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Well I finished my demo up the other day for my game, and today I was going to correct a bug in it and add more to the "tutorial" at the beginning so I double-click agsedit.exe and I see the splash logo screen flash quickly and then it goes away... So I try again, same thing. I restart my computer, and double click agsedit.exe again. Now I get:

agsedit.exe - Application Error
--
The application failed to initialize properly (0x0000005). Click on OK to terminate the application.
OK

:'(

Code: ags

DisplayMessage(500);
DisplayMessage(501);
character[KAR].Say("text here");
character[KAR].Say("text here");
DisplayMessage(502);
DisplayMessage(503);
DisplayMessage(504);
DisplayMessage(505);
DisplayMessage(506);
WaitMouseKey(80);
if (Mouse.Mode == eModeExamine) {
DisplayMessage(507); }
else {
character[KAR].Say("text here");
DisplayMessage(508); }

What I was hoping is that after DisplayMessage(506); there would be a certain amount of time (around 2 seconds) to give the player a chance to change the mouse mode, and if he didn't then the else part happens... However, when pressing a button during the wait period it just skips that and goes on...

Is there code that says something like if the button was pressed or if that wait period was skipped, then make a GUI visible? Could I use mouse.IsButtonDown code? Or is there another way for me to time the character and allow him to move, etc. during that time period until the if, else statement runs?

Code: ags

{ if (IsGamePaused()==0) cKar.SetIdleView(5,Ã,  0) && cBall.SetIdleView(7, 0) && cAla.SetIdleView(11,3);
Ã,  }

cKar and cBall are animating in idle view. cAla isn't. Why not? It's the exact same line of code. I don't get it. cBall and CAla are exactly identical (code-wise, not graphic-wise, they use different views but set up the same).

When a button is pressed an object starts animating but I want the character to still be able to move around while this is happening, and be able to go back and turn the switch off... Is this possible?

This is my code (in room's repeatedly execute):

Code: ags

{ if (player.InventoryQuantity[12] > 0) {
object[8].SetView(10);
object[8].Visible = true;
object[8].Animate(0, 4, eRepeat, eBlock, eForwards);
object[8].Visible= false;
return; }

Hmm...

Alright... I've got another problem. I know of ways to get around it, but it'd just be easier if I could make it so that clicks register through the object and onto the room hotspot behind it, instead of the object itself.

Is there a way I can do this?

[Error (line ##): PE04: parse error at '&&']

I have this code but I don't know where to put it:

Code: ags

if (player.InventoryQuantity[7] > 0) && (player.InventoryQuantity[8] > 0) && (player.InventoryQuantity[10] > 0)
{ object[3].Visible = true; }
else {
Ã,  object[3].Visible = false; }

So basically if a player has the three items I want them to have, a certain object will become visible on the screen. I just threw it into the global script's repeatedly execute but I got awesome script errors and as I was trying to fix them (mostly just placements of {}'s and it also said there was a parse error with &&) I realized object 3 is room specific so it doesn't belong in the global script. I opened up the room's script editor but I'm not sure where to put it, or even if my code is correct.

Edit: I found the repeatedly execute script area for the room (went through interactions and clicked Repeatedly Execute and clicked Run Script). Anywas I pasted the above code and I get:

Error (line ##): PE04: parse error at '&&'

Alright, I'm not using any fancy scripts or anything for this one but for some reason my sound1.wav isn't playing:


I placed sound1.wav in the Music folder, in the Speech folder, and even hand-made a Sound folder and placed it in there just for the heck of it. Still, the sound isn't playing in the game... It might be playing, but the volume could be really low. Can I somehow test that? Is there a way to increase the volume? Or do I need to go about this differently?

Can I have a character say a Global Message rather than the "narrator" display it?

Otherwise I'll have to make a Message 0 in every room with the same message for the player to say when he talks to himself.

Or could I possibly handle it with dialog? Dialogs are also global, right? Or are they room-specific?

[Edit:]

I thought I was better at this...Ã,  It's been a while though, and last time I didn't create a custom GUI. I just had no GUI, and made it so you right-clicked through cursors.

Anyways, I would like to have a GUI that pops up on a right-click where you then select a cursor mode by clicking a button on the interface, and then right-click again (or just click a button) and have the GUI vanish. I think something like this was used in Grrr! Bearly Sane and probably other games as well.

I have the buttons set up and I have the GUI set to Popup Modal but from there I don't know where to go. Where should I put the scripting, and how should it look?

Edit: I got the GUI to pop-up on right click but now I can't get it to go away. It just stays there.

This is what's written in the global script:

Code: ags

#sectionstart on_mouse_clickÃ,  // DO NOT EDIT OR REMOVE THIS LINE
function on_mouse_click(MouseButton button) // called when a mouse button is clicked. button is either LEFT or RIGHT
Ã,  {
Ã,  {
Ã,  Ã,  }
Ã,  if (button == eMouseLeft) 
Ã,  Ã,  {
Ã,  Ã,  ProcessClick(mouse.x,mouse.y, mouse.Mode);
Ã,  Ã,  }
Ã,  if (button == eMouseRight) // right-click, bring up GUI
Ã,  Ã,  {Ã,  Ã, 
Ã,  Ã,  gKarma.Visible = true;
Ã,  Ã,  }
Ã,  }

There was some code in there about not allowing clicks while paused but I just whacked that right off, and also changed some other stuff from the default. What I want to happen is that when the GUI is up once you click a button (to select a new cursor type) the GUI goes away, or if you right-click again it defaults to the walk cursor and the GUI goes away. What lines of code do I need to add for this?

