LUA scripts

[jms 0]

g'day guys,

i was just wondering how LUA scripts differ from the actual source code inside sim city 4?

thanks

[Daeley 46]

in the case of SC4, source code = C++ (and not publicly available I might add)

 

LUA are just small light-weigth scripts. LUA is easily executed in custom blocks wich can be loaded at runtime, meaing LUA code does not have to be compiled inside the source code to work. Basically this means that LUA scripts are a nice and clean way of extending a program after it's been compiled. They have limited use however (and can't interefere with the source code), hence they are generally used to control a number of options or custom functions (like in highly customisable GUI's, for example in WoW). 

[jms 0]

cheers daeley, thanks.

[jms 0]

oh, and just one more question...

 

can you give me an example of what parts of the game would be written in the C++ code?  i've been looking through the lua scripts and there's a lot there.

things like, 'if commute time is low' and 'mayor rating is a certain level' etc. then increase population by 400.  are rules like this found in lua script, or are they embedded within the game source code?

thanks heaps!

[Daeley 46]

that's all source code... some of those have parameters adaptable trough exemplars though.

LUA from the game only does a few things: define rewards, define news messages, control certain functions of automata (vehicles, pedestrians, trains, ...). Everything else is basically source code.

[torkieri 0]

Just a follow-up... can the exemplar values be changed at runtime, or are the values only read by the game at startup? If they can be changed while the game is running, is there a possibility to change them through LUA scripts...?