AGS Awards 2021 Ceremony - Heads up

Started by Snarky, Thu 16/12/2021 13:34:51

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Snarky

Thu 16/12/2021 13:34:51 Last Edit: Sat 08/01/2022 09:29:38 by Snarky
Just thought I would give people a heads up that I do not intend to make a version of the AGS Awards client for the 2021 ceremony.

The list of people who can realistically take on the job is short, but if any of you want to, I'd be happy to hand it over. Meanwhile, the organizers are exploring other options for how to present the awards.

Edit for clarity: There will be an AGS Awards ceremony. It just may not be through the playable AGS client that we have used in recent years.

Update: Dualnames has taken on the work of implementing/updating the AGS Awards client for the 2021 ceremony.

Kastchey

#1
Thu 16/12/2021 16:55:01
Thanks, Snarky! Everyone needs a break once in a while. Let me take this opportunity to thank you for all the amazing work you put into the client and the awards event throughout the years.

Also to ensure this is clear to everyone, Snarky is only referring to the ceremony client. Up until then, everything will likely go the same way as always and as for the ceremony, we shall see.

More to come!

vga256

#2
Thu 16/12/2021 17:07:20
FWIW, if someone is willing to take the reins of the 2021 client, I will be happy to continue producing Mac/Linux and iOS ports for the future.

Laura Hunt

#3
Sat 18/12/2021 17:03:24
Well, that is a real bummer to hear, but I totally get it. Thank you so much for your amazing work all these years, and here's to hoping somebody can take on the task. Stepping into that virtual hall and seeing everybody gathered there was one of my favourite things about the Awards, and it would be really sad to lose that.

Danvzare

#4
Sun 19/12/2021 13:05:14
Quote from: Laura Hunt on Sat 18/12/2021 17:03:24
Well, that is a real bummer to hear, but I totally get it. Thank you so much for your amazing work all these years, and here's to hoping somebody can take on the task. Stepping into that virtual hall and seeing everybody gathered there was one of my favourite things about the Awards, and it would be really sad to lose that.
Same here. Thanks for all of the years you've worked on the client for the award ceremony.

ukz530

#5
Sun 19/12/2021 19:35:10
 I couldn't attend the last 2020 Awards due to port forwarding issues, but the 2019 Awards experience was an unforgettable experience.
Thank you so much Snarky!  ;-D

I will not forget your hard work.   :)

Ponch

#6
Tue 21/12/2021 22:08:00
I've only missed one awards ceremony since we started using the majestic blue cup theater to host the event. I'll be sad if it isn't around for the next event, but I certainly understand how life can get in the way of dedicating time to the community. Thanks for all your hard work over the years, Snarky. I hope you can find time for us in the future.  :smiley:

cat

#7
Wed 22/12/2021 08:08:05
I just want to point out that while there will most likely not be an AGS-made awards client, the AGS Awards and a ceremony will happen next year. We are already discussing options about how to do the ceremony.

The rest of the Awards is not affected and will happen with the same procedure and categories as in the last years. This means, you can already start playing the games released this year  ;)

Cassiebsg

#8
Wed 22/12/2021 18:09:12
Just how much programming is involved?

If it's just a matter of adding the nominees and stuff, I could give it a try.
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Dualnames

#9
Wed 22/12/2021 18:29:20
I have semi-limited time, but I volunteer myself as a tribute, if no one has already offered.
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

Ponch

#10
Thu 23/12/2021 02:01:22
Quote from: Dualnames on Wed 22/12/2021 18:29:20
I volunteer myself as tribute.
Let the Hunger Games begin!  :cheesy:

Snarky

#11
Thu 23/12/2021 07:56:17
Quote from: Cassiebsg on Wed 22/12/2021 18:09:12
Just how much programming is involved?

If it's just a matter of adding the nominees and stuff, I could give it a try.

Thank you for the offer!

The minimum needed each year is to update the nominees and resources (including things like the title screen), which requires some fairly rote code changes. There is also a bit of setup that needs to be done on the IRC end, and there are some passwords and things I change each year for security (mainly to ensure that people don't accidentally connect with last year's client).

For the last few years, Kastchey has been doing most of the work of collecting and prepping the resources (they need to be formatted in a certain way), but there's also some work involved there, particularly when game authors don't submit something. And if we're going to stream the ceremony again, we need to do a better job of documenting and ensuring the copyright/license status of the music tracks used, as this has been a problem in recent years.

Then there are the other parts of the show that should ideally be updated (like the music act, the memorials we've had for AGSers who have died, and the anniversary last year), which requires a bit more codingâ€"although a lot of it can, if necessary, be left in and simply not triggered. Of course, if we'd like some new performance or other new part of the show, that would have to be created and scripted. (It is a good deal more complicated than just playing a cutscene, since it needs to be broadcast and synchronized to the different clients.) And there are always requests for other improvements and updates: some people have asked for an upgrade to AGS 3.5, for example, or complain about the positioning of characters on stage. We have a long TODO/wishlist of features and fixes.

