3D Construction Kit - Manual
INTRODUCTION TO THE EDITOR
The 3D Construction Kit is designed to be user friendly with icons
and pull down menus enabling the user to quickly understand the
working environment.
Upon loading the program you will see the Main Screen which is
divided up into the following areas:
MENU SELECTOR: This is the top text line which contains the headings
for the various menus. To access one of the menus simply move the
mouse pointer over the desired heading and the relevant menu will open
below the heading. Moving the mouse pointer over the options within
the menu will highlight them and then pressing the mouse button will
select the option currently highlighted. Moving the pointer out of
the boundary of the menu will cause it to retract.
Below the menu selector you will see the main VIEW window. This area
is always used to display the current FREESCAPE view as seen from
whichever camera is currently selected.
Below the VIEW window is the INFORMATION BAR. This initially reads
AREA 001 POS: 4000,0300,4000 ROT: 000,000,000. This shows the current
area, your present view point coordinates (shown as X,Y,Z), and the
angle of view (yaw, pitch and roll). When in edit mode this line will
change to read the objects name you are editing, its position in the
environment and its size. The information will be especially useful
when animation or other more advanced uses of the system are required.
Below the Information Bar you will see a series of Icons. These are
the MODE and FREESCAPE icons. The MODE icons are on the left of the
screen. EXCL (Exclude) is useful when editing objects. Clicking on
this icon will EXCLude all background information and leave the
currently selected object to be edited. Just to the right of this you
will see HIGHL (Highlight) which when activated will HIGHLight the
selected object for ease of identification during work. Just to the
right of these you will see a set of small icons in the form of
arrows. These icons are very useful. When an object is selected, eg.
for editing, if these arrows are activated they will lock onto the
current object from the front, rear, either side, or top and bottom.
Alongside these you will see two further icons which are MODE and
STEP. Mode toggles between WALK, FLY1, FLY2, CAM1 through CAM5 and
LOCK, and STEP which is initially set by the PREFERENCES menu which is
found under GENERAL on the Menu Bar. FINE is used for fine work when
only a small movement is required in editing or movement.
The different modes selected by the MODE icon affect your movement as
follows:
WALK allows you to move along the ground, with the restriction of
gravity - you can climb onto objects and fall off them. Your height
above the floor is restricted to between 64 and 280 units,
corresponding to a crouched and standing position.
FLY1 removes restrictions on gravity. You can now fly with complete
freedom in three dimensions. Forward motion is restricted to a
horizontal plane, so that you can fly forward and look down at the
same time.
FLY2 is very similar to FLY1, except that you now fly in exactly the
direction you are looking.
CAM1 through CAM5 control five "cameras" which can be placed
anywhere. Control is similar to FLY1, except that the cameras are
allowed inside objects and outside the area. When you change to
another view the cameras position is saved, so that on returning to
that camera the view position is retained.
WALK, FLY1 and FLY2 have collision detection built in; they will not
travel through solid objects. These modes are the only three possible
within a runnable program or the test screen. To the right of the MODE
icons you will find the FREESCAPE icons. The first of these are a set
of directional arrows which are used for YOUR movement within the
environment. Using these arrows you can move left, right, forwards,
backwards, rotate left, rotate right, make a complete U-turn, move
yourself up or down and toggle the cross-hair cursor on and off. To
the right of these you will see the rest of the Freescape Icons which
control your view movement. These allow you to look up, look down,
roll and clicking on the centre "eye" icon will return your view to
the centre view once more. Note that the EDIT and FREESCAPE icons
remain on the screen and can be used at most times during editing.
Below the MODE and FREESCAPE icons you will see the SHORTCUT icons.
These icons are marked SELECT, COPY, CREATE, EDIT, TEST, RESET,
CONDITION, DELETE, ATTRIBUTES and COLOUR. These are short cut icons
which duplicate the most commonly used functions which are also
available from the Menus as follows (from left to right):
SHORTCUT ICON IN MENU
SELECT OBJECT
COPY OBJECT
CREATE OBJECT
EDIT OBJECT
TEST GENERAL
RESET GENERAL
CONDITION OBJECT
DELETE OBJECT
ATTR OBJECT
COLOUR OBJECT
GETTING TO KNOW THE MOVEMENT AND VIEWPOINT CONTROLS
First load in a data file from the disk. Move the mouse pointer to
the MENU SELECTOR and move it to the left until the FILE menu appears.
Move the pointer down until LOAD DATA FILE is highlighted and click
the left mouse button. A dialogue box will appear showing all the
available files and directories on the disk. Move the mouse pointer to
the file named KIT GAME and click the left mouse button. The name will
appear next to the heading FILE. Next, click on the OK button and the
data file will load, and after a few moments will appear in the VIEW
window.
Now using the FREESCAPE icons experiment with moving around the new
environment. Move in all the direction you can until you become
completely familiar with how to "move yourself" around within the
FREESCAPE landscape. Press the left mouse button within the VIEW
window to see how some objects may be SHOT. Pressing the right mouse
button within the VIEW window to ACTIVATE an object. Activating an
object in the VIEW window will appear to have no effect unless
conditions have been entered which are triggered by the ACTIVATED?
condition. Try this on the door to the building. (note that activating
objects can only be done within a finite range).
THE 3D KIT GAME
This has been included as an example to illustrate some of the
environments that are possible. This is supplied as a data file and
can be played as a stand alone game. First load KGBORDER, from the
BORDER function in the FILE menu, then click on the TEST SHORTCUT icon
to play the game from within the kit. To make a "stand alone" game or
environment use the MAKE function in the FILE menu.
The object of the game is to escape from the mysterious world in
which you find yourself, and return to Earth. Some sort of space
vehicle will come in handy (large clue). F1 will return you to the
editor.
Advanced use has been made of animations and conditions, and these
can be examined and edited using the relevant functions.
See if you can complete the game without cheating!
CREATING AND EDITING YOUR FIRST OBJECT
First the existing data file must be cleared from the VIEW window. To
do this, move the mouse pointer up to the MENU SELECTOR and move along
to the FILE menu. Move the pointer down until the CLEAR ALL is
highlighted and press the mouse button. An ALERT BOX will appear
warning that all current data will be lost if the operation continues.
Click on OK and after a few moments the VIEW window will clear
revealing an empty area.
Now move the mouse pointer to the SHORTCUT icons and click on CREATE.
These icons will now be replaced with a further set of icons each
showing a particular type of object for you to select. Move the mouse
pointer to the CUBE icon and click the mouse button. A grey cube will
now appear in the VIEW window. Note that the SHORTCUT icons reappear
once the cube has been created.
Next select the COLOUR icon and you will see that a list of objects
appears on the lower half of the screen. At present it should show:
001 CUBOID 001
002 CUBOID 002
Click on the cuboid 002 to select this object. Move the mouse pointer
to the small "tick" at the top left of the selector and click on this.
An alternate method would be to click directly on the cube in the VIEW
window. The screen should now change to show the colour panel.
To the left of the colour bar you will see six small squares which
represent the six sides of the cube and show their current colours,
opposite sides of the cube are linked by square brackets. At the
moment there should be two white, two medium grey, and two dark grey.
These may vary depending on the computer.
Colouring the cube can be done in two ways: using these squares to
colour all sides of the cube in one easy movement, or using the image
of the cube on the screen. To colour the cube the easy way, move the
mouse pointer over any colour you wish to use and select that colour
by clicking the left mouse button. Note that the colour you have
selected will appear in the small window above the UNDO and OKAY icons
to the right of the colour bar. Now move the mouse pointer over one of
the squares on the left of the colour bar and click the right mouse
button to transfer the chosen colour. The left mouse button acts as a
"get colour" and the right mouse button as a "put colour". Repeat this
process until all six of the squares are coloured to your choice. You
will also note that at the same time the cube in the VIEW window is
also being coloured. Selecting UNDO will undo the last colour changes.
Also note that pointing at an area of the VIEW window and clicking the
left mouse button will select this colour.
The Amiga version allows colouring of the cube directly on the VIEW
window. Just move the mouse pointer to the colour you require on the
colour bar and press the left mouse button, check that the box on the
right has changed to the chosen colour (also note that the chosen
colour will be highlighted on the colour bar). Now move the mouse
pointer to the face of the cube and click the right mouse button to
transfer the chosen colour to the face of the cube.
For obvious reasons the first method of colouring the object is
preferable as all sides maybe coloured at once. The second method
would involve either turning the cube, walking to the other side of
the cube to view the hidden side, or using the View Lock arrows.
The horizon colours can only be altered in the colour areas above and
below the S and G letters.
Now we will edit the cube. Move the pointer to the OKAY icon to the
right of the colour bar and press the mouse button. The SHORTCUT icons
will now reappear. Move the mouse pointer to the EDIT icon and press
the mouse button to select it. Now either select CUBOID 2 from the
objects selector list or click on the cube in the VIEW window.
The EDIT window shows five different groups of icons, POINT, TURN,
SHRINK, STRETCH and MOVE. Depending on which type of object you are
editing, only the editing groups available for your selected object
are shown. As we are editing a CUBE the POINT icons are dimmed to show
they are not available.
Note that when an object is first created it is positioned above the
"ground" so we will remedy this now. Move the mouse pointer to the
MOVE icons and position the pointer over the icon shown as an arrow
pointing down with a small line above it and press the mouse button.
