Messages

Independently from Gilbert's intentions, one might observe that he is setting a rather deadly trap for himself:
This screenshot looks exactly like Maniac Mansion, which means people will expect exactly something as brilliant as MM. Except MM isn't that brilliant (or, at least, if you put it in context, it cannot compete anymore with games from the golden age, like DoTT or Sam&Max -- and I'm not even talking about the graphics, I'm just talking about the gameplay, writing and puzzles).
Therefore, if he goes that way, there can only be disappointment -- and if that happens, Gilbert will be definitely "burnt" with the nostalgia fans.

That said, I doubt that this picture would look anything like the project. I cannot imagine even for one second that Gilbert would be so naive. I'm sure his team have something up their sleeve.

I had no idea either. That's cool.

If we are to suggest gamedevs an explicit function, we'd better introduce something new (like the property example I mentioned above).

Well, as you wish, I don't really care. I just wat to be able to code my Ctrl+V

[3.3.0 RC1]

I'm using 3.3.0 RC1. I'm working in debug mode and didn't try in "release" mode because I read everywhere that it's the same in release mode. I can try in release mode if you want.

I understand the pros and cons of each solution:
- Leaving a permanently-enabled shortcut is more reliable for complex or professional games, when the developers can ask the client to double-check the build version anytime, even when they forgot to include such shortcut.
- Adding an explicit Call to Debug(1,0) in on_key_press is more consistent with the rest of the global script.

COMPROMISE : how about making the shortcut more complex, like "Ctrl+Alt+V"? My only issue right now is that it overlaps with the almost-universal "Paste" shortcut (Ctrl+V). Ctrl+Alt+V is much more rare. I suppose that would be super easy to change in the next 3.3.x release.

Actually I'm confused as well. The workaround you describe here describes precisely my faulty situation: a label on a fully transparent GUI. All non-fully opaque pixels of the font get rendered fully opaque onto the merged label/gui.

Anyway now that I know you guys know there's an issue, I can klive with it. I just wanted to make sure it didn't go unnoticed.

I think it's the same issue, except AGD2 noticed the issue for GUI background sprites that have pixels of various transparency values (general case), when I noticed the issue for a background that is completely transparent (specific case). As he underlined, the more transparent the GUI pixels, the more jagged the font.

That's a weird issue, it's like some variable in the rendering code was inverted, and the more a pixel should be transparent, the more opaque it gets rendered.

Congrats!

I've never used GameMaker, but I wonder how the designers could have integrated some collision functions without making them work properly.

[I know that 99% of GUI issues with alpha in GUIs have been fixed]

I know that 99% of GUI issues with alpha in GUIs have been fixed lately, for example since 3.3.0.

But I still found one tiny surviving issue:
- create a 32-bits game
- create a GUI. Use color 0 as background color, to make it fully transparent.
- Create a label onto it.
- Set the label's font to a font that has a few glitches.
  By "glitches", I mean a font where not all pixels are either fully white or fully black.
  Well, to be honest I'm not sure how this works in detail, but I'm certain the glitchy font has some dirty pixels -- whether not fully opaque, or they use a color other than B or W. I had that dirty font by importing a TTF font to a fixed size (you know, when AGS asks you what should be the height of the TTF-turned-pixels font). So as you see it's not an uncommon situation.

No, the interesting part:
- When the GUI background has a given color (e.g. yellow), the font is rendered properly
- When the GUI's transparent property is not 100%, everything still works fine.
- Only when the GUI has a transparent background color (pink or "0"), then the dirty pixels of the font are rendered fully opaque.

Would not that be a better solution if engine converted all loaded bitmaps, whether from package or created dynamically, to game color depth?

Yes, yes it would. I suppose that in the past that wouldn't have been a satisfying solution for everyone, because some game makers would have used low-color-depth in large sprites, on purpose, to reduce resources usage.
But nowadays, your suggestion seems pretty obvious and most efficient.

[Compiled]

The file to read is supposed to be placed in the Compiled folder.

If the file is there, then it's definitely a permissions issue. Make sure the game is in "My Documents" or the Windows 7/8 equivalent to it, not on the Desktop, not in some edgy location like C:\AGS.

