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It's a bit irrelevant but might be of interest. During a lucid dream (100% lucidity mind, when you can control your actions and the environment, not just being dream-aware), some people are nonetheless unable to do things which they personally consider bad in a state of wakefulness. For example, a squad of 'dream police' turn up when you'd try to rob a shop, and mentally prevent you from doing so. Perhaps you'd just shot someone and run them over. Later on karma would come and bite you as a direct result of your actions.

I had a lucid dream once when I was in the front of a police car. I wanted to turn the siren on but physically couldn't because I knew it would get me into more trouble. I suppose the point is, that these 'physical' barriers stopping us doing things in lucid dreams, are always present deep in our subconscious. If they weren't they wouldn't exist in the first place. But with practice and enough mental willpower people can change any aspect of the dream construct. Override their morals if you will.

So, were the dream police put there artificially by society or have they always been innate? Are the 'dream police' just a convenient embodiment of morals? A really good (but impractical) experiment would be to see whether somebody's dreams are still policed by their own subconscious creations, if they have no concept of a police force or a legal system. I would hope it's likely they still hesitate when doing bad things.

Just think of how many things we'd find an answer to if the Forbidden Experiment wasn't forbidden.

The answer will depend on many things. Mainly the context.

1) Is it necessary or important to the plot?
2) Is it graphic?
3) Are you prepared to provide a warning?

Really? May I ask why you feel so strongly about abritrary shapes and colors meant to symbolize an arbitrarily defined piece of land?

I don't agree, a flag does not just represent territorial boundaries, which is seemingly how you see them. The main purpose of a flag is to symbolise a nation's cultural identity. When I see the Stars and Stripes for example, I see what that flag stands for abstractly, such as personal freedoms and liberties. The flag of the old Soviet Union has symbols associated with communism because that was their ideology. The flag of France was inspired by cockades worn during the French Revolution. The Kenyan flag has black symbolising ethnic majority. The Nepalese flag is crimson red because the rhododendron is the national flower. The list goes conclusively on.

Nearly all flags of the world have a meaning deeper than geographical location (some flags do represent this exclusively, but not many). Vexillology is the dedicated study of flags and their structure and meaning. If England was in deepest Asia it would still be England and my country because of the culture that has become associated with it. Therefore if somebody burns my flag, I see them disrespecting my culture rather than the geographical location itself. How could they even possibly do that? A nation is not defined decisively by its land features but by its history and people.

It was very well presented, but that was its only merit. Some of the scenarios were too subjective. A woman burns her country's flag. If her country is not my country I couldn't care less. The polar opposite if it is my country.

I got: "Your low sense of wrongness is the most significant feature of your results". What does this mean?! I looked through the post-mortem and it all seemed very generated. Like a 'which tree are you' quiz. I expected better and I can't believe I signed up for that.

  I know it's just a joke and fictional, however, the conclusion assumes the genie is referring to at least ten thousand years ago (it is 10,300 AD). But technically he could have been freed from the lamp at the very turn of the 3rd century. He could actually be saying Alladin's clothes are "so last year" because it becomes the 4th century during the timescale of the animation. The celebrity impressions I can't explain.

Am I allowed to make a MAGS game for a MAGS I'm co-hosting?

Yes!

Thank you icey. And Ghost your sprites will be more awesome!

I too am looking forward to Skyrim, but i'm not looking forward to their ugly faces

Unless you're talking about Orcs which are gurt butters!

Two entries so far... any more?? The resources are all there, and it doesn't matter how shoddy the game is!

This is also the date the next chapter of a certain popular forum-based text-adventure is released.

I'm pumped for Text Quest too!

I spent 200+ hours on Oblivion, and I'll at least double that for Skyrim. Bethesda are one of the best big game developers, I also cannot wait for Fallout 4. Oblivion's main quest arc had massive shortcomings. It was very tiresome towards the end, and people would thank me for closing gates to Oblivion which I never even bothered to shut. The Shivering Isles expansion pack was a major improvement on the main quest, recommended if nobody bought it. It might be old (in gaming terms it's old) but still well worth it!

Is the AGS server still alive? Or is it only available at certain times?

Woo thanks Khris, it works now

Just one little question. I'm guessing the sprite is auto cropped when it's set as the button graphic?

I want to adapt some code originally donated to me, to draw text onto a surface. As you know one can't draw anti-alised text onto an invisible surface (or is that possible now)? So what I do is create the text on a dynamic sprite, then put the text on top of a background of sprite slot 2.

