[GD-General] Re: Scripting

[Evan B. <eb...@au...>]

I have some thoughts...

> For example, console games -- obviously the mod community isn't going=20
> to be targeting console games, so I'm curious to hear why/when/how=20
> someone would fully script AI, combat, quests, levels, etc. for a=20
> console game.  I'm sure there are good reasons, but I'm real curious =
if=20
> the actual benefits derived were worth the hassle (and if they =
couldn't=20
> have been reached some other way).

We are using a scripting language for our console games which uses a =
C-style syntax.
In hindsight this was a mistake. The first request I received was to =
remove case sensitivity:)
We currently do not use the scripting language to fully orchestrate AI, =
Combat, quests, etc.=20
It is more like "glue". Our designers are the primary users of the =
scripting language, with the artists=20
only using it to spawn particle emitters. The designers use the =
scripting language functions just like=20
public interfaces to game objects.

// ....
SetPlatformDestination( 'BigFloatingRock', GetMarkerPos( =
'CenterMarker01' ), 1.0 );

So we mainly use it to give simple instructions to existing game objects =
that are populated by the designers=20
in the level editing tool. The scripting language works in concert with =
our data driven event system.=20

> The thing with scripting languages though is that finding the right =
area to bifurcate is extremely hard.=20

The main problem we have is the designers request the ability to do more =
and more complicated tasks with the scripting
language, but do not enjoy the requisite increase in script complexity. =
I actually had one ask "What I really want is a very simple way
to create really complicated behaviour". I am still working on that =
request:)=20

To avoid creating Yet Another Crappy Parser I used flex & bison to do =
the hard work of creating the script compiler.
I would like the next postmortem I read to include the number of =
different text parsers used in the tool chain.

Evan Bell
ev...@ed...