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Here's a nice simple shuffling algorithm...

Code: ags

#define RANGE 4
int rn[RANGE];

// fill rn sequentially
int i = 0;
// shuffle
while (i < RANGE) { rn[i] = i; i++}
i = 0;
while (i < RANGE*RANGE)
{
   // swap two random elements
   int p = random(RANGE-1);
   int q = random(RANGE-1);
   int s = rn[p];
   rn[p] = rn[q];
   rn[q] = s;
   i++;
}
// deal off the top
i = 0;
int a = rn[i];
i++;
int b = rn[i];
i++;
int c = rn[i];
i++;

This scales pretty well.

And I have passed the challenge.Ã,  (Also @Ish & [...]:Ã,  I didn't mean to make you guys out to be the bad guys...but you did both say that it couldn't be done.Ã,  And Ish even went as far as to say "don't even dream about it."Ã,  No hard feelings you guys. )

You do realize that the "challenge" was to prevent cheating by changing the computer clock between runs, and that you have miserably failed the "challenge"? You also seem to have forgotten to make use of the "leapdays" variable in your calculations. Perhaps more reading and concentrating, and less gloating, would help.

Still, you have supplied some code that KingMick can work with. Huzzah!

People are still making RON games.
Eric and Dave Gilbert, fer example.
They're just sloooooow.

Glad you like it, and thanks for the demo!

My suggestion for easy game backup - get a USB memory stick ($30 for 512Mb these days) and zip the game to it every so often. My current game is about 10Mb zipped including all source art.
Then carry it with you everywhere!

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Gives Outdated Manure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.

Indeed, my guess was right, it was running from my own framework, and not the embedded one.  I made sure it ran from your version of Allegro, and it warked exactly the same, crashing in the same spot.  However, the problem with the cusor was gone - only the games's cursor showed.  I'll have to check to see if Allegro compiled right for me.

I have modified Allegro somewhat to fix some problems, such as the hardware cursor, video playback, and so on.
As far as I know, the room change crash is related to using 10.3 rather than 10.4. Eventually I need to compile AGS with gcc 3.3 rather than gcc 4, which should allow it to run on sub-Tiger OSs.
Just to be sure though, I'll check Apprentice (is it #1, #2, #1 Deluxe?) again.

Well, I thought people would like the gameÃ,  :'( Guess I shouldn't release the game apartly.

I did like what I saw - it was just too short to release as a game. Keep going!

Oops, sorry.
I assumed since you quoted dollars that you were in the US. My bad.

Not to throw a monkey in the wrench, but that doesn't sound like a great deal to me.
You can get a similar laptop (with a better graphics card) for about $800 (without the extras) new from Dell.
Add another 256Mb ram, an external 100Mb hard drive (if you want it) and an internal dvd burner and a one year warranty and it comes to $1150.
Or root around for a better deal on their web site.
Why buy used?

It's not actually hypocritical - it just shows a different value system than yours or mine. A completely wack value system.

As for the mod, my guess is that Rockstar left it in because it was quicker and less risky from a development perspective than chopping it out. Oops.

What annoys me most about this "controversy" is the overreaction of the politicians. Here's an example:

"It appears that the publisher has blatantly circumvented the rules in order to peddle sexually explicit material to our youth, and they should be held accountable. A company cannot be allowed to profit from deceit." Ref.

The publisher probably didn't know it was still in there, the company is only profiting now that the media and the politicians are making a fuss, and the "youth" they are talking about are the 17 year olds that could buy it as a Mature title but not as an Adults Only title. And the inflammatory "peddle"? Thanks.

Don't get stressed about packing - it'll only upset you and your partner.
If there's anything you've forgotten, your fiance (does he have a name?) can send it on to you, or you can buy a replacement in Japan.
Just use the last days to have fun together.

I've lived on my own plenty (more than ten years) and it is liberating but you miss your partner and it's very hard on a relationship (it lasted about four years). When he comes to visit make sure you blow everything else off and get away together.

