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Messages - LilBlueSmurf

#1
So, I am working on a new little tool to better handle line numbering and script creation. This is the first beta release of it and I would love some help finding bugs. Suggestions and comments would also be great.

What it should do:
*Renumber lines in all scripts and dialogs - either renumbering from scratch or filling in only unnumbered lines.
(options in the dialog are assigned to "player" since you can be playing as different people at different times)

*Generate a script file (Voice Script.txt) that is broken up by dialog and room

*Include any "//VSnote: [text]" comments in the scripts, "//VSnote: break" will create a divider

Using it is very simple, just extract the .jar file to your source directory (the one with game.agf) and double click. (It requires java runtime which most people have) The interface is super basic, just a couple options to select, then click a button. It may still have some bugs, I can't really test it extensively, so please only use it on a copy of any projects you're working on.

Edit: Some people had trouble so here is a media fire link also, hope one of these work.

http://www.mediafire.com/?5mb73ms7l8y7wzh

File is here: http://www.filedropper.com/numberscripttest2

(Not sure if this is where to post this, but can't make a new post in the module thread)
#2
I'm creating a little program to deal with numbering lines and exporting a script because I don't like how the engine does it. Output isn't very useful for creating voice scripts because there are no indications of the dialog/room it occurs in and dialog options aren't included in-sequence, but lumped together. Also, autonumber has no option to just fill in non-numbered lines so working scripts would be ruined if you ran it after initial script creation. Comment tags to include remarks in script would be useful also ( //VScript: look bush) as they help voice actors immensely even if they require extra work for coders.

Anyways, I had some questions when it comes to Dialogs. I haven't actually done work in AGS other than quickly looking over what other team members have done and what the demo contains. And we don't actually use dialogs, but I'm trying to account from them anyways. So here are the questions:

1. How is it determined who will "say" the options? For instance if you control different characters at different times, how is it indicated you are currently playing as Ego2 and not Ego? Or will that even work as far as dialogs go? (in other words is ego always the one to say the options?)

2. How does the actor reference work? I know that in the demo and tutorials you use the script name minus the "c" in front, but what if you don't name your characters with a c? (or is that required?) and does the game still function fine even if you name them in dialog with a c? (I know some of this could be tested, but I figure the knowledge is likely out there so this is quicker)

3. I know it is possible to run normal code with dialog scripts, so is it possible to use say, sayat, display commands and have it actually still work fine? Even if it would normally make something wonky to do so, would it be possible with workarounds and thus should probably be accounted for even if very unusual?

If the above mentioned functionality was put in officially, that would be great and useful to everyone. But in the meantime, help on working out dialog issues for a separate tool are appreciated.
#3
Okay, I have to go with Tocsik as the winner this time.  That poster is a perfect representation of what that movie was plus it looks good.  No trophy, but if you want one you can make it yourself :P Sektor 13 was a close second.
#4
What is a Photoshop ...Phriday?

Photoshopping isn't drawing a completely new image -- It's editing images to create a new image, such as editing one image or combining several images. The contest usually lasts for a fortnight. Also, you don't have to specifically use Photoshop -- Paint Shop Pro, MSPaint, or any other programs can be used. Please make sure your image doesn't exceed the width of the screen. This competition is also known as the Photoshop bi-weekly meaning two weeks long. hopefully boosting it back to full lenght will encourage more entries.

I am not in a real original mood, but it hasn't been done here for at least a while, so...

Theme:
Current Movie Posters

Take a movie poster from around three months ago to the middle of next year and change it.  Looking more for fake movies or spoofs, but anything is welcome.
#5
Well, I didn't get to do as much as I wanted, but it's 11pm and I'm going to bed.  Most of the stuff is towards the left.  Hint: There are more than 5 changes  :P



Original: http://www.artstamps.dk/images/909-Last-Supper-Large.jpg
#6
Yeah, mozza, if you put it on top they are almost identical.  Also, it is way more than 7 colors.
#7
Critics' Lounge / Re: backgrounds
Fri 13/10/2006 07:38:11
I love your new character, just thought I'd get that out of the way.  Two things came to mind when I saw the character.  The first was already mentioned - taking a long time and working on the background until it is refined on a pixel by pixel bases.  That of course takes a lot of time (the sharper and less painted looking, the longer) and takes a lot of practice.

The other thing I thought of was simple cel shading.  The easiest way for me to get that look is using a vector program (illustrator or corel draw).  You can keep things fairly basic and easily keep nice clean outlines.  You could even start off in a vector program and get some nice clean shapes and a general layout and then bring it into another program to add in details if you feel they are needed.

At any rate, you seem to have a pretty good art sense, but I don't think you are taking enough time.  Backgrounds are not just going to happen in a few hours, and most likely not even in a couple days.  When you hang around on forums like this with some awesome artists that can churn out some great work relatively fast it is hard to remember that sometimes.  Just take it one step at a time starting from a fairly detailed sketch (or an equivilent).

