Messages

Thanks for the quick and simple response. I thought I was missing something

I have been looking for an answer to this by searching the manual, and the forums but cant find anything. I'm hoping someone can give me a simple yes/No answer.

Can you call a function using a string without using a lot of  if...else if...statements, something along the lines of this:

Code: ags

//Pseudo code
CallFunction("fMyFunction");

I realize you could use:

Code: ags

if (strFunction="fMyFunction1")
{
  fMyFunction1();
}
else if ((strFunction="fMyFunction2")
{
  fMyFunction2();
}...

but I think thats unwieldy.

Two men, one man...and his dog realized that his owner was seeing double.

Alfred Hitchcock was getting ready for his date with Marilyn Munroe..

But then realized it was in China.

So sat down and decided to read 'War and Peace'.

[Crimson Wizard]

Crimson Wizard: Great advice. I did a preliminary search before posting this topic, and noticed that people were using a new build (good work by that way). I am using 3.3 and am focusing on that at the moment, but I will do a better search of the forums regarding the problems people have encountered (serves me right for skimming ).

[using AGS]

Gurok: Not distracted (Squirrel..), I have spent a great deal of time on the graphics and want to present them in the best light. It may be that the answers in this post will help me in the next game I design (If I ever finish my current one ). Just thought it would be nice to have opinions from players on what resolution they would like from a game thats not using retro graphics. I think others may find it useful.

(If anyone doesn't get the squirrel reference see the film UP, hell see it anyway its good)

Crimson Wizard: Good point. Though I wouldn't agree that its a wrong question, just perhaps phrased incorrectly. People on these forums have a great deal of experience of creating games using AGS and know its limitations and strengths better than I do. I would argue that I am looking for peoples experience and any problems they have come across when designing higher resolution games using AGS. I am also looking for what players want, do they want more higher resolution games created in AGS.

From the standpoint of game design your absolutely right. I am not just coming at this from that standpoint, and I think people will understand what I am getting at (even if I dont ).

Creating the game made me think of this topic, but its a topic that doesn't need to be discussed in relation to my game, just games in general (made with AGS).

So to rephrase my question : What are players preferences in resolutions? would they like more games that are made with AGS to be in higher resolutions? and what experiences/problems have designers had when making higher resolution games using AGS?

My personal view on using the 'pause' would be that its a bit like you as the game designer are saying "look its a joke NOW LAUGH"..."LAUGH"..."DAMN YOU LAUGH". If its used to represent surprise or speechlessness I think thats OK as long as its not overused.

I am very impatient with some games, so like I said its just my personal reaction.

The game I'm currently developing is 640x400. The graphics for backgrounds/characters/objects etc have all been created in Illustrator so are vector based and can easily be resized.

Since I'm at the early stages if I am going to change the resolution nows the time.

My question is this: What resolution do you think is the best for an AGS game, and would a bigger resolution exclude a significant number of players who wouldn't be able to run it?

I am posting this here as your answers would not just be applicable to my game.

I have updated my original post with a weekly update on progress.

If you live around the North Sea, rain on your wedding day is something you have got to count on. But if you live in LA (as Alanis Morissette did when she wrote the song) and get married in, say, July, rain would be an utterly freak occurrence. So if you had put a lot of effort into planning a gorgeous wedding, only to see it ruined by something beyond your control and reasonable precaution, sure, that's ironic ("characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is"). Absolutely.

That may be Situational Irony as defined by some dictionaries. To me its not irony, its just bad luck. It would be ironic if she were getting married to a weatherman who had predicted a sunny day. Thank you Ed Byrne (see earlier post of mine).

I think its a word thats hard to pin down, and my understanding of it may be completely wrong (would that be ironic?)

See this about Alanis Morissette: Ironic

(Adult Humour)

[delivery]

Wow, it seems like replies to posts are a bit like buses...

I think what we are talking about in the last few posts is delivery.

TheBitPriest quoted Jim Gaffigan by way of example. I read it and thought 'well thats not particularly funny'. Then I watched it ( for those interested watch it here.) The delivery made it laugh out loud funny.

Think of text messaging, I am sure we have all experienced times when a message you've sent to someone has been misunderstood. With the written word it can be difficult to get the delivery right, especially those of us not gifted in creative writing. Words that sound good in your head somehow magically transform into unintelligible dribble, which the causes a massive argument with your wife (or 'life partner','girlfriend','boyfriend','gimp' etc).

