Vocabulary

Right now I’ve got my AI all set up in commented pseudo-code, and I ran head first into a confusion issue. The problem was trying to get the new code to work with the old code, I didn’t see a place to install, a place to even start.
The problem is in my variables. Previously, enemies only had 1 action, to attack. That’ all they did, so I called my variable “Attack” and gave it a number to note what kind of attack it is. Now, that doesn’t work so well, since not everything is an attack. They can also block, move and generally be difficult. Again, not a huge issue since the system could handle it. The “Attack” variable can have lots of different values. But therein lay the problem, since there could be lots and lots of related attacks and there would be using the new attack string system. So having a single variable that would control the new system just fell down. There are too many different enemies with too many different kinds of attacks and too many differences in the numbers of attacks. I thought I needed something different, or I needed to re-code the whole other system to get it to work. Now I don’t think so, and it’s a problem with the words I’m using.
Instead of “Attack” what I really mean is “Behaviour.” So I don’t need a single variable to call every kind of attack in the game, I just need the engine to know that Close Range Combat is going on and the enemies are involved. Then I can run the AI functions and do all of the cross table references that I need to happen. After that, I need to reference the table with all of the animations in the DrawEnemies() function and keep a variable called Current Action or Current Attack to keep track of what attack or attack string the enemy is currently doing.
I’ll work on this later tonight. The quicker I get this going the quicker I can test different attack configurations and allow The Animator to get going on them.

-In job news I’m once again doing something that I probably shouldn’t be. I recently applied for a job that a previous professor of mine works for now. I think he mentioned to the class at one point to, “Not ask him for a job,” yet he’s my only contact there. Since I’ve not heard back I’m going to go ahead and contact him, maybe phrase the question along, “Who do I talk to? How can I prep? How do I set up an interview?” Wanting, and hinting, yet trying not to be a pain in the ass. We’ll see how that goes.

-In a subtle irony, I found out that The Animator, The Artist and myself have all applied to the same studio for different positions. You learn interesting things at meetings sometimes.

– Speaking of meetings I have to add $35.00 to the production costs of Thief. After going to the meeting I had a parking ticket. Trying as I might, I could not argue my way out of it. I hate draconians serving the letter of the law instead of the spirit. Since I got the ticket as part of a project based activity I’m adding it to production costs. So now the total costs are $135.00.

-Finally, I’ve added the Blogs of some of the Team members to the information list at the right. Visit them, give them hits and send them love. Art stuff included. I’ll add more if other members of the crew decide to write them.

;Def Commented Pseudo-Code – noun
;1) Code that won’t work on a computer since it cannot be compiled.
;2) Code that looks almost like english sometimes
;3) In Blitz Basic is marked by ; at the front

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