The cube in the VIEW window will now begin to move downwards. Keep
pressing this icon and watch the INFORMATION BAR to see how the
position coordinates change. The bottom of the cube may disappear from
view as the cube is moved downwards. When you have moved the cube down
as far as it will go move the mouse pointer to the FREESCAPE icons and
select the arrow pointing downwards. Press the left mouse button to
"move" yourself backwards from the cube until all areas of the cube
are visible.
Now move the mouse pointer to the STRETCH icons and click the left
mouse button over the icon represented by an arrow pointing to the
right. The cube will now stretch towards the right. SHRINK has the
opposite effect to STRETCH.
Experiment a little with these icons until you are completely
familiar with stretching, shrinking, and turning/flipping the cube.
Then try to bring the cube back to its original size (200,200,200).
When you have done this, move the mouse pointer to the OKAY icon and
the SHORTCUT icons will reappear. Now move the mouse pointer to the
COPY icon. The item selector will appear in the usual way.
Select the cube by clicking on this in the VIEW window. A DIALOGUE
BOX will appear requesting that you select where you wish to copy the
object to. Click on LEFT and click on OK. You will now see that the
cube has been copied to the left of the existing cube. This will now
be called CUBOID 003. The new cube can be edited in the same way by
selecting the cube from the item selector in the usual way.
THE USER INTERFACE
FILE SELECTOR
The file selector will appear when SAVE DATA, LOAD DATA, LOAD OBJECT
or LOAD BORDER is selected from the FILE menu at the top of the VIEW
window. The first files in the current directory will be displayed.
The arrows on the right of the file selector will scroll up or down
through the files in the current directory if there are more files
then can be shown in the space available. Select the required file by
clicking on the file name with the mouse button and the selected file
name will appear to the right of the FILE heading. Alternatively, you
can click on the FILE heading and type in the file name using the
keyboard, pressing RETURN when satisfied. To load or save the selected
file click on OK. Just above the FILE name is the PATH which shows
which drive is currently being used, along with the current position
within directories. This can be changed to another drive or hard disk
by clicking on it and typing the new path name in similar fashion to
the file name.
ALERT BOXES
During environment creation there will be instances where something
you have attempted to do will be either not possible or irrevocable.
In these instances an ALERT BOX will appear with information about the
function requested. If the function is not possible the alert box will
simply inform you of this and then wait for conformation before
cancelling the function. If the function is irrevocable ie. CLEAR ALL
the alert box will give you the chance to reconsider the action and
continue with or stop the function. ALERT BOXES are also used to
inform you that an otherwise invisible function has executed
correctly. In this case the alert box will simply require input from
you to confirm the message has been received.
DIALOGUE BOXES
There are various parts of the environment creation which will
require input from you to set parameters relating to the current
function. These parameters will usually be set within a DIALOGUE BOX.
DIALOGUE BOXES are simply windows which will open at a set place
(usually the centre of the screen) these are similar to the ALERT
BOXES but with the added ability of user interaction. Interaction
takes place in one of two ways, buttons or text/numerical input.
Buttons can be one of three types. TOGGLE buttons which toggle between
selected and unselected when activated. RADIO buttons which are part
of a group of at least two buttons, when one radio button in a group
is selected all other members of a group are unselected. FUNCTION
buttons which do a specific task directly ie. OK or CANCEL.
Text boxes maybe edited by first clicking with the mouse over the
text to be edited and if the text may be edited it will become
inverted and a cursor will be displayed at the first character. you
may then type your text in using the normal functions. DEL deletes a
character under the cursor, BACKSPACE deletes the character before the
cursor and other keys enter the desired character over the current
content of the cursor position. Some text lines will restrict you to
either NUMERICAL or ALPHA characters only. To end editing of a
particular text item, simply press the RETURN key where upon the text
will return to normal print and any restrictions on numerical values
will be applied ie. if you were to type in the number 9000 for an
object position, as the maximum area coordinate is 8192, it will
automatically be restricted to 8192 on pressing RETURN. Note that
when editing a text or numerical item it is impossible to exit the
DIALOGUE BOX or edit any other fields until you have finished editing
the current text item by pressing RETURN.
TEXT EDITING
Text editing takes place in the lower half of the screen directly
below the VIEW window after selecting any of the icons which bring up
the text editing window. An inverse square will indicate you current
cursor position. This position may be changed by either the keyboard
or the control icons.
TEXT EDITING CONTROLS
CURSOR LEFT move cursor left one character
CURSOR RIGHT move cursor right one character
CURSOR UP move cursor up one line
CURSOR DOWN move cursor down one line
SHIFT + CURSOR UP move cursor up one page
SHIFT + CURSOR DOWN move cursor down one page
RETURN insert a line
BACK SPACE delete the character before the cursor
DELETE delete the character under the cursor
HELP toggle between half/full screen modes
ESC cancel edit
Then select the TICK icon to enter your text into memory or the CROSS
icon to cancel.
FILE MENU OPTIONS
Name: SAVE DATA
Function: To save all the data in memory to disk as a datafile.
Action: When File Selector appears, enter a name for the
datafile, press RETURN, then click on OK or press
RETURN again.
Response: The current datafile will be saved to disk.
Note 1: This function actually saves all FREESCAPE data to the
disk including - Datafile, colours, sound data (not
samples), and name data.
Note 2: Possible errors include Disk write protected, Disk
full, No disk in drive.
Name: LOAD DATA
Function: To load datafile from disk.
Action: When File Selector appears, select datafile from the
file selector and click on OK or press RETURN.
Response: The datafile will be loaded from disk.
Note 1: Any data previously in memory will be overwritten.
Note 2: See also notes for SAVE DATA.
Name: SAVE OBJECT
Function: To save a single Object or Group to disk for reloading
later (or into another area of datafile).
Action: Enter name to save object, press RETURN, then click on
OK or press RETURN again.
Response: The object will be saved to disk.
Note 1: Neither conditions nor names will be saved along with
the object.
Note 2: See also LOAD OBJECT.
Name: LOAD OBJECT
Function: Load a specified Object or Group into the current
data.
Action: Click on object name you wish to load. Click on OK or
press RETURN.
Response: The object will be loaded from disk.
Note 1: First an attempt will be made to position the object
at the position at which it was saved. If this fails
the object will be moved up and further attempts to
position it will be made. If the top of the area is
encountered the operation will be aborted and an alert
box will be displayed showing the required
coordinates and size of the object, it is then up to
you to ensure that enough free space exists for the
object to be placed before retrying.
Name: LOAD BORDER
Function: Load a picture file from disk to use as a border in
the TEST screen.
Action: When a DIALOGUE BOX appears requesting Format, select
DEGAS, IFF or NEOchrome. Then click on OK.
Response: A file selector will appear.
Action: Click on the file to be loaded from disk. Then click
on OK or press RETURN.
Response: The border will be loaded from disk into the TEST
screen.
Note 1: Borders can be created and loaded into memory from
other programs providing that they are in one of the
acceptable formats ie. 320 * 200 pixels, 16 colours,
lo-res and NTSC format.
Name: MAKE
Function: To make a "stand alone" environment from the data in
memory.
Action: When a file selector appears asking for the "RUNNER"
(which is a program supplied on the Construction Kit
Disk). Click on OK once it is located.
Response: The File Selector will reappear asking for the MAKE
PATH.
Action: Choose the directory you wish your environment to be
created on and type a name for the environment into
the FILE name area (any extender will be ignored). If
the drive with the "RUNNER" disk in and the drive with
the selected environment disk are the same ie. both
DF0: you will be asked to ensure that the correct disk
is inserted at various intervals during the "MAKE"
process.
Note 1: When completed there will be four new files in the
chosen directory:
<NAME> - The main program.
<NAME>.DAT - The encrypted data file.
<NAME>.SAM - The sample bank.
<NAME>.BDR - The border screen.
Name: CLEAR ALL
Function: To replace the current Data from memory and replace
the default area.
Response: Alert Box will appear requesting conformation of the
action.
Action: Select OK or CANCEL from the Alert Box.
Response: If OK selected the current data will be cleared. If
CANCEL selected the Data will be left as it was.
Name: DELETE FILE
Function: Deletes an unwanted Datafile from the disk.
Response: A file selector will appear.
Action: Select the Datafile to be deleted and select OK.
Response: The Datafile will be deleted from the disk.
Note 1: This function will allow deletion of old files from
the disk. This can be used to free space on a disk
prior to saving.
Name: ABOUT
Function: To display credits and release number.
Name: QUIT
Function: To exit the 3D Construction Kit.
GENERAL MENU OPTIONS
Name: PREFERENCES
Function: Setup specific Parameters used in the Construction Kit
to your own preference.
Response: A Dialogue Box will appear.
Action: Enter the required numerical input.
Response: The Preferences will be set to those selected whenever
possible.
Note 1: This function allows you to set up the step sizes for
the vehicles/cameras used during editing. There are
three step sizes: move step size, angle step size and
object step size. Each step size has two entries, one
for the left mouse button and one for the right mouse
button when clicking on the icons. The keys will use
the left mouse button step size.
Note 2: You may set the current edit buffer size. When the
buffer size is changed ALL CURRENT DATA IS LOST. If an
attempt is made to allocate more memory then is
available the system will allocate as much as it can.
