River and Leaf Port

[Ishad Nha]

Finally, I have actually gotten around to porting a Blades of Exile scenario to the Blades of Avernum world. After much talking about the desirability of this idea, I did an unofficial port of Akhronath’s “River and Leaf”. A beta version is available at:

http://www.freewebs.com/ishadnha/RiverLeafBas.7z

(This is a corrected address.)

It is compressed with the (free) 7Zip program by Igor Pavlov, as found at: http://www.7-zip.org

At some stage I will have to get around to putting a cutscene in the final scene.

 

I have uploaded a version in zip format:

http://www.freewebs.com/ishadnha/BoARiverleafPC.zip

(For reasons that I don't understand this link won't work here, but will work when I edit my site.)

 

River and Leaf struck me as a good idea because it has relatively few custom items. Also it has no real need for custom graphics, personally I am not much good at this matter. Come to think of it I am not much good at dialog. If I ever write my own scenario it will have no real dialog, a first in the Avernum world.

 

(Custom items are a hassle, especially when the scenario author spent hours putting them into a custom order, for reasons connected with the way the BoE shops worked. I then would have to spend hours or days slaving over an Excel spreadsheet trying to figure out appropriate translations.)

 

I found the technical side of the porting process to be very interesting, trying to figure out good translations for the various BoE items, monsters and terrain types. Then I had to make timers work in the Avernum world. This is the way to learn the differences between Exile and Avernum.

[Aran]

I'm not seeing anything on your page.

 

Regardless, 7zip supports tar.gz and zip as well. I suggest you select those when compressing with 7zip, as they are far more prevalent and won't require any additional downloads.

[Ishad Nha]

I am having real fun with Page Editor on my site but I can't get anything to display when I view my own page! I am new to the website experience, there is presumably some basic mistake that I am making.

 

At last the unofficial port of the Exile scenario River and Leaf:

http://www.freewebs.com/ishadnha/RiverLeafBas.7z

 

This will open with the free program 7Zip, as found at: http://www.7-zip.org

 

(Currently there is only a Windows version available.)

[Niemand]

Sorry, still can't get to it.

 

Also, I would comment that in a community where about 50% of members use Mac OS, it's not terribly helpful to create a compressed archive that can only be opened using Windows software. (It appears that there is at least one program for Mac OS out there that can open these things, it's not at all common.)

[Aran]

Quote:

Originally written by Ishad Nha:

This will open with the free program 7Zip, as found at: http://www.7-zip.org

(Currently there is only a Windows version available.)

I have 7zip installed, so do many of the Windows users here. But the point is that 1you don't have to use a format that requires it, because 7zip can also produce a .zip or .tar.gz file (and with a file this small, you're not saving much on compression anyway). At least put up two files so people can pick a format.

Especially since you have no custom graphics, there's no excuse not to provide a file Mac users can open.

Speaking from experience, there is nothing more annoying than having to install new software to decompress. .rar is named after the sound I make when I encounter it.

[Imban]

EDIT: Ignore this post. I repackaged it as a .zip that, uh, was corrupt. :|

[Ephesos]

Yay Imban!

[Aran]

General word of advice: Don't put anything other than ".", "-", "_", letters and numbers in your online file names.

 

If you have the space, best copy these and put them up as well:

 

http://stuff.ermarian.net/ishad-nha/blades/river-and-leaf.zip

http://stuff.ermarian.net/ishad-nha/blades/river-and-leaf.tar.gz

 

 

(.sit would have to wait for someone able to convert your graphics, and willing to buy a proprietary compression utility (or does it come with Macs free?). I know I'm neither.)

[Imban]

TM Sez:

 

This scenario isn't completable because the party needs Ritual of Sanctification, an ability that the party is not given.

[Ishad Nha]

I like 7zip because it compresses better (700Kb v 985Kb). But above all else, it enables the decompression of "rar" files, as used for the new Blades of Exile source code, game and scenario editor.

 

I will have to come up with a zip version this weekend.

 

Mac, I know nothing about them, I have possibly never used one ever. I understand that due to the relative market shares: any Windows program can run on a Mac, whereas the reverse is usually not true.

 

Ritual of Sanctification: this is given to the party by a special encounter, early in the game.

