Messages

[safe mode]

Oh hell, just...

1. Download and install Spybot Search & Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
Let it install Teatimer too, so you'll always know if something new is added to computer and nothing would be installed behind without you knowing it.

2. Download and install CleanUp!
http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup/

3. Run Cleanup!, remove everything

4. Restart computer, tap F8 during boot and from menu, start windows in safe mode

5. Run Cleanup! again

6. Run Spybot S&D and remove everything it found

7. Start > Run > msconfig
Uncheck everything suspicious from startup... for example,

c:\winstall.exe

may sound important, but is simply a virus. No programs reside on disk root!
Also, look out for strange names, such as cjBZjhh72 and adv.something or someAd

Don't be afraid to disable something too important, just stay off from RunDll lines (there could be few). Other useful things are most likely one or two video card and soundcard configuration lines.

There's nothing critical you could mess up. If you still somehow do, just restart in safe mode again and enable these again.

8. optionally, use other anti-adware and antiviruses aswell, to make sure you got em all.

Then restart computer in normal mode and pray.

[do]

Hurrah! Finished it. Graphical and musical sides simply rock!

But with my usual criticsloungeism...
Warning: long ramble ahead

* There's a painful collision with Sierra (loads of hotspots) and LucasArts'(hell of details on backgrounds) styles!

Original Indy games had loads of backgrounds with little to do on them. Hotspot was always something you actually do need to use to progress (especially in Last Crusade!!!). But details were many.

Sierra games, especially ancient text-parser AGI games had very little of noticeable detail on backgrounds, but almost everything was lookable and interactable.

In FOY, you have both... and that makes puzzles extremely difficult. Especially if game demo lacks any not-puzzle-critical and hinting responses. For example, simple math --

10 inventory items
+
4 rooms with around 15 hotspots in both
+
9 possible interactions
+
no idea what to do
=
helluva lot of choices & one really confused player

So, I hope that in next 25 years or so while you finish full FOY  , there will be enough hints added, pointless hotspots removed (not really desirable option, It reduces exploration value) or straight logic applied to puzzles to make it all enjoyable and not too easy at same time. Alternate solutions? Nah, I know how much time it takes...

* Fighting system has much more quick action, but wastes choices. I found no difference in where I hit or why to block - it's just one big and quick mess. I somethat prefer more tactical and slower fighting from original Indy games. Where I can decide, hit and see result! Also, it was quite hard to understand what did indicators show while boxing - and why did they have so weird(?) colors!

* Even though Indy was somewhat pacifistic in LucasArts games, in movies, he was the fearless hero! What I mean is unless drunk solider wasn't carrying a big gun (and pointing it at Indy), there's no way this character would simply back up. It just... doesn't feel right. Other soliders sleeping nearby maybe? To make Indy be afraid of causing too much noise? Something like that would be more reasonable. And believeable. In TLC, Indy had an option to attack even if it led to guaranteed death!

But best approach would be still to give player a choice between wit and brawn in situations like this, IMO. And option to flee from fight wouldn't hurt neither! "Nasty trick" was very cool (and surprising) addition, I think.

* sideways walking needs a little polish. The steps Indy takes feel a bit too long? Though it's adjustable, I think that default should be perfected since I people tend to leave it unchanged.

I could analyze further, but I doubt that this is neccessary, It's an amazing and loooong-waited demo, after all!

My personal admiration belongs to miez and m0ds, though rest of the team made great job aswell. Good luck on making the full game, I'm sure that this is the gem that gives the genre and AGS some strong reputation boost and will be talked about for a long time.

Yes, the walkcycle is too active (aggressive?) for so lazy-looking thug. I suggest something different too.

Also, there's absolutely no need to put so much effort into "down" walkcycle, the sideways one will be seen in game ALOT more. So concentrate on this.

Well, character looks good. His body is nowhere near the detail of the face, but I don't see actually much problem here.






Crook? Looks more like a British rock star.