After allocating a buffer of a different size then
that requested, an ALERT BOX will be displayed showing
the amount requested and the actual amount allocated.
Name: RESET
Function: Resets the game/environment to the initial position as
set in the defaults.
Response: The game/environment will reset.
Note 1: This also resets all objects/animators to there
initial status and clears all variables except
Variable 255.
Name: CREATE CONDITION
Function: Create a new GENERAL condition.
Response: A new GENERAL condition will be allocated ready for
editing.
Note 1: GENERAL conditions are conditions which are executed
each FREESCAPE frame regardless of the players
position with the exception of the "initial" condition
specified in the Defaults section.
Name: EDIT CONDITION
Function: To edit a GENERAL condition.
Response: A list of existing General Conditions will be
displayed in the Item Selector.
Action: Select a condition from the Item Selector. The
selected condition will then be displayed below the
VIEW window. This can be edited using normal text
editing.
Note: See also CONDITIONS.
Name: DELETE CONDITION
Function: Delete a General Condition.
Response: A list will be displayed, as above, and once a
selection is made from the list the specified
condition will be erased from memory.
Name: DEFAULTS
Function: Set up the default game variables.
Action: Within this DIALOGUE BOX you can alter:
1. The climb ability
2. The "safe" fall distance
3. The activity range
4. The Timer frequency
5. The start area
6. The start entrance
7. The initial mode
8. The initial General Condition number.
Note 1: RESET should be selected to set these Defaults.
Name: CONTROLS
Function: To set up the controls that are used in the Test
Screen.
Response: A list of all the available controls will be
displayed.
Action: Select a control by clicking the left mouse button
over the name. Once a control is selected any key
pressed will become the key associated with that
control.
Response: The key name will be displayed next to the control.
Next to the key name you will notice a small tick or
cross. This indicates whether an icon in the Test
Screen has been defined for the control or not.
Action: To define an icon for the control, click the right
mouse button over the name.
Response: The currently loaded BORDER (if any) will replace the
Construction Kit Screen.
Action: To set the position of the icon, move the mouse
pointer to the top left corner of the desired area and
click the left mouse button. You will notice a box
appear, this box will follow your mouse pointer
movements growing and shrinking accordingly. Move the
mouse to the bottom right corner of the desired area
so that the box encompasses the area of the icon (note
although the icon area must be rectangular this does
not mean that the image of the icon on the border must
be, as the rectangle of the icon definition is
invisible anyway), then click on the mouse button to
set the definition.
Response: A DIALOGUE BOX will appear.
Action: Select whether the icon should be activated by the
left, right, either or both mouse buttons in the
DIALOGUE BOX. Once the icon is set the list of
controls will be redisplayed and you may continue to
edit the controls. When editing is completed select
the TICK icon to set the controls and the Construction
Kit Screen will be redisplayed.
Note 1: Selecting "either" will register both left and right
mouse buttons. For movement the right button will
default to a step size five times that of the left
button, and turning will step by 30 degrees.
Note 2: Using any of the function keys as an associated key
will set that control to undefined - it cannot be
used, neither from the keys nor using an icon.
Note 3: Icon controls can only be activated if an associated
key is defined.
Note 4: See Appendix for default controls.
Name: CREATE INSTRUMENT
Function: Allocate a new instrument.
Response: A new instrument will be added.
Note 1: When created, an instrument will default to UNDEFINED
and will therefore not be displayed at all. The new
instrument can be edited using the EDIT INSTRUMENT
function detailed below.
Name: EDIT INSTRUMENT
Function: To edit the various parameters associated with
Instruments.
Response: A list of the current Instruments will be displayed.
Action: Select the Instrument from the Item Selector.
Response: A dialogue box will be displayed.
Note 1: Each parameter required to define an instrument will
now be dealt with in turn.
TYPE: Each instrument must have a type, these include
HORIZONTAL (bar), VERTICAL (bar), NUMERICAL and TEXT
WINDOW or UNDEFINED.
The two bars are thermometer style sliding
indicators, they can be various sizes and combinations
of colours, also the direction of the bar can be set
using min. max. values explained later, a sliding bar
must have associated with it a variable number as this
is where the instrument will get its current setting
from.
The NUMERICAL type is simply a text area where the
value of its associated instrument is displayed in
decimal. This can include negative numbers. If the
minimum value is negative, the instrument will use a
sign if necessary to display the value.
The TEXT WINDOW type is an area on the screen
definable as both height and width in which messages
may be printed using the FCL command PRINT. (see
conditions section).
POSITION and SIZE define the screen position and size
of the instrument, all instrument types are positioned
to pixel boundaries, horizontal and vertical bar sizes
are defined in increments of 1 pixel while text window
and numerical types are defined in steps of 8 pixels
(1 character).
VARIABLE NUMBER contains the number of the variable
(if required) that the instrument will fetch its value
from.
LEFT/BOTTOM contains the leftmost/bottommost value
for a sliding bar, or numeric instrument. By making
this value lower then the RIGHT/TOP value the bar will
either go down or to the left or vice versa.
RIGHT/TOP contains the uppermost/rightmost value for
a sliding or numeric bar, see also LEFT/BOTTOM, the
step change for a sliding bar will be automatically
scaled according to the difference between LEFT/BOTTOM
and RIGHT/TOP values and the size of the bar.
FG/BG COLOUR contains the two colour numbers (for the
foreground and background) in which the bar/text will
be printed.
The following are legal colours for instruments:
All instruments 0..15
Instruments associated with a variable may be updated
in two ways, either by altering the contents of the
associated variable, in which case the instrument is
automatically updated or by calling the FCL command
UPDATEI with the relevant number. The text window type
instrument can be updated only by using the FCL
command PRINT.
Name: SET VIEW WINDOW
Function: To set the size and position of the FREESCAPE view
window in the Test screen.
Response: The 3D Construction Kit will be replaced by the
alternate Test window. This will be black if no border
has been loaded.
Action: Position the mouse pointer at the top left of your
required window and drag the box to surround the
area you wish to be included. Click the left mouse
button once more at the bottom right and the window
will be set.
Name: TEST
Function: Go to the Test screen allowing the environment to be
tested.
Note 1: This preforms the same function as the F1 key which
toggles between the two screens. Pressing the F1 key
is necessary to return to the editor.
Note 2: Cameras are not allowed in the test area. The mode
will default to WALK, FLY1 or FLY2 if using a camera
when the test screen is accessed.
AREA MENU OPTIONS
Name: CREATE AREA
Function: Create a new area.
Response: A new Area will be created and the viewpoint will be
moved to this new area.
Note 1: All new Areas contain an Entrance near the centre
(Entrance 001) and a base (Cuboid 001). If these are
not required they may be deleted.
Name: EDIT AREA
Function: Displays a list of existing areas and allows the user
to edit the area specific information.
Response: A list of all existing areas is displayed in the Item
Selector.
Action: Select an area to edit from the Item Selector.
Response: A dialogue box will appear. This shows the area name,
the number of definitions in the area (including
OBJECTS, ENTRANCES and ANIMATORS), the are scale and
whether or not the horizon is active. All of these
elements may be edited in the usual dialogue box
fashion, except for the number of definitions.
Note 1: Only set horizon to OFF if the viewpoint is restricted
to move only within a completely enclosed environment.
(All four walls, floor AND ceiling.)
Name: DELETE AREA
Function: Delete a specified area.
Response: A list of existing areas will be displayed in the Item
Selector.
Action: Select an area from the Item Selector.
Response: The entire contents of the selected area including
objects and local conditions will be removed from
memory.
Note 1: This function is irreversible so use carefully! Also
note that you cannot delete the Area you are currently
in.
Name: GOTO AREA
Function: To move viewpoint to another area.
Response: A list of existing areas will be displayed.
Action: Select an area to go to.
Response: Will move the viewpoint to the new area selected.
Note: Area 000 id the Global Area and is only accessible
from here. See also LIST GLOBALS in OBJECT MENU.
Name: AREA COLOURS
Function: To re-colour the 16 solid base colours in the current
area.
Response: The COLOUR AREA panel will appear. The panel contains
three slider bars, one for each element of the colour
red, green and blue. In each of these bars is a marker
showing the current level of each element, also beside
the bars the level is indicated by a number from 0 to
15. The levels of each element may be changed by
either clicking on the arrow icons to either side of
the sliders which will increase/decrease the level in
steps of 1, or click on the slider bar itself will
move the pointer to the mouse position directly.
To the right of the sliders are a number of icons,
these include:
RESET : To reset the colours to their original values
before any changes were made.
CANCEL: Exit and ignore any changes.
OKAY : Exit and save the new changes.
SPREAD: Will wait for you to select another colour
form the colour bar and will approximate a
smooth graduation between the two selected
colours.
COPY : Will wait for you to select another colour and
will then copy the original selected colour to
the new position.
Above the panel is a display of the current 16
colours. To select a colour to edit simply click the
mouse button over it. The flashing box will move to
the new colour and its values will be displayed in the
slider bars.
Name: CREATE CONDITION
Function: To create a new area condition.
Response: A new area condition will be created for editing.
Note 1: Area conditions are executed each frame when in the
current area.
Name: EDIT CONDITION
Function: Edit an Area Condition.
