Handling time across several MMF exe files

[Tiny]

I need advice on how I can set up "time handling" across many apps in my game project.
There are 52 objects that need to be monitored during game play.
In the game one moves back and forth between 26 exe files.

Is it doable (and wise) to have a "timeKeeper" exe that starts when game starts and keeps running in the background until game ends? Would that complicate or slow down things?

I'm also having problems with the time objects available they either zeros my computer watch or can't behave as a stopwatch.

Any suggestions appreciated.

[Joshtek]

Um, what are you trying to achieve?

[Nick]

Running more than one exe file does seem rather extreme :| i can't even think of a single use for doing that. Also, it would be a bit painful for the player.

[Tiny]

For example:

1 health point will be given when the character (a horse) have had access to food and water for at least 1 (game)hour (ie. been eating 1 hour). Meanwhile you move around in the stable doing other things.

I need to keep track of these times for all horses even if I'm not in that part of the game (that exe is closed) at the moment.

Every horse stall has it's own exe due to the large graphics and many animations to keep loading time down and thus a smoother game play.

Hope this explains it better.

[Nick]

Using seperate exes is an awful idea, to be honest.

You can select 'load on call' for objects, this means they only load when they are needed.

[Burfelt]

For heavy projects at 50-100mb. I've used the approach of splitting the game into different .ccn files (vitalize) that I then load into a subapp window of a main exe. The advantage is that you can share global strings/values across subapps, and that you can even make a little loading screen when calling a new subapp.

Knowing Tiny, I'm sure this is quite a huge project

You should look into using the "shared data object". This object can remember data outside mmf and you will easily be able to call values in different exes. Yes it remembers the values even when no exe is running!

[Tiny]

I appreciate your suggestions Nick and maybe it is organized badly but having only one app is not possible with this project. We started out that way but ruled it out 5 years ago, it got too big. The small apps are around 50Mb with as much as possible of graphics and audio externally. The largest around 200Mb.
It works fine "jumping" between apps. Just need a "pretty" solution for the time thingy.

[Tiny]

For heavy projects at 50-100mb. I've used the approach of splitting the game into different .ccn files (vitalize) that I then load into a subapp window of a main exe. The advantage is that you can share global strings/values across subapps, and that you can even make a little loading screen when calling a new subapp.

Knowing Tiny, I'm sure this is quite a huge project

You should look into using the "shared data object". This object can remember data outside mmf and you will easily be able to call values in different exes. Yes it remembers the values even when no exe is running!

Yes, this is a huge project and we are finally seeing the end of it another 2 years including testing period I'd think. That'll be a total of almost 10 years developing (including 3 years of bad health)!! This project will give me my well deserved pension... LOL

Shared data object sounds like my solution. Didn't remember it holds values like that. Great suggestion!

I had the .ccn approach long time ago and the only thing I can remember was it didn't work the way we wanted.
That is the down side of long project times - you don't remember half of what happened 5 years ago. At least I don't.... :blush:

[Burfelt]

I don't know how your game is supposed to work, but if timing has to be very precise and there are "gaps" between jumping from one exe to the other you'll run into problems.

The solution would be to get and save the clock time when you end one exe, and then get clock time at the start of a new exe, test for the diffence in time and update values accordingly.

Just thinking a bit ahead here

[Tiny]

Yeah, good thinking as always! Thanks.