Which version of AGS studio do you use to make games?

[Volcan]

This question is for AGS authors only.

Which version of AGS studio do you use to make games and why?

I downloaded new AGS games. Most in time, it's version 2.72 is used.

Myself, my next AGS game would be 3.2.1 because it's easier to make games than the previous versions.

[Ghost]

All in all 2.7x has been around longer, so there are more games made with it- larger games that have been in the making for a while are unlikely to switch versions, too, so that's another factor.

I'm using 3.2.1 these days. It's nice to work with and has a couple of convenient little extras earlier versions lacked.

[Calin Leafshade]

A new user should defintely use the latest version.

Some people use the old one because they know how it works or because they are luddites.

[Ryan Timothy B]

Some people use the old one because they know how it works or because they are luddites.

[KodiakBehr]

I use Alan v. Drake's draconian version of 3.2.1.

[Radiant]

the interface for the 2.7 editor is more efficient, therefore I use that.

[Andail]

I use that old DOS version, where all variable are defined using small flags. Boy do I love them flags.

[AGA]

Only n00bs use anything above AC 0.1b.

[Crimson Wizard]

C++.
No. C.

I mean, QBasic! 

Spoiler

Seriously, I use AGS 3+.

[close]

[Radiant]

Sarcasm aside, I do find the tree-containing-everything and the multitude of tabs inconvenient, as well as the fact that the control-1 and shift-control-1 keyboard shortcuts no longer work.

[Crimson Wizard]

Sarcasm aside, I do find the tree-containing-everything and the multitude of tabs inconvenient

Exactly the reason I made this suggestion for the Editor: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=46483.0
I really hope someone will get to it eventually.

[Eggie]

I use 3+ but I do get where the version 2 people are coming from. I'd already got in a habit of writing code for everything by the time the interface changed because it suited the way I worked but some folks prefer picking functions off a list and I think that's cool and I think if someone ever made a plug-in for that so the people who preferred that method could use all the new features then that'd be a cool thing to do for them.

[m0ds]

Everything I've made has been in 2.72 I think. It's the one I consider best. I don't really like the way you make walkable areas and hotspots in 3 etc, it's all a bit fiddly and to me it seems harder to keep track of what you've already placed. 2.72 loads onto any machine, with 3 you have to download Framework which is a bitch download and then you get tabs and my copy also crashes after the third 'run game in fullscreen' which becomes infuriating. There are certainly some epic improvements, but I just don't feel the interface added anything more convenient, if anything, it made it less, but that's my circumstances, being brought up on Dos and Win 3.1, etc I like clunky software though that looks like a gnarly windows application...always have!!

Sadly 2.72 rain snow plugin hates newer computers or something, so it has a major downfall too ;(

[Stee]

I believe back when I attempted to make games in AGS I used 2.6 and 2.7x. When 3 came out the whole redesign confused me so I decided to leave it long enough that I forgot everything to do with ver 2, before I got to grips with learning 3.

Now I just dont have the time to learn it so many of my game ideas / designs get left in my book unfinished. They get worked on from time to time, but at this rate we're talking longer dev times than Duke Nukem Forever and FOY combined (and nowhere near as  good as either).

Straying back on topic I think  a lot of devs here use 2.72, purely because of familiarity. There were a lot of big changes in 3.x (the whole editor was rewritten) and I guess it makes more sense to stick with what you know than to relearn a whole system.

It's common everywhere not just AGS. Some people still use XP for instance (on here, probably the same culprits that still use 2.72)

[Ponch]

It's common everywhere not just AGS. Some people still use XP for instance (on here, probably the same culprits that still use 2.72)

XP? So soon? I'm not sure I'm ready to move up from Win95. It hasn't even been twenty years yet.

[AGA]

Well you definitely can't use AGS 3 on Windows 95, since it doesn't support .NET Framework.

[Technocrat]

It's common everywhere not just AGS. Some people still use XP for instance (on here, probably the same culprits that still use 2.72)

XP? So soon? I'm not sure I'm ready to move up from Win95. It hasn't even been twenty years yet.

I still have Windows 3.1 on my computer.

[Ponch]

I still have Windows 3.1 on my computer.

You, sire, are hardcore retro. Do you and Snake get together and play the Atari 2600 in weekends? If so, I am very jealous.

[cat]

When I first discovered AGS there was version 2.72, I think. I didn't like it. The interaction editor felt clumsy and the handling inconvenient. However, there was already the news that there will be a completely new version. So I focused on story and graphics for my game and waited for 3.0.

