Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The FRED Workshop => Topic started by: Teta on August 13, 2008, 05:13:09 am

Title: Briefings
Post by: Teta on August 13, 2008, 05:13:09 am
For some reason, when i type a briefing, then save, 3/4 of each slide's text delete's it's self, anyone got any idea why this is happening, its starting to seriously stress me out
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: karajorma on August 13, 2008, 05:49:12 am
;     <------------------

I'll bet you're using a semicolon in the briefing just before the disappearing text. If you have to have a semicolon simply type $semicolon and the game should replace it automatically when running the mission.
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: NGTM-1R on August 13, 2008, 06:49:51 am
FRED has also been known to get upset at certain other things, like when I tried to format a CB so it read like actual message traffic...
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: Snail on August 13, 2008, 07:25:15 am
;     <------------------

I'll bet you're using a semicolon in the briefing just before the disappearing text. If you have to have a semicolon simply type $semicolon and the game should replace it automatically when running the mission.
Is this an SCP feature?
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on August 13, 2008, 12:35:19 pm
Yes.  If it wasn't there wouldn't be so many screwed up messages in retail (only visible in a text editor).
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: WMCoolmon on August 18, 2008, 09:40:07 pm
It should warn over this kind of thing...probably take awhile to sort it out though.
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: karajorma on August 19, 2008, 01:13:52 am
It's earlier in the morning than my brain usually starts working but a glance at the code makes it look like all the message text boxes pass through management.cpp string_copy()

If my sleep addled brain isn't screwing me over I might be able to just parse through the message looking for the ; character at that point and replace if when and if I find it.
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on August 19, 2008, 12:32:05 pm
Wouldn't that break backward compatibility with retail messages?  There are a few out there that will have double text.  V seemed to be good at using a ; then wondering where the text went and typing it back in without the ; . 
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: karajorma on August 19, 2008, 01:16:22 pm
Nope. It would simply parse whatever was in the message box in FRED. Since :v: missions with the bug only load up to the semicolon it wouldn't do anything to them at all.
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on August 19, 2008, 01:37:27 pm
Ah I was thinking you were modifying it as it was loading.  Guess my brain wasn't awake yet either. (checks for open beer, nope not awake yet)

Are you going to implement this for all text in FRED? Briefings, Command briefings, debriefings, messages, mission specs, mission description, etc? 
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: karajorma on August 19, 2008, 01:42:46 pm
Whenever I get around to this I should implement if for any text box that can be screwed over by simply adding a ;
Title: Re: Briefings
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on August 19, 2008, 01:53:26 pm
Guess the other thing to look for is any other character that can screw it up.  Haven't seen one yet but have seen messed up briefings and debriefings that don't involve a ; .  Don't know if something caused it or just leftover junk from a crash.