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I could see a use for it, right now you have to manually space your inventory items using the inventory sprites themselves. It could be especially useful if you have a bunch of inventory items that take up the entirety of the inventory size, so they don't sit right next to each other.

There is an important factor in all this that seems to have been missed..

The subconcious, instinctual urge to procreate in order to keep ones genes in the pool.

Follow me? I'll explain.

We are mammals, and every mammal has a subconcious desire to procreate, in order to keep their genes moving from generation to generation. In the animal kingdom this is accomplished by males growing bright feathers, having loud vocalizations, or kicking the shit out of any other male that comes around.

We humans do the same, except we do things like wear makeup, keep fit, dance (I once watched a documentary on human sexuality, and they spent 30 minutes just explaining how it works in a dance club, the using of the body to show stamina, limberness, and the like to show that you are good breeding stock). And we aren't above kicking the crap out of each other over a member of the opposite sex.

When two women are together, the male mind subconciously thinks, "These two cannot procreate, therefore I must get involved in order to procreate with both." IE subconciously they see twice the oppertunity to pass their genes on.

Note some of the things Helm mentioned, as the Harem mentality stems from this source, they had multiple wives and concubines because, one... they could, and two... the male desire to pass on genes to future generations.

Due to my.... interesting marriage... I've done quite a bit of studying on this. And yes, it is more difficult to pull off than the movies make it out to be.

SSH, you asked me to remind you.

Could you please make it where it turns off the description if in pointer mode (or any other mode of the players choosing). Only if there is a verb will it display the string.

I believe the overlay function uses screen coordnants, so unless your game is 800X600 or 640X480 it will display outside the screen. Since your X coordnant is outside of the screen size.

Also color 6 is very close to black so if your background is black, you won't be able to see it as well (unless your game is 256 colors).

Thats the first thing I can think of without more information on resolutions and what not.

Oh one more thing, if you don't have the overlay variable global, the overlay will dissappear once out of scope, or in other words, as soon as the function for the interaction ends... which on second thought it probably your issue.

Thanks for at least looking into it CJ, I know it isn't anything tiny and I don't know how much work you would have to do to get it into the current system, but I know it won't be 3 lines of code.

Not knowing too much about your game internals, I'd make it that users can only create their own fuctions for the objects and not override any existing function (Error: Cannot override built in functions.). I guess you could have it do everthing it is supposed to do, then the user code, but honestly, just being able to attach your own functions to the built in objects is good enough, and overriding internal builds would probably cause too many issues if people were allowed to mess with them.

Oh, and I'd definately put a warning on the extention module that says "Hey you can totally hose your game if you mess with this stuff, so you better know what you are doing." Warning

Stylesheets are probably the best thing to ever happen to html. It makes converting your whole site to a different color scheme about 100% easier since you only have to change one file instead of all of them.

There are plenty of CSS tutorials out there so even if you don't know exactly how to do something, a quick search in google and you will find out.

Ok Dan, this is a complete and total crapshoot... but here we go

AGS Creditz 2.0

Now this is agsCreditz2.dll, so throw it in there with the exe and rename it to agsCreditz.dll and see if it works for you...

Hopefully the difference between v2 and v1 was just things were added, and nothing was changed...

Long shot most likely, but I know this dll works

How it is done isn't as important to me (well not as important) as the final result. IE I can make my own functions for objects, characters, hotspots or whatever, and then able to use those in conjuction with the script names of those objects, characters, hotspots or whatever. So I can make a player.SayWithGreenLettersAndHatInHand("Sorry.") if I so choose.

On one hand, making it a simple Ok I extend it, here is what you to do would be great...

on the other, I could see this as needing to be a bit more complicated so we don't have neophytes (see that I didn't call them n00bs) breaking everything then coming here for help...


EDIT:
Ok I played around a bit... it seems in places that it will do what I want until I actually try to compile...

MyChar mEgo = cEgo;
  mEgo.FaceDirection(eUp);
  mEgo.Say("Test");
  mEgo.FaceDirection(eDown);
  mEgo.Say("Downtest"); 
  mEgo.FaceDirection(eUp);

throws cannot convert Character* to MyChar which I actually expected since they are different types... But I was trying to figure out a way to make the built in characters information into the MyChar extention struct.. which I would guess the only way to really do it would be to one for one convert them but that doesn't work with things like MyChar.ID = Character.ID since you can't change the ID field.

Now of course trying to keep it as cEgo throws the FaceDirection is not a public member of Character.

