Game Options & Settings

Relevant source files

The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:

• app/js/options.js
• index.html
• app/js/console.js
• src/renderer/save-manager.js
• src/main.js
• app/js/save-manager-ui.js

The "Game Options & Settings" system provides players with the ability to customize their gameplay experience, manage game data, and configure application-specific behaviors. The system is bifurcated: core gameplay settings are available in all versions of the game (web and desktop), while advanced save management and notification settings are exclusive to the Electron desktop application.

Options can be accessed through two primary mechanisms: a graphical user interface (GUI) via the "Options" modal, and a command-line interface (CLI) using the option command in the game's terminal. The settings range from simple visual toggles, like color inversion, to complex data operations like save file management and data migration.

Options Modal UI

The primary graphical interface for settings is the "Options" modal, defined in index.html. It is triggered from the "More" dropdown in the main game interface. The modal contains several sections, some of which are only visible when running in the Electron environment.

Sources: index.html:94-97, index.html:420-509

UI Access Flow

The following diagram illustrates how a user accesses the options modal.

Option Controls

The modal is composed of several buttons, each linked to a specific function in the game's JavaScript.

Button Text / Icon	Element ID	Function	Environment	Source File
Toggle inversion	#option-inversion	Toggles the inverted class on the <body> and terminal elements.	All	app/js/options.js:10, 48-55
Toggle typed effect	#option-typed	Enables or disables the character-by-character text animation.	All	app/js/options.js:14, 57-63
Save now	#option-save	Manually triggers a game save.	All	app/js/options.js:22, 71-73
Erase save	#option-erase	Prompts the user to erase their local save data.	All	app/js/options.js:26, 65-69
Migrate localStorage	#option-migrate	Initiates migration of web-based save data to the Electron file system.	Electron	index.html:450-452
Toggle Auto-load	#option-auto-load	Enables or disables automatic loading of the latest save on startup.	Electron	index.html:463-465
Show Save Files	#option-save-list	Opens the Save Manager modal.	Electron	index.html:467-469
Success Notifications	#option-success-notifications	Toggles notifications for successful save operations.	Electron	index.html:478-480
Error Notifications	#option-error-notifications	Toggles notifications for failed save operations.	Electron	index.html:482-484
Auto-save Notifications	#option-auto-save-notifications	Toggles notifications for automatic background saves.	Electron	index.html:486-488
Discrete Mode	#option-discrete-mode	Toggles a mode for notifications (functionality not fully detailed in files).	Electron	index.html:495-497

Sources: index.html:420-509, app/js/options.js:8-31

Command-Line Interface (CLI)

Players can manage settings via the in-game terminal using the option command. This provides a text-based alternative to the GUI.

Sources: [app/js/console.js:57-66]

option Command Definition

The command is registered in the console's command list.

// app/js/console.js:57-66
{
    id: 'option',
    desc: 'change in-game options.',
    effect: 'skidinc.options.execute',
    requireArg: true,
    argsType: ['base', 'string', 'string'],
    supportList: true,
    listExec: 'skidinc.options.list',
    supportHelp: true,
    helpExec: 'skidinc.options.help'
}

Command Execution Flow

The skidinc.console.parse function processes the input, validates it against the command definition, and calls the corresponding function in skidinc.options.

Available option Sub-commands

The option command requires sub-commands to function.

Sub-command	Argument	Description
inversion	true / false	Toggles the UI color inversion.
typed	true / false	Toggles the text typing animation.
save	(none)	Manually saves the game.
erase	(none)	Erases the current save file.

Sources: app/js/options.js:33-46

Core Gameplay Options

These settings are handled by app/js/options.js and are available in all environments. They primarily control UI appearance and basic data actions.

Event Handling

Click events for the core option buttons are bound during initialization.

// app/js/options.js:8-31
skidinc.options.init = function() {
    // Toggle inversion
    $('#option-inversion').on('click', function() {
        skidinc.options.toggleInversion();
    });
    
    // Toggle typed.js effect
    $('#option-typed').on('click', function() {
        skidinc.options.toggleTyped();
    });
    
    // Erase save
    $('#option-erase').on('click', function() {
        skidinc.options.erase();
    });
    
    // Save now
    $('#option-save').on('click', function() {
        skidinc.options.save();
    });
    
    // ... Electron-specific options
};

Electron-Specific Settings

When the game runs within the Electron wrapper, additional options related to the desktop application's features become available. These are primarily managed by SaveStateManager in the renderer process.

Sources: src/renderer/save-manager.js, [index.html:448-503]

Auto-Load on Startup

This option controls whether the game automatically loads the most recent save file when the application starts.

• UI Element: #option-auto-load
• State Management: The autoLoadEnabled property in SaveStateManager.
• Persistence: The setting is saved to localStorage under the key electronSavePreferences.

The sequence diagram below shows how toggling this option works.

Save Notifications

The Electron version provides granular control over notifications related to the save system. The UI presents toggles for different notification types, which are managed by the NotificationManager and triggered by events from SaveStateManager and AutoSaveManager.

Option	Element ID	Description
Success Notifications	#option-success-notifications	Show a notification when a save operation completes successfully.
Error Notifications	#option-error-notifications	Show a notification when a save operation fails.
Auto-save Notifications	#option-auto-save-notifications	Show a notification for periodic or quick background saves.

Sources: index.html:476-490, [src/renderer/save-manager.js:1217-1234]

The SaveStateManager's showNotification method is overridden to route different notification types (success, error, info) to the NotificationManager, which then displays them. The UI buttons would toggle flags that determine whether these calls are made.

Sources: [src/renderer/save-manager.js:1217-1234]

Save File Management

The options modal provides a link to the "Save Manager" UI, which allows for detailed management of save files.

• UI Element: #option-save-list
• Action: Triggers the #modal-save-manager modal.
• Functionality: The UI, managed by app/js/save-manager-ui.js, allows users to list, search, load, and delete save files by interacting with the SaveStateManager.

Sources: index.html:467-469, app/js/save-manager-ui.js

Conclusion

The game's settings architecture effectively separates universal gameplay options from advanced, environment-specific features. Core settings are managed through a straightforward module (app/js/options.js) accessible via both GUI and CLI. In the Electron environment, this is augmented by a more sophisticated SaveStateManager that interfaces with the main process to offer robust control over file operations, notifications, and application startup behavior, providing a significantly enhanced user experience for the desktop version.