Messages

Crimson Wizard : if I understand well, you suggest...

Yes, that is what he suggests.
Usually the keys look like this : tom.name   tom.history    tom.history.title    tom.history.details   etc.

The reason we didn't go that way is for the reasons Crimson Wizard mentioned :
- You need an entire English translation file.
- It's easier to remember what the text is about if you see it directly in the source code, especially when designing dialogs.

[VER]

(For advanced users only) On the topic of iterative translations and how to revise them, here is what we do in our game:

We do NOT do this :

Code: ags

player.Say("Nothing happens.");

Instead we do this :

Code: ags

player.Say(SmartString("VER:1.1DATA:Nothing happens."));

The SmartString function is as follows :

Spoiler

Code: ags

String SmartString(String s)
{
  String needle = "DATA:";
  int needlePos = s.IndexOf(needle);
  if (needlePos >= 0) {
    //Translate, then return the data
    s = GetTranslation(s);
    s = s.Substring(needlePos+needle.Length, s.Length-needle.Length);
  } else {
    String needle2 = "NEVERTRANSLATE:";
    int needlePos2 = s.IndexOf(needle2);
    if (needlePos2 >= 0) {
      //Return the data untranslated
      s = s.Substring(needlePos2+needle2.Length, s.Length-needle2.Length);
    }
  }
  return s;
}

[close]

So as you can see if lets you add as many special keywords or fields as you want in any String (VER is for the game version, NEVERTRANSLATE is to force the game not to translate that one, etc. And DATA is the actual text.)

This is useful for a few things. The main one being : You can spot (and sort) the newer lines directly by looking in your translations file. You can extend the capabilities to, for example, add which room this string is from, or a comment for the translator, or whatever you feel like.

• Obviously this is not needed by everyone.
• Like its been said before, it's better not to enter that granularity of fine-tuning until very late in the development. For example we did not use SmartStrings for version 1.0 of the game and introduced them only for new lines introduced in version 1.1.
• This doesn't work in Dialog options
• The translator needs to not be too clueless and not modify anything before DATA:

    

Relic of the Viking wasn't nominated in the categories where I thought it would make sense to be nominated, but did get nominated in categories that I did not imagine (it's not even really a demo, it's a medium-length game  )
But yeah why not!   


If someone was disappointed that their game didn't get nominated, here was my own votes. Maybe it will warm up some hearts?

Spoiler

Best Game Created with AGS

    Zniw Adventure
    A Son of Xenon - A Space Quest Prequel
    Billy Masters Was Right
    The Cabin
    FALL
    Stellar Mess - Demo
    Urban Witch Story
    Indiana Jones and the relic of the Viking
    Off The Clock

Best Writing

    Off The Clock
    Bartolomeo, misled by circumstances, learns that appearances can be deceptive
    Billy Masters Was Right
    Barn Runner: Pucker Factor
    Falling Dark 2: Relapse
    Maverick Gunn and the Eye of Oggun
    Urban Witch Story
    The Dome
    Wendy Whedon 2 - Nature's Rejects

Best Character

    "the fox" from A Prelude to an Adventure
    "daryll" from The Halloween Party
    "the robot" from Neos Aires 2070: Sunday Comes First
    "all secondary characters" from Urban Witch Story

Best Gameplay

    30 minutes
    Doors
    Falling Dark 2: Relapse
    Dread Mac Farlane - Le Fils du Pirate
    Lord of Light
    Money Mansion
    Nous, les Mortifer
    SLEUTH

Best Background Art

    Off The Clock
    Zniw Adventure
    A Prelude to an Adventure
    Barahir's Adventure: Askar's Castle
    A Son of Xenon - A Space Quest Prequel
    Indiana Jones and the relic of the Viking
    Billy Masters Was Right
    Stellar Mess - Demo
    The Cabin
    Bartolomeo, misled by circumstances, learns that appearances can be deceptive

Best Character Art

    Suli Fallen Harmony
    Off The Clock
    Elia, Ilaria & the Kids Having a Good Time at the Sea (or at least they try)
    Bartolomeo, misled by circumstances, learns that appearances can be deceptive
    Zniw Adventure
    Urban Witch Story

Best Animation

    Duty first
    A Prelude to an Adventure
    Indiana Jones and the relic of the Viking
    Off The Clock
    Suli Fallen Harmony
    Zniw Adventure
    My Father's Secret
    The Cabin
    Nous, les Mortifer
    Wendy Whedon 2 - Nature's Rejects

Best Music & Sound

    Off The Clock
    FALL
    Falling Dark 2: Relapse
    Billy Masters Was Right
    Barahir's Adventure: Askar's Castle
    Indiana Jones and the relic of the Viking
    Path of the skinwalker FULL GAME
    The Office (not that one)
    Urban Witch Story

Best Voice Work

    Whack-A-Soul
    Suli Fallen Harmony
    SLEUTH
    Tales From The Road
    This is the Way

Best Demo

Best Non Adventure Game Created with AGS

    Rain & Snow - The Bouncer
    Starship Light [BETA]
    Space Cat vs Virus
    The Mind [MAGS March 2020]

Best Short Game

Best Programming

    Barahir's Adventure: Askar's Castle
    Black Sect 2: The Cursed Crypt (PnC Remake)
    Barn Runner: Pucker Factor
    Futurama: Who Said That!?!
    Off The Clock
    The Mind [MAGS March 2020]
    Whack-A-Soul
    Starship Light [BETA]

[close]

[art]

I was confused by the "best character" category because the survey's label says "best character art" so I thought it was only about the drawings, not the character's overall charisma/lines/vibe :/

EDIT: Dang! There was actually BOTH! I mixed the two categories while taking my notes in preparation of my votes, now I have to think about it again 

I think that the download links for Grandma Badass are missing from the itch.io page of the game (or hard to locate on the page?). It's a bit amateurish so I wouldn't be surprised if it was by accident.

