Messages

Sadako.

East-asian monsters (demons/ghosts) in general.

Someone recently suggested a pair of games where one featured the player as a criminal, and the other saw the player as a detective who had to identify the other player's in-crime actions. That sounded interesting to me, and this system implemented over a network could facilitate that sort of game.

That was me 

But that definitely should be implemented via networking, not sharing one file in game directory.

Cunning idea icey.
An attention should be paid to how organize opening and reading files in an optimal way so that this won't slow game down too much.


Next thing to implement in AGS: named pipes. 

This really depends on what you are trying to achieve. For example if there are other events possible during character movement (like he is chased by enemies and may be caught) then it really should use room_RepExec function.

In simplier cases this may be enough:

Code: ags

function whatever()
{
   cCharacter.Walk (100, 100, eNoBlock);
   while (cCharacter.Moving) Wait(1);
   cCharacter.Animate(...);
}

Also, there was a module that did this easier, made by Khris, but I forgot its name :/.

A small hint.
Since the result of any condition is boolean value on its own, writing

Code: ags

if (!Enemy1a && !Enemy1b) mybool = true;

is considered a bit redundant. Simplier way is

Code: ags

mybool = !Enemy1a && !Enemy1b;

I always wondered how the people find such threads? it's like they start browsing the forums from the last page?

Just a note.
Since you are repeating same call for N times, usually it is better to do this:

Code: ags

int slot = 1;
while (slot <= 6)
{
   if(Game.GetSaveSlotDescription(slot) != null) { Continue = true; slot = 7; /* to exit while loop right away */ }
   slot++;
}

Also, this:

Code: ags

if (Continue == false)
...
if (Continue == true)

Is perhaps better to do:

Code: ags

if (Continue) // testing boolean variable here, do not need to explicitly compare with value
{
 // true case
}
else // do not need to check variable for the second time, since if it is not true, it is obviously false
{
 // false case
}

To be honest I never paid attention to something like that. But if it is a problem, that could be changed. I see no big problem in that. There may be an option between showing custom game's splash screen, default AGS engine splash screen or maybe some generic output showing loading progress.

I noticed that too RickJ. I think it has something to do with how Allegro initializes the display driver. I could be wrong however.

There could be also lot of things going, like loading and initializing data.

EDIT: Now, I run random AGS game in window and could clearly see what you mean .

Never tested this myself, but I found this:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/wiki/?title=Game_/_Global_functions#Game.GetSaveSlotDescription

From that description I guess you may do so:

Code: ags

if (Game.GetSaveSlotDescription(slot_index) == null)
{
  // save game in this slot does not exist
}
else
{
  // save game exists
}

Now, if you have only one save game allowed, that should do it. If you have unlimited saves allowed, then I have no idea.

Okay, when playing Cart Life, I noticed that the distant background was always fixed in position while the foreground buildings, etc, moved with the character.  How the heck did he do that?

Dunno how Cart Life's author did that, but there are two (relatively) simple options.
1) compose background of room objects and always update "distant" object's coordinates so that it is placed at same position relative to viewport.
2) draw on background surface.
Depending on your game it might be optimal to choose either first or second. Or combine both.
By the way, I find this question belongs to Advanced Technical forum.
Also check Parallax Scrolling module, I think it allows to do what you ask about a bit easier: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=33142.0

If you're interested I made a module to add text parser functionality to point and click games. You can download it from:
http://duals.agser.me/Modules/Automated_Text_Parser_v2.0.rar
Personally I like the extra options the text parse provides. Though you may want to consider a VERB or VOCAB command that lists the various words the parser would accept as valid input.

By any chance are you willing to share the source code mkennedy?

The AGS module IS the source code . It is imported into game project and you can do whatever you like with it (unless that restricted by some license, but I never met an AGS module protected from editing by a license).
(In fact you can read *.scm files in notepad. That's plain text, except for some lines that contain auxiliary binary data.)

