Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
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From: kennedy@kennedy.bridgewater.ne.hcc.com
Subject: Re: GUI window style -- please advise
Message-ID: <1994Oct24.192212.27171@hcc.com>
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References: <1994Oct21.202556.26213@hcc.com> <38aemh$4ru@newsbf01.news.aol.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 19:22:12 GMT

In <38aemh$4ru@newsbf01.news.aol.com>, dblaheta@aol.com (DBlaheta) writes:
>The default font is a monospace font (Monaco) but can be changed to a
>proportional font.
>
>You can't resize the window... except by changing the font size, in which
>case it automatically changes.  It's always an 80x25 text box.  (In
>proportional fonts, it's the widest 80 can be.)

Thanks for the information.  If I have the free time, then, I'll
consider using PM for my OS/2 port when Zip is upgraded to V6, since it
appears that it will be fairly simple, and it should be a lot easier to
do the graphics part in PM than by direct, device-dependent, buffer
access.

>In terms of what?  In a way I prefer the DOS (or whatever) because then
>the game is full screen; I particularly like the 80x50 text of VGA ZIP.
>OTOH, I like the Mac's ability to task-switch during a game (makes mapping
>easier) and font-changing.  Things I would look for (PAY ATTENTION, MAC
>PORTERS OF ZIP!) in the Mac or any other GUI game is more than selecting
>Save from the File menu and seeing "SAVE<cr>" typed at the prompt.

I believe this is the best that can be done, in the case of Zip.
Several of the real Infocom games contain non-trivial processing beyond
the actual save/restore on these verbs, so the verb _has_ to go through
the regular prompt cycle.  A game designed from the ground up, of
course, should work otherwise.

It was because of such considerations that my list-save-files feature
in Zip-for-OS/2 uses Control-D to invoke the function and a separate
window to display the output; the Z machine never sees it happening.

>I
>would also like better scripting-to-file capabilities and scrollback of,
>oh, say, 100 lines.  Resizability is sort of silly, but I suppose you
>might include that too.

At infinite trouble and expense, "Glastonbury Tor" should have
unlimited scrollback.  (I had to have scrollback anyway, to handle
changes in window size....)


John W. Kennedy - Hoechst Celanese - Team OS/2 - (The OS/2 Hobbit) - TIPA
IBMMAIL: USAHC29S            IBMLink: NAAO3IY     "Compact is becoming contract;
CompuServe: 75136,1413       Prodigy: MTMV04A      Man only earns and pays."
Internet: kennedy@kennedy.bridgewater.ne.hcc.com     -- Charles Williams
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