There's a bit of messing around needed to build and package the Mac and Linux ports (you have to disable the Clipboard plugin, for starters): vga256 has handled the Mac side, and I see he's offering to build for Linux and iOS as well.

And finally you need to be able to control the show during the ceremony, a largely undocumented process that relies on familiarity with the code.

The biggest challenge is probably to figure out how it all works, just where to make changes, and which parts should absolutely not be touched. The codebase is pretty big, and some parts are remnants of old versions that aren't really in use any longer, or things that were started but never completed.

I do think that if Dualnames is willing to do it that might be a better option, since he is familiar with the overall system architecture. (Or if you're both willing you could share the job, it's up to you.)

Cassiebsg

#12
Thu 23/12/2021 10:38:40
Rather have less features and old bugs in than no client at all.

But since Dualnames has been so kind as to offer his help, I think it's best he keeps the code.  :) I can help gathering and formatting the info, if that helps with the load.  (nod)
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Dualnames

#13
Thu 23/12/2021 19:29:27
Given that I now have a 300x better internet even, i can probably stream the whole thing on twitch, if i can stream, haven't tested if I can.
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

Snarky

#14
Thu 23/12/2021 19:47:54
I would advise against having the person who directs the ceremony also be the one to stream. The job is much lighter now that nominees and winners are announced automatically, but there's still a lot of busywork of launching each category and so on, and it's not something you want visible to the viewers.

Dualnames

#15
Fri 24/12/2021 05:25:46
Yeah forgot about that, but i can potentially launch two clients too!
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

Dualnames

#16
Mon 27/12/2021 10:02:46
Anyway, I have the files, I remember half the process, so it shouldn't be that hard. I think we can do it!
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

Crimson Wizard

#17
Mon 27/12/2021 10:10:02 Last Edit: Mon 27/12/2021 10:11:57 by Crimson Wizard
Quote from: Snarky on Thu 23/12/2021 07:56:17And there are always requests for other improvements and updates: some people have asked for an upgrade to AGS 3.5, for example

So, this came completely on sudden, but we found out that 3.5.0 has a unintended and undocumented change in behavior where the fully transparent GUI (Transparency = 100) would not accept clicks on them (historically in AGS they would). Which would break something in this client from what I heard. Unfortunately 3.5.0 is long out and i prefer to not touch it, but 3.5.1 has this fixed, so if you're upgrading perhaps it will make more sense to upgrade to 3.5.1 (this is a minor release that contains only fixes and perfomance improvements).

Dualnames

#18
Mon 27/12/2021 10:25:50
Would upgrading to 3.6 make sense? Cause that was my plan to be honest. Haven't fully decided to that part yet.
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

Crimson Wizard

#19
Mon 27/12/2021 11:09:54
Quote from: Dualnames on Mon 27/12/2021 10:25:50
Would upgrading to 3.6 make sense? Cause that was my plan to be honest. Haven't fully decided to that part yet.

I can't tell whether it makes sense because don't know about your requirements. 3.6.0 is relatively usable now, but there were alot of internal changes and some secondary things may still be untested (just yesterday it was found that there's something wrong with the video playback).

Dualnames

#20
Mon 27/12/2021 11:35:40
3.5.1 it is then!
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

Snarky

#21
Mon 27/12/2021 12:29:59
Quote from: Crimson Wizard on Mon 27/12/2021 10:10:02
So, this came completely on sudden, but we found out that 3.5.0 has a unintended and undocumented change in behavior where the fully transparent GUI (Transparency = 100) would not accept clicks on them (historically in AGS they would). Which would break something in this client from what I heard.

I believe the last change to the UI (with the GUI fading out when not in use) changed this so that it's no longer the case. And given that we're using a custom TextField control instead of TextBox, the backspace-on-empty-textbox bug should not apply to the client either.

vga256

#22
Mon 27/12/2021 19:04:41
In that case, I will focus on making 3.5.x ready for Mac/Linux/iOS.

Dualnames

#23
Sat 08/01/2022 09:06:58


We're working on it. Just making sure people know.
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

vga256

#25
Sat 08/01/2022 17:10:32
Thanks Dualnames. Would appreciate a heads-up on the exact interpreter version being used so I can start doing the back-end work on the macOS/Linux/iOS ports.

Dualnames

#26
Sun 09/01/2022 03:06:21
3.5.0.26
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

Dualnames

#27
Sun 09/01/2022 05:24:10
3.5.1.13 Wait no i misspoke.
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

vga256

#28
Sun 09/01/2022 17:17:46
Awesome, thanks. Will get to work on the engine ports.

Dualnames

#29
Sun 27/03/2022 07:56:36
I cannot wait to show you all the ceremony we have prepared for you this year with the help of Snarky, Cassie, cat, Kastchey and vga256!!
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

heltenjon

#30
Sun 27/03/2022 13:20:05
*Big round of applause*

Thanks so much for doing this, you guys!

