Messages

you may want to verify that you can compile the Native Project with a free version of Visual Studio.

I explicitly wrote that you cannot compile it with a free version, so I'm not sure where that comes from.

Sorry Monsieur.. I missed of missed it. Unless I posted before the revision that added that. Not sure. Either way glad that its clarified now and sorry if it was there. Thanks!

Nice Wiki! Actually, you may want to verify that you can compile the Native Project with a free version of Visual Studio. Maybe something changed, but I thought you needed a paid version to compile Native. Either way, nice job!

Just so I do not feel as if I am going insane... Can someone who is reading all this and gets what I am saying please respond here and say "I get what your saying Joe. You are not at all insane."

I think maybe I am being misunderstood and I think I thank I am misunderstanding what Alberth and CW are trying to say because I think we are all on 3 different pages.

CW, I will start by replying with you since you have a smaller reply :-P

Like Alberth, I am baffled, how did you get an idea that you cannot read CRM files with Java or other custom Editor?
Even if you make the room into XML, it would still have particular description, specific to AGS, you won't get it read by other programs in some magic way. You would still need to study how AGS Editor works, and get data specifications.

I am aware that you can read the file formats from Java, BASIC and any other programming language that supports binary reading and reading from XML, including B4J. I figured though that since everyone here would mostly know C++/C#, it would be easier for them, if there were any volunteers to do so, to write a command line tool instead. But I am fully aware that this is possible in any programming language. If someone is interested in helping me disect the CRM and Dat files one by one and translating it into B4J code, then I am more than happy to accept. Like I said, I am not too proficient in C++ or C#. So when you say it is simply matter of looking at the good, it would be the same as me speaking Italian but reading Spanish.

Ahem.
If it would not be possible already, we would not have engine ports.

Good point. That was dumb of me. I completely forgot about the ports. LOL.

Alberth:

Afaik my problem is that you'd like to use a proprietary piece of software as foundation of an editor, software that runs only at a proprietary Operating System for development.

Its most likely not your fault that I am not getting the message. I think we must just not be on the same page really or maybe I am not explaining myself too clearly or my intentions for that matter. For years we used Visual C# to create the editor. Until last year, this was closed source. With the exception of this being open sourced at the moment, perhaps I might understand what you are trying to say if you explain this: "Prior to 2014, how is using B4J to create the AGS Editor any different than using Visual C#?" Wasn't/Isn't Visual C# a proprietary piece of software that runs only at a proprietary Operating system?

I am baffled how you believe that to be of any use in an open source project, but I have said enough on that already.
I clearly fail to get that message across

But this is what I am trying to say... B4J will produce a project file that can be edited by any editor. Those project files can be put on Github just like any other programming language. If someone does not have B4J, the project can be edited and so can the source code since B4J really uses Java and the Java source files are open and available to any user who uses B4J to see. Lastly, B4J has plans to become open sourced, like Visual C#. This is why I feel it is of use. I am honestly a little baffled as to why this is not understood or as to why Visual C# is a better alternative to this. Maybe this is one of those things where we need to agree to disagree?

Obviously, you cannot import a n AGS file loader from the Java library, it needs a piece of custom code, but that's not hard to write. You just read bytes from the file, and store them in some data structure, mostly.

Agreed. See my reply above to CW.

As for the other problems with respect to compiler splitting and porting, yeah, that sounds fine.

Whew.. At least we have this we agree on. ;-)

Ah I think I see what the real problem is here and what the real answer to what you are bringing up would be, Alberth. I think the issue we are facing is that we have proprietary file formats that belong to the AGS Editor, strictly and a compiler that is also attached to the editor. I think, like most long lasting and successful Software development tools and programming languages, the linker/buider/compiler should be its own entity. The room files and sprite data should be something more open as well.

