Spidweb

Just uploaded patches for the new versions of both Mac and Windows Blades of Avernum. They fix a lot of the problems described in the big document I was sent. Feedback is welcome at spidweb@spiderwebsoftware.com. Also, I corrected the download link for the Windows editor. That stupid mistake reminded me why I shouldn't do anything just before a vacation. - Jeff Vogel Spiderweb Software http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com

I've finally gotten through the whole community suggestions list. There's a lot of good stuff in there, and a lot of things I needed to know. Thank you for all of the work that went into it. I'm about to leave on a vacation. (Don't ask how long it's been since the last one.) When I get back, I will go through the bugs section again and come up with new versions of Windows and Mac BoA. Some of those bugs are new to me and some have been fixed (like the forcecage in town mode problem) but haven't been made public yet. As for a new scenario format, right now my plate is very full. I need to finish the Geneforge 3 and Avernum 4 engines and get them to my two employees, who are in urgent need of stuff to do. I need to keep working with my editor on the book I have coming out this spring. And, of course, vacation. But I will look at the new features, work out who long it would take to code and test them, and see what I can do about them. Thanks again for all of the work. I'll start translating it into reality soon. - Jeff Vogel Spiderweb Software http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com

I just put out a v1.0.3 version of the Windows editor. It fixes the problem of the terrain getting messed up when editing a sign (with the instability that follows). The version number on the web site hasn't been updated (should be today), but the new version is there. For editor hackers, the main change was in the procedure cd_create_dialog in dlogtool.c. Also, I've been reading the suggestions and bugs file, and I'll post about that shortly. - Jeff Vogel Spiderweb Software http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com

Came up with a much more elegant solution. As it is, deduct_ap is not meant to be used except in creature scripts. In new releases, when called in non-creature scripts, it will deduct ap from the active/selected character (who is always the one using abilities). Adding a new call means creating a new scenario format, which means forcing everyone who wants to try custom scenarios to upgrade, which is a pain in the ass and eats up a pile of bandwidth. Not saying it won't happen, but it's a high hurdle to overcome. - Jeff Vogel

One unfortunate oversight in the engine is the inability to directly affect the party's action points. The call deduct_ap only affects the creature whose script is being called. Since PCs don't have scripts, it won't work. (Actually, in the scenario script, it works on PC 0, an undocumented, accidental feature.) This is mainly an issue for custom abilities. To "fix" it, I was going to make custom abilities like spells and deduct 5 APs automatically. Would this more or less work?

Good idea. I just sent instructions along these lines. - Jeff Vogel

I'm going to write Avernum 4, and Renar-Ihrno's blast at the end of Avernum 3 will have split Erika into fifty little Erikas. All of the NPCs will be Erika. And all of the PCs. And they will all be six inches tall. My art budget can be cut to a fraction. Delicious. Fit THAT into your continuity! Bwa hah hah! - Jeff Vogel

Looks very cool. Tinting is not done using system calls, but by bit by bit editing of the graphic data. It's a pain. - Jeff Vogel

I appreciate your effort, but I'd prefer that it was removed. I'd like this forum to stay nice and fast-loading. - Jeff Vogel

I've updated the designers' main application on the scenario workshop page. It's on revision d now. It should work much better with Windows style text file line endings. Let me know if there are any more problems. As always, E-mail me examples (spidweb@spiderwebsoftware.com). - Jeff Vogel

No, this all really was my bad. There was a genuine bug in there. Fix coming soon. It just took a little time to sort the bug from other issues, that's all. And I wanted to get this sorted out before I recommended text editors. - Jeff Vogel

Hokay. I just put in some code that watches for Windows style line endings and adjusts for them appropriately. I'll probably upgrade the debug-version BoA soon. However, this will do nothing for the weird situation where the given line number for the error is over twice the length of the file. I'll look at it, but that's something really odd. - Jeff Vogel