Basically I'm trying to figure out a way to hack it in there using the script language, but it looks like it's pretty locked down...

But anyway it was an experiment... and it failed...

Perhaps CJ could implement (as I said before) an extention script (like a module) that gets compiled with the game internals.

Unless there is something out there that I am completely missing. I'm trying not to assume too much with the scripting engine (which is why I didn't know about the extends keyword).

The reason I'm asking is because there have been a few changes I wasn't aware of with a few suggestions I've made before, and I want to make sure that this isn't one of those situations.

Well, I can guess why it's not wrapping. When using echo in php, it doesn't automatically break the line once you close the echo string. so when you iterate your loop and echo again, it just appends it right where the previous echo left off... you can explicitly force it to line break by putting a \n at the end of your echo string (before closing the string or is it /n... gah I forget off the top of my head).

Now, I don't remember exactly, but IIRC using HTML 4.01 transitional, it doesn't like the /> at the end of the meta tag, for xhtml that is correct.

As far as character encoding itself goes, I can't really tell you, I've never messed with anything other than the windows-1252 since frontpage puts it in there automatically (but I use dreamweaver when doing php... mostly because I like the fact that frontpage connects directly to the server, and saves pages faster onto the server than the FTP based dreamweaver)...

Anyway putting your code through the validator... the only issue with your encoding meta is that you have a /> at the end... so remove the slash and you are good there

Most of your other errors are due to using characters that aren't in the character encoding you are using... which is why you are probably getting boxes...

For those special characters you need to http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/html3/utf8.html <-- check that out... it has the codes on how to do all the "special characters" for webpages. I'm guessing this is where your problem lies.

Since AGS is going OO I thought of this during a smoke break (I do most of my thinking then).

Perhaps not true java like extention like Character2 extends Character but perhaps allowing us to attach our own functions to the Character object.

For instance I have a Util module for my game where I put Utility codes for self made functions to speed up development time. FaceDirection is in this module

Util.FaceDirection(cEgo, eDirUp);

If we could extend the functionality of current built in structs then we could make it so you could just type

player.FaceDirection(eDirUp);
cEgo.FaceDirection(eDirUp);

As far as how to do it in the editor we just put this in the header

Code: ags

enum FacingDirection{eDirUp, eDirRight, eDirDown, eDirLeft};

extention Character{
  static FaceDirection(FacingDirection dir);
}

And put the code in the global script or module (perhaps even create a new single extension file that handles all extensions for any object in the game).

Now I know this is not anything small, but the ability to extend functionality of any existing Class is one of the more powerful aspects of OOP. And I thought I'd put it out there.

Haven't you heard of pig iron... and obviously you need lead to make iron.... and you need iron to keep your clothes wrinkle free.. And everyone knows wrinkle free clothes is the sign of advanced civilization.

That's why aliens are always naked, they've even advanced beyond wrinkle free clothing.

[However, this obviously works for the player character only.]

However, this obviously works for the player character only.

It would be way more useful to use something like this:

Code: ags

eNum Direction { eDirRight, eDirLeft, eDirUp, eDirDown };

function FaceDir(Character*c, Direction dir) {
  if (dir==eDirRight) c.FaceLocation(player.x+10,player.y);
  ...
}

FaceDir(cEgo, eDirRight);

* Alynn points to his early post about his FaceDirection (character ch, FaceDir dir);

Although since then it has been updated to 2.72 standards...

And that's basically the code right there. I created it as a shortcut, since I have a bunch of facing commands (as the characters break the 4th wall constantly, and they face the camera when doing so, and so on and so forth).

I just never bothered to release it as a module because to me, it's learning to do things like that that helps new people learn the language... Soon you will have people saying, "I used the face direction module to make my guy look around, but how do I make him look at a certain point no matter where he is?"

On the flip side, perhaps these easy modules will help some if they bother to look at the code to figure out how the author did it.

There is a difference between "not saying something" and "implying something" your post implied all those things I discussed. Perception is what matters, not intent. I only intended to be funny when I made a comment about a coworkers breasts, but it was percieved as sexual harassment, and therefore IS sexual harassment.

Now onto what you posted after that...

Yes you can make a gorgeous game by yourself that will look professional, you can take AGS run it at true color 800X600 and spend 7000 manhours on it. You will get back what you put into it, if that is the sort of game you wish to make. However, it is still an amateur game.

