Messages

While experimenting with the rotate sprite function I got the following error message:

An exception 0xC0000005 occured in ACWIN.EXE at EIP = 0x0043B598 ; program pointer is -42, ACI version 2.71.894, gtags (1,130)

(...)

in Global script (line 76)

The code from this part of the script is:

Code: ags

  DynamicSprite *Plane=DynamicSprite.CreateFromExistingSprite(1);
  Plane.Rotate(angle(0,1));
  RawDrawImage(vectors[0].x, vectors[0].y, Plane.Graphic); // line 76
  Plane.Delete();

If anybody could shed some light on the problem it would be greatly apreciated.  It's been quite a while since I've done any scripting so it may be a pretty obvious problem.

I really like Arrested Development as well although I've only seen Season 1.Ã, 

I'm not surprised that it doesn't have a lot of viewers.Ã,  I think it takes a few episodes for a viewer to get a feel for the pace of the series.Ã,  I watched it on DVD and found it built up momentum as it progressed that I imagine would have been lacking if watched only on a weekly basis.Ã,  I think the continuity between episodes also makes it difficult for a viewer to access.Ã,  I loved the 1st Season but I refused to watch the 2nd season on television because it was already in progress and I wanted to see the episodes in sequence.

I'm not sure that mine is a common attitude but if so DVD may inadvertently hurt the ratings of shows like this.

I'm about as tone death as they come and I was able to solve this.  It didn't seem to be about matching a tone so much as making two overlapping sounds merge into one.  Seems like a puzzle that anyone could solve by trial and error if neccessary.

Nice and innovative.

I had blood in my urine for years before my family doctor finally referred me to a urologist.Ã,  Turned out I had kidney stones due to a mishapen kidney.Ã, 

Had the stones removed in Feburary as well as some re-constructive surgery on the kidney itself.Ã,  Don't think it solved the problem though.Ã,  I can feel more stones inside and am expecting to see blood again any day now.

A local game company put a job posting for a writer on the careers page of my university's website.Ã,  I think I've heard the company name mentioned once or twice in these forums (BioWare) so they must be doing all right.Ã, 

The posting was available to all faculties so it seems as though they're scouting for talent more than experience or a background in computer science.Ã,  The one requirement they do have is that the applicant has a familiarity with RPGs and fantasy.Ã,  I've never played an RPG but I gather from discussions here that they have some similarities to Adventures.Ã,  The primary duty of the position would be dialogue writing.Ã, 

How similar/dissimilar are conversations in RPGs with those in Adventures?

Is the player character in an RPG a blank slate for the player to define or does he/she have a pre-defined personality?

The applicant has to submit a sample dialogue with his resume.Ã,  They would prefer the submission to be created using their Neverwinter Nights toolset but I have no experience with that and the submission deadline is too soon to learn it.Ã,  I was thinking of making a 2 or 3 room demo in AGS with minimalist backgrounds and a few NPCs to meet.

Any helpful ideas/comments would be appreciated.

Here is the information from the posting:


Organization Name    BioWare Corp
Job No    1904
Job Title    Writer (Competition # 11-WD-WR-05)
Term    Permanent Fulltime
Job Start Date    June 01, 2005
Target   
   Faculty of Arts
   General (All Faculties)
   Faculty of Science
- Computing Science


Job Description
DUTIES
Primary Task: Writing dialogue. Must be able to write interesting dialogue in a timely fashion.
Secondary Tasks: Coming up with level designs, story and puzzle ideas.

Familiarity with the fantasy genre and role-playing games is a must. Should have some experience with the NWN editor. Examples of work must be provided (see below).
Required Submission: An example of writing via the Neverwinter Nights toolset must be provided for you to be considered for the position. However, an exception can be made if you have appropriate experience (eg. previous relevant experience) and education, and do not have access to the NWN toolset. If you are eligible for this exception we will contact you with an alternative submission option.
Here are the guidelines for the module:
- Make the module short. It should be a short interesting story that can be played within 15 to 30 minutes.
- Start the story off with a bang! If it doesn't catch our interest with the first character, your submission will likely be discarded.
- There should be at least 3000 words of dialogue within the module.
- We will be judging your ability to write dialogue that is interesting and has personality. The characters you are writing have to be engaging in a manner that immediately draws in the reader.
- The dialogue must be fun and easy to read, not overly verbose.
- We will also be judging the structure of your dialogue. Does the dialogue flow logically? Does the player feel in control of the conversation?
Examples of the style of game dialogue that we are looking for: Baldur's Gate 2. Planescape Torment. Neverwinter Nights.
COMMON WRITING SUBMISSION MISTAKES:
1. Overly verbose dialogue. Dialogue should be succinct & easy to read.
2. Dialogue where the player has very little interaction. The player should feel that he is talking to an NPC, not being talked at.
3. Modern sounding dialogue. Do not use modern anachronisms or slang. Fantasy characters shouldn't sound like they come from the 21st century.
4. Boring first character. The first character the player talks to sets the tone for the entire module.
Note: Resume submissions not including an example dialogue will not be considered.
Job Qualifications
Experience: Must have familiarity with non-linear storytelling techniques in interactive entertainment.
Minimum education - Canadian applicants: post-secondary diploma, certification or degree (preferred).
International applicants - for immigration purposes, minimum education requirement: post-secondary degree or diploma.
Application Instructions
Please submit a resume.
Please include a covering letter.
Contact   
   Leanne Korotash
200, 4445 Calgary Trail
Edmonton, AB T6H 5R7
All submissions must be accompanied by a signed and completed Product Submission Agreement. It should be faxed to 1-780-439-6374, and the module and resume emailed to writer-jobs@bioware.com. Please quote the following competition number in the subject line of your electronic application: 11-WD-WR-05 Due to the volume of applications we receive for our job postings, we are unable to respond personally to telephone inquiries regarding the status of an application. As well, only candidates being considered for interview will be contacted at this time.
Application Deadline - May 19, 2005