How do I get past drunken solider?

* Hands move a bit too much for such low-frame animation. Looks weird.
* He/she should have toes lifted on some frames, instead of them pointing down. This could improve anim a bit.

Apart from these minor things, I like it! 

Can't workload on broadcasting devices be measured? Especially on cable?

I suggest ONE extra tone of shade to everything. It would only improve everything.

Also, if you have little of colors, you should use them more intensely and wisely -- aquire a bunch of 16-color EGA games and check out the shading, it will help you alot.

For example, I tried to improve shading on the elevator thingy (assuming it's cylindrical). No colors were added, but shading was corrected. Dithering could do much better job, though.

If anything sucks then it's AGS manual & double scripting when needed together.

It's just.... somewhat unorganized... manual by itsself is fine, but if you need it to figure out functions, things get really messy.

For example, in the past, I needed lots of help on some built-in variables, such as character[].something, and it was always a long search, because they are listed under some other paragraph.

Manual needs better examples also, I studied 3 days how struct works and never got it to work... despite extremely simple example in manual!

I'm sure that my game has both new and old style scripts and I actually can't tell which are which! Probably because I never learned one style entirely -- I didn't know everything before new scripting style came out.

If support for old functions goes away in some release, I couldn't switch due lots of reworking my game would require then.

There's some known hardcore bugs I have to sweep out before  releasing anything to betatest. Problem relies in extremely messy scripts, so it's a bit complicated...

I loved Prodigal and atleast dream about reaching same quality, and I won't forget you, splat44, if the testing starts.

The thread is updated again, see first post.

Oh dear...   

Hm. My intentions were lot more ambitious than AGS or something sprite-based could do. As I said, atleast something comparable with cars and scenery in GTA3/+ games.

I just don't know any suitable tools for this. Ages ago, I recall having some kind of modifyable cargame, nicely 3D and with 3ds max track and car model templates included to make your own. Unfortunately, I can't rememeber what that was.

I have access to Blitz3D and Torque full versions engines, but never seen a tutorial/template good enough to make a cargame with these either. There's racing example with Torque, but Torque unfortunatley has very weak support for premade buildings & stuff, and Quark isn't something I'd like to use for this either (Torque uses Quark). Also, Torque's racing example has only a buggy-type car, with totally different handling and system that I would need for urban race game.'

There's a very nice game made onto 3D Gamestudio, called Fahrschule (Driving School) 3D, but 3DGCS is... extremely ugly! Also, the scripting is so incredibly painful that I'm not even dreaming about trying this.

Blitz3D plus physics plus nice template/example with car could make my day. Unfortunately, I haven't found any things like this.

Damn.

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?

For a good camera, see amount of megapixels (MP) and zoom strength. Also the amount of distortion. Not the price! Anything under 4MP is too weak nowadays... IMO

Good idea: Pulling a practical joke on a colleague, by putting some lemon juice into his coffee
Bad idea: Adding some staples too...

Check the first post, maybe?   

Heh, it was quite cool. Reminds me many of my own efforts to create a RTS.

...

But how about implementing higher resolution, put up a competition for graphics (among talented AGSers) and turn it into a collective masterpiece? Open source, even maybe?

I guess you probably wouldn't like that idea, it's your game and you have nostalgic ties with it.

Still, with the skills of people around here, it could be turned into something extremely great, IMHO.

CJ & SB-
Yeah, It would make AGS awards for 'most helpful person' in both CL, beginners tech and general tech more honest -- or to say correctly - time independent. I somehow have this feeling that nobody is able to remember good deeds of people which happened much before award time, but in same year

Oh I know. Can I be the minister of clairvoyance, necromancery and other unnaturalities?

So now you're the local fantasy nerd.

Ow!
Chair...floor...head...can't stop laughing--

I don't see much point in "throw grenade" animation, since the grenade should be separate object in game, if you want to do it easy way. Also, hand should move a bit faster...