Topics

I gots me a new laptop yesterday, it's kinda cool. You know, an extra flat screen next to it, and I have a friggin' bit desktop, only that I don't have anything to put on it yet... I need a way to move stuff from my old laptop to then new one, and I can get AGSin' and gamin' big time. Already tried 007 Nightfire and UT2003 demos, and they're teh cool, as I play them for the first time thus they've been around for ages...

Anyway, there is one thing I don't like. The USB connectors. Three in total, two on the left side, one on the rigth. One of those three is taken by the mouse, as the thing don't have a PS/2 connector. If I put the mouse on the right, it interferes with my mouse operation, so I have it on the left. Another one is taken by the floppy drive, as it's external, and if I put it to the right, it inteterferes mouse operation, and on the left it interferes with the DVD-RW drive, as the cord tends to stick to the disk sledge. Well, I don't need it most of the time. I'll need to think up a use for the bluetooth too... and for the S-Video in connector too...

Do you have any idea of this feeling? I'm near to exploding, sitting here, in the school, some freetime, luch, and a 75 min lesson to go, but I cannot think of anything to do with the machine before I get my stuff moved over from the old peice of junk...

Office 2003 Student & Teacher edition came with it, and I found it somehow amusing that it came in a old-fashion cartboard box, which, when opened, revealed a jewel case, with one (Damn neat looking, for a M$ cd...) CD and the manual book thingy inside...

Bah, Window$ eXtra Problems Home Edition - as the whole thing came installed and stuff - I wonder if I can install and safely use the copy of WinXP Professinal (a computer maintainance dude gave it to me, along with a product key written on a post-it...) with the Home Edition's product key?

And btw. I didn't have to pay a cent for it.

WHEEEEeeeee........oooOOOOOO! I want home. Well, the last lesson oughta be fun, the worst teacher in the school, but the group doesn't reaspect her much, she'll go insany any day...

http://www.howstuffworks.com

Should be pretty self-explaining, but for those who aren't on the mood to use their brain, or just don't get it, it's a sit full of descriptions about how diffrent things work.

Fore example, they tell you how to pick locks, how machine guns fire at that rate, how do to build a nuke (well, almost) and so on... it's great stuff.

Some ofcource know the site, but for those who don't...

I got thinkin about how the newcomers could more easily gain information about which members are willing/able to help them in technical and other problems related to AGS.

And I came upon the idea of a new sticky thead to the Beginners Technical forum; something like the "Offer Your Services" thead, but into which the helpful members would post what they can help with, contact information such as Email, direct link to PM, and MSN/YIM/ICQ addresses and such, so people can easily see who can help them with what, like if theyy need step by step instructions on how to customize GUIs, they do not need to post on the forum to use bandwith, as they could very well ask someone on MSN, for example.

We'd call it "Newbie Helpers (See this thead before posting basic questions)" or something?

Any opinions?

Basically, has anyone here played Tropico 2?+?!

Usually, as I have to live the weeks at the school I go to, the internet connection is closed at 11 PM. Today (atleast) it closes at midnight, because last night we swiched daylight saving time (from it or to it..? not sure...) anyway, we turned our clocks forward an hour.

So, now I have 'till midnight to browse the net, but for some wierd reason, mIRC (or any other IRC client I tried) does not want to connect to any server on any network... I now see that I have become addicted to IRC... well, not to IRC, nor #ags, but to a person I sometimes see there... not lately so much, but still I loyaly stand there waiting...

Does anyone have a link to quickly give me to a java irc applet that you can use to acces #ags?

Take a look at this, and tell me is this normal for a 2 year old winME running computer that has been defragged a total zero times..?

http://kotisivu.mtv3.fi/tk/wierd.jpg

Anyone taken a look at my profile today, the 24th?

...

if not, take one...

...



Coz it's me birthday today! I'v been 17 for 8 or 7 hours now.. (I don't remember was a born half past five or half past six (I get confused with was it half past six or half six) anyways, It's a crazy day anyway...

