Messages

Hey there! Definitely gorgeous graphics there! And I love where this is all going! Can't wait to play this game! Keep up the good work!

[DOTT Remake has been CANCELED]

Boooo!

Hello everyone! I am here, today, to announce that my DOTT Remake has been CANCELED (figures)!

Couldn't find myself the courage to complete this remake when I found out that Tim's DOTT Remastered version came out, a while ago (and it looks exactly the same as my remake). So I just wanted to mention that this project has been officially canceled.

However, to prevent anymore similar situation from happening again, I've decided to work on a new project that's NOT a remake or whatsoever. The new mysterious project will soon be announced on the forums here on AGS, since we're still using the AGS engine (thank you C.J.) and with Flash graphics and animations. So it'll look just like the DOTT Remake graphics!! (isn't it amazing? ) Hoping this will get people's attention, since I've received such great comments about the graphics on DOTT Remake...

Thanks AGS people!

-Feenyx

[Edit]

Hmmyes, I see what you mean. It's a bug/limitation of SetViewport(), it only updates the viewport one frame after the character position is updated, so the character flickers between two positions on the screen. There is a workaround that might fix this (see here), but it gets a bit complicated. I'll see if I can add it in...

Edit: Try this. Since the code was getting mildly complicated, I broke it out into a separate function.

Code: AGS

// GlobalScript.asc
int animationCounter=0;
int animationFrameOld;

void scrollWithBoundaries()
{
  animationCounter++;
  if(animationFrameOld != player.Frame)
    animationCounter=0;
  if(animationCounter == player.AnimationSpeed || !player.MovementLinkedToAnimation)
  {
    // Scroll viewport so player is at the center of the screen (default behavior)
    int viewportX = player.x - System.ViewportWidth/2;
    int viewportY = player.y - System.ViewportHeight/2;
    // Don't scroll into left sidebar
    if(viewportX < GetRoomProperty("SidebarLeft"))
      viewportX = GetRoomProperty("SidebarLeft");
    // Don't scroll into right sidebar
    else if(viewportX + System.ViewportWidth >= Room.Width - GetRoomProperty("SidebarRight"))
      viewportX = Room.Width - System.ViewportWidth - GetRoomProperty("SidebarRight");

    SetViewport(viewportX, viewportY);
  }
  animationFrameOld = player.Frame;
}

function repeatedly_execute_always()
{
  scrollWithBoundaries();
}

I tried this out and placed it on top of all my Global scripts functions. However, I think I might have placed it in the wrong place since it won't seem to work anymore. The camera just keeps following the main character at all times and still shows the black bars but no flickers. As if it was not considering it as a function since I removed it from the repeatable execute always section (which now contains scrollWithBoundaries). Also, I'm not getting any error messages. What did I do wrong?

Can't reproduce: for me the screen scrolls to follow the character. What values do you have for the sidebars? (Note that if for example your right-hand sidebar is 50 pixels wide on a 900-pixel wide background, the SidebarRight value should be 50, not 850.)

Ugh, my bad. Got that fixed now. However, one last thing is the character seems to flicker like crazy, as much as the repeatable execute function occurs. Won't that affect my walk animation? (currently not animated)

Please be more specific than "still isn't working."

Once you've fixed typos and stuff like that it should have worked for the left-hand side. There was an error in the calculation of the right-hand side (I forgot to take into account the width of the screen) that meant it would ALWAYS show the right sidebar if the character was on the right-hand side of the screen: that would be a useful thing to report.

I've tested it with this code, and it's working for me (AGS 3.3):

Code: ags

function repeatedly_execute_always()
{
  // Scroll viewport so player is at the center of the screen (default behavior)
  int viewportX = player.x - System.ViewportWidth/2;
  int viewportY = player.y - System.ViewportHeight/2;
  // Don't scroll into left sidebar
  if(viewportX < GetRoomProperty("SidebarLeft"))
    viewportX = GetRoomProperty("SidebarLeft");
  // Don't scroll into right sidebar
  else if(viewportX + System.ViewportWidth >= Room.Width - GetRoomProperty("SidebarRight"))
    viewportX = Room.Width - System.ViewportWidth - GetRoomProperty("SidebarRight");

  SetViewport(viewportX, viewportY);
}

If not, have you remembered to set the actual values of those two properties? Are you sure the names match exactly, capitalization and all?

