AGS Video tutorial on YouTube

densming · Wed 17/09/2008 02:11:48

Hi everyone!

I'm starting to do a series of videos on YouTube about how to use AGS Editor to create a game. At this point I've only got a couple of videos completed but I'll be creating more as time goes on. I'd really love for folks to check them out and let me know what you think.

I'm no expert at AGS Editor by any means, but I know that a video tutorial would have helped me a lot when I was starting out so I wanted to create one.

The videos are on my channel on youtube (www.youtube.com/densming). The tutorial goes over how to create Sammy's Quest, and there's a Sammy's Quest Walkthrough on my channel as well, so you might want to download the game and/or watch those videos first.

I hope these videos are helpful to someone just starting out with AGS!

Dave

Pumaman · Wed 17/09/2008 21:30:58

This is a really good idea, nice one! Do you mind if I add a link to these videos from the AGS Website?

A couple of comments for any future revisions -- it would be nice to mention something about the game colour depth in the first or second video before you start importing sprites, since this is something that the user needs to get right early on.

Also, when setting up the views it would be nice to demonstrate the "Assign to View" feature for one of them rather than doing them all manually

Anyway, great work, I think these will be a lot easier for some people to follow than the text-based tutorial.

densming · Thu 18/09/2008 01:48:59

Thanks for the positive feedback!

Sure, I think it would be great if you posted a link to the tutorial.

As to the 2 topics you mentioned, I'll be sure and address those in future vids or a supplementary video of some kind. (I didn't even know about the "Assign to View" feature, or else I would have mentioned that when I was showing the views and sprites.) That's exactly the kind of comments I am hoping to get.

Pumaman · Thu 18/09/2008 19:08:32

Ok, link added!

One other thing -- the video quality in Part 1 seems a lot better than the later parts, is there any way you can get this back for subsequent videos?

Finally, if you don't have any objections I think I'll move this thread to the Beginners Tech Forum to get feedback from the people there.

densming · Fri 19/09/2008 00:38:42

Yep, the video quality was lacking. I'm going back through all the vids that I've uploaded so far and vastly improving them by editing them in Camstudio first, which allows me to remove the static noise, but more importantly, it allows me to zoom in on certain areas of the screen as I'm discussing them in the video so that it's much clearer. If you go back and watch those videos again, they've been updated already.

Thanks CJ for adding the link, and I agree that this should be in the Beginner's Technical Forum. I should have put it there in the first place.

DoUn2u · Sun 21/09/2008 01:19:51

Hi Densming, I just watched all your ags tutorial videos on youtube. They are great! Thank you so much for going to the trouble of making them, I learned a few tricks that I didn't know, and I'm sure I will benefit from them even more as they start to cover the slightly harder areas of game development.
I found the variables and randomisation videos the most helpful so far.
Thanks again, and please, keep them coming!

Pumaman · Sun 21/09/2008 19:29:08

Ah yeah, the video quality is much better now.

Great work with all this, 12 videos already! You're making them faster than I can watch them at the moment

jetxl · Mon 22/09/2008 13:23:27

Nice work, Densming. I've added them to my favourites.

DoorKnobHandle · Mon 22/09/2008 13:32:48

Yes, extremely good work there. Of course, everybody would go a little different about explaining some stuff, but all in all you've provided a very good starting point for any newcomer to the engine. Also, the speed at which you published these and the overall work that must've gone into these videos (including the zooming parts, etc.) is astonishing.

After watching the first video, I wanted to create another video-tutorial series called AGS Essentials, but then I watched the rest of your work through in one series and realized that I couldn't add much information anyways!

Also, another thumb up for coming up with the idea, can't believe nobody has thought of this before, but that's the thing about good ideas most of the times. I saw that GameMaker already has this, so it might also really help AGS's publicity.

Buckethead · Tue 23/09/2008 17:19:04

Quote from: dkh on Mon 22/09/2008 13:32:48

Also, another thumb up for coming up with the idea, can't believe nobody has thought of this before

oh I have thought of it. But I never took the time to learn how to make them. I'm glad I didn't because they wouldn't have been half as good.

