Topics

[NOTE:]

Okay ... so I'm working on an unannounced project.Ã,  Here is a background from the project.Ã,  The game is mostly all in this style and I realized while working on it that I might have a problem.Ã,  So I thought I'd post and get some feedback ...

NOTE: This is still a WiP as there are a few more things to add (details to the doors, some objects here and there, and some more lighting/shadowing)



1) do you think not scaling the characters will matter as they approach the foreground?Ã,  (I'm afraid it'll look like one of those 'forced perspective' rooms where you look REALLY tall by the time you reach the end of the hall - or in this case REALLY short.)

2) overall c&c - is this an appealing bg style?Ã,  I've been looking at it/working on it so long I can no longer tell.Ã,  I'm definately pleased with the direction, but I guess I could use some encouragement.

(In game this is actually two backgrounds as the game is designed at 320x240)

[Welcome to the wonderful world of the Background Blitz!!]

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Background Blitz!!

THEME: Honey I Shrunk The Kids

DESCRIPTION:
You must create a background in the style of 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids'.Ã,  Imagine the player to be a normal sized person who has been shrunk down to just inches high!Ã,  The background setting can be anything from the bedroom carpet or the kitchen sink to the backyard or a garbage can.Ã,  The sky is the limit on setting.

RESOLUTION: 320X240 or 640x480

COLORS: 256 max

RESTRICTIONS
Background must contain some form of small object appearing large.Ã,  Like a piece of LEGO or thumbtack.Ã,  Something that you're not used to seeing BIG next to you.

Good luck to all and happy blitzing!

As some of you may know I spent all of last week in Las Vegas.Ã,  Upon my return I found my new young apprentice in my home ...







I shall train him well.Ã,  (Sara suprised me with a new kitten in case you don't understand my humor)

Also, thought this might be of some interest, I saw this while at SEMA in Vegas ...
(SEMA = Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association and every year they have a HUGE convention in Las Vegas ... kind of like the Autoshow or E3 if you know what those are)



I ran over to see who was there ... CJ?Ã,  Alas, it was a booth for wiring harnesses or some such thing.Ã,  Oh well ...

Then I met this man (some of you may know him):


I thought he was bigger ... I rather towered over him.Ã,  I guess the TV camera does make you look bigger?

While in Las Vegas one must gamble right?Ã,  So I decided to play a little black jack ...

DISCLAIMER: This is actually a photo of my playing black jack with a wax sculpture of Mr. Affleck at Maddam Toussad's wax museum ... man was the place CREEPY!!

While walking out of the convention I stepped out of this guy's way ... then I realized who it was and took a picture.Ã,  I didn't get the pleasure of speaking to him, but oh well.


Anyway, I just thought I'd share some of my week-gone-by with the fine folks of the AGS community!

I hope you have enjoyed it.

Now I must go.Ã,  My new, young, evil, sith kitty apprentice is eating my shoes ...

Lately I've been having extreme troubles with the forums.

It is taking a long time to load, and seems to be down a lot.

It's been happening since the 'big' downtime awhile back.

All other websites are working instantly.  It's just the AGS forums I'm having problems with.  Anybody else?  Am I just going insane?

CJ, is there something wrong with the server?

[Note:]

What is a Photoshop Friday?

See this link:
http://www.somethingawful.com/photoshop/

And for other examples, see here:
http://www.worth1000.com/

The two above websites should give a fair idea of what is involved. Also you can check out the earlier Photoshop Phridays in this forum.

Note: Photoshopping isn't drawing a completely new image -- It's editing images to create a new image, such as editing one image or combining several images.

Also, you don't have to specifically use Photoshop -- Paint Shop Pro, MSPaint, or any other programs can be used.

This week's contest : Adventure Game Album Covers
- take a famous album cover from the past/present and show what it would be like if an adventure game character released the album instead of the actual artist!

ex:


Have at thee!!

[What is a Photoshop Wednesday?]

What is a Photoshop Wednesday? - It's photoshop friday which starts on a wednesday instead.Ã,  Jeeze ... pay attention.

See this link:
http://www.somethingawful.com/photoshop/

And for other examples, see here:
http://www.worth1000.com/

The two above websites should give a fair idea of what is involved. Also you can check out the earlier Photoshop Phridays in this forum.

Note: Photoshopping isn't drawing a completely new image -- It's editing images to create a new image, such as editing one image or combining several images.

Also, you don't have to specifically use Photoshop -- Paint Shop Pro, MSPaint, or any other programs can be used.

This week: [color=000055]Adventure Game Protests[/color]

What would cause Adventure Game fans to take to the streets in protest?

Guidelines:
- You can come up with any scenario you want.
- It must, in some way, relate to an adventure game.
- Using adventure characters is allowed (of course) but not necessary.