If your stuck for ideas on just what the final results need to look like to acomadate your sprites, you could always cruise around the forum and grab a bunch of backgrounds other people have done until you find one or more that work pretty well.  It is always nice to have reference art and there are plenty of different styles on the boards.
#8
Well, haven't been around forever and my team is gonna shoot me for working on this instead of our projects, but oh well.  :P

320x240 20colors
(the instrument is the little reed flute, kinda easy to miss)

#9
Okay....  I have gotten the file down from 3mb to about 800kb, so all the people that were still having problems should now be able to load the teaser much easier.  The link is in the above post.  Same place, just smaller.
#10
Okay, I got a number of people saying that they couldn't load the trailer, or that they had a lot of problems with it.  So I have updated the page to include a preloader which will hopefully get rid of everyone's problems.  And here is the link again for people too lazy to scroll up.

New Kings Quest 3 Trailer

Again, please pm me if you have or are still having problems viewing the file.

P.S.  The file is 3mb so it may take some time to load if the server is going slow, sorry bout that.
#11
Alright,  all the people out there hungry for a new teaser.... here's a taste...

New KQ3 Trailer



I am new to the whole flash thing, so if people have problems please send me a pm, don't muddy up this thread.  Comments are welcome however.
#12
Critics' Lounge / Re: Banner for my game
Fri 17/03/2006 00:30:13
I think it looks much better.  Has a nice 'spacey' feel to it instead of the techno feel it had.  The last thing that I notice now is the top pulse in the 'PA', it really seems to be stronger than the rest of the image and makes it slightly harder to read since my eyes want to keep going back there.  I think it is fine though, there will always be little glitches like that unless you spend a lot of time and go frame by frame, which I would say is not worth the trouble.
#13
I have never done one of these, but I am so doing this.  I started tonight and am already up near 1300 words... Hopefully it doesn't get too long.
#14
Critics' Lounge / Re: Banner for my game
Thu 16/03/2006 03:56:09
I think it looks too fast  :P
I _think_  what the others ment, was not to speed up the actual animation, but to reduce the delay between frames by adding more.  In other words, keep the animation looking like a slow throb (instead of manic pulse as it is in the new ones), but have 2 or three times as many frames so it looks smoother.  The first one was just very jumpy and made it look really random.  I dig the effect though.  What filters/settings did you use to create the effect?
#15
For anyone worried about the IA site today, we are not gone.  Someone deliberately, or accidently, got into an admin account and trashed the forums.  We got hacked.  Don't worry about KQ3, we still have everything and this likely won't even slow the final stages of production much.  Other than the site being temporarily disabled, we are, and plan on staying, fully operational.
#16
If your planning on using it in a game, make the lighting come from the top instead of the side, it just tends to make it fit in much better with a lot more backgrounds.  Also, the weight of the figure is leaning back way to much, it REALLY looks like it is going to fall over backwards.  Slowed down it looks like a kind of, erm, happy skip?  But I assume it looks more like a run when sped up a bit, so tilting the body more towards the front would be more characteristic of a running pose.  Generally, the faster a character is supposed to be going, the more it can lean forward without looking like it will fall over.  And finally, the hands.  It is not a bad thing, but the pose of the hands outward the whole time is a kind of 'gay' stereotype.  If that is not intended that way, you may want to have them face more forward.
#17
I was inspired...  So here is a quick paintover, the second one I stuck in just because it seems like it should have some sort of dark background (yes I know it totally screws up the nice blast art, but I wasn't worried about that.  Don't look too close, I did it sloppy.  It is also a bit 'shiney' but I refrained from shading very much.



#18
Critics' Lounge / Re: Gift of Aldora GUI
Fri 03/03/2006 22:55:58
I think the wings are supposed to be kind of wrapping around the dialoge, similar to wings wrapping protectively around a winged figure like an angel, which I think looks fine how it is.
#19
Lighting from directly behind (or directly in front) is not a good thing to practice shading with, and not to be mean, but yours just looks like you shaded the interior of all the basic shapes.  Back lighting usually results in a silouette, possibly with some light reaching around on the very edges, and sometimes a small amount of reflective lighting on the dominate features.  In general, shading practice is done with 'classic' light angles, like overhead, 3/4, side, and below.  If you get all those down you can usually shade everything in between with much less trouble.  Strong back and front lighting are each their own beast however, so at some point I guess you have to experiment with those too.
#20
Critics' Lounge / Re: Gift of Aldora GUI
Fri 03/03/2006 04:26:02
I don't think your box layout on the bottom will look odd if centered.  I kind of figured you would keep it, but I was messing with the image already so I thought I would throw in more variations to things.  Oh, and I don't know if it was just the image you posted (you said it was all you had atm), but the armor button was pixelized quite weird.
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