When I went to university the homesickness lasted about three months. I led a sheltered upbringing though.

Good luck!

My thoughts:

Alone in the Night:
Like Helm, I liked the animation. Nicely bluescreened - I don't think you could really describe it as rotoscoped as that means tracing animation frames from video frames. It did seem like the game was just tacked on to showcase the main character though.
[I didn't have a guess for the author.]

Anna:
Great scripting and a fantastic visual style. I thought the philosophical dialog was rather weak, and forcing the pacing (no text skip) very cruel. I liked the twist at the end.
[I guessed Helm.]

Another:
Nice interface, but too short to get into.
[I guessed AJA.]

Baghdad:
Made me laugh, but didn't seem like a lot of effort was put into it.
[I guessed Grundy.]

Balloon Face:
I thought it was highly entertaining. I played through it twice. Obviously it wasn't much of a "game" but it was a great experience.
[I guessed DG MacPhee.]

Dance Til You Drop:
Great concept and beautifully crafted but a rather loose plot and the safe puzzle is internally logically impossible to solve. I think I enjoyed it more NOT knowing who Richard Simmons is. I imagined the character Don 'No Soul' Simmons from Amazon Women on the Moon.
[I guessed Gilbot (because of the graphics) - but it seemed too American.]

Gladiator Quest:
Awesome presentation, down to the readme, "hacked by", music, etc. I couldn't be bothered with the combat though.

Hiyah:
Clearly made by an excellent artist. Seemed very rushed through.
[I guessed Vince12.]

In Limbo:
Not really a game, more a failed experiment for a novel inventory system

I Think:
Great music and eerie sound, plus some freaky speech made up for some rough graphics. The game ended before it got started.
[I didn't have a guess.]

Sammy Sperm:
Certainly a memorable game. The punchline was pretty good, reminiscent of Woody Allen's old ...Sex... film. The music seemed particularly unfitting.
[I guessed SSH, mostly because of who was doing the voice acting.]

Sheet:
An interesting concept, but hard to see where it could be taken.
[I guessed Hellomoto.]

The Find:
I liked the setting, the graphics and the music. I thought this game showed a lot of potential for expansion into a larger game.
[I guessed Chicky.]

Overall, I enjoyed the variety of the games, but I was disappointed that puzzles took a back seat this time around.

Nice bit of coding!
Added myself. Drop by if you're in town.

[PS Feeling lonely down there, Zor?]

Bump - new version (beta3) with bug fixes available. See first post for details.
Can now play Adventures in the Galaxy of Fantabulous Wonderment. Yay!

Great game, progZ!
I hadn't guessed it was yours - you disguised your sprite style nicely with that EGA stuff!
Four days? Wow.

It's a back story. It doesn't have to be factually accurate, just interesting. In this case a bold statement achieves the goal.

The chaos->order->chaos timeline is intended to explain the handing of power to the WEC.
Simple->complex organisation is, as you say, less dramatic. It also ignores the reality of many previous world civilizations which have crumbled and disappeared, possibly chaotically.

As for the polygamy, who's to say that in the 22nd century, polygamy isn't again endorsed?

The Redshirt is an awesome creation.
It clears up the logic of Ego's death and subsequent foreknowledge of what to do.
I'm impressed.

Quick report - don't try playing Adventures in the Galaxy of Fantabulous Wonderment just yet - I'm getting occasional crashes entering combat, which I must investigate.

[after]

Shooting Jean Charles de Menezes in the back of the head after pinning him to the ground is pure police brutality. They may have felt it was necessary, and a split second decision, but they should be looking at scenarios like this one in advance.

If he'd wanted to detonate explosives, why would he have waited until the (plain clothes) police pinned him to the ground? It's nonsensical. He could have pushed this mythical button at any point up to that, when running through crowds.
Why did the police follow him from a house, on and off a bus, before chasing him into a tube station? Why not take him into custody in a more quiet way, in a more quiet place?

I sympathise with the position the police are in, but claiming this type of action is justified is not the answer.