MODULE: Panorama v1.6

[Kweepa]

Bump for new version that supports animated backgrounds.

[LimpingFish]

Great to see a new version of this, Steve!

Giving it a go right now.

[mode7]

This is a great plugin. Thinking of the possibilities makes my head dizzy.
Just some questions: Is it possibly to have an object rotating like the BG (when I make objects they just stay on their screen position) and would it be even possibly to make them distort like the bg?

Another idea: The animation feature works really awesome: The only thing is, that it would need ALOT of diskspace (somewhere around 100mb per background)
Is there a possibility to draw a frame of an ogv file as a bg animation sprite?

[m0ds]

Glad to see you're still supporting this, Steve.

It's a shame that more games don't utilize this excellent module. It really is easy to use, folks!

Sure, just not so easy to create the 3d background in a semi pro looking style

Anyway I've been playing with this, it's fun - but I have two small problems.

Firstly - my hotspots. I don't quite understand the explanation in the help TXT file. I've got my hotspots to react to where the player is looking fine, but if I want a GUI to display the name of the current hotspot, I can only get it to display that when the mouse is over the same portion of screen - meaning - if I move the mouse over a hotspot before turning anywhere, it's there, if I turn 180 degrees and move the mouse over the same area of the screen, the GUI @OVERHOTSPOT@ is still registering it as there even when it's in the a different direction, make sense? How do I fix that?

Secondly - I have found a way to keep objects and characters in the right place for when you move around. This works a treat however when the room first loads, it's putting the objects on the screen, and I have to turn round to face where they should be before they stay locked in that position. I've set the x/y co-ords before room fades in in an attempt to make sure it is placed elsewhere on the wide backround, but alas the object still appears floating waiting for me to turn to the right location before it stays locked there. How can I fix that?

Many thanks.

M

[Kweepa]

Ah, shoot, sorry mode7, I totally missed your questions.
You can totally have objects rotate with the background. That should be documented in the help file.
If you want them to distort correctly, you'd be better off rendering them to the background (and updating the BG image if they are added/removed).
I don't have any plans to make the BG a video, no.

m0ds,
I'll have to check the source code for the hotspots, but if I remember correctly, they should just work.
Actually, it might be best if you could upload your work directory and I'll take a look at the problems.
The fade in might be best handled separately (change fade in transitions to instant, then fake the fade on top).

[m0ds]

Hi Steve, sure, here it is:
http://www.screen7.co.uk/junc/panotest.rar

Issue 1 - When you run it, you'll notice a hovering object (Screwdriver) on the left side of the screen, but if you start turning, it will jump to where it's supposed to be and stay there. How do I stop it from appearing in the wrong place on room load?

Issue 2 - Hit F9, now move the mouse over the map. Clicking on it (in Look at) is fine, no matter what position the panorama is at. But the GUI at the bottom which has a label to display @OVERHOTSPOT@ only shows "Map" when the mouse is far to the right and two thirds up the screen, whether the map is visible or not - as if it's always using its position on a 320x240 screen.

See what I mean? Many thanks. M

PS - fade? Long day sir? I didn't mention fades

[Kweepa]

Hmm, this game has somehow gotten corrupted so that nothing I do makes any difference - I can write all kinds of garbage into the scripts and it will pretend to compile them, but not throw any errors.
Try writing dghkfhgsafhsk in the script and see if it compiles.
You might want to just start again

Issue 1 - if you use Panorama.UpdateObject(object[0], 913, 137) in the room's repeatedly_execute_always it should be invisible when off screen.

Issue 2 - I don't think @OVERHOTSPOT@ works (LimpingFish might remember!). You'll probably have to write your own in the global script's repeatedly_execute function.

Code: ags

desc.Text = Game.GetLocationName(Panorama.GetBackgroundXForScreenX(mouse.x), Panorama.GetBackgroundYForMouseXY(mouse.x, mouse.y));

[m0ds]

Thank you sir, I'll give your ideas a whirl asap

[LimpingFish]

I never used objects on-screen, but for both Heartland and Unbound the @OVERHOTSPOT@ worked fine when is was used on a GUI.

If memory serves, I used the 1.2 version of the module.

[Adrian]

Does this module also support continouos 2d scrolling? I mean rotating but not tilting or distorting? Like in the looping room in "The Dig" for example.

[anouar]

the link is dead can i have a nzw one

[Mehrdad]

Of course
Here you are :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c6w3peuvdjwg4vn/Panorama16.rar?dl=0

[anouar]

i really appreciate bro

[InfernalGrape]

Hi. I found out about this module, and it convinced me to try AGS alltogether.

(thanks Mehrdad for mirroring the lastest version)

But there are some questions i would like to ask before rushing into learning how to use it.

1) For "cylindrical panoramas" this is still a solution to use in Adventure Game Studio, as since then modules/plugins that are more "up to date" with similar functionality haven't appeared, right?
2) Two most known example games i found are Heartland Deluxe and Unbound,and in both it was just one room with panoramic view/interaction. But can you do several rooms and connect them via trigger or movement system?
3) Also would like to check other games/projects that used it to see what people have done with the module. I tried to search on website, but didn't really find much (and there is not a system of "tags" in game database that would help me find "1st person view" or "pre-render 3d" projects). So i have to ask if anyone can direct me to ones.

I have plans to make a game similar to Myst or, maybe, Queensrÿche's Promised Land. So it would be first person view adventure game where your go through different locations and perhaps solve puzzles (with inventory or not) and/or talk to NPC.
So i'd think such could be achievable with AGS & modules, hopefully. For 3D pre-render part of question, i'm an enthusiast of Bryce 3D so i'm ok with "480p" retro 3D baked into panorama (or even simple backgrounds with arrow navigation).

