AGS Game Settings manual

edmundito · Fri 02/01/2004 21:07:43

The AGS help file explains some of the setup features a little bit, but the explanations might be too technical and more developer-oriented to include in a game's manual. I was wondering if anyone would like to help by describing each feature of the setup for a player that has is not familiar with it.

Some of the features are easy to explain, and if you think you have a good explanation for them, reply to this post.

Other features are kind of difficult to explain, like the advanced settings, Use 85 hz display, etc... and if you're confident you can explains these in simple terms do so.

If you think you can explain a feature better than someone, then just reply with your version.

The result? I'll compile a manual so that everyone can include in the game's manual to explain the setup program

So we all benefit from this.

Here's an image of the current setup:

Here's the features that need to be explained:
resolution (320x200, 640x400, etc... just one explanation), Run in a window instead of full screen, Use 85 hz display (CRT Monitors only), Force alternate letterbox resolution, Anti-alias scaled sprites (fast CPUs only), Downgrade 32-bit graphics to 16 bit, Digital sound, Midi music, Use digital music pack if available, use speech pack if available, game language, replay, and sprite cache size.

Grundislav · Sat 03/01/2004 06:42:47

It's a good idea, but really, I think only a few of those features need to be explained. If the person is computer savvy enough to play an adventure game, I think they'll know what "run in window instead of fullscreen" means.

I suggest explaining just the 85hz display, alternate letterbox resolution, and the advanced features. I think the rest are easy enough to figure out.

Squinky · Sat 03/01/2004 07:17:26

I don't know, I think having a cool little setup doc would be neat, you never know what people won't understand....

So, having added nothing really to this but my support, I leave...

Pau · Sat 03/01/2004 10:21:36

And about the replay option, why there's only one option to choose? What does it mean?

Ben · Sat 03/01/2004 21:31:24

Replays are recorded during the game. You can record one by pressing alt-r and typing a file name, then play it back through the game setup..

I think the explaining should just be left to the developer. Not all the stuff in setup applies to all games, so you can't really have one universal explanation. Some games require letterbox mode to be on, or sprite anti-aliasing off, some don't use MIDI music, and some don't use 32-bit graphics.. Therefore, a developer would have to edit the explanation so much that it would be just as easy to write one from scratch..

m0ds · Sat 03/01/2004 23:35:27

This may sound dumb but what is the replay function for? I mean, why would people want to reply something? So they don't have to remember clues?

And, I think your idea is good netmonkey. That setup screen is getting more and more complicated with each release!

Pau · Sat 03/01/2004 23:42:15

Thank you for the replay explanation. I didn't find anywere what it was. Now I can sleep pacefully. Thanks.

Quote from: m0ds on Sat 03/01/2004 23:35:27
why would people want to reply something?

Maybe the idea is that if you get stuck, somebody with the same game could record a reply and send you in order to explain the exact steps to solve a puzzle, or something like that. (I don't know if this would work)

Inkoddi · Sat 03/01/2004 23:49:50

But Replays takes up several megabytes if they are long enough so it will be hard to send them to people

Edit: oops... wrong wrong... I recorded Pirate Fry 3 from the beginning to the end and it was only 355Kb but (ARGH) corrupted!!!

Pau · Sun 04/01/2004 00:06:06

I've just discovered the replay feature, but I thought it was like the demo recording system of action games (like Quake, Half-life) so only the events are recorded, making the files the shorter they can be as far as they contain no graphics or music,just instructions to reproduce the action by the engine.
So (theorically) files should be small, but I only tested replays two times with AGS, so my observations could be not very accurated.

Duzz · Sun 04/01/2004 13:25:56

It could be used for beta testing, to see how other people play the game (?)
But it's an 'unofficial' feature and sometimes goes 'out of sync' and crashes.