LWAX v3 (minimal automation)

[skarnivorous]

As promised here is a link: cid-ff1faf74706c5bbc.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/LWAX.zip to a 'final' version of my action chart which should be useable to play through the entire lone wolf series.

This version does not contain as much 'automation' as prior ones.

Hope some of you enjoy using this chart - I may return to developing the 'automated' version at some point but it may depend on whether the newer projects progress well (I don't want to spend too much time on something if a superior option exists).

I have played through the first 5 books using this tool, and I am fairly confident all the 'bits' work - but I will make corrections if errors are reported.

Also, the zip file contains the ACTUAL script files the program uses - if you edit the vbscript inside these files (.dxscript) then you can actually affect the program itself! You may be able to build in new features yourself!

[alderaine]

I would encourange as many people as possible to work on projects.
Dave's project is only PC-based at the moment. We have projects for other platforms, but I would really love to see a fully-featured web front end book reader one day.
I'm hoping that the navigation files Dave is producing will help other authors move forward - from what I know of the format, it looks like it could be ported into other systems with relative ease.

[skarnivorous]

Isn't there a flash based chart that runs next to Project Aon's online pages? Flash is cross platform I think - if you are are looking for a 'gamebook' player where it does all the 'equipment' detection and makes choices available depending on your character rather than the player selecting what 'applies' to them then it will require some sort of component based or ruleset based 'page format'. I guess that is what the navigation files are about. Again flash may be a good platform due to it's cross platform and web based support.

[alderaine]

I believe the flash one only has a minimal level of automation as well (I've not used it in quite some time though)
In my perfect world, the navigation files would be embedded in the book XML, and would give all the information necessary to manage equipment, skills, combat, check valid page turns, etc

[Dave]

Your perfect world may be realized someday, alderaine. I hope that my project can help to establish the base for it - once it is fully up and running, I'll open up the source and interested parties can hopefully devise a method for exporting the current navigation format into xml...
It shouldn't be too hard to do for 95% of the sections. There are only a few odd ones, like the gambling sections, and things where you must give up or lose items/EP before you can make a choice...

[skarnivorous]

I had originally thought of the following: Using a 'noun' dictionary and some basic rules to parse the entire set of LW XML files and pull out the file name and the 'nouns' matched on that filename. Then I was going to filter these for 'equipment' and 'special items' etc and 'categorise them into a table (possibly xml itself). The when loading in pages I was just going to do a page to table look up and present a list of 'items' for the player to click on to add to their chart. Or even 'intercept' the page html/xml and do a link replace for wherever item nouns occur. This may be a good quick starting point to create a 'complete' list of items etc.

You could do the same for the choices I guess too, Project Aon xml files have tags to indicate choices in the XML, you could strip them out, do a 'discipline' search and likewise make a lookup table of page filename, choice index, and disciplines/requirement conditions. Then only present the choices as needed.

I'll have to check out your current 'generic' scheme. Sounds like a good idea for programatically enhancing Project Aon (and other) gamebooks - having a standard format that is.

[alderaine]

I've already written a parser along those lines - it worked extremely well for the Freeway Warrior series, but is MUCH harder to implement for Lone Wolf due to the lack of standards currently existing in the XML.
Jeremy was looking into getting all this into the core XML, but has since become busy so I've not heard from him recently.

[pi4t]

You are redirected to a different website when you click on the link, and it does not appear to be there. Does this mean it is lost forever?

[Thomas Wolmer]

His account there still appears to exist so it seems like he has removed the file. Ryan isn't here often but he did log in once in July. We'll see what he says next time he comes around.

[pi4t]

Two of the other threads have links in too, and they don't work either

[skarnivorous]

Sorry - should be fixed now - I guess the webtown no longer let external linking work.

[pi4t]

Looks very good, but it could be useful to start at a list of books linking to the PA website's books (including the ones that aren't up yet, in which case you'll get 'page not found', but it'd remove the need to update every time a new book comes out. A back button (and a forwards button) would be handy too.

[skarnivorous]

You are right re the back and forward buttons - for now you can right click in the browser window and select Back or Forward from the menu (It's just an internet explorer control.)

re: linking to the books directly - originally LWAX had a resizable window or a larger window for the web browser which fit the entire Project Aon webpage. I did this to be very clear that the books were sourced from a seperate website and to show all the other parts of Project Aon instead of just a list of books.

Perhaps a 'floating' browser window would be better (but then just use your favourite browser - but I don't think I would alter it to jump straight to the book list as default page.

Thanks for the suggestions :-)