For example, the project files shouldn't rely on a CRM file for room files or a .dat for spritefiles. These should be generic image file types that are just stored locally on the system in a directory(Sort of like how I want the decompiler/decoder tool to do). Then an XML Data file can dictate the use of those files more clearly. This opens the editing options more and doesn't leave AGS project files to be used only with the official AGS Editor. Instead, this opens the possibility for Geany, Eclipse, Visual Studio, etc.. to be able to create AGS Games. Or it can leave it for someone to develop their own editor.

The only two other problems we face is 1) The compiler needs to be separated from the AGS Editor and made into a command line tool to create AGS executables. It would also need to be ported to several other OS such as Mac and Linux. 2) The source for the AGS Engine itself also needs to be more generic, allowing for any C++ Compiler to easily compile it rather than rely solely on Visual C++. Perhaps this is possible already, but if not, maybe it is something we should look into.

Is this a more plausible solution Alberth?

CW:

Do I understand correct, that you basically want a fully opened format for rooms and sprites?

Yes, I would like a more open format for this. But since I do not know C# or C++ well, I would love someone to write a tool that would take apart those files.

Also, I did not know about C# Being open source now. That is very interesting.

To Alberth:

I am really not sure what you are trying to achieve with your constant badgering of questions that have no bearing on the request I am making in this thread. I also seem to have answered the questions clearly and yet you keep asking for clarification and keep harrassing me in this thread about terminology and such. I am really not sure what it is you want me to say or what you are trying to discourage. And if you are trying to discourage the use of B4J, what for? I mean really, what do you want?

Please make a distinction between programming language and software tool implementation.

Why? B4J, whether a tool, an API or a programming language or whatever.. What does it matter? It is capable of creating a version of the AGS Editor so that it runs in Mac, Windows and Linux.

More importantly, what are the development platforms?

As of now, Windows. But that may change. As of now, Visual C# only runs in windows anyway to, so what does this question matter since that is what is currently used to create the AGS Editor? B4J is not a step backwards in this regard. It just stays the same. No advantage or disadvantage. So why question this?

I'll take "freeware" as "software you can obtain without paying money" here.

Again.. I believe you know what I meant. I explained it later on more clearly. And this is the part where I am starting to think you are nit-picking just to pick an argument. So let me clarify: B4J is 100% free. Nothing to purchase. No in-app purchases. No licenses to purchases. No royalties to pay. You can do whatever you like with the software you create: Sell, give away free, etc... Your clients or users have that same freedom. NO RESTRICTIONS.

And here you go wrong. I don't have to use Visual Studio if I don't like Windows, or don't have money, or refuse to pay for software out of principle, or just hate the Visual Studio interface, or whatever reason I may have.

Visual studio is just one of the available options, but there are a zillion other options too. Maybe not as fancy, but they exist, and they are available for everybody without charge and they do the job.

Alberth, the AGS Editor is made with Visual C#. I was unaware that C# was recently opened sourced to the public. But as of this moment in writing, however, I am unaware of any version of this software being available in anything other than Windows. Yes, you can edit C# project and source files in any editor, but you can do the same with B4J. And at this moment in time, you need Visual C# to compile any Visual C# projects. At least since I am not aware of anyone creating a compiler out of the recently released source files. But again, like Visual C#.. B4J can have its source files edited anywhere else and then imported and compiled for B4J. In fact, I use Geany to do such things.

I can decide that I like Visual Studio so much that I want to buy a copy of it. I am allowed to do that. However, it is not required. If I have no money, I can still write a C++ or C# program by using a different option. Instead of Visual Studio, I use a text editor and the g++ compiler, or the clang compiler, or the Intel compiler. If I like an IDE, I can use Eclipse. For the C# language I can use Mono. For plain Java, I can use the commercial Oracle version, or the free openjdk version.

Having free options available means I will always be able to run and modify the software, even when I am totally broke. This means a poor but genius child somewhere in Africa can use and modify the software, learn from it, and make himself a better future. This means my software lives even if Microsoft dies.

