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I'm pretty sure there isn't a way, but I'd really like to accurately measure how long it takes to do something (specifically for my case: render stuff to the screen).
If it's not possible, I'd like to suggest it.
Something like

Code: ags

struct MillisecondTimer {
function Start();
function Stop();
function Reset();
int Read();
};

Cheers,
Steve

Hi,

I'm trying, with 2.71beta3, to get a character to animate when he talks.
Sounds simple enough...

I imported the WEIRD character from the RON resources.
He has a Normal view and a Talking view.
The talking view previews fine.

In on_mouse_click, I call
cWeird.RunInteraction(eModeInteract);
and in the interaction, I call
cWeird.Say("My name is George.");
The text appears, and the character changes view, but the cWeird.Frame never budges from 0 (there are four frames in the loop).
The talking speed is something reasonable, 1 or 4 (I tried both).

Anyone have any ideas?

Here's a zip of the offending game (source + compiled).
Approach the bum with the cursor keys and press the left mouse button when "Bum" appears in the status line.

If it's been done before it was a long time ago.

Mutated Guano Deviser
Guaranteed Video Smut
EGA Mauve Undistorted
Augmented Video Sutra
Gives Outdated Manure
Aroused Gamut Evident
Unmotivated AGSer Due
Devout Amateur Design
Guarantees Tumid Dove
Made Arduous Vignette

That's all I could come up with before the Internet Anagram Server told me to bugger off.

[drag AGSRunTime.app from the AGS271beta3 folder in Applications to the dock]

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/mac/AGS271beta3b.dmg

Changes since beta3a:
- now detects cursor keys and PgUp/Dn etc keys (but not keypad cursors)
- can play Boogie Boogie in AitGoFW
Changes since beta2f:
- beta3 functionality and bug fixes
- reduced cpu usage and fan noise
- fix to some save game crashes
- now runs Adventures in the Galaxy of Fantabulous Wonderment
Changes since beta2e:
- can choose to ignore missing plugins (eg the creditz plugin)
- another fix to conversation bug introduced last time
- now runs, eg, Apprentice Deluxe and Da New Guys (until the credits anyway)
- simplified running of games (see below)
Changes since beta2d:
- embedded FLI/FLCs work (tested with Barn Runner)
Changes since beta2c:
- changed global "os" variable to 4
- fixed conversation bug which crashed Aazor
- temporary fix for KQ2VGA intro corruption
Changes since beta2b:
- fixed lockups when playing mpg/avi movies (thanks to simulacra for the test case!)
Changes since beta2:
- added required Allegro framework to the bundle
- fixed script access to global script variables

This is a mac OS X port of the AGS run time engine.

To download and install:
1) click on the link above
2) open the downloaded AGS271beta3.dmg
3) open the AGS271beta3 disk image
4) drag the AGS271beta3 folder inside to your Applications directory
5) drag AGSRunTime.app from the AGS271beta3 folder in Applications to the dock

To run AGS games:
1) download and unzip a game
2) drag the game executable to the app in the dock
3) enjoy!

To change game options you have to edit the .cfg file.
If the game crashes, a dialog box appears and errors are written to agserror.txt.
If the game locks up in full screen, press Cmd-Option-Esc to return to OS X.

Supported:
The fire plugin (more plugins coming)
AVI, MPG and FLC movies
OS X 10.4 (and above?)

Not supported:
320x200 natively - it runs 640x480 instead.
Games made with AGS versions before 2.50.
OS X 10.3 or below

Please report any problems in this thread. I compiled this with Tiger and it apparently doesn't work with anything else. I will investigate a compile for 10.2 and above.

Enjoy!
Steve

Hi,
I'm updating the fire plugin to fix some reported and unreported problems.

The plugin creates dynamic sprites when an object is set on fire, and deletes them when the player leaves the room.
It keeps a list of burning objects which is also cleared at that point.

When the game is restored though, I don't see any way to clear the dynamic sprites before the restore, without forcing the game author to call a dll function directly.

[EDIT] There's not even a guaranteed way to call a dll function - on_event eEventRestoreGame is presumably called after the restore, and RestoreGameDialog doesn't necessarily restore a game. (Oh, and Restarting the game should also clear the fire list.)

