This document compares Free Hero Mesh with ZZT and MegaZeux and may be of
use to users of those other game engines.
It does not really compare because ZZT/MegaZeux are primarily designed for
a different type of games than Free Hero Mesh is, but there is some
overlap, since many ZZT/MegaZeux worlds have similar kind of puzzles too.
Free Hero Mesh is a game of complete information, so there are no dark
rooms like in ZZT.
One significant difference is that in Free Hero Mesh, you can define your
own classes of objects, while ZZT and MegaZeux have several built-in pieces
but also programmable objects (which are individually programmable). In
Free Hero Mesh they are not programmed individually; you define them in
the class definition file and then use them multiple times; however, it is
possible for individual objects to have Misc vars in case you need any
parameters to specify further details than only the class (although usually
the Misc vars are not needed).
However, like in ZZT and MegaZeux the programming is mainly working by
sending messages to each other, and by receiving messages from the game
engine; but these are executed synchronously, at the time of being sent.
Furthermore, after a message is sent it is possible to return from the
message, to what was executing before, even if it is the same object,
unlike in ZZT which doesn't do that.
Another difference is that you can have multiple objects in one grid cell.
You can use CollisionLayers to make some or all objects mutually exclusive,
or you can use Climb, Height, etc to block movement. Note also that any
cell that does not contain any objects count as a wall; if you want floors
then you must define it as an object. (If you want an object to get rid of
others in the same location when it moves there, then one way to do this is
to use CollisionLayers and use the COLLIDE and COLLIDEBY messages to get
rid of the objects that were there before to make room for it to move. In
this way, it will be similar to statless pieces removing fake walls that
they pass over in ZZT.)
There is no single "the player"; you can define a class with the Player and
Input flags to make it like the player, although it is then possible to add
multiple objects of that class (or none at all) into the level (but usually
you would only put exactly one, anyways).
Diagonal moves are possible in Free Hero Mesh, although nothing will move
diagonally unless you explicitly program it to do so.
=== Attributes ===
Some of the attributes which may be meaningful to ZZT/MegaZeux users are:
* Crush = Allows objects moving into it to crush it if it cannot be moved,
like gems and many creatures in ZZT.
* Density = Defines the stacking order of objects (higher numbers are
in back and lower numbers are in front). So, walls and most other objects
would have low Density, and floors would have high Density.
* Height = Set to a positive number to block objects from moving into it
if it does not have enough Climb.
* Input = Allows it to receive keyboard input (like the PLAYER in ZZT).
* Player = Defines this object as the "player" object, which has some
special meanings in the game engine, such as sending a reference to it
(and its coordinates) to all objects in the BEGIN_TURN message. (You can
actually have more than one such class if you want to, but normally you
would only have one.)
* Shovable = Allows objects to be pushed. You can also specify the
directions it can be pushed, e.g. (Shovable N S) and (Shovable E W). (If
the Strength and Weight are left at the default of zero, then you can push
multiple objects at once, as in ZZT and MegaZeux.)
* VisualOnly = Prevents interactions between this and other objects (except
for code which explicitly does so), like overlays in MegaZeux.
There are also user-defined flags which you can use for your own use.
=== ZZT-OOP commands ===
Some of the ZZT-OOP commands and what to use in Free Hero Mesh, are as
follows. Note that many of the examples are not exactly equivalent; to do
the exact equivalent thing would usually be more complicated.
Comments = A comment starts with a semicolon and lasts until the next
line break.
Labels = A label has the same syntax as in ZZT. It may go at the beginning
of a block or in the middle of a block. However, messages are different
from labels; built-in messages have no prefix, and user-defined messages
have the # prefix. A message goes at the beginning of a block only (if
in the middle of a block, it instead refers to that message).
Pop-up text boxes = In Free Hero Mesh, you can only display one text box
per turn and it does not block execution. As in MegaZeux, you can add
colours as well. Use the "PopUp" command. If you want to display numeric
values taken from a calculation or something else, you can do that too.