I can't stress this enough... B4J is 100% free. No restrictions. No issues. No  royalties. It is completely free! Point 11 above was in reference to B4A and B4i so that you can develop software on Android and iOS. But again, We are talking about Windows, Mac and Linux - these are completely free. And in fact, I read a thread just today where the author mentions he is thinking of open sourcing B4J in the near future(Don't know when, do not ask).

Also, again, the source files fromthe B4J project are actually Java. You can edit those files and compile them with a Java compiler. So, you do not need B4J, really, if it ever went out of business.

And as far as not being required to purchase Visual Studio.. You are correct. Actually you are not. Read CW's reply above. You still need to purchase it if you wish to compile Native.Dll which is crucial for AGS compiling.

Now with B4J, it is different. I cannot do anything without a license. If I stop buying a license, or B4J dies, or decides to end this product, or raises its license prices by a factor 1,000,000, I am doomed. All my work down the drain, I can delete everything and start from scratch.

Alberth... You misunderstand the way the license works for B4A and B4i... If you purchase a license that lasts for 2 years, you receive two years of updates of the software for free. When your license expires, you can use any version of the software(For the rest of your life, without restrictions) up to the latest version that was provided to you as part of your license. However, if someone has an older license or a newer license, they can still use the AGS Editor source files to continue editing the project with "Their" Version of the software. But whatever version you own will stay FREE for life. But again, this is for B4A and B4i. B4J is completely free for every single life form on the planet.

Alberth, I apologize if I misread your intentions. But I really can not see the need for all this badgering when in reality I am only looking for someone to work with me on a tool. That was the reason for this thread. So please clarify your standing and what it is you are really trying to achieve. Better yet.. Go to http://www.b4x.com. On the site you can download B4J for FREE. It also has a tutorial, documentation, FAQ and a forum as well as a contact e-mail for the author. Please use these resources as they can better answer your questions. Please don't take this posting the wrong way Alberth, but all I want was someone to work on a tool with me. That's it.

I kind of see where your concern is coming from a little more clearly and why you are questioning the the need for a compiler. I will see if I can explain my point of view a little better:

1. CRM files and Sprite files

To me when I say compiled, I mean that anything that takes multiple files and puts it together into a custom file format, the that means compiled. Perhaps I should use a different terminology, but that is what I mean by needing to have the room .CRM Files and the Sprite file decompiled or maybe "Decoded"? Yes, while it is true that my editor can come up with its own format and such to store this data it becomes utterly useless for AGS if it can not be converted into a .CRM or Sprite file. My idea, since we do not have a shell based compiler for AGS is to create an editor that can edit games on any platform. However, not knowing how to decode/decompile the CRM files and put them back together, any game edited with my editor would be useless. It would also render importing "already-in-progress" Game projects into the new editor without some way of seeing into those room and sprite files.

2. Lets answer some B4J Questions.. Can you make commercial apps?
- Yes. You can sell whatever you make without paying any royalties or purchasing any licenses. Completely free to use and completely free for your clients to make stuff and resell, such as making games via an AGS Editor and selling them.

3. - Is B4J free?

-Yes, completely. Nothing to pay. Can that change? Of course. But then again, Visual C# is not really free either. But according to the author of B4J, he does not intend to sell the product.

4. - What platforms will it run on?

-B4J is intended to run on Windows, Linux, MacOS, Raspberry Pi and web browsers. However, the final compilation is made into a Java runtime. So really, any system that supports the latest Java Runtime can run apps made in B4J.

5. - What is the programming language of B4J?

- B4J has a Visual Basic.NET syntax. It can also use inline Java code and you can add on modules either created in B4J or created through Java. You can run B4J code at runtime from an external file as well.

6. - Does it have a RAD Designer?

-Yes. You can create forms and designs in the internal design editor or in Java FX Editor. You alternatively can create form elements at runtime through code.

7. - Is it fast?

-Everything I have tried is as fast as anything that would run as if it were made in Visual Studio.

8. - How long has B4J been around?

