My library system completely broke "Blocks II"

[Jimmy]

*headdesk*
*headdesk*
*headdesk*

Gods. Damn. I have screwed myself yet again.

"Blocks of Doom II" currently uses a very messy ACS script for a single map (despite my best efforts to organise it). I just tried to convert the ACS system to a library, and what did I end up doing instead? I broke the entire WAD, of course!

...

Yeah. The whole thing is messed up so bad I don't even know where to start. It seems that the arrays are almost totally broken and the values are pretty much scattered all over the place. I'm at the end of my tether, and I really need someone else's help in putting this thing back together.

Get the borked version here: http://www.speedyshare.com/907961629.html

Note: This is a work-in-progress of the next version of "Blocks II". It has a few extra odds and ends in it (that weren't present in v0.1), including an array system for the maps (instead of the line-by-line map construction I used in v0.1), a new SBARINFO status bar, and the WIP level editor, but no new levels. Honestly, it's not worth downloading if you want it just to spoil anything extra for yourself. It's COMPLETELY unplayable in its current state.)

So, what's wrong with it exactly? Well, several scripts just... don't work, for a start. I really can't put it any other way. I haven't changed them at all while converting them to a library, and they worked fine before, though they act as though I've randomly switched the values around. I can't pinpoint any of the errors because everything is so scrambled (though it seems uniform enough in the scripts lump and library itself). This has resulted in Blocks II being completely unplayable and almost as untestable.

(The game kills you as soon as you load up the first map, though you can resurrect and noclip into the map itself.)

Also, the way I've organised my library system is an absolutely atrocity. No matter what I do to try and make life easy for me in setting it up, it simply doesn't want to work. I use a lot of arrays, and I am NOT making an OPEN script that sets all the values in the array line-by-line for every map.

I've ended up leaving an old compiled lump in the A_ markers and a half-complete uncompiled script lump in the WAD. For some reason any library system I try to set up NEVER points to a lump inside the same WAD. So I have an identical raw script in the same folder as my ACC (which the library system instead seems to point to). It's a royal mess.

Thanks to anyone in advance who is willing to take up the task. This major roadblock is currently stalling Blocks of Doom II's development process.

Aside: Can someone please make sure if this page is clear enough? http://zdoom.org/wiki/Libraries
It's either not too clear or I'm severely [censored word] in the field of advanced ACS. It's most likely the latter, but just to be sure...

[carlcyber]

This is my first time seeing this project. Actually, I totally have no idea what you are going to do. Have you mentioned the goal of your script or I just missed it? The game runs not as I expected. It might be broken, but I don't know what means right to it and don't know how to help you. Can you describe the problem you want to achieve but failed and post your idea why you write the code this way? This could help others (at least me) get up to speed on your problem faster. If want can post the version that's already working, that'll be even better.

EDIT: I had difficulty organizing libraries before and posted a thread here.

[Jimmy]

If you want to get a better idea of what the broken scripts are meant to do you can download the last released version of the project from this thread. Have you got it already?

Ok, things that are wrong as soon as the map loads:

• The "map start" screen displays correctly the level number and the graphical hints (the AVOID and COLLECT boxes).
• The level name and hints for some reason default to the word "HINT1". I don't know why both default to this same value because I've set the S_LEVELSTART script to look up different entries in the array. I double-checked the values but to no avail.
• This seems to be the same issue with the S_TIMELIMIT script - I don't think it's starting at all. This causes the timelimit to expire immediately and kill the player. (However, the player can still resurrect himself and move around. The camera will even follow him.)
• Every (working*) square on the grid seems to default to 255 brightness.
• The player isn't moved to the correct starting location on the map (somewhere in the middle of the grid). This isn't a case of the player not being given the correct tid - the camera still follows him.
• No items are spawned on the map. (Four blur spheres are meant to spawn on the first map.)

I can't isolate these problems. Something's gone majorly wrong during the conversion to library format (like I misplaced a lump or I missed something out of the library) but everything seems okay within the scripts themselves.

*A problem unrelated to the current situation: The entire first column of blocks and the first block on the second column don't seem to respond to the CreateWall() function.

[carlcyber]

If you want to get a better idea of what the broken scripts are meant to do you can download the last released version of the project from this thread. Have you got it already?

Nope, my bad. After a quick play, I LOVE it!

Where can I find block.acs?

[Jimmy]

Heh, thanks.

There's two entries in the WAD called "BLOCKS". The one between the A_ markers is the compiled ACS. The one below the A_ markers is the raw script lump, and should be the .acs file you're looking for.

[carlcyber]

There's two entries in the WAD called "BLOCKS". The one between the A_ markers is the compiled ACS. The one below the A_ markers is the raw script lump, and should be the .acs file you're looking for.

Very well, DeepSea hides those lumps with duplicated name.

I can't find MapTiles, MapHeights, Levels, ... defined in your library. They ARE defined in your map, but I think they should be in the library. You can try to declare the arrays in the library and copy the information from map script arrays to library script arrays. In short, all the variables used in the library should be defined in the library itself. (ACC refuses to compile block.acs and says, "maptiles : Identifier has not been declared." I don't know how can you compile that?!)

[Jimmy]

I can't find MapTiles, MapHeights, Levels, ... defined in your library. They ARE defined in your map, but I think they should be in the library. You can try to declare the arrays in the library and copy the information from map script arrays to library script arrays. In short, all the variables used in the library should be defined in the library itself. (ACC refuses to compile block.acs and says, "maptiles : Identifier has not been declared." I don't know how can you compile that?!)

I think it was a (failed) attempt at reorganising the code which didn't compile. That was probably the point at which I quit. Sorry, has that made it harder for you?

Very well, DeepSea hides those lumps with duplicated name.

Gah, use SLumpEd.

[carlcyber]

I think it was a (failed) attempt at reorganising the code which didn't compile. That was probably the point at which I quit. Sorry, has that made it harder for you?

Nevermind. I'll try it.