We meet over the internet, but that isn't the main point. Even if we all lived in the same place, I work 50+ hours a week, I have a wife and kids to take care of, the others have school, sports practice, and whatever else it is kids do, and still attempt to have a life.

If we were getting paid by the hour, I'm sure everyone would be working their tails off (not just my team, but any amateur game maker out there). However even though we don't get paid, many of us Ã, put in hundreds of hours on our games, it's a labor of love.

When someone came along and says, "Eww, 240X320 256 color graphics, it's not even worth looking at," it is insulting. Little do you know that those tiny sprites make up 50+ hours of story driven plot and excellent gameplay, and intense character development.

When it comes to the amateur game making community, you can not let first impressions get in your way, especially when it comes to graphics. If you do so, you WILL miss out. That was my point, I wan't defensive, I was not overreacting, I was stating my opinion.

Now as far as adventure games... It's a strange genre, it's not as popular now as it was way back when, yet, I constantly see new adventures showing up in PC games. Games with adventure elements are still popular, usually paired with action(Silent Hill, Resident Ã, Evil). My experiences are, those that like fast paced FPS, and platformers, and need to constanly have something happening to be entertained, do not like Adventure. Those that like to think while constantly doing things, such as RTS, can go either way. And people that love puzzle games, and puzzles and general, like adventure.

Worrying about such things like "Will others like this?" is not what amateur game making is about, at least for me. It's about having a vision, creating it, and sharing it. You can't please everyone, so why try? Make what you enjoy making, please yourself, and be damned everyone else.

They shouldn't mess with it... technology is demonic...

Creating a "Team" is more difficult than you think, especially in a large scale project. Any member of this team is under no obligation to complete their end of the deal.

None of us get paid for this. Many of us are older, and have jobs and responsibilities, and we cannot commit ourselves to 100% game making. Real life likes to come in and keep you from doing other things.

I've been directing and running an RPG game that has been in the works for 2 years... We have all the music, all the plot, maybe 2% of the dialog, and maybe 5% of the coding, much of the graphics are done for the characters, but no maps... Our head coder had to leave a long time ago, we still haven't had anyone that could replace him (IE look at his scripts and understand what he did with it).  Two years, and that's what we have finished... and in reality, we are moving along at a decent pace for the amount of people we have and where our strengths lie.

Creating a team isn't about care... believe it or not... STR has resized and redone graphics from another game engine... and it looks shotty... but the thing is, that's how it is supposed to look. 24X32 pixel character sprites, and backgrounds that are probably more saturated than they need to be. But that's the universe, and that's exactly how it should be, I care enough to make sure the game fits with what it should be.

Maybe it's the fact that I started gaming with a colecovision.. that back then all you needed was a few blocks, 16 colors, and you were set... those games were fun... so fun in fact I played them for hours... I have emulators for old game systems... sure the graphics are garbage compared to today's systems... but by god they are still damned fun....

So I guess what I'm saying is... if you need gorgeous graphics to enjoy a game, then I feel sorry for you, because graphics aren't everything.

Bah... my brain working faster than my fingers again... That and my boss was coming so I had to finish my post and close my browser quick...

This sentence:
"We have a rebuild speech and sound... could a Rebuild Rooms command be added."

Should have read

"We have a rebuild speech, sound, and room... could a rebuild All command be added."

Oddly enough, I've been using a FaceDirection (character ch, FaceDir dir) over 2 years ago... I hadn't even thought about turning that into a module...

And now he gets the credit for something I had done over 2 years ago, and just recently changed to 2.72 code...



These are useful modules, but I wonder about some of these "simple" modules (don't get me wrong, CharFonts is a simple module as well, what I mean by simple is it's a simple thing to script out without a module, but convenient that someone else has done that for you.) if these things get so big, how will anyone learn enough about the base scripting language to know how to do these easy little tricks...

Anyway sorry for the OT...

hrm... I was under the impression that the entire game recompiles anyway. I didn't know that the rooms don't recompile unless you save them again.

Could this be coupled with a new Save Every Damn Thing command (should probably be shortened) that recompiles everything flagged dirty or not. We have a rebuild speech and sound... could a Rebuild Rooms command be added.

Just a thought.

Well yeah there is that I thought I had mentioned that... but looking back... I realized I hadn't...  oops...

Alynn, I appreciate that code, but it's way beyond my understanding!

All you really have to do is replace each instance of eagma.org with whatever your domains are in the first 2 lines... The last line of eagma.org you rename to whatever subfolder your other site sits in... for convienience I named the subfolder eagma.org...