________________________ Virtual Reality Studio Part 7 ________________________ GENERAL Menu Options Note: The options are arranged in order of appearance, from top to bottom. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: PREFERENCES --------------------------- Function: Set up specific Parameters used in the Virtual Reality Studio to your own preference. Response: A Dialog Box will appear Action: Enter the required numerical input. Response: The Preferences will be set to those selected whenever possible. Note 1: This function allows you to set up the step sizes for the vehicles/cameras used during editing. There are three step sizes; move step size, angle step size and object step size. Each step size has two entries, one for the left mouse button and one for the right button when clicking on the icons. The keys will use the left mouse button step size. Note 2: When the buffer size is changed ALL CURRENT DATA IS LOST. If an attempt is made to allocate more memory than is available the system will allocate as much as it can. After allocating a buffer of a different size than that requested, an ALERT BOX will be displayed showing the amount requested and the actual amount allocated. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: RESET --------------------------- Function: Resets the game/environment to the initial position as set in the defaults. Response: The game/environment will reset Note: This also resets all objects/animators to their initial status and clears all variables except Variable 255. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: CREATE CONDITION --------------------------- Function: Create a new GENERAL condition. Response: A new GENERAL condition will be allocated ready for editing. Note: GENERAL conditions are conditions which are executed each FREESCAPE frame regardless of the players position with the exception of the "Initial" condition specified in the Defaults section. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: EDIT CONDITION --------------------------- Function: To edit a GENERAL condition. Response: A list of existing General Conditions will be displayed in the Item Selector. Action: Select a condition from the Item Selector. The Selected condition will then be displayed below the VIEW Window. This can be edited using normal text editing. Note: See also CONDITIONS. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: DELETE CONDITION --------------------------- Function: Deletes a General Condition. Response: A list will be displayed, as above, and once a selection is made from the list the specified condition will be erased from memory. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: DEFAULTS --------------------------- Function: Set up the Default game variables. Action: Within this DIALOG BOX you can alter: 1. The climb ability 2. The "safe" fall distance 3. The activate range 4. The Timer frequency 5. The start area 6. The start entrance 7. The initial mode 8. The initial General Condition number Note: RESET should be selected to set these Defaults. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: CONTROLS --------------------------- Function: To set up the controls that are used in the Test Screen. Response: A list of the available control displayed. Action: Select a control by clicking left mouse button over the name. Once a control is selected any key pressed will become the key associated with that control. Response: The key name will be displayed next to the control. Next to the key name you will notice a small tick or cross . This indicates whether an icon in the Test Screen has been defined for the control or not. Action: To define an icon for the control, click right mouse button over the name. Response: The Currently loaded BORDER (if any) will replace the Virtual Reality Screen. Action: To set the position of the icon, move the mouse pointer to the top left corner of the desired area and click the left mouse button. You will notice a box appear, this box will follow your mouse pointer movements growing and shrinking accordingly. Move the mouse to the bottom right corner of the desired area so that the box encompasses the area of the icon (note although the icon area must be rectangular this does not mean that the image of the icon on the border must be, as the rectangle of the icon definition is invisible anyway), then click on the mouse button to set the definition.. Response: A Dialog Box will appear Action: Select whether the icon should be activated by the left, right, either, or both mouse buttons in the Dialogue box. Once the icon is set the list of controls will be re-displayed and you may continue to edit the controls. When editing is completed select the TICK icon to set the controls and the Virtual Reality Studio screen will be re-displayed. Note 1: Selecting "either" will register both left and right mouse buttons. For movement the right button will default to a step size five times that of the left button, and turning will step by 30 degrees. Note 2: Using any of the function keys as an associated key will set that control to undefined - it cannot be used, neither from the keys nor using an icon. Note 3: Icon controls can only be activated if an associated key is defined. Note 4: See "Additional Information" section for default controls. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: CREATE INSTRUMENT --------------------------- Function: Allocate a new instrument. Response: A new Instrument will be added Note: When created, an instrument will default to UNDEFINED and will therefore not be displayed at all. The new instrument can be edited using the EDIT INSTRUMENT function detailed below. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: EDIT INSTRUMENT --------------------------- Function: To edit the various parameters associated with instruments. Response: A list of the current Instruments will be displayed. Action: Select the Instrument from the Item Selector. Response: A dialogue box will be displayed. Note: Each parameter required to define an instrument will now be dealt with in turn. TYPE: Each instrument must have a type, these include HORIZONTAL (bar), VERTICAL (bar) NUMERICAL and TEXT WINDOW or UNDEFINED. The two bars are thermometer style sliding indicators, they can be various sizes and combinations of colors. Also, the direction of the bar can be set using min/max values explained later, a sliding bar must have associated with it a VARIABLE number as this is where the instrument will get its current setting from. The NUMERICAL type is simply a text area where the value is its associated instrument is displayed in decimal. This can include negative numbers. If the minimum value is negative, the instrument will use a sign if necessary to display the value. The TEXT WINDOW type is an area on the screen definable as both height and width in which messages may be printed using the FCL command PRINT. (See Conditions Section). POSITION and SIZE define the screen position and size of the instrument, all instrument types are positioned to pixel boundaries, horizontal and vertical bar sizes are defined in increments of 1 pixel while text window and numerical types are defined in steps of 8 pixels (1 character). VARIABLE NUMBER contains the number of the variable (if required) that the instrument will fetch is value from. LEFT/BOTTOM contains the leftmost/bottommost value for a sliding bar, or numeric instrument, by making this value lower than the RIGHT/TOP value the bar will either go down or to the left or vice versa. RIGHT/TOP contains the uppermost/rightmost value for a sliding or numeric bar, see also LEFT/BOTTOM, the step change for a sliding bar will be automatically scaled according to the difference between LEFT/BOTTOM and RIGHT/TOP values and the size of the bar. FG/BG COLOR contains the two color numbers (for the Foreground and Background) in which the bar/text will be printed. The following are legal colors for instruments: CGA: Alphanumeric Instruments 0...3 Horizontal/Vertical bars 0...15 EGA Alphanumeric Instruments 0...15 Horizontal/Vertical bars 0..255 Instruments associated with a variable may be updated in two ways, either by altering the contents of the associated variable, in which case the instrument is automatically updated or by calling the FCL command UPDATE! with the relevant number. The text window type instrument can be updated only by using FCL command PRINT. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: SET VIEW WINDOW --------------------------- Function: To set the size and position of the FREESCAPE view window in the Test screen. Response: The Virtual Reality Studio screen will be replaced by the alternate Test window. This will be black if no border has been loaded. Action: Position the mouse pointer at the top left of your required window and drag the box to surround the area you wish to be included. Click the left mouse button once more at the bottom right and the window will be set. Note: The width is limited to 256 pixels. --------------------------- Menu: GENERAL Name: TEST --------------------------- Function: Go to the Test screen allowing the environment to be tested. Note 1: This performs the same function as the F1 key which toggles between the two screens. Pressing the F1 key is necessary to return to the editor. Note 2: Cameras are not allowed in the test area. The mode will default to WALK, FLY1 or FLY2 is using a camera when the test screen is accessed. *** END ***