[InfernalGrape]

Issue 2 - I don't think OVERHOTSPOT works (LimpingFish might remember!). You'll probably have to write your own in the global script's repeatedly_execute function.


Label1.Text = Game.GetLocationName(Panorama.GetBackgroundXForMouseX(mouse.x), Panorama.GetBackgroundYForMouseXY(mouse.x, mouse.y));

I could never get this or overhotspot working. As i'm humanities/art graduate and not very much a coder, I feel helpless tbh (the whole ags experience for me is huge trial and error in the end, because it feels like 5% tutorials and 95% coding documentation and/or lurking forum posts of various years, so you go mad when even basic things you start struggling with...and even more stressfull when you're in a rush during game jam, sorry). Anyone been using panorama with ags 3.5+ and could help?

Additional info: I had to set script compatibility level to 3.2.1 otherwise it was giving me compilation error.

EDIT:
What the...?! I've randomly changed "script api version" from "latest version" to "3.4.0" and stuff finally works (meanwhile if changing to 3.2.1. or leaving it at latest version does not work). That's super crazy...
After some more experiments, it looks like it gets broken when you change "script api version" to 3.5.0 Final and above, meanwhile "script compatiility level" can be 3.2.x, 3.3.x or 3.4.x or even 3.5.0 Alpha and it works.

EDIT2:
To clarify, it's "Label1.Text = Game.GetLocationName" method that I've managed to finally get to work, but "@overhotspot@" still does not succeed.

[Crimson Wizard]

I could never get this or overhotspot working.

Could you post your code and tell what happens, does it show errors, or no errors but no result either?

[InfernalGrape]

Crimson Wizard, thanks for stepping in. Sorry I was not seeing your message as I was still trying out things and updating my post with edits.
In the end, I've managed to get one of methods working by blindly experimenting with api/version options (details are in previous message).

"No errors but no result either" is what was happening (and still happens in case with overhotspot method).
To clarify, my game project does not use any templates like bass or verbcoin, as I thought it would be not a good idea to use them for project based on Panorama module, so maybe I lack something important in global script and don't know that 

I'm still a very new to AGS (before that I made a super simple thing based on BASS template and if/else inventory check puzzles), so please forgive my emotionality with this.

[LimpingFish]

Right, well, I do actually remember. I suck at coding, and, yes, I couldn't find out why @overhotspot@ didn't seem to work when starting a game from scratch. And since I suck (so hard!) at coding, I took the cowards way out and simply built my games around the demo panorama game, in which @overhotspot@ worked flawlessly.

Now, don't get me wrong, the Panorama modules are amazingly simple to get running; SteveMcRea's modules were always fantastically user-friendly, and the Panorama modules are no exception. And I'm more than positive it was a lack of understanding on my part as to why I couldn't get @overhotspot@ working properly. But, as I said, the demo game works, so...

It's been, what, eighteen years (Christ, I'm old!) since the Panorama module was released? It wasn't used much, maybe once or twice, beyond my own games, and I always assumed it was because not everybody had access to the 3D programs to render out the backgrounds required. But I've always also felt kind of annoyed that SteveMcrea went to the trouble of creating these modules, only for them to be used in so few games. Again, it's understandable that not everybody would be fluent in the various 3D packages required to make proper 360 degree backgrounds, but still...

So, as a hopeless script jockey, I suggest that anybody who is having trouble getting @overhotspot@ to work out of the box, look to the demo game; and if you still can't figure out why @overhotspot@ won't work, well...build you game around the demo game provided? I'm sure Steve won't mind.

As to using several backgrounds in a game (moving from one viewpoint to another) it's relatively simply, and any hotspot with a "cEgo.changeroom" command will work. The final "Wound Vignette" actually exists (completed in...2011?...2012?...though it was never released) and it features half a dozen panoramas linked by simple "cEgo.changeroom" commands. As long as you use the correct "Panorama.Enable" and "Panorama.Disable" commands, you can move between multiple backgrounds with ease.

/reaches for bottle of rum...

Mmmm...

So, yeah, I hope that helps.

[InfernalGrape]

Thanks for reflections and details, LimpingFish. I've been replaying your games recently, they are indeed inspirational (though also you had more projects that were not completed in the end? Third game in vignette series "Wound", or that "Hallow" project... Would love to see those one day if possible).

I thought about approach you're suggesting, though seemingly PanoramaDemo is based on 1.2 version of module, and not 1.6 so would need to compare features and decide what't more important to keep.
Thanks as well with tips about viewpoint moving, will give it a try.

[LimpingFish]

And thank you, for the kind words. 

Along with the two finished games in the database, which used the Panorama module, you can see the Panorama3D module in action in the short teaser game I made for an MAGS competition some years (fourteen!) back, which you can find at the Internet Archive.

As for the unreleased third "Wound Vignette", I was just never happy with it. Like the first two, it was made with the original Panorama module, but this time, while it was still set in a single location, it utilized six panoramic images to give the impression of moving between certain areas of that location. It had little to no puzzle elements, primarily being story and exposition dumps. I found that I had a hard time justifying it as a "game", and so it was quietly filed away.

"The Hallow" never got beyond the prototype phase, although that prototype was shown at a AGS gathering some years back. It was so far from being a completed game, though, that there really wouldn't be much to release, save for a dozen or so backgrounds and an intro sequence.