AGS in GameMaker magazine

[TheDude]

I just bought GameMaker magazine and i've come accross 4 pages devoted to creating a little mini-game in AGS.

Scans incoming.......

[Pessi]

4 pages? That's impressive!!! I can't wait to see the scans!

Thanks in advance and hurry up!

[TheDude]

I just finished the scans, but they're large filesizes so there's no point uploading to any freewebsite places since the bandwidth limit would be reached easily. I scanned the first page small to try and make the filesize low, but it's still pretty high so i just thought bugger it and scanned the rest high quality so you can read the text easier. (Sorry 56ks mwahaha).

Anyway.. if anyone can host them that would be great!

I can't see your e-mail address Pessi so you can't see them yet, har har.

[Privateer Puddin']

here we go -

http://www.btinternet.com/~ctswin/agsscan/Scan1.JPG

http://www.btinternet.com/~ctswin/agsscan/scan2.jpg

http://www.btinternet.com/~ctswin/agsscan/scan3.jpg

http://www.btinternet.com/~ctswin/agsscan/scan4.jpg

[Nostradamus]

Oh my god, I can't believe they made a "how to play graphic adventure games" guide. Is is that rare today that no one even knows what adventure games are and they need retarded guides to explain it??

This is scary!

[TheDude]

Thanks Pudding!

[Al_Ninio]

Didn't someone post this here already?
o_O

[Privateer Puddin']

well, it does seem to be very similar to of a 3/4 part article in another magazine that archangel scanned in - perhaps its the same publisher

think CJ mentioned he had been contacted also

[Al_Ninio]

Could be a follow-up article, I think someone mentioned that magazine was doing a series of articles about AGS

[Privateer Puddin']

http://www.agsforums.com/yabb/index.php?board=3;action=display;threadid=7713

this was the other one

so far ive noticed they share some images (various room angle ones)

[Shattered Sponge]

well, it does seem to be very similar to of a 3/4 part article in another magazine that archangel scanned in - perhaps its the same publisher

Yup - PC Plus and GameMaker are both published by Future Publishing (who also publish PC Gamer).

In other news, why the hell can't I think of a synonym for 'publish'?

[Eggie]

GameMaker Magazine, eh? Sounds cool.

Oh yeah. Congratulations, CJ for AGS has been mentioned in a magazine...again...

[Pessi]

Thanks again, Dude and Custard!

I actually enjoyed the article despite the fact that it's targeted at beginners. I never thought of it as a retarded how-to-play adventuregames guide. I think it's a great introduction to both AGS and adventuregames (yes, for those who don't know of them). I don't think they can take anything for granted when they are introducing something. Perhaps they could make a follow-up article and present something more advanced but then again there's no better place for further guidance than AGSForums. Not that it would matter to them, but anyway.

The article presents AGS as it has always been presented, easy-to-use yet advanced. Job well-done, in my opinion.

[Meowster]

Excellent! Doesn't it make you PROUD?! Or something!???

But... the bit about how to play adventure games was depressing. Really, REALLY depressing.

God, now I'm depressed. Thanks a LOT.

[Pumaman]

Well, considering that 95% of the magazine is devoted to making mods for half-life and quake, they probably do need that beginner's guide to adventures

In fact, AGS looked rather out of place in amongst all that 3D wizardry. The fact that they chose to include it perhaps gives us hope for the adventure genre after all

[remixor]

I've got to admit, I've been playing adventures for 11 years and I'd never heard of some of the "crucial adventure game terminology" (foozle?  soup can?), but whatever.  I think this was a great article, and I had no problem with their "how to play graphic adventures" bit.  I talk to people all the time--gamers, no less--who don't even know what I'm talking about when I say I like adventure games.  I try to describe them and half the time they think I'm talking about platform games, and occassionally they'll say something like "Oh yeah, I played a game called Full Throttle one time that was kind of like that".

One thing I really liked was the first sentence:

The PC has no shortage of star designers...but no genre has ever been as blessed with them as the graphic adventure.

That made me feel a bit proud, somehow.  It's so true.  Our genre has had Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, Roberta and Ken Williams, Jane Jensen, Charles Cecil, Hal Bartlett, The Two Guys From Andromeda, Ragnar Tornquist, debatables like Benoit Sokal, etc., etc.  Those names may no longer all be familiar to your casual gamer, but anyone who knows anything about gaming history will recognize them as luminaries.  I can't think of any other genre with that kind of all-star cast.

[Archangel (aka SoupDragon)]

Yeah same publisher, but different writer (judging by the writing style, at least) and a different slant. I have part 2 of the PC Plus series btw, but it was fairly unremarkable apart from an "AGS Showcase" featuring Pleurghburg, Odeysseus Kent and Norman Cooks, so I didn't bother doing a scan. I might be tempted to, if there's enough interest from people here.

[MrColossal]

Foozle?

Soup Can???

ELDER PUZZLE?

what the smack? i guess these are mostly IF terms cause... woosh, right over my head

the article was nice and i love ags a lot

i just have no idea why people say Odysseus Kent is like a darker Monkey Island... what the hell are people talking about?

[Scummbuddy]

Oh come on guys, you know those terms.

Foozle = Roger
Soup can = Blue cup

Thanks for putting up the scans.  If this is at beginners, then I'll add this to the beginners forum.  

Edit, Hah, "save room as 20 x 240" ... wow, what a condensed room.

[rodekill]

An adventure game glossary with 'Foozle' but no 'Walking Dead' is no adventure game glossary.

Oh wait, 'unwinnable'....  :

[Gilbert]

Oh great, another step ahead for Pumaman to become the ruler of the United Earth Kingdom.

