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Making a game needs alot of things to remember all the time, and AGS makes it quite difficult with somewhat weird sprite and view names, and numbering.

This led me to an idea: internal notepad in AGS. Simply a text window, that is always visible and accessible, even if script editor is open. I must be absolutely accessible at all time to work.

How often have you copied mouse coordinated to clipboard to use them in a script, and after copy-pasting portion of script (like nearby character.Walk command), realising that you just overwrote these coordinates in clipboard?

Again, save script, exit, find coordinates... blah blah.

Also, such thing could serve well as to-do list. Often, I have to stop making a game when I'm in the middle of scripting something complex, and it's hell to remember next day what was I doing before I left.

So, the notepad, or call it AGS Organizer, should save its contents when AGS exits. Again, without confirmation and other nuisance (otherwise, it renders it's functionality near zero).

Why not use real Windows notepad for this?

1. Focus. It steals focus, both AGS's and game programmer's.
2. Hassle to save, locate and load it

I think that such organizer could be really handy.
I hope I explained myself clearly enough for people to understand what I mean.

Right. I'm using custom gui for quitting game, which has quit confirmation button.
Under the button, there's code:

  if (button == 0)
   {
   SaveGameSlot(21,"quick");       
   QuitGame(0);
   }   

Correct? It's supposed to save whatever is happening to slot 21 and quit game without prompt.

Now, at the game first room I have object "continue" to let player continue game from point he left.
Under object is even simpler code:

RestoreGameSlot(21); 

Problem is... AGS says it cannot find savegame. What am I doing wrong?

There's file agssave.001 in compiled folder, it's not read/write-protected, and I'm not recompiling game before trying to quit and restore. The system is as simple as I explained, no additional bug chances anywhere else.

Yet, AGS fails to save the game. It doesn't report any errors when save-quiting neither. Why?

My 3D craze continues!
This time, I started on a secret lab. Problem is, I don't know how to fill this room!
So ideas (that I could follow with my weak modelling skills) would be appreciated.

Don't pay attention to disappearing wires and bad shadows yet, they'll be fixed in final renders.

Closeup on crappy modelling... I really should redo the ghostly keyboard...

I tried to emulate LucasArts' cartoony style and find some simplistic, good-looking way to create backgrounds in 3D... (my current 2D techniques are WAY too complex for me to ever finish any game).

notes:

* the wallpaper tiling is off because there's no UVW map assigned: but assigning one will ignore the wacky angle of walls and makes it straight... which looks worse. I'm still searching for solution to this one.
* The fuzziness of armchair texture is not a bumpmap nor intended thing: It's because of photons and I decided to keep it that way, because it looks cool

So, what do you think?
And what simple could be done to improve this heavily? I'm sure there's something...

I was wondering if all new games are as expensive as it feels in Estonia.
For example, Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion costs 690kr, It's about $56.

It's 10% of average wage (about 6900 kr). Definetly heavy hit on wallet.

Is it so pirate-temptating in other countries too?

I have spent a whole week messing on a goddamn table.
Since the table opens in an iFrame, it automatically generates scrollbars.

The problem is: The table creates horisontal scrollbar. Which is absolutely unneeded.

The table (which is set to 100% of document width) somehow laughs in my face by shifting 4-5 pixels of its content out of iframe so scrolling will be needed. And the iframe obeys and creates horisontal scrollbar.

But the content absolutely fits into iframe! It does not need a scroll!


The table itself is a menu for a cafe.



As you can see on image, the table has LOADS of room for text. But it cheekily stretches first cell all over the frame and even further. (The screenshot was taken after I made iframe much wider to ensure that there's enough room for text. But it's narrower actually and still should fit/work.)

Of course I could disable scrollbars for the frame. But I do need them, the table is very long in height so I need to scroll vertically anyway.

What is this menace?

* I tried to manually set size for first cell; resulted in a mess
* I tried to limit whole table to 80%, 95% etc width of a document - resulted scrollbar and empty space to scroll

There's nothing else on the table page.
Also, when viewed in Mozilla Firefox, everything is... okay!




It's only that damned IE6 that generates extra scrollbar.
But employer who hired me to make the web... well, she's on IE6...

