Messages

Deleting global.json worked. I'm now able to build the solution. Now I'm taking a deep breath and continuing
I should let you know that I downloaded Godot alongside MonoAGS, though <-- that's to maintain pressure and suspense

the exact version of dotnet Core that was specified in the global.json, that is v2.0.2.

Well it's not available for download https://www.microsoft.com/net/download/all
Any other way? I'll try from within VS.

I googled Buccaneer and I'm baffled tat it is as old as 2003. It's funny because it shares visual similarities with the recent "Chronicle of Innsmouth", also made with AGS.

What are the novelties?

Thanks for all the tips, I'll use them when I reach the next step.

For now, I'm trying to be in the head of a complete beginner : "How do I know what to do when some of the solution's projects don't load? Can I do without them or are they vital?". It's good to know that I don't need Xamarin for the Android project. (maybe adding a little note on that topic in the Wiki would be a good idea?)
However, I'm stil having issues: the AGS.Editor project is still there in the solution and doesn't build. Because of that, the other projects complain that AGS.Editor.dll is missing. I'll give more details tonight when I get home.

First experience when opening the .sln on my machine that has VS2017 Community installed (from Unity I believe?) --> It tells me MonoAGS needs the .Net Framework 4.6.1. I'm going to install it but is it really mandatory?

EDIT: after letting VS install the whole shebang itself, after restarting it I get "these projects are not supported"
[imgzoom]https://78.media.tumblr.com/c9f4c572d673d88f3d65f7a83e099f3e/tumblr_p84gtiqtUQ1tsfksfo1_1280.png[/imgzoom]


[imgzoom]https://78.media.tumblr.com/e1f1d1fa64c291f5017bd0e2956bb1c6/tumblr_p84gxvl9HW1tsfksfo1_1280.png[/imgzoom]

Nope! Don't mind at all ^_^

My approach is slightly different from yours : I will want to use the Editor as much as possible.


EDIT (unrelated) : dammit! why do code geniuses like you guys already use expression-bodied members? They aren't even 3 years old! How do you expect people like us to follow? Lol. (don't even bother answering that)

+1

[Things to add in the "get started" wiki:]

I intend on trying to develop a tiny game with monoAGS.
This will be a test run to assert by myself how mature and/or easy-to-use it is. I will post my progress here.
If I succeed, I will try to convert a medium-size AGS game into MonoAGS. again, I will post my progress here.

This sort-of blog is meant to deliver tips to anyone trying to do the same, and maybe be an incentive to start something.

If you wonder why I'm posting this on the AGS forums, then please read this thread and all the other threads about the same topic.


Edit by cat:
MonoAGS Repository
MonoAGS Documentation

EDIT 2 :
Things to add in the "get started" wiki:

- if you can't build an Android project, it means you might need to install Xamarin (read more in the posts below)
- if you can't build any of the other projects, try these :
    1) make sure you have .Net Core installed (see posts below for links and version). To do so :
       - Open the Windows Command Prompt
       - type this and press return :
         dotnet --info
       - if you get an error message: then it means dotnet core is not installed. Otherwise you get the exact version currently installed.
    OR, if it still doesn't work:
    2) try to delete global.json and then rebuild the solution. This should specifically solve the error "The current .NET SDK does not support targeting .NET Standard 2.0. ..."
- If the solution builds fine but the project won't start, check if you have a message similar to "you cna't trun that type of project". If so, right-click on the actual game project in the solution (asopposed to the other projects : shared libraries and whatnot) and select "Set as Startup Project".

EDIT 3 : those comments are now included in the FAQ : https://tzachshabtay.github.io/MonoAGS/articles/faq.html

The main additions are double click running and the new save gui. And of course the whole code reorganizing and refactoring stuff, but technically these aren't features

So basically it does exactly what our template does. Even the running. I'm gutted. Proof I should visit the forums more often

Alone in the Dark +1
I'm talking about the first one, as a teenager, and it was mostly because of the music and the sound effects.

[r]

helping me with the existing translation.

Watch out you made a copy&paste mistake in the French screenshot : It's not "ourvrir", it's supposed to be "ouvrir".

Question : apart from the new copy&save, are there any other improvements? We've just finished integrating the 9verb into the "custom save with screenshots" and bam, just at the same time you release it packaged. So I'm thinking if it's worth integrating again.

Since no one responded to this, I've decided to take it upon myself to find out.

Amazing job!
Can you clarify which method you used to "make the image in 128 colors"? did you 1) Posterize? 2) Switch the image mode to "indexed"? 3) Save as gif and chose the number of color from the export settings?

Update : edited first post to recommend using late_repeatedly_execute_always

Snarky, if you could extend this to multiple lines, I'd be eternally grateful to you.
Also I'd really encourage you to implement highlight and simple copy/paste (data stays within AGS). You could probably get some inspiration about mouse-control and highlight from my (almost working but eternally slightly broken) module, TextArea.

I realy need a text area component, but I've never managed to release one that's bug free.

Can someone testify that Gimp color reduction is better than Photoshop color reduction?
Also, are we talking "posterize" or "switching to indexed colors mode"?

