Changes for page Mission Director Guide

Last modified by Klaus Meyer on 2025/03/31 16:39

From version 32945.1
edited by Daniel Turner
on 2023/08/22 17:32
Change comment: There is no comment for this version
To version 32946.1
edited by Daniel Turner
on 2023/08/22 18:43
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

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... ... @@ -394,9 +394,13 @@
394 394  
395 395  * **Conditions with results:** If the instantiating cue has conditions with results, those results are stored in variables - but in the variables of the static cue, not of the instance! So in the <actions> you have to access the variables via the **static **keyword:\\
396 396  
397 -{{code}}<debug_text text="static.$foo"/>{{/code}}
398 -\\It may even be necessary to copy the variables over to the instance because the static variables can be overwritten by the next condition check:
399 -\\{{code}}<set_value name="$foo" exact="static.$foo"/>{{/code}}
397 +{{code language="xml"}}
398 + <debug_text text="static.$foo"/>
399 +{{/code}}
400 +It may even be necessary to copy the variables over to the instance because the static variables can be overwritten by the next condition check:
401 +{{code language="xml"}}
402 +<set_value name="$foo" exact="static.$foo"/>
403 +{{/code}}
400 400  
401 401  * **Resetting completed/cancelled instances:** As explained above, sub-instances are only created when needed (when going to the //waiting// state) and are destroyed when they are not needed any more (when they are completed or cancelled, including all sub-cues). There are cases in which you want to access cues that don't exist any more - it simply doesn't work. In some cases you are safe: You can be sure that all your ancestors exist, and instantiating cues won't be removed until they are cancelled. In some other cases you simply don't know and have to check if the instance is already (or still) there.
402 402  * **Lifetime of instances:** Do not make assumptions about when an instance is removed! Just looking at it in the Debug Manager keeps it alive for the time being. So, sometimes you could still have a completed instance that wouldn't exist under other circumstances.
... ... @@ -703,15 +703,15 @@
703 703  
704 704  These restrictions only apply to the keys, there are no restrictions for values that you assign to them. For example:
705 705  
706 -* {{code}}table[]{{/code}} ⟹ creates an empty table
707 -* {{code}}table[{0} = null]{{/code}} ⟹ creates a table that maps the number 0 to null\\
710 +* {{code language="xml"}}table[]{{/code}} ⟹ creates an empty table
711 +* {{code language="xml"}}table[{0} = null]{{/code}} ⟹ creates a table that maps the number 0 to null\\
708 708  
709 709  
710 710  
711 -* {{code}}table[{'$foo'} = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ a table that maps the string '$foo' to the string 'bar'
712 -* {{code}}table[$foo = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ exactly the same, just a shorter notation for string keys
713 -* {{code}}table[foo = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ error, 'foo' does not start with a '$'
714 -* {{code}}table[{1} = [], {2} = table[]] {{/code}} ⟹ a table that maps 1 to an empty list and 2 to an empty table\\
715 +* {{code language="xml"}}table[{'$foo'} = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ a table that maps the string '$foo' to the string 'bar'
716 +* {{code language="xml"}}table[$foo = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ exactly the same, just a shorter notation for string keys
717 +* {{code language="xml"}}table[foo = 'bar']{{/code}} ⟹ error, 'foo' does not start with a '$'
718 +* {{code language="xml"}}table[{1} = [], {2} = table[]] {{/code}} ⟹ a table that maps 1 to an empty list and 2 to an empty table\\
715 715  
716 716  
717 717  
... ... @@ -1085,7 +1085,7 @@
1085 1085  
1086 1086  Cues can have **<patch>** elements with actions that will be performed when an old savegame is loaded. To control which savegames should be affected, you can add a //**version **//attribute to the <cue> node and a //**sinceversion**// attribute in the patch. When a cue is loaded from a savegame that has an older version than //sinceversion//, the <patch> actions will be performed immediately after loading.
1087 1087  
1088 -{{code}}<cue [...] version="42"> <conditions> [...] </conditions> <actions> [...] </actions> <patch sinceversion="42"> [patch actions] </patch></cue>{{/code}}
1092 +{{code language="xml"}}<cue [...] version="42"> <conditions> [...] </conditions> <actions> [...] </actions> <patch sinceversion="42"> [patch actions] </patch></cue>{{/code}}
1089 1089  
1090 1090  The patch actions are only performed if the cue is in a certain state, "complete" by default. Use the //**state**// attribute to change this requirement. For more information, see the XML schema documentation of the <patch> element.
