I plan on making AGS mini-demos based on snippets of code found in the Tech Archive and other sources. What do you guys think? I will be starting off wth the "mirror" code in the Tech Archive. I will also include a step-by-step illustrated small tutorial with each MiniDemo.
I guess I will constantly update this thread with new MiniDemos as I make them, about one every week or perhaps more frequently than that. This post will contain links to the web site I will make with the MiniDemos, as well a list of the individual ones as well.
Wonderful idea, Rich, I salute you.
Are you going to release the games with the code, or let people figure it out from the appropriate thread?
Oh, sorry, source code only. Users can compile it themselves to test it. It's easier that way. Forgot to mention it. :P
I think it would be a lot more helpful if you made a game. Something like the AGS show but where chris walks around and explains how the codes work. IMO...
"Hello, I'm AGS's Chris Jones. I'm here today to explain how to use mirrors in your game. *CJ walks to mirror and reflection is casted**. This is a very useful code. You see when the character walks infront of the mirror the X thing messes the other thing, blah blah blah."
He would continue to walk around and show examples of how it is used, like puddles, mirrors, shiney objects, etc. Then include the code into the folder, and the kids will go wild and rejoice! Yay!
Even better idea! Thanks, Evil! I'll see what I can do! :)
All I need are free characters to use. I can't be bothered to make my own! ;)
Well, I'm sure someone would kindly make CJ sprites if nobody already has them. And then there always is Roger for other characters, like AGS fighting. Sprites you could easily ask anybody for, even myself.
I'll ask in ACR, but could you do some CJ sprites? I'm trying to alter some RON character to look just like CJ. It's coming along all right, but perhaps somebody could do better.
This is how the demo quest should have been done. Having all the code in one game makes it confusing even for an experienced scripter. If they are all in seperate little demos then the code will be much easier to work out. Keep them as simple and focussed as possible and it's a good idea.
Perhaps people could add their own demos covering topics that are requested. I'm not sure how well the new demo quest is doing, this could possibly replace that.
How about ones for plugins aswell, shoing how to make them work etc...
Actually in my opinion (although I myself am against all engine plugins) whenever someone made a plugin, he should make a quick demo alongside with it demonstrating how it works (somone did this already, like the parallax plugin, etc., but someone did not I think).
I am planning on covering plugins as well. Now, I never meant to go over RickJ's head in replacing Demo Quest II, but this might become very popular. And I would make available the Chris Jones sprites and views, as a .CHA file, for other people to use. Any more ideas?
I think this sounds like a pretty darn good idea!
It's about 2:30 am and I can't seem to find sleep ... so I took a crack at a CJ character:
(http://www.twin-design.com/ags/graphics/character_cj.gif) (http://www.twin-design.com/ags/graphics/character_cj.gif)
I think it's a rather good likeness ... I couldn't get the mouth quite right.
Anyway ... if you like it, I can probably find time to animate it for you.
I modified a RON character to look like this:
(http://www.terran-x.com/cj_front.jpg)
Doesn't look much like him. Your sprite looks better actually. Could you do a walk animation for him? :)
Do you want the character more in the RON style? My style of character ... well it might not fit well in your backgrounds? I can try to make it more RONish if you'd like?
If not, I'll see about animating him tomorrow (meaning after I sleep).
Rich's looks a lot like Guybrush.
Actually I once drawn a CJ statue in the RON style long time ago (it was originally for Jannar's Bluecup on the RON, but seems that the game won't come out to the light in short time), I may put that in public for reference. Unfortunately I don't have it in my hand at the moment, I may need to do some search at home later.
Actually, we were considering a similar concept in DQ3, having a game that implements many of the tough concepts, but also linking mini-demos of each function/plugin externally. That way its fun and useful at the same time. Perhaps you wouldn't mind us using the mini-demos for that purpose, rather than making new ones?
By the way, RickJ is either pissed off at us or has amnesia, we haven't heard a word from him since December.
Great... I was just thinking about asking in the forum if someone of the big ags game producers would release the source of their game to help new and unexperienced users (not able yet with scripting). Your idea could be even more helpfull!!!!
Hollister Man: No problem, I'll donate them to you. :) And yeah, RickJ was probably abducted by aliens. Damn Mexicans Klingons.
I didn't want any style, really. My room is just a basic floor, wall, and mirror, wth some crappy textures. Any style is fine, Darth, I really appreciate it. :)
However, I'm having some problems with matching up the frames between mirror and subject (http://www.agsforums.com/yabb/index.php?topic=16335.0), so I might either wat until I can fix it, or start something else in the meantime.
you realize that instead of putting cj into the game, having him walk'n'talk around and showing all these features, you could have created a simpler game ( in template form, maybe? ) to show the basic functionality of a feature (such as the mirror), which is what people are really after.
by now you'd have completed that small demo, released it, and gone over to the next.
what i'm saying is that your original idea of releasing mini-demo's was way more efficient than that of, like some others noticed, creating another demo quest.
i hate to say it, but, as a newbie, the tech forums helped me far more than demo quest did, and they continue to help me, while demo quest is still incomplete.
oh well, the idea of illustrating tech topics and such is a good one.. whatever you choose to do, good luck
Well, when I thought of the mini-demos I thought the rooms would look like this...
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/evil_agsmini.PNG)
I dunno, something really simple.
Oh. That is much simpler. I suck at this. Here, give this a whirl and see if it's okay. Tell me what I should change, do, add, get rid of, etc.
http://www.terran-x.com/minidemo1.zip
Thanks!
I think that the page cannot be found. (Even if I add an i to .zp
i love this mini demo but only 1 problem the window is really small and and i cant read the writing too well.
Wow, its turning out great. What might be helpful would be some next/back arrows at the bottom. If someone were to miss a part then you could push the back button and have the text repeated, or continue to the next segment. Another thing that may be cool would be to have more 'player' interaction. Like when CJ first walks infront of the mirror. It could be like "Now, click on the right secton of the room to see what happens if..." And the player would have the walk button and would click the other side of the room and CJ would walk to a pre-set point.
are you gonna make one which helps you make a basic rpg ?
omg, so many lame jokes it made me puke :D
also mousemat, I would think one about an RPG would be stupidly long and therefore dull.
Also there are plenty of RPG makers out there.
So who here knows what ags means... A........ G... S.....!
But really, if a demo was made including how to make an RPG we'd get even more people mistaking what an adventure game really is.
alright forget it
You ARE joking right?
* shoots himself
I think implementing back/forward buttons would be impossible to do. If not, tell me how and I'll give it a shot. Otherwise, it's OK then?
you could make custom functions for each bit, ie: Mirror_1 to Mirror_5 and the code for each part is in the functions and then that buttons in the room flicks between the buttons
Probably savegames are the easiest way! It might also be nice to have a way to look at the code within the demo. Someone should write an AGS text file viewer (done already by RickJ?) and then have a text file of appropriate scripts in the text file.
Maybe the text file could be viewed as if it were a notebook in CJ's pocket?
omg SSH , stealing ideas from WWTLF, vel will have you for that!
We'll see in court, mr. McCormack!
Is that a copyright violation in CJ's pocket or is he just pleased to see me?
and it's M a c
Quote from: QuantumRich on Tue 31/08/2004 13:31:39
I think implementing back/forward buttons would be impossible to do. If not, tell me how and I'll give it a shot. Otherwise, it's OK then?
You could set the talk as a text rather then a talk itself. Then just run the talk animation. I think that would work but I dont know enough about AGS.
Make a custom function that in the end runs DisplayMessage(blah); where by the button codes you set the value of blah to the apropriate line for CJ to say...