Wrong verb lights up [Solved]

[SquirrelMonkey]

I use the Thimbleweed Park template. Not sure if this is a bug or my own fault. When I select a verb, for instance "pick up" and point my mouse to the object, the verb "look at" lights up instead of the selected verb. I went through the code several times and I don't know how to solve it.

[heltenjon]

Are you sure this doesn't just show which verb is chosen if you press the right mouse button instead of the left?

[SquirrelMonkey]

This happens: if I click on a verb with the left mouse button, for instance "pick up", the verb "pick up" lights up. When I point at an object, it suddenly highlights the text "look at". You can see this in the video. I can't find the cause. Drives me nuts.

[eri0o]

If you make a new game from the template, does it happens?

[Crimson Wizard]

I think Tumbleweed template has a concept of "default verbs" which suppose to act when no other verb is chosen. Maybe it is suppose to always highlight the verbs like that, or maybe it's a bug there.

I actually confirm this happens in the template's own demo game.

Perhaps report to abstauber in the template's thread.

[SquirrelMonkey]

Where can I find that thread? I see a bunch of template topics. Is Abstauber the creator of that template? (Wow). Thanks in advance!

[Khris]

Again: this is not a bug, it's a feature. This was started by The Secret of Monkey Island back in 1991. The selected verb is displayed as part of the floating text, and the verb that lights up is the default action for the object. This can be changed to open/close for doors for instance, so you can simply right-click them instead of having to tediously select the only action that makes sense.
Everybody who has played 90s Lucasfilm / Lucasarts games knows this and expects it to work like that.
Thimbleweed Park also does the same thing, as can be seen here:

https://youtu.be/jPIh9qumMnw
(at 1:46, "Open" lights up when the mouse moves over the gate)

[Snarky]

But the issue is, when you've already selected another verb, should the default verb still light up? That is arguably inelegant and confusing.

[Matti]

Yes, this may be done differently, but I'm pretty sure it's how it's always been, at least in Monkey Island. I think it makes sense too, because the highlight still just tells you what will be selected if you right-click something.

[Snarky]

Yeah, I think part of the problem here (in Squirrelmonkey's example) is how intense the highlight is. If it were me, I would try having two highlight levels: a more subtle one that is used for the default verb when you mouseover something in the scenery, or when you mouseover a verb in the inventory (Button.MouseOverGraphic), and an intense one that is used for the selected verb, as soon as you select it (Button.PushedGraphic). So if you've selected Pick Up and hover over something that has "Look At" as the default action, "Pick Up" would be strongly highlighted, and "Look At" slightly highlighted.

[Khris]

For reference, here's Monkey Island 1:

[imgzoom]https://i.imgur.com/9dNpGk5.png[/imgzoom]

In the Tumbleweed template, the action text follows the mouse and the highlight is less bright. I guess it's a matter of taste.

Anyway, to remove the default action, use a description like  diskette>n

[SquirrelMonkey]

Again: this is not a bug, it's a feature. This was started by The Secret of Monkey Island back in 1991. The selected verb is displayed as part of the floating text, and the verb that lights up is the default action for the object. This can be changed to open/close for doors for instance, so you can simply right-click them instead of having to tediously select the only action that makes sense.
Everybody who has played 90s Lucasfilm / Lucasarts games knows this and expects it to work like that.
Thimbleweed Park also does the same thing, as can be seen here:

https://youtu.be/jPIh9qumMnw
(at 1:46, "Open" lights up when the mouse moves over the gate)

When I play Lucasfilm adventures and select "pick up", the word light up. They stay also lighted up when I select an object. Now it jumps to a different verb even before I confirmed the action.

[SquirrelMonkey]

For reference, here's Monkey Island 1:

[imgzoom]https://i.imgur.com/9dNpGk5.png[/imgzoom]

In the Tumbleweed template, the action text follows the mouse and the highlight is less bright. I guess it's a matter of taste.

Anyway, to remove the default action, use a description like  diskette>n

Thanks, going to try that.

[Crimson Wizard]

Here's the template thread:
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=54762.0

Also, there has to be a manual extracted with the template, it's called tumbleweedverbs.pdf and should be found in your game project folder.

[Khris]

When I play Lucasfilm adventures and select "pick up", the word light up. They stay also lighted up when I select an object. Now it jumps to a different verb even before I confirmed the action.

The default verb's button lights up while the mouse is over the hotspot/object/character, and it doesn't matter if a verb was picked yet or which one it is. The picked verb appears in the action bar, which lights up when you confirm the action by clicking the hotspot/object/character.

So as far as I can tell, the Tumbleweed template, just like the very first Maniac Mansion Mania Starter pack which it is originally based on, mimic exactly the GUI behavior of MI 1 and 2 and Indy 4. And Thimbleweed Park. This is very easy to check, you don't even need ScummVM, just a playthrough video like the one I posted, which clearly demonstrates what I said?
As does the screenshot I also posted? I just want to clear up this confusion, since both the video and image seem to clearly contradict your statements.

[SquirrelMonkey]

When I play Lucasfilm adventures and select "pick up", the word light up. They stay also lighted up when I select an object. Now it jumps to a different verb even before I confirmed the action.

The default verb's button lights up while the mouse is over the hotspot/object/character, and it doesn't matter if a verb was picked yet or which one it is. The picked verb appears in the action bar, which lights up when you confirm the action by clicking the hotspot/object/character.

So as far as I can tell, the Tumbleweed template, just like the very first Maniac Mansion Mania Starter pack which it is originally based on, mimic exactly the GUI behavior of MI 1 and 2 and Indy 4. And Thimbleweed Park. This is very easy to check, you don't even need ScummVM, just a playthrough video like the one I posted, which clearly demonstrates what I said?
As does the screenshot I also posted? I just want to clear up this confusion, since both the video and image seem to clearly contradict your statements.

I believe you. I just don't want this in my game.

[SquirrelMonkey]

Here's the template thread:
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=54762.0

Also, there has to be a manual extracted with the template, it's called tumbleweedverbs.pdf and should be found in your game project folder.

Thank you. It's not a bug but a feature. Khris convinced me.

[SquirrelMonkey]

Anyway, to remove the default action, use a description like  diskette>n

It worked! Thank you so much!

[Khris]

You can also open Scripts / Tumbleweed / VerbGUI.asc and find lines 943 to 952:

Code: ags

  // Setting default modes if the thing has no extension:
  if (Verbs.Extension() == 0 ) {
    if (GetLocationType(x, y) == eLocationCharacter) // if it is a character
      Verbs.AddExtension('t'); // set default action "talk to"
    else if ((GetLocationType(x, y) != eLocationNothing) || (InventoryItem.GetAtScreenXY(x, y)!=null))
      // if its an inv item, a hotspot or an object
      Verbs.AddExtension('l'); // set default action "look at"
    else
      Verbs.AddExtension('n'); // set default action "none"
  }

Now replace 't' and 'l' with 'n' to deactivate all default actions.