The Dink Network

I'm pretty much new at this stuff, so bear with me here.
I added a lot of graphics packs (zorro dink, elemental swords,etc)
and i wrote them all seperate lines in the .ini file, and they all worked. However, when I tried to put the ninja-bot graphic from mystery island, only the attack sequence showed up in the sprite selection in the editor.Where there was supposed to be the walk sequence, windinkedit only showed a blank space with no sprites. Its not a spelling mistake because I wrote the same .ini lines in a skeleton d-mod, and all the ninja bot graphics were there. Attack and walk. If anybody can help me with this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.

The problem could be with WinDinkEdit. I have lots of problems with it myself. It's a great thing when it works, but it seems to have a lot of bugs. I'm not saying this is the problem...just that it could be. Try loading it up in DinkEdit and see if the walk sequence shows up in that. I've had a load of problems with WinDinkEdit that didnt exist in DinkEdit...(Am I the only one that can't minimize or maximize WDE once the dmod is loaded without it crashing? )

I'm no Dink.ini expert, so my knowledge is very limited. Hopefully one of the veteran dinkers can give you some ideas, or tell you how to fix it.

Hmm... could you post the dink.ini lines you're using?

Never mind. It seems that it works today. I turned my computer on, went to dinkedit and they were just there. Maybe my Dink.ini is corrupted or something. But it works now, thanks for your concern.

It wasn't WDE because when I loaded up Dinkedit, it skipped that sequence number. WDE just showed a blank sequence with no sprites. As for minimizing and maximizing once a D-mod is loaded, maybe your computer is the problem, couse it dosent crash when I do it. Or your map is just too big.

When I maximize WDE or change its size when a dmod is open (even one with a tiny map) the map screen just goes white. However if I do this before loading a dmod no such problem occurs. Note: WDE itself does not crash, just the display of the dmod. In short, I doubt its kjmarket's computer that is causing the problems since my pc is not having problems elsewhere (except the usual Windows (and other software and hardware) annoyances that is).

I doubt it was corruption. As was stated earlier, WDE is buggy. WDE+ is slightly better but seems to have some bugs WDE does not have. Also I sometimes get the same thing. That is that graphics do not appear in the sprite editor of WDE, but then do later. This occurs with both WDE and WDE+. It most commonly occurs for me with the graphics for the Pilgrim's Quest dragon.

I'm still about 90% sure its corruption, because as I said before, I put the same lines in a skeleton D-mod with a new .ini file and the graphics DID show up in WDE+, so I don't think WDE+ is the problem. This is the only problem I have experienced with WDE+, so I really don't know why everyone say's it has lot's of bugs. To me, it works just fine.

Well you're lucky then since others have experienced problems. When you get right down to it it has a lot to do with the nature of coding something that big. As any professional programmer would admit, when you program something with that many lines of coding you're bound to end up with bugs that need fixing no matter how good you are.

As for the same graphics appearing and not appearing, well as I said I've had them do that without rewritting my Dink.ini. It also does it with dmods others have made (I tested it out of curiosity). As for corrupted files, well that is a rare event except on computers infected with virus and/or spyware unless they are having hardware difficulties, so I doubt its that.

It could even be a case of Windows causing the problems. It is now well etablished that Windows does that sometimes. Cause other prgrams to play up that is.

Perhaps you're right. I had many experiences in which Windows completely tried to screw me and crashed if I did too many things at once or when I had a program running for a long time.

When I added those graphics, I had Dink.ini open for 2 hours, and it was acting really slow when I saved it and opened it in WDE.

I think maybe WDE works fine for now is that I'm still working on just the map, and I have no scripts attached yet. Maybe as long as it loads only the map it's fine, but if it has to check which script is attached to what, maybe then I will experience the problems everyone seems to be having. Or, like you said, Windows does have a lot of hardware difficulties(Mine has got issues, don't ask)and that might be the cause of WDE not working properly.

I meant that Windows has Windows difficulties not hardware ones. the hardware comment was a seperate suggestion. I was saying that hardware sometimes has its own bugs. However, you are correct about Windows having hardware difficulties.

As for WDE, well it does seem to behave better when you are earlier in devlopment. But as you get to a larger (but not necceasarily large) map and add scripts and more and more sprites it begins to have more problems. I havne't added sounds yet so I don't know what effect that has on the whole thing, but I'd imagine that just adds to it since it appears that WDE behaves worse when it has larger ammounts of data to process. But then that is often true of software and hardware. Its just that certain hardware and software handles larger ammounts. And it's clear (from using it not looking at the code) to me that WDE does not have the most rebust of coding.

So in short, I believe that as you add more data for WDE to process and handle the problems the rest of us get are going to occur for you. Sorry to say it but I think you'll soon be joining the frustrated WDE users. And I say soon because it doesn't take long for enough data to build up. I had just 16 screens and a a few scripts when they started to appear for me (my dmod has gone through many incarnations to get to where it is now at, ie something I am satisfied with).

I think the problem begins when you start to add scrips, because I have 300 screens (Give or take)but no scripts, or sounds. A few screens with visions, and lots of sprites.(I want to add lots of details). If I do start getting these problems though, I would go back to using DinkEdit. I think it is easier to use because it's what I learned first. Before I started making a D-mod, I was editing the original Dink map, and its a pretty large map. I had it running for a long time, and it didn't crash or freeze up.
But then again, many different variables can affect a programs performance. Like you said, the computer might be having hardware difficulties, or it might have undetected viruses causing unexpected errors. If you have a newer, faster computer, and a really old program, there are bound to be problems, but not always. If you have a newer program, and an old and slow computer, problems will arise.

It could just be the developer was lazy and forgot to add a command somewhere. Programming is not easy and does take time.(Time=something I lack...) I do agree that the more data there is to process, the slower\worse it will get.

I've never had any similar problems with WDE, and I've used it for quite a few years. I've created some very large D-Mods (like FIAT) using it.

Maybe WDE works differently with different computers, or maybe it's getting messed up in download somehow.

By the way, what is "set_frame_special" and what do the numbers after it stand for?
Does it have something to do with why I cant get my new weapons to actually "hit" stuff?

Indeed. Set_frame_special affects whether a frame of animation 'hits' other sprites. Read the dink.ini section of the DinkC Reference v4.0 for more information.