View source for Recommended Procedures for SCI Game Programming Coordinators

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{|
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|Subject: &nbsp; ||Recommended Procedures for SCI Game Programming Coordinators
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| ||&nbsp;
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|Date: ||Monday January 30, 1989
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| ||&nbsp;
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|From: ||Pablo Ghenis for SCI Development Group
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| ||&nbsp;
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|To: ||Scott Murphy
|-
| ||Corey Cole
|-
| ||Chris Iden
|-
| ||Warren Schwader
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| ||All Game Programming Coordinators
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| ||&nbsp;
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|cc: ||Ken Williams
|-
| ||Rick Cavin
|-
| ||Dale Carlson
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| ||All SCI programmers
|}



As we approach the release date for some products currently under <br />development, we can expect a greater potential for conflict among <br />the following equally worthy goals:

* To fix system bugs or shortcomings and provide enhancements in <br />order to facilitate further game development.
 
* To isolate game developers from system instabilities while the <br />above goal is being met by the system developers.
 


The Programming Coordinators for each game can avoid disruptions <br />in their projects by taking the following steps:
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# Create an isolated system directory for each project and load <br />a stable copy of the system into it. Also create a backup for <br />it and a directory for executables.<br /><br />Example:<br /><blockquote><code><nowiki>></nowiki>md \games\ice\system<br /><nowiki>></nowiki>md \games\ice\system\old<br /><nowiki>></nowiki>md \games\ice\tools</code></blockquote>
# Make sure that all "where" files are written in terms of s: <br />instead of \games\sci\system. Everyone's autoexec.bat file <br />should contain the line "set sinclude=s:"<br />&nbsp;
# To save a version of tools such as the compilers and <br />interpreter, just copy them to your project's tool directory.<br />&nbsp;
# To give your project's tools precedence over the main version, <br />type in a line like the following one, which should be <br />appended to all project members' autoexec.bat files:<br /><br /><code>pushpath g:\games\ice\tools</code><br />&nbsp;
# To freeze a version of the system for your project, type in a <br />line like the following one:<br /><br /><code>pushsys \games\sci\system \games\ice\system \games\ice\system\old</code><br /><br />This action might require the game to be rebuilt.<br /><br />Everyone working on the project should have s: mapped to the <br />project's system directory. This can be done by editing the <br />user login file using SYSCON on the net, or by appending to <br />autoexec.bat a line like the following one:<br /><br />map s:=g:\games\ice\system<br />&nbsp;
# If the above step is determined to be premature, it can be <br />undone by typing a line like the following one:<br /><br /><code>savesys \games\ice\system\old \games\ice\system</code><br /><br />This action might require the game to be rebuilt.<br />&nbsp;
# Software updates should be performed and tested by the project <br />coordinator at times that will not hurt the team's <br />productivity, with enough time to rebuild, test and even revert <br />and rebuild again if needed.

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While the SCI development team will carefully test all system <br />changes to avoid introducing problems, its very flexibility makes <br />it impossible to test all cases. It will be the responsibility of <br />each project's coordinator to follow the above (or equivalent) <br />procedures.

I have provided the push*.bat and save*.bat files mentioned <br />above to facilitate this task; they are available in <br />x:\public\tools. We strongly recommend that all projects update <br />to the current system version as quickly as possible, since the <br />purpose of system changes is to correct bugs and provide <br />significant enhancements.
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