1091 1091  
... ... @@ -1111,11 +1111,11 @@
1111 1111  
1112 1112  There are many conditions and conditional actions that require a value comparison, for example the condition <check_value>:
1113 1113  
1114 -{{code}}<check_value value="$ware == ware.silicon and $amount != 0"/>{{/code}}
1118 +{{code language="xml"}}<check_value value="$ware == ware.silicon and $amount != 0"/>{{/code}}
1115 1115  
1116 1116  In the value attribute you specify a boolean expression, and if it is true (that is, not equal to zero), the condition is met. This is a special case: This condition and all other nodes that support a value comparison allows you to specify an upper limit, a lower limit, a number range, or a list of allowed values. Examples:
1117 1117  
1118 -{{code}}<check_value value="FooCue.state" exact="cuestate.complete"/><check_value value="$foo.count" min="5"/><check_value value="$foo" max="player.age + 1min"/><check_value value="player.money" min="300Cr" max="600Cr"/><check_value value="$method" list="[killmethod.hitbymissile, killmethod.collected]"/><check_value value="$attention" min="attention.visible"/>{{/code}}
1122 +{{code language="xml"}}<check_value value="FooCue.state" exact="cuestate.complete"/><check_value value="$foo.count" min="5"/><check_value value="$foo" max="player.age + 1min"/><check_value value="player.money" min="300Cr" max="600Cr"/><check_value value="$method" list="[killmethod.hitbymissile, killmethod.collected]"/><check_value value="$attention" min="attention.visible"/>{{/code}}
1119 1119  
1120 1120  {{info}}Values of most enumeration types cannot be compared via ''min'' or ''max'' (also not via lt, gt, etc.). The only data types that can be used with ''min'' and ''max'' are numbers and the enumeration types ''level'' and ''attention'' (see Boolean operators). The ''exact'' attribute can be used with any type, and is equivalent to using the == operator."{{/info}}
1121 1121  
... ... @@ -1127,21 +1127,21 @@
1127 1127  
1128 1128  If an action requires a value, e.g. when you set a variable to a value, you can have some randomisation. To specify an exact value, e.g. in <set_value>, you can write this:
1129 1129  
1130 -{{code}}<set_value name="$race" exact="race.teladi"/>{{/code}}
1134 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$race" exact="race.teladi"/>{{/code}}
1131 1131  
1132 1132  To select a random element from a list, this syntax can be used:
1133 1133  
1134 -{{code}}<set_value name="$prime" list="[2, 3, 5, 7, 11]"/>{{/code}}
1138 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$prime" list="[2, 3, 5, 7, 11]"/>{{/code}}
1135 1135  
1136 1136  To get a random number within a given range, you can use min/max:
1137 1137  
1138 -{{code}}<set_value name="$foo" min="-20" max="20"/><set_value name="$timeout" max="20s"/>{{/code}}
1142 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$foo" min="-20" max="20"/><set_value name="$timeout" max="20s"/>{{/code}}
1139 1139  
1140 1140  min and max have to be compatible number types. Enumeration types are not allowed, not even level and attention. The min attribute is optional and defaults to 0 (of the number type used in max).
1141 1141  
1142 1142  You can select one of 5 different probability distribution profiles for the random range, "flat" being the default (all values in the range are equally likely). If you select another profile, e.g. "increasing" to make higher numbers more likely, you also have to specify a scale value (integer) that is greater or equal to 2. Higher scale values result in higher peaks in the distribution profiles (probable values become even more probable).
1143 1143  
1144 -{{code}}<set_value name="$foo" min="-20" max="20" profile="profile.increasing" scale="4"/>{{/code}}
1148 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$foo" min="-20" max="20" profile="profile.increasing" scale="4"/>{{/code}}
1145 1145  
1146 1146  \\(% id="variables-and-namespaces" %)
1147 1147  
... ... @@ -1154,35 +1154,35 @@
1154 1154  
1155 1155  == Creating and removing variables ==
1156 1156  
1157 -{{{You can create variables with certain actions and conditions, such as the <set_value> action:}}}
1161 +You can create variables with certain actions and conditions, such as the <set_value> action:
1158 1158  
1159 -{{code}}<set_value name="$foo" exact="$bar + 1" />{{/code}}
1163 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$foo" exact="$bar + 1" />{{/code}}
1160 1160  
1161 1161  <set_value> also exists as a "condition", which can be useful if you want to pass information about the conditions to the actions, that would otherwise be lost - like in a complex <check_any> event condition, where you want to create a variable only if you are in a certain check branch. (Other pseudo-conditions are <remove_value> and <debug_text>.)
1162 1162  
1163 1163  The default operation of <set_value> is "**set**", but there are more: "**add**", "**subtract**", and "**insert**". //add// and //subtract// change the value of an existing variable, which is created as 0 if it didn't exist before. If neither //min//, //max// nor //exact// attribute is provided, an exact value of 1 is assumed.