Does anyone have any advice?

Cheers!

Eleven year old "Gaby" is on holiday with his overbearing mother. Go!



Game page: Click here.

Part of the One Room One Week competition, April 2005.



Moderators, I wasn't sure if I should start a new thread for this or if you wanted them all together. Feel free to collect them up.

[EDIT] Added link to game page.

I had a background width 640 with an object at x=560.
Then I changed the background to width 480.
Now I can't see, move or delete the object.

Does anyone know a quick way to move or delete the object in the editor?
I don't want to:
- move it in scripting
- make the background wider again (losing all hotspots etc)

Thanks,
Steve

In the latest issue (with the Halo 2, Metroid Prime 2, GTA: San Andreas reviews) there's an article about the revival of the adventure game.

A sidebar is devoted to AGS - with a screenshot from Grrrr! Bearly Sane. Way to go Duzz!

The article is pretty lame - it talks about the new BASS, the new TLJ, and TellTale games, but omits Autumn Moon.

Good to see AGS in another magazine, even one as wanky as Edge.

If anyone lives near a Frys and has been on the lookout for a graphics tablet, now's the time...
The Wacom Graphire package now includes Photoshop Elements 2 (like the European one has for a while) and Frys is doing a special for $80! Whattadeal!

I've been trying out Elements 2 for a month now and I haven't missed a single Photoshop 7 feature when making pixel art for my adventure game. If anything it's a little easier to use (eg New From Clipboard; Ctrl-Z multiple undos, rather than having to press Shift-Ctrl-Z...).

Is there some way to detect if a cutscene is being skipped (fast-forwarded through)?
I'm doing some expensive calculations in repeatedly_execute_always that are purely visual and it's slowing down the skip (it takes several seconds on an Athlon 2100).

I'd like to be able to do something like this:

if (!game.skipping_cutscene)
{
Ã,  FireUpdate();
}

Cheers,
Steve

There's a new version of AGS_Maya available for download from the plugins page.
This includes some decent documentation and some bug fixes:
Go to the AGS home page, click on Downloads on the left, then scroll down and click on user written plugins.

BUGS FIXED:
ints_to_float() correctly handles negative numbers. Previously ints_to_float(-5,700) would be interpreted as -4.300. Now it is -5.700.
float_to_int() rounds to the nearest value. Previously (despite what I said on another thread) it would round to the nearest value if the number was positive, and just do something stupid if the number was negative. Maybe that was exacerbating your problem, Ghormak?

FUNCTIONS ADDED (see the docs for descriptions):

float_to_int_round_up()
float_to_int_round_down()
angle_from_degrees()
angle_from_radians()
degrees_from_angle()
radians_from_angle()

Steve

Start a new game using the Default template, and select
Skip speech: Mouse or key (no auto remove)
Then go to Room and in create a script for first time player enters screen as follows:
  StartCutscene(1);
  DisplaySpeech(EGO, "A");
  DisplaySpeech(EGO, "B");
  DisplaySpeech(EGO, "C");
  EndCutscene();
Now save as room1, and test the game.
Press ESC immediately. The game hangs.
However, if you move StartCutscene(1) to after the first dialog line, it works fine - pressing ESC once skips to "B", then pressing it again skips the "B" and "C" at once as expected.

Tested with 2.61 and 2.62b.
Cheers
Steve

In K&R and BSD coding styles, the closing brace is a tab stop left of the enclosed code block, eg

if (PlayerIsFreeOfGoo())
{
  ReleaseCustard();
}

rather than

if (SwordmasterHasBunion())
{
  TicklePostman();
  }

Could we have an option for the code editor to work that way?
I spend a lot of time reformatting...

Thanks in advance,
Steve

Hi,
I want to put together a date string for save games etc.
But I don't see any way (other than writing a plugin for one function) of getting the current year.
GetTime only gives seconds, minutes, hours, days, and months.

Cheers,
Steve

I have a limited number of invites to gmail if anyone is interested.
PM me.
You know you want it!

Steve

Hello,
Here's what I want to do:
1. Write an Active X editor plugin to edit some data.
2. Write a game DLL to use that data.