When writing adventure games we are not just stuck with the written word. We have a tools to include voice acting, animation and music which greatly enhance the delivery of humor. Although we may not have the time, resources or talent, to include them.

Stupot+ makes a good point :

There are other ways of being visually funny without buckets of animation, though. For example, funny road names or shop signs or an awkward silence. Or you can even use humour to disguise, or even play up the fact that you haven't got the resources to animate something: a well timed fade-to-black, some comic book 'thwack!' or 'zzzap!', a 'two hours later' card for something that should have taken two minutes. Those are all funny devices, a bit cliche perhaps but if used well then I think they can add to any comedy game. I'm sure there are plenty more we could think of.

Its how something is delivered that can make the difference, even if we don't have the time/skill/resources.

My point is this, we should be devoting a little of our time in the creative process to thinking 'how can I best deliver/present this gag/joke/line using the resources I have available?'.

How are we going to do that? Well there is one resource that you have proven time and time again to possess. You are all creative people!

Create!

Good line Mandle.

As for Baron, my advice is this:

Buy a small evening suit, perhaps employ the service of a tailor to make the appropriate adjustments. Place said celery into the evening suit, then sit back as it mops up on the stand-up circuit. You will make a fortune.

Each to his own, I for instance enjoy early seasons of 'Family Guy' and 'the Simpsons' but I also love watching Laurel & Hardy, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin, The Marx Brothers and Buster Keaton as well as Carry On Films & Python, which probably means I am out of touch

[and]

I think that we can all agree that humor is subjective. Lets put that part of the discussion to one side.

My concern is with the integration of humor into adventure games, and getting the balance right (regardless of whether the jokes are funny or not). I think we can all think of adventure games, films, books and other narrative genres where the jokes get in the way.

My point is this, who are you writing the game for? For yourself, well I would argue that whilst there is a great deal of enjoyment in the creative process, can you really play a game you've created and enjoy it in the same way you enjoy other games? It would be like having the mother of all walkthroughs In your head at all times. Jokes wouldn't have the same effect on their creator as on someone hearing/reading them for the first time.

Whilst many have said 'make a game that you find funny' thats not who I am aiming to entertain. I think a better line would be 'make a game that you and your audience find funny'.

That brings me back to my original post. Getting the balance right. Some good suggestions I've had are, replaying games that I've enjoyed in the past (Trapezoid), timing humor (Mandle), setting the tone (Baron) and tzachs thoughts on testing a game with a select group. That and Adeel S. Ahmed sharing his experience of the reaction to a game he made are the type of thing I'm looking for.

I'm no expert and I'm more that willing to listen to others thoughts on this aspect of adventure game creation. We are never going to agree on the various styles of humor, so I would encourage you to limit comments on style, and rather think about the application of humor, when and where to place it for example.

Perhaps a separate thread in 'General Discussion' for what styles people like would be in order.

These are just my thoughts, and Ive gotten something from every post in this thread. Just wanted to refocus the discussion.

Anian, the backgrounds are supposed to be that way, I wanted the characters to stand out. Its a personal choice which I am sure some people will dislike.

I think I am done with this one, thanks everyone.

Have put character with a background so you can see it in context, have altered the buckle as suggested.

I'm happy with it. Thanks everyone for  your comments.

Three to compare, Im probably going to go with the last one on the right.

To Baron,

I respectfully disagree with some of the things you've said.

so what was written at one point in a book might not still be funny.  Have you ever watched a "comedic" movie from the 1950s?  'Nuff said.

Hmm, 'Some like it hot (1959)', 'The Seven year Itch (1955)','The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)','The Man in the White Suit (1951)','Hobson's Choice (1954)' and 'The Quiet Man (1952)'. I could go on, even films from the 30s can still be funny 'Duck Soup (1933)' for example. Don't want to start a war, just a difference of opinion.

And even the best joke ever is somewhat less awesome on the twentieth telling, let alone the hundredth

Ever seen a performance from Monty Python Live? The audience are chanting the jokes, that many have seen countless times. Watch their 'Live at the Hollywood Bowl' performance.

I am being a little unfair, Ive given examples that are classics, and Ive yet to see anyone match Monty Python. There are counterpoints to any argument.

I agree with keeping it fresh and unexpected.

Someone (I cant remember offhand who) once said 'Funny is whatever makes you laugh'.

Slightly altered the belt and dress, and fiddled with the colours also made it a little thinner in scale. Much happier with it, any final thoughts?

Revised the character, opinions?