Question: should I add missing template sources here?

[morganwillcock]

It looks like there are 3 templates in ags-template-source and 5 in ags-templates.

If I'm looking at updating the templates, should I commit the projects here for the two which are missing? Presumably ags-templates is getting updated manually for build convenience, so I shouldn't be changing anything in there?

[ghost]

Originally the purpose of ags-template-source was to contain only templates maintained by the AGS developers (Empty & Default). ags-templates repository is meant mainly for preparing distribution, it could be used by build server too. Usually I was updating them shortly before the release.

The question is, where do you update template source, if it is being actively maintained by its author?

I've added Verb Coin template sources recently, because it is very old, and author is absent for years, so that seemed a right thing to do. However, 9verb template is also on github: https://github.com/dkrey/ags_9verb-template

If we put that template sources in our repository, we also will have to be copying changes over from original one(s), which may not be very convenient.

What about including actively developed templates as submodules and make pull requests to author's repository instead?

[morganwillcock]

Yes, that does sound a good idea. Do you know if the BASS one is also maintained? I was assuming not as it is set to 16 bit colour depth and uses the old ProcessClick.

[ghost]

BASS is by Ghost (ags forum member) but I haven't heard from him in a while, and last we spoke he permitted modifying the template, so suppose we may and should.

[morganwillcock]

One issue which I was not expecting, our Windows text encoding doesn't match. Any change I make through the Editor switches the encoding, so the commit is a full rewrite (changing from windows-1251 to windows-1252).

Is this something that needs looking at in the Editor before I update anything, or should I just re-commit all lines as 1252, or should should I try switching codepage to keep it in 1251?

[ghost]

I believe windows-1252 should be default in template, so yes, just change it.

Actually, this makes me wonder, what encoding current distributed templates are in. Because my locale is windows-1251, and maybe that affects them when I prepared release. They probably switch to local user's one as soon as they save the project.

[ghost]

To think of it, making Editor save at least non-compiled data (script and game XML) in Unicode may be a good first feature for AGS 4. It needs strings in ANSI for compiled scripts and game data for the engine to be able to read them, but original scripts do not have to be ANSI. That should also be possible to add wanted target locale to the game compiler settings. Well, unless we make engine itself support Unicode first.

[morganwillcock]

@dkrey should we try adding your templates as a sub-module?

[dkrey]

Yes, please go ahead.

[ghost]

@dkrey , by the way, your template post on forums shows version of June 2018, yet the code in repository was last changed in October 2017. Is that really the latest source?

[dkrey]

Yep, I overlooked to build the new template for version 1.63 and to post it also in the thread.

[ghost]

Yep, I overlooked to build the new template for version 1.63 and to post it also in the thread.

Oh, so the template built in 2018 uses the source code from october 2017?

Ok, I got it.

[dkrey]

Exactly. The template is more or less completed, so there isn't much I intend to add to modify. The tumbleweed template will be the place for new features and such.

[morganwillcock]

I've added the submodule reference, so I think this is now all of the template source files accessible from one place (so I should close this issue)?

[ghost]

I forgot to ask, should we maybe consider newer AGS Tumbleweed template instead of original 9 verb? Tbh I've never seen new one myself.

[morganwillcock]

Or if one does not replace the other, just include them both?

[ghost]

Or if one does not replace the other, just include them both?

I'll leave judgement to you, still haven't find time to check the new one :).

[morganwillcock]

I've not had a chance either, to be honest. @dkrey is the plan for the newer template to eventually replace the older one?

[dkrey]

@morganwillcock Yep, that's the plan, as they do the same thing. The newer one is just more modern.

[morganwillcock]

Okay, I've switched the submodule for the newer template. I think all template sources are present now...