Parallaction/Scripts
Location (LOC) scripts specification
Level-0 simple statements:
| DISK | Selects data file containing resources for this location (it used to ask the user to switch floppy in the original games). This statement appears any other resource specification. |
| LOCATION | Specifies location name and selects background bitmap and depth mask. It is not necessary for this statement to be the first one in the script. |
| LOCAFLAGS | Declares custom flags for the current location: the default value is *clear*. The flags values are retained across savegames and location switches. |
| FLAGS | Sets flags declared in LOCALFLAGS. |
| SOUND | Specifies sound effect to be looped (as it was background music). |
| MUSIC | Specifies background music. |
| ENDLOCATION | Tells the parser there is nothing more to read in this location script. |
Level-0 block statements (with brief description):
| ZONE | Declares interactive screen area. |
| ANIMATION | Declares visible animation. |
| COMMENT | Defines text to be displayed in a balloon when the location is accessed for the first time. |
| ENDCOMMENT | Special text displayed on end game. There is only one instance in the last location for Nippon Safes. |
| NODES | Defines points to be used as aid when computing walk paths. |
| COMMANDS | Defines a list of commands to be executed before COMMENT text -if any- is displayed. |
| ACOMMANDS | Defines a list of commands to be executed after COMMENT text -if any- is displayed. |
Zone block
| LIMITS | Defines rectangular interactive area on screen. |
| LABEL | Text to be displayed when mouse enters the area defined by LIMITS. |
| FLAGS | One or more among behavior flags, separated by pipe character. |
| COMMANDS | List of commands to be executed when zone is activated. |
| MOVETO | Specifies position (x, y) character is set to walk to when action is triggered on this zone. |
| TYPE | Block defining special features of the zone. See here. |
| ENDZONE | Marks the end of Zone definition. |
Animation block
| POSITION | Defines starting position (x, y, z) of the animation on the screen. |
| FILE | Data file holding animation frames and respective sizes. |
| SCRIPT | Name of script file (SCR) containing instructions to drive this animation (and possibly others). |
| LABEL | Text to be displayed when mouse enters the area occupied by the animation. Since animations can move, the area is computed on the fly. |
| FLAGS | One or more among behavior flags, separated by pipe character. |
| COMMANDS | List of commands to be performed when execution of animation script (SCR) is over. |
| MOVETO | Specifies position (x, y) character is set to walk to when action is triggered on this animation (usually a non-playing character). |
| TYPE | Block defining special features of the animation. See here. |
| ENDANIMATION | Marks the end of Animation definition. |
Comment/Endcomment block
These blocks are made of plain text, followed by an ENDTEXT statement on its own line.
Nodes block
This block only appear once in a location file, and holds a list of screen coordinates.
| COORDS | Declares one point (x, y) to be used in walk path calculation, whenever a direct path between two positions is not available. |
| ENDNODES | Marks the end of Nodes block. |
Commands/Acommands block
This block holds a list of commands with their own parameters. With regard to the order in which commands are encountered during parsing, the execution flow is backwards.
| SET | Sets a global (system) flag or a flag declared with LOCALFLAGS statement. |
| CLEAR | Clears a global (system) flag or a flag declared with LOCALFLAGS statement. |
| START | Sets kFlagsActing flag, starting animation script (SCR) execution. |
| STOP | Clears kFlagsActing flag, stopping animation script (SCR) execution. |
| SPEAK | Schedules a dialogue for execution at the beginning of the next game loop. |
| GET | Adds an item to the inventory and removes corresponding Zone from screen, unless kFlagsFixed is set for the same Zone. |
| DROP | Removes an item from inventory. |
| LOCATION | Schedules a location switch. |
| OPEN | Schedules a door for opening at the next frame. |
| CLOSE | Schedules a door for closing at the next frame. |
| ON | Sets kFlagActive, this displaying a previously hidden Zone or Animation. |
| OFF | Sets kFlagRemove, this scheduling a visible Zone or Animation for hiding. |
| CALL | Calls a built-in routine for special gfx. |
| TOGGLE | Toggles a global (system) flag or a flag declared with LOCALFLAGS statement. |
| QUIT | Sets system quit flag, thus telling the engine to exit the game. |
| MOVE | Sets animation to be moved at the specified position. |
| ENDCOMMANDS | Marks the end of Commands list. |