Response: A list of current area conditions will be displayed.
Action: Select the condition for editing.
Response: The condition will be displayed for editing.
Action: Edit the condition in the normal manner (see TEXT
EDITING).
Name: DELETE CONDITION
Function: Delete a selected Area Condition.
Response: A list of conditions will be displayed in the Item
Selector.
Action: Select a condition.
Response: The condition will be deleted from memory.
Name: CREATE ENTRANCE
Function: Create a new entrance in the current area.
Response: A new entrance will be created at your present
position.
Note 1: The new entrance will contain the position and
viewdirection of the viewpoint at the time of its
creation, therefore to set up an entrance to a
specific view simply move to that position and look in
the desired direction. Then select CREATE ENTRANCE and
the view will be stored as the last Entrance.
Name: EDIT ENTRANCE
Function: Allows you to edit an existing entrance.
Response: A list of current entrances will be displayed.
Action: Select the entrance to be edited in the usual manner.
Response: A dialogue box will appear on the screen. Within the
dialogue box will be details of the entrance; NAME,
POSITION and ROTATION. These can be edited.
Action: Edit the entrance in the dialogue box in the usual
manner.
Name: DELETE ENTRANCE
Function: Deletes a specified entrance from memory.
Response: A list of current entrances will be displayed in the
Item Selector.
Action: Select an entrance in the usual manner.
Response: The selected entrance will be deleted from memory.
Note 1: This operation is irreversible, use with care!
Name: GOTO ENTRANCE
Function: Move to a specified entrance within the current area.
Response: A list of available Entrances will be displayed.
Action: Select an entrance in the usual manner.
Response: The viewpoint will be moved to the selected entrance.
Name: CREATE ANIMATION
Function: Create a new animator.
Response: A new animator will be created ready for editing.
Name: EDIT ANIMATION
Function: Allows editing of animation commands.
Response: A list of existing animators will be displayed in the
Item Selector.
Action: Select the desired animator.
Response: The commands for that animator will be decompiled and
displayed for editing.
Action: Edit or add to these commands in the same way as all
conditions. (see TEXT EDITING).
Note 1: Also see CREATING AN ANIMATION.
Name: DELETE ANIMATION
Function: Delete a specified animation from memory.
Response: A list of all existing animators will be displayed.
Action: Select an animator in the usual manner.
Response: The selected animator will be delete from memory.
Note 1: This operation is irreversible, use with care!
OBJECT MENU OPTIONS
Name: CREATE OBJECT
Function: Create a new object in the current area.
Response: A panel will be displayed over the SHORTCUT Icons
showing the type of object available.
Action: Select an object type.
Response: The new object will be created in front of the current
view.
Note 1: The new Object name will default to its type followed
by its number. These can be changed using the
ATTRIBUTES function. A GROUP of Objects can be created
by selecting GROUP. The Item Selector will appear
showing all the Objects currently created. Any Objects
for inclusion within the group will be highlighted
when selected (or deselected) with the mouse button.
When all the Objects have been selected, click on the
TICK in the Item Selector and all the highlighted
Objects will be included within the new GROUP.
Name: EDIT OBJECT
Function: Edit a specified object.
Response: A list of the existing objects will be displayed.
Action: Select an object in the usual manner.
Response: A new bank of icons will be displayed over the
SHORTCUT icons. The icons are split into five groups:
POINT : Alters to position of the point number
displayed in the INFO BAR. This function
only applies to non rectangular facets and
pyramids, in the case of facets all points
may be moved whilst in the case of pyramids
the two diagonally opposite apex points can
be altered to change the point of the
pyramid. The NEXT button is used to move to
the next point to be edited.
TURN : Rotates the object in the direction of the
arrows on the icons through 90 degrees.
SHRINK : Decreases the size of the object in the
direction of the arrows.
STRETCH : Increases the size of the object in the
direction of the arrows. As with MOVE the
object cannot be stretched beyond the
boundary of the area.
MOVE : Move the object in the direction of the
arrows, left and right mouse button on these
icons will have different effects depending
on the values set in the PREFERENCES menu.
If an object being moved hits another object
on the edge of the area it will be butted
against the obstruction.
To the right of the EDIT icons are three further icons
as follows:
UNDO : This function will undo any editing made on
an object prior to selecting another object
or using the OKAY icon.
SELECT : This provides the option to select another
object for editing as an alternative to
clicking on another object within the VIEW
window.
OKAY : Selecting this will commit all editing to
memory and return to the main screen once
more.
Note 1: Only triangular facets may be non-orthogonal; ie. they
may lie on a plane which is not aligned along one of
the major axis (north/south, east/west, up/down).
Name: DELETE OBJECT
Function: Delete a specified object from memory.
Response: A list of objects will be displayed in the Item
Selector.
Action: Select an object from the Item Selector in the usual
manner.
Response: The object will be deleted from memory.
Note 1: This operation is irreversible, use with care!
Name: SELECT OBJECT
Function: Choose a new selected Object for use in Highlight,
Exclude or Lock.
Response: A list of objects will be displayed.
Action: Select one of the objects from the list.
Name: COPY
Function: Create a duplicate of a specified object or group of
objects.
Response: A list of objects will be displayed.
Action: Select the object from the Item Selector.
Response: A DIALOGUE BOX will be displayed.
Action: Select where the object is to be positioned in
relation to the original object or "View" to place the
object in front of your viewpoint.
Response: The new object will be created.
Note 1: The name of the new object will default to its type
followed by its number.
Note 2: Any conditions entered for the original object will be
copied to the new object also.
Name: CONDITION
Function: To edit the conditions on a specific object.
Response: A list of all objects in the current Area will appear.
Action: Select an object in the usual manner.
Response: Any conditions on the object will be decompiled and
displayed for editing in the usual manner (see TEXT
EDITING).
Name: ATTRIBUTES
Function: Alter the position and status of a specified object.
Response: A list of objects in the current area will be
displayed.
Action: Select an object from the list.
Response: A dialogue box will appear showing various information
about the selected object:- NAME, SIZE, POSITION,
CURRENT STATUS, INITIAL STATUS and ANIMATED.
NAME, POSITION and size can be altered in the usual
manner.
CURRENT STATUS alters the status of the object
between VISIBLE, INVISIBLE and DESTROYED. An invisible
object may be made visible at some other point in the
environment whereas a destroyed object is gone until
the environment is restarted using RESET.
INITIAL STATUS sets the state of the object when the
environment is RESET, either VISIBLE or INVISIBLE.
MOVEABLE marks the object as being able to be
animated, if you have any intention of animating this
object it must be marked as MOVEABLE as this will
allow the START POSITION for the object to be set.
Sensors have additional attributes as follows:
RANGE shows the maximum distance at which you can be
detected by the sensor.
SPEED alters the frequency at which checks are made
for sensing or shooting.
DIRECTION shows from which directions the sensor can
detect you.
EFFECT can be either SENSE, where the sensor will
simply detect your presence, or SHOOT, when the sensor
will shoot at you at the rate set by SPEED.
Action: Select OK to confirm changes or CANCEL to leave
unchanged.
Name: COLOUR
Function: Colour objects in the current area.
Response: Initially a list of existing objects will be
displayed.
Action: Select an object from the Item Selector.
Response: A colour editing panel will be displayed at the bottom
of the screen displaying available colours. Base
colours are combined to give various shades. The small
"I" in the box for colour 0 indicates that colour 0 is
invisible. Invisible facets are not drawn. Sides of
objects that can never be seen should be coloured
invisible to increase efficiency. To the right of the
palette is a larger box showing the selected colour.
Selecting the UNDO icon will undo the last colour
change made. To the left of the screen is a display of
all the selected object's colours.
Action: Editing the colours of an object can be done in two
ways. Firstly select a colour in the palette by
clicking on it with the left mouse button. A flashing
box will surround the colour to indicate that it has
been selected. Now move the cursor into the FREESCAPE
VIEW window and click with the right mouse button on
the facet to be coloured. If this is on the currently
selected object then it will simply change colour. If
it is not, then the object will automatically become
the selected object and the display to the left of the
palette will change accordingly.
The second method is to a colour in the palette as
before and then click the right mouse button over the
desired colour in the box to the left of the palette.
The facet will change colour accordingly. This method
allows the change of colour of objects which cannot be
seen in the VIEW window either because they are out of
view or because they have been made invisible. When
colour editing is complete, click on the OKAY icon to
return to the main screen.
Summary: The left mouse button = "Get colour"
The right mouse button = "Put colour"
Name: EDIT GROUP
Function: To alter the contents of a specified group.
Response: A list of current group specifiers will be displayed.
Action: Select a group to be edited.
Response: A list of all the objects in the current area will be
displayed. Members of the selected group will be
highlighted.
Action: These objects can be removed or others included by
clicking on the relevant object, either within the
list or in the VIEW window.
Name: LIST GLOBALS
Function: Displays a list of defined objects available from the
GLOBAL area. To view and possibly alter the presence
of certain Global objects in the current area.
Response: A list of the defined objects available from the
GLOBAL area will be displayed with all displayed
objects highlighted.
Action: These may be de-selected or you may select members of
the list by clicking on them. When OK is selected all
members highlighted (selected) will become visible in
the current area.
Note 1: Global objects may only be edited when in Area 0.
