At [Fri, 17 Jan 1997 17:34:53 -0600 (CST)] Eduardo Gutierrez de Oliveira <eduo@sparc.ciateq.conacyt.mx> wrote: > HIYA Guys! > > I was wondering if there is any advantages/disadvantages in having the > player files exist as ASCII files or as individual ASCII files and if has > someone done this succesfully. Also if there is any tutorial on how to do > it. > > I ask this because I just compiled ROM24 as a test and the ASCII files are > very useful when changing things to individual users and when adding any > parameter to players (just append that to all player files and you're set, > no more player file wipes). > HIGHLY recommended! The freedom to add and modify the structures at will w/o having to convert a binary file was worth the effort for me. In addition it makes archiving non-active players much easier. It also allows one to look at the values stored in the file with an editor, such as vi, to determine what went wrong, should you find a bug in a player that gets saved, etc. The addition of a 'version' tag will allow you to add new values, and automatically 'upgrade' any player that logs on. With some thought, you can all but eliminate many of the problems that the binary files impose, and the problems creating new character attributes brings. However, as with all good things, there's a tradeoff. ASCII files take much longer to process than a binary file does. Careful coding will mitigate that to some extent, but you should plan for it.. and if running on a machine with little resources to spare, it might prove to be a hassle. --Mallory +-----------------------------------------------------------+ | Ensure that you have read the CircleMUD Mailing List FAQ: | | http://cspo.queensu.ca/~fletcher/Circle/list_faq.html | +-----------------------------------------------------------+
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