•••••••         •••••••       ••       ••      •••••••      •     ••        •     •       •••     •••     ••     ••     •      •        •             • @Flag Memory #end $ (I would like to thank Gregory Janson for making most of these tips.) $ It's very annoying to only have 9 flags or less set at a time. You can, however, #clear a flag and #set another one in its place. Here are 7 efficient ways of reducing, re-using, and recycling flags: $ $List of flag-saving tips $ 1) Deleting old flags 2) #ZAPped flags 3) Environmental flags 4) Sequenced flags 5) Piggybacking flags 6) Inversed flags 7) No doubled flags! $ $Deleting old flags $ Be sure you #clear a flag once you are done with it! For instance, if you get a golden key, which will #set gkey, make sure the door it opens will #clear gkey and get out of the way, unless you want the key to open all doors of a certain kind, unlike conventional keys. Another example is a wild errand run. You go from one guy to another guy in another room, to another guy, or back to the first, etc. The player is a messenger. You can use flags to determine your position in the transactions and your deepness within them. But in all that time, only one flag remains SET at a time. A good sequence could be: errand1, errand2, errand3, etc. $ $#ZAPped flags $ There are two methods I can think of to do the job a flag does without using #set or #clear at all. The first is #ZAPped flags. If a flag is to be set and checked, all in the same room, all you must do is have three parts to your checking program. A flag-is-cleared section, a flag-cleared- to-flag-set transition section(with #zap), and a flag-is-set section. It will start initially in the flag-is-cleared section. It is like this: $ @Checker #end :touch #play t--gc You need a key! #end $ It is missing one line: #if <flag> then <message>. Well, check the SETting object! $ @Key #end :touch #Checker:setflag #play t+cegcegceg+sc You got the key! #die $ This will shed light on the two other sections of the door: $ @Checker #end :touch #play t--gc You need a key! #end :setflag #zap touch #end :touch The door opens! #play tcgbcgb+ic #die $ See? No #set, no #clear, and no #if! The setter SENDS A MESSAGE to the door to open next time the player touches it! $ $Environmental flags $ The second method is environmental flags. Be aware that both of these will only do the job of a flag that is only needed in one room, and set in the same room. They cannot be accessed in remote rooms. So the environmental flag method is as follows: $ @Invisflag #end :iset *#put <direction> <type1> #end :iclear *#put <direction> <type2> #end :icheck #if blocked <direction> isset #Checker:isclear #end :isset #Checker:isset #end $ There are many ways to modify the above program. For one, you could add more flags for the object to set by copying over each of the sections, changing <direction> each time: $ @Invisflag #end :iset1 #put n invisible #end :iset2 #put e invisible #end :iclear1 #put n empty #end :iclear2 #put e empty #end :icheck1 #if blocked n isset1 #Checker1:isclear #end :isset1 #Checker1:isset #end :icheck2 #if blocked e isset2 #Checker2:isclear #end :isset2 #Checker2:isset #end $ To set a flag, an object will #send invisflag:iset. To clear a flag, an object will #send invisflag:iclear. To test a flag, an object will #send invisflag:icheck. For a "set" answer, the @Checker uses a :isset label. For a "cleared" answer, a @Checker uses a :isclear label. $ Or, only for method 1*, you could have the invisible be a certain color, unused by the rest of the board, take out any :icheck or :isset sections and have the checking object do an #if any <color> invisible isset. Of course, the <color> for the checker's program must be the same as the invisible it is checking. $ I am only using these label names for example. You can name them anything you want. $ All <direction>s in the invisible setter 's program (per flag) must be the same. $ * There are two methods of hiding the flag's status. In the first method, <type1> is normal and <type2> is fake. In the second method, <type1> is invisible and <type2> is empty. The player will not see these differences, but the object will. $ As you can see, the object must be blocked in the direction for the "flag" to be set, and not blocked for the "flag" to be cleared. Fake and empty are the only types that will work for "not blocked". Since invisibles and empties look alike, and normals and fakes look alike, the