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That's actually a huge issue with developing games for cell phones and tablets. Since the effective resolution for phones range from 320x240 all the way up to 2048x1536. (Possibly bigger)

So in your situation (1024x768) it may look less detailed both at the highest and lowest resolution. On the low resolutions details will be lost (if you are using pixel art that is particularly problematic) and on the highest resolution devices (tablets) 1024x768 might actually look somewhat lackluster.

A lot of mobile developers include 3 different resource packs for different sizes. I'm not sure if there's a way to do this in AGS though, I haven't used it in a long while. There may be something in the process of porting to mobile platforms.

You may enjoy reading this: http://v-play.net/doc/vplay-different-screen-sizes/#scene-alignment

The trouble with cell phones and tablets is that essentially every app runs at full screen so there will be scaling. Including different sized resource packs makes it easier to minimize the scaling artifacts even if it can't eliminate it.

Hey everyone,

Me and my brother (Rentorian on  these forums) are working on a side-project on the weekends so I'm trying my hand at backgrounds again.  These are two different lightings I'm debating using for a subway background.




What do you all think?
Edit:

Tried editing the lighting to make it more moody, and changed the angle of view of the track so that even though it still isn't in line with the vanishing point it's much less noticable.




Edit by ProgZ(combined posts): Please don't double post, especially so soon together.

Well, given the extreme technical and humanistic(?) development that makes the dark ages or the ancient world look like another planet, I'd say there's a good chance that at some point we actually will reach a kind of Utopia.

Of course the definition of Utopia will be, as it has always been, ever-changing.  I think that the human need to fix problems necessarily contradicts the concept of a true Utopia.  (I.E.  if a Utopia is a place with no problems we will not have anything to fix which in itself is a problem.)   Of course, that is assuming that people actually need to solve problems, maybe it's just me.  

BTW:  Kris, I'm not arguing with you here.  I certainly do think that a sort of Utopia is definitely achievable. (Hunger, pestilence, inequality, etc,.) I'm just pointing out a possible logical impossibility in the concept of 'Utopia.'

Let me be the existential one here and say that regardless of morals or ethics or empathy or anything of that sort, barring the validity of creationism or some other similar concept, it doesn't matter what we do. If we caused some massive climate change that brought about the end of all life on this planet, or hell, even the entire universe, none of it would really matter would it? The process would start over, and life would go on. None of it makes any difference at all.

That's an interesting thought.  Of course if you define 'what matters' by whether or not it results in the end of life itself forever then nothing we do matters, (Hopefully at least) but if you're going to define it at such an extreme point why not say even if it does result in the end of life forever it doesn't matter.

What matters and doesn't matters (I think) is defined by people. (Or whatever other possible creature finds value in things.)   I personally value all of your and my, and most other peoples' existence and would like the world to not be affected in a way that eliminates that or any of the many other things in which I find value.

Sure, if we all die, it won't matter what we thought, believed, or did, but while we are here we may as well fight to protect those things we find valuable.

"...and here at twenty-three it's the same old me..."

I never thought I'd see Relient K quoted on the AGS forums.

If at 23 you are still trying to change for the better, you're not doing anything wrong in my book.  But, I suppose that's just an opinion.

Legend of Leitor's Edge... (Now that I'm not taking up all of Snake's time.)

Also, Wretcher.  I loved the original "Clock Tower" game and wretcher looks like it will have what Clock Tower did plus actual character's and non-incredibly-predictable plot development.

There should be adventure games with that technique:
- "Use KEY on DOOR."
- "I'll get to that immediately, check by after 30 minutes to see how it turned out!"

Chase scenes would be much more epic. 

"Oh god, he's going to take another step in 3 minutes....  Am I going to die this time?!"

Oh, the suspense!   :o

On a more on-topic note:  I remember playing a game called Utopia(http://utopia-game.com/shared/) back in 7th grade.  It may be something like what you're looking for.  Too time consuming in the long-run for me though.

I replicated it many times with mine.  It's most likely the version I would think.