[Niemand]

Quote:

. . . any Windows program can run on a Mac . . .

Not true; not even close. It is more correct to say that no program which runs on Windows runs on a Mac; they must be ported to a greater or lesser degree.

Concerning the scenario itself: I can't wait to try it out; especially since it looks to be sizeable. I would note that it seems there is a savefile included, but being a windows save, a Macintosh save file may need to be created.

[Aran]

Quote:

Originally written by Ishad Nha:
I will have to come up with a zip version this weekend.

See above.

[nikki.]

All this reminds me that I have one or two ports sitting on back-up disks somewhere that just need polishing and beta-testing.

 

And, of course, I'll need to get the permission of the authors. But otherwise, I'll get onto finshing them as soon as.

[Swimmin' Salmon]

This thread reminds me of other language/mistranslation problems that occasionally plague our members.

[Octavo]

Archive Formats

• .zip and tar.gz are supported near totally, and should be preferred for compatibility. The former is more prevalent on DOSsy systems, and the latter on Unixly systems.
• .7z does in fact achieve delightful compression. While its use is not widely supported, it is easily decompressable on any recent Mac, Windows, or Ubuntu, with lovely free packages. In particular I strongly advise anyone sending/receiving compressed files on Mac OS X have The Unarchiver . It's free, decompresses anything I've seen, and can be set to integrate as well as the OSX default.

  The principal problem here might be that there doesn't seem to be a good un-7Zipper for Mac OS 9. Against this I can only counsel as does jg.faust: that you should offer also a zip or a tar.gz for compatibility.

• .sit is deprecated for use on anything newer than Mac OS 9. Stuffit software has become obnoxious since its purchase by Smith Micro, who appear to have turned Stuffit Expander into spamware. Even previously Expander didn't compress; you need the payware Stuffit. Use The Unarchiver instead.
• .rar is an odious proprietary format. Eschew.

Windows Programs on a Mac

 

I understand Ishad Nha to have been referring to the recent trend toward Intel Macs, which can simply run Windows if so configured. While these do exist, they are not the majority of Macs running Spiderweb games. A PowerPC or older Mac cannot run Windows programs without extensive arcane rituals.

[Ishad Nha]

The posts in this topic strongly suggest that you really must release your scenarios in both Mac and Windows formats. What I can’t find is any advice on how you actually go about doing this.

 

We have twenty articles in the Online Articles section; none seem to cover this question. Ditto Jeff gives advice on how to release your scenario but does not cover this question either. Sounds like we need a standing article on what is involved here. What programs to use and so on. I imagine that the scripts are plain text and should be okay in either format, which leaves the bas files and custom graphics. Are the bas files different for each format, if so how do all the authors come up with both formats for their scenarios? I don't think they have two computers (one PC and one Mac) each.

 

Then the thing has to be put into sit/stuffit or zip format.

[Lazarus.]

The .bas and scripts don't need any conversions. However for a scenario to work for Macs you need a cmg instead of just bitmaps.

 

Unfortunately windows users can't create these files, so you have to find some kind soul with a Mac to make one for you with Graphic Adjuster, then repackage the scenario.

[BainIhrno]

This reminds me: I was toying with the idea of porting "Shadow of the Stranger" (my favorite scenario of all time) to BoA. Sure, it isn't mine, but it's open passworded, and with proper work I may just be able to do it...of course, I've never really designed with BoA before, and considering how complicated SotS is... it may be wishful thinking...

 

Well, I'll check out this port sometime. I've never actually finished "River and Leaf" in BoE before (one of the very few.)

[Ishad Nha]

I have the zip version uploaded to my site but I can't make the link, from the first entry of this topic work.

 

As for Shadow of the Stranger, I was able to use Hexplorer to translate all the item, terrain and monster data into Excel spreadsheets. The real problem here is that the items are in a custom order which will take some time to unravel and translate. I have made a few advances in the pivotal translation process, so I am now starting to translate the terrain.

 

Has anyone seen Akhronath? The reason that the port is unofficial is that all my attempts to contact him have been in vain.

