| Author |
Message |
Karl Scherer (Karl)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 8:00 am: | |
Hi Jeff,
1.
Often when programming or playing a Zillions game I yearned for the option of some keyboard input.
The advantages are obvious, but I will list a few here anyway:
- much faster than moving the mouse acress the screen and trying to find the right spot to click.
- much easier to program,
- mucxh less clutter on the screen
(much less need for special artificial "buttons" on the screen which essentially represent keuboard buttons
(like up/down/left right arrows).
- a huge area of game will be possible that
are impossible or to awkward to program
or play now; like simulation of a type writer,
word games etc etc.
Command:
Therefore I suggest a new command 'verify-key'
that activates a move or drop after key-board input:
The code could look like thus in a move:
a4 n from...to
(verify-key "up")
add
(setting 'from' essential; otherwise no action) or:
h8..to..
(verify-key "a")
add
in a drop.
drop only executed if key "a" pressed.
If key and mouse are pressed at the same time
Zillions can either always execute the key-move
or always execute the mouse-move;
I would not mind either way.
Any chance that we get this with the next release?
Would be another major step forward.
2. Why does holding down a button have no effect?
Why is there not an option
to let the program react to the case when the
mouse button (or in my wish, the keyboard button)
is continuously pressed?
This would save a lot of clicking
(repetitive stress on muscle, and can be very boring).
Example: Lattice and Isolattice,
where permanent key-pressing (on an arrow button)would draw a long line, instead of clicking
over and over again for a long line.
Similar advantages for other games.
3. Why is program size limited?
I keep on getting program-size problems.
I know I am the exception here but still it would be nice to have powerfull games out there.
I had to inactivate the arrow-buttons in 'Isolattice' (They work in Isolattice Light)
because the program doesn't start otherwise....
Cheers, Karl |
Jeff Mallett (Jeffm)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 2:18 pm: | |
>Why does holding down a button have no effect?
Should it? I think you're the first person to suggest that it should.
>Why is program size limited?
For performance reasons. Some things are unlimited; others are limited. There are a number of different reasons why various things are limited (avoiding memory allocations during the search, minimizing bits in data structures, etc.), but suffice it to say that there are necessary trade-offs. I could make Zillions completely unlimited, which would help you write more complex games, but at the cost of slowing everybody else's games down. Instead, I'm steadily removing or increasing limits as people's computers get faster and have more RAM. |
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