-This particular app has been around since 2013/14 I believe. However, Erel and his products have been around for almost 15 years. He started with B4PPC around 2000/2001. In 2005 he started B4A and then around 2011 or so he also started developing B4i. B4J, B4i and B4A are regularly updated.

9. - Can this be ported to systems that do not support Java runtime such as Android, iOS, Windows Phone or Blackberry?

- The code is about 85 to 90% portable to B4A and B4i, so it can easily be ported to Android or iOS. The only other system that Erel is planning to support to my knowledge is B4W(Windows Phone) sometime in the future. If it follows through with the same scheme, it should also be very possible to create an almost identical app with hardly any code changes for Windows Phone. So, unlike Visual C#, this leaves the AGS Editor open to being ported to a web browser, Windows, Linux, MacOS, Raspberry Pi, Android, iOS and Windows Phone(Soon).

10. - Can we be certain that this software will be around for a long time?

-You can never guarantee anything. We can't guarantee that Microsoft, Google or Apple will still be in business next year. Nothing is a guarantee. Is there a good chance it will be around for a while? I certainly think so. Erel makes a ton of money with his software since you most of the time you have to renew B4A and B4i every two years with a fee. But once you purchase his commercial software or use his freeware software, you can sell anything you like, royalty free, for as long as you like without expiration. And since this software can take plugins written in Java or use Java FX to design forms.. even if he discontinued support, it would still be useful for years to come. And at that point, a new piece of software may be released that can be used anyway. Don't forget, the original AGS editor was made in C++ and then converted to Visual C#.

11. - Is B4A and B4i freeware?

-No, those two are not. But once you purchase one license, you can make apps with that version of the software for as long as you would like and sell it. If you wish to update to a new version after your license expires, then you need to purchase a new license. Lets not forget.. To compile Native.dll, maybe I am wrong, you need to have a commercial version of Visual Studio to do.

12. - Is B4X open source?

-No, but neither is Visual Studio.

13. - Will B4X source files work with GitHub?

-Yes.

Bottom line, I believe B4J is in the same boat as Visual C# in some area's, in others it is more advanced. In some, it may be behind. Here is what I think:

I don't believe that Visual C# is available for other platforms other than Windows. So even if, lets say B4J couldn't work on Linux for the reasons you mentioned above, neither can the Visual C# version. But at least we can run it on MacOS and through a browser on Linux. We can also easily port it to other platforms. This is not currently possible with Visual C#. It seems we need to go through lots of hacks to get it working with other platforms and then it wont run properly.

I even think about plugins.. If you were to make AGS Cross platform right now and you were to use the current plugin system, you wouldn't be able to use plugins on other platforms, only Windows. With B4J, since it supports Java plugins and running B4J Code at runtime, almost any plugin you create will run across all platforms with little to no code modification. That also means that the source code for B4J stays the same throughout any platform.

Will Microsoft stay in business forever? No. Will it stay in business longer than B4X... Yes. Microsoft is a business with stock holders. B4X is developed by one person. However, should the time come for B4J to be discontinued, I believe Erel would make the software open source. If not, the software is still extendible via Modules and Java plugins. Or... some big company may purchase it and continue its existence. So what do I believe in this? I believe B4J will be of use to us at least another 15 years.

I also haven't looked too deeply into the program, but I believe that even if B4J were to die, it would still have the Java sources to your project available. So that means that you can edit the AGS editor via Java. What else can B4J do that we may need it to do so that we can convert the AGS Editor into B4J:

-It can read and write Random Access files and byte code.
-It can read XML Files and supports many image formats and document formats.
-It can do Treeviews, list views, combo boxes, Radio buttons, text fields, etc...
-It has plenty of draw tools.
-It can read and write external files and append to files.
-Anything else we need it to do.

Is this the right tool or the perfect tool to make an AGS Editor? Maybe not. But I feel it has the advantage over Microsofts Visual C#.

