Banner and Version - don't get in my way!

Authoring Inform 7
1

Hiya!

Is there a way to stop Banner (and thus also Version) to get in my way? I don’t mind them being shown when requested but I don’t want the game to show them unless the player asks for it.

I’ve got a lovely little spot in my menu for them and of course the command “version” is permitted to live in my game but …

I don’t want it breaking the flow of things I’m building up so far.

Can I gently nudge it to one corner of the room without* giving it free roam of the dance floor where it will repulse the crowd with its horrible moves

  • killing it and stuffing the mutilated corpse in the boot of my car
    Because now it’s half-there and half-not-there and it’s horrible and on the one hand I don’t much care for it because I can fake this much:

On the other hand, it doesn’t show exactly all the info you’d usually find using the version command…

[size=200]TL;DR:[/size] Banner can be shown when called for but it should be otherwise quiet and sit down and shut up and look pretty. Is there a way?

update

Holy jumping f—ing sh–balls…

[size=150]It works![/size] But I don’t know how! [size=1]fuckin’ dark sorcery[/size]

Please, someone! Take a look at this and explain to me how and why this works? I did a thing and I was just dicking around basically and it works.

… I think. I’m suspicious of code that works by accident.

[code]dontbanner is a truth state that varies. dontbanner is true.

Rule for printing the banner text when dontbanner is true:
clear the screen;
now dontbanner is false;

report requesting the story file version when dontbanner is false:
say “A complete list of credentials can be found in the MENU[one of]. Enter the command MENU and navigate to CREDITS for a full list of used extensions[or][cycling].”;

report requesting the story file version when dontbanner is true:
say “… Sorry. If you’re seeing this text, please send a transcript of your play to wes.lesley@hotmail.com [line break]Thing is, you’re never ever ever supposed to ever find this response. Ever.[line break]This is just a safety and, wow. Something spectacular must have gone goofy in the background.[line break]Don’t worry, I’m sure you had nothing to do with it.[line break][line break]Please try it again?”;
now dontbanner is false;[/code]
See, I expected it to show the banner BUT immediately afterwards it would clear the screen so the player wouldn’t notice it… but it doesn’t show up in the transcripts… which is ideal, of course, for what I want - but I just can’t explain it.

2

Your “rule for printing the banner text” is running instead of the normal rule for printing the banner text, which is the thing that prints the banner. This is the usual way with activities–unless you explicitly write “continue the activity,” only one “rule for doing the activity” will run at a time. So you probably don’t need the “clear the screen.”

…I will mention that there’s a gentle request in the Inform documents not to suppress the banner completely, so the game credits Inform and the extension authors. There are some examples in the code that let you show it at different times. Though if you include this information in response to a “credits” command, I guess it’d probably be OK.

3

Yeah it all shows up when i type “version” or when i use it in the technical information or try to display the full list of extension credits - now that I’m on that subject, can I force authoral modesty to be turned off? I feel very strongly that everyone who helped out with this project should be mentioned.

I need the information to show up, but I don’t want it to just pop up. So, it seems i accidentally stumbled onto the best possible way? ^^ awesome.

4

Noble on your part, but if the author of that extension wanted to be left uncredited you should leave it as-is.

If you really, really want to, thank them in the CREDITS section.

5

Already doing that. ^^ On the one hand, it’s all humble and all that they feel they don’t need to be mentioned but… on the other hand, they worked their ass off so that I could build a story for the enjoyment (I hope) of others. They deserve praise! They did most of the freaking work!

6

Respect authorial modesty.

And don’t suppress the banner. You can delay it for a late title-drop effect but make sure it shows once during play. There are chapters in the documentation showing how. (Search “banner”).

7

That’s like asking me to respect someone’s personal boundaries. :wink: /joke So you’re saying I should get all the credit even though they made it possible? Why do we have [complete list of extension credits] available to us then?

I’m not. I just want it to chill out in the corner for a bit.

It’s exactly the point to show the banner - when it’s requested! Not when it’s unwanted. :slight_smile:

8

Note that Inform’s license requires this information to be shown somewhere. I believe having a VERSION command fulfills this requirement, but the documentation makes a direct request as well:

9

It kinda is.