Example of pop-up text boxes:
ZZT = Hello, World!
MegaZeux = [ "Hello, World!"
Free Hero Mesh = "Hello, World!" PopUp
#BECOME = An object could create a new object in its place and destroy
itself, by using "Create" and "Destroy" commands. Note that destruction
does not stop execution in Free Hero Mesh (although it will prevent it
from receiving any further messages).
Example of becoming something else:
ZZT = #BECOME NORMAL
Free Hero Mesh = Destroy . $Normal Loc 0 0 Create . ret
#CHANGE = Free Hero Mesh does not have the #CHANGE like ZZT has, although
you could have it broadcast a message to all objects that you want changed
and for those messages to respond by replacing themself with others.
#CLEAR = See #SET.
Example of inventory:
ZZT = #CLEAR keycard
Free Hero Mesh = $Keycard 0 DelInventory
#DIE = Use "Destroy" to destroy this object; put "." afterward if you want
to ignore the return value (which is zero if it is successfully destroyed).
Example of destruction:
ZZT = #DIE
Free Hero Mesh = Destroy .
#END = The command is "ret", but this is unnecessary at the end of a block,
because it is implied at the end of each block.
#ENDGAME = There is no "health" but you can use "LoseLevel" to stop the
execution and lose the game. (Unlike ZZT, no further execution occurs in
this case.) Use "WinLevel" if you win the game instead of lose (this also
stops execution).
Example of ending the game:
ZZT = #ENDGAME
Free Hero Mesh = LoseLevel
#GIVE = You can define your own global and local variables.
Example of increasing variables:
ZZT = #GIVE GEMS 15
Free Hero Mesh = @gems 15 + =@gems
#IF = See the section about conditions below. You can use the "if ... then"
or "if ... else ... then" block for conditional blocks, and you can use the
"=:" sigil for GOTO. Write the condition before "if".
#PLAY = You can use the "Sound" command, which can play a MML string
similar to ZZT and MegaZeux, or a wave sound. You cannot queue sound
effects; you must either replace it or ignore if it is already playing.
Example of sound effects:
ZZT = #PLAY tcase
Free Hero Mesh = "tcase" 0 Sound
#PUT = Create objects by the use of the "Create" command. In ZZT this will
move other objects out of the way and will not overwrite the player but can
overwrite other objects, making it more complicated to do similar things in
Free Hero Mesh, although it is still possible. (The example below will only
create an object without even checking for duplicates or moving anything.)
A simple example of creating an object:
ZZT = #PUT S DOOR
Free Hero Mesh = $Door S XYDir 0 0 Create .
#SEND = In ZZT, it can be used like "goto" as well as to send messages to
other objects (or to all objects or itself).
Example of GOTO:
ZZT = #SEND qqq
Free Hero Mesh = =:qqq
Example of sending a message to a single object (assumes that the global
variable @spinner references an object):
ZZT = #SEND spinner:stop
Free Hero Mesh = @spinner #stop 0 0 ,Send .
Example fo sending a message to all objects:
ZZT = #SEND ALL:MESS
Free Hero Mesh = 0 #MESS 0 0 Broadcast .
#SET = You can use a user-defined global variable. It is not limited to
either set or clear, but can store any value. You can also use an inventory
display if you want it to be clearly visible which flags you have.
Example of global variables:
ZZT = #SET keycard
Free Hero Mesh = 1 =@keycard
Example of inventory:
ZZT = #SET keycard
Free Hero Mesh = $Keycard 0 1 SetInventory
#TAKE = You can define your own global and local variables. Free Hero Mesh
does not automatically limit them to zero, but you can do that by yourself.
Example of decreasing variables:
ZZT = #TAKE GEMS 15 noitem
Free Hero Mesh = @gems 15 lt if =:noitem then @gems 15 - =@gems
Free Hero Mesh has macros and global subroutines, so it is possible to
define macros and/or global subroutines to shorten any common operations
that you want to have in your puzzle set.
