Messages

Was just checking to see what the MAGS theme was this month... what a shock. Les can't be gone! His output and creativity always blew me away--MAGS nearly every month! My activity on the AGS forum and gamedev in general has been pretty sporadic to say the least but he was one of the first people I connected with on here. He encouraged me to just finish something, no matter how small, and though that hasn't happened yet his kindness has continued to prevent me giving up altogether (not to mention his amazing catalogue). We had a fun conversation about Scotch one night, too! Whatever dimension you're in now, Slasher, may it be full of the music you love, wonder, and of course adventure!

That's exactly what I needed (nudge with the inventory object)! After having finished it, I come away very satisfied and yet... at the same time sort of the way I felt halfway in.   Which is longing for a sequel, really. Again, thank you, everyone! 

Thank you very much Wiggy and Ian! I think I know what that thing is and can't wait to try it out.

All the best, everyone! 

Hullo there, everyone... 

I'm really enjoying this game, am in the later hours, in the cave. I've vanquished

Spoiler

the blue ghost of Belucci, and am at the gate with the tumbler lock. Does the code have something to do with the Harmonic Convergence?

[close]

Whether the answer is yes or no, could someone give me a little nudge in the right direction?

Many thanks in advance! 

Just got a new computer too (after my Razer's battery nearly exploded). So the new machine was meant to come with Windows 10, but I got 11.

I've never liked 10... total mess.

11, however, is really awesome thus far. It doesn't appear to have any of the sloppy, irritating, and inconsistent concealment of what you know is underneath like 10 and even 7 did.

There are some 'features' which require being constantly 'jacked in', but there's no mystery in turning that sh*t off, unlike 10. MS is definitely trying to mimic MacOS with 11 in its tidy layout, but, to my delight, without strangling you. With MacOS you really have to be invested (not talking money) and super-cautious about updating (regretting Monterey due to its freaky strictures, like, can't even type a path in the location bar).

Am about to test AGS on 11 this week.

Hope that helps. 

The Third Policeman was really good though I'd have to read it again to know if I'd count it among my favourites.

The Third Policeman is a-ma-zing! One of my top 5 books ever, no doubt

So cool, thanks! Will definitely read it again. I remember it being one of those stories that transports you into a sort of liminal state you're not fully out of until a couple of days after finishing. 

...
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Totally need to give that one another go! It's been on the shelf for a few years now.

Just picked up a used copy of 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami and can't wait to properly dive in. Amazon has the first chapter free on its listing (that's what hooked me--absolutely recommended!). 

Oh man, so tempting... Is this project still a thing? I'd love to give you an outline. You hooked me on Gabriel Knight, and reeled me in with Bathory. 

[TL;DR: Who wants to meet up at regular intervals to keep each other/one another in check as far as getting their game done? Count me in!]

Anyone looking for an accountability partner? 

I've been working on and off on my game since October 2020 (MAGS 'Darkness' theme) and have about a third of it left to complete (doing the programming, story, and art). My partner is composing the music, but as is often the case with couples, when either of us has a project we want to finish, our affection and sympathy for each other tend to get in the way of our meeting deadlines. Plus his day-job is super intense (whereas I'm a former freelance copywriter/graphic designer with a very loose schedule). I'm looking to connect with and encourage anyone else in a similar predicament once a fortnight with tick-lists and such via whatever communication method you prefer (barring Facebook).

Random details that may be irrelevant or not: I'm using AGS, Procreate, and Photoshop, and my game will be free. And it is a passion project, so to speak.

Anyway, I'll leave this tab open on my computer. Feel free to DM me here or on Discord #6508 or Twitter @InvisProcess.

TL;DR: Who wants to meet up at regular intervals to keep each other/one another in check as far as getting their game done? Count me in!

All the best to you, everyone! 

Starting a dialog gets queued until the current function finishes. This is also what caused the other problem I guess, because the option logic, even if correct, is executed before the dialog even starts.

Hey! Apologies for not getting back to this sooner and marking it solved. I'd moved the fade-out section back to the main room's RepExec which seemed more logical (though I didn't know why). That sorted it out--thank you Khris for letting me know what was going on behind the scenes!

All the best! 

In line 19 to 22 the dialog starts again if any of those six options has not been chosen. This seems wrong and could be the problem you're talking about.