I don't really count myself a beginner but still I learned a few things here and there.

eVOLVE · Tue 23/09/2008 20:09:55

Quote from: Pumaman on Sun 21/09/2008 19:29:08
Ah yeah, the video quality is much better now.

Great work with all this, 12 videos already! You're making them faster than I can watch them at the moment

Keep watching mate and one day you'll learn how to use the program

TerranRich · Thu 25/09/2008 23:53:06

As I said in my comment on your first video, I haven't used AGS in ages, and your video tutorials will be very helpful in re-educating an elder user such as myself.

densming · Sat 27/09/2008 00:24:22

DoUn2u: Thanks, I'm glad you got something out of the videos. I made the randomization video, not sure if it was too specific to Sammy's Quest and not general enough but I think it's a good basic intro to scripting. I plan to have a "scripting" video soon, including the scripting editor and the IntelliSense stuff.

CJ: Now there are 14 videos.

I'm really enjoying creating them and am glad to be contributing to AGS in a small way!

jetxl: Thanks for favoriting. Nice AGS walkthroughs, btw.

dkh: Thanks for the comments.

Buckethead: I'm hoping the videos might be useful for everyone, but yeah, they're definitely aimed at the beginner at this point.

TerranRich: What ever happened to By the Sword Conspiracy?

TerranRich · Sat 27/09/2008 01:19:14

I'm working on BTS once again. AGS has changed so much since then, that I need all the help I can get.

In fact, I have a new game plan that involves other smaller-scale games as prequels or Prologues to the main BTS game.

scotty42 · Sat 27/09/2008 04:43:30

Hello Mr. Ensminger!
I am a high school physics teacher who also teaches an elective course in game design and advise an after school game design club. After reviewing your first 3 impressive tutorials of your 14 part AGS series I have now decided to use AGS in my program in an attempt to get the artsy types more involved

In the 3rd tutorial you show how to import the Sammy's Quest sprites and I was wondering where I can find the link to these files so the students can follow along more closely. They will be required to make their own character sets eventually but initially they'd find it easier to "hack" an existing set.
Yours,
Scott Jacobson
Lake City HS Game Creator Club
jazooka.com

densming · Sun 28/09/2008 00:16:51

Hi Mr. Jacobson!

Can I take your class? It sounds fun :-)

I'd love it if you used my videos in your class! I'll put my sprite graphics up as soon as I can find a place to host them. The place where I put Sammy's Quest to be hosted is still around but I forgot the password I used so I can't add things there at the moment. I'll find somewhere though and let you know.

Thanks for your message. I'm adding more videos as I have time so keep checking my YouTube channel for updates.

I'll find a place this weekend to put the files and will be in touch.

Dave

scotty42 · Sun 28/09/2008 07:14:10

Thanks Dave!
I've got a nice server and am only using 5% of it's capacity.
The least I could do for your generosity is set you up an FTP account and will PM you the connection details.
The web address will be http://dave.jazooka.com
I hope 500 megs is OK?
Thanks a million!
Scott

Pumaman · Wed 12/11/2008 00:05:28

Great work keeping up doing these videos, can't believe you've managed 20 already!

With the latest one about Colours, I don't know if it's worth mentioning that you can use the Game.GetColorFromRGB function in the script if you want to select a colour by RGB value without using the colour finder... or whether this would just over-complicate matters for a beginners tutorial.

densming · Wed 12/11/2008 00:32:22

Great, thank you. Once again, this just goes to show how I'm learning more about AGS myself as I do these videos.

I think I need to address this somehow; problem is, once I upload a video I can't change it without removing and reposting which I'm reluctant to do (since this changes the embed URL and such). But I'll address this in a future video in some clever way

Trent R · Wed 12/11/2008 01:10:59

Perhaps a thread in AT&C would help? You can upload the videos temporarily to another space, then get comments and suggestions on related topics, things that need clarification, etc. Once you make one you're satisfied with, you can upload it to the YouTube channel for it's final resting place.

Heck, you could possibly do that in this thread.

~Trent
PS-Loving them! Even though I know how to use the editor pretty well (or so I'd like to think, cause I've been making more mistakes as of late) I like to put your newest vid in the background and listen to the audio. If there's something I want more clarification on, I'll rewind and watch it.