Ex: Larry Laffer has been arrested for Criminal Sexual Misconduct which starts the "Free Laffer" campaign!!


More examples:
- Pirates have been outlawed in New York City.
- Unfair treatment of canine detectives.
- Tentacle Discrimination!!

The possiblities are endless!!Ã,  Use your imagination!

Good luck, but most of all, HAVE FUN!!!

[hurricane Frances]

Well it appears that hurricane Frances is bearing down on us South Floridians ...

This will be my first hurricane (if it hits here that is) that I've actually experienced.Ã,  I'm only about 5 or 6 miles inland from the Atalantic Ocean so it should kick up something fierce if it hits us head on.

I've watched tornadoes from less than a mile away (on more than one occasion).

I've been in two earth quakes (mild thankfully).

I've been in several floods (one REALLY bad out in Salt Lake City).

I've been in more blizzards than I care to recount (I was driving from Florida to Michigan in the blizzard of '96 some of y'all Statesmen might remember that little ditty)

We had to run from a forest fire one time out in California.

I've even been in a mildly destructive sand storm in New Mexico (or was it Arizona) one time.

A hurricane is my 'final frontier' of natural disasters and I must admit that I'm somewhat (naively) anticipating this.

I've stockpiled my provisions and have battened down the hatches!!

BRING IT ON FRANCES!!!

[DVR Supply]

Alright ... I'm calling on anybody in AGS land who has knowledge about video capture cards to please lend me you expertise!

The Story ...
I found a treasure trove of videos in my parent's attic (top of the house, below the roof).Ã,  They're some of our family vacations, christmases, holidays, family gatherings, etc.Ã,  The problem is, they're all on VHS and they are showing signs of ageing ...Ã,  I asked around to see about getting them transferred to DVD at a few local video shops and they ALL charge an arm and a leg.Ã,  I want (NEED) to save these priceless memories!!

Well this got me thinking ... I've, for years, been wanting to get back into DVD production (did some a few years ago).Ã,  So ... I'm going to build a little video editing studio for myself.Ã,  I'm (sort of) on a limited budget so I want to get stuff that will function on my current PC rather than get a new machine.

The Questions...
1) Do any of you know what capture card is the best bang for the buck?
I want a good one, but don't want to overspend.Ã,  I know very little about this subject.Ã,  So I don't even really know what to look for.

Some (of the many) I checked out:
DVR Supply - These seemed like maybe a little more than I would need?
Dazzle Fusion - sounds pretty good to me?Ã,  But how is it so much cheaper?
Pinicle Liquid Edition Pro 5.5 - I have no clue?!?

I just get confused because there seems to be an unending number of these things.

Any recommendations?Ã,  I'd like to get the best card available at the lowest cost.Ã,  I don't need anything really fancy.

I'm inclined to think that Dazzle Fusion might be the way to go?

2) What's the best DVD authoring software?
Again, best bang for the buck.Ã,  Ã, I want these features; video menues, sound in menues, Over effects on menu selections, chapter markers, basically I want the works!

Here're a few I checked out:
ULead DVD Moviemaker - seems like a cheapy to me?
ULead DVD Workshop - is it that much better?
SonicMyDVD - seems like a good one to me?

Anybody know any other good ones?Ã,  This again ... there are so many options I just get lost in not knowing which to get.

Thanks for any and all help guys & gals.

~ d

So I was browsing around eBay in boredom the other day ...



... when I came across this little gem.

I put in a bid figuring, since there were like 4 days left on the auction, that somebody would surely outbid me.Ã,  Well nobody did!!

With shipping this cost me a grand total of $5.49 (USD).

I now have an original copy of my favorite game of all time.

Anybody else find anything good on eBay?

[The Adventures of JP & Cosmo: Part I - A Friend Indeed]

It's an Italian publication called, "Giochi per il Mio Computer".Ã,  They want to include my game "The Adventures of JP & Cosmo: Part I - A Friend Indeed" on the free CD that comes with the publication.

I received this e-mail yesterday:

Hi,
I'm Alessandro Polli, deputy editor of "Giochi per il Mio Computer" the most sold pc-games magazine in Italy.
I appreciate your game "Friend Indeed" and I'd like to put freely on the DVD attached to our magazine.
To do this, we need your autorization. If you agree, please compile and sign the document attached at this
email and send it by fax at this number: +39 02 -------------.

Best regards,

Alessandro Polli

Deputy Editor
Giochi per il Mio Computer
Future Media Italy S.p.A.
Via Asiago 45
20128 Milano
Italy

I'm very interested in this.

In fact I am going to do it, I was just curious if anybody has/had heard of them.