I was thinking... There is sometimes need to turn on or off an object in another room. So, I was thinking if it would be possible to implement a new global variable, like room[ROOM].object[OBJ] which would set the specified room's specifed object off or on, depending on if this varable is zero or not.

Also, the room struct could include other vars, like room name, edge cordinates, hotspot's on or off, etc. If possible to implement, and found usefull.

I've been scrambling through the net for some time, but found no answer...

Does anyone here know where to find a english-egyptian dictionary?

Or happen to know what is "demon" or "beast" or "devil" or somehting similiar in egyptian?

And I'm looking for the information in normal, arabic letters, not hieroglyphs, those I found enough...

Thanks in advance.........

[Mard's Personal Little Revenge]

Okay, I got my third game done

Mard's Personal Little Revenge




Lead in/story/intro/whatever:

The event's take place in a paraller universe of Earth, in the near
future. You play as Mard, a normal citizen of the paraller universe,
Stickland.

Well, almost normal...

One day when walking in the park Mard finds out that something horrible
has happened, and sends out for revenge.


http://www.agsforums.com/games.php?action=detail&id=341 <-- games DB entry
http://www.agsforums.com/games.php?action=download&game=341 <-- Download

I was wondering... Has this been mentioned before, and is it possible to make, so that the screenshots AGS takes would (optionally) include GUIs and cursors?

Like:

ScreenShot(int showguis, string name)

So that if the showguis is 1, GUIs and cursors are saved into the screenshots.

I couldn't find anything about this...

Also, could some kind of gamma correction/brightness setting in runtime be possible?

Like:

SetBrightness(int brightness)

like with brightness scale form 0 to 225, where 0 is pitch black.

I was wondering that what's up with my games, as they don't seem to get much publicity...

Well, my theory is that as I spend time working on the interface, the art, puzzles and story suffered, as I didn't have time to work on the so much. Is anyone thinking the same?

And, as I have atlease one good interface ready, I'll be releaseing it someday, when I fix the few flaws... I'm talking of the EFL's VerbCoin.

Do I have the right to wonder this matter?

Version 2.55

I had some defines in the script header:

#define DIALOG 1;
#define LIST 2;
#define OK 3;
#define CANCEL 4;

[Using modified BlueGUI save/load scripts, credit to Rick]

and the functions have if's:

...
if (state == DIALOG) {
blah blah balh...
}
if (state == LIST) {
blah blah blah...
}

etc.

When I tried to complile, it game me error:

... Problem in "Main Script"
(Line blah) Error in expr near '1'
etc.

I changed the "DIALOG" in the if to "1", and the script was compliled.

I had call for the fucntion in interface_click:

if (button == 2) {
Load(DIALOG);
}

It gave the same error on the Load()-call line.

I changed the "DIALOG" to "1", and it worked aswel. The same for all #defined using functions. I can't use the #defines! Argh!

And, the same comes up with v2.56d. Are my game files somehow corrupted, or what is it? I'd like to know if someone knows this problem or even knows how to fix it.

Sorry, me again, with my silly topic title, but:

Occasionally, when I do something with AGS (in version 2.55 at least, didn't notice anything about this in the changes to 2.56), like yesterday, I imported a load of sprites (with tiled import) and set them to a view (the main character, yes, I got it done ), and when I tested the game, one of my GUI buttons, object 0 on GUI 1 (I think, I'm not on my own computer now), had got a background sprite, allthough it didn't have one originally.

Meaing, it looked really odd in the game, and when I returned to the GUI editor and selected the button, I noticed it had somehow got background sprite, number 23, which was one of the new sprites I had imported. There were two other same kind of buttons on the GUI, objects 1 and 2, they were not changed.

This also happens sometimes when I turn a GUI to text window. All the eight buttons are set to sprite 23, if one exists.

