Messages

Ok, I actually ended up using a different script because that one wasn't working.  It all works now!  That was a frustrating process. 

Ok, thanks Ashen.  I got the buttons working again on the inventory and quit GUIs, but now when I call up the Save GUI, and type in a save game name and hit the save button I get this error:

ListBoxGetItemText: invalid item specified.

This is for line 470 which is:   ListBoxGetItemText(SAVE,2,bg_save_idx,bg_save_buf);

Now like I said, I sorta pieced this script together from various posts.  And it's using the pre 2.7 version of AGS.  When I look up ListBoxGetItemText in the manual, it says it's obsolete and doesn't describe the old function.  So I'm not sure what the above code even means.  Does the 2 after SAVE refer to a GUI control?  My Save GUI is GUI 7 and the listbox is control 2--does that even matter in this code?

I know this is the worst way to do a GUI, but I haven't been able to find a good tutorial on Save/Load guis---especially using version 2.7 .  And the manual only gives a tutorial on making a Quit GUI---which I've already figured out how to do.

I've been testing a new GUI and it was almost working, but now when I call up anything---the quit , load and save GUI, the proper screen will appear, but none of the buttons will work.  My script is sort of a mish-mash of stuff I've gotten from various posts---and it sure isn't pretty.  I've looked through it a number of times for missing/misplaced brackets, and I fixed one...but I can't see anything else that is wrong with it.  Help!

My GUI script:

if (interface == ICONBAR) {
    if (button == 4) {  // show inventory
      show_inventory_window();
    }
    else if (button == 5) {   // use selected inventory
      if (character[ GetPlayerCharacter() ].activeinv >= 0)
         SetCursorMode(4);
    }
    else if (button == 6) {   // save game
         
      ListBoxSaveGameList(7,2); // Fill List Box with saved games
      SetCursorMode(6);
      GUIOn(SAVE);                   // Bring Save interface on             
    }
         
    else if (button == 7) {   // load game
      SetCursorMode(6);
      ListBoxSaveGameList(4,0);
      GUIOn(LOADGUI);
     
    }
    else if (button == 8) {  // quit
      SetCursorMode(6);
      GUIOn(QUITGUI);
    }
    else if (button == 9)    // about
      Display("EMILY ENOUGH: IMPRISONED[by Logan Worsley Adventure Game Studio v2 run-time engine[Copyright (c) 1999-2003 Chris Jones");
    // end if interface ICONBAR

    if (interface == INVENTORY) {
    // They clicked a button on the Inventory GUI
   
    if (button == 1) {
      // They pressed SELECT, so switch to the Get cursor
      SetCursorMode (MODE_USE);
      // But, override the appearance to look like the arrow
      SetMouseCursor (6);
    }
   
    if (button == 2) {
      // They pressed LOOK, so switch to that mode
      SetActiveInventory(-1);
      SetCursorMode(MODE_LOOK); 
    }
    if (button == 3) {
      // They pressed the OK button, close the GUI
      GUIOff (INVENTORY);
      SetDefaultCursor();
    }

    if ((button == 4) && (game.top_inv_item < game.num_inv_items - game.num_inv_displayed)) {
      // scroll down
      game.top_inv_item = game.top_inv_item + game.items_per_line;
    }
    if ((button == 5) && (game.top_inv_item > 0)){
      // scroll up
      game.top_inv_item = game.top_inv_item - game.items_per_line;
    }
  }


  if (interface == QUITGUI) {   
    if (button == 1) {
      QuitGame(0);
    }
    if (button == 2) {
      GUIOff(QUITGUI);
      Mouse.UseDefaultGraphic();
    }
  } 
//INTERFACE SAVE GAME

    if (interface == SAVE) {
     // List element was clicked, copy selected item's text to the TextBox
  if (button==2) {
     bg_save_idx = ListBoxGetSelected(SAVE,2);
     ListBoxGetItemText(SAVE,2,bg_save_idx,bg_save_buf);
     if (StrComp(bg_save_buf,"<new>")==0) StrCopy(bg_save_buf,"");
     SetTextBoxText(SAVE,3,bg_save_buf);
  }

