Help Documentation Content

[manikus]

Originally Posted by Dinonykos Once DC combat works more or less perfectly (which is perhaps nearer than I would have assumed, isn't it, Manikus?) I will probably give two or three combat (normal, event-driven, automatic) options to the player - and this again will need in-game help... ...

As a matter of fact, I was attacked by an orc while reading your response.

[SilentThief]

I have an idea that may make things a little more complicated for the help design. Sorry, not trying to be more difficult but mebbe you'll see what I'm thinking when I explain...

How about having 3 parts related to the user:

1) playing DC - just a short instructions on how to DL and play mods.

2) making mods - what we've been talking about with this thread.

3) advanced mod making - stuff like what I've been talking about... ASLs, quest looping, Logic_Block, and a few more I thought about like making custom wall sets, manikus' dungeon fu (changing/capping XP levels) making new character types, ect.

But since I'm making this more and more difficult, My suggestion would be to have the #1 info ship with DC then have #2 and #3 as a DL with the url to find it included in the help file.

If nothing else, I personally would like to have someone tell me how to make custom wallsets someday.

ST

[manikus]

Essentially, the help is being done like you suggest.

There is a "Player's Manual" that will document how to use DC as a, um, player. I might include information about races/classes/attributes. But it will not include info on how to download and install, as the help will come with the package, and to read it, you have to download it and install it. This trade-off comes with the fact that we will not be using an installation program, and there is no particular place you need to unzip the archive to for it to work - it will run in any folder.

There will also be a "Designer's Guide" (there already is, I just need to update it already to add in the Special Ability Editor) that will go through all of the menu options and explain what everything does. I haven't decided for sure if I will include any tutorials at all, but if I do, there will only be mini-tutorials on how to create something new in each of the four databases.

As for the third level of help...I'm not working on that at all as an official document.

Player's Manual: this will come with the engine.

Designer's Guide: this will come with the editor.

And yes, there will be two downloads. One for people who want to play designs, and one for people who want to create designs.
There will be an official tutorial design that will come after version 1.0 is out. This tutorial will show DC in action in a small design that I will create - the kind of thing that illustrates how to use all of the editors and most of the event types.

Tutorials? Advanced help? I'm not going to create a separate document to ship with DC. There are, however several options:
1)DC Wiki: There is already a 'Design Tips' section where anyone can add tips and tricks. I've added a few that I've pulled out of the forums. But, the idea of a Wiki is that it is community driven.
2)Official web site: I have a handful of tutorials on my site. As fas as I know, I'm the only person who has made any tutorials. I will be putting my tutorials in a new section (as yet not created) of the official web site, and will gladly post any other tutorials out there on the site as well.
3)Something I haven't thought of yet...

[Shadow Stranger]

Quick note, customizing the 16 standard colors used by the Editor, this could be added to the help file.
This is done in the copy of Config.txt found in the main DC directory, relevant lines are:
EDITOR_COLOR_1 = 0,0,0
thru …
EDITOR_COLOR_16 = 255,255,255

If someone has a color sample but does not know the Red,Green,Blue values for it:
Copy it into a Paint file.
Select it with the Eyedropper.
Click on "Colors > Edit Colors...", then click on "Define Custom Colors >>". It will be neatly spelled out.

[manikus]

Editing the config.txt will not be in the Help Documentation.

It is, however, the kind of thing that would be great in the wiki or the F.A.Q.

Doing anything with the config.txt file definitely counts as advanced use, and falls outside the scope of the Designer's Guide.