Editing Adventure Game Interpreter (section)

==Technical design==
The technical complexity of ''King's Quest'' made it a burden to write in [[assembly language]], so the programmers created a [[game engine]] to simplify development. The engine comprised a [[bespoke]] [[programming language]] called the Game Adaptation Language,<ref name="Trivette"/> a [[compiler]], and a [[bytecode]] interpreter (the Adventure Game Interpreter).<ref name="Kelly">{{cite web |url=http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/features/143/ |title=Making adventure games with AGI |last=Kelly |first=Peter |date=January 21, 2000 |website=Adventure Classic Gaming |access-date=September 25, 2016}}</ref> The Game Adaptation Language was a [[high-level programming language]] that resembled [[C (programming language)|C]].<ref name="Kelly"/> This was compiled into [[bytecode]], which was executed by the [[Bytecode interpreter|interpreter]].<ref name="Kelly"/>

Like Sierra's earlier adventure titles, such as ''[[Wizard and the Princess]]'' (1980), AGI games used [[vector graphics]]. The PCjr accepted [[floppy disk]]s with a capacity of 360 kilobytes, and [[raster graphics]] would have consumed an excessive amount of disk space.<ref name="Trivette"/> Instead, ''King's Quest'' drew [[polygon]]s on the screen, and then colored them.<ref name="Trivette"/> Beginning with AGI version 2, the game engine drew graphics in an off-screen [[data buffer]], then [[Bit blit|blitted]] them into video memory. This approach was not just to economize use of system resources; it also prevented the game from revealing hidden objects while it drew the screen.

AGI was principally developed for [[16-bit]] [[computer architecture]]s, which were the [[state of the art]] in [[home computer]]s at the time. These included the [[IBM PC compatible]], the [[Atari ST]], [[Commodore International|Commodore]]'s Amiga series, and [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s Macintosh computers. In addition, Sierra [[Porting|ported]] AGI to three [[8-bit]] computer models: the [[TRS-80 Color Computer]], the [[Apple IIe]], and the [[Apple IIc]].