The Script Editor is the most powerful tool in IGOR. This portion will cause you the most grief and if you don't have any prior programming experience, there is not much I can do to help you. I would highly recommend taking a course at your local college or university. IGOR script is very similar to BASIC so anything related to that will aid you tremendously. At the very least, refer to Wolfsong's tutorial and the IgorScripting.txt file located in your Ghost Recon directory. To access the Script Editor you must go up to the Script menu and select Edit...
Here is a picture to aid you:
After you select this it brings up the Script window which is displayed below:
The big white portion displays a list of all of the script blocks that you have input into the mission through the editor. When you save your mission the script is compiled so the engine can read it during runtime and execute your instructions.
Click on this button to open the Block window. The Block window is where you enter the script for individual blocks to be executed during runtime. We'll get into that in a little bit after I explain the rest of the Script Editor Window's functions.
Highlight an existing Script Block and click on the Edit button to open the Block Window. Use this when you need to add or remove Responses from the block.
This will delete a Script Block. IGOR should warn you that you'll lose it. If that is what you want to do just click on okay and move on with your life.
To access the Constants window click on the Constants button. This is where you create/edit/delete constants that can be easily accessed from many of the Response Windows' queries. I would like to take a moment to stress the importance of using constants whenever possible. If you ever need to continuously use the same value(s), then make it a constant if it requires multiple keystrokes to enter the information into the script. This will save you a ton of time in scripting, typos, and debugging. A couple of examples of it's use are: "DisplayMessageAll" in conjunction with a debugging string, Random number storage for high and low values, or the name of a wav file. I have used all of these methods in my script in the past and I am sure that you can figure out a whole bunch more on your own.
Basically, if I am working on a random artillery barrage script and want to play with the Random numbers to get the proper timing of the effects, I enter constants for the low and high numbers that I want to generate. This way if I need to adjust the timing, I don't have to go back and edit 125 (or whatever) script responses; I only adjust the constants.
Integers are whole numbers both positive and negative and include the value of 0.
Numbers include floating point values. (i.e., 1.1)
Strings are text.
This button opens the Tag Editor. I'll get to it in a little bit. Bascially, it allows you to create/edit/delete your own tags for the engine to read during runtime.
Clicking on this button allows you to open your script in Notepad. Too bad we can't just edit the script here... This is a useful function anyhow. I use it to print a hard copy of my script for proofreading offline. Useful for debugging.
Here is a picture of an empty script in Notepad that was accessed by the Summary button:
To access the Constants window, click on the Constants button.
Here is a picture of the Constants Window:
The Constants Window is broken down into two sections. The top one is where you add and define the constant. The window below displays a list of all the current constants that you have entered. From here you can Edit or Delete the constants if desired.
There are three types of constants to choose from. Integer, Number, or String.
Integers are whole numbers both positive and negative and include the value of 0.
Numbers include floating point values. (i.e., 1.1)
Strings are text.
Give your Constant a name that is easy to remember. This name will appear in the Response window from the drop-down menu usually in a query area. Depending on the type of Constant, it may or may not appear in this drop-down menu.
This is the value of the constant. Integers must be whole numbers (including zero). Numbers pretty much include everything including floating point values. Strings are text values.
During the mission testing process you can come back to the Constants Window to change these values for a quick change. The change will affect all of your script blocks. In other words, Constants in IGOR are global.
To change the value of a Constant, highlight the one that you want to change (it's name, value, and type will appear above; type will be greyed out), then highlight the name or value and click on the Apply button.
The Tag Editor can be accessed by clicking on the Tags button.
Here is a picture of the Tag window:
The Tag Editor is broken down into two areas. The Top portion is for the user to create new tags for the engine to reference during runtime. All objects placed on the map and objectives tagged in the Objective Editor are assigned a tag by default which will be displayed in the list below. The bottom portion displays all current tags in the mission file. You can click on the categories to sort the list (Name, ID, Type, References). If you have read the Objectives editor section, you can see that the objectives that we tagged in that utility are displayed here. Generally, you will only need to add a tag to refer to something in the script that isn't placed on the map.
Select the type of Tag that you wish to add. I'll get into the types later in the Mission Section.
Give your tag a memorable name. Then click on the Add button to add it to the list.
This is the bottom portion. Sometimes tags are not removed from the script even though you have deleted the object. Sometimes you may wish to change the name of your tag. This is where you access those functions. Prior to releasing your mission to the public, it is a good idea to clean out the unnecessary tags. You might gain a millisecond in load time, but most of all it will give your work a professional look. Left over, unused tags will give the impression of a sloppy script. It is a good idea to become anal while scripting; it'll reduce the amount of bugs that might arise. Believe me, others will look at your work and there are a ton of judgemental people out there. If the tag is unused, the Delete button will no longer be grayed out. Click on it to discard the garbage.
To access the Block Window, click on the Edit button with a Script block selected or the New button .
Here is a picture of the Block Window:
There is a drop down menu to access user created groups on the right-hand side of this list. Click on the Edit button to open the Tag Window to create a new group. I'll discuss the Tag window in a little bit.
Enter a short, sweet memorable comment here. The comment will be displayed on the left hand side of the Script Editor and is very useful for locating a script block once the window becomes filled with multiple blocks.
This is what causes the script to execute. You have to have a Trigger Event to add a Response. Don't worry, IGOR will let you know in case you forget. Click on the Edit button within this portion of the window to access the Trigger Event Window. We'll go over that below.
The Responses are displayed in the small window on the left. They are executed starting with the one on top and ending with the last Response on the bottom. There are two arrows on the left of this window that will do two things: Scroll through the window once it is full or with a response highlighted will change it's order of execution in the Block. The three buttons on the right enable you to either Add a new Response, Edit an existing Response (it must be highlighted), or Delete an existing Response (it must be highlighted). Clicking on either the Add or Edit button will open the Response Editor.
To access the Trigger Event Window you will have to first access the Block Window via the Script Editor. There is an Edit button in this section. Click on it to bring up the window.
Here is a picture of the Trigger Event Window:
The Top drop-down menu allows you to access a whole list of Trigger Events. It is limited, but with a little thought you should be able to figure it out. Refer to the IgorScripting.txt file located in your Ghost Recon installation directory for more information. There is a greyed-out portion displaying the text that will appear in your Summary. Generally there are other parameters that you will set by accessing the windows below via their tabs and buttons. Once you have your Trigger event set, Click on the Okay button. Once again, don't worry if you forget a parameter. IGOR will remind you to go back and complete them.
Refer above if you have forgotten already.
Here is a picture that shows the Responses Window:
There are even more Responses than Trigger Events. Refer to the IgorScripting.txt file in your Ghost Recon directory for more information on Responses. You'll learn alot more once we start scripting the mission in this area.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is a trademark of Rubicon, Inc. under license to Ubi Soft Entertainment.
Ghost Recon is a trademark of Ubi Soft Entertainment.