Here's something that confuses me.
There's a comment made for CharacterExtras struct in the engine:

Code: cpp

// UGLY UGLY UGLY!! The CharacterInfo struct size is fixed because it's
// used in the scripts, therefore overflowing stuff has to go here

I cannot figure out why CharacterInfo (or any other struct) should be fixed for scripts?
From what I saw, engine script system stores a pointer to an object (e.g. CharacterInfo), it does not care of its size.
Editor defines the Character "class" contents, but does it really care if the struct in the engine could be larger? What am I missing?

EDIT: ah, actually I do, it seems. Characters array... but how does it know the object size to properly access object by its index? Does the Editor actually calculates its size based on information from agsdefns.sh?

(looks like one of the cases when asking question helps to understand something on your own, still I'd wish I hear from others if I am correct)

Okay, I see. Though I hoped there would be one correct option, so I wouldn't bother to make a choice myself .

NickyNice sent me this in PM, I hope he won't mind if I repost his thought here:

Here's something as a noob that made it tough to find certain things...

If you hit F1 in the editor and type in Walkable area, it doesn't pop up under W. Obviously you need to look under R for RemoveWalkableArea.

I think as a noob (ME), this sometimes makes things tough to find. There's a few other cases too, but I'm brain dead at the moment. As a noob it's tough to find those key words like...Remove. You have disable, remove and a few words like these that come before the actual word you're looking for. Once you learn it, it's not that big of a deal really, but that's what tripped me up a bit back in the day. Maybe if you guys add walkable area to the index and have that branch off to all the walkable area possibilities in the manual    you could leave the remove walkable area section where it is too.

Also this:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=46530.msg625964#msg625964

I searched the manual for their functions and found none...

Hmm... We are having a discussion about improving AGS manual. Probably you may tell what prevented you from finding these? Like you did not guess where to look at, or looked for wrong term?
(I am not joking Think of it like it's "gather user experience" program.)
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=46471.msg625264

Make three walkable areas instead of seamless one: 1st before door, second at the door, third after door.
You may also lower that number to 2 areas, if you are sure door cannot become locked when character is beyond one, but somehow I find 3 little more logical (might depend on how you look at things).

Walkable areas may be enabled and disabled from script by using RemoveWalkableArea() and RestoreWalkableArea() functions.
Check this: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/wiki/?title=Room_functions#RemoveWalkableArea

[s]

I remember year ago there was thread about correct english lanuage, but it's no longer active, so I thought I'd ask here.

There's something not really important perhaps, but still bugs me.
What would be correct way to name a program function that returns number of things - is it GetItemCount or GetItemsCount?
Same about naming a thing that is related to multiple objects: ManagedObjectPool or ManagedObjectsPool?

The Core.

In point and click, you can only do what's actually intended for the game.

Now, that does not make much sense. In any game you can do only what's intended (except for what may be achieved by exploiting bugs/design flaws). If you may kill yourself by typing "kill yourself", that means that it was intended, isn't it?
I guess scripting text parsers may actually make adding random behavior much easier than scripting various interactions. On other hand that may be only AGS-specific.

wish I could use the text parser in Lua though since I already know a bit of Lua...alas)

There's now a Lua plugin for AGS!
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=38765.0

[>>>> NOTHING <<<<]

As a matter of fact I did read it, doesn't mean I went through the whole thing.

Well, the whole flame here, as I see this, started over your previous statement that was:

As a matter of fact I read the *Do not read before posting* thread and it said >>>> NOTHING <<<< about where I could find the beginners FAQ and from what I seen it didn't say where I could find resources either.

Nobody was picking on you, it was just pretty strange thing to hear, because the link Beginner's FAQ you were asking is right there in that topic written with large bold font. That was the reason people could think you are either not telling truth and/or being plain rude.

Heaven forbid you have the most uptight forum in existence

Now, that is a prejudice... it's simply not true. I've been here for 4 years and so far people were pretty friendly to newcomers, at least while newcomers were friendly to "older" members.