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Those holidays have totally destroyed our productivity! Check that out: Our private forums look dead ans there has been approx. 0.0000 new production in the last few weeks.

But we're slowly recovering from the sun, and we'll soon become freak-nerds again! Stay tuned!
Oh, and it goes without saying that we still need all the helmp we can get! Artists, scripters, music, etc.

Best of luck with your game!

[So, two questions:]

I'm trying to have the following workflow:
- We use the same game files for both demo and final game (with a #define for all required code branches)
- We release the game "as is". But before we release the demo, we quickly remove most of the unnecessary resources (rooms, etc.), mostly  to reduce the size.

That's where I need to work out the sound cache file : I've noticed that removing the sound resources from the game (using the Editor) doesn't seem to reduce the final game size. I believe it's because all the sounds are cached in that intemediate file, onto which the game-maker has no direct control.

So, two questions:
1) What are the "real" .wav and .mp3 for? Do they become useless as soon as the sound is imported into the game, usign the Editor? They can be removed without impacting the game?
2) How do I force-update the audio cache file -- to make sure that all sounds removed using the Editor will actually be removed from the final compiled game?

Thanks.

Electronic Arts  have 16 games currently in development, as opposed to only 8.

Yeah, but Icey doesn't own many succesful licences ready to be sabotaged, like EA does.
PS: Adeel! Give us news! We miss you!

Did you know this Icey Games game?

[implementing references into AGS script would make it much better imo]

Back on topic: implementing references into AGS script would make it much better imo -- then it would give us plenty more time to think about a potential language change, if that ever happens (I'm in favor of it though).

So, it's not "one or the other".
It's: "At first one, then we'll see"

PS: My opinion about AGS script curve not being so smooth: I've been scripting for about 10 years, and I still I hate that import/export bullshit. Every time I need to use them, I can't figure it out myself (just by reading the documentation) -- so, every time, I need to read my older scripts to remember how I made it work, or I need to spend 30 minutes doing trial and error. Every. Single. Time.

That brutal avenger kills baddies in what appears to be a Super 5! At least he has a good taste.

It's definitely Police Quest 3.

[Yep, from the description it's exactly what we need!]

You mean something like this?

Yep, from the description it's exactly what we need! Even if your module code is dirty, it's fine for us... May I be as bold as asking you to try it out in a scrolling room that uses the "smooth scrolling" module? Just to make sure it doesn't need modifications.

@StillInThe90's : We already have an animation ready for one of the maps, but it was a quick prototype, and thanks to a proper script we'd be able to create as many maps as we need very quickly.

@Darth Mandarb: Thanks for your patience! I realize we're borderline to the forum rules, we're doing our best!

Bumping to remind Iceboty to move this to the modules forum.

Hey, I know it's the holiday, but still, that doesn't explain the complete absence of reaction!

Come on guys, are you chickening out or what?    ( <-- lame attempt at motivating people)

[SCRIPTING CHALLENGE]

SCRIPTING CHALLENGE

Hi everybody!

We're launching a little scripting challenge for something well known: The Indy-style travel map (see the video below)
We could script it ourselves, but every little help counts, and we have such a gigantic task to achieve! Such a fun scripting gadget will probably stimulate the scripters out there.

REQUIREMENTS:
- Most of this should be a module, independant from the actual room
- The lines should be displayed dynamically (not just a pre-rendered animation).
- The viewpoint should follow a CHARACTER (an invisible point, really) to make the script usable with scrolling backgrounds, and compatible with smooth scrolling.
- The process for the end-user scripter should be as follows:

- create a room with the map as the background
   - create one or several objects that will be used as the overlay showing the vehicle in the foreground (e.g. the plae in the video below)
   - Using a function offered by the module script, define the points through which the line will run (the coordinates should be in room coordinates, not screen coordinates)
   - Using a function offered by the module script, define what vehicle (which object) will be displayed during which sequences of the trip. Then the module will automatically fade it in and out later.
   - A function eventually starts the actual cutscene.