Dualnames

#31
Tue 29/03/2022 17:41:42
Forgot to add SELMIAK to the people that are helping, what's wrong with me!?
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

Dualnames

#32
Tue 29/03/2022 18:36:40 Last Edit: Tue 29/03/2022 18:44:19 by Dualnames
Features implemented (ordered by date):
-Added Exit Client confirmation UI.
-Added Options/Settings UI [saved per profile]
-Sped up the walking speed of American Girl Scouts, now they zoomin!
-Fixed the old too many overlays crash bug [has existed till the very first AGS awards ceremony]
-Removed display command [as it is blocking and would cause disconnects]
-Now audience members can not only clap, but laugh [and laughs are gender specific depending on your avatar, unfortunately could only find manly and womanly laughs and nothing gender neutral, but gender-neutral characters will alternate both male and femaly laughs, before the laughs become "crowd" laughs]
-Added another new feature: Text Throttling.
This throttles input by the player by adding it into a queue, through a listbox.
Every CHAT_THROTTLE (1 SECOND) it parses the list, one by one and sends the text.
That way the player can keep typing without feeling like they have to wait.
-Sound & Music gets saved on change.
-Now Participants list uses RIGHT CLICK for OPTIONS, LEFT click to select.
-Participants UI, Awards UI and CHAT LOG UI, now can behave like MenuBar UI through the settings.
-Whenever there's a mouse click [of any kind] fading out stops.
-Added Camera Functions [zoom in, zoom out]
-Audience can now EMOTE through a list of available emotes [I believe 9]
-Stage now scrolls to the bottom, there's like extra 280 pixels. That's like a lot of pixels.
-Confetti is now on the menu.
-Added new highlighter of characters
-Added a special feature for two special people [IT'S NOT WHAT U THINK IT IS.]
-Ctrl-A now selects all text.
-Indicator for capslock/shift next to the chat text.


Anyway, been looking through the forums to see what issues we missed from other years, what features haven't been implemented and the sort, and I stumbled upon the 2014 thread, yes that thread, and gladly I couldn't read much of my stuff, I was very annoyed and very wrong, and didn't take criticism very well apparently. There was never any homophobia or sexism intended, but I can see how that seemed as such to people back then. Regardless, not starting a heated discussion, I just wanted to let people know, that the awards will be a safe space, and everyone's opinion will be taken into account. This stage started as a joke, but I always wanted it to be bigger than just an inside joke, and I'm glad I handed the reins to Snarky and he's done so many wonderful things with this [maybe removing Daft Punk was the only mistake]. Anyway, for what it means, I am not the same person I was 8 years ago, regardless, I feel the need to apologize to everyone for my actions.

I'm sorry.

I hope you can forgive me, and join the ceremony this year, cause all these features are made for YOU!! SO LESGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

EDIT: Here's a screenie



Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

Cassiebsg

#33
Tue 29/03/2022 19:46:44
Looks awsome and looking forward to try the new features.  (nod)
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

cat

#34
Tue 29/03/2022 20:26:31
Fantastic work! I'm glad to offered to take over the client and do so many enhancements. Just let us know when you need people for testing.

Pax Animo

#35
Tue 29/03/2022 21:46:01 Last Edit: Tue 29/03/2022 21:50:40 by Pax Animo
Considering during the very early stages there were some doubt surrounding this years ceremony, it now looks to be rather special and exciting.  ;-D

Edit: just avoid inviting over emotional and aggressive individuals to the awards.  (laugh)
Misunderstood

Cassiebsg

#36
Tue 29/03/2022 22:06:34
This years avatar special "power": Slapping and swearing.  (laugh)
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Stupot

#37
Tue 29/03/2022 22:32:45
Sounds and looks awesome, Dualsy.
Is there a ‘slap the presenter’ feature?

Let me know if I can help with testing or something.

eri0o

#38
Wed 30/03/2022 00:15:37
Ooohh, the client looks like going to be even more impressive than it already was! Amazing work people!!!  8-0

milkanannan

#39
Wed 30/03/2022 07:28:12
Quote from: Stupot on Tue 29/03/2022 22:32:45
Sounds and looks awesome, Dualsy.
Is there a ‘slap the presenter’ feature?

Let me know if I can help with testing or something.

Can I also help test slap the presenter?

Dualnames

#40
Wed 30/03/2022 11:20:46
Of course, everyone is welcome, but there is no slapping feature. There is clapping tho, and laughing!
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

vga256

#41
Wed 30/03/2022 18:01:10 Last Edit: Wed 30/03/2022 18:05:05 by vga256
@DualNames -

If a Mac client is still desired, please PM me with a compiled build at the nearest opportunity. The compiled binary for the macOS version will need the Clipboard plugin disabled before building.
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