead)</li>
<li>Add the descriptions for VK and Telliamed's custom scripts</li>
<li>Add any other useful tutorials written by whomsoever gives theirpermission.</li>
<li>Try to figure out what all the undescribed links are for.</li>
</ul>

Hopefully some of you can help me with those last two items!
(Also, I can't think of any way to have the colour-coded cross-references visible on a white background without changing their colours, which I don't want to do, so I won't be changing the colour scheme. Sorry.)

The undescribed links are:

AIDoor
AIFleeTo
AIInvest
AINoFlee
AIPtDibs
AIRetreatPtDibs
AISuspiciousLink
AITarget
AIVantagePtDibs
arSrc
arSrcDesc
CurWeapon
FlowContact
MetaProp
NowPicking
Projectile
ReactParam
Receptron
Route
ScriptContact
StimSensor
Transmute
VoiceOver
WeaponOffset
WHBlock
WHInflated

The underscribe properties were listed about a year ago in (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=822485) this thread, but I'll list them again here. They are:

There are 329 properties in DromEd 2 v1.18.

Total properties: 329 (100%)
Described: 185 (56%)
Undescribed: 144 (44%)

AI->Ability Settings->Combat: Timing
AI->Ability Settings->Device: Parametres
AI->Ability Settings->Flee: If Aware of AI/Player
AI->Ability Settings->Frog Beast: Explode Range
AI->Ability Settings->HtoH Combat: Audio Response
AI->Ability Settings->HtoH Combat: Distances
AI->Ability Settings->HtoH Combat: Grunt Always
AI->Ability Settings->HtoH Combat: Motion Responses
AI->Ability Settings->Inform->Expiration
AI->Ability Settings->Inform->Max. Passes
AI->Ability Settings->Inform->Min. Dist To Informed
AI->Ability Settings->Non-Combat, Dmg Response Params
AI->Ability Settings->RangedCombat: Audio Response
AI->Ability Settings->RangedCombat: Grunt Always
AI->Ability Settings->Turret: Parameteres
AI->AI Core->Alertness Sense Multipliers
AI->AI Core->Awareness Capacitor
AI->AI Core->Free Sense Knowledge
AI->AI Core->Handed-off proxy
AI->AI Core->Projectile: Visible Launch
AI->AI Core->Sees Projectiles
AI->AI Core->Sound Tags
AI->AI Core->Vision Joint
AI->AI Core->Vision Type
AI->Attributes->Aptitude
AI->Attributes->Sloth
AI->Attributes->Verbosity
AI->Debug->HToHOverride
AI->Ranged Combat->Ranged Combat Applicabilities
AI->Ranged Combat->Ranged Combat Flee
AI->Ranged Combat->Ranged Combat Ranges
AI->Ranged Combat->Ranged Combat Shoot
AI->Ranged Combat->Ranged Combat Wound Motion
AI->Ranged Combat->Ranged Combat Wound Sound
AI->State->Frozen
AI->Utility->Angle Limits
AI->Utility->Immediate Inform
AI->Utility->Inform From Last Seen
AI->Utility->Is Frustrated
AI->Utility->Is Knockout
AI->Utility->Marker: Cover Point
AI->Utility->Marker: Vantage Point
AI->Utility->Path Exact Obb
AI->Utility->Path Water
AI->Utility->Pathable Object
AI->Utility->Small Creature
AI->Utility->Track Medium
C->CSArrow
C->CSProjectile
C->CSProperty
Dark GameSys-> AdvPickSoundCfg
Dark GameSys-> AdvPickStateCfg
Dark GameSys-> AdvPickTransCfg
Difficulty->Permit
Difficulty->Script
Difficulty->Turn On (Off)
Editor->Has Brush
Engine Features->From Briefcase?
Engine Features->Preload
Game->Bash Factor
Game->Bash Params
Game->Damage Model->Culpable
Game->Damage Model->Death Stage
Game->Damage Model->Weapon Damage
Game->Damage Model->Weapon Type
Game->Dark->BloodMaxDamage
Gun->Projectile State
Inventory->Cycle Order
Motions->Gait Desc
Motions->Motor Controller
Motions->Phys Limits
Motions->Player Limb Offsets
Motions->Sword Action Type
Object System->Fixture
Object System->Transient
P->Puppet
Physics->Projectile->Launcher Mass
Physics->Terrain->Elasticity
Prox->Blood
Prox->Fungus
Renderer->Bitmap Animation
Renderer->Bitmap Worldspace
Renderer->Bump Map
Renderer->Face State
Renderer->Face Textures
Renderer->Invisible
Renderer->Runtime Object Shadow
Renderer->SpotlightAndAmbient
Renderer->Water Flow Colour Index
Renderer->Water Flow Colour
Renderer->Z-Bias
Room->Acoustics
Room->Ambient
Room->Loud Room
Schema->Action
Schema->Attenuation Factor
Schema->Last Sample
Schema->Loop Params
Schema->Message
Schema->Play Params
Schema->Priority
Script->TerrReplaceDestroy
SFX->FrameAnimationConfig
SFX->FrameAnimationState
SFX->Particle Type
SFX->Particles
SFX->Spark
Sound->Face Motions
Sound->Projectile Sounds
Speech->Last Played
Speech->Pause Max
Speech->Pause Max
Weapon->BaseDamage
Weapon->Mode Change Metaproperty
Weapon->Mode Change-back Metaproperty

mopgoblin on 17/6/2004 at 01:34

Plain HTML documents would be a lot better than HTML help, especially as there seems to be no search or index in this one. HTML can actually be loaded in a browser (allowing the use of a half-decent interface), and can use CSS which the user can get at (so the user can change the colours easily - some of the text's a real bastard to read. You can convert the HTML tags you used for colour to use CSS easily enough with a good search/replace function, by the way).

