Adventure Game Studio

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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 :)

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

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.

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.  :)

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 ;)

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. ;)

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!  ;D

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?

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. ;)

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

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

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

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.

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  :)

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.

Just putting my 2 cents in to say what a wonderful job you're doing on these videos. It was these that got me into AGS just a few weeks ago, please keep them coming as they're great!

wow a great idea

Hi :) I hope it's ok to bump such an old thread, but I've been watching the video tutorial and I wanted to say thank you. I sent you (densming) a pm but I don't think it worked and I wanted to let you know how grateful I am for all your hard work.

I also have a request for a video. Could you (or have you?) make a video explaining what to do once your game is completed?

I have made a (very modest) game, which I would not have been able to do without your instruction, but now I don't know what to do with it. I have read the manual, but am none the wiser, and searched the board but still don't get what I'm supposed to do next.

Thanks again, you're a star!

In the editor, press F7. Then go to the games folder, copy the Compiled directory somewhere else, rename it, pack it, upload it.

What should there be left to do? Give it to people by uploading it (the compiled folder)!

Here (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php)'s the games main page and at the very bottom of it is a link to add your own games to the database.

Also, you should probably post it in the Completed Game Announcement forum so people get to know about it.

There are many upload sites like Megaupload (http://www.megaupload.com/) or Webfilehost (http://www.webfilehost.com/). Make sure you compiled your game once it's ready and that you disabled the debug mode.

Ah, beaten by Khris. Whatever.

Thanks Khris and Matti :) I think I'm inching closer to what I need to do, but I still think a clear, consise explanation somewhere would benefit those of us who aren't as intelligent or experienced as you guys.

Your contributions have been very helpful though - I didn't know you had to switch the debugger off, so thanks Matti :)

And, although I've read the relevant part of the manual, I still don't understand whether I'm obliged to credit AGS or anyone in my game, and what form that's supposed to take.

Also, as I've never uploaded a computer program before, that whole process is quite mysterious, although I have managed to glean some clues from your comments.

I must confess, I haven't really understood the manual at all, and everything I've managed to do has been as a direct result of densming's wonderful tutorials - they are very clearly and thoroughly explained and follow an order which is sensible to the user. Hence my request for a video on what to do next - I don't understand it and densming explains everything in an understandable and comprehensive manner.  (Thanks again densming!)

Not sure what the problem is here...
Download Winzip or Winrar (google them), create a new archive and drag the compiled folder in there (I find it very convenient if the archive contains a folder, not the individual files). Both packers come with help files and are easy and intuitive to use.
Now that your game is a single archive file, upload it to one of the linked sites. That involves clicking a browse button, selecting the archive on your hard drive and clicking the upload button.
Wait for the upload to finish, then copy the link that'll appear, and put it in a new thread in the Completed Games forum, together with a few screenshots and a short description, ideally.

You can create screenshots by pressing F12 in AGS or best in x1 windowed mode using the keyboard's print button.
Then paste them into paint or Photoshop and crop them if necessary (remove the ugly window border, too ;)).
Upload them to an image file host (e.g. www.imageshack.us) and put them in the game's thread using the [img] tag.

Some people put a readme in the archive that credits Chris Jones or other people that helped them. You probably won't need to do that, especially not for your first game, which you shouldn't publish anyway ;)

Thanks Khris :)

I'm laughing at myself now, because as soon as you said "together with a few screenshots," I thought "Eek! how do I do screenshots?" only to discover you'd explained it in the next sentence, so thanks again :D

But what do you mean by "you shouldn't publish anyway"? Are you suggesting it would be a mistake to let this forum see the (embarrassingly bad) fruits of my labour? (Because if so, I'll take your advice and not link to it here, I'll just use the link to show (sympathetic) friends and family)

Thank you for your explanation - I think I get the gist, and I'll have a go at trying it out (cross your fingers for me)



Edited To Add: Yay! Dit it! It worked! Thanks Khris, thanks Matti, you guys are ace!

Cool!

And by that I meant that the first game anybody produces is usually really bad. The games database is full of those, and looking at my own, which I didn't complete, much less upload, I wouldn't want anybody to have to play that either ;)
It's sort of an unwritten rule.

If you did put lots of work in there and tried to produce a quality game, avoiding the usual beginner's mistakes (walking too slow, cutscenes/dialogs not skippable, unclear room exits, no hotspot descriptions, etc.), then by all means get some beta testers, and publish the final version.