Note 2: Global objects are a group of objects defined in Area
0 that can be used in any number of areas using very
little memory.
THE FREESCAPE COMMAND LANGUAGE (FCL)
The FREESCAPE system contains a simple language definition allowing
functions to be performed when certain conditions occur within the
FREESCAPE environment. These commands can be used in any of 3 places:
OBJECT CONDITIONS: These commands are executed when some sort of
interaction with the specified object take place. The interaction
options are:
SHOT? The object is pointed to by the mouse cursor and the
left mouse button pressed, a series of lines will be seen from the
corners of the screen to the object being shot, these lines depict a
weapon (laser).
ACTIVATED? The object is activated in a similar way to shooting
an object except that the right mouse button is used and there is no
visible effect. (the object has to be within the Activate distance as
defined in the Defaults).
COLLIDED? The object is collided with by either the player or an
animated object.
AREA CONDITIONS: These commands are executed each frame while the
viewpoint is within the confines of the specified area.
GENERAL CONDITIONS: These commands are executed every frame
regardless of the viewpoint position.
In the following list, P1, P2 and P3 refer to parameters 1,2 and 3
respectively. These can be either a literal number or a variable.
Variables are specified as V followed by a variable number 0..255 eg.
V23 for variable 23. In this case, the contents of a variable will be
used as the parameter value. eg. LOOP (P1) can be, for example: LOOP
(6) (or any other number) or LOOP (V23) which uses the variable stored
in variable 23.
Parameters which must be variables are referred to as V1, V2, V3; eg.
SETVAR (P1,V2)
shows that the 2nd parameter must be a variable.
Optional parameters or commands are surrounded by square brackets [].
A list of the available commands follows along with a description of
the required parameters and their functions.
CONDITIONS
ACTIVATED? (ACT?) Class - Trigger Interrogator
Format: IF ACTIVATED?
THEN commands..
ELSE commands..
ENDIF
Function:
This command checks whether the selected object has been activated.
This happens when the cursor is over the selected object and the right
mouse button is pressed.
Note: The selected object must be within the default activate range to
be affected. This is set in the GENERAL menu, DEFAULT function.
Example:
IF ACTIVATED?
THEN INVIS (4)
ENDIF
This condition simply informs the system that if the object is
ACTIVATED then make object 4 invisible.
See also: IF, THEN, ELSE, SHOT?, COLLIDED?
ADDVAR (ADD) Class - Variable Command
Format: ADDVAR (P1,P2)
Function:
This command preforms an addition on the two supplied values, the
value P1 is added to the value P2, if P2 is a variable specifier then
the result of the addition is stored in the variable otherwise the
result is lost but the CCR flags are still altered according to the
result of the addition. Meaning that if an ADDVAR command is preceded
by an IF and followed by a THEN/ELSE ENDIF combination, conditions may
be executed depending on whether the result was zero or not without
altering the value of any variables.
See also: SUBVAR
AGAIN Class - Loop Command
Format: LOOP (P1)
commands...
AGAIN
Function:
This command serves to terminate a LOOP section. Upon reaching an
AGAIN command the command processor will decrement the relevant LOOP
counter and if the result is greater then zero, jump to the relevant
LOOP address (the command immediately following the associated LOOP
command).
Example: INCLUDE (1)
START
LOOP (20)
MOVE (40,0,0)
AGAIN
RESTART
This is a simple example of using the LOOP command in animation. The
rest of the commands will be explained fully later but for now the
commands simply say: Include object 1 in the animation, start the
sequence when triggered, LOOP 20, move the object to the coordinates,
AGAIN and restart.
See also: LOOP
AND Class - Condition Command
Format: IF condition
AND condition
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command combines the result of two or more condition checking
commands and returns TRUE only if all of the specified checks are TRUE
otherwise a FALSE result is returned.
See also: IF, THEN, ELSE, ENDIF, OR
ANDV Class - Variable Command
Format: ANDV (P1,P2)
Function:
This command preforms a logical AND on the two values specified, the
value P1 is ANDed with the value P2 and if P2 is a variable specifier
the result is stored in the specified variable. CCR flags are set
accordingly.
See also: ORV, NOTV
COLLIDED? (COL?) Class - Trigger Interrogator
Format: IF COLLIDED?
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command checks the COLLIDED flag in the status byte of the
current object, a TRUE result is returned if a collision has occurred
with this object since the last check, otherwise a FALSE result is
returned. The COLLIDED flag on the current object is cleared upon
executing this command.
Example: IF COLLIDED?
THEN INVIS (4)
VIS (5)
ENDIF
In this condition the system checks if the object has been collided
with. If it has then object 4 becomes invisible and object 5 becomes
visible. This could be used to remove a door (object 4) and replace it
with an open doorway (object 5).
See also: IF, THEN, ELSE, ENDIF, ACTIVATED?, SHOT
DELAY Class - Time Command
Format: DELAY (P1)
Function:
This command halts all FREESCAPE functions for the specified time.
The specified time (P1) is in 50ths of a second.
Example: DELAY (50)
This would halt for 1 second.
See also: WAIT
DESTROY Class - Object Commands
Format: DESTROY (P1[,P2]) {object[,area]}
Function:
This command sets the DESTROYED flag on the specified object (P1) in
the specified area (P2). If no area is specified the command processor
presumes that the specified object is in the current area. Note - Once
an object has been destroyed it is then impossible to get the object
back short of resetting.
Example: IF SHOT?
THEN DESTROY (4,2)
ENDIF
This simply asks if the current object has been shot and if so
destroys object 4 in area 2.
See also: DESTROYED?
DESTROYED? Class - Object Interrogator
Format: IF DESTROYED? (P1[,P2]) {object[,area]}
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command checks the status of the specified object and returns a
TRUE result if the object has been DESTROYED.
See also: IF, THEN, ELSE, ENDIF, DESTROY
ELSE Class - Conditional Statement
Format: IF condition
THEN commands...
ELSE commands...
ENDIF
Function:
This command exists only as part of an IF/THEN/ELSE/ENDIF
combination. It marks the start of commands to execute only if the
result of a previous condition was FALSE. The effectiveness of the
command relies on the correct usage of the IF and THEN commands. For
any condition checking to work it is essential that the condition be
preceded by an IF command and followed by a THEN and (if required) an
ELSE statement.
See also: IF, THEN, ENDIF
END Class - Condition Command
Format: IF condition
THEN commands...
END
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
commands...
Function:
This command exits command processing before the end of the command
list is reached, at allows the user to short cut the command execution
on a particular condition being TRUE or FALSE. Used in the above
format, if the result of the condition is true only the commands
following the THEN statement will be executed and upon reaching the
END command the processor would continue execution from this list.
Were there no END command the processor would continue executing from
the command following the ENDIF statement.
Note: If END is used within an animator the execution of the current
animation frame is ENDed and execution continues on the next frame
beginning with the command following the END command.
See also: IF, THEN, ELSE, ENDIF
ENDGAME Class - Player Command
Format: ENDGAME
Function:
This command serves to reset the environment. This can be executed on
a particular condition being TRUE or FALSE, ie. if a counter being
used to store game time reaches zero then the game finishes.
Example: IF COLLIDED?
THEN ENDGAME
ENDIF
This condition simply states that if the player or another animated
object collides with the selected object then end the game and reset
all the flags etc.
ENDIF Class - Condition Statement
Format: IF condition
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command terminates a conditional section. Upon reaching an ENDIF
command, execution continues as normal before the IF/THEN/ELSE
combination. If the result of a condition is TRUE the commands after
the THEN statement are executed and those between the ELSE statement
and the ENDIF are ignored. If the result is false the commands between
the THEN and the ELSE are ignored and those between the THEN and the
ENDIF are executed. In either case unless an END command has been
issued, command processing will continue after the ENDIF statement.
See also: IF, THEN, ELSE
EXECUTE (EX) Class - Branch Command
Format: EXECUTE (P1) {object}
Function:
This command terminates command execution on the current object and
continues with the command list on object (P1). The status flags and
the position of the original object are still used for Object
Interrogator commands.
GOTO Class - Player Command
Format: GOTO (P1[,P2]) {entrance[,area]}
Function:
This command is used to allow player movement between the various
defined areas. Upon reaching this command the player will be moved to
the entrance P1 in the area P2. If no area is specified the entrance
is presumed to be in the current area. If a new area is specified,
command processing will cease at this point otherwise normal command
processing will continue.
Example: IF COLLIDED?
THEN GOTO (1,2)
ENDIF
The above example would be quite useful if it was desired that the
player, upon colliding with a doorway (the object selected) would then
be transported to entrance 1 in area 2.
IF Class - Condition Statement
Format: IF condition
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command marks the start of a condition section. Immediately
following the IF command should be one or more condition commands
separated by either AND or OR statements. The IF command simply serves
to clear the CCR flags and prepare for the following condition. To
have any effect at all the condition should be followed be a THEN/ELSE
combination otherwise execution will continue after the condition
regardless of the result.
See also: THEN, ELSE, ENDIF, AND, OR
INCLUDE Class - Animation Command
Format: INCLUDE (P1) {object}
Function:
This command is animation specific. Any attempt to execute it on an
OBJECT or in LOCAL/GLOBAL conditions will have no effect. The command
includes the specified object (if it is not already animated) into the
animation list for the current animator. This command should be used
at the very beginning of an animation before the START command so that
it is only called once at the start of the animation and never again
until the environment is restarted.