I've just tried your codes and it seems to work but when I'm walking away from the left side of the screen, the camera doesn't refocus onto the main character so I can't really test the right side bar.

[Edit]

Edit: This is based on the 3.2.1 documentation. I seem to remember that in 3.3, GetRoomProperty() is now Room.GetProperty(), for consistency.

Not in 3.3, since 3.4 alpha.


int - is short for integer.

Well I've tried to change GetRoomProperty to Room.GetProperty but it says ".GetProperty" is not a public member of "Room". So I'm guessing Crimson's right.

So how can I adjust all this to work? It still isn't working. My custom room properties can't be an "int". So I tried with "Number" and no error message shows, but it still isn't working.

[Edit]

Edit: This is based on the 3.2.1 documentation. I seem to remember that in 3.3, GetRoomProperty() is now Room.GetProperty(), for consistency.

Not in 3.3, since 3.4 alpha.


int - is short for integer.

Its true, I's using currently using 3.3. I'll check this out and let you know what happens. Thanks.

Thank you so much Crimson, this works perfectly! I cannot thank you enough!!

When I'm adding a new custom room property, there is no "int" Type. There's only Boolean, Number and Text. I selected Number for now but I'm guessing that wont work since it's not an "int"?

Gosh, you've really screwed yourself on this one, haven't you? Do I take it the bars aren't necessarily the same width on each side of the image, either?

Like I said, create a custom room property (look it up in the manual; you want type int and default 0), or in this case two properties, and call them something like "SidebarLeft" and "SidebarRight". Set them to the correct values for each room.

Then replace SIDEBAR_WIDTH with the respective room property, like so:

Code: AGS

  if(viewportX < GetRoomProperty("SidebarLeft")) viewportX = GetRoomProperty("SidebarLeft");
  else if(viewportX + System.ViewportWidth >= Room.Width - GetRoomProperty("SidebarRight")) viewportX = Room.Width - GetRoomProperty("SidebarRight") - 1;

You put this in the global script, and it should work for every room where you've set the custom property values.

Okay, I got ya but now it says that the viewportX is an undefined symbol?

Hmm, maybe you should use custom UserMode instead. There are two extra cursor modes called Usermode1 and 2. Just use their events as "custom action" for your door; that is -

ProcessClick(mouse.x, mouse.y, eUsermode1);

and create a new event handler for that mode.
You may also rename the mode to something more appealing, like "CustomAction".

Do you think that you could show me how to write it in the scripts? I guess I can't figure it out on my own just yet. Thanks for your patience.

If all the screens have equally wide black bars, do this:

Code: AGS

#define SIDEBAR_WIDTH 32 // or whatever

function repeatedly_execute_always()
{
  // Other stuff ...
  viewportX = player.X - System.ViewportWidth/2;
  viewportY = player.Y - System.VewportHeight/2;
  if(viewportX < SIDEBAR_WIDTH) viewportX = SIDEBAR_WIDTH;
  else if(viewportX + System.ViewportWidth >= Room.Width - SIDEBAR_WIDTH) viewportX = Room.Width - SIDEBAR_WIDTH - 1;
  Room.SetViewport(viewportX, viewportY);
  // Other stuff ...
}

Untested, but I think that's the gist of it. If different rooms have different black bars, I would create a custom room property to store the width of the bar, and use that in the calculation instead of SIDEBAR_WIDTH.

Okay, first, they all are of different Width and second, what do I have to change lets say my background here is 95 X (black filled from 0 to 95)?

Wouldn't it then be better to change the camera when the character reaches "the critical" point in the BG, and move the camera so it never shows the black edge (maybe using a region)?
I'm no expert in coding, but it would probably be easier to add a few lines of code to each room, instead of having to redraw all the areas, and behinds and hotspots, an objects, if you are that far along.