Do any of you use Cingular as your cellular provider?

My girlfriend (Sara) switched over FROM Cingular TO Verizon (which I use) about 4 months ago.Ã,  She switched over because her phone rarely worked, even after 1 repair, 2 replacements, and several 'software' upgrades.Ã,  It would constantly drop calls, not receive calls, skip voicemails, etc.

She kept her number, just switched providers, so anyway ...

A few weeks back she gets an notice from Cingular saying she owes them $150.00 (USD) for breaking contract with them.Ã,  She basically tells them no.Ã,  They didn't live up to their end of the contract, so she's not honoring it.

They threatened her with ruining her credit if she didn't pay, and taking her to court.Ã,  She told them, "The contract was for the service to my phone.Ã,  I rarely had that service.Ã,  You didn't honor the contract, so I'm not either."

Then the guy actually told her, "The contract isn't for service."Ã,  She replied, "So it's for a plastic paperweight?"Ã,  What is the contract for if not for the service to the phone?Ã,  Idiotic.

She ended up giving them $75.00 (USD) as ^1/2 payment.

This pissed me off big time.Ã,  I had told her not to give them a penny ... but she's got perfect credit and doesn't want to stain her record.Ã,  I called up Cingular to give them a piece of my mind.Ã,  They told me they wouldn't talk to me because my name wasn't on the account.Ã,  So I said, "You're going to make me call Sara, have her call you to put my name on there, just so I can then call back?"

"Yes."

"That's rediculous."Ã,  Then I hung up.

That night was when I got the toothache and kind of forgot the world for that last few weeks.

Today Sara got 2 NSF (non-sufficient funds) charges on her bank account because Cingular tried (twice) to withdraw money from her account.Ã,  Which they no longer are allowed to do.

They tried to take $120 (USD) ... but when she paid 1/2 before, of 75, that would only leave $75.00 on there ... so why were they trying to take 120?

So she calls them and they tell her that there's a block on her account and that she must go into a Cingular location to take care of this.

So let me end this long thread here by saying that tomorrow Cingular is going to REALLY hear it from me!Ã,  I'm going to demand they send her back the original $75.00 (USD) PLUS the $30.00 (USD) over-charges on her account.Ã,  I'm going to tell them that this is for all the lost-service she had while using the phone.Ã,  All the time she paid for the service she wasn't getting.Ã,  AND they are going to forget about the remaining $75.00 (USD).

Anybody else have any nightmare stories about this horrible, shitty, pathetic company?

[Article on ESPN.com]

June 5th, former WBO middleweight champ Felix Sturm lost by decision to Oscar De La Hoya.Ã,  I watched the fight, and thought it was a bullshit decision.

Did anybody else watch this fight?

It seemed to me, especially after the 8th round, the Felix just owned the fight.Ã,  Oscar's guard was down, he looked tired, he was throwing wild punches.Ã,  Conversely, Felix's guard was strong, he looked like he'd just started the fight, and his punches still had all their power.

I thought the descision was crap, and was only made because of the [already planned] upcoming title bout between De La Hoya and Bernard "Loudmouth" Hopkins.Ã,  They didn't want to lose that match (supposedly the richest non-heavyweight fight of all time).Ã,  And would give De La Hoya a 6th weight division title (he'd be the only person to do that ever).

I just read today that Felix Sturm submitted his protest to the WBO ...

If anybody watched the fight, do you feel he (Felix) was justified in doing this?

I do.

I love Oscar, been a fan for years and love watching him fight.Ã,  But this was just crap ... Sturm won that fight!Ã,  And even Oscar knew it (watch his after match interviews ... he wasn't elated at all and knew he didn't fight a good fight).

Here's an Article on ESPN.com about the protest if you're interested.Ã,  They're trying to claim there's no basis for the protest.

Gotta love politics in sports.

I feel bad for Felix.

_{DISCLAIMER: I must say I'm really anticipating the Hopkins vs. De La Hoya match!}

Well ...

I'm off to get a tooth pulled.

While you're reading this I'm most likely being fed laughing gas to knock me out so a dentist can take a large pair of pliers and yank my wisdom tooth out.

I've been suffering with the tooth ache for the last 5 days.Ã,  I've been over doseing on Advil and Motrin (anti-flametory medication for those unfamiliar!)

Anybody else have this done recently?Ã,  Am I going to be suffering again after it's done?

Wish me luck ...

[Width]

I went into a auto shop the other day.Ã,  And the guy behind the counter (who turned out to be a hell of a nice guy) at first glance reminded my of the typical 'boogie man' in your closet when you were a kid.

With that in mind, this weeks competition is:

The monster in my closet!!!