[About]

The McReed Case: Interrogation

Copyright (c) 2003 Dima Software

See the official project site here. (Thus there is something fishy going on with it, the php-pages may not work)

About

Sequel to my Septembar MAGS entry, The McReed Case. I'm improving graphics and trying to make this game more interesting. The game is coming along nicely, the plot has taken it's final shape, needing only some fine tuning. The locations are planned, just waiting to draw. The puzzles are mostly ready, aswell needing only some fine tuning.


Story

This game's events take place four weeks after the original McReed Case, when Micky McReed should be recovered, and ready for interview about the events that took place in a research lab on Morch Street.


Progress

Plot/Story: ~ 70%

The plot is coming along... I have load of puzzles and cutscenes designed, as well as many scenes of the game. The work to do is putting it all together and filling the gaps. I've already put a stamp in inventory and location lists, and character list is just under the stamper...

Graphics: ~ 25%

I'm redrawing the original McReed Case backgrounds and sprites, as many as I need, and making new ones. I have several backgrounds, Scott's walkingalking animations and all needed inventory items ready, and some more backgrounds in progress.

Technical: ~ 70%

One big step taken, the interface is ready and working. All menus, GUIs, cursor issues and such should be in order now. (Concidering nerly complete re-write of the user interface...)


To come

Betademo is out. Starting work on the actual real playdemo... hopefully some day...

Screenshot's 'n stuff

Backgrounds:


Progress Screenshots:

(Some detail changed since)


Downloads:

Betademo - A little sample of what's it going to be like. Most of the action stuff planned for the beginning of the game are yet not there, so you aren't getting completely spoiled for the first few moments of the full game.


Updates:

03-26-2005 All inventory interaction replies are there now, though a couple of them are placeholders, and might be such still in the next release, be it whatever. Not much done apart from tweaking the technical side.

12-19-2004 Betademo is here. Awaiting bug and typo reports, as well as opinions.

11-15-2004 I put this post a bit more up to date...

11-11-2004 I had run into a major problem with the interface, and the whole process was at a halt while I tried to figure it out. Late yesterday evening I finally managed to get it to work, after the rewrite of almost half of the interface code. Now the system works even better anyhow, and CJ, if you happen to read this, be warned that I might apper on the tech board to cry for more regions. Concernig my current storyline (which has changed a lot from what it was at the time of the last update, but anyhing already visible to the publc has not been changed...much) this won't happen during the production of this game, but who knows what I can think of next.

09-24-2004 Some update done on the project site, nothing important though. Progress has been slow, but I've got a few backgrounds almost ready.

06-04-2004 Some edition to this post, added link to project site (see top), have made progress with background art.

05-27-2004 Techincal Demo v0.9 is ready. It's not the official tech demo yet, as there are some bugs I'm hunting. Anyway, try out and report if you find anything unexpected.

05-06-2004 After several months of (random, slow) work on the interface, I got it working. Menus ready, and most of story done. Graphics to go from now.

12-20-2003 Ok, I'm off to xmas holiday, and I'm not sure will I work on the game, but I'm unable to upload anything untill 6th of January. I now cleaned this post up a bit as I earlier said I would...

12-08-2003 Progress shots from the GUI added. The interface is nearly finished, the "New game" and "Help" sections are still under constuction, and as soon as they are ready, I'll get to work with the inventory items, characters and rooms.

12-06-2003 I've progressed a lot during the past few days on the GUI. Now I have the menu's almost ready, and I'll perhaps be releasing a tech demo sometime soon. Posting progress shots in a few days.

11-03-2003 Added three backgrounds and one progress screenshot. Coming along nicely. All Scott's walking and talking animations are now "redone" (ie. outlined and hair style changed).

You know where you have seen these rooms before?


This one is updated. I fixed the doors. The bookshelf is a bit odd, but I think otherwise it's ok.



This... is just outlined again...



