Main problem with AGS

[Mehrdad]

Hello

I think AGS is a complete engine for make adventure game now.tools and scripts is perfect .but in my opinion AGS only have a big problem: AGS is slow.

I really want know if is any way for make 60fps(frame rate) games?at least for 640X480 16bit.

without this problem,AGS will be best engine for Adventure and Platformer game.doesnt it?

i'll glad hear your opinion.

[Layabout]

You could tinker with the source code and get 60 frames per second, but I'd like to see even a Disney animator do 60 frames per second. All traditional animation is either done in 24 frames per second (for film) or 12 frames per second (Called on 2's in the biz). Most anime is on 2s, as are most TV cartoons.

Sure with flash you could probably auto-tween the shit out of you animation and get 60fps, but flash animation looks like dogs vomit in a codpiece.

[DoorKnobHandle]

All you need is SetGameSpeed (60);

I run all my games at 100 FPS personally. Layabout is right about the frame rates but those are film frame rates. While the eye can't tell the single frames at these speeds, if we run a video game at the same rate the controls will feel very sluggish.

EDIT: And the newer AGS versions really aren't slow at all. Of course considering you hadn't even heard of such a basic command (that's right there in the manual for anybody that looks for 'speed') doesn't exactly make it look like you know what you're talking about...

[Wonkyth]

Some time in the future, I'd like to see AGS split it's drawing clock and it's update clock.

[Wyz]

I have heavily modded AGS with plugins among things: joystick support and even a JavaScript engine that runs code every tick and loads png files dynamically from disk. It can do all this in a steady 60fps, is AGS slow? No. It is surprisingly efficient.

Yeah, the SetGameSpeed function is the key, AGS defaults to 40 FPS that might feel a bit sluggish. It is an adventure game engine, and for that you don't need a very high game speed; it would only hog resources. However, if you wish to make something other then an adventure game, you simply up the game speed accordingly. You should keep system specifications in mind when doing this, not everyone has a state of the art computer or even has an old piece of shit (like me) so know your audience.

Of course the way you design your game also has an impact on the game speed. I guess you should experiment or ask for help as to how to optimize things.

[Radiant]

I think AGS is a complete engine for make adventure game now.tools and scripts is perfect .but in my opinion AGS only have a big problem: AGS is slow.

On the contrary, AGS is fast in that it runs on older computers without problem. I know several retro games that get sluggish on any low-end system, but AGS doesn't.

[Mehrdad]

Thanks for answers

@Layabout
Yes. Disney or other company animations is on 24 or 25 fps.I'm 2D animator too(see my signature).i use 2s for my animations.Also Flash havnt good performance for make game.fps in swf files is very low and this format is open source too.so Flash is out for serious game.

My mean from fps was trace when we have a scrolling.AGS have stutter screen. even on D3D mode.I use smooth scrolling module too.that was good but not very good.

@Radiant
Exactly.main problem is here.AGS cant use real speed GPU for copmputers today.but is good on older machines.

I say again:AGS is very nice and i love it.but i wish i can do any planning genre of serious game with that.specially cinematic platformer game.

[Igor Hardy]

that was good but not very good.

please explain.

[WHAM]

I do admit the scrolling room stutter is an eyesore. I think it should be possible to overcome it by manually controlling the viewport, but I haven't looked into it yet. I think there was also a smooth scrolling module somewhere, I think Ali did it, but I haven't used it yet.

[InCreator]

MEHRDAD, I suggest your problem lies in being an IDIOT.

[Mehrdad]

that was good but not very good.

please explain.

OK.sure.Ali's module(smooth scrolling) is good for prototype game.with less color and small and limit objects.if we use more high color and resolution and many objects and big sprite in same time we have stutter screen(I tried it).

MEHRDAD, I suggest your problem lies in being an IDIOT.

Sorry.but i dont understand your mean exactly.would you mind explain clear?my english is not very well.

[Grim]

OK.sure.Ali's module(smooth scrolling) is good for prototype game.with less color and small and limit objects.if we use more high color and resolution and many objects and big sprite in same time we have stutter screen(I tried it).

I'm using it for what (at least I think) will be one of the biggest AGS games ever, in 32 bit colours, 800 x 600 resolution and over 3000 alpha layered sprites, and I can testify that Ali's module is absolutely -fucking- brilliant. You just have to set it up right.

[InCreator]

Sorry.but i dont understand your mean exactly.would you mind explain clear?my english is not very well.

