Messages

 :'( WHY!

Can I bring characters or objects infront of GUIs, (also text windows)?

I hope this'll do.

I did this, thanks! (I actually figured it out a bit earlier than you posted)
Anyway, it works, sort of... or atleast as long as I'm extra careful with text passed to function AND make manual line separations by using "[" in strings. Doesn't look very good though.

Thanks... but I'm still stuck.

To make custom function, I have to import it. And there's a problem:

From AGS Manual

NOTE: You cannot currently import string variables. Instead, you should use a global string.

I don't know if it's the case or I forgot something. Anyway, AGS said:

Already referenced name as import; you must define it before using it

er... what?
Well, there.
You said your version worked... care to send me the file?

Or explain in detail, where did you put the function lines and how did you import it? Did you create your own #sectionstart thing and so on?

I'm not very good at coding yet... 

EDIT: I got it to work!!! It was my own stupidity, putting function into wrong place in global script. Heavy thanks!!! There's some problems with getting text width, since the width is GOT before text window automatically splits it into rows, but otherwise, I got what I needed.

I'm trying to make transclusent text window in AGS for ages.
AGS doesn't support either alpha backgrounds or gui transparency in text windows.
Atleast, older versions didn't. And I haven't heard anything about this implemented yet.

Then again, I recall seeing one in an AGS game sometime ago... sadly, I can't remember which game it was!

This time, I'm trying to make another GUI, just a transclusent black box to appear behind text window... While text window itself has no background, only text.

How to make it? I made the box, but can't get it to appear at same time when text window does.

Text gui and transclusent gui are named gText and gAlpha accordingly... some I have some questions:

* Can I force two guis to appear at same time? Of which, one is text window?
if (gText.Visible == true) gAlpha.Visible = true; in repeatedly_excecute didn't work.
Forcing gAlpha.Visible just before ProcessClick did work... but not right. If shows gAlpha after text box is gone.

What to do here?

* Can I copy dimensions of text box into gAlpha? Text boxes resize automatically according to text, and I need these dimensions for gAlpha too.

If it's pointless quest...

* Can I make my own text GUI without using "text window" setting from GUI editor? If so, how do I make sure that text doesn't go transparent (yet background goes) and what do do about dimensions?
I imagine that custom text gui should have a label that shows currently displayed text... how to ensure it's centered all the time?

Or...
* Can anybody remember the game that actually did what I'm trying to do?

* I tried to give textbox some text (but not display it), get its dimension then and assign it to my custom gui.
This didn't work...

gText.Text = "blablabla";
gAlpha.Widht = gText.Width;

it didn't like text assigning...
"gText is not a public member of GUI"

So, I still have to figure out how to resize guis according to label text.

And...
* How did they do it in 1992? Especially while restricted to 256 colors?

As another side note - door to my room looks almost exactly like the one MRBrown85 drew on his original.

I suggested custom door idea because this BG needs a bit more detail, or complexity.
Also, same doors in every game, eh.. are getting quite boring.

While geometry and details are well done, coloring and some other minor issues leave to be desired:

* Ceiling and walls are same color. That's quite bad idea, since it turns them into one big red mass.
* Red room with red ceiling? I cannot imagine person wanting to spend some time in this room without unhealthy supply of Aspirin. Think a little about it...
* Only thing in room that has any thickness is outer part of bookshelf. Everything else - NO depth at all!
Is this room filled with furniture made of paper? Look at red lines on my edit to see what I do mean.
* Same applies to door. All starters draw a door like this. But such door appears to be painted onto a wall and looks very unrealistic. Again, see my edit...
* The roundly table has way too massive foot for such small table on top of it. I know that things like this exist, but it looks as awful as they do in reality. Also, table is a bit too close to the upper wall, I'd bring it more to the center of the room, to fill useless empty space and bring table out for view.
* The books lying on lower shelf are WAY too long.



* Red line shows how to make door more realistic - by putting it inside wall more
* Green lines show how to avoid this "things made of thin paper" syndrome.
*  Some colors are changed, see how I shaded walls and rightmost shelf-thing.

Conclusion: You picked low-saturation colors for your room. That's a good start, and it's hard to go wrong this way. But pay attention to shading also, every single thing in this room has no shading yet.

Tune contest - Scenery (31.march - 15. april)
« on: 31-03-2007, 17:03:47 »

Last Active:     31-03-2007, 17:06:30

What do you think?

Nicely done, but extremely boring.

All of these few details are very clearly visible which leaves no chance that there's something we don't see --
like more details. I'd describe this renders as "naked".