I'm not sure what you mean. AGS has been "Completely Open source" for years. The compiler, the engine and the editor. The AGS project file itself is an XML and the scripts are .asc files which can be read with any basic text editor. However, Sprite Data and Room Data is compiled and I would require something that can decompile it or someone to write code in B4J so that it can be read.

As far as B4J... How is it any different than Visual Studio other than the price tag and the name "Microsoft" to back it up? It is a strong tool, uses Java and can do what C# does.


I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to say with your comment. My apologies for my ignorance.

Well, how about we start with what we want to achieve with AGS first. For example:
1)Do we want to modernize it and what is the best approach?
2)Do we want a cross platform engine?
3)Do we want a cross platform Editor?
4)Which Platform?
5)What cons do we want to fix first?
6) Etc...

Then we discuss how we can achieve this:
1)Do we want to have a dedicated team work on this over the next few years?
2)Do we want to hire outside help?
3)Do we want to do a Kickstarter or other funding options?
4)If we do funding, how will that be managed and by whom?

Next Stage would be the website:
Based on all this, how could we update the website to help better sell(Freely of course) AGS to new users, old users and current users? How can we encourage all to participate in it and help develop it.

What do you think?

I completely understand your point of view and would like respect that. So I ask this, to make sure we all respect your choice here, but do you not want to discuss this in this thread? Or do you not want to discuss this at all? Because if it is something that the community is allowed to discuss, then lets go ahead and create a new thread and bring this one back on topic.

How could I not allow the community to discuss something??! I do not own this thread, the community, nor AGS. You also are not oblidged to respect my choice.
You were asking me a question, and I answered that I do not want to discuss this now. That is all. I am leaving this thread, because its purpose was fullfilled a week ago.

You are absolutely right. But even though I am not obliged, I would still like to show respect to a community member, developer and we all appreciate what you do for AGS. But you are also right, we are a community and need to discuss things we have on our mind. I ported the off topic talk to this thread here: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52504.0

Moving away from this topic here: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52376
I think it is time to move it into a new thread and discuss this here.

Here: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52376.msg636518151#msg636518151 Mods discussed some options in regards to funding and website redesign.
Some funding options mentioned by myself: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52376.msg636518094#msg636518094

Lets deviate from that thread and discuss this here. Some of the Cons brought up on AGS is that it has been outdated and needs to become a modern engine as well. Would porting AGS to Allegro 5 help to significantly resolve that or should it move to something like SDL, etc..?

Discuss Away!

Hi CW,

I completely understand your point of view and would like respect that. So I ask this, to make sure we all respect your choice here, but do you not want to discuss this in this thread? Or do you not want to discuss this at all? Because if it is something that the community is allowed to discuss, then lets go ahead and create a new thread and bring this one back on topic.

Should a new topic be created for this then?? Quick question CW... Based on all the "Bringing the engine into a more modern state", etc... Would having AGS ported to Allegro 5 help tremendously in that? It seems a lot of these modern limitations may be in part due to AGS still using Allegro 4. If that is the case, perhaps we can then raise funding to hire an outside developer to port AGS to Allegro 5 and then the community could take it from there. Don't know, just wondering and thinking out loud...

Good morning folks,

Recently I have been undertaking, on my own, a private project to port the AGS Editor to separate platforms. Currently I have a some what functioning, but not useful, editor that works for MAC, Windows and Linux with no source code changes required what so ever. If this works, believe it or not the code is very portable to Android and iOS. So there would be potential for this to eventually be a truly cross platform editor. Right now I am tackling one thing at a time.

At the moment all the editor I have can do is load up the game data. EG: Displaying views, text parser, inventory data, etc... but it can't display sprite data as it requires the sprite file to be decompiled. My editor will display the room numbers as it can enumerate from within the directory all the CRM Files and the script file. I have a functioning script viewer and an editor that can save, but it does not have all the features of the AGS Script editor.