[1)]

More generally, I've grown accustomed to the following reflex: when some alpha blending goes wrong, always check the color-detph (and alpha, where it applies) of: 1) the game, 2) the rendered sprite 3) The sprite onto which it gets rendered (e.g. the background image). The culprit is almost always one of them, especially the last one, that might be 16 or 24 bits since that's how most default game templates were created.
When everything is 32-bits with alpha, there's no problem.

it's currently under GPL.

I have no idea when and why I did that. I'll change it in the next iteration. Users can already consider it's fully free to use. <-- This statement supercedes the license in the file.

You need to answer monkey's questions, but just a hint: could it be that PotentialCabinet is defined in the header of a script, and function ReadCabinetNames is in another script? If yes, then that's a common beginners mistake:
- You must put this in the script header:

Code: ags

import CustomType PotentialCabinet; //Replace 'CustomType' with the real name 

- In the script body, you must put :

Code: ags

CustomType PotentialCabinet[10]; //Replace 10 with your own value
export PotentialCabinet;

...Otherwise the reason why the value is "null" is because you actually have two different PotentialCabinet variables when you believe you have only one.

   

Well actually I DO want to disable Ctrl+V, because it messes up my copy/paste shotcuts!!!
Is there any way at all?

All I can say is that cursing at the game won't get you anywhere, OR WILL IT?

BUT OF COURSE that's the very first thing I tried. You thinks I cwayzay o what?
I just didn't think you made the entire sequel rely on that! You insane people, you.

[Quickly that can become a problem if you don't remember which version is not the most up-to-date.]

Imagine you have this utility script that you're fond of, let's call it "StringUtility", that has a few generic functions that perform simple stuff on Strings. You use that module in every AGS project, because it's so simple yet so useful.

PROBLEM: you're developing several AGS projects at the same time, and from time to time you want to add a function to StringUtility. But if you modify that script in your first project, then you also have to change it in your other project. Quickly that can become a problem if you don't remember which version is not the most up-to-date.

If only there was a way to mirror changes to that script to every AGS project that uses it!
Well, there is.


=======

FOR WINDOWS VISTA/7/8
1. create that directory structure :

Code: ags

//Note: "<your_path>\Documents\AGS" can be any other folder you wish!
<your_path>\Documents\AGS\MyAGSProject1 //that folder contains your game, i.e. MyAGSProject1.agf
<your_path>\Documents\AGS\MyAGSProject2 //that folder contains your game, i.e. MyAGSProject2.agf
<your_path>\Documents\AGS\COMMON //that folder will contain all the modules you wish to share

2. Move the modules to the COMMON folder

For example, move "StringUtility.ash" and  "StringUtility.asc",
...from <your_path>\Documents\AGS\MyAGSProject1
... to <your_path>\Documents\AGS\COMMON

3. In the game folder, create a symbolic link to the COMMON folder

- Open a command prompt as Administrator (Start-->All programs-->Accessories-->Command prompt-->right-click-->run as administrator)
- Go to your game folder: cd <your_path>\Documents\AGS\MyAGSProject1
- type those two commands :
  mklink StringUtility1.1.asc ..\..\_COMMON\StringUtility.asc
  mklink StringUtility1.1.ash ..\..\_COMMON\StringUtility.ash
- now two files have appeared in your game folder! They look as shortcuts, but they are symbolic links. They act as real files.
- Repeat the same steps in your other game directory.

4. Test

- Open your first game in the AGS editor: <your_path>\Documents\AGS\MyAGSProject1\MyAGSProject1.agf
- Open the module's script files there. Modify them.
- Close AGS and now open your other game (MyAGSProject2.agf). Open the module files.
- They've changed here too! hurray!

5. Automate the process

- It's better if you can re-create those symbolic links in one click, just in case they get removed for some reason.
- To do so : create a .bat file in your game folder (e.g. <your_path>\Documents\AGS\MyAGSProject1\create_links.bat )
- Put all the commands you've typed in the command prompt into it.
- BUT precede them with cd %~dp0. That's because you'll need to run this batch file as Administrator, but unfortunately when you do so Windows makes the .bat file start in some random system folder. Using %~dp0 gives you the real folder where it got executed in the first place (i.e. : your game folder)
- I recommend you add a timeout at the end to be able to see if everything went fine. Note: "pause" won't work when running a bat file as admin. That's a safety measure from Windows, to forbid crazy batch files that don't require human interaction from getting blocked and preventing machines to be remotely shut down.