=== ZZT-OOP conditions ===
#IF ALLIGNED = ; see below
#IF ANY KEY = (=P $Key)
#IF BLOCKED N = N XYDir Walkable lnot
#IF CONTACT = (P Rook F Player)
#IF NOT XX = @xx lnot
#IF XX = @xx
For alignment, one way, if your code is in the BEGIN_TURN messages which
has From set to the player object, would be to do:
From Seek 1 band lnot
This will find the direction toward the player and check that the direction
is not a diagonal direction. Another way would be:
Xloc From ,Xloc eq Yloc From ,Yloc eq lor
You could also find the player by scanning the board, instead of "From":
(=P Player) Seek 1 band lnot
=== Full example ===
; The name of the class always starts with $ and is the beginning of each
; class definition block; in this case, it is named "$Floor".
($Floor
; Defines the name of the picture to use. (You can define the pictures
; by using the picture editor.)
(Image "Floor")
; Sets the Density so that the Floor is drawn behind other objects.
(Density 100)
; The Height is left at the default of zero so that other objects can
; move onto the floor.
)
($Player
(Image "Player")
; This object is the player, takes input, and is shovable.
Player Input Shovable
; Other objects can't step on top of the player, so set its Height.
(Height 10)
; (Rook) defines the action for the arrow keys (you can use (Queen) if
; you want diagonals as well; this example doesn't use diagonals).
; First it finds the object in front and sends a #TOUCH message to it;
; if that message returns zero (which is the default if it is not
; defined for that object) then it tries to move the player. (The
; initial "dup" duplicates the direction so that it is used twice.
; "ObjDir" finds the topmost object in the specified direction.
; User-defined message names always start with # (as shown here). The
; two arguments follow, in this case both zero since they are unused.
; After that, ",Send" sends the message, and will have the return value;
; "lnot" is logical negation, and "if ... then" is a conditional block.)
(Rook dup ObjDir #TOUCH 0 0 ,Send lnot if Move then )
; Allow passing your turn by pushing the space bar. Free Hero Mesh is
; turn-based, so if you do not want to move but want to allow other
; objects to move, then you must pass your turn. This block is empty
; because there is nothing to do; it merely needs to be declared.
('SPACE)
)
; This object is simple since it does nothing.
($Wall
(Image "Wall")
(Height 10)
)
($Boulder
(Image "Boulder")
(Height 10)
Shovable
)
($SliderNS
(Image "SliderNS")
(Height 10)
; You can specify the direction it can be pushed.
(Shovable N S)
)
($SliderEW
(Image "SliderEW")
(Height 10)
(Shovable E W)
)
($Pusher
; You can define multiple images for a class; you will select one for
; each instance, in the level editor, and this can control the behaviour
; of the game by the "Image" command (explained below).
(Image "Pusher_E" "Pusher_N" "Pusher_S" "Pusher_W")
(Height 10)
; Every turn it receives the BEGIN_TURN message, which is what it is
; doing here. "Image 1 lsh" left shifts the Image number (zero-based)
; by one, to make the direction to move. Directions are 0 for east, 1
; for northeast, etc, up to 7 for southeast. So, this will cause the
; Pusher to move once per turn.
(BEGIN_TURN Image 1 lsh Move .)
)
($Gem
(Image "Gem")
; Here, "Crush" means it can be crushed by movement, like in ZZT.
Crush Shovable
(Height 10)
; This is the user-defined #TOUCH message mentioned above. First, it will
; add 1 to the global @gems variable (since its initial value has not
; been specified anywhere, it will be zero). And then plays the sound,
; and then destroys itself. After that then it will return to the caller,
; and since no return value is specified it will be zero.
(#TOUCH @gems 1 + =@gems "t+c-gec" 0 Sound Destroy .)
)