Just outlined again, and some minor perspective fix.



Same thing.



Outlined, perspective fix...

What's your opinion about these?

Finally, I present you

entry for October 2003 MAGS.

I followed my instinct, so this game is what it is. I did not try to make this game funnier than it would become, all I say is I hope you like it even a bit.

http://www.agsforums.com/games.php?action=download&game=288 <-- Download
http://www.agsforums.com/games.php?action=detail&id=288 <-- Entry in the games DB

STORY:

The game's events take place in mid-June 2004 in New Mexico.

You play as Mac, a young boy, who comes into a clash with the police, and gets judged very disturbed, so for sent to a human nature research institute in New Mexico. Your goal is to get out.

NOTES:

I made a VerbCoin from scratch... and improvised... It may be uneasy sometimes, but I hope you can play at all.

about the rules, I included description of used inv/forum member/ohter in the readme, and I suggest you play the game through before reading 'em to keep a suprise element in the game.

I hope to a bit of feedback....

[[ 1 ]]

Okay, a list to go...


[ 1 ] The help has GetGlobalInt listed twice... above and below GetGameSpeed... This isn't a bug, but thought to let ya know... If you allready don't.


[ 2 ]

This meant to happen?
I had two lines in the object script script:
(the first line is run at the picture)

Code: ags

    DisplaySpeechAt(10,140,50,ROG,"(SQUEAK, SQUEAK)");
    DisplaySpeech(EGO,"It seems to be stuck...");

When I changet the first of those lines to

Code: ags

    DisplaySpeechAt(0,140,70,ROG,"(SQUEAK, SQUEAK)");

The problem was fixed.

It had worked before, with the script mentioned above in form

Code: ags

    DisplaySpeechAt(10,140,50,ROG,"\[SQUEAK, SQUEAK]");
    DisplaySpeech(EGO,"It seems to be stuck...");

But since the [ and ] don't have outlines, I changed them, and this wierd optical disorder appeared.


[ 3 ] In the room shown above, I have four walkable areas, that are turned on as the objects are turned off. The areas have common scaling, so you don't notice they are diffrent areas. All scale up from 100% to 120%

If I increase the game speed, trough my custom settings dialog, the character walk speed remains the same as before when moving the character around (ProcessClick(mouse.x,mouse.y,MODE_WALK) run), and when I interact an object (MoveCharacterBlocking run), the character moves fast, as it should with game speed at 120.

After the room chages, the speed of the character is normal, relative to game speed, and the other room has scaling walkable area from 100% to 130%.

If this don't belong here, move it k? Just that I want to know... about object vs character.

Ok, for my MAGS game I have i the first room three rather big objects plus one small, which I could have drawn into the background, but I didn't, because then I couldn't make then disappear. all of the need to, and they can be removed in any order, except for one of them, which requires another to be removed. That make sense? Anyway, using a background frames wont work, as I'd need like 13 frames to do this.

So, do characters slow down the game as much as objects? I mean, if I make the objects characters instead of room objects, does the game run slower? I have larger objects in many rooms, I have not yet build them, however.

I was just thinking...

I tried, and noticed I cannot use #include in AGS. This would make the room etc. naming lot easier, like, I have a file called roomnames.txt in my game directory. Then, in the script header, I add the line

#include "roomnames.txt"

and, if I want to add a new room name to the list, I don't need to add it to both the header and my track file (I keep record of my #defines in a file so I don't need to keep opening the script header if I want to check a room name or number).

The text file could be like

// Room names

// Intro
#define rINTRO1 1
#define rINTRO2 2
#define rINTRO3 3
#define rINTRO4 4

// Home
#define rBEDROOM 5
#define rLIVINGROOM 6
#define rBATHROOM 7
#define rKITCHEN 8
#define rHALLWAY 9
#define rCLOSET 10

etc.


So, it would be the same wheather I put the defines into the header, or put 'em in a filen and #include them.

Or?