Code: ags

@echo off 
cls

REM the line below changes directory to the directory where the batch was run
pushd %~dp0
REM the line below makes sure we're not in C:\windows\system32 anymore
if "%CD:~0,2%"=="C:" goto wrongdrive

mklink StringUtility1.1.asc ..\..\_COMMON\StringUtility.asc
mklink StringUtility1.1.ash ..\..\_COMMON\StringUtility.ash

goto ok

:wrongdrive
	echo === Wrong drive! ===
        REM we use timeout instead of pause because pause doesn't work as Administrator
	timeout /t 20
	goto end

:ok
	timeout /t 20
	goto end

:end

6. If you want to do it like a Boss

I suggest you create two more .bat files :
- One that removes the symbolic links

Code: ags

@echo off
cls

pushd %~dp0
if "%CD:~0,2%"=="C:" goto wrongdrive

rem delete all symbolic links  (/AL) in this folder. /P is for confirming each file
del /AL /P *.*

goto ok

:wrongdrive
	echo === Wrong drive! ===
	timeout /t 20
	goto end

:ok
	timeout /t 20
	goto end

:end

- One that duplicates the whole game folder to some new output folder, and also copies over the real module files from "COMMON". This way, all you have to do is to zip up that output folder to distribute your full game code.
(note: this one doesn't need to be run as administrator)

Code: ags

@echo off
cls

REM delete Distrib folder and everything it contains
rd /s/q ..\Distrib
REM recreate it
mkdir ..\Distrib
REM copy contents (/s for subfolders)
xcopy *.* ..\Distrib /s

timeout /t 20

[What does it do :]

What does it do : It's like a multi-line textbox. You can type some text, use the keyboard arrows to move the cursor, or click with the mouse. You can click on scrolling arrows to scroll up and down. You can use the buttons (or shortcuts) to copy&paste text.

Optional:
- You can forbid the text area from scrolling. When the user reaches its end, a message tells him he cannot add more text.
- You can use 256-characters fonts or 128-characters fonts. If the user types a special character (e.g. 'é') in 128-characters text area, then it gets converted to s standard character ('e').
- You can add sounds (e.g. typewriter sound, etc.)

Credits:
  Made by the Indiana Jones and the Seven Cities of Gold team (Monsieur Ouxx).
  Inspired by monkey_05_06's Text Area 0.0.1.1 here.

License:
  Use the script (not the images), copy it, modify it any way you want, even for commercial goals.

How to use:
- Download the demo and check out the room script. It's pretty much fully automatic, except you have to create and provide a bunch of GUIControls to the module.
- If the demo is not clear enough, check the header of the module.
- PLEASE NOTE that this module has several modules dependencies (StandaloneClick, StringUtility, etc.), that are provided with it (see the modules in the demo). Just import them in the same order.

Download:
   DOWNLOAD DEMO 0.92

Videos:

    VIDEO 1




    VIDEO 2




History:
- 0.9 : added cursor positionning by clicking or using the arrows. Added "insert" typing mode
- 0.92 : added scrolling, added cut/copy/paste


Known bugs:
- 0.92 :
  (these are all minor bugs, it's pretty stable overall)
   - If you press "return" immediately on the first empty line of text, and try to click there to put the cursor back onto that empty line, then the cursor does not get positioned properly. Simple workaround: You need to use the left keyboard arrow to move it back to the first row.
   - If you past text onto an empty line, it might get pasted at the end of the previous line.
   - If you have two text areas and select text in one, then the selection markers might also appear in the other one.
   - If you insert backslash ('') then it messes with the special characters.
   - special character 'ç' is not recognized (but I think it's an AGS bug)

This is so (apparently) simple, yet so damn pretty. *jealous*

SPOILER

Spoiler

I didn't manage to pass the spiritual test. I didn't find how to go north, and the worst part is that I'm not sure if it's possible or not! This game broke my soul.

[close]