Doodads Documentation
Chad Austin
2000.05.11


Hopefully this will answer everybody's questions.  A doodad is a type of entity
that everybody wants but didn't know they wanted.  :)  Basically, it is just a
spriteset that sits in one place on the map.  So, the simplest example of one
would be a tree.  Doodads are not animated.  However, they can be "activated"
through an activation function and an activation method.  The activation function
specifies which function to call in the map script.  There are currently three
activation methods: none, door, and chest.  Chest is not implemented in the current
build of Sphere.  None means that the doodad cannot be activated.  Door means that
whenever the party walks up to the doodad the activation function is called.

Uses of doodads:

doors -
  You could have a 16x32 door image sitting in the entrance to a house, and when the
user walked up to it and activated it, it would change the current frame (through
SetDoodadFrame) and it would look open.  You could also have the activation function
play a sound.

trees, bushes, etc -
  Single-frame doodads that are obstructive make great ways to put trees or bushes
on a map without using tiles.

chests -
  The chest activation method, when it's implemented, will require that the user
step up to the doodad and press a button.  The activation function would then play
a sound, change the doodad frame, and display a message along the lines of "You found
a sword!"