These people made a choice when they put the extensions out. Your sentiments are noble, but you should respect their choice. If you’ve got them covered in the CREDITS section, you’re good.

10

… shit.

massive sigh Hang on I’ll fix it. >_<

All I want for it is to feel like a book.

update: it’s the first thing printed now

11

Think of it as analogous to the imprint on the title page, giving credit to the publishers. Many people ignore it, true, but it’s there for reference.

12

it’s added, it’s the first thing printed.
and i’m not making it unavailable, i’m allowing for various means to acquire the information. I just don’t want it shown without the player specifically asking for it.

13

Once again…late title drop is no problem, and it is often effective to have a short playable portion before the banner if the pacing and impact of the banner is more effective when it comes later. We’re saying don’t eliminate the banner which is not what you’re wanting to do. We’re also saying “if the author went to the trouble of putting “use authorial modesty” in the source, it seems a slight bit rude for you to subvert that.”

It’d be like if you went under a pseudonym, and someone who knew your real name blatantly called you by your real name in public forums or on Facebook.

14

Course you can! You do it like this!

[code]Include (-

[ ANNOUNCE_STORY_FILE_VERSION_R ix;
if (actor ~= player) rfalse;
Banner();
print "Identification number: ";
for (ix=6: ix <= UUID_ARRAY->0: ix++) print (char) UUID_ARRAY->ix;
print “^”;
ix = 0; ! shut up compiler warning
if (standard_interpreter > 0) {
print "Standard interpreter “,
standard_interpreter/256, “.”, standard_interpreter%256,
" (”, HDR_TERPNUMBER->0;
#Iftrue (#version_number == 6);
print (char) ‘.’, HDR_TERPVERSION->0;
#Ifnot;
print (char) HDR_TERPVERSION->0;
#Endif;
print ") / ";
} else {
print "Interpreter ", HDR_TERPNUMBER->0, " Version ";
#Iftrue (#version_number == 6);
print HDR_TERPVERSION->0;
#Ifnot;
print (char) HDR_TERPVERSION->0;
#Endif;
print " / ";
}
print "Library serial number ", (string) LibSerial, “^”;
#Ifdef LanguageVersion;
print (string) LanguageVersion, “^”;
#Endif; ! LanguageVersion
#ifdef ShowExtensionVersions;
ShowFullExtensionVersions();
#endif;
say__p = 1;
];

-) instead of “Announce Story File Version Rule” in “ZMachine.i6t”.

Include (-

[ ANNOUNCE_STORY_FILE_VERSION_R ix;
if (actor ~= player) rfalse;
Banner();
print "Identification number: ";
for (ix=6: ix <= UUID_ARRAY->0: ix++) print (char) UUID_ARRAY->ix;
print “^”;
@gestalt 1 0 ix;
print "Interpreter version ", ix / $10000, “.”, (ix & $FF00) / $100,
“.”, ix & $FF, " / ";
@gestalt 0 0 ix;
print "VM ", ix / $10000, “.”, (ix & $FF00) / $100, “.”, ix & $FF, " / ";
print "Library serial number ", (string) LibSerial, “^”;
#Ifdef LanguageVersion;
print (string) LanguageVersion, “^”;
#Endif; ! LanguageVersion
ShowFullExtensionVersions();
say__p = 1;
];

-) instead of “Announce Story File Version Rule” in “Glulx.i6t”.[/code]

Hope this helps.

15

You can also use this, which also allows for customisation of the IFID header text and includes the code for printing the raw IFID value.

16

Actually, if you wanted to really overrule the extension’s authorial modesty, you could simply copy/paste everything in that extension to a new extension and remove the authorial modesty line.

But don’t.

17

Or edit it in the existing one, provided I possess the intelligence to do so successfully and I lack the niceness.

I only meet one of those two criteria.

18

Clearly, if you’re going to go ahead and willfully go against the wishes of the author’s extension.

19

Either you need to re-read the conditions or I messed up.

Either I would but I can’t.
Or I wouldn’t though I could if I would but I wouldn’t so I’m not gonna.

Both end up in me not doing it.

You wouldn’t happen to know where to find all the adaptive verbs I7 knows, would you?

20

I did misread. Sorry about that. It’s great that you’ve decided to honour the extension author’s wishes. :slight_smile: