doc/script_course/index.html

   1 <html>
   2 <head>
   3 <title>IVAN basic script course</title>
   4 </head>
   5 <body>
   6
   7 <h2>holybanana's Iter Vehemens ad Necem basic script course</h2>
   8 <h4>Main page</h4>
   9
  10 <hr>
  11
  12 <h3><b>ChangeLog</b></h3>
  13
  14 <p>September 6 2006 - <a href="lecture5.html">Lecture V</a> created.</p>
  15 <p>September 1 2006 - <a href="lecture4.html">Lecture IV</a> created.</p>
  16 <p>August 31 2006 - Added <i>Appendix: Comparison to source code</i> to <a href="lecture2.html">lecture II</a>.</p>
  17 <p>August 30 2006 - This main page and <a href="lecture3.html">lecture III</a> created.</p>
  18 <p>August 29 2006 - Lectures <a href="lecture1.html">I</a> and <a href="lecture2.html">II</a> created.</p>
  19
  20 <hr>
  21
  22 <h3>About script and this course</h3>
  23
  24 <p>This series of documents is aimed at teaching the IVAN community how the IVAN
  25 script works. The basic principle is that the IVAN source code
  26 determines <i>how</i> the world of IVAN and it's various contents,
  27 dungeons, levels, characters, items, materials, etc. are created.
  28 IVAN script, on the other hand, tells <i>what</i> are created.
  29 So when you try to go down from GC7, the script tells the game that
  30 there is a level GC8, what materials its walls are made, what kinds
  31 of rooms it has and if special rooms, for instance a secret vault or an
  32 orc room, are randomly placed there. It also tells that Ivan and
  33 Vladimir must be placed there and that they belong to a unique team.
  34 It knows the equipment, attributes and weapon skills of Ivan. It
  35 commands that the a pile of roubles and vodka bottles must be placed
  36 in his inventory. It contains the basic replies Ivan spits out
  37 when talked to. The source code follows the script's commands
  38 and maked them virtual reality. It also handles the things that
  39 are too difficult to formalize in the simple language of IVAN scripts.
  40 For instance, that Ivan refuses to unequip his Gorovits family
  41 equipment and that he joins the player when the latter is tough
  42 enough are facts that are due to the source code, not the script.</p>
  43
  44 <p>I do not intend to systematically document every feature of the
  45 script system. Rather will I present as much as is needed for fluent
  46 use of script for basic purposes. The order I present these things
  47 is chosen to aid learning, so I will not proceed from the general
  48 to the specific as a systematic documentation would most naturally do.
  49 Instead I often give an example first and the general rule or the dry
  50 table of data later. I think you'll grasp the script easiest by
  51 writing it instead of reading charts and such.</p>
  52
  53 <hr>
  54
  55 <h3>Lectures</h3>
  56
  57 <p>Currently finished lectures. More to come.</p>
  58
  59 <p><a href="lecture1.html">Lecture I</a> - Database types and configs</p>
  60 <p><a href="lecture2.html">Lecture II</a> - Instantiation of entities</p>
  61 <p><a href="lecture3.html">Lecture III</a> - Overview of the structure of IVAN and its script and graphics files</p>
  62 <p><a href="lecture4.html">Lecture IV</a> - Basic syntax structure of the script</p>
  63 <p><a href="lecture5.html">Lecture V</a> - Adding materials</p>
  64
  65 <hr>
  66
  67 <p>Last modified September 6 2006.</p>
  68
  69 </body>
  70 </html>