*desperate*

I've been learning web design alot lately and come to a weird discovery:
Hyperlink has only one location.

I mean, you have one link, you click, and you one web page opens.
But I need two.

The page i'm working on, has 2 iframes, and I need to give both iframes content when only one link is clicked.

explanation:
One iframe is for "contents" list (a submenu), and another one displays actual content.
So, from the main menu,
* clicking on (for example) "games" should display html file (with clickable game list) in Frame 1
* and games page welcome in Frame 2.

HTML supports only 1 location to each link.
How to work around?

http://www.3dtotal.com is a site of wonders.
Most of the stuff up here looks like it's not even made by human. It's simply too perfect!

Has anyone any idea how to become one of artists featured there?
I mean, how to learn all of this. Hardcore skills in 3ds Max and Zbrush.

Any good/heavily recommended books?
Superb sites?
Other extremely basic things to start with?
Anything?

I think that I finally have a dream.

I made a track which I would like to use in my game.
Problem is, I crossed borders of my planned ambient, relaxing style and went much further this time.

Please listen to this and tell me if you think it's usable for adventure game or not.

http://www.increator.pri.ee/muz/1980.mp3

Using headphones is strongly not recommended!

Right. I have a folder where I put my downloads.
Now, by pure accident, I found out that this folder has a subfolder that I knew nothing about.

Why? Because it's invisible!
It's not hidden by windows default. And I can see all hidden folders. But this one... it doesn't exist and still does.
I can access it though, but only by giving windows explorer full path to this folder.
I mean, by typing it into address bar.

the name of the folder is simply "_"
The "undersling character" or how it's called in english...

What's really weird is that this folder is full of stuff I have no idea about.

Just take a look:



There is lot's of stuff inside. Nice names, but every RAR archive is 750KB in size and has something called SETUP.EXE packed inside. I haven't excecuted it, so I have no idea what kind of setup is this.

These things come in all by themselves, and I have no idea what downloads them.
Some kind of trojan downloader most likely. Since I'm on broadband, it has all the time it needs to fill my HD with this junk.

Last time I checked, there was 1690 MB(!!!) worth of archives. All cutely named. All the same thing.
I can erase them, but they keep coming back.

I can't erase the folder, since I can't see the folder. Not from outside.
Anyone has any clues what this might be? I know that Trend Micro Internet Security 2006 has no problems with poltergeist like this and neither does Spybot: Search and Destroy. Neither does Ewido Security suite....
Ad-aware, Pestpatrol... nope, everything feels okay for them. Even NOD32 antivirus did not notice anything spectacular.

So, I'm looking for a ghost trojan downloader.
The one no most-known antivirus programs could detect.
And which has (IMO) power to restrict windows from accessing a folder, probably from NTFS.

Heck, I can't even figure out how to google info on this!!! 
EDIT:

Thinking about it again, I think that it's not a downloader. All files have same "last modified" time, and my connection just can't download 160 MB of stuff within same minute. So the virus should be simply duplicating itself with different names.

Can anyone name this font or something that looks similar? I'm doing a webpage for a cafe, but can't find that font to reproduce the logo.

Thanks!

I intend to spend some cash and buy myself a completely new computer. Problem is - there's lots of different stuff available and I'm not familiar with all this new technology around...

My goal is simple: To get all at least every game released in 2005 and before to play smoothly with medium-high settings.

So I'm asking some recommendations for a motherboard, CPU and video card. Videocard, should be GeForce card, I think. But I don't know which ATI cards equal with which GF cards so some explanations on this could change my mind aswell.

Also, any other important things to keep in mind, so my system wouldn't get old fast.

http://www.2dadventure.com/upload/jones_remake.gif

There's only one walkable area on the screen -- the road.
AGS can't crack it. How to make it work more stable?
Would separating into different walkable areas help?

[PC]

Once in a while, I conduct wide search on web for some PC games I don't know about, but could love.
This causes some gems to be revealed. Problem is, it's absolutely random and I would have better luck in playing lottery.

For me, the release year and graphics won't matter much, unless it's a first-person shooter from the start of 3D age. There's nothing as horrible as old Lithtech engine...