I mean if I put:

Code: ags

if (button == eMouseRight)
 {
 gKarma.Visible = false;
 }

I'm just going to get some weird reaction or error, right?

I notice there's a section in the global script called #sectionstart interface_click. Would I put the "close-code" in there instead?

Also, is there any way I can get the GUI to pop-up where the player right-clicks? As of now it just pops up rougly in the middle of the screen where I have specified the coordinates.

Alright, in all of my AGS days I've only scripted half of a game and it was pretty easy. I was able to make an intro scene, some other little checks (such as making sure the character has a certain item before progressing), making an NPC animate on command, making a semi-complex puzzle, etc...

But I've got one simple question:
Object or character?

What I mean by that is say I want a TV or something in a room that you can turn on, switch the channels, turn off, pick up, or even break and repair... Is it better to make this sprite an object or character within the game? What's the difference? Does one have an advantage over the other? I mean either way I can connect it to all the animations needed, and make it appear/disappear and enter or leave the player's inventory so why is there even a choice? To me they seem the same, except character has more option commands than object.

What do you use?

[Karl the Karmite: Bad Karma]

karma (noun):Ã,  The effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny...

In Karmaland, not too far from here, live the Karmites who long ago established the laws of Karma. The Karma Police uphold the laws of Karma and reward or punish those who tilt the scale of Karma too far in one direction.

Karl, a new recruit among the Karma Police, is assigned his first duty the day he signs up. It’s up to Karl to make sure the force of Karma is served with justice. Karl must punish John Doorong for his recent actions, but also remind Mr. Doorong of why he is being punished, else Doorong will blame his misfortunes on that of Bad Luck, and the Lucky Charms do not take kindly to the Karma Police when they are angered by such an event.

Karl the Karmite: Bad Karma is a classic point & click adventure where the player will take the role of Karl, and guide him in his adventure as a Karmite. Unlike traditional adventure games where the player will interact with objects by picking them up, using them, etc. the player here will use Karl’s abilities to affect the world around him in positive and negative ways, and perform other tricks as well.

Features:
-320x240 resolution with scrolling 640x240 backgrounds.
-Unique puzzles that are solved using Karl's abilities as a Karmite.
-No inventory full of random objects!
-Background art that defies proportions and perspective, lacks correct lighting and shadowing, and avoids detail!

Downloads:
Karma Police: Unit Training
This is a small test demo so that you can become familiar with the game controls. Please test for bugs and also comment on the GUI and anything else.
Also, credit goes to Gilbot V7000a, Ashen, and others in the Beginners Technical Forum for helping me, Scorposer for providing the music track, and A1 Free Sound Effects for the sounds.

Main Progress:
Art - 15%
Story - 70%
Programming - 15%
PuzzlesÃ,  - 30%
Music/Sound - 0%

Mini-Game Progress:
Art - 100%
Story - N/A
Programming - 100%
Puzzles - N/A
Music/Sound - 100%

The game will be completed by May 15th, 2006. Possibly earlier. A demo is currently available.

Background art:



Character art:



Screenshots:


--------------------------------------------------
Update Log
--------------------------------------------------
01/24/06 - Progress has been slow (read: none) on Karl the Karmite due to class work, although I hope to make more progress this coming weekend, and possibly Friday. However, I am also waiting on feedback for the GUI and interactivity with the environment as seen in the demo.

01/22/06 - I have halted progress on Karl the Karmite because AGS no longer works. I have no idea why it stopped working. One day it worked fine, the next day I go to load it up and I recieve an error. I cannot even play my own demo, because I get the same error. All other programs on my computer work.

Added: I fixed my AGS problem and am now working on Karl the Karmite: Bad Karma despite my lack of feedback from the demo.

01/20/06 - The demo is finished! Sort of... I have one piece of code left to do and I can't figure it out, so please see my latest thread in the Beginners Technical Forum if you want to help me with that. The demo uses free sounds from the web and also a music track Scorposer made for me long ago for use in another game idea of mine that was never finished. modgeulator is willing to make music for the full game of Karl the Karmite: Bad Karma so the full game will have a nice soundtrack.

Added: The code from Gilbot V7000a worked and now my crazy demo is ready. See above for link. If you have any trouble downloading please PM me.

01/19/06 - It's early on the 19th here and I have finished coding some more for the game demo. The game demo is called Karma Police: Unit Training and basically allows you to become familiar with the controls and the way you interact with the environment, and has no real story or puzzles behind it. It's also a way for me to test scripts without screwing up anything in the real game, so although while working on the demo doesn't allow me to progress with the real game, I learn techniques that will help make the production of the real game go faster.

