AGS FAQ Seems Outdated

[RyanBram]

Hi, greetings.
My name is Ryan and I'm new here. This is my new post and english isn't my native language.
I just want to tell site admin that the AGS Main Site FAQ seems outdated especially in parts:

Q. Then can I have the source code, to port it myself?
A. Sorry, AGS is not open-source. There are many reasons for this which I will not go into here. The main two are:
(1) I made another application open-source in the past, and someone took it, changed the copyright and tried to release it as their own
(2) The AGS file formats are proprietary to make it harder for people to "hack" other people's games. If the source code was available, it would be easy for someone to write some sort of de-compiler for use with other peoples games.

Q. But the GPL will protect you... go on, can I have the source?
A. No it won't. In theory it does, but what happens when someone goes and breaches it? I don't have the time or energy to waste chasing up lamers who have blatantly ignored the license agreement. Sorry.

AFAIK AGS is currently open sourced under Artistic License. Am I right?

[Crimson Wizard]

Yeah.... according to that FAQ we are not doing collaborative development for the last couple of years (and there is no iOS and Android port) .

I think the FAQ was changed very rarely in the past, and I am really not sure it covers most frequent questions people ask on forums.

[AGA]

If people want to write some new / updated questions (and answers, ideally!), I'd be happy to update them.

[Crimson Wizard]

oops

First we need to make a list of really frequently asked questions...

[Tramponline]

Somewhat related to this...

On the AGS download page:
Linking the 'Beginners FAQ' to the (somewhat outdated) AGS Wiki might be a bit of an overkill for new people.

Wouldn't it be more effective to have a preliminary version of the 'Beginners FAQ', a basic FAQ that is reduced to
"the bare essentials" and putting a link to the AGS Wiki FAQ section at the end of that page? (Since there's that additional direct link to the 'AGS Wiki' anyway.)

But I assume this is somewhat related to the whole FAQ update topic.


Since no one seems too eager to take on the FAQs, Beginners FAQ as well as AGS FAQ (non-technical), I'd offer to compile an updated Q/A list.
I'd scan the 'Beginners' Technical Questions' section of recent years for questions that pop up frequently and which are not already covered in the FAQs (...or which are outdated).
Also those Q/As that are outdated due to changes in AGS & community developments etc..

I thought I'd rather ask you guys first, what you think about this in general, if you've any suggestions and to avoid that I'm raining on anyones parade, in case someone is already working on something in this regard (In which case I'd gladly help out and provide support in any way I can).
 

[Crimson Wizard]

Since no one seems too eager to take on the FAQs, Beginners FAQ as well as AGS FAQ (non-technical), I'd offer to compile an updated Q/A list.
I'd scan the 'Beginners' Technical Questions' section of recent years for questions that pop up frequently and which are not already covered in the FAQs (...or which are outdated).
Also those Q/As that are outdated due to changes in AGS & community developments etc..

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.
Also http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=46471.0.

Simply put, this may be done only if there's someone who wants to do this (and has time).

[selmiak]

how would updating the non-wiki tutorial parts on the mainpage work? make a thread for every page and discuss what has to be changed and taken out, replaced and added? Have a wiki page where everyone can edit and the final result is put into the tutorial pages? clutter up this thread?

Just skimming over the GUI tutorial I found the screenshots are very outdated and also

2. Size appropriately
How big do we want our GUI to be? Well, it's only a quit dialog, so I'll go with 160x80 to start with - we can always resize it later if necessary. Remember that the GUI sizes are specified in low-res co-ordinates, so 160 represents half the width of the screen, no matter whether your game is actually 320x200 or 640x480.

This is very outdated info and confusing for newbies.
Also a link to GUI scripting part2 at the end would be helpful. Maybe even at the beginning for reader's convenience.

[AGA]

Honestly, I think having all tutorials on the Wiki would probably be a better idea.  That way, any member of the community can contribute, rather than it falling to me (or CJ).  One person being responsible is why most of the tutorials haven't been updated in five or more years!

If someone wants to start a project to actually update or add to the tutorials on the Wiki they'd be very welcome.  As information is transported to the Wiki, I'll change the links on the main site to reflect.  Having FAQs and tuts be maintained by the relevant members of the community would be much better.  For instance, I haven't been an AGS beginner for almost 12 years, so I have no idea how to write questions from their perspective!

I could probably use some cunning database trickery to include a précis of each FAQ / tutorial on the main page, if you feel it would be helpful to have some stuff included there.  Or just include the whole of the relevant Wiki article in the main site, so there's a 1:1 correlation.

[Tramponline]

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.
Also http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=46471.0.

Simply put, this may be done only if there's someone who wants to do this (and has time).

how would updating the non-wiki tutorial parts on the mainpage work? make a thread for every page and discuss what has to be changed and taken out, replaced and added? Have a wiki page where everyone can edit and the final result is put into the tutorial pages? clutter up this thread?

If someone wants to start a project to actually update or add to the tutorials on the Wiki they'd be very welcome.  As information is transported to the Wiki, I'll change the links on the main site to reflect.  Having FAQs and tuts be maintained by the relevant members of the community would be much better.  For instance, I haven't been an AGS beginner for almost 12 years, so I have no idea how to write questions from their perspective!

OK. Since most if not all AGS KNOWLEDGE RESOURCES ISSUES are very much interwoven and interlinked, I don't really see any sensible or practical way of reworking one without reworking the others alongside.

I'm setting up a preliminary working document as I write, more for myself than anyone else, just to get a rough overview of what needs to be done and to come up with a few suggestions of how that might be accomplished in the most 'painless fashion'.

So far, from what I've gathered scanning trough various threads, what we're up against is to UPDATE, REWORK & COMPLETE the following AGS knowledge resources:

• Beginners Frequently Asked Questions
• AGS Frequently Asked Questions (non-tech.)
• AGS Manual
• AGS Wiki
• AGS Tutorials

?

Will try to gather some more posts with issues & suggestions, bug-tracker stuff etc..

Gonna see you guys - roughly in about 5 years or so! *


*...or maybe this weekend if I manage to come up with something more sensible and structured by then.


Any kinds of suggestions, advice, input & feedback are more than welcome! ...it'd also help to prevent me from ending up on a permanent vaccation in the local laughing academy, complementary white jackets & all that, from reading a thousand years(!) worth of posts... 

I could probably use some cunning database trickery to include a précis of each FAQ / tutorial on the main page, if you feel it would be helpful to have some stuff included there.

I think that could prove to be quite useful.

   

[AGA]

Sounds like a plan, Tramponline!  Hopefully a lot won't need to be rewritten *too* much.  Aside from some interface changes and added features, AGS and its community hasn't changed all that much for years.  The beginners' info shouldn't involve too much change, hopefully.

I have the manual source files (as I believe does everyone, since they're included in the AGS source?).  If someone wants to document exactly the added / modified functions in the new version of AGS when it's done, it should be easy enough to update.  It would of course be preferable to have the offline and online manuals stay up to date with each new official version that's released.  Of course we could just change to a wiki based manual like so many projects use, which would allow the development team to make edits on the fly.  I think this was discussed the last time this topic came up?