Ahhh! Thanks, Matti--that was it! I was over-complicating the situation and have removed the extra dJerry1.Start(); replaced the second if with:

Code: ags

    if (JerryDialogueOne == 1)
    {
    dJerry1.Start();
    }

I didn't want the preamble before the dialogue starts to play every time you try to talk to the character.

Again, thanks a million. 

The only explanation I can think of is that due to a scripting error elsewhere, the dialog actually stops but then is immediately started again. Would that be possible?

It absolutely seems like it. And my scripting skills aren't great, to put it generously.

Here's the bit from the global script that starts the dialogue (and is supposed to fade cJerrysHead out after the dialogue is exhausted, which also isn't working  ).

Code: ags

// TALKING TO JERRY
function cJerrysHead_Talk()
  {
    if (JerryDialogueOne == 0)
    {
    // Preamble invoked only on first load of this dialogue
    cMalcolm.SayBubble("Oh no...");
    cJerrysHead.SayBubble("bla bla bla");
    cMalcolm.SayBubble("bla bla bla");
    cJerrysHead.SayBubble("bla bla bla");
    cMalcolm.SayBubble("Sigh.");

    JerryDialogueOne = 1;

    dJerry1.Start();
    }
    // END DIALOGUE PRELUDE

   if (!dJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(1) || !dJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(2) || !dJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(3) || !dAskJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(1) || !dAskJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(2) || !dAskJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(3))
    {
    dJerry1.Start();
    }

   if (dJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(1) && dJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(2) && dJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(3) && dAskJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(1) && dAskJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(2) && dAskJerry1.HasOptionBeenChosen(3))
    {
    cJerrysHead.Clickable = false;
    int trans = cJerrysHead.Transparency;
    while (trans < 100)
      {
      trans++;
      cJerrysHead.Transparency = trans;
      Wait(1);
      }
    }
  }

I'm happy to post the two related dialogues too, if that would help. I don't see anything missing, out of place or duplicated in them, but there could've been an oversight on my part. BTW the if statements and JerryOneQfive etc variable have since been rubbished (superfluous part of some other stuff I was trying to do).

Thanks for your help!

Thanks a million, arj0n! I didn't even know about that list of game variables in the manual/help! I'd chosen dark red as the speech colour within the interface, maybe yellow is the default highlight? Anyway, awesome--that's fixed that (and you've opened up a new world of possibilities). 

When you say you have to click it twice, are you saying that absolutely nothing is happening after the first click?

Hullo, Khris! 

Yeah, after clicking the option that's meant to close the dialogue, the lines for the characters are displayed as scripted, but then the dialogue options are back again. If you click the aforementioned option again it does actually close.

My intention is for cMalcolm to say his line, cJerrysHead to say his, and for the dialogue to be gone. I've also tried putting return RUN_DIALOG_STOP_DIALOG; within the if statement in various places but it doesn't appear to make any difference.

Code: ags

@3

  if (JerryOneQfive < 1)
    {
    cMalcolm.SayBubble("Please just go away!");
  
    cJerrysHead.SayBubble("Hmm hmm hmm da da da...");
 
    JerryOneQfive++;
    return RUN_DIALOG_STOP_DIALOG;
    }
stop

Thanks again, everyone!

Hello and happy new year, everyone! 

In one of my dialogues the third question is meant to close the conversation...

Code: ags

@3

  if (JerryOneQfive < 1)
    {
    cMalcolm.SayBubble("Please just go away!");
  
    cJerrysHead.SayBubble("Hmm hmm hmm da da da...")
 
    JerryOneQfive++;
    }
stop

...but for some reason you have to click the option twice for the dialogue to close.

And now for the embarrassing question:

When I began creating the game in October of 2020 I chose this hideous red and yellow colour combo (red dialogue options, hover to bright yellow), but can no longer find the setting. 

Thanks in advance!

No specific genre, but I've been enjoying the Johannes Cabal series, recently. I'd say the series is great, though maybe not excellent, and definitely not perfect... but still very much recommended. Two has been the best, three had a very promising premise although it got too squishy in the middle (satisfying ending). Haven't started four yet. The Cabal series is sort of adrift as far as genres go, maybe Dieselpunk dark comedy? Author was one of the main writers on Broken Sword 1-3 at least.

