[H]ACK REQUEST: Raising the object db limit...

[Garth's Equipment Shop]

Any chance of raising the limit on maximum # of objects per adventure? I could really really use such a hack right now! I am having to do some serious rethinking of how to implement many objects for my WL project that would otherwise be simple if it weren't for the 254 limit on object creation. I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll have to make do with only 480 graphic tiles but the object limit is really beginning to hurt about now!

[Chris H]

I'm not sure if there's a way to hack this one like the graphic tiles.. my only advice would be:

- Don't make special weapons for creatures if you can help it; if you want your rat to have attack strength similar to a club, give the sucker a club

- For decorations that are visual but don't have any unique player interaction, use a single object with "set later" graphic rather than lots of separate objects. For example one "tree" object instead of many

- For objects with an obvious (and brief) use, like a key, use a variable instead of an object.

- Use macros whenever possible instead of actions on terrain

I'm probably telling you what you already know, of course...

[Garth's Equipment Shop]

Thanks Chris. Doesn't hurt to refresh the old memory banks with the basics. It does help. Well, actually I guess that wouldn't really be called the basics since those are all things that wouldn't occur to the beginner ACK game designer. The beginner would in fact be applying the basics by doing all those things you recommend against for larger more advanced projects.