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General >> Showcase >> Manalink PlayDeck Analyser http://lbb.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=showcase&action=display&num=1395717111 Manalink PlayDeck Analyser
Post by CirothUngol on Mar 25th, 2014, 03:11am
The PlayDeck Analyser is a multi-purpose utility for managing and manipulating files used in a Microprose PC card game from 1997(?!). Used by dozens of enthusiastic fans worldwide, this application was once an indispensable tool for the management of huge numbers of source files and still remains quite handy at accomplishing all manner of Manalink-related tasks. You can download and get info here: PD Analyser forum topic JB\LB programs on my Google Drive
If you know nothing about Manalink or Microprose's MtG PC game, then this application will do little for you. However, it does bunches. If you run the executable it'll auto-extract a comprehensive ReadMe.txt and you can then view the source code by selecting "View\SourceCode.rar" from the menu to extract the archive, then unrar. It's about 9,000 lines (excluding embedded files) and contains a host of custom functions. Since compatibility with Just BASIC was my goal there are functions for everything from basic sorting, filename manipulation, and recursive file finding\counting\tree to user dialogs like 'choose a folder' and LZW-encoded embedded files (via JustDATA). After the initial task of matching\correcting files against a source DAT\CSV was accomplished, the PDAnalyser became a catch-all for any new function I wished to implement, so I make liberal use of pop-up dialogs selected either by a menu option or by checkboxes if the option required a permanent off\on state.
This is the application I was writing when I discovered LB Booster. Without it, I never would have extended it's capabilities nearly as far as I have. It's kinda funny that I designed it to be fully compatible with Just BASIC (and it is), but now even LB 4.04 won't run the program because of the steadily increasing size and quantity of the source and target files. It runs out of memory and chokes half-way through. Sad, very sad. Runs like a top on LBB, though. ^_^
Re: Manalink PlayDeck Analyser
Post by joker on Nov 24th, 2015, 4:17pm
Just reading some stuff that I hadn't read before and ran across this:
Such optimism! Yeah!