Anyway, I think any genre of game not using "3D' needs a guide nowaday.

[auhsor]

Yeah it was a good article. I get a feeling that we'll get a whole lot of n00bs, speaking 'adventure game language' that none of us know. Oh well.

[DGMacphee]

I can see several things wrong with that article, especially in the last page:

a) AGI doesn't use CGA and VGA. It used CGA and EGA. I've never seen an AGI game using more than 16 colours.

b) The scene they used from Broken Sword isn't an 'arcade sequence'. It was from a cutscene.

c) The 7th Guest isn't an adventure by definition. It's a puzzle game.

Professional my arse!!!

[Gilbert]

(a) Well in some sense I think some of the later AGI games DO use VGA (something like LSL2 onwards), using VGA doesn't mean the graphic modes has to be in hi-res or having 256+ colours. There are in fact, modes like VGA 320x200x16 colours (here I wont argue whether it's a MCGA mode or VGA mode, I'll just consider the MCGA modes subset of VGA modes). One basec difference is the base palette, that with EGA you can only choose colours from a base palette of 64 (I think) colours, whereas in VGA, you can choose them from sorta 262 144 colours (though when running in 16 colour mode, you can display a total of 16 from them simultaneously). This also applies to some of the LEC adventures (eg. 16 colour version of Indy3).

(c) Hehe, teh 7th Guest, by the game company's own definition, it WAS an adventure, though in our definition, it's just a collection of small puzzle games (that can fit even into a low density floppy, if you ditched all the "killer graphics" and sounds) wasting  2 CDs.

[DGMacphee]

(a) Well in some sense I think some of the later AGI games DO use VGA (something like LSL2 onwards), using VGA doesn't mean the graphic modes has to be in hi-res or having 256+ colours. There are in fact, modes like VGA 320x200x16 colours (here I wont argue whether it's a MCGA mode or VGA mode, I'll just consider the MCGA modes subset of VGA modes). One basec difference is the base palette, that with EGA you can only choose colours from a base palette of 64 (I think) colours, whereas in VGA, you can choose them from sorta 262 144 colours (though when running in 16 colour mode, you can display a total of 16 from them simultaneously). This also applies to some of the LEC adventures (eg. 16 colour version of Indy3).

But that's not actually AGI -- That's actually AGI 2 you're talking about.

(c) Hehe, teh 7th Guest, by the game company's own definition, it WAS an adventure, though in our definition, it's just a collection of small puzzle games (that can fit even into a low density floppy, if you ditched all the "killer graphics" and sounds) wasting  2 CDs.

Let's not forget the hammy acting too.

In any case, it isn't an adventure by today's standards.

[rodekill]

So basically we can all agree that any game making advice garnered from GameMaker magazine should be taken with a big fat cube of salt.

[DGMacphee]

Better yet, follow my tutorial:

1. Draw the graphics, but don't worry if they look a little on the rubbish side of things -- The main thing is the advertising and not the actual graphics and story of game itself (That's why Ace Quest is so popular -- it has a good advertising campaign)

2. Do the scripting -- This is done by posting on the forum "HEY D00DZ CAN ANYONE DOES THE SCRIPTING FOR MY COMPANY LEETSOFT!!! I CAN DO THE GRAPHICS AND WE MAKES TEH BEST GAME EVER!!!"

3. Masturbate

4. Do the music -- This is done by asking Mods.

5. Bug Gilbert, CJ, Spyros, etc for help with YUOR GAME

6. Compile it while masturbating again

7. Upload to tripod server and then find out your have no more space.

8. Bug Slypher for a hosting mirror.

9. Advertise!

10. Congrats! You've just made an AGS game!

[Gilbert]

Better:
1. Launch AGS edit
2. Select "Start a new game", click "OK"
3. Select the "Blank game" template, type in the game's name, click "Next >>"
4. Select the resolution of your choice, click "OK"
5. Select "Help" --> "Make my game..."
6. Check options where-ever appropiate, click "OK"

VIOLA!!!1! You now have your own game done!1!1! I'm quite descriptive on this one, am I, am I?

[DGMacphee]

Better:
1. Launch AGS edit
2. Select "Start a new game", click "OK"
3. Select the "Blank game" template, type in the game's name, click "Next >>"
4. Select the resolution of your choice, click "OK"
5. Select "Help" --> "Make my game..."
6. Check options where-ever appropiate, click "OK"

VIOLA!!!1! You now have your own game done!1!1! I'm quite descriptive on this one, am I, am I?

You forgot the masturbate step.

[rodekill]

I'm a little afraid at how closely DG's game design philosophy follows mine.
I have more masturbating though. That's really why RK2 was taking so long.

[Timosity]

I found a new feature of AGS the other day, I don't know how long it's been there, but have you tried this:

1. In the editor select help from the top menu
2. then select Make my game...
3. choose the elements you want for your game
4. bingo, you just created a best seller
5. invest in a cheese grater
6. Use it for DG's favourite hobby


I had no idea this feature existed till the other day, could have been round for a while, but never noticed it, classic feature CJ.

Edit: Damn it I didn't read the whole thread first!!, I actually read down to the one before Gilbot's post where I got the idea from DG, I guess I was on the same train of thought as Gilbot, but I remembered the masturbation joke.

[Gilbert]

You forgot the masturbate step.

Well, I was just teach newbies to make family games for all to enjoy.

[DGMacphee]

Masturbation can be a family game...

No wait, even I have my limits to humour.




edit by eric: no you don't

[Esseb]

Back to the article, what's the game in the top left on the first page?

[DGMacphee]

It looks like Police Quest 2.

[m0ds]

They missed "poobungies" also.