See also: MOVE, START, RESTART
INVIS (IV) Class - Object Command
Format: INVIS (P1[,P2]) {object[,area]}
Function:
This command sets the INVISIBLE flag on object P1 and the specified
area P2. If no area is specified the object is presumed to be in the
current area.
Example: IF SHOT?
THEN INVIS (9)
ENDIF
A simple condition which states that if the specified object is shot
then object 9 will become invisible.
See also: INVIS?, VIS?, VIS
INVIS? Class - Object Interrogator
Format: IF INVIS? (P1[,P2]) {object[,area]}
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command checks the INVISIBLE flag in the status byte of the
object P1 in area P2. If no area is specified then the object is
presumed to be in the current area. The command returns a TRUE result
if the specified object is invisible, otherwise a FALSE result is
returned.
See also: INVIS, VIS, VIS?
LOOP Class - Loop Command
Format: LOOP (P1) {loop count}
Function:
This command marks the start of a LOOP section. The commands between
the LOOP and the corresponding AGAIN command will be executed P1
times.
See also: AGAIN
MODE Class - Player Command
Format: MODE (P1) {movement mode}
Function:
This command alters the current movement mode of the player. In the
game the player is restricted to WALK, FLY1 and FLY2. The CAMERA modes
and LOCK modes are only available in the EDITOR, therefore the value
of the new mode P1 must be in the range 1-3. Any value above this will
be interpreted as 3 and any less then 1 will be interpreted as 1.
See also: GOTO
MOVE Class - Animation Command
Format: MOVE (P1,P2,P3) {x,y,z coordinates}
Function:
This command is animation specific, any attempt to execute this
command on an OBJECT or LOCAL/GLOBAL conditions will have no effect.
The command MOVEs the members of the current animation (specified at
the beginning using the INCLUDE command) by the specified amount in
the X, Y and Z axis.
See also: INCLUDE, MOVETO
MOVETO Class - Animation Command
Format: MOVETO (P1,P2,P3) {x,y,z coordinates}
Function:
This command is animation specific, any attempt to execute this
command on an OBJECT or LOCAL/GLOBAL conditions will have no effect.
The command MOVEs the members of the current animation (specified at
the beginning using the INCLUDE function) to the specified position in
the X, Y and Z area.
Example: INCLUDE (3)
START
MOVETO (2900,0260,4760)
RESTART
This condition, when triggered will move object 3 to the coordinates
specified in the brackets following the command MOVETO.
See also: INCLUDE, MOVE
NOTV Class - Variable Command
Format: NOTV (P1)
Function:
This command preforms a logical NOT on the value specified, the value
P1 and the result is stored in the specified variable. CCR flags are
set accordingly.
See also: ANDV, ORV
OR Class - Condition Command
Format: IF condition
OR condition
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command combines the result of two or more condition checking
commands and returns TRUE if any of the specified checks are TRUE
otherwise a FALSE result is returned.
See also: IF, THEN, ELSE, ENDIF, AND
ORV Class - Variable Command
Format: ORV (P1,P2)
Function:
This command preforms a logical OR on the two values specified, the
value P1 is ORed with the value P2 and if P2 is a variable specifier
the result is stored in the specified variable. CCR flags are set
accordingly.
Example: IF SHOT?
THEN ORV (2,V21)
ENDIF
This uses Bit 2 of Variable V21 as a flag to say that an object has
been shot. Using this method it is possible to use a Variable to store
a number of on/off flags. The flags can be checked using the ANDV
command.
IF ANDV (V21,2)
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
By ANDing V21 with 2 and not the other way round the AND is executed
without storing the result, therefore it is possible to check the
state of the flags without affecting them.
See also: ANDV, NOTV
GETXPOS, GETYPOS, GETZPOS Class - Object Interrogator
Format: GETXPOS (V1,P2[,P3]) {variable,object[,area]}
GETYPOS (V1,P2[,P3])
GETZPOS (V1,P2[,P3])
Function:
These commands store the position of the specified object P2, in area
P3 along the X, Y or Z axis in the specified variable V1. If no area
is specified the current area is assumed.
Example: GETXPOS (V21,2)
IF VAR=?(V21,1000)
THEN SOUND (2)
ENDIF
This will get object 2's X position and will preform a sound only if
object 2 is at position 1000 in the X axis.
PRINT Class - Instrument Command
Format: PRINT ("message...",P1) {message,instrument}
Function:
This command allows the user to print a message to a defined TEXT
WINDOW type instrument (see INSTRUMENTS). The message between the
quotation marks is printed to the instrument number P1 if the
instrument exists and if it is a TEXT WINDOW type. The message can be
split into several lines (if the TEXT WINDOW is big enough) by using
\N to begin a new line.
RESTART Class - Animation Command
Format: RESTART
Function:
This command is animation specific, any attempt to execute it on an
OBJECT or in LOCAL/GLOBAL conditions will have no effect. After
executing this command execution of the animation will continue at the
position set by the START command. If no START command has been
executed the RESTART command will set execution to continue from the
start of the animation.
See also: START
REDRAW Class - Instrument Command
Format: REDRAW
Function:
This command will force an immediate redraw of the FREESCAPE view
window. Any objects whose status have changed since the last frame
update will be displayed in their new state.
Example: LOOP (10)
TOGVIS (2)
REDRAW
AGAIN
This will toggle the visibility of object 2 ten times and REDRAW the
FREESCAPE view each frame.
REMOVE Class - Animation Command
Format: REMOVE (P1) {object}
Function:
This command works in the opposite way to INCLUDE. The object
specified P1 will be removed from the animation. This command can be
incorporated into the animation controller eg. to remove objects from
the animation one at a time during animation. This command may only be
used in animation.
SOUND Class - Sound Command
Format: SOUND (P1) {sound number}
Function:
This command will immediately preform the sound P1.
Also see: SYNCSND
SETVAR (SET) Class - Variable Command
Format: SETVAR (P1,V2)
Function:
This command sets the variable V2 to the value P1. If V2 is not a
variable specifier then the command has no effect.
SHOT? Class - Trigger Interrogator
Format: IF SHOT?
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command checks the SHOT flag in the status byte of the current
object. If the object has been shot since the last time checked then
the command returns a TRUE result otherwise a FALSE result is
returned. Execution of this command also clears the SHOT flag on the
current object.
See also: ACTIVATED?, COLLIDED?
START Class - Animation Command
Format: START
Function:
This command is animation specific, any attempt to execute it on an
OBJECT or LOCAL/GLOBAL conditions will have no effect. The command
marks the start of the animation command list. The instruction after
the START command will be the point at which the RESTART command will
continue execution from. The START command should be placed after any
INCLUDE command as INCLUDEs after the START will be executed each time
through the animation loop, this wastes time and has no useful effect.
See also: INCLUDE, RESTART
STARTANIM Class - Animation Command
Format: STARTANIM (P1[,P2]) {animator[,area]}
Function:
This command will start an animation controller going. At the
beginning of a game all animation controllers are marked as STOPPED.
To begin the animation a STARTANIM command must be executed. The
STARTANIM command will also re-enable an animation controller which
has been stopped using the STOPANIM command.
Example: IF COLLIDED?
THEN STARTANIM (2)
This condition was placed on a selected object. If the object is
collided by the player then start the second animation controller (2).
See also: STOPANIM, TRIGANIM, WAITTRIG
STOPANIM Class - Animation Command
Format: STOPANIM (P1[,P2]) {animator[,area]}
Function:
This command will stop an animation controller, no commands will be
executed on the controller until it is started using the STARTANIM
command. Upon receiving a STARTANIM command the animation controller
will continue execution from the point at which the STOPANIM command
was received.
See also: STARTANIM, TRIGANIM, WAITTRIG
SUBVAR (SUB) Class - Variable Command
Format: SUBVAR (P1,P2)
Function:
This command preforms a subtraction on the two supplied values, the
value P1 is subtracted from the value P2. If P2 is a Variable
specifier then the result of the subtraction is stored in the variable
otherwise the result is lost but the CCR flags are still altered
according to the result of the subtraction. Therefore if a SUBVAR
command is preceded by an IF and followed by a THEN/ELSE ENDIF
combination, conditions may be executed depending on whether the
result was zero or not without altering the value of any variables.
See also: ADDVAR, SETVAR
SYNCSND Class - Sound Command
Format: SYNCSND (P1) {sound number}
Function:
This command will execute the specified sound P1 in sync with the
next complete frame update. Note the REDRAW command will also preform
a synchronised sound.
See also: SOUND
THEN Class - Trigger Interrogator
Format: IF condition
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command checks the status of the ZERO flag in the CCR. If the
contents are TRUE then the commands following the THEN statement are
executed until either an ELSE or ENDIF statement is found. If an ELSE
is found the commands following it are ignored up until an ENDIF or
the end of the command list. If an ENDIF is found then normal command
execution will continue with the following command. The THEN command
is the only command which examines the result of a condition, so an IF
ELSE ENDIF combination without a THEN command will produce incorrect
results.
See also: IF, ELSE, ENDIF, AND, OR
TIMER? Class - Trigger Interrogator
Format: IF TIMER?