Make a sprite of that evil monster that always lived in your closet when darkness covered the land!!
NOTE: Monsters which lived under your bed are also acceptable.
NOTE: Monsters which were scary, but not evil, also acceptable.

Width: no greater than 65
Height: no greater than 125
Colors : unlimited
Restrictions : none

Have at it fellow spriters!!

[[size=20]Inside a Computer[/size]]

In the future, computer technicians use shrink-o-rays to miniaturize themselves and enter the computers to diagnose the problems.Ã,  But what would that look like ??

[size=20]Inside a Computer[/size]
This time around the background must be the inside of a computer, and there must be some sort of 'problem' visible.Ã,  Hard-drive sparking, motherboard smoking, etc.Ã,  Ã, The more creative the better!!

Keep in mind that, in the future, computers might very well look a lot different than they do now ...

[size=20]Parameters:[/size]
Size: 320x240 [size=10]-or-[/size] 320x200
Colors: 256 or less

[The Suggestion:]

The Suggestion:
Instead of a 'Mouseover image' option (for GUI buttons), it would be nice to have a 'Mouseover effect' so you could also run a script without having to click.

Something like this:


I have an 'information' graphic in my GUI which I want to change when you mouseOver individual GUI buttons.  I can't seem to find a way to make this work.  This suggestion would do the trick!

If anybody has any ideas on how to do this now I would greatly appreciate it!  I'm kind of stuck

Thanks!

[My best one this year:]

I want to hear some of the jokes/pranks (outside of the forums here) that you all committed in the spirit of April Fools days on your friends/family.

My best one this year:
I sent this to my best friend back in Michigan (USA),
http://69.41.172.83/news/michigan/story295522.html
WARNING: contains a naughty word!

I recreated the Detroit Free Press' website layout and made up a story about this guy we went to school with.  He was this really quiet introverted guy (who you'd probably call a nerd) but he was our friend.

Anyway ... just read the story!  And don't forget to check out the picture link at the bottom, it's the icing on the cake!

~ d

[Here's what I'm noticing ...]

Are any of you noticing a 'slow-down' in the speed of the AGS forums?

Is the new server just slower than the old one?

Here's what I'm noticing ...
- When I hit 'Post' it just hangs up.  I have to hit stop and refresh.  Sometimes the message makes it into the thread, sometimes not.
- Navigation takes a long time and sometimes never makes it.  Meaning I click a link and it just hangs up and doesn't get there.

This isn't constant, but frequent.

If it's a simple matter of a slower server that's cool, though unfortunate.  However, the server transition of the forums coincided with my computer upgrade, so I just want to make sure it's not something with my computer (still working out some of the kinks of a self-built computer).

~ d

[Details:]

I have come up with a new design.  I just stopped liking the old one!

Details:
* I have tested this in Firefox and IE and that's it.
* I know the "fun factoid" and "on this day" are the same as they were last time. (they aren't hooked into the database just yet)
* The "fun factoid" and "on this day" will be randomly selected bits of info every time you visit the front page (the 'on this day' might come up blank sometimes if nothing happened on that day!)
* The content section (the white area in the middle) will scroll (only in that area) if the content grows longer than that area visible.
* The links aren't active yet

What I need to know:
* I need to know if anybody gets any errors of anykind!
* what do you think?
* what could I improve?

Oh yeah ... the link:
twindesign - v2.0

Thanks guys!

EDIT - Also, ignore the crappy content itself.  I was just filling in the spaces!  I know it makes little sense and doesn't flow well!

I decided to do an over-haul to my company website.  Six months later this is the result ...

the new twindesign website

There's no content in there yet (well ... some) I'm more or less just wondering what people thought about the design/layout and if the navigation is easy to use/understand.

So if you have some free-time I'd love to hear what y'all think of it.

And please, be brutally honest, this is (will be) the public face of my company and I want it to be the best it can possibly be!

* any errors glitches (in the browser you're using)
* any text look funky
* any misalignments of columns/text
* any non-uniformity in fonts/layout
* does the nav-system work?

Well, at long last I'm proud to release:

I have added some sound effects, which isn't my strongest area, but I think it turned out well.  If you find any errors/bugs/etc.  Please let me know and I'll fix them!

[color=550000]
You play as JP ... an ordinary, everyday kind of guy.

You're about to be thrown into an extraordinary adventure.

Just sittin' about one day, you hear on the news that an asteroid is on a collision course with the Earth. And all life will be wiped off the planet when it hits!

You head over to your friend Cosmo's house in hopes that his bomb shelter will provide some protection.

But after you find your way into the bomb shelter, that's when the adventure really begins ... [/color]

Download Game (~2.5MB)
Visit Website

Website contains a detailed walkthrough.

I hope you enjoy the game!

~ d