Is this possible?
I've been looking at the plugin docs and I don't see any way to do it without writing a separate data file and then copying it to the compiled folder (which can be automated but still).

[Download here]

OtherRoom plugin for AGS v0.2 (also available as cross-platform script module)

This is a simple plugin to change the state of objects/regions/hotspots/walkable areas in other rooms.
It is meant as a shortcut to the rigmarole of setting global variables and testing them in the destination room.

Download here
Mirror (Thanks Neole & Rui)

Here are the currently supported functions:

OtherRoomObjectOff(int room, int object);
OtherRoomObjectOn(int room, int object);
OtherRoomObjectToggle(int room, int object);
OtherRoomSetObjectPosition(int room, int object, int x, int y);
OtherRoomDisableRegion(int room, int region);
OtherRoomEnableRegion(int room, int region);
OtherRoomRemoveWalkableArea(int room, int walkableArea);
OtherRoomRestoreWalkableArea(int room, int walkableArea);
OtherRoomDisableHotspot(int room, int hotspot);
OtherRoomEnableHotspot(int room, int hotspot);

[EDIT: added region, walkable area, and hotspot functions]

Other functions will be added as needed/requested, eg AnimateObject, SetObjectTransparency...

NOTES:
IsObjectOn is not possible as the object is not loaded in memory.
Each time you call one of these functions, it goes in a list of commands that are called when the player enters the target room. So if the object is currently off, and you call toggle, off, toggle, the object will be off->on->off->on = on.
Toggle is only possible for objects as the current state of the other things is not accessible.
Saving and loading are supported. The command lists are written to and read from the savegame.

Steve

PS:
For OtherRoomSetObjectPosition, I tried this piece of code, but it crashed:

void (*func) (int, int, int) = ((void(*) (int, int, int))
    engine->GetScriptFunctionAddress("SetObjectPosition"));
func(object, x, y);

func, object, x, and y were valid. I just changed it to the following and it worked.

AGSObject *obj = engine->GetObject(object);
obj->x = x;
obj->y = y;

Any ideas?

[Download here]

An image is worth a thousand words:

On the left, a "seed" sprite for a flame.
On the right, an object with a plasma flame.

Another example:


Download here
Mirror (Thanks Neole!)

Changelog:
- Changed to zip, added documentation]
- Fixed a bug involving leaving the room then returning
- Change to naming convention; Works in 8, 16, 32 bit
- Added flame modification functions
- Works properly with save and load - doh!

To use, the following functions are available:

Code: ags

int FireAddObject(int object, int seedSprite, int paletteSprite);
int FirePreHeat(int object);
int FireDisableSeeding(int object);
int FireEnableSeeding(int object);
int FireSetStrength(int object, int strength);
int FireRemoveObject(int object);
int FireUpdate();
int FireStop();

Call FireAddObject (in the player enters room) with an object number, a seed sprite number, and a palette sprite number. The seed sprite should be black or transparent where there is no flammable material, and white or grey where flames should start. It should also be tall and wide enough to encompass any flames, or they might get cut off. You may have to play with the sprite a bit to get the effect you want.
There is a palette and documentation included in the zip.

Call FireUpdate in the room's repeatedly_execute_always.

Have fun!
Steve

CJ - I'm using two dynamic sprites for now because of that issue with not being able to flag sprites as changed...

Thought I'd combine character and animation into one for this.
I've included the, I think, dodgiest frame for crits. I hate that left arm.





Damnit, the animation doesn't repeat!

[Maya con Dios]

Maya con Dios

Screenshots:


From the intro


Dixie gets in trouble

Dixie Schele, professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas, Austin, is investigating ruins in Mexico when she is thrown back in time to the age of the Maya. She must avoid crazy customs, evade crazed rulers, and appease cranky gods to find her way home.

Look for it sometime in 2004! [EDIT] Ok, maybe 2006 is more realistic. *Sniff*

(Now I've announced it I've got to finish it.)
Cheers,
Steve

Update 6th Oct 2005
--------------------------
This is still semi-in-production.
It's been on the back burner for a while though.
I recently went on holiday to the Yucatan and visited some Mayan sites, which was awesome.
I'll get back to working on it more when I finish IVSpy.
Realistically, I'd say Plot is only at 70%.