  // SAVE button was pressed, save the game
  else if (button==0) {
     SetRestartPoint();                 // Restart here
     bg_save_idx=ListBoxGetSelected(SAVE,2); // Save game in new save game slot
     ListBoxGetItemText(SAVE,2,bg_save_idx,bg_save_buf);
     if (StrComp(bg_save_buf,"<new>")==0) {   
        bg_save_slot = ListBoxGetNumItems(SAVE,2);
        GetTextBoxText(SAVE,3,bg_save_buf); 
        if (StrComp(bg_save_buf,"")==0) StrFormat(bg_save_buf,"Game-%d",bg_save_slot);
     }
     else {                             // Over-write an existing save game
        bg_save_slot=savegameindex[bg_save_idx]; // slot with name from textbox.
        GetTextBoxText(SAVE,3,bg_save_buf); 
       if (StrComp(bg_save_buf,"")==0) ListBoxGetItemText(SAVE,2,bg_save_idx,bg_save_buf);
     }
     GUIOff(SAVE);          // Close dialog amd return
     //TURN ON NORMAL GAME GUIs HERE
     SaveGameSlot(bg_save_slot, bg_save_buf); // Perform save operation last otherwise
     //Display("Saved as: %s", bg_save_buf);    // SAVE dialog will be active on restore
  }

  // CANCEL button was pressed, cancel operation
  else if (button==1) {
     GUIOff(SAVE);          // Close dialog and return
     //TURN ON NORMAL GAME GUIs HERE
  }
}

//INTERFACE 6 - RESTORE GAME

if (interface == LOADGUI) {
  // CANCEL button was pressed, cancel operation
   if (button==1) {
     Mouse.UseDefaultGraphic();
     GUIOff(LOADGUI);       // Close dialog and return

     //TURN ON NORMAL GAME GUIs HERE
  }

  // RESTORE button was pressed, restore the game
  else if (button==0) {
     bg_restore_idx=ListBoxGetSelected(LOADGUI,2); // Perform save operation
     if (bg_restore_idx==-1) {          // No selection, nothing to restore
        Display("Please make a selection first...");
     }
     else                               // Ok continue restoring game
     {
        ListBoxGetItemText(LOADGUI,2,bg_restore_idx,bg_restore_buf);
        RestoreGameSlot(savegameindex[bg_restore_idx]);
        //Display("Restored from: %s",bg_restore_buf);
        Mouse.UseDefaultGraphic();
        GUIOff(LOADGUI);
     }
   
    if ((button == 4) && (game.top_inv_item < game.num_inv_items - game.num_inv_displayed)) {
      // scroll down
      game.top_inv_item = game.top_inv_item + game.items_per_line;
    }
    if ((button == 3) && (game.top_inv_item > 0)){
      // scroll up
      game.top_inv_item = game.top_inv_item - game.items_per_line;
    }

  }
}
}

Where exactly do i do this?  Do I do a script for each inventory item that shuts off the GUI?  Is that what you mean?

Hi, I just made my first custom inventory GUI and I've come across one problem.  When I look at an object in the inventory, the character's speech is displayed behind the GUI and off to the side.  Is there a way I can set the speech to always be directly below the GUI when the inventory is open, or have the inventory GUI disappear while the character is describing what's in there?

I've been looking through the manual and functions for an answer, but haven't found one...

I think the real dilemma is "good" graphics VS "cutting-edge" graphics.  You can't say Monkey Island or Loom or King's Quest 5 have "bad" graphics.  They just lack 3d textures, polygons and other modern day bric-a-brak.  They old classics might look dated, but within the boundaries set by the resolution and computer capabilities, they are top-notch.  So then you have to ask, would you rather have a game with "good" graphics and excellent gameplay, or a game with "cutting edge" graphics and so-so gameplay.  Or furthermore, would you buy a more affordable game (maybe in the $10 price range) with "good" graphics and good gameplay over a super-expensive game that has "cutting edge" graphics and good gameplay.  Personally, I would rather spend my money on shorter, more retro looking games made by proven game designers than on fewer expensive games made by unknowns.

This is where people could be slightly successful in releasing AGS games commercially.  If indie designers build up positive reputations, and regularly release games that have great gameplay, I think there could be a growing audience that would pay for them. 