Huh, judging by you all-caps username, lack of any punctuation and structure of thought whatsoever, you felt like 10-year old. Which isn't the case as I see from you homepage... You don't have to be "well" in english, just damn do what others do, you have lines of correct text even in this thread. Use space bar and enter and shift keys like everyone else.

Well, why do you want to use AGS to make a cinematic platformer game? I mean, people do platform games in AGS, but as hobby and challenge, not because AGS is suited to make one. If you want to make a cinematic platformer use an engine meant to make cinematic platformers and not one made for adventure games.

Also, I seriously doubt anything over 30fps even counts in any platformer, be it most cinematic platformer in the world. Most people are quite happy with 23,97fps movies and they're probably more "cinematic" than any platformer you might make.

Quest for over 30 frames-per-second is bullshit IMO and doesn't make noticeable difference even in first-person-shooter games although millions of (dumb?) people claim it does. Convince me!

[Anian]

Quest for over 30 frames-per-second is bullshit IMO and doesn't make noticeable difference even in first-person-shooter games although millions of (dumb?) people claim it does. Convince me!

I have to agree that I don't really understand frames and why a number like 30fps is not enough for games and yet I've noticed that when it says lower frame rate it does seem to lag/twitch...I mean, if movies are 24-25fps I rally don't get it. I understand fluidity of motion might want more frames but LCDs are usually around 60-70fps and Playstation and XBox can't really have much more than the television, so why a number like 100fps?
But I can't understand buying expensive mosue pads to up your game and other "twitching human" syndrome problems and I stay away from games that have that kind of crowd in it...I guess I am obsolete.

[Ali]

OK.sure.Ali's module(smooth scrolling) is good for prototype game.with less color and small and limit objects.if we use more high color and resolution and many objects and big sprite in same time we have stutter screen(I tried it).

I'm using it for what (at least I think) will be one of the biggest AGS games ever, in 32 bit colours, 800 x 600 resolution and over 3000 alpha layered sprites, and I can testify that Ali's module is absolutely -fucking- brilliant. You just have to set it up right.

On older versions of AGS the module moved the screen in 2-pixel jumps. When it slowed down there was a noticeable 'stuttering'. Could that be what you experienced? That's gone thanks to changes in the engine and it does look a lot better now.

What a genius I am to have asked Steve 'Kweepa' McCrea to write a smooth scrolling script for me!

[Snarky]

Quest for over 30 frames-per-second is bullshit IMO and doesn't make noticeable difference even in first-person-shooter games although millions of (dumb?) people claim it does. Convince me!

A scientific study on how frame rates affect performance and enjoyment of FPS games shows that it does make a difference:

M. Claypool, K. Claypool, and F. Damaa, “The effects of frame rate and resolution on users playing first person shooter games,” in Proc. ACM/SPIE MMCN Conf., San Jose, CA, 2006.

See also:

S. Bryson, “Effects of lag and frame rate on various tracking tasks,” in Proc. SPIE, Stereoscopic Displays Appl. IV, Bellingham, WA, 1993, vol. 1925, pp. 155â€"166.

Going from 30 fps to 60 fps means that you might see something happening 16 ms sooner, giving you 16 more ms to react. In some cases, that's going to be the difference between reacting in time and being too late.

[m0ds]

What a genius I am to have asked Steve 'Kweepa' McCrea to write a smooth scrolling script for me!

Haha! If in doubt..Kweeepa!

Gotta love threads where people criticize the abilities of AGS for games that aren't even advent-duhs.

[monkey0506]

I think Wonkyth kind of brought up an important point here in that it's not necessarily essential for AGS to poll the input devices at the same time, or indeed at the same speed, as it updates the output to the screen.

I actually think that increasing the polling rate to something significantly higher than the output rate would prevent issues regarding input lag. Being able to set them at run-time would actually be very nice.

As most people have said though, Adventure Game Studio is designed for adventure games, most of which wouldn't encounter a problem with the current design anyway. However, including non-adventure style features in an adventure game isn't an implausible idea (any more than making a non-adventure game in an adventure game development suite ). So with that in mind, it might be worth looking into in the refactoring of the engine (which other than the steps I've taken in looking into it, I haven't actually heard of anyone working on this). Allowing AGS to take advantage of available GPUs would also help bring it up-to-speed with the modern gaming world, though I have never looked into anything along that lines so I have no idea of what it would require.

[Calin Leafshade]

MEHRDAD, I suggest your problem lies in being an IDIOT.

I suggest *your* problem is that you are an asshole.

[NsMn]

I think your problem is that both of you haven't got anything to add to this. And now play together nicely while daddy plays some Minecraft.