AGS limitations. Only 500?

[Monsieur OUXX]

Hello. I'm new to AGS, but I read the tutorial and took a look at some projects.

I wondered on a particular technical aspect anyway : the maximum number of messages and the maximum number of sprites seem to be quite a handicap aren't they? For a little game it's alright, but what about a big game?

If you want to have a 8 directions character, and a loop of 10 frames per direction, it's 80 sprites already.
=> 2 characters = 160 sprites. With additional animation, you can reach 200 sprites. Then you still have the animated parts of backgrounds, etc.

So one already has to count hundreds of sprites for only 10 rooms, and the game limits seems precisely to be of a few hundreds of sprites...

What do experienced game-makers think about that? Is it enough ?

PS : the argument for such a limitation is that the game could run very slowly, but tests seem to be quite old : they look like they are based on Pentium 200, or such hardware... Now that many people have more than 1GHz, does it change anything to game-speed?

[Ashen]

Actually, it's limited to 500 sprite folders, not 500 sprites. The limit is, I think, 15,000 sprites (in AGS 2.62).

The number of rooms is slightly irrelevant, since background graphics aren't counted in the 15,000 sprites, and some can be re-used between rooms (e.g. the number of character sprites isn't going to be massively affected by the number of rooms, unless you have a different view for each room).

By 'number of messages', do you mean Room/Global messages or Dialog messages. Dialog mesages are limited to 3,000 - which is quite a lot of talking, if you think about it, and can probably be boosted by a determined scripter. Also, while the Global / Room messages are limited, if you really need that many, you're probably advanced enough to use scripting, and an unlimited amount of Display() or DisplaySpeech() commands.

I had a point around here somewhere, lemme see... right, got it.
While AGS does have some (fairly arbitary, to be honest) limits, most of them are set where they are because no-one has yet needed them to be higher. I think most of them are arbitary, as I said, and would be easy enough for Pumaman raise as and when significant numbers of people find them, well, limiting, but for the time being they either suffice as is, or are easily worked around.

Whether I count as an 'experienced game-maker' or not is a matter for debate, though.

[Radiant]

Considering that games have been made using AGS that contain over a hundred screens with all required animation and characters to fill them with - I'd say there's no problem!

[Pod]

If they can manage it with Kings Quest 1 and 2, then you sure as hell can!

[Monsieur OUXX]

Actually, it's limited to 500 sprite folders, not 500 sprites. The limit is, I think, 15,000 sprites (in AGS 2.62).

Ah, that's pretty cool, I mistook myself.

By 'number of messages', do you mean Room/Global messages or Dialog messages.

Number of global messages

while the Global / Room messages are limited, if you really need that many, you're probably advanced enough to use scripting, and an unlimited amount of Display() or DisplaySpeech() commands.

Alright, I didin't know that!
I hope I won't have to use scripted messages, because it wouldn't be very homogen if the first game messages were in the GUI and the following ones were in the script.

But anyway, i wasn't criticizing the engine, cause i think it is a VERY good full-functionnal tool. I was just wondering about solutions for these little unsignificant problems.

Thank you all !!! =)

[Ashen]

it wouldn't be very homogen if the first game messages were in the GUI and the following ones were in the script.

I don't quite understand what you mean.
From the player's point of view, there's no difference between a message created in the Interaction Editor and set to 'normal text', and one created in script using Display ("Your text here");. Similarly DisplaySpeech (CHARID, "Speech"); looks the same as using the Interaction Editor, and setting it to a character.
From the game maker's point of view ...
If you really were likely to make a game that stretches AGS's limits (and good luck to anyone trying), you'll probably find yourself using a lot of scripting anyway - the Interaction Editor is fine for getting started but is fairly limited itself (for example, only 100 global varibales allowed, compared to virtually unlimited if you use scripting).

Also, once you get into scripting, it's quicker and easier to use Display/DisplaySpeech, than to leave the script, set up the message in the Editor, and start a new script - not to mention the added flexibility you get from the other Display options available in script (e.g DisplayAt ();). And, of course, you could always use DisplayMessage (); if you don't want to re-type everything you've done so far.

Sorry, didn't mean to go on quite so long, or sound so much like an advert for scripting. Just saying, it's something you'd want to look into before starting a major project. Actually, any project - most advice given out in these forums seems to assume the person is using scripting, unless they say otherwise (in which case, the answer is often "Use scripting, it's easier.")