If you are wondering how I am developing the engine, I am using B4J which is a VB.net style language and can run on Mac, Windows, Linux and web browser. It is 100% free. It can also use JAVA code as a module and in-line code to make it even more powerful. There is absolutely no code to change to have this work between Operating systems(Except for file handling, registry handling, etc..). It is powerful enough to make apps as a server/client, easy to replicate AGS room editing draw functions, has the ability to replicate the script editor and syntax editing and with a little help it can even be used to accept cross platform editor plugins since it can run B4J code and in-line JAVA code at run-time. The same developer has two other software editors that are near identical to B4J called B4A and B4I which is a software development suite for Android and iOS. Those are not free however. But if we chose to one day port the editor to mobile devices or tablets, it would be easy to move the software from B4J to B4A and B4i. You can check out the site here: http://www.b4x.com .

Now I wish I could work on the editor in CPP/C#, but I hardly know C# and I can do a little C++, but not enough to work on AGS in that way. However, I can totally do B4J. I think it is our best option as it is constantly updated, users are adding new library and addon's to it every day, it is cross platform with hardly any code changes. Even in C++ if we create a cross platform tool and use cross platform libraries, it would be hard to just have one developer come in and make one change and have it work perfectly for all OS. It requires tweaking. And, as the editor is in C#, I do not really see easy options to port it directly through C#. Of course I can see that several people here might resist this project of mine simply for the fact that everyone is waiting for a better structured and designed AGS which would be edited in the future. But this redesign is a long time away and, as we have been discussing, may come down to paying developers to restructure this if we could even find enough developers. So, in the meantime, maybe it would be bandaid solution, but a nice feature none the less to try porting the editor this way.

Having said all that, if anyone is kind enough to assist me, this is the tools I need:

Sprite Decompiler:

I need a tool that can be placed in a directly. When run, will search the directory for ACSPRSET.SPR(I believe that is the file that contains the sprites, correct?) and decompiles the sprite images into a sub directory called "Sprites" Then sorts them into their respective sub-directories(EG: Some users may have sorted the sprites like so: GUI, Characters, etc..). I would then need an XML file for each corresponding Sprite file that would read its properties. Finally, I would need an XML file in the Sprites Root directory that would list all the sprite directories, the included sprites and XML Files. So the file structure would look something like this:

Sprites
--SpritesStructure.XML
      ---GUI
           -----1.JPG
           -----1.xml
      ---Characters
           -----2.JPG
           -----2.xml

Once a tool is done like that, I would need a compiler that can recompile the sprite data based on that root XML File back into a sprite file.

For the Room Decompiler:

I need the tool to decompile the room files and separate it this way:

Room1
--RoomProperties.xml (Containts properties, baseline coordinates, edges, and room structure similar to sprites, etc..)
       ----Objects
           ----1.xml (Contains coordinates, properties and sprite number, etc..)
           ----2.xml
       ----BackgroundImages
           ----1.JPG
           ----2.JPG
           ----3.JPG
       ----Hotspots
           ----1.JPG (Or RAW Data points, etc... However it is compiled/written)
       ----Walkbehinds, Walkable area's, Regions in the same fashion as above... Etc..

Then I would need a tool to compile them back into a CRM File based on that root XML File.

Is this something that someone can do in their spare time for me? It seems like a hard and long task, but if this is possible, please let me know. I would love to have this tool be cross platform for Win/Linux/Mac. More ideally would be if someone could write a module in B4J where you could specify the directory for the module to decompile. If you are able to, please let me know here or PM me. If and once I were to have such a tool at my disposal, I would be able to recreate the editor for AGS. I have it in its planned stages at the moment:

Current Stage:
Loads up AGS game data
Displays and saves scripts

Stage 2:
Load up room Data
Create a basic Room editor

Stage 3:
Pretty it up a little
Add a syntax editor to the script editor.

