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This is what I think the future of computer games will be- REAL direct control. Keyboards, mice (mouses?) and joysticks are a thing of the past!

... if you're a monkey.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1871803.stm

At one point there was an adventure being released using similar technology, where the player is hooked up to the computer using EKG type things.  But I can't for the life of me find the link.

For crappy quality and outrageous prices, check out www.paypal.com . No cost to the individual doing the selling, but the end prices end up being quite pricey.

We know it's not an easy task.  Most people here are struggling to make original games.  But to quote Tom Hanks: "Of course it's hard. If it wasn't hard, then everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it great."

Of course, he was talking about professional baseball in "A League of Their Own," but the point is still valid.

Woo hoo! Return of the dancing Grundislav avatar! Happy Birthday Grund!

I'm fairly certain that's her purpose in life.

But Lili, if you have no computer, what did you make BR on? For that matter, what are you looking at right now?

Okay, DG's first post really freaked me out, because I'm taking a film class and yesterday we had a lecture about how subconsious inferences affect a movie.  For example, the use of mise en scene.  And guess what film we screened last night? Citizen Kane! Very weird.

Anyway, on with the GTD.  I think that interesting camera views can be used, but you might have to cut down on animation.  I did some experimenting, and if you rely on messages more than animations, you can get much different shots.  

For example, have a sketch:


I did this in maybe five minutes, so I hope everyone can tell what it is I drew.

The girl in the foreground is my main character.  There are a limited number of things you might see her do in this shot- she might pick up the stapler, turn on the monitor, put her hands on the keyboard, or get up and walk away.  However, those can be covered by messages and just showing the results.  The game becomes, instead of an interactive movie as many people call adventures, an interactive comic book.  

For this style, you wouldn't have your PC's visible on screen, or any NPC's.  Instead, you draw them in on the background and make them hotspots.  Any animations you want, you can make them seperatly- a moving arm, for example.  This sort of style was used in SQ5 for some scenes, like when Roger finds the can of Primordial soup, or in the cutscenes.

Using this style, I can put my "camera" wherever I want, and it does absolutly nothing to the character animations, because there aren't any.  I can get in closer on a scene than with a side on perspective, so you can see details like the photos on the wall behind the screen.

DG: I'm not talking about obstacles. Those are completly necessary, and they are what make up the plot of the game.   Manny can't just sell Meche the train ticket at the beginning of the game, King Graham can't just walk through the woods to find Castle Daventary exactly where he left it, and Gabriel Knight can't have a happy family life. We need them to overcome these obstacles for there to be a story.

But I don't like puzzles like the safe door in GF, or getting the gems from the bag in KQV, or opening the clock in GK1.  Puzzles where it is not immedeatly obvious what needs to be done, where you have to twitch and fiddle to get things positioned properly, where there is no indication that it is possible to solve the puzzle in the way that it is necessary, THOSE drive me straight up the wall.

I agree with Vel that puzzles often get in the way.  I honestly have no compunctions about using UHS if I can't solve a puzzle quickly enough.  I don't want to spend days wandering around trying to find one little bit of information I missed, I want to get on with the story!

*Professor DragonRose puts on glasses and mortarboard and begins to lecture*

The study of Alchemy, which predates the 12th century and is influenced by Kabalistic, Arabic and Christian cultures (though in Christianity it eventually became anathema), was both a physical and a spiritual quest to turn what is base into what is pure through the use of a substance called "The Philosopher's Stone." The most common depiction of this is the transformation of lead into gold.  However, the Philosopher's Stone could also create an elixer called "The Elixer of Life" which would transform the mortal (base) into the immortal (pure).  Originally thought to be a magical process, it evolved into a scientific process and became the antecendant to modern chemistry.

I really like the idea for your game, debudding.  I hope you finish it!  PM me if you need any help with research!

CJ doesn't have one, because the loon won't let us pay him.  Though it says SPECIFICALLY in the documentation that we can give him money, he won't give us any way to give it to him.  

baaah! Beer.... I prefer a good lassi any day ;D

???

Vel: what the heck is this song I've been listening to for the last five minutes and twenty two seconds? And what does it have to do with anything?

And those backgrounds are really good. Expletive good.

But what about Jake McUrk and Rob Blanc?

Dr. Jekyll: Nope. It's the "So long, Farewell" song from the Sound of Music. Hense the Von Trapp children.

"AGS show produced by_____" is at the end of quite a few of them.

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye! Do doodloo do do do dooo do doodleoo do dooooooooooooooo!

Ooo! This is very cool Esseb.  Please excuse me while I download like crazy.

Well...AGS seems to not be the right program for me...(sic) due to the fact that Chris Jones has not even come up with a tool that has you check for latest updates in the program.

There is, however, a mailing list. On the downloads page, off to the right side, you can sign up for it and you get e-mails when the engine is updated.  

Not everyone who posts here uses AGS.  Erwin_Br is using Sludge for his game, for example.  Female Squinky uses it as well, though she hasn't posted in ages. I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.  Anyhoo, seeing as you have made some very mature posts and havn't been screaming "YOU SHOOD ALL YOUS SCI STOODIO CUZ IT ROXXORS AND AGS EATS PAINT AND MY GAM WILL HAVE 532532785 CARAKTERS AND MAK YOUR GAM LUK LIK STOOPID!" welcome to the AGS community. I hope you enjoy your stay.

I have never been able to have more than a sip of beer.  Yuck yuck yuck. In fact, I've never had much luck with anything alcoholic. I end up being the anoying sober friend who takes your picture in a compromising pose after you've passed out. But I do like Mead.  Fermented honey, water and fruit.  Tasty tasty tasty. But mead is hard to come by, so I stay sober.