player sees nothing and thinks a real flag has been set. So the program changes the environmet for the pseudo-flag to be set. $ NOTE: Be sure to hide this device inside the wall. For method 1*, it is surrounded by empties and is invisible, and for method 2*, it looks like ² and is surrounded by normals. $ Now on to flag-saving methods using #set and #clear. $ $Sequenced flags $ If you need one thing to get another, this is your method. For instance, if you need a key to open a chest that has a certain treasure in it, here are programs for the key and chest. $ @key #end :touch Got the key! #play +tcegcegceg+sc #set key #die $ @treasure #end :touch #if not key oops #clear key #set treasure Got the treasure! #play tcdefsdefgifgabqgab+c #die :oops #play h--gc You need the key to open the chest! #end $ $Piggybacking flags $ If there are two flags to set, you can have one flag set for the both of them. $ @Item1 #end :touch You have item 1. #if item2 piggyback #set item1 #die :piggyback #clear item2 #set items #die @Item2 #end :touch You have item 2. #if item1 piggyback #set item2 #die :piggyback #clear item1 #set items #die @Checker #if item1 item1 #if items item1 You do not have item 1! /i/i/i/i/i/i #item2check :item1 ' You have item 1! ' :item2check #if item2 item2 #if items item2 You do not have item 2! #end :item2 ' You have item 2! ' :itemschek #if items good You do not have both items. #end :good #play icccexcqg You have both items!!!! I'll take those.. #clear items #die $ If items is set, item1 nor item2 are set, but are implied to be. If item1 is set, item2 is cleared. If item2 is set, item1 is cleared. All it takes is a little logic! $ $Inversed flags $ This is a method where the goal for the player is to #CLEAR as many flags as he can. One object in the first room will set as many flags as it will, and you CLEAR flags along the way. You can combine this method with others by inversing any #clear and #set commands. And the next tip, NO DOUBLING, will not be a danger with this method. AND you can set 9 flags right away and never worry about using too many, as long as you have their names memorized or written down somewhere. $ $NO DOUBLED FLAGS!!! $(Do not worry if you applied method #6.) $ You can #clear <flag> as many times as you like! But you cannot #set <flag> as many times as you like. I have already displayed an object disappearing after its flag is set. But what if, for instance , a flag represents a MEMORY? Or an EXPERIENCE? You could place a book some- where for the player to read. As he reads it, a flag is set. This represents him knowing something that he will apply later , but only if the flag is set. Think about it! The player himself will use the book for reference, and each time he touches it, <flag> is #set, over and over again! A doubled flag serves no purpose, and is VERY, VERY wasteful. Here is a program representing the wasteful book: $ @Book #end :touch $ Ya, da ya, yah! Yakkity shmakkity. Blah blah. Blah. By the way, you now know how to make home-made ammo. $ #set makeammo #end $ If this book is important, we would not want to have it #die, like a scroll! Here is an efficient solution: $ @Book #end :touch $ Yah! Yah! Yah! The same old yap. You know how to make home-made ammo. $ #if makeammo then stop #set makeammo :stop #end $ Get the difference? If makeammo is already SET, the #set makeammo command is skipped. $ #end ••   •• •    ••       ••    •      •        •             •  •• ••  •    •         •    •      •        ••••          •   •••   •    •         •    •      •        •             •    •    •    •         •    •      •        •             •         •    •         •    •      •        •             •         •    •         •    •      •        •             •         •    ••       ••    •     ••        •     •       •         •     ••     ••     •••••••         •••••••       •         •      •••••••                                                                  ALL NEW COMMANDS!   •••••••••••••••••                           Feel free to        •       •      •    You'll learn        come inside -------•-------•---------- more!!! :)        the program        •       •           :D        and check my        •       •      •                        programming!    •••••••••••••••••                             TRICKS AND ADVICE!                                    Z Z T - O O P P R O G R A M M I N G L A N G U A G E T U T O R              by: D a v i d P i n k s t o n