Like you said, it would be easier for me to add a few lines of code to each room. Using regions would be a lot of trouble but doable. I'll just wait and see what Snarky has to say about that, first.

Thanks

Hmm, maybe you should use custom UserMode instead. There are two extra cursor modes called Usermode1 and 2. Just use their events as "custom action" for your door; that is -

ProcessClick(mouse.x, mouse.y, eUsermode1);

and create a new event handler for that mode.
You may also rename the mode to something more appealing, like "CustomAction".

That would also be an option but that would mean I have to use a different cursor than Walkto just to change rooms?

Yes, it's possible, but given your other scripting questions, are you really that far along that it wouldn't be better to just reimport them?

I'm also wondering why you imported them with black bars in the first place, and why you didn't fix it right away when you noticed the problem.

This is my first project on AGS and as for my other scripting question, I did not allow to open/close doors in the game back then as it was not a priority.
As for my background fills, I really did not urge to the problem before because I did not think that changing the sizes of my BGs would have been a problem.
But now I'm getting anxious to think that I might have to start all over again as I'm almost done with the scripting of a complete walkthrough, dialogues, cut scenes and changing all the positioning would take quite a while and create multiple issues if not processed correctly.

If I understood you right, you wanted to use Interact to open/close the door, and Any (other) Click to do something else, right?
First replace the mode you use to trigger AnyClick for WalkTo cursor to something except Interact, for example - Pointer:

Code: ags

      // if there's a hotspot under mouse cursor
      if (GetLocationType(mouse.x, mouse.y) == eLocationHotspot)
      {
          // then fire "interact" event
          ProcessClick(mouse.x, mouse.y, eModePointer);
          return; // do not do anything else
      }

Now, in the AnyClick event you need to check the mouse cursor mode. If it is Interact, then do nothing, otherwise continue as usual. This way if player clicked on hotspot with Interact cursor, it will process only actions in Interact handler, and not AnyClick actions.

Code: ags

function hDoor1_AnyClick()  //Hotspot of Opened door
{
    if (mouse.Mode != eModeInteract)
    {
        player.ChangeRoom(5, 948, 232);
    }
}

This worked nicely! However what if I don't want the eModeLookat or the eModeTalkto or the eModeUseinv to be considered as AnyClick as well?
I'm sorry, I just figured out now that what I needed is the AnyClick to be replaced with eModeWalkto only and the eModeInteract for open/close doors as a priority over AnyClick (Walkto).

Well, you don't have to use "interact" there, you may change for, e.g., eModePointer (this is the most "generic" mode I know).

Code: ags

ProcessClick(mouse.x, mouse.y, eModePointer);

Thanks Crimson, but how to I use that within the script?

Thanks for all the good answers and suggestions. I will definitely take a look at this.

Have you considered using 9-verb MI template? It already simulates 9 commands in Lucas Arts style (Push, Pull, Open, Close etc).

I wanted to use Sierra's interface but I'm starting to think that it would be simpler to just switch back to LucasArts UI. But the "Walk" button probably would show the same situation with the Hotspots. Right?

For example (based on default template):

Code: ags

function on_mouse_click(MouseButton button) // called when a mouse button is clicked. button is either LEFT or RIGHT
{
  if (IsGamePaused() == 1) // Game is paused, so do nothing (ie. don't allow mouse click)
  {
  }
  else if (button == eMouseLeft) 
  {
    // if it is walk-to command
    if (mouse.Mode == eModeWalkto)
    {
      // if there's a hotspot under mouse cursor
      if (GetLocationType(mouse.x, mouse.y) == eLocationHotspot)
      {
        // then fire "interact" event
        ProcessClick(mouse.x, mouse.y, eModeInteract);
        return; // do not do anything else
      }
    }
    // in all other cases - just do default action
    ProcessClick(mouse.x,mouse.y, mouse.Mode);
  }
  else // right-click, so cycle cursor
  {   
    mouse.SelectNextMode();
  }
}

Great this worked! The eModeWalkto worked as AnyClick on my Hotspot.

However, this creates another problem. How do I make it to close the door if I use the Interact function without interpreting it for AnyClick?
Is that possible?