Haven't checked... But, you need at least 3 characters before autocomplete kicks in on its own. Otherwise, Ctrl+Space invokes autocomplete.

You should check, you will see that this case is quite unique.

[global]

That's something that has been bugging me for many versions of the Editor :

1) Go to your global script
2) Write this :

Code: ags

DynamicSprite* s = DynamicSprite.Create(1,1);
DrawingSurface* ds = s.GetDrawingSurface

3)
- What you observe (good) : the word "GetDrawingSurface" to be suggested as autocomplete when you start typing it

4) Now, repeat the exact same steps in a ROOM script :
- What you expect (good) : the word "GetDrawingSurface" to be suggested as autocomplete when you start typing it
- What you observe (bad) : the word "GetDrawingSurface" is not suggested

If I'm not mistaken, none of the DynamicSprite functions get their autocomplete in Room scripts


I'm using the latest version (I think it's 3.5.0.24 or something).
This issue has existed probably since 3.4.x

[elevator code :]

OK, here are some hints for the elevator code :

Hint #1

Spoiler

First you need to find the two clues about your boss in two different places:
- Your boss's nickname
- His "joke"

[close]

Hint #2

Spoiler

After you find the two clues, go use your personal computer again in your office

[close]

Hint #3

Spoiler

It's about hexadecimal

[close]

Hint #4

Spoiler

Go watch a full walk-through by typing "son of xenon" into Youtube

[close]

About the code to the boss office in the elevator...

I have this :

Spoiler

ACE
30 instead of 48

[close]

What I'm thinking :

Spoiler

ACE --> 135 --> 0135 (because the code has 4 digits).
But then "30 instead of 48" I was thinking I needed to add or subtract 48-30=18. So I tried 0135+18=0153, or 0135-18=0117
I tried 0135 just in case.

[close]

But none of those work.
So maybe ACE refers to positions on the keypad instead of an actual number...
I was also thinking that ACE could be l33tsp34k, like "4C3" but there's no C in l33tsp34k, so... I don't know.

[Indiana Jonesand therelic of the Viking]

For your consideration :

Indiana Jones
and the
relic of the Viking

- English
- French
- German
- Italian

Medium-length game (about one hour to finish or even more if you take your time)
Lucasarts-style : no dead ends, a bit of humor, overall more graphical than textual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tr9qLmKSxs

• 
  AGS page : https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2500-indiana-jones-and-the-relic-of-the-viking/
  
• Website : https://raidersofthesevencities.com

[this game should be made available as a template for any game that has the EGA Space Quest aesthetics]

I'm reviving the thread to say that this game should be made available as a template for any game that has the EGA Space Quest aesthetics. It has everything, even the fonts, and it's very polished up.

This game is absolutely worth playing. Once you go past the ugliness, it's actually a pretty cool game.

About the retinal scan :

Spoiler

I have the eyeball but the scanner is not powered on. I don't know how to power it on. the canner is powered on but says "unable to perform retinal scan"

I have powered up the console that's in the room with the 4 cryogenic beds, but it only seems to let me check the statuses, not power on any kind of emergency power source
I have tried using the passkey onto the reader in the main corridor, but even the reader is not powered on, so I'm confused.

I still have the spoon, the glass, the eye and the passkey left from my previous actions. The extension cord cannot be taken back from the console.

[close]

I just needed to..

Spoiler

Look at the eyeball in my inventory, and act accordingly to the comment

[close]

As always, thanks so much for the whole team who is painstakingly curating all this event -- listing, sorting, advertising, programming, etc! Thank you cat, thank you all.

EDIT: This year I've decided to soldier through and try all of them. It already took me 2 hours to try the first 3 ones 

Great use of palette and dithering!

The inventory limit is a questionable choice indeed. It works in this game (to a certain extent) but I'd suggest maybe thinking twice in the next game.

[bugs]

What are you trying to test specifically?
- That you have no bugs in your GUI, or your special options, or sound, or anything custom you might have programmed?
- That you don't have missing interactions / deadends in your game?

The first one can be tested with standard code testing methods.
The second one can be tested in two ways :
1) having as many people play your game as possible
2) having default interactions for when you forgot to program an interaction.

Thanks for the extra info!

Thanks

[Was it simply that this module was considered an essential? And since it was in the git repo, then the writer was "allowed" to add a few sections in the main help file?]

I'm thinking of releasing this very beefy module (I'll package it in a template for convenience) and I'd like to know what are the most recent refinements in terms of help files for something that's not native to AGS.
I've seen some very important modules (I can't remember if it was Tweens or maybe Tumbleweed/9verbs) that had their own help sections directly included in the AGS help and I'd like to know exactly how they made that happen.

Was it simply that this module was considered an essential? And since it was in the git repo, then the writer was "allowed" to add a few sections in the main help file?
We can talk later about deciding if my module is considered an essential, right now I'm just asking about the context of how it came to happen.