Stage 4:
Release a test app for everyone to try

It should take no more than 2 to 3 months to get this far once I have the tools. Please note that there would still need to be something to edit Translation files and compile the game in order to be a full fledged cross platform editor. But for now, I would rather start with these tools, create something to show and then take it from there. Just an idea of extra functions I plan to add to the editor after releasing initial part of the editor:

*Replicating the full features of the latest AGS Editor
*Skinning capabilities
*A way to create a project server so that teams can work on games similarly to how they use GitHub and provide a more united way of developing.
*A Store front where users can upload templates, modules, graphics and such for free (Once the source is released to the editor, anyone can change this to also be a store that sells products if they would like).

Let me know how you all feel about this because if noone is interested, I am just going to scrap the whole project since the editor I am creating is utterly useless without being able to create sprites or rooms. Thanks!

If I Can make a suggestion regarding donations and assistance... If anyone has ever used http://3drad.com/ , the developer made the software free. However, every suggestion that was ever asked or made would be put in a forum thread. In the topic title he would estimate how much it would cost to achieve such an update and then the end user would contribute X amount of money to the feature of choice.

For example:

A user makes a suggestion such as "Release a Playstation Port". The developer on 3D Rad then estimated that this would cost $1200. So he opened a thread and titled it like so, reflecting the amount of donations received for that feature request: "Playstation Port: Goal $1200 / Total Funding received: $150". Then in the description he would write what the feature was, what work would go into it and how much time he would need to achieve it(Guestimate - could always take longer). The features and engine were always free. But he would provide free beta updates to the engine to anyone who donated about $30.

Now, he didn't just have one feature request on the forum. He had several. A user was allowed to donate money to one or more features. The next feature to hit 100% would then get implemented next. It worked well and had rapid and frequent updates.

In terms of obtaining more assistance and programmers to help out... Try www.fiverr.com - its a great place to find programmers (And actually game artists, musicians and such) to do services for you starting at the cost of one gig: $5. Just a thought.

I actually love the retro style and really would love to see this come to completion. Keep up the good work!

Looks like a good game and I hate to burst your bubble here... But this is not the right place to post this. It isn't a completed game for one thing. And it seems that it won't be made using AGS. I hope the best for this game otherwise.

My own personal pro's and cons:


Pros
*Completely Free
*Easy to use
*Great little functions and features not found in other engines(Run AGS Game within a game, backwards compatibility, etc..)
*Great Modules
*Great Scripting Engine, despite how others feel.
*Great Community
*Great Games


Cons:
*Lack of an interaction editor. - this was very useful for me before I was able to program and is a drawing point for many people to choose Visionaire.
*No way to compile and package games from the editor for Android or iOS.
*Lack of ports for systems such as Blackberry, Windows Phone, etc..
*Needs improved room editor/drawing tools
*Support for 3D Characters
*Support for built in Paralax Scrolling
*Confusing to have AGS 3.3.4 and 3.4.0.5. Needs to be combined into one.
*Compiler should be a command line tool so that people can make their own editing tools(Especially for Mac without using special software to run it)

Very nice indeed! Thank you for that write up. It couldn't have been easy. But thank you for sharing. Maybe next year you can tell us how you did Android? ;-P Thanks again Janet! Someone should post this on the Wiki.

I am pretty sure that those sequels are cancelled, especially the one I worked on 16 years ago ;-P But this is a pretty good indie/fan game. I can tell the humour is off slightly but is pretty funny. Some of the English translation is a little off too, but it is hardly noticeable. My only problem with the game is that I notice in some places the Visionaire engine is awefully buggy(GUI Disappearing, pathfinding a little off the beaten path, mouse cursor doesn't always detect objects, etc...) I really feel that Visionaire has potential, but AGS would have been less buggier. Regardless of such, this is an awesome game and I am enjoying playing it. The puzzles are fair. The story is great and very much in line with the original Zak. David Fox, Lucasarts and such would have been proud to play this game.

I have been waiting for Star Wars games for years from AGS. Darth Mandarb, I still remember Rebel Spy... Also there was that Shadows of the Empire game too... I hope with the new movies and series, someone gets the jrge to revive these...

Dont forget this one either:http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/1181/