Favourite novels from memory:

• Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut -- Snappy and brilliant. I think I've read it four times? Five?
• The Half Man - Anne Billson -- I would have to use a lot of swears to tell you how good this book is. Gory and hilarious.
• Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke -- Very long with lots of footnotes, but the prose is awesome and there are loads of detailed references to myths (fae etc) for which I have great affection. Austen-era fantasy featuring warring magickians.
• 14 (der Raum) - Peter Clines â€" Very fun urban fantasy, marvellous characters. Strange ending and some Lovecraft tie-ins (not super keen on Lovcraftian themes or the man behind them), but so strongly recommended! The scenario could happen to anyone, it's definitely a story for adventure gamers.

The Third Policeman was really good though I'd have to read it again to know if I'd count it among my favourites.

@KyriakosCH I've gotta read me some more Kafka.

All the best everyone!

Happy, happy to everyone! I'd just opened AGS and saw the splash/loading screen featuring someone (is it Chris?) by a beautifully decorated tree and some white in-built shelves.

Anyway, have a beautiful rest of the year, all! 

Well that was a bit embarrassing. 

I've got it working now (separate to eMouseWheelSouth; didn't want to affect cycling through modes).

Thanks very much to you Gilbert, Khris, and Cassie!

Hey there everyone -

I'm looking to use a right click to drop an inventory item back into the inventory (in rooms, outside of the inventory GUI itself). I've tried quite a few things and think I must be missing something simple. Right now in on_mouse_click in the global script:

Code: ags

// called when a mouse button is clicked
function on_mouse_click(MouseButton button)

I have this at the end:

Code: ags

// drop item back into the inventory
  else if (button == eMouseRight && player.ActiveInventory != null)
  {
    player.ActiveInventory = null;
  }

My inventory GUI is not set to pause.


Here are the contents of on_mouse_click in their entirety:

Code: ags

// called when a mouse button is clicked
function on_mouse_click(MouseButton button)
{
  // called when a mouse button is clicked. button is either LEFT or RIGHT
  if (IsGamePaused())
  {
    // game is paused, so do nothing (i.e. don't process mouse clicks)
  }
  
  // walk anywhere even if walk is not the active mode START
  else if ((GetWalkableAreaAtScreen(mouse.x, mouse.y) != 0 || (GetLocationType(mouse.x, mouse.y) == eLocationNothing)) && (button == eMouseLeft))
  {
    Room.ProcessClick(mouse.x, mouse.y, eModeWalkto);
  }
  // walk anywhere even if walk is not the active mode STOP
  
  else if (button == eMouseLeft)
  {
    // left-click, so try using the current mouse cursor mode at this position
    Room.ProcessClick(mouse.x, mouse.y, mouse.Mode );
  }

  else if (button == eMouseRight || button == eMouseWheelSouth){
    // right-click or mouse wheel down will cycle the mouse cursor mode forwards
    mouse.SelectNextMode();
  }

  else if (button == eMouseMiddle)
  {
    // middle-click makes the character walk to clicked area, regardless of cursor mode
    Room.ProcessClick(mouse.x, mouse.y, eModeWalkto);
  }

  else if (button == eMouseWheelNorth)
  {
    // mouse wheel up will cycle the cursor mode backwards
    mouse.SelectPreviousMode();
  }

    // drop item back into the inventory
  else if (button == eMouseRight && player.ActiveInventory != null)
  {
    player.ActiveInventory = null;
  }
}

Nothing happens. The player is still holding the inventory object they've picked up, whether chosen from already acquired inventory, or from a room.

Hope you all are well!

Thanks in advance...   

Awesome! That will work for my purposes. Thanks a million, everyone! 

Hullo! Is there a character to break up long lines of code or a hidden 'soft-wrap' feature in AGS?

I've not seen anything in the manual, and this thread...

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=40992.0

...is from 2010 and is just referring to strings. Thanks in advance!

All the best to you, everyone. 

THANK YOU Cassie! The character was clickable (combo menu in the interface), so I tried swapping the movement code to repex, deleted an object that was a stand-in for some foreground shadows, and he still wasn't showing up when I hovered the cursor/pointer over him. Was totally flummoxed.

But your cCharacter.Speaking suggestion prompted me to put in some code to make the thus far non-reactive character go to the x coord of the character he's supposed to be talking to. Guess what I spotted? An override (cJerrysHead.Clickable = false) I'd put into room_load a couple of months ago whilst testing some other thingy! 

Again, thanks!