Post by heisenberg on May 8, 2010 18:48:42 GMT
This is really tricky. Almost every book that has more complicated rules than turn here-go there also has some tweak in itself, something that's unique in itself. This problem can easily be solved if you let these books modify the way some (or all the) things work. It also makes the life of outsiders more difficult.
What I have to offer you now is not a gamebook editor in the usual sense. It's just a program that, if fed with the appropriate data, can create all the files you'll need to use with the program.
I've never done anything like this before, so please don't be too angry if it won't work for the first try.
The starting package can be downloaded from here. It contains the binary called GSCompiler.exe. As its name suggests, right now it can only create adventures using the Grey Star rules. Also, you can only use the features that can be found in the ruleset itself. Put this file into the same dir as the main YAGaP executable.
You can also find the following three xml files: Content, Items and Enemies, and an xsd file for each of these. The first three can be used to describe the happenings in the book, and the second three can give you all the help you need in order to do that. Extract the six files, fire up a visual studio and open them all. The xsd files are "maps" that display how the tags (the words after a < sign) are put into each other and what attributes (those standing before the = signs) can be used. Start playing around in the xml files, and see how the editor helps you out using these maps.
After you're finished editing, run the program, select the three xml files, locate the Operator and rsLoneWolf.dll files, set the output directory (this can be set straight to the Books directory of YAGaP), give your book a title, select how many lesser and higher magicks and items (if any) Grey Star can choose at the beginning, and click Compile. After that you're good to go playtesting your creation
What I have to offer you now is not a gamebook editor in the usual sense. It's just a program that, if fed with the appropriate data, can create all the files you'll need to use with the program.
I've never done anything like this before, so please don't be too angry if it won't work for the first try.
The starting package can be downloaded from here. It contains the binary called GSCompiler.exe. As its name suggests, right now it can only create adventures using the Grey Star rules. Also, you can only use the features that can be found in the ruleset itself. Put this file into the same dir as the main YAGaP executable.
You can also find the following three xml files: Content, Items and Enemies, and an xsd file for each of these. The first three can be used to describe the happenings in the book, and the second three can give you all the help you need in order to do that. Extract the six files, fire up a visual studio and open them all. The xsd files are "maps" that display how the tags (the words after a < sign) are put into each other and what attributes (those standing before the = signs) can be used. Start playing around in the xml files, and see how the editor helps you out using these maps.
After you're finished editing, run the program, select the three xml files, locate the Operator and rsLoneWolf.dll files, set the output directory (this can be set straight to the Books directory of YAGaP), give your book a title, select how many lesser and higher magicks and items (if any) Grey Star can choose at the beginning, and click Compile. After that you're good to go playtesting your creation
