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<p>Hello.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Since I did not have any access to the original data files, I got
some binaries from <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://msmemorial.if-legends.org/memorial.php">https://msmemorial.if-legends.org/memorial.php</a></p>
<p>As far as I understood, they repackaged the MS data files into
their own format. That included the CD Collection versions for
"Corruption", "The Guild of Thieves" and "Wonderland". <br>
</p>
<p>Save for a couple of glitches/bugs, my engine is capable of
handling all the games in that format. I am also in contact for
strandgames (Which is Hugh Steers). He likes what I am doing. :D</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><b>As for the windowing system:</b></p>
<p>The way I see it is that there are three layers: GAME, ENGINE and
GUI. <br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>So, for example: When the GAME gets to a point where it wants to
present a picture, it triggers a callback to the ENGINE. My engine
is pre-rendering the picture into a more manageable format, and in
turn triggers a callback to the GUI. The same goes for textual
output and for input. (I thought it would be easier to port this
way)<br>
</p>
<p>Reading your emails, I suppose the GAME actually triggers
callbacks for the compass rose and the inventory box. However,
since I did not need those for finishing the game, my engine
actively ignores them. <br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><b>As for GLK:</b><br>
</p>
<p>So far I was able its project page <a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.eblong.com/zarf/glk/">https://www.eblong.com/zarf/glk/</a>
, and compile the ncurses example. When I tried the example for X,
i realized that this is probably outdated, since I was not able to
compile it on the first try. <br>
</p>
<p>I will have to familiarize myself with it, if you say that this
is the way forward. Here, I'd take any help I can get. ;) But
other than that, I do not see why my callback hooks should not be
adaptable to it. Currently, they end in a printf() and an fgets().<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p> <br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Thomas</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 5/1/19 5:13 PM, Torbjörn Andersson
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:af050093-a263-4a27-e683-464a70ad34d6@telia.com">The
Legend games split the screen into fixed areas, though. The
Magnetic Windows GUI was basically a window manager (in 640x480
pixels), with movable, resizable, potentially overlapping windows.
Here is an admittedly horrifying screenshot of what it could look
like if you opened all the possible windows:
<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.update.uu.se/~d91tan/magnetic-windows.png">http://www.update.uu.se/~d91tan/magnetic-windows.png</a>
<br>
<br>
I defy anyone to find a sensible layout for all of that! You may
think you can do it, if you close the "Compass", "Inventory", and
"Items in room" windows, and for a while you can... and then you
realize that not every image is the same size, and you have to
move the "Graphpics" window out of the way...
<br>
<br>
Torbjörn Andersson
<br>
<br>
On 01/05/2019 08.53, Paul Gilbert wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Thanks for information Torbjörn. It
doesn't sound like the missing screen elements are things I'd
miss all that much. Though maybe some of it could eventually be
reintroduced as an option. Whilst Glk doesn't currently have any
"listbox" window types, I do have an already implemented listbox
control for my stalled Legend engine that could probably be
adapted. And a main menu implementation could be useful for
Frotz v6 as well as the Magnetic engine.
<br>
<br>
It will be nice if they do release the original versions
alongside the remastered versions. Being away from home, I'm not
sure how many Magnetic Scrolls games I have, if any.. comes from
having too large a collection.. I'm sure Strangerke among others
can empathize :), So if I don't have all of them; it would be
nice to eventually have a legitimate source to get any missing
ones.
<br>
<br>
Paul.
<br>
<br>
<br>
On Wed, May 1, 2019 at 4:00 PM Torbjörn Andersson
<<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:eriktorbjorn@telia.com">eriktorbjorn@telia.com</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:eriktorbjorn@telia.com"><mailto:eriktorbjorn@telia.com></a>> wrote:
<br>
<br>
From what I remember, the main feature not supported by
the Magnetic
<br>
interpreter is some of the "Magnetic Windows" interface
(on-screen map,
<br>
compass rose, separate windows for inventory and room
objects, horribly
<br>
cluttered windowing system, ... oh, sorry, that last thing
isn't really
<br>
a feature, is it?) used by Wonderland and the Magnetic
Scrolls
<br>
Collection.
<br>
<br>
At least as long as the front end implements the necessary
hooks for
<br>
displaying static and animated pictures, etc. I'm not sure
if it loads
<br>
the original data files, or if they have to be specially
prepared. (The
<br>
files on my Magnetic Scrolls Collection CD certainly don't
look like
<br>
anything the emulator would recognize.)
<br>
<br>
Also, it doesn't try to emulate the original look of the
games with its
<br>
animated menus and pull-down graphics. Which is a bit of a
shame
<br>
or,, in
<br>
the case of the Magnetic Windows interface, a huge relief.
<br>
<br>
When I asked [1] on the Strand Games forum (the company in
the process
<br>
of remastering the Magnetic Scrolls games, after the source
code was
<br>
recovered from a backup tape [2]) if they were planning on
release the
<br>
original versions as well, just for nostalgia, I got a reply
from Hugh
<br>
Steers referring me to Stefan Meier's "Magnetic Scrolls
Memorial" for
<br>
data files for the emulator.
<br>
<br>
Since "Strand Games was started by Hugh Steers - a founding
member and
<br>
core developer of Magnetic Scrolls and Stefan Meier, curator
of
<br>
if-legends.org <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://if-legends.org"><http://if-legends.org></a>" and they claim
to have the
<br>
support of "several members
<br>
of the original Magnetic Scrolls team" [3], I guess those
files are
<br>
kiiind-of officially endorsed...? It's probably worth asking
them again
<br>
later.
<br>
<br>
[1]
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://strandgames.com/community/discussion/65/the-original-versions">https://strandgames.com/community/discussion/65/the-original-versions</a>
<br>
[2]
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://strandgames.com/blog/magnetic-scrolls-games-source-code-recovered">https://strandgames.com/blog/magnetic-scrolls-games-source-code-recovered</a><br>
[3] <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://strandgames.com/about">https://strandgames.com/about</a>
<br>
<br>
Torbjörn Andesson
<br>
<br>
On 01/05/2019 05.10, Paul Gilbert wrote:
<br>
> Hi Thomas,
<br>
>
<br>
> I'm not sure of the status of the Gargoyle Magnetic
Scrolls
<br>
sub-engine,
<br>
> and I don't currently have any Magnetic Scrolls games
handy to
<br>
test it
<br>
> on. But unless it's significantly lacking in support
for the
<br>
later games
<br>
> that your own work adds support for, it'll likely
prove easier to
<br>
work
<br>
> on converting it, I'm afraid. Since, after all,
someone else has
<br>
already
<br>
> done the work of hooking it up to Glk as well. So
it'll be easier
<br>
to do
<br>
> minimal work (relatively speaking) to hook it up to
the ScummVM
<br>
version
<br>
> of the Glk layer. And then I can keep testing it as I
properly
<br>
objectify
<br>
> everything to make sure I don't break anything along
the way.
<br>
>
<br>
> Though I'll be unlikely to be spending much time
beyond basic
<br>
polishing
<br>
> up of the sub-engine afterwards. So based on your
experience with
<br>
the
<br>
> games & engine involved, there might be
opportunities afterwards
<br>
for you
<br>
> to contribute if you're interested, and to do pull
requests to
<br>
improve
<br>
> the functionality of the engine based on your work.
<br>
>
<br>
> Regards,
<br>
>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
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