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command checks the TIMER flag, the command returns a TRUE result
if a timelapse of the amount specified in the defaults setup section
has passed, otherwise a FALSE result is returned. This command is
onlyreally useful in LOCAL and GLOBAL conditions as these are the only
conditions which are executed each frame, any TIME commands on objects
will only be checked when some form of interaction takes place with
the object.
TOGVIS (TOG) Class - Object Command
Format: TOGVIS (P1[,P2]) {object[,area]}
Function:
This command toggles the status of the VISIBLE flag in the status
byte of object P1 in area P2. If no area is specified the object is
presumed to be in the current area.
See also: VIS, INVIS, VIS?, INVIS?
TRIGANIM Class - Animation Command
Format: TRIGANIM (P1) {animator}
Function:
This command sets the TRIGGER flag in the status byte of animation
controller P1. A WAITTRIG command within the animation controller will
register this trigger. If no WAITTRIG commands exist in the animation
controller a TRIGANIM command will have no effect on this animator.
See also: STARTANIM, STOPANIM, WAITTRIG
UPDATEI Class - Instrument Command
Format: UPDATEI (P1) {instrument}
Function:
To update instrument P1 in the Test Screen.
VAR=? (V=?) Class - Variable Command
Format: IF VAR=? (P1,P2)
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command will compare the values of the P1 and P2 and return a
TRUE result if the values are equal otherwise a FALSE result is
returned.
See also: SETVAR, ADDVAR, SUBVAR, VAR>?, VAR<?
VAR>? (V>?) Class - Variable Command
Format: IF VAR>? (P1,P2)
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command will compare the values of P1 and P2 and return a TRUE
result if the value of P1 is greater then that of P2, otherwise a
FALSE value is returned.
See also: SETVAR, ADDVAR, SUBVAR, VAR=?, VAR<?
VAR<? (V<?) Class - Variable Command
Format: IF VAR<? (P1,P2)
THEN commands...
[ELSE commands...]
ENDIF
Function:
This command will compare the values of P1 and P2 and return a TRUE
result if the value of P1 is less then that of P2, otherwise a FALSE
value is returned.
See also: SETVAR, ADDVAR, SUBVAR, VAR=?, VAR>?
VIS? Class - Object Interrogator
Format: VIS? (P1[,P2]) {object[,area]}
Function:
This command checks the INVISIBLE flag in the status byte of object
P1 in area P2. If no area is specified then the object is presumed to
be in the current area. The command returns a TRUE result if the
specified object is VISIBLE, otherwise a FALSE result is returned.
See also: VIS, INVIS, TOGVIS, INVIS?
WAIT Class - Time Command
Format: WAIT
Function:
This command halts processing of the current command list and stores
information about the current command list on an internal stack. The
FREESCAPE processing is then allowed to continue, processing any more
required conditions, animations and player movements, when the next
frame comes around execution of the command list will continue from
the command following the WAIT command.
See also: DELAY
WAITTRIG Class - Animation Command
Format: WAITTRIG
Function:
This command is animation specific, any attempt to execute it on an
object or in LOCAL/GLOBAL conditions will have no effect. The command
will check the TRIGGER flag in the status byte of the animation
controller. If the flag has been set by use of the TRIGANIM command,
the flag will be cleared and execution will continue as normal,
otherwise execution will be stopped at the WAITTRIG command and the
execution of the animation command list will be stopped. Upon reaching
the current animation controller on the next frame the WAITTRIG
command is the first to be executed, therefore the execution of the
animation command list is halted at the point of the WAITTRIG command
until a TRIGANIM command sets the TRIGGER flag.
See also: TRIGANIM, STARTANIM, STOPANIM
THE ANIMATION CONTROLLER
In addition to the COMMAND language, the FREESCAPE system includes a
further system for object control, namely the ANIMATION OBJECT
CONTROLLER. The ANIMATION OBJECT CONTROLLER (AOC) provides a mean of
joining a number of objects together and preforming movement and
animations functions on these objects. This means that to move a car
(for example) it is not necessary to move each element of the car
individually for each stage of the movement path but simply to join
all relevant objects that make up the car in an AOC and then every
MOVE command in the AOC command list after the INCLUDE list will
affect all of the objects.
To animate an object the object must first be marked as a MOVEABLE,
this can be done by entering the OBJECT ATTRIBUTES dialogue box,
towards the bottom of the dialogue box is a button titled ANIMATION.
The initial state of this button will be STATIC. Below the ANIMATION
field in the ATTRIBUTES dialogue box is a START POSITION text field,
while the object is marked as static this field will simply contain
the message REFER POSITION, this means that as the object is not
MOVEABLE it can never be moved, therefore its start position is equal
to its current position. To mark the object as MOVEABLE simply click
once on the STATIC button, the button will change to show the message
MOVEABLE and the START POSITION field will change to show the objects
current position. The START POSITION of a MOVABLE object can be
changed in the same way you would its position and size.
Any attempt to animate a STATIC object will be ignored (if there are
problems animating an object for any reason it is always advisable to
check the animation state of the object first).
AOC commands are executed every frame, all commands in the AOC list
will be executed in order until either the end of the command list is
encountered or a redraw is requested. Upon encountering a redraw
request program execution will stop and the current program position
will be stored. Program execution on the AOC will then recommence from
that position on the next frame. If the end of the command list is
encountered the AOC is marked as STOPPED and can only be used again if
a STARTANIM command resets its internal program counter and marks it
as STARTED.
Certain commands will, if called from an AOC, force a redraw ie.
MOVE, MOVETO and END. REDRAW should not be used within an AOC, since
it will do a redraw, then exit, forcing another redraw. Therefore any
other commands you wish to have executed before the next frame update
must be placed before that command. A description of the commands
available from within an AOC may be found in the FREESCAPE COMMAND
LANGUAGE section of this manual.
It is worth noting that although the animated objects will collide
with other objects in the dataset, a group of objects will behave like
a single large object, even if they occupy a relatively small area.
For example, an animator controlling two small objects, one at each
edge of an area, will not be able to move them passed a tall object in
between them. The objects are effectively grouped together in a large
object that stretches between them, and this will collide with the
object in the centre. In this case, it is necessary to use two
animation controllers to move the objects individually.
EXAMPLES
TO GO TO ANOTHER AREA
As an example we will use object 3 which is our DOOR and object 4
which is our DOORWAY. For simplicity the doorway is a black RECTANGLE
which is placed close against a wall and the door is a red CUBE which
has been "flattened" by the use of the EDIT OBJECT tools and placed
close up in front of the doorway. The DOORWAY (rectangle) should be
set to INVISIBLE via the OBJECTS ATTRIBUTES function both on START
STATUS and PRESENT STATUS. We will use the ACTIVATED? command to
"open" the door and reveal the doorway as follows:
Enter the following condition commands for object 3 by selecting the
CONDITION icon and selecting OBJECT 3 from the list by clicking with
the mouse button until object 3 is highlighted and then selecting the
TICK icon. Now enter the following:
IF ACTIVATED?
THEN INVIS (3)
VIS (4)
ENDIF
Now experiment by clicking the right mouse button on the door in the
VIEW window. The door (object 3) should vanish and be replaced by the
doorway (object 4). Now enter the following condition commands for
object 4 in the same way as above and enter the following:
IF COLLIDED?
THEN GOTO (1,2)
ENDIF
Now try walking towards the "doorway" until you collide with it. You
will be transported instantly to ENTRANCE 1 in AREA 2.
TO MAKE AN OBJECT INVISIBLE OR VISIBLE
As can be seen by the previous example, making objects vanish and
reappear is really very simple. If, for example, we wish an object to
become invisible when it is shot we would select the object by
clicking in the CONDITION icon, selecting the object from the list (or
by clicking on the object in the VIEW window if it is visible). Then
the following conditions should be entered:
IF SHOT?
THEN INVIS (0)
ENDIF
The number in the brackets following the INVIS is the object number.
TO MAKE A SOUND
There are several different sound effects within the FREESCAPE
system. One example would be to have a sound effect when a piece of
treasure is picked up by the player. The treasure we will refer to as
OBJECT 4. The following commands will play a sound as the player
activates the objects and the object vanishes from the VIEW window.
Select the CONDITION icon and select OBJECT 4 form the list (having,
of course, previously created the object). Now enter the following
conditions:
IF ACTIVATED?
THEN INVIS (4)
SOUND (5)
ENDIF
Experiment with different sounds by changing the number in the
brackets following the SOUND command and clicking the right mouse
button on OBJECT 4 in the VIEW window to hear the effect.
TO USE A LOOP
At various times during the game creation the LOOP command is needed.
One example of its use would be within an ANIMATION. The following
example will show how to animate an object and the use of the LOOP
command. Clear all data from the VIEW window and create a cube. This
will be object 2 (cuboid 2) as cuboid 1 is the base of the area.
Select CREATE ANIMATION from the AREA MENU at the top of the
screen. There will be no visible response but if EDIT ANIMATION is
then selected it will be seen that ANIMATION 1 has been created ready
for use. For the moment select ATTRIBUTES from either the OBJECT menu
or from the SHORTCUT icons then select object 2. A dialogue box will
appear showing the ATTRIBUTES for object 2. Click on the window where
you see STATIC until the word MOVEABLE appears. Now select EDIT
ANIMATION, select animator number 1 from the list shown and enter the
following conditions:
INCLUDE (2)
LOOP (20)
MOVE (40,0,0)
AGAIN
We now need something to trigger the animation so we will select the
floor which is cuboid 1. Select the CONDITIONS icon and select cuboid
1 in the usual manner. Now enter the following:
IF SHOT?