I'm running version 3.2.0

Well, I guess the problem has been fixed then!

Thanks monkey.

[WHILE]

The following syntax error will crash AGS WHILE editing. (I've included all the information I have so some may be irrelevant.)

Code: ags

Character* characterpointer
characterpointer = cCharacter;

If you try to reference the pointer you made on the first line without having a semicolon there as it should be the editor will crash the moment you hit the period key after referencing it.

This happens in any local or global script.

Here is the error report that was generated:

Description:
 Stopped working

Files that help describe the problem:
 C:\Users\Ethan\AppData\Local\Temp\WER1271.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
 C:\Users\Ethan\AppData\Local\Temp\WER5E31.tmp.mdmp

Read our privacy statement online:
 http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
 C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt

Edit:  My computer is running on Windows 7.

Yes, I hope the portraits going to be a bit smaller so the conv. blocks will not be that huge

It's on my list of things to do.  I'll be keeping the portraits the same but I'll be making the text box appropriate to the amount of text so it doesn't take up the entire screen.  If it still is too much space then I'll shrink the portrait but we'll have to see.

I've read your comment on the poster of The Philanthropist and I think you kind of did the same thing here. It looks great nevertheless

The poster for The Philanthropist was made a while back and this poster was made before I announced my game, so any similarities are purely coincidental.

It definitely looks great Dave.

Ethan, out of curiosity, are your 2 projects A New Danger (Sequel to A Night to Remember) & The Johnson Report: Prologue just frozen for the time being or are they abandoned/dead?

Both A New Danger and The Johnson Report are dead, but for different reasons.  The Johnson Report was canceled mainly because I couldn't find an artist and while I tried for several hours a day, I couldn't make progress attempting to animate the sprites, and to be honest I didn't enjoy it.  A New Danger was canceled because it got caught up in a swarm of projects that I started for myself.  I had realized I always had too many projects and so I canceled A New Danger and about 10 other projects.  Now I've only got this and a job to occupy my time. (At least until fall rolls around and college starts up again.)  Don't worry about this being canceled, I love the story and characters far too much to not finish it.

Ethan had told me a small bit about this game in the past, and if this game is half as good as it sounded then, it's a guaranteed "ULTRA GOOD".

Thanks Snake, hope I can live up to expectations. 

[Ethan D]

 :o :o :o :o
Loving the responses so far!


Thanks for all the comments and questions, I should probably not have posted directly before going to sleep and now I will attempt to reply to all questions!

(Though the Nathan sprite doesn't quite match the closeup and poster look. Not the final version, you say? All right, then!)

The sprites are the final version.  What's the inconsistency you're worried about? (If you could reply through PM to keep the topic from shifting to another debate, I'd appreciate it.  )

Consider yourself followed on twitter

Thanks Ben!

Looks great. Not sure about the main characters in terms of where they're from, they don't seem American, nor does the setting, particularly - where is it set? Be sure to cameo Grundislav and Calin voices and you may just make a buck 99 off me

I didn't want to specifically name a city because I name a time period and there are corrupt politicians and I didn't want to accidentally look like I was accusing some particular city's government of corruption. 

Suffice it to say that it takes place in the Archetype of an American city.  You know, like New York or Chicago. 

I'd love to get Grundislav and Calin as Cameos. Not sure what part they could play though.  If you guys are interested let me know! 

Looks interesting! I really like the Robin Hood storyline.

One note: each line of dialog in the screenshots (including the first in the animated shot) should be broken in two, replacing the comma with a full stop. As a side effect, the voice actors should give you a better read.

Thanks Kweepa!  In the actual game these are split into two separate lines but I thought for the sake of screen shots I would put it into one so I could fit a bit more information without including too many .gifs

My only comment about the poster is that it's almost TOO moody.  Based on the screenshots and description, the tone of the game seems to be a fun, breezy crime caper and the characters appear to be very upbeat and confident.  The poster, on the other hand, shows a moody late-night city street with the duo looking very brooding and thoughtful (Mary even looks slightly scared).  Unless I am misinterpreting the screenshots, the poster looks like it is advertising an entirely different game.