Hahaha  ;D You just described my game almost perfectly (except you forgot to mention the crappy graphics and general lack of playability)

I think I'll be keeping this one to myself and not letting you guys see it

So there  :P

interestingly enough, this conversation is actually making me want to play your game MORE rather than less.  lol  :P

Quote from: Divon on Mon 30/11/2009 15:02:55
interestingly enough, this conversation is actually making me want to play your game MORE rather than less.  lol  :P

lol :P I have a feeling none of you guys will ever get to see just how humble my game truly is  ;D

(Although, I have to confess to a terrible urge to show you it despite its not inconsiderable flaws)

Bah dont worry about it...enjoy your hobby, dont worry what people say :P

Solving those issues isn't that much work, and since this is the technical forum anyway:

-Increase the character's animation speed
-look up StartCutscene in the manual and set a speech text skip option
-add a label on a GUI that's always on, set the GUI and label to not clickable and set the label's text to "@OVERHOTSPOT@"
-add/name exit hotspots

I didn't want to discourage you from publishing your game, with a bit polish added people will surely want to play it.

Hi MisoSoup, thanks for the nice comments, I'm glad the tutorials are helpful to you.  :-)  I've had a few people send me emails about how to publish their game once they've completed it.  I should really make a video about it.  I see that Khris and Matti already answered you, but I think the videos could benefit from answering this question anyway.

I just wanted to say I loved the video tutorials as well!  They were well put together, and very informative.  I think a publishing one would be helpful as well.

I want to send a thank you too!
Never got this far without them (and all the good posts on the forum and lovely helpful people here  ;D )
Please put more of them up!
:)

Quote from: Khris on Mon 30/11/2009 23:28:27
-Increase the character's animation speed
-look up StartCutscene in the manual and set a speech text skip option
-add a label on a GUI that's always on, set the GUI and label to not clickable and set the label's text to "@OVERHOTSPOT@"
-add/name exit hotspots

Haha, easy peasy!  ;D

I've been tweaking my game a bit since your last post, and I'll get to work on the @OVERHOTSPOTS@ thingy soon. Fortunately densming has covered how to use the GUIs in his tutorials, so with luck I should be able to do it (maybe  ;))

(Tsk! And I thought my game was finished - shows what I know)

Quote from: general_knox on Mon 30/11/2009 17:03:18
Bah dont worry about it...enjoy your hobby, dont worry what people say :P

Thanks general *salutes*

I think that maybe there should be a thread (sticky?) for people to post their first games in, so they can get (kindly) criticism and show off their efforts, but folks playing the games know not to expect too much from them

There isn't one already is there?

Quote from: densming on Tue 01/12/2009 23:47:35
Hi MisoSoup, thanks for the nice comments, I'm glad the tutorials are helpful to you.  :-)  I've had a few people send me emails about how to publish their game once they've completed it.  I should really make a video about it.  I see that Khris and Matti already answered you, but I think the videos could benefit from answering this question anyway.

Ooh, hello densming *starstruck*

The videos are terrific - I think they're the first series of youtube videos I've ever bothered to watch all the way through

And, although I managed to post a game thenks to Khris and Matti, I definitely think a step by step guide would be useful - I found it quite difficult to locate information on how to complete and publish a game, and I assume other people find themselves in the same position

Keep up the good work, your tutorial is completely indespensible and I would have given up on AGS weeks ago without it


Edited to add a big "hear hear!" to Karlos and BlueAngel (cuz I don't know if you can multi-quote on this forum :p)

 Thank you so very much Densming , I was looking for a hobby and I've always wanted to make a game I though of years ago (back in the sierra hay-day) come to life and now that is possible thanks to your great tutorials.  If there is anyway I can ever assist you in one of your next projects then im all yours         --Me = lots of art skills--              , pen ,pencil ,paint.net and so on.

I need to add my name to the chorus of praise: densming's youtube videos have been absolutely invaluable. He has an intuitive ability to explain things to dullards such as myself.

Thank you... and post more!  :D

Here here.  You should put it together as a training course and sell it on Lynda.com , "AGS Essential Training."   ;D

If there was a "Densming tutorial" for Xcode or XNA, my life would be complete.  Great job!

-s

Hi Densming, just wanted to thank you too for making those videos. I mean reading manuals and stuff is always good, but seeing how everything is put together in such a series of videos presents everything so much clearer.

Keep up the good work! :)

Yesterday and today I watched all 44 vids in a row so just let me say THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!

I'm very impressed not only by the didactical style and the content the deliver but also by the time and dedication you put into this. I know how difficult it is to maintain spare time projects while coping with job and private life.

Keep up the good work!

Ah and just as a side note, should you happen to find the Gabriel Knight script somewhere, please upload it again and correct the YT link. Both the initial script and the GK module are not available from drop.io any longer. Thank you!

- Markus

Hi Densming!

I wanna thank you also for the great tutorial series!

I have a question though: to follow the tutorial it would be best to have all the artwork (sprites, etc.) to go along with the sample game. Can they be downloaded anywhere? Did i miss something?

Thanks and i hope you'll continue with the Videos one day :)

- Joel

These great video tutorials (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL21DB402CB4DAEAEF) by densming were recommended to me by ibispi and Gurok as ideal learning resource, even today.

I'm wondering if making some new videos using latest AGS would be beneficial? I for sure would watch them.