Couple of Questions?

[Reign]

Hey all, just started using Dungeon Craft yesterday. I have read through the tutorial that came with it, but still have 2 questions. The first is; is there a way to organize files? I mean when you open the folder my game is in the sounds, images, etc. Are all scattered around, hard to tell whats what. So I tried saving my game then creating subfolders to put the files in. Ex. I created a sound folder to put the .mid .wavs in(you get the hint, if not just tell me [img]smile.gif[/img] ). When I updated the path's in the editor and saved it, it copied everything back to the original way after I had made it nice and neat . Any suggestions?

Also Is there a way to edit what classes you can choose, and change the icons?

Thanx for any help whatsoever!

[ 01-08-2002: Message edited by: Reign ]

[CocoaSpud]

The editor copies any source files you use in the design to the root design folder. It doesn't check to see if the source folder is on another drive or already a subfolder of the destination design folder, it just blindly copies the file if needed.

One reason I have avoided adding multiple subfolders is that the engine/editor both do recursive folder searches for required files. The more folders and files you have, the longer it can take to find and load a file. The other reason is I'm just too busy with other features to implement a more efficient method [img]smile.gif[/img]

One thing that can make file grouping easier is to give each type of file the same prefix. The default art uses this convention for most of the files, such as walls having the 'wa_' prefix.

The class/race config files are present in the installation, but should not be edited yet. The code doesn't support anything but the defaults for right now. We plan to add full support for this at some point.

The icons and small pics can all be changed. There are two ways to do this.

1. There are default small pics and icons in the DefaultArt folder that the editor will automatically use. They are named 'cn_Icon1.pcx' through 'cn_Icon50.pcx', and 'prt_spic1.pcx' through 'prt_spic50.pcx'. Only the first four are actually present, so you can add additional files (5-50) or you can change the existing four. These files will be automatically loaded by the editor and inserted into your saved design as player choices for icons/pics. This means your files will become the automatic defaults for every design from now on.

2. You can insert icons/pics into the current design only, by using the menu Global->Small Pic Pool or Icon Pool. You can then load multiple pics/icons into the list, and these files will be inserted into your saved design and will be available as pic/icon choices for new characters created by the player.

[Reign]

Hey, no problems. Thanks for all the information [img]smile.gif[/img] . Just one more question, How do you go about distributing a game for others to download? I don't remember reading anything in the tutorial. Do I just go in and select the game folder, then zip it all up with a help file on the game or something?

Thanks(again [img]smile.gif[/img] ) for any help over this.

[CocoaSpud]

Zip up the design folder, minus the 'Backup' subfolder if it's present. You won't need to include a copy of the engine (UAFWin.exe) since it is separately downloadable. Newer versions of the engine can play older designs.

In the manner of UA-style design distribution, there is usually a readme text file containing author contact info, general background about the design, etc.

There are three ways to make your design available to others that I know of.

1. Make it available on your own website and announce it here, I'll then add a link to your site from the DC site to help others find it.

2. Upload it to Ziroc's archive on this site.

http://www.tgeweb.com/ironworks/dung...edesigns.shtml

3. Upload it to the Magic Mirror. Mention that it is a DC design, since the MM stores DC and UA files.

http://frua.dns2go.com/

[CocoaSpud]

Here is a sample readme template taken from Harri's 'Last Days of Autumn' design on the Magic Mirror. It's just an example, as there are no actual requirements on this sort of thing.

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DESIGN NAME: Your Design Name
AUTHOR: Your Name
E-MAIL ADDRESSES: Your Email Address
DESIGNS BY AUTHOR: List other designs released by you
THANKS: Credit for playtesters, or other misc.
DOCUMENTATION: Files to read before playing design
DESCRIPTION: Describe your design
NOTIFICATION: If you don't have the UAFwin.exe, go here:
http:\\uaf.sourceforge.net
DISCLAIMER: A warning if design contains adult themes

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*INFO*

Genre: ForgottenRealms, Detective, etc
Suggested Party Size: Or enforced party limits
Suggested Party Level: Character level's needed to start playing
Starting Equipment:
Pre-Made Party: Mention which pre-gen char to use
Average Playtime: How many minutes or hours

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*COPYRIGHT/PERMISSIONS*

(change to suit your style)
Art and such are free for using.
Modifying the design in any way is not permitted.

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