Code: ags

DynamicSprite*Beta;
DynamicSprite*Gamma;
DynamicSprite*Final;
DrawingSurface*Surface;
bool FirstPrint = true;

function Print(String text, int colour, bool space)
{
     if (space) Print(" ", 0);   //just add an empty line to separate two paragraphs

     if (FirstPrint) {
     Beta = DynamicSprite.Create(DisplayBox.Width, DisplayBox.Height, true);
     Gamma = DynamicSprite.Create(DisplayBox.Width, DisplayBox.Height, true);       //have to define the sprites, and only once otherwise they are reset.
     Final = DynamicSprite.CreateFromExistingSprite(2);
     FirstPrint = false;
     }


     Surface = Beta.GetDrawingSurface();
     Surface.Clear();
     
     //draw new text
     Surface.DrawingColor = colour;
     int y = DisplayBox.Height - GetTextHeight(text, DisplayBox.Font, DisplayBox.Width)-2;
     Surface.DrawStringWrapped(10, y, DisplayBox.Width-10, DisplayBox.Font, eAlignLeft, text);        //draw new text at very bottom, minus however high the new text is

     //draw old text (shift current text up)
     Surface.DrawImage(0, 0 - GetTextHeight(text, DisplayBox.Font, DisplayBox.Width)-2, Gamma.Graphic);   //shift old text up by however high new text is

     Surface.Release();

     Gamma = Beta;


     Surface = Final.GetDrawingSurface();
     Surface.Clear();
     Surface.DrawImage(0, 0, 2);                       //draw a wood panel
     Surface.DrawImage(0, 0, Beta.Graphic);      //draw final text on top
     Surface.Release();

     DisplayBox.NormalGraphic = Final.Graphic;

}

Bottom line is, I understand what is happening, but I don't get why it's not working. Obviously the text ends up being anti-aliased, because it's drawn on top of a non-transparent sprite. However, it only shows the new text, and not the text that should be shifted up. It must be an obvious solution... Do I have my dynamic sprites mixed up, or is there a step I'm missing out? etc

Thanks
Atelier

Add this thing you have to the Bake Sale!

We'll raise more money for charity!

Good idea Hmm... pie or pasty?

Long story short... anybody looking for a body? Ideal for medical or catering students. Sorry, UK residents and collect only, the package weighs about ten stone. As far as I can determine it's male. I'll shift it for £50 but I'm open to offers. Dead fresh and at time of writing, lukewarm.

Thanks
'Joe Bloggs'

Aha Ponch you Will do if I get the time tomorrow!

Seeing as there was no winner this time, I can always run it for MAGS December. So people - I would be very wrong to suggest you can start your entry now. Very wrong indeed

 :'( Sorry guys. Really cool theme too. Maybe I should run it again in the future? Strange... I tell myself I will.

I'll open MAGS November now.

I managed to do it in the end, by assigning locations an x and y coordinate. I'll post the code for anyone who finds it useful.

Code: ags

DynamicSprite *sprite;
DrawingSurface *surface;

function GenerateMap()
{
      sprite = DynamicSprite.CreateFromExistingSprite(Map.Graphic);
      surface = sprite.GetDrawingSurface(); surface.Clear();

      int x = (Map.Width/2)-6,
          y = (Map.Height/2)-6,
          i = 1, square;

      while (i < Max_Locs) {

            if (loc[i].name != null) {  //ie, room has been defined
            int xdraw, ydraw;

            if (loc[i].x < loc[mob[o].loc].x) xdraw = x-(loc[mob[0].loc].x-loc[i].x)*19;
            else if (loc[mob[0].loc].x < loc[i].x) xdraw = x+(loc[i].x-loc[mob[0].loc].x)*19;
            else if (loc[mob[0].loc].x == loc[i].x) xdraw = x;

            if (loc[i].y < loc[mob[0].loc].y) ydraw = y+(loc[mob[0].loc].y-loc[i].y)*19;
            else if (loc[mob[o].loc].y < loc[i].y) ydraw = y-(loc[i].y-loc[mob[0].loc].y)*19;
            else if (loc[mob[0].loc].y == loc[i].y) ydraw = y;

            if (loc[i].type == eLocTavern) square == 11;
            else if (loc[i].type == eLocTravel) square == 12;
            // ...
            else square = 7;

            surface.DrawImage(xdraw, ydraw, square);
            if (loc[i].nor) surface.DrawImage(xdraw+4, ydraw-6, 9);
            if (loc[i].eas) surface.DrawImage(xdraw+13, ydraw+4, 8);
            if (loc[i].sou) surface.DrawImage(xdraw+4, ydraw+13, 9);
            if (loc[i].wes) surface.DrawImage(xdraw-6, ydraw+4, 8);

            }
      i++;
      }

      surface.DrawPixel(x+6, y+6);
      surface.Release();

      // Save the image to a file
      //sprite.Resize(500, 500);
      //sprite.SaveToFile("mapoverview.bmp");

      Map.NormalGraphic = sprite.Graphic;
}

Here's just a small test map it generated. Lots of potential!

The node at the star is both south of A and east of B which causes a conflict.

I have multiple instances of that. Many locations are connected to two or more locations. Does this mean the solution is easier or harder?

Also, pretty sure this isn't a beginner question.

I forget I'm not a beginner anymore