Messages

Thanks a lot for the info, RickJ. I've checked the docs some months ago, but I want to review the programming conventions docs and the links are broken... Could you fix them or send me a copy?

Thanks in advance.

The documentation links are broken. Could someone fix it, plz?

Thanks in advance.

Is there a way to embed a startup dialog in the dialog system? I mean a dialog that isn't triggered by a dialog option selection, but by a dialog start? Right now, I'm using Character.Say() in these cases, but my dialogs are mixing up with the code. Other problem is the game msgs, I display them with Display(), but the text again gets mixed up with code.

I wanted to give ONLY the game text to the plot/game design team... My idea is to dump the dialogs to a text file using this option in AGS, but these others texts aren't included. I can export the scripts as well to get the other texts, but I dont want code in my text file.

What you guys would suggest to isolate data and code in these situations? I've thought  in using text files, but the documentation says to only use them to handle simple stuff as saved games...

Thanks in advance

I'm thinking in porting a adventure game project half-done in another engine to AGS. Right now, I'm evaluating how AGS would support the game and efficient memory management is one of the requisites. If we conclude AGS isn't a good platform for the game, probably we'll have to develop a custom adventure engine and your guidelines would be very useful anyway.

How are your scripting languages (dialog/game scripts) implemented, if I may ask? I suppose you compile the script to bytecodes and then interpret it in runtime. You built the entire compiler (lexer, parser and bytecode generator) or used some tool such as Bison (parser creator)?

The interpreter is a VM with a virtual stack that call the proper opcode handler through a table of function pointers? How does the multi-threaded scripting environment (global/room/no-block threads) work? You have 3 virtual stacks and the interpreter manages them or the code really is multi-threaded?

The binding between interpreter and C++ was hand-made or some tool was used for it?

Thanks for the info, CJ.

I'd like to know how game entities (rooms, objects, hotspots, regions, characters, sprites) are handled inside AGS. There is a array of each of size AGS_MAX_ENTITY (eg AGS_MAX_CHARACTERS) with the structures or pointers to the structures that are alloc'ed when needed? If that's the case, the engine uses some a simple garbage collector?

For me, room stuff (background, hotspots, regions) is a perfect candidate to be only alloc'ed when needed. Is that how it works?

If they aren't, is there anything that is alloc'ed in execution time besides DynamicSprite?

Regards

Thanks for the info, KhrisMUC.

If I can't change dialog topic interface, I'd have to remake the entire dialog engine to support  dialog topics screen like these?





I'd also like to know how well AGS can handle a qfg1/qfg5-style combat. Just in case someone hasn't played all the qfg games, in qfg1 there is a combat screen where you choose your attacks/spells. If several creatures attack you, you fight with them one at each time. Even when a pack of enemies is following you, only one appears in the game screen (you only know when the combat starts). In qfg5, combat happens in the game screen and all your enemies pursue/attack you at the same time. Combat is always real-time.

For what I've read in some rpg threads, qfg1-style combat could be scripted using a character for the current monster fighting and DynamicSprites for the waiting monsters... Am I right? It would be nice if the waiting monsters could be animated, but I don't think that's a problem.

In qfg5 style, I'd need several animated dynamic characters in the screen, each one if with its attacks, stats and attacking/attacked behaviors and animations. Is there some way I could achieve that using Dynamic sprites or some workaround?

Thanks!

Hmm, I need a better explanation of how to use AGS inside a version control tool. The room scripts stay in the .CRM file, right? That means only one person can handle a room art/code per time? If that's possible, two scripters can handle a room different/same scripts at the same time? If I use the TortoiseSVN merge, will the CRM still works? I guess that probably it won't, considering the CRM is compressed (and I don't know the format effectively stores the art/scripts).

If my theory that only one person can handle a CRM file per time is correct, the only way I could parallelize the game development would be to organize the team so that only one member has a CRM or script module per time?

Thanks in advance.

1) I build a custom dialog GUI (normal, not text box, to allow the GUI position customization). I'd like to change topic options colors, remove their highlight on select and put a border in each topic (qfg4 style).

I read an old topic that says it isn't possible.
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=21155.0

This still lasts?

2) Other problem I have is to change characters face expression during dialogs... Do I need to have a talking view for each expression, can't I make 1 talking view with several loops?

3) In QFG4, just a few parts of the character animates in the dialog screen (usually eyes and mouth). You could have the static character image and use sprites for these small parts that animate. It seems to be this can't be done in AGS, I have to use a view with the entire character corpse, right? Quite a waste of space, isn't it?

4) In a game with stats as qfg4, How could I test a combination of stats and game flags to turn on/off certain topics during the dialog? I thought in using "run-script X", which would do the checking and turn on/off a flag, but I'd need to have a LOT of global flags for this (some for each game character). Is there a better way?

5) Is it possible to change the background during the dialog? It'd be useful when you're talking to 2 persons represented by just an character or one character likes to give his opinion, although you're not talking to him. It happens often in qfg series...


Thanks in advance.