Re: [Inform] Sound


Fri, 8 Dec 1995 12:45:55 -0500

jokisch@euklid.informatik.uni-dortmund.de (Stefan Jokisch) writes:
> I never understood why Mac users love to put everything into
> a single file.

Because it's nice to use. But if I continue this paragraph, it'll turn
into a religious statement. :)

> I'm also not sure what exactly a PICKLE file
> is and how it can be accessed on my trusty old PC. But I am
> afraid that using PICKLE files would make my interpreter
> larger and more complicated. So far, loading the sound files
> is a trivial matter for me which only takes few lines of code.
> I am not willing to add PICKLE file support to my MS-DOS
> interpreter ("Frotz", can do everything but V6, release date
> soon).
>
> I see the following disadvantages (correct me if I'm mistaken):
>
> - PICKLE files mean more trouble for most interpreters (maybe except
> for Mac interpreters).

More trouble for all interpreters (it's not Mac-specific; it has
nothing to do with the Mac except for the inspiration.) But I don't
think it's a lot of trouble. It's more than "a few" lines of code, but
it's on the order of a couple of paragraphs, plus a file I've already
written.

> - Interpreters without sound support would need PICKLE file
> support just to be able to play your new game.
> - Users who don't want sound still would have to download 500KB or
> so of sound data, since everything is packed into a single file.
> - Users who want to play "Lurking Horror" or "Sherlock" with sound
> would have to create their own PICKLE file.
> - Programmers would have to create a new PICKLE file everytime
> their story file has changed -- or they would have to run the
> game without sound.

These are correct. I would note, however, that I'm hoping (of course
:-) for universal PICKLE support, which would make the first not a
problem. And the fourth is trivially solvable with a Makefile or batch
file. (On the Mac, an extra double-click after each compile.)

--Z

"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."