[Foxman]

Hi,

I'm under Hatherond in the room with the choice of three levers to arrange in any combination of left or right. I assume that the reference in the book on the pedestal to "Storeroom 5733" means that you are supposed to arrange the levers in positions that will cause the multiplication and addition to result in a total of 5733. I can’t figure out how to make that happen. What is the proper arrangement of the levers?

Thanks

[Celtic Minstrel]

Quote:

Originally written by Ishad Nha:
I imagine that the scripts are plain text and should be okay in either format,

I think they are, but I just thought - Windows and Macintosh use different newlines. Does the game automatically detect the type of newline used and adjust accordingly, or must you make sure to use the correct one?

Quote:

Originally written by Ishad Nha:
which leaves the bas files and custom graphics.

The bas files are platform independent. To convert custom graphics from Mac to Windows or Windows to Mac, you need to use a resource editor (which is time-consuming) or GraphicAdjuster (by Niemand). If you use Windows, you have to get a Mac OSX user to do the conversion for you. (I doubt GA works on OS9).

Quote:

Originally written by Ishad Nha:
Then the thing has to be put into sit/stuffit or zip format.

Unless you use Mac Classic, you should probably compress with zip since this is just a simple right-click (or control-click) and select "Compress". (This is available in Tiger, but I'm not quite sure if it's available in earlier versions.) Mac OS9 comes with DropStuff, which can create sit files. I don't think there's a time limit on its use, but I'm not sure. On Windows I think it may be similarly easy to create a zip file, at least in XP.

Really, porting the graphics is the only issue. I wonder if someone who uses Windows could create a utility that collects the bmp files and creates a zip file which will decompress into a valid cmg? It's probably possible, but I bet it'd also be quite difficult...

[Niemand]

Although Windows and Macintosh text-editor usually use different newline characters, the game is prepared for this, and converts them all to a single type as it reads them.

 

Sadly, GA does not run under classic OS. I am kicking around some ideas for creating a zip file on WIndows that would decompress as a usable cmg file, the trouble is that the I would have to figure out both how to write the data for a resource map manually, without the help of the library functions that normally do it, and I would then have to compress that data into a zip file so that it looks like it was in a resource fork. I'll have to do a lot of research on the respective formats to get this to work, and it's probably easier to write the core of it from the mac side and just get a Windows developer to wrap it nicely, since a Windows user can't get a resource fork to find out how it's assembled or handled.

[Ishad Nha]

Under Hatherond: you need to prime factor 5,733, then you will see how 3,7,13 figure into this number. If the lever faces one way you are dealing with the first power, if it faces the other way you are dealing with its square. It is factoring all the way there is no addition.

[Celtic Minstrel]

Quote:

Originally written by Niemand:
Although Windows and Macintosh text-editor usually use different newline characters, the game is prepared for this, and converts them all to a single type as it reads them.

Ah, I thought it might. It can handle all three newline types? (CR, LF, CRLF)

Quote:

Originally written by Niemand:
Sadly, GA does not run under classic OS.

No surprises here.

Quote:

Originally written by Niemand:
I am kicking around some ideas for creating a zip file on WIndows that would decompress as a usable cmg file, the trouble is that the I would have to figure out both how to write the data for a resource map manually, without the help of the library functions that normally do it, and I would then have to compress that data into a zip file so that it looks like it was in a resource fork.

You would probably also need a firm understanding of the HFS+ file system, wouldn't you?

[The Almighty Doer of Stuff]

Quote:

Originally written by Ishad Nha:
Has anyone seen Akhronath? The reason that the port is unofficial is that all my attempts to contact him have been in vain.

If you have an IM client that's compatible with AIM (I use Pidgin, open-source and available at http://www.pidgin.im ), you can add "Akhronath" to your buddy list and hope you catch him. I saw him on my list recentlyish, so he is still around. Also, Pidgin has a feature called Buddy Pounce, which allows you to tell the program to do any of various things when a given buddy does any of various things (such as signing on).

I'll set up a Buddy Pounce too so I can direct him to this thread if you don't.

Other than that, I don't know how to contact him.

[Ishad Nha]

I have just downloaded Pidgin but the web is not my forte. So contact Akhronath if you can. I thought that he had totally vanished, I can't recall seeing him posting anything recently.