Cross-platform Scenario Guide

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Beginning with Aleph One 0.16, it is possible to create a "Unimap", a scenario that will work with both SDL and Mac versions of Aleph One. Follow the guidelines below, and you only need to offer one download.

  • Users must have Aleph One 0.16 or higher
  • The Shapes and Sounds files will work without modification
  • For Map and Images, you need to encode them as MacBinary. Download a tool such as macbinconv or Nutcase MacBinary and encode your Map and Images files with it. It will create Map.bin and Images.bin, which you should then rename back to Map and Images.
  • MML should go in the Scripts folder
  • If you rename Aleph One Preferences, Untitled Game, or Aleph One Recording by changing stringsets in MML, make sure the new names are file names only! If you use a path with directories in it for any of those, some users may not be able to start the game.
  • Some file systems are case sensitive. While your setup may work fine on your system, double check to make sure the capitalization in your files and MML matches exactly.
  • Add these file extensions (and change MML string sets to match):
    • Maps: .sceA
    • Shapes: .shpA
    • Sounds: .sndA
    • Physics: .phyA
    • Images: .imgA
    • Music: .aif, or .wav, or .mp3, whatever you use
  • Zip the scenario using YemuZip. Do not use Stuffit!
  • The zip file should contain one folder, which contains the scenario data itself. For example, if you unstuff MarathonInfinity.zip, you get a "Marathon Infinity" folder, which contains Map.sceA, Scripts, etc.

Here are some suggestions that don't necessarily have to be followed, but will help users and avoid headaches in the future:

  • Lua netscripts can go anywhere but in the Scripts folder; but to avoid confusing users, I suggest you put them in a Netscripts folder.
  • For convenience, you can include the Fonts file and Themes folder from the Windows version of Aleph One. This way, Windows users will merely have to copy AlephOne.exe into the scenario folder. If you create your own custom theme and put it in Themes, that's even better!
  • Use JPEG or PNG for OpenGL load screens, and DDS for replacement textures (Replacement_Texture_Guide)
  • Use AIFF, WAV, Ogg/Vorbis, or mp3 for music. Ogg/Vorbis is recommended
  • Use AIFF or WAV for MML-specified replacement sounds
  • Use MPEG-1 for movies.
  • Customize the preferences file name in MML so the user's prefs are kept separate from other scenarios
  • Use the MML scenario tag to identify your scenario in net games, and (in the future) prevent out-of-sync issues caused by people joining with incompatible scenarios.
  • You can edit the zip file and remove some stuff that Mac OS X adds. For instance: files such as .DS_Store, anything starting with ._ and the __MACOSX folder (if you use YemuZip, there is a setting not to include these files)

If you follow these guidelines, all the user has to do is unzip your scenario, and copy in the appropriate version of Aleph One.

Retrieved from "http://source.bungie.org/wiki/index.php/Cross-platform_Scenario_Guide"
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