2 suggestions about AGS

[InCreator]

1. Interaction editor

I wanted to make AGS to display text for every inventory item when used on character.
It looked like this:

Use item on charecter
 Conditional - If inventory item was used (number)
   Run Script
 ....

For 30 inv items i have to search for this "Conditional - If ..." condition 30 times from interaction list!
And the list is long. And a bit messy.

So here it is --
All the interactions could be selectable with mouse,
maybe even multiple (more than 1) with dragging,
and then copyable when -- lets say, when shift key is held and mouse is dragged, so i could copy this condition and just change the inventory item number from its properties. This goes with other interactions too. So I -- for example -- could drag(copy) same Run-Script interaction for different events, like:
(a long example here  )

I have Run-Script command with proper script, that says Roger to play some animation or display some speech when he's being "Interacted".

I just copy-drag same Run-Script (with its contents, of course) to event when he's being "Looked At", without
need to make new Run-Script interaction under "Look at character" event and copying all the script text from previous one there. Makes things alot easier, right?

I hope i made myself clear, english isn't my mother language. Anyway, it's just a suggestion. We can manipulate sprites and script text using clipboard. Why not Interactions?

2. Mask editor

Although mask editor seems to be left with no special attention, It's maybe most important thing about AGS.

The tools there are very basic. Too basic.
Circle? Rectangle? Multiple Undo levels? Selector tool plus area's-copy & paste? Someone already asked for that.
I think a bit helpful could be ability to do really STRAIGHT line. Like holding down some key when dragging. (example: MS Paint -- shift key for straight line in 8 directions).

Of course, mask can be made outside AGS. But this goes for simpler backgrounds, mostly made with painting programs. It's not the quality thing but color count! Let me explain.

Bckgrnds with HIGH different color count such as photos
and 3D-rendered pics have *many* colors. Antialiasing makes often things even worse. Easiest way to reduce color count -- to make 256-color mask file -- is to lower color levels. Colors with similar contrast (or hue? Don't know right word for that) will be set into same single color. But it can't be always done, no matter how good paint program is. For example dark red and dark gray are considered both as as black. If I rise levels enough to separate them, other things are affected too, so i have to make few hundred clicks with "Wipe colour" tool in mask editor to get rid of other walk-behinds, which were caused by high level color separation.

[MHawk]

I wanted to make AGS to display text for every inventory item when used on character.
It looked like this:

Use item on charecter
 Conditional - If inventory item was used (number)
   Run Script
 ....

For 30 inv items i have to search for this "Conditional - If ..." condition 30 times from interaction list!
And the list is long. And a bit messy.

Hi,

I agree with the fact that you should be able to reposition interactions (and copy/move them to other events), but for your inventory conditional statements you can just use one single script:

// Use Inventory on EGO
if (character[EGO].activeinv == INVNUM1)
{
 DisplayMessage(501);
}
else if (character[EGO].activeinv == INVNUM2)
{
 DisplayMessage(502);
}
else
{
 DisplayMessage(503);
}

Also, It would be nice for AGS to at least have a rectangle, circle, and a really straight line function.

Also, why is the line tool not flush with the pixels? I know that the picture is zoomed, but the line seems to be a one by one, so you can still see some of the pixels it's supposed to be covering.  It gets confusing sometimes.

[Pumaman]

About the mask editor - it is assumed that most people will use another paint package to draw the masks, and will then import them with the Import Mask feature.

The line/fill tools are just there to touch up any bits necessary in the editor, they aren't designed to be fully featured painting tools.

[InCreator]

2 MHawk: Yeah, i figured this script thing out by myself just as soon i encountered a problem, just didn't try it.
But what about AGS-s "easy to use" interface?
Newbies?

I'm not sure that everyone uses scripts or knows this activeinv thing, It's eally good that AGS shows proper script command for every interaction, at least.

It wasn't really MY problem which casued this topic. I don't think that CJ makes AGS updates just because you or me doesn't like something in it. There's lots of creative, yet unexperienced people out there.

[Pumaman]

Dragging script commands is one of those very fiddly things to implement that always takes far longer than it should, and I just haven't found the motivation to do it yet.

I understand your point - however, for 30 different checks you're probably better off using the text script.