"E-mailed the script, but I neglected to say that I am mainly using Scintilla. I also use EditPad Pro and others - but each of them understands Mac/Windows line endings." Could you resend it? Never got it at my end. "The problem is in the parser." I feel that remains to be seen. That the reported line number is more than twice the length of the script makes me suspect that your text editor is doing something funky. I am not sure that I am going to be able to make BoA work with every text editor using every setting. - Jeff Vogel

"Please don't think I'm being too 'pushy', but is it possible to make these upgrade/fixes in the form of patches, instead of having to download the entire app again?" I have never seen a program to patch a Windows app (all game updates I've ever seen just replace the whole .exe). Once I saw a program to patch Mac apps, but that was a long time ago, and it's a lot easier to patch Mac apps because of the way the programs are put together. So I don't think I can. - Jeff Vogel

Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it. Uploading v101c (Win)/v1.1c (Mac) now. Will link to and should work tomorrow. Sorry about that. - Jeff Vogel

"Have you received any scripts from Windows users that show that problem? If not I will semd you one showing an error, just for example, at line number 476, when in fact the entire script has less than 230 lines." Go ahead and E-mail me that example. And tell me what text editor you're using. - Jeff Vogel

Found the error. Typo in my code. Note to be put on the editor support area: print_big_str_color Has Wrong Name The call print_big_str_color is actually called print_big_str_num. It works exactly like print_big_str_color, as described in the editor documentation. - Jeff Vogel

I'm putting up a long thing on the support page about line numbers. I'll probably expand it soon. Hopefully this will help. If anyone wants to write an article on line numbers (perhaps incorporating my tech support message and some things from this thread), it would be hugely useful. But I really have to stress that this is not an issue of something I can do but won't because it's hard. This is something that really can't be done. The game can only tell you where it finds an error, where it sees that the script has gone off the rails. That this is sometimes in a different line from where the actual typo is is unfortunate, but unavoidable. - Jeff Vogel

Kelandon, I appreciate your confusion in this situation. Lord knows, in my years of programming, I've been annoyed by my share of cryptic or misleading compiler messages. But it really is inevitable. Consider example 2, in your case. You set a dialog string to be something long and strange, and then followed it with an unknown variable name (i.e. "Error"). The program correctly returned the line number where the error occured. A human can look at that and instantly say, "Oh. That's not right. A string shouldn't look like that." But you seem to expect my compiler to have some sort of AI which can interpret that quote as not being what the user intends. That can't happen. Or maybe it can, but its far beyond what any compiler I know of does. Example 3 is weird. Not sure why it's doing that. And BoA's behavior in example 1 is correct. Line 17 is where the error is. That's where you're using the name of a procedure call in a mathematical expression, which is naughty. The code doesn't tell you where you made your mistake, but where the syntax goes bad. Different things. It's not possible to do the first one, only the second. - Jeff Vogel

"Er, if you're waiting for Jeff, you may be waiting for some time." Yep. There are two possibilites for something like this. User error, in which case I don't have time to handhold every user over every thing. Or a bug. And I usually don't suspect a bug until at least two people have identical problems and can E-mail me clear reports explaining the situation here. Which is not really the case here. So GIFTSare2nice, good luck. And if you determine that you made an error, be sure to post what went wrong here so that others may benefit. - Jeff Vogel

Check the docs. There's a keyboard combination you need to use to turn on the keyboard shortcuts. } then, =, I think. - Jeff Vogel

Excellent! I'll sort through the links and come up with some useful info for the site. Thanks! - Jeff Vogel

The fix will be merged into the next Blades upgrade. I just wanted to fire off a quick update to help testers out. I don't care whether players cheat or not. That's why I make an editor. - Jeff Vogel

Can anyone recommend a good freeware text editor for Windows which is compatible with Blades line-numbers-wise? I'll link to it in the workshop. - Jeff Vogel

As I've said in other threads, I can't do much with reports like this. I need the actual files that are causing the error, instructions to reproduce it, and to be told whether it's on Mac or Windows. Send the files to spidweb@spiderwebsoftware.com and I'll see what I can do. Anyone who submits a report, also tell me what text editor you're using. It's possible that it is throwing in bonus, invisible carriage returns in there, which would muck things up. - Jeff Vogel