There's not enough information per page in the reference section, either - seldom more than a few lines. You need to stick more information on one page (putting all the properties in a category on the same page, with hyperlinks on child categories, and one to the parent category), and make use of those anchor-things.

I've noticed a few errors, too - "The receptron 'Add%20MetaProperty' does not exist!" (and the equivalent for many of the other receptron effects). Receptron effects are simply listed as "Receptrons", which is incorrect. There's a receptron effect "FindReceptron.htm#Change Object Model".

One of the properties you don't have yet: SFX->Particle Type. Behaves in a similar manner to a Corpse link, but takes an archetype name as an argument (I haven't tested it with object names or object/archetype numbers), appears to work fine with non-particle "corpses", does not conflict with Corpse or Flinderize links. Used on water arrows by default. Probably very useful when combined with Set Property and Remove Property receptron effects.

Nameless_Voice on 19/6/2004 at 19:55

Quote Posted by mopgoblin

Well, you have to bear in mind that all of the information in this 'compiled' manual is availiable at (http://www.geocities.com/nameless_voice/) The Nameless Tower, even if the style is perhaps not the easiest to read.
As I said, its only a draft, so the index is not there yet, and I haven't even looked into how to make a search section either.

I would have made everything Black-On-White if only the other colours were readable on a white background, but they're not, and I'm uneager to change them from those used at The Tower.
Almost all the colours are CSS styles, with the exception of one or two minor ones.

Quote Posted by mopgoblin

I've noticed a few errors, too - "The receptron 'Add%20MetaProperty' does not exist!"

Ah. Internet Explorer, Opera, and Netscape all work fine with those same hyperlinks, but the html help browser does not seem to like them.
I'll have to look into a solution.

Quote Posted by mopgoblin

One of the properties you don't have yet: SFX->Particle Type.

Interesting. I might actually have a use for this myself...

Thank for the feedback,

- NV

Sluggs on 19/6/2004 at 20:28

Great stuff NV. I can see this becoming used often and have regular updates. :thumb:

mopgoblin on 20/6/2004 at 00:40

Quote Posted by Nameless_Voice

Almost all the colours are CSS styles, with the exception of one or two minor ones.

I meant that if it was just HTML documents and a stylesheet, it's easy for the user to open up the stylesheet and change a few lines to get a different colour scheme. If you've got a series of things like <pre>.filename {
color: #9900FF;
}</pre>and maybe a couple of lines of comments at the top explaining the hex/rgb thing, then anyone can change the colours if they find anything difficult to read (the blue, and to a lesser extent the purple would be the most likely ones).

Consider also that an offline "real" HTML version would combine the interface of the user's chosen browser (things like Opera's special moves are extremely useful for information with this sort of structure, especially once you're used to using them) with the guaranteed availability of having the files on the machine they're using (if you're on dialup, then you can't necessarily check a website every time you want to look something up).

Nameless_Voice on 20/6/2004 at 19:54

Quote Posted by mopgoblin

Consider also that an offline "real" HTML version would combine the interface of the user's chosen browser (things like Opera's special moves are extremely useful for information with this sort of structure, especially once you're used to using them) with the guaranteed availability of having the files on the machine they're using (if you're on dialup, then you can't necessarily check a website every time you want to look something up).

I understand that, but I might point out that the reason I decided to make a HTML Help version is because someone suggested it in the thread above.

I'm considering have a 'choose your colour-scheme' page at the front - the HTML Help viewer should be able to handle the appropriate scripting. Hmm..

- NV

Nameless_Voice on 21/6/2004 at 23:22

I've fixed some of the issues, added a basic Index, and updated the file.
Also added a full text search feature, but it does not work very well.

It doesn't seem to be possible to store cookies in HTML Help, so even if I do allow the user to change the colour scheme, they'll have to do it every time they open the .chm. Not really much point, then...

- NV

LJT on 22/6/2004 at 10:31

This is vere useful. :thumb:

One thing: I looked it at your site. Could you add a * (or something similar) before those things which dont have description? If it is not too much work.

Great work. How long did you make that?

Nameless_Voice on 23/6/2004 at 19:35

Quote Posted by LJT

This is vere useful. :thumb:
Great work. How long did it take you to make that?

Hmm, I started describing these properties when I was first building The Nameless Tower... would have been around mid 2001.

- NV

ataricom on 23/6/2004 at 22:33

Are you going to include mission-specific scripts eventually?