01/18/06 - I have started coding for the demo game and I have uploaded a screenshot of the demo room that shows off my rather large and amazing graphical user interface (GUI). I have made no progress in the actual full game development other than the fact that I can simply transport the fully coded GUI over to the game when I am ready to start there.

Here's the first background from the game I'm working on.

Something is wrong with that red door and the window above it. It just doesn't seem to match the rest of my image but I'm not sure how to fix it. I'm also not sure what else I should include in the image.

Edit: Whoops! I guess posting the image would help...

Here's the main character for a game I have decided to make after some fooling around with random sprites that you may or may not have seen me post here. I basically decided to go with something very small and stubbly because hey, I can't animate limbs and I'm not going to try.Ã,  8)

Front/Back "Walking" Animation


Left/Right "Walking" Animation
(Something is whack with the side view but I can't figure it out.)


Front Talking Animation


Front/Back Idle Animation

By the way, he's not an alien. I'll keep you guessing at what he is. 

Ã,  ->

I was drawing this and also entered him into a sprite jam contest, but it was a quick idea for a theme of a game I had and I was wondering how could I improve on the shading? I tried shading folds into the clothes but it just looked like weird pattern rather than shading. Also, what can I do about the pose? My characters are always in the same pose and seem very rigid, and never seem relaxed.

Edit: I went ahead and tried some very cheap shading myself and corrected the arm a bit, and also added a belt. See above.

I'm taking a break from my Kronk characters to try something out real quick. I haven't tried making an original character in a very long time.

Anyways, here it is:


An alien chick sort of thing. I need comments on pose, proportion, facial features, and shading. Haha... In other words, everything.

Looking at it myself, the legs really bother me...

Any tips?

I guess they could use some shading, but but is really bothering me is the lack of detail in the faces but it's so hard to cram detail into such a small resolution.



Just an idea right now... I'm thinkin' of making a game but I'd probably have to get permission to use the characters.

Now I know about perspective, shading, coloring, and everything else and I can draw with pixel decently, but every time I try to make a game with AGS I end up quitting due to the artwork.

The reason is I just can't seem to get certain things right. I have figured out that it's because of perspective confusion and proportion...

First off, I know there's 1-point and 2-point perspectives, but which should I use? Should I use a combination of both or just one? Also, where should I place my vanish point(s) and how high/low should my horizon be? What extremes should I avoid to not make my character sprite's perspective out of place? Also, for a 320x240 game, how big and wide should my character be (for an average weight, average height type of guy)?

Are these things I just have to figure out on my own? Or is there some general knowledge that could be shared?

Sorry if this is the wrong forum... I couldn't figure out where else to post it.

By the way, some of my example work can be found here.

I feel really bad posting this here in its current state... But I'm really stuck on how to progress with it.

I decided to get back into game making with AGS and hopefully finish a game, and I started to draw something from an idea in my head. From that idea I spawned an entire game storyline and some puzzles and I think it'll be great.

Unfortunately I'm no artist and I can think of and program many different stories and puzzles but I rarely finish a game due to the huge amounts of pixel artwork involved.

Anyways, here's a background I started on:


Basically what I wanted to do was to have a house underground in a huge hole... But I'm having trouble deciding how it should be resting underground and how it is connected to the ground. First I tried a wooden bridge with rope sidings but it just didn't look right because I couldn't figure out the perspective. I was thinking stairs too possibly but I don't know how the perspective would look on that either.

Bleh... Also I was trying to draw a tree on the ground, but I'm just horrible at drawing trees. I wanted to have the roots hanging down underground and stuff to complete the split-view scene, but it wasn't working out. I wasn't sure how to texture/shade the tree trunk.

So what I'm asking is some suggestions, and perhaps quick black-line sketches over my drawing that I can follow in with and color/improve.

Please don't comment on shading or detail, as I haven't reached that point yet.

I'm just looking for C&C on the colors and the lines (perspective, etc.). Then I will do shading and detailing, and ask for C&C on that.

[Insta-Game - Jeremy's Mission: The Cave]

Insta-Game - Jeremy's Mission: The Cave

The game is about a little grey guy named Jeremy, who is summoned by an unknown person to find a cave and complete a mission within the cave.




This is my first game I have ever made, and my first experience at scripting. I'm attempting to script every possible situation with this game, and along the way make a somewhat entertaining game for others to enjoy.

The demo:
The demo has 12 rooms (10 playable, 1 hidden) and you can "beat" the demo. In other words, it's not just a tech demo.

Click here to download the demo! (Music - 5.6MB) Thanks to Sylpher for hosting it!

Click here to download the demo. (No music - 650KB) Just click the link to go to the page (sorry about the adds), and then click the link on that page to get the file. Only get this if you have a dial-up connection.

To play, right-click to cycle through the actions and left click to interact. There's no GUIs yet, which means you can't save. It's a very short demo though, and you could probably beat it in about 5 minutes.


Contest:
The first 5 people to find the secret room and PM me the details of it will get to beta test my next game, currently titled E-Race (which actually has a nice storyline, etc.).

Known bugs:
-After talking to the only character in the demo, the cursor will become invisible. To fix this, just right-click.