The storyline that is shared between Nathan and Mary is pretty much a fun crime caper and their dynamic during these times is very much like characters in movies like Ocean's 11.  (Sarcastic with each other and confident in their abilities.)

Like most of us, Nathan and Mary are different people depending on whether they are around other people or are by themselves.  They each bring out certain traits in the other but when by themselves the story becomes a bit darker and philosophical. 

It would be a bit tough to make 'taking down a dangerous criminal organization' into a fun crime caper.  Similarly, Mary's self-doubt is something that isn't characteristic of things not-so-serious, and I wanted to keep that element separate of the shared storyline as possible.  I think their individual stories contribute more to the overall feel of the game than the shared story so I wanted the poster to reflect that.

I would say this game is a balance between the two typical types of crime stories.  It is both serious and relaxed at the same time depending on what exactly you are doing.

Ethan D - if you want some feedback/critiques on the poster/screenshots please start a thread in the Critics Lounge for the poster v. screenshot debate before this gets out of hand..

Thanks Darth,

Sorry I've taken so long to respond, I posted originally a few hours before getting to sleep and I've finally gotten time to take a look at all the responses.  I think my answers may have satisfied the questions people have been posing but if people are still concerned I'll open up a topic in the critics lounge.


Thanks for all the comments so far everyone!!!

[I am happy to present:]

The Mega rich.

No doubt some and perhaps even many of them obtained their millions through intelligence, hard work, and brilliant ideas but when Walton Braddrick inherits his father's empire after a suspicious death, Nathan Carter is sure that this man is not one of them.  Join Nathan and his recent acquaintance Mary Baker as they dispense a unique form of justice to a corrupt businessman who is beyond the reach of the law.

I am happy to present:

The Cast:
Nathan Carter:
A con-artist who targets only those who have caused some great harm and then used their vast resources and power to escape the consequences.  This robin-hood complex that Nathan possesses often brings him into more trouble than it is worth.  Not only is Nathan attempting to relocate Walton Braddrick's millions but as well he is working to infiltrate and take down from the inside a dangerous criminal organization responsible for dozens of deaths.

Mary Baker:
Mary is a criminal who is in the game of conning mainly for the challenge and thrill of it. (This is not to say that she dis-likes the money.)  While helping Nathan con Walton, she is approached by a corrupt politician who leads her down a road that spirals out of control, leading her to question her beliefs and practices along the way.

Screen Shots:


Nathan convincing Mary to help him with Walton.


Mary and Nathan confirming the guilt of Walton.


A conversation by moonlight.... while breaking into a house.

The Team:
Written and programmed by: Ethan Damschroder
Backgrounds by: Igor Donevski
Character sprites by: Shane Stevens (ProgZmax)
Character portraits by: Ian Schlaepfer (big brother)
Music by: Tony Franklin (Something13)
Poster Art: Karen Petrasko
Voice acting:  I don't know yet... Suggestions?

Features
-Two playable characters. (3 technically, but one is only for a single scene.)
-Action puzzles (It's not about reacting quickly, it's about thinking quickly.)
-Inventory/item puzzles to allow you to manipulate your environment to solve problems.
-The ability to add any item or character in the room to a list of clues to work out connections and special
 actions like crying or playing piano. (Note: 'Ceiling fan' plus 'Chair' does not equal 'Create flying chair')
-Three story lines at the same time with connections between them.
-Dialog puzzles to gather information and gain the trust of others

Rough estimate on release date:
Winter 2011/2012.  This is my first commercial project so I don't have a good estimate for how long it will take.  Here's hoping I can release it sooner!  

I don't have a website but feel free to follow me on Twitter for more updates on development @edamschroder

Just a side note:
This story has no relation at all to my first game "A Night to Remember."  I don't much like the story or construction of that game nowadays but I loved the character of Nathan Carter despite how abysmally I portrayed him so I brought him back for this.

Well, I've got it solved but I'm not entirely sure how...