The video below can be used as a reference (except the travelling lines should always be straight)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkXS-T8zqxE


So what do you say?

make something absolutely horrible happen to the main villain that is guaranteed to frighten children.  It just wouldn't be true Indy without seeing a Nazi disintegrate.

Actually I'm pretty sure no nazi has died that way yet in history You'll be surprised!

What help do you need scripting-wise? I mean: Character's Scripting, Inventory Objects' Scripting, Room's Scripting, etc

We need every kind of help we can get: our issue is not the difficulty of the scripting, but the volume of what we need to accomplish. I'll send you a PM and we can discuss you scripting a few rooms to make them functional (interactions, etc.)

Yes, I meant game project (.agf)

You mean I can just copy around .crm files and when I open a game that has that .crm file in its folder, then the room will appear in that game?

Then, what number does it receive? The number that's part of the .crm file name?

["create template" room feature]

Hi all,

Is it possible to use the "create template" room feature to create rooms separately and then "import" them into the "main" game file?
We're working as a team and it's a bit complicated to work on the game when only one person can use the main game file at a time.

Would there be a catch in that idea?

[you]

We're happy to announce that, after Khristian Cammilleri joining us to help with the backgrounds, it's now horrorfiend who's joined to help us with the sound effects!

Why don't you lend us a hand? Every little helps!

That game was pure insanity!
Loved it.

[PATH]

I just tried to create a "calc.exe" using AGS 3.2.1.
OS: Windows 7 "family premium" SP1, 64-bits.

I ran calc.Exe from within winsetup.exe

The game ran normally (it didn't run the calculator).

What I suspect (I have no evidence but it's my intuition):
- winsetup.exe runs the game internally using any kind of standard "start child process" function offered by the API it uses (Allegro? .Net?)
- Those functions usually run in a similar way as command-line works. So I guess it's equivalent to typing "calc.exe" on the command line from within the game folder.
- When you do that, your OS looks up"calc.exe" in a certain order, using the PATH variable. If calc.exe's location is not specified explicitly, then Windows iterates on every location in PATH : and I suspect the issue occurs when the App Data folder doesn't come first. Probably the "Windows" folder comes before. So it runs calc.exe from Windows. adm244 you should check that on your system.

The solution would be to explicitly feed the "start child process" function with the full path where winsetup.exe is currently running.

Oh, and maybe that problem is originally caused by the Longest Journey installer, which would mess with Windows: That wouldn't be totally absurd. I can totally imagine them having some instructions in their installer script that "add" their game location to the PATH, but makes a small mistake at the same time (like, copying every location in the PATH before adding the new one, but in the backwards order, hence inverting everything).

My idea is to invert the logic of using scaling filters. At the moment the selected scaling filter define final resolution. While it is final resolution that should define which scaling filter to select. Setup should have following options:
- Display resolution
- Fullscreen (yes/no)
- Placement mode:

• Place (just render starting from 0,0)
• Center (center inside window)
• Stretch (stretch to window)
• Best fit (stretch proportionally as much as fits in the window) - this is the default option

- Scaling filter to use if necessary: nearest-neighbour (plain/AA), hq2x, hq3x.

I like your idea.
But as Snarky pointed out, sometimes the choice of the resolution by the player (at least me) is a bit irrational. Especially the zooming level. Sometimes I want to play in window-mode, and I decide sort-of afterwards if I want the game to use up most of the screen (3x) or just part of it (2x).

However I strongly agree that we have to find a way to "hide" those resolution calculations from the player.

Maybe we could have a list of recomended modes (appearing in bold in the list)?

Or have a thumbnail of what the result would look like in the winsetup.exe window? (a bit like in the Display Parameters window of Windows XP -- see the upper part of the screenshot below.) : you'd see a larger rectangle symbolizing the screen, with a message on top of it : "your screen needs to be able to display resolution 1024x768" and a smaller rectangle inside it symbolizing the game window ("the game will appear as a 800x600 window")