slidge:glossary_of_terms [Home of Slidge]

This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
==== Terminology ====
I'll be referring to parts of the engine throughout this wiki, and it's important to explain, briefly, what they mean in the context of the programming, data, and conceptual organization. To see how the terms fit together, see [[hierarchy_in_slidge]].

^Term   ^Definition    ^
|File   |<WRAP>A file is an arbitrary collection of Scenes (see below). You can divide your dialog content into multiple files, or keep it all in one file. Some reasons to possibly use multiple files:\\
  *Speed. Files load very fast, but if your game is hugemongous, you might split up some dialog.
  *DLC. If your game will have downloadable extra content, you'll have files for that.
  *Localization. You can use the game's language suffix to load different sets of files for different languages
</WRAP>  |
|Scene   |<WRAP>A Scene is a collection of Moments (see below) that must be played in order. Scenes can be used to arrange pieces of dialog and character movements and choices. Typically, a Scene ends when the player is faced with a set of choices: each choice then links to a new scene. Every scene contains the following:\\
  *End Link: This is the name of a Scene, or it's a variable that contains a Scene name
    *After the final moment in a scene plays, the engine follows the End Link on to the next Scene
    *If there's no valid End Link, the dialog has ended. The Show Object will remove itself.
    *If Choices are used, a Scene might never reach the End Link due to redirection via choice links
  *Entries: Internally tracked property to count entries (usually moments) within one Scene
</WRAP>  |
|Moment  |<WRAP>A Moment represents one visual set of information presented on the screen. For example, several characters standing on the screen with a line of dialog might be a moment. In the next moment, those characters might move or a "next" line of dialog might appear. Moments have a set of properties associated with them:\\
  *Sound: A sound to play when the moment starts. If the sound file is still playing when the moment ends, it continues unless another moment plays a sound.
  *Background: A graphic to display behind all other dialog engine content
  *Time: Moments can advance automatically if you wish.
</WRAP>  |