AGS has:

-Given me yet another reason to never leave the apartment
-deprived me of hours upon hours of time that could otherwise be spent watching tv
-aided in the break-up of at least one girlfriend so far
-fed my freakish obsession with perfection
-led to many akward conversations that involve:

"So you make video games?"
"Yeah, kinda."
"What, like Doom or something?"
"No, they're adventure games."
"What's an adventure game?"
"Nevermind."

Dave, I think I read an article about that race game in Businessweek or Newsweek or something...in Korea companies actually sponser video gamers to play for them---just like a cyclist or indy driver.  And that game in particular, kids spend money buying avatars and paint jobs for their race cars, it's a multi-million dollar industry.  Sounds interesting over there!  Good luck.

First of all, if this has come up before, I apologize.  I didn't see it mentioned in the suggestion tracker.

Is there any way to increase the number of frames that are allowed in each animation loop?  I would find this particularly useful for idle and talking animations, as I inevitably run out of frames when putting together something complex.  With most animations, you can always continue through to the next loop, but with idle animations you need to be able to go back to the beginning and repeat, and talking animations each have their own front/back/left/right views so you can't continue to the next loop.  I've had to cut out certain actions or gestures several times because there weren't enough available frames.

Maybe I'm way off base and there are ways to do this without changes to the engine, but if not I would love to see this improvement.

Yeah, well inability to talk would be integral to the plot, so either he's a mute and I go with that for a game design or I come up with a completely different game.  I was thinking of having him be able to talk like a normal person, but only with his dead mother.  I really think the inability to talk would lead to some interesting gameplay.

What's TLJ? 

I know it would be a bear to program, and could get repetative quick, but what if there were a button on the GUI that gave you access to the player's thoughts?  Maybe it would normally be inactive, but change colors or flash when something else happens and the player is thinking about something new?

Part of why I'm grappling with this question is that a game I'm designing involves a main character that is a mute.  He's also mentally handicapped.  It could lead to interesting gameplay, but it also drastically effects the usability of your average Talk/Look/Interact GUI.  You can't really talk with a mute.

I definitely don't have a problem with speech dialogue for everything...I just spent a year and a half working on a game that did just that.  I can't imagine having done it any other way---sometimes the style of game just calls for it.  I can't imagine Monkey Island using a narrator---half of the fun of the game is that you're tagging along with Guybrush and you get to know him through his reactions.  But I think an aspect of storytelling is lost, because you can't describe settings and events in a literary or descriptive way---it always has to be from the perspective of your player (except for cutscenes, which definitely ad another element to the game's perspective).  And just like you say, you can do it in novels when writing in first person through descriptions of actions, but unless you're character is a noir throwback, it would be strange for a character in an adventure game to suddenly say, "I yawned and blinked my eyes, struggling to stay awake."  As cool or funny or wierd as that might be.

But then again, why not?  That's kind of what I was thinking about and why I started this, why can't you do something weird like that?  Why do we always have to wait for the player to take the initiative?  That's what I like about a lot of the best new amateur games---yahtzee's Days series and Enclosure come to mind, the player has a certain amount of control over the progression of the game, but after completing some kind of possibly unrelated task, the plot kicks in and moves along, weird things happen, new and different characters emerge.  It's not a matter of presenting the player with an obvious 3 part puzzle, that he or she can finish in their own sweet time.  Why not do the same thing with narration or character dialogue---or has this all been done before and I'm just forgetting?

Those are some awesome sprites Ghost.  My only suggestion would be to use a little more shading around the edges of her legs and arms to make her a little less flat.  But then again, the sprite already looks great.

Ok dude, I think you're reading way too much into my first and second post.  I think we're largely talking about the same thing here.   For the record, I don't think 1st person writing is all "deep feelings and introspective musings".  I'm not sure why you would accuse me of thinking that.  You give excellent examples of signaling emotion or condition through action, and I'm not contesting that that is perhaps the best way to write novels.

Look, I didn't start this discussion to debate the finer points of literary technique, I was just pointing out that when you use speech dialogue for look commands, you're restricted to that persons perspective.  And I think there is room within adventure games to utilize different tools to explore characters and setting. 

We're not just writing novels here, we have the ability to use different GUIs that can explore setting and characters in different ways.  I mean, look at The Sims.   I think the way you can monitor a character's emotional condition in real-time is kinda neat.  I don't know that it would translate into the adventure game genre, but why not experiment?

