CRPG System Browser Utility Overview
System Browser Utility Overview
Starting with v0.3 of the system a utility has been included that lets you view the XML data in a more human readable form for those that are afraid of code. This system browser utility is meant to be a starter program that can help new developers learn how to use and integrate the Broken Staff CRPG system.
It also showcases the game system in its most basic tasks of reading, sorting and viewing the game data.
In the future more functionality will be added including documentation generators that will create HTML documentation for a selected sub-system which will help when making manuals or online help systems for any games built with the Broken Staff CRPG system.
So let’s take a look at what the System Browser looks like.
The Main Screen
The main screen is super simple. It is just a list of sub-systems. Select one and then click the Select Option button to view the data for that sub-system.
Note: In early versions of the system, some of the lower items might not be 100% correctly implemented.
The Races Screen
The first example we will look at is the races sub-system which is also the first item in the list on the main screen.
From here you have two options.
You can click the Main Menu button if you want to return to the main screen.
Or you can select a race and then click the Select Race.
And that brings us to the next screenshot.
A Sample Race
In this example the Dark Elf race has been selected.
When the Select Race button is clicked a popup appears showing some of the details for that race.
Other parts of the viewer work similarly.
The Spells Screen
Our next example is the spell screen. As you can see the spells here are the lower level mage spells.
Let’s select one and then see what kind of information shows up.
A Sample Spell
In this example we see the spell details for Flame Arrow, a low level arcane spell.
I could go on, but the rest of the screens look similar to the ones listed above that you should get the idea.
Try It Out Yourself
The best way to get a feel for the system browser is to download the latest version of the system and try it out for yourself.
Do you have any suggestions? Anything I can improve in the code or the way the data is setup? One of the benefits to us in releasing the code and data for the system is we hope fans can give us insights on ways we can improve.