1164 1164  
1165 -{{code}}<set_value name="$foo" operation="add" />{{/code}}
1169 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$foo" operation="add" />{{/code}}
1166 1166  
1167 1167  The trick is that <set_value> not only works on variables, but also on list elements and table keys:
1168 1168  
1169 -{{code}}<set_value name="$list.{1}" exact="42" /><set_value name="$table.$foo" exact="42" />{{/code}}\\
1173 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$list.{1}" exact="42" /><set_value name="$table.$foo" exact="42" />{{/code}}\\
1170 1170  
1171 1171  The operation //insert// is special, and it only works on lists. It inserts the value at the specified position (note that the position beyond the last element is also valid here):
1172 1172  
1173 -{{code}}<set_value name="$list.{1}" exact="42" operation="insert" />{{/code}}
1177 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$list.{1}" exact="42" operation="insert" />{{/code}}
1174 1174  
1175 1175  This shifts the positions of all following elements up by one. If min/max/exact are missing, the default value is null for insertions, not 1 like in other cases.
1176 1176  
1177 1177  Appending is easier than that. The following actions are equivalent:
1178 1178  
1179 -{{code}}<set_value name="$list.{$list.count + 1}" exact="42" operation="insert" /><append_to_list name="$list" exact="42" />{{/code}}
1183 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="$list.{$list.count + 1}" exact="42" operation="insert" /><append_to_list name="$list" exact="42" />{{/code}}
1180 1180  
1181 1181  Inserting at a position below 1 or above $list.count + 1 is not possible.
1182 1182  
1183 1183  To remove variables or list/table entries, use <remove_value>:
1184 1184  
1185 -{{code}}<remove_value name="$foo" /><remove_value name="$list.{1}" /><remove_value name="$table.$foo" />{{/code}}\\
1189 +{{code language="xml"}}<remove_value name="$foo" /><remove_value name="$list.{1}" /><remove_value name="$table.$foo" />{{/code}}\\
1186 1186  
1187 1187  Removing an entry from a list shifts all following elements down by one. If you want to clear an entry without removing it from the list, just use <set_value> instead.
1188 1188  
... ... @@ -1192,11 +1192,11 @@
1192 1192  
1193 1193  You can also read and write variables in other cues by using the variable name as property key:
1194 1194  
1195 -{{code}}<set_value name="OtherCue.$foo" min="0.0" max="1.0" /><set_value name="md.OtherScript.YetAnotherCue.$bar" exact="OtherCue.$foo" />{{/code}}
1199 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="OtherCue.$foo" min="0.0" max="1.0" /><set_value name="md.OtherScript.YetAnotherCue.$bar" exact="OtherCue.$foo" />{{/code}}
1196 1196  
1197 1197  Instead of referencing a cue by name, you could also reference it via a keyword or another variable:
1198 1198  
1199 -{{code}}<set_value name="static.$counter" operation="add" /><set_value name="parent.$foo" exact="42" /><set_value name="this.$bar" exact="parent" /><set_value name="$baz" exact="this.$bar.$foo" />{{/code}}
1203 +{{code language="xml"}}<set_value name="static.$counter" operation="add" /><set_value name="parent.$foo" exact="42" /><set_value name="this.$bar" exact="parent" /><set_value name="$baz" exact="this.$bar.$foo" />{{/code}}
1200 1200  
1201 1201  \\\\\\(% id="namespaces" %)
1202 1202  
... ... @@ -1206,7 +1206,7 @@
1206 1206  
1207 1207  Consider this case:
1208 1208  
1209 -{{code}}<cue name="Root"> <actions> <set_value name="$foo" /> </actions> <cues> <cue name="SubCue"> [...] </cue> </cues></cue>{{/code}}
1213 +{{code language="xml"}}<cue name="Root"> <actions> <set_value name="$foo" /> </actions> <cues> <cue name="SubCue"> [...] </cue> </cues></cue>{{/code}}
1210 1210  
1211 1211  When the root cue creates $foo, the variable is stored in the Root cue directly. But SubCue and its descendants will also need access to $foo. Of course they could write "parent.$foo" or "Root.$foo", but since it's very common to have a single location for most variables in the whole cue tree, the easy solution is to write just "$foo" - because variable names are looked up in the **namespace cue**, which is the root by default. Also newly created variables end up in the namespace, and not in "this" cue.
1212 1212  
... ... @@ -1225,4 +1225,4 @@
1225 1225  
1226 1226  {{warning}}Although in general the expression "$foo == namespace.$foo" is true, there is one exception: When library parameters are evaluated in the referencing cue, variables are resolved using the parent's namespace. However, the referencing cue creates a new namespace, so the namespace keyword already points to the library, not to the parent's namespace. Example:
1227 1227  
1228 -<code><cue name="LibRef" ref="Lib"> <param name="Param1" value="$foo" /> <!-- $foo from parent namespace --> <param name="Param2" value="namespace.$foo" /> <!-- LibRef.$foo (error) --></cue></code>{{/warning}}
1232 +<code language="xml"><cue name="LibRef" ref="Lib"> <param name="Param1" value="$foo" /> <!-- $foo from parent namespace --> <param name="Param2" value="namespace.$foo" /> <!-- LibRef.$foo (error) --></cue></code>{{/warning}}