Also I'm wondering if Photoshop is using the same color reduction algorithm when switching to indexed colors as when exporting to Gif. Overtime they absorbed so many different external algorithms...

[bicubic sharper]

Consider this an extra article, that is not better or worse than the other articles provided:

- scan at A4 with a good resolution (300dpi?)
- adjust brightness, contrast and color saturation in some images processing software (let's say its Photoshop)
- apply "sharper" filter if needed.
- reduce image to twice the size of your final resolution, using the right algorithm (for example: bicubic sharper. For example if you target 320x200, then reduce at 640x400.
- Reduce again to 320x200, but this time with an algorithm that keeps things crisp (for example: nearest neighbour
- now you're almost done but you need with two final (optional) steps : noise reduction (to keep it crisp but make it less busy by reducing rogue pixels) and color reduction (to give it an old-timey look while not making it look like a crappy gif)
- you can achieve noise reduction by using "XiMagic denoiser" (free demo plugin for Photoshop)
- you can achieve color reduction by using the "posterize" filter (not very pretty) or the free demo of the "XiMagic quantizer" Photoshop plugin.

After doing all that you should get some DoTT-grade background quality

Release candidate.

- the backpack makes zero sense in terms of size and straps. But at least it makes the sprite more acceptable to the player's eye.
- The character's face in the front cycle is too narrow.

[imgzoom]https://78.media.tumblr.com/e8100f5a4b8acd373808807f18003ff6/tumblr_p6zq1kztIF1tsfksfo1_75sq.gif[/imgzoom]
[imgzoom]https://78.media.tumblr.com/18a2663fffe1992c42a8f09113410959/tumblr_p6zq1kztIF1tsfksfo2_75sq.gif[/imgzoom]
[imgzoom]https://78.media.tumblr.com/05a91c9306d6c47e08d91b83a2e5a494/tumblr_p6zq1kztIF1tsfksfo3_75sq.gif[/imgzoom]
[imgzoom]https://78.media.tumblr.com/513128dacbe61b8b1cf4c49aad38f350/tumblr_p6zq1kztIF1tsfksfo4_540.gif[/imgzoom]

Links to Photoshop source files :
back
front
side

[Anyways, long things short :]

About stereotypes :

Spoiler

I agree with you on being careful with ethnics stereotypes. Especially, I didn't know that sherpas were a people. I thought thta it literally meant "mountain carrier". Today I learnt something.

I'm myself very attached to racist portrayals in video games and pop culture i general, but I'm facing a contradiction here, as I'm making an Indiana Jones game. This series of movies is racist by essence, because it takes its inspiration from 1920's and 1930's colonial bullshit and pulp movies. I'm facing the same issue with its inherent sexism, even though we've found interesting leads to keep it under control.

[close]

Anyways, long things short : there are things I'm willing to gve up, and others not.

For example, the "functional" side of things. Most of the pictures that can be found nowadays, even from as far as the 1920's, were taken by montain climbers who were going to the top of mountains. These were carefully-planned, prestigious expeditions. And the mountain guides were given (mostly) the same equipment as the Europeans. I think that the people that appear on these pictures are not the "regular" moutain guides.

I think that in everyday life, for going to lower altitudes, I bet that the clothing of moutain peasants was much more traditional. Hence my choice of clothes. That said, there's traditional and traditional. I don't know if the robe is "traditional ceremonial" or "traditional everyday life".

Therefore, I think that your counter-proposition is cool. I just loved the cap with flaps (which also reminds us of Lost Ark), but it's incompatible with the basket option, which I love too. I think I'll take your version and just modify his position to make him bend forward a little more (for the weight). What I don't like with the basket though is that the forehead piece of clothe makes the sprite look like an Arabian at first glance.

Hard to decide.

[scale]

Meet this guy (on the right). He's a Tibetan mountain guide from 1940.
You can consider that he's the same kind of guy who assist the nazi interrogator in Marion's bar fight scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.


This is a concept art. It's not even finished, there are holes in the body and the backpack is a rough draft. But you get the idea.



[imgzoom]https://78.media.tumblr.com/d063fb94d03c5ba878cb8172cea34450/tumblr_p6oiaozfDW1tsfksfo1_75sq.png[/imgzoom]
4x
[imgzoom]https://78.media.tumblr.com/16c3390dbdb1d6183c2060323a9740e9/tumblr_p6oiaozfDW1tsfksfo2_400.png[/imgzoom]

Concept :
- his backpack is huge. Like sherpas.
- he's a cowardish villain.
- Some reference for the clothing : http://photogrvphy.com/tibet-life-in-forbidden-lhasa-1940s-and-50s/


Critics :
- I'm not sure about the scale. I don't like that he seems slightly bigger (both by face and by body) than Indy.
- I didn't design the color scheme. For now I've just copied the scheme of the other character on the left. But I don't really know in which direction I should go.

If you feel like painting over the face then suit yourself.
For the body, don't make the backpack overly complicated please, as his walkcycle will be animated.