The four genres I'm really into are:

* real-time strategy
* tycoons
* political simulators
* and turn-based strategy

For example, I think I've played all RTS and tactical shooter classics. Spent countless hours on Westwood's and Blizzard games, went through all Jagged Alliance, XCom, etc games and sequels... I simply love things like this.
I've seen it all. Even the fever of Starcraft. I also don't have to mention everything turn-based that has to do with Heroes of Might & Magic for example.
But where to go next? New RTS's have Lord of the Rings and Star Wars written all over them, and that's something that makes me climb curtains. Out of disgust.

Political simulators are another weird thing that's both extremely rare and cool. I caught myself playing Hidden Agenda few days ago... a game with 2 colors and <10 animations total. But it's so awesome! Similar things are Conflict: Middle East Political Simulator, Genkhis Khan 2, Shadow President, Crisis in Kremlin... Though these are games from stone age and probably made zero profit, they're unique and extremely addictive.

Yet, I want to find more things like this. Newer, older, prettier, uglier, whatever. I still think that there's many things I haven't discovered yet. How could I find them? Google is not an answer here... Neither are (otherwise quite useful) sites like Gamespot: if I search for top rated games in some genre of all time, and it results with 20 first pages full of simply newest games that were just released, this isn't worth a thing. Also, all the top gaming sites always hype the newest and more popular things. But such complicated and deep games as I like aren't popular enough to get a review and screenshots posted. They simply aren't mainstream.

Any ideas where to start? A place where I could search very deeply or just good game-name/series hints?

I noticed that playing full-screen on many LCD monitors won't work on low resolutions. Then again, playing in window doesn't feel very well, especially due other things on desktop interrupting the experience.

Is it possible for any AGS game to run in window, but window is automatically full screen size and game is centered at its own resolution? I mean, just black borders around game window to cover the screen? It would help alot to keep mind on game.

If anyone has used Game Maker, well, GM can do that. Have a black screen around game in the center.

Weird suggestion yes, but I think it would make windowed gaming better. Probably as an option from default game setup...

Have anyone ever tried to make a 3D car game?
I have a superb idea and few possible professional modellers in my team, but really low on programming the whole car/physics part - there's no way for us to implement whole engine from scratch or even build one onto some graphics engine, such as OGRE.

The game itsself could be on simpler engine (bumpmaps & other hi-tech stuff isn't that important) and in city environment, but engine should support some basic car physics, atleast at GTA3/Vice City level... Same standard goes to engine possibilities on graphics.

Can someone give link to any resources, like an opensource engine/specific tool or simply very good editable template for some known engine (Torque, etc), which doesn't need complete rescripting/programming to get some cars driving?

Anything?
Anyone?

While betatesting, I came onto this idea:

I have lots of music in my game, almost in every room a new track plays. But it's quite weird that in puzzles where you have continously move from room to room, music is always reset to track start. So basically, you'll be hearing a start of a track all the time.

I believe (recall) that there's some functions to determine current position of mp3/ogg song... But I doubt that my l33t scripting skills are enough for this.

But it would be very nice for AGS to remember where last song was playing before room changed - and continue to play when same room is entered. Remember all songs if they're loaded once (not the songs, but their play/stop positions).

And it would be all as a single option from general settings - "continous music".

Would it be difficult to implement? Anyone other finds it useful?

I'm afraid I have a problem.

Here...


The upper-rightmost building (ghetto) differs in style I kept with other buildings.

Now I want your opinion:

* Doesn't that matter much?
* Or should I redraw ghetto into boring geometrical style?
* Or even worse - redraw other buildings in same, relaxed style?

(Don't pay attention to sketch below)
You think... what?

Right, due my stressful routine I haven't found any time to draw lately (or should I say - 5 months!), so I'm quite rusty if it comes to BG drawing... 

Today, I finally completed missing story parts for Henri and started work again. Here's the cellar, and it's supposed to be a dark one.

Problem is in lack of detail, so any kind of C&C would be appreciated.


2X:

I was wondering... is there any  tutorials out there to create your own online RPG? For PHP or Flash? Or what IS used for most rpgs?

I mean traditional text-based RPG, with only supporting graphics, nothing animated or 3D.

Something that explains simpler things, like making basic user registration system and getting players to fight each other?

I'm extremely weak at PHP but I'd love to learn and this would be something useful too - making webpages has no point for me.