THEN STARTANIM (1)
ENDIF
Now shoot the floor to see the results!
TO CREATE AN ANIMATION
As in the previous example HOW TO USE A LOOP it will be seen that
animation is a very simple procedure. For this example we will attempt
to move the cube directly to another position on the VIEW window.
Create the cube and define it as MOVEABLE as in the previous example
and create an animator for our commands. Now select EDIT ANIMATION and
enter the following:
INCLUDE (2)
START
MOVETO (4560,0200,4760)
RESTART
This will be activated in the same way as the previous example by
shooting the floor. Try shooting the floor to see the cube transported
to another position to the right of the VIEW window and slightly
lower.
Now we will attempt something a little more sophisticated. We will
attempt to animate the cube to glide from one side of the VIEW window
to the other and back again. To save time we will edit the existing
conditions. Select EDIT ANIMATION and reselect the same animator to
edit. Edit the conditions to read as follows:
INCLUDE (2)
START
MOVE (40,0,0)
AGAIN
LOOP (20)
MOVE (-40,0,0)
AGAIN
RESTART
Now shoot the floor and see the result! Note that the LOOP is
repeated after the first AGAIN command and that the MOVE has been
modified by a minus before the 40. This is to move the cube in the
reverse direction to the first LOOP. Experiment a while with the
coordinates after the MOVE command and see what happens.
HOW TO USE VARIABLES
The format for using a VARIABLE can be handled in the same way
through various types of conditions, on an object condition we could,
for example, arrange for a variable to be increased to hold a higher
value when it is shot, as follows:
IF SHOT?
THEN ADDVAR (25,V21)
Thus adding 25 to the variable V21. In a similar way a value can be
deducted from a variable using the following example:
IF SHOT?
THEN SUBVAR (15,V21)
To set a variable to hold a specified number we could use the
following GENERAL condition commands:
SETVAR (600,V21)
This same process can be incorporated into slightly more complicated
conditions where we want to check the value of the variable and then
if TRUE to set the variable to hold another value as follows:
IF VAR>? (0,V21)
THEN SETVAR (3000,V21)
Thus if variable V21 holds a value greater then 0, variable V21 will
be set to hold the value 3000.
MOVE ABOUT VARIABLES
The use of variables enabled you to create a wide range of
conditions, from the very simple to the complicated. The system has
256 variables available for use by the COMMAND LANGUAGE. These
variables are 32-bit storage areas (that is they can hold numbers in
the range -2147483646 to +2147483647) which can be used to store and
manipulate various numerical values within the environment, eg. player
score, object position, fuel supply or a timer. The first 30 (0-29) of
these variables are used by the FREESCAPE II system. The contents of
these variables are updated each frame by the system, and any changes
to the variables are so noted by the system. ie. If a variable command
were to change the value stored in variable V0 (the view point X
position) the next displayed frame would move the player to the new
specified X position. A list of the contents of the system variables
follows:
00 Viewpoint X position
01 Viewpoint Y position
02 Viewpoint Z position
03 Viewpoint X rotation
04 Viewpoint Y rotation
05 Viewpoint Z rotation
06 Current vehicle type
07 Current height (WALK only)
08 Current area number
09 Number of last area visited
10 Distance fallen above maximum ability
11 Number of times shot
12 Number of times crushed
13 Number of last SENSOR (detect only) to find you
14 Number of times SENSED (detect only)
15 ASCII code of last key pressed
16 Button status at last press (1-LEFT, 2-RIGHT, 3-BOTH)
17 Mouse X position at last press
18 Mouse Y position at last press
19 50hz counter for accurate timing
20 Player firing control (see below)
21 Number of shots fired
22..29 Reserved
The player firing control variable allows optional control of the
players ability to shoot. Putting 0 into this variable disables the
players shooting completely. A value of 1 enables shooting. Adding 2
draws lines from the edges of the screen to the point of firing, and
adding 4 enables the firing sound.
Finally, adding 8 enables rapid fire - holding down the firing button
releases a continuously stream os shots. So, to enable firing of rapid
fire, but with no lines or sound, a value of 1+8 (enable + rapid fire)
=9 should be placed in this variable. At the start of the game, it is
set to 15 (enabled, lines, sound and rapid fire), so it would be
necessary to include a SETVAR (V20,9) in the startup condition to
override this.
Parameters are passed to the commands in brackets following the
command itself, the number of parameters required by the command
varies and some have optional parameters, in the case of commands with
optional parameters (mostly object commands, where the area number is
usually optional) the optional parameter is usually the last one in
the list. All numeric parameters may be given as either an absolute
value in the range -16383 to +16384 or as a variable specifier in
which place the value must have a V preceding it and is restricted to
the range 0 to 255. If a parameter is given as a variable specifier
then the contents of the given variable are used as the parameter.
Note: in the default setup dialogue box there is an option to set an
initial condition number, this number refers to GENERAL conditions and
allows the user to have any of the defined GLOBAL CONDITIONS executed
only once immediately after reset. This condition will then be ignored
from then on. Variable 255 is not cleared when the environment is
reset and as such could be very useful as a Hi-Score counter is
required.
SOUND EFFECTS
The standard sound bank allows for 32 sounds. Sounds 0-6 are already
defined:
00 Laser out (PLAY SAMPLE 1)
01 Shooter (PLAY SAMPLE 2)
02 Bump (PLAY SAMPLE 3)
03 Explosion (PLAY SAMPLE 4)
04 Ping (FIXED SOUND)
05 Smash (PLAY SAMPLE 5)
06 Clang (PLAY SAMPLE 6)
07 UNDEFINED (PLAY SAMPLE 7) if exists!
" "
" "
31 UNDEFINED (PLAY SAMPLE 31) if exists!
CREATING A NEW SAMPLE BANK
The format for the FREESCAPE II samples are as follows:
0000 Length
0004 Playback rate (ignored)
0006 8-bit sample data
Sample saved in RAW 8-bit sample format from most samplers is
similar to the above (note the contents of the playback rate is not
important as it is ignored anyway). The sample BANK is made up of a
number of these samples joined together as a linked unit (one
immediately following another). A small utility is supplied called
JOIN to concatenate a number of sample files together to create a new
sample bank. The command line supplied to the JOIN command must be of
the format:
<Sample_1_name> + <Sample_2_name> + <Sample_?_name> <Sample_BANK_name>
Note there are no spaces between each sample name but the space
between the sample list and the BANK name is essential.
To pass a command line to the programme, simply type:
JOIN [command line] from the CLI.
Once a new sample bank has been created it can be used in the
CONSTRUCTION KIT by passing the KIT a command line of the form:
3DKIT -s<Sample Bank Name>
A sample bank name must follow the -s option immediately with no
spaces.
If there is not enough to memory to load a new, larger sample bank
within the CONSTRUCTION KIT it may still be possible to use the new
bank on a runnable game (as there is more available memory on a
runnable environment as the EDITOR is not used). This can be achieved
by MAKEing the runnable environment with the standard sample bank,
there will be a file called GAME.SAM (where GAME is the name of the
stand alone environment). Replace this file with the new sample bank
(giving it the same name ie. GAME.SAM) and it will then be loaded as
the environment's sample bank.
DEFAULT KEY CONTROLS
O - Move forward Q - Turn left K - Move back
H - Move left P - Look up J - Move right
R - Move up (rise) N - Tilt left F - Move down (fall)
W - Turn right I - Face forward
1 - Save game L - Look down U - U-turn
2 - Load game M - Tilt right A - Activate object
B - Select mode V - Change mode (WALK/FLY)
C - Centre cursor on/off
SPACE - Fire ESC - Quit game
HINTS AND TIPS
(1) Save regularly.
(2) Have blank formatted disks ready for saving data.
(3) Colour sides of objects that can never be seen to colour 0
(invisible) to increase performance.
(4) Care should be used when entering conditions as an infinite loop
can be created effectively causing a crash. If in doubt save your data
to disk before testing a procedure you are unsure of.
DISK CONTENT
The disk content are described in the README file on the actual disk.
To view this file, type README at the DOS prompt. This file will also
detail any changes to the manual, errata, etc.
POSSIBLE DISK ERROR MESSAGES
ERROR 202: In use.
ERROR 204: Path not found.
ERROR 205: File not found.
ERROR 210: Invalid filename.
ERROR 212: Wrong type.
ERROR 213: Disk not valid.
ERROR 214: Write protected.
ERROR 218: Disk not mounted.
ERROR 221: Disk full.
ERROR 222: Cannot delete.
ERROR 223: Cannot write.
ERROR 224: Cannot read.
ERROR 225: Not a DOS disk.
ERROR 226: No disk.
RANGE OF ALLOWED VALUES
Object X,Y,Z positions: 0..8192
sizes: 0..8192
Viewpoint X,Y,Z positions: 0..8192
rotations: 0..359
Numbers in conditions: -16384..+16383
Variables: 0..255
which can store: -2147483646..+2147483645
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Typed by Flux/Crystal and Matt |
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