Now I use 3.2.1. I love that it has the look and feel of Visual Studio and is most of the time easy to use.

[Radiant]

It's not about the interaction editor, I think that was removed because pretty much nobody used it. Rather, 2.x requires less mouse clicks and scrolling to perform the same tasks, and has a number of keyboard shortcuts that 3.x lacks.

[ThreeOhFour]

The fact that more recent versions of AGS allow you to write code directly into the dialogs rather than using the run-script x and function dialog_request method overrides any other issue for me. It also has far superior sprite management controls - using the Assign to View function and being able to flip all the frames in a loop with 2 clicks, for example, are decent time savers. Then there's the Global Variables pane, which is a decent - if slightly lazy - way to create of all your global variables without needing to import them whenever you want to use them elsewhere, the much more organized audio system and advanced support for more modern screen resolutions. You can also view characters directly in rooms now, middle click to copy coordinates while still doing other tasks and you can rawdraw onto dynamic sprites.

These are all strong arguments for using the latest version of AGS. I cut my teeth on 2.70, and when 3.0 came out I was initially extremely reluctant to upgrade. I'd never go back to 2.72 now that I've gotten used to 3.2.1.

[Radiant]

It also has far superior sprite management controls - using the Assign to View function and being able to flip all the frames in a loop with 2 clicks, for example, are decent time savers.

2.7 already has those, though.

Otherwise, I'd be happy to switch to 3.2.1 as soon as somebody brings back my beloved keyboard shortcuts

[ThreeOhFour]

You can flip an entire loop in the view manager with a single click without having to re-use the "assign to view" function? To my knowledge that was only introduced in 3.2 (I know, for example, that 3.1.2 doesn't have it). I must have overlooked the Assign to View function when I was using 2.7, I guess!

Seriously, with all the people working on the editor at the moment, it should be child's play to request the addition of a couple of keyboard shortcuts and get someone to implement it. The upgrade is absolutely worth re-learning a few things.

[Radiant]

Thanks for pointing that out, I have been out of touch here. Could you tell me who to contact? Because I imagine the forum has too many bug threads and one ore would likely be overlooked.

[ThreeOhFour]

I'd say someone like tzachs or Wyz. I imagine (as somebody with no experience in doing this sort of thing ) that compared to most of the requested additions to the editor, your shortcuts should be very simple to add.

I'd post your request in the Editor Development board. Even if it takes a while before somebody does it, more shortcuts are always useful.

[Crimson Wizard]

When I first discovered AGS there was version 2.72, I think. I didn't like it. The interaction editor felt clumsy and the handling inconvenient. However, there was already the news that there will be a completely new version. So I focused on story and graphics for my game and waited for 3.0.

Now I use 3.2.1. I love that it has the look and feel of Visual Studio and is most of the time easy to use.

Interesting, I had exactly same thoughts. I made some attempts to learn 2.72, and probably could use it, but at the time I lost interest. Later, when I checked AGS site again 3.0 was already released, and resembling MSVS so I could use it pretty intuitively.

I must agree about Tabs though. MSVS is mainly about editing text, but AGS isn't only that. There were numerous cases when I wished there was another way to switch between various editor components than looking for them on tabs line or one-for-all project tree.

[Sledgy]

3.21 or 2.61

[Squinky]

Was it 2.7 the last one before all the scripting changed? Well, whenever that was, it drove me away. I didn't feel like re-learning.

But now I am back, enough time has passed that I can start all over

[Gilbert]

Was it 2.7 the last one before all the scripting changed?

v2.72 I think.

[Crimson Wizard]

Was it 2.7 the last one before all the scripting changed? Well, whenever that was, it drove me away. I didn't feel like re-learning.

But now I am back, enough time has passed that I can start all over

You may turn "Enforce object-based scripting" off in the general settings, tha will allow you to use old 2.62 functions.

[Squinky]

Even in the newest version? Thats amazing. But I feel I need to get with the program.

[Grim]

I made my first game on AGS 2.7 and it was great for someone without any programming experience to learn the ropes and all that. When I started The Cat Lady I decided to try 3.2 and while much harder at first, it did open a whole new ocean of possibilities... After a day or two I totally fell in love with it. My favourite feature is being able to use the same script in dialgues- Ben has already mentioned that. It's invaluable. Now, you can have all sorts of stuff going on while characters talk. They don't have to just stand there anymore like they're stuck to the floor;) I know- it was probably always possible, but now it's just there and easy to use for someone like me!;)