Code: ags

function RemoveFromDialogList(const string whattoberemoved)
{ 
  while (scandialog <= DialogList.ItemCount)
  {
    if (whattoberemoved == DialogList.Items[scandialog])
    {
      DialogList.SelectedIndex = scandialog;
      DialogList.RemoveItem(DialogList.SelectedIndex);
      dialogcounter = dialogcounter - 1;
      scandialog = 0;
      return;
    }
    scandialog++;
  }
}
function GenerateDialogGUI()
{
  gDialog.Visible = true;
  gDialog.Y = 240-(dialogcounter*12);
  Wait(1);
}

function AddToDialogList(const string Responsechoice)
{
  DialogList.AddItem(Responsechoice);
  dialogcounter = dialogcounter + 1;
}

Interestingly, all I had to do was put a Wait(1); command after GenerateDialogGUI function and it works perfectly.  I'm not entirely sure why though.  Any thoughts?

Hello everyone,

The code below is supposed to cycle through the different response options in a custom dialog system I'm working on and then remove the one that matches with the string 'whattoberemoved' which is passed in the RemoveFromDialogList function.  However, when it matches at least one thing on the list it removes everything, I'm not sure why considering that I checked and it only executes the if function one time

Code: ags

function RemoveFromDialogList(const string whattoberemoved)
{ 
  while (scandialog <= DialogList.ItemCount)
  {
    
    if (whattoberemoved == DialogList.Items[scandialog])
    {
      DialogList.SelectedIndex = scandialog;
      DialogList.RemoveItem(DialogList.SelectedIndex);
      scandialog = 0;
      return;
    }
    scandialog++;
  }
}

I'm almost certain that I'm missing something stupid.

Thanks for any help!

Edit: I have updated DirectX and my graphics driver.

Well, I was checking around to find why it isn't working and I came across the CCC from ATI.  Like you suggested it seems my problem does have to do with that.  However, when I tell it to change to full screen or maintain aspect ratio for the scaling and then click apply it goes right back to "Centered"



I have absolutely no idea why it won't adjust and I have yet to find any solution to the problem.

Looks like your right zabnat!  No matter how I change the resolution of my screen black bars appear.  different sizes of course depending on what resolution I use.

Any idea how I can change that?

That's strange, it seems like I can't change my computers resolution to 640x480... Maybe that is the problem.  I don't see why it would happen out of nowhere though.

If I run it windowed at 320x240 it works fine without the big black box around everything.

If I try running it windowed at 4x it says:

---------------------------
Adventure Game Studio
---------------------------
There was a problem initializing graphics mode 1280 x 960 (32-bit).
(Problem: 'Resolution not supported')
Try to correct the problem, or seek help from the AGS homepage.

Possible causes:
* your graphics card drivers do not support this resolution. Run the game setup program and try the other resolution.
* the graphics driver you have selected does not work. Try switching between Direct3D and DirectDraw.
* the graphics filter you have selected does not work. Try another filter.
---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

If I try running at 4x fullscreen I get the same problem.
Same for 3x apparantly

However theres no difference in appearance between 2x and no filter.


Sorry I took so long to respond.

Thanks for the help so far, I can't seem to figure out how to fix this...

It isn't just with my game though, its with all AGS made games it seems...  At this point i'm guessing it has something to do with Windows 7 but I have no idea what I could change.

Sorry and thanks Kris,  I should have mentioned:

When I run the game in any resolution I get something that looks like what is above.  I don't get any changes between filters.  When I do the print screen function while in full screen I get only the background and not the background surrounded by the black.  The background from print screen stays consistently at 640x480 even if I change the filter.

I am using a Toshiba laptop.  
According to my computer:
Display:   ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650
I do not believe it is wide screen.

I am operating on Windows 7, and I really don't recall getting the problem before that but it was a while ago that I upgraded.

I downloaded the last MAGS winner and started it up and it had the same problem, so it is probably a system problem with adjusting the resolution...

Any ideas where to look?

EDIT:  I am also using AGS 3.2