I'm really gonna have to disagree with you here.  Authors will come out and say what the character is thinking ALL THE TIME when writing in first person.  That's the whole point, the character is describing what's going on.  If a character is going for a long drive, he's going to say that he's been driving all night and is exhausted.  If it's written in first person, how is the character who's telling the story going to show how tired they are?  THEY'RE telling the story, it's inherent that they are sharing their thoughts.  With 3rd person, sure the situation is different (and quite honestly, i'm not advocating 1st person writing, I don't usually enjoy it).

As for graphic adventures, unless you're using a higher resolution, you CAN'T see the character's reaction.  Maybe if you're graphics are up there with CMI, but not if you've got pixilated figures with dots for eyes.  Most times, you're going to have to describe the character's reaction, either through later dialogue or some kind of narration.  What I'm getting at is with lower resolutions and the inability to create tons of complex animations while working as a sole designer, there is room for discussion on how to breathe more life and depth into characters.

But writing and designing an adventure game is substantially different than writing a novel, and it isn't just a matter of what perspective you're using--1st, 2nd or 3rd.  For example, in a book written in 1st person, the main character can interject his or her thoughts at any time to help develop setting or characters.  But in an adventure game, it's somewhat awkward to be walking through a haunted house and have the main character suddenly say, "While walking through this musty hallway, I found myself frightened."  In an adventure game you're primarily depending upon the player to decide when he or she wants some kind of interaction.  The game can naturally restrict the kind of introspection that makes 1st person writing interesting. 

Now clearly there are exceptions to every rule, and really there are only as many restrictions as we allow.  I mean, do you ever see games that involve the narrator interrupting the game at various times to discuss the emotional condition of the main character?  In the Quest for Glory games you would occasionally get a "You are tired" or "You must rest", but I don't think you'd usually get anything more than that.  Maybe you'd get that kind of thing in cutscenes, but not in normal gameplay.  What if the narrator was more assertive, I think it could make for an interesting game (and if there are examples of this already being done, let me know).

And another thing, when do you see games that are in 3rd person Omniscient?  You will often see the narrator describing the character, and maybe getting inside the character's head occasionally, but what about the narrator being able to describe the moods, opinions and thoughts of ALL characters at any point in time?  I'm not sure if it would be a good thing to do in an adventure game...but has this been done?

I started to ponder this question while on a plane last night (because, as you see, i'm a dork).  I don't know if this has come up before, and I know it might sound like a lame topic for discussion, but I think it's interesting.  I think that when it comes to a game's design, deciding on character speech or text boxes for  visual observations makes a big difference in any game. 

Think to the difference between a Monkey Island game and a King's Quest game.  When you look at an object in MI, Guybrush makes some pithy comment about his surroundings.  When you look at an object in King's Quest, you get some grandiose description from some godly narrator. 

Now obviously if a game leans more towards comedy and works the character speech angle, you're going to expect a less serious response.  But no matter how serious a game can be, if it only uses character speech to respond to "look" commands, you're going to miss out on rich descriptions that can help develop setting.  This is one thing I feel I missed out on in my game, Emily Enough.  I only used character speech, and found that I couldn't build up the creepiness of the setting just by using Emily's own observations.  I could, however, build up her character by allowing the player (which has just been me, so far) to see how she responds to different things.

I'm working on the design for my next game, and I think i might go the opposite route with a narrator describing things rather than the character doing it.  I just think back to games like King's Quest III that were visually unimpressive, but still very indepth and creepy because the designers did a good job of building up the setting through commands like "LOOK AT BOWL" and "LOOK AT STAIRS".

Does any of this make sense?  Is it at all interesting?  Thoughts?

No, that's the whole thing.  They say that it's in Pittsburgh or some pennsylvania town if I remember correctly, but every other aspect of the movie points to it being in Europe.

Maybe you all were just talking about the actors, but the original film was shot in Bavaria, Germany.  Although it was SUPPOSED to be in America, at least according to the script...which was funny because it was really obvious that it was in Germany---at least for someone from there or who has lived there. 

Anyway, maybe you guys were talking about something completely different.

This looks great InCreator.  The graphics are fantastic.  I'm very excited about this.