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Engine API?   
Zzzzoot

Zzzzoot
United States  


  10/15/2017

Hey. Does anyone know of any kind of guide or documentation on how to communicate with the Creatures engine from an external application?

I'm primarily interested in the C3/DS engine, but information about C1 or C2 would be interesting too.

The CAOS Tool, Map Editor, etc. do it so it's technically possible. And I remember years ago there was a very useful 3rd party application floating around. Called DevTool I think? It was a purple bar and had about a gazillion useful functions like injection various agents, teaching all norns language, force aging norns. But I can't find anything about it on google so maybe it was all a fever dream.

I'm just messing around right now. I've got a message pumping scheme set up between DS and a little program I wrote. It works, but it uses files to do it (the program writes to a file and an agent in-game reads that file every so often) so the whole thing feels really really hacky.

edit: DevThing, it was called DevThing! I found it and it still works. I could run it through a decompiler but I've never done that before and honestly don't want to (decompiling something is one of the most tedious things I can think of, though DevThing is so tiny that I might do it) so any documentation, blog posts, etc. would still be extremely helpful.

edit: fixed typos and a small error.

 
Papriko
Peppery One

Papriko



  10/16/2017  1

For Linux in particular, you could check out how the CDN console tools did it. Basically DS listens on a TCP port. Not sure if Windows C3/DS does it, but I doubt it.

The shared memory interface that ham5ter worked on may be interesting, too. If I recall correctly, that is mainly made with Windows in mind. Again, no clue about other OS.


Lets play plants! Photosynthesis... Photosynthesis... Photosynthesis...
 
ylukyun
Patient Pirate

ylukyun

Manager



  10/16/2017  1

Chris Double's developer information could be useful.
 
Zzzzoot

Zzzzoot



  10/16/2017  1

Yes! Thanks, these are perfect.
 
Papriko
Peppery One

Papriko



  10/16/2017

I believe that is exactly the documentation that ham5ter's implementation is based on.

Lets play plants! Photosynthesis... Photosynthesis... Photosynthesis...
 
ham5ter

ham5ter


 visit ham5ter's website: Creatures.Ham5ter.de
  10/19/2017  1

Yes it is :)

https://github.com/Ham5ter/Caos-Class-Library


moep!

 


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