Paintovers? I can't edit your 3D-scene, but even this case can be fakedetailed with a paint program.

* Decreased overall saturation and contrast little bit.
* Added more stars. Current stars sucked somewhat - same size and intensity!
* Went totally overboard with blue stars. My bad!
* Added fake fog, which is cleared in the middle, leaving only detailed bit of sea and castle in full visibility.
The fog has no realism in it, but as a still-screen design element, it's not too bad choice.
* Brought carefully some green back to the island. For a cliff-island, the island geometry is too simple.

Not an edit I'd use, but maybe gives you some simple ideas.



For a game title and possible main menu:

I'd put title where evil did, but this wouldn't be too good idea, since contrasty moon in black sky getting behind title text and making it look bad. Another, and maybe better choice is to put title text into lower-right corner, because there's very little of details and large area for this.

And for a general suggestion: Avoid large contrast and saturation combinations!
If they are used, it must be done with extreme care. But low saturation is a formula for beginners to achieve good-looking images.

The sea was WAY too blue and castle blended too much into island on your last render.
Another point I'd like to bring out is that... on the scene, it's the end of the world.
Google for nighttime sea shots. Sea always gets lighter near horizon or darker, and we sense that it continues   after the horizon. Or horizon sky gets lighter near the sea... On your image, sea suddenly... ends!

This is where fog could really do the trick...

Incredible!

Sounds extremely interesting!

I hope it won't take as long as FOY does--

Thanks. I think I'll go down to store and take a look at them both.
In the end, this'll be my very first keyboard and first invest I make into my music-making hobby.

About weight - I found out that Alessis Photon25 weighs 1,8kg (4 lbs)
versus Edirol PC-50 2,7kg (6lbs), so it wouldn't probably be a problem.

Thanks... so this thing does what I want?
I mean, plays whatever sample/instrument currently active in Fruityloops?
Just like I can play by tapping letters on computer keyboard?
(just cheking because MIDI business is awfully complicated for me)

Btw, your suggested keyboard is available in Estonia, but at exactly same price, it has fewer keys (25 vs 49)... does this matter much?

I'm looking for something that can ease melodymaking and what was compatible with Fruityloops.

Now, I stumbled onto this:

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/7323

Is it what I'm looking for? Since I don't know much about (MIDI) keyboards, is it worth it?
All I need is to play notes on something else than PC keyboard, since key positions are so unsuitable and it's hard to try to make a melody.
I can't buy anything more expensive, but I'm not sure if this thing is worth the cost. I bought cheap tablet once, and regret it until today. Simply, because I can't really use it, it's too inaccurate. Is that same with keyboards?

Broken sword is... eck... like a damn Disney cartoon. Not really the thing I'm looking for. Despite extremely good animation, I consider Police Quest 1 on AGI better game. And I have actually played BS too.

I'll try some other suggestions though. Spycraft looks really interesting one... though it's not adventure game I guess.

Tried that.
..and Sherlock Holmes: Case of Serrated Scalpel.
..and this weird sierra thing, Codename-ice-something
...and everything from Access software (Amazon, Countdown, Tex Murphy (eck!))

I could make a bot answering this... I've tried REALLY lot of games.
Maybe something newer or little-known? At point where adventure games got impopular till today, I don't know much about the scene. As much I *do* know, there's only games for kids. Like Syberia and Dreamfall and Runaway. And some gems, like Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy (stupid too, but interesting!) and CSI series (not so much adventure, eh).

Still, it's  10 unknown years (about 1997-2007). I'm quite sure that there's alot I have missed.

What do you want to see in an AGS game?

Quality.

Scratch those 100 quick-mspaint-horror-backgrounds and make 10 seriously-tried-hard ones.
Delay with fame another week/month and beta test it through and through.
If you can't get some people to make professional speech, skip it.

And so on. The worst thing about AGS games - especially if you're making some yourself - is to see how someone half-assed a game, and wasted really good idea, puzzles and story.

I found myself is sudden love with games that show some reality, especially special forces work or murder mystery.
I mean, serious games. Then again, I dislike stupid horror games, like Dark Seed, etc.

I played through all Police Quest series... (first two were quite good, despite ancient and painful interface)
I played Blue Force...
I played Cruise for a corpse
I played KGB (and still it's my most favourite adventure game ever)
I played some AGS games starring a cop... Larry vales (not quite the thing, but okay), Pleurghburg...

And I don't know what else is out there. I believe I've played all major adventure games until 1996.
Are there anything similar left worth to try? With point-n-click interface atleast?

It shouldn't be police game, but something along the lines - the less humor and more realism, the better.

*ahem*
"MSPaint game"