I have a couple of minor problems with a few areas of my game that may or may not be caused by bugs in the engine (haven't yet upgraded to 2.7 so this is version 2.62).

One problem involves a room that doesn't seem to save properly so that changes in the room script are not executed when the game runs.Ã,  Specifically, I removed a command to create an overlay in room 35.Ã,  However the overlay continues to appear when I visit room 35 during the game.Ã,  But if I save a duplicate of room 35 as room X, room X functions properly without the overlay.Ã,  So a work-around is to change all my NewRoom references in the game from 35 to X and ignore the problem.Ã,  Still I'd like to find out what caused this particular room to go wonky in the first place.

Another problem occurs in a couple of different rooms.Ã,  I know the cause of this one but not the fix.Ã,  In pursuit of organizing my characters and sprites, I changed the slot that my blank character (used for phone calls, etc.) is stored in from slot 7 to slot 0.Ã,  What I mean is I changed character 0's script name from EGO to PHONE and changed the view referenced.Ã,  Additionally I changed character 7's script name from PHONE to HANDY and used this slot for a handyman character with a different view.Ã,  Now when the game runs it shows the handyman where the blank graphic should be even though the script calls the character by its name PHONE rather than number.Ã,  It seems the game still thinks that PHONE=7 and hasn't updated to PHONE=0.Ã,  I attempted a rebuild of all the room files but that did nothing.

My own preference as a player is to never have control taken away from me.Ã,  I'm pulled out of the experience by cutscenes in which my character takes actions that I didn't get to make him do.Ã, 

As a designer I try to create the experience that I would want most as a player.Ã,  But I also want to create an experience that would appeal to the broadest audience possible (at least in terms of gameplay…perhaps not story-wise).

I know a lot of purist adventure game players detest action sequences in their adventure games.Ã,  So how many of you AGSers are purists?Ã,  Would you rather have a cutscene depict an action sequence or have the chance to play through it yourself?Ã,  The stock answer to this question is that action sequences are okay as long as I make them skippable.Ã,  But if everyone who plays is going to skip it anyway, why should I labour to program it?Ã, 

I suppose what it could very well come down to as a player is, “How good are the action sequences?”.Ã,  I'd rather have 2 tools that each did 1 task well, than 1 tool that did both tasks poorly.Ã,  Ã,  If you are an action enthusiast, would a weak action sequence in an adventure game be better off skipped?

[I'm working on a platform-type room for a game and I've encountered a strange problem with the walkable areas.I have display commands for testing the character's x and y coordinates as well as the walkable area he is currently standing on:]

I'm working on a platform-type room for a game and I've encountered a strange problem with the walkable areas.

I have display commands for testing the character's x and y coordinates as well as the walkable area he is currently standing on:


function on_key_press(){
if (keycode==75) Display("x= %d y= %d z= % ", character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].z);
  if (keycode==50)Display("walkable area is %d", GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y));
}

Strangely though the message for the character's current walkable area does not always agree with his coordinates.  When the character is to the far right in the room, the walkable area goes wrong so that he gets stuck.  This does not seem to occur on the left side of the room.

Can this have something to do with the room being greater than 320 pixels wide (ie. Scrolling when the character walks right (east))?

Or maybe it's related to using the cursor arrows to control movement? 

if ((IsKeyPressed(377)!=0)&&(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y) != 0)){
   
   if(float_to_int(speed)<40){
     speed=fadd(speed, ints_to_float(0,500));
     }
   move=fdiv(fmul(speed,int_to_float(scale)),int_to_float(100));
   move=float_to_int(move);
   if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].animating==0) AnimateCharacter(GetPlayerCharacter(),2,4,0);
   if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame!=lastframe) character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x+=move;
   lastframe=character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame;
   Vx=fdiv(speed,fmul(int_to_float(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].animspeed),int_to_float(GetGameSpeed())));
   
}else if ((IsKeyPressed(380)!=0)){
   if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y) == 4){
     if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].animating==0)AnimateCharacter(GetPlayerCharacter(),6,4,0);
     if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame!=lastframe){
       if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y+1)==4){
         character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y+=1;
       }else if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x-1,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y)==4){
         character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x-=1;
       }
     }       
   }else if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y) == 5){
     if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].animating==0)AnimateCharacter(GetPlayerCharacter(),4,4,0);
     if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame!=lastframe){
       if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y+1)==5){
         character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y+=1;
       }else if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x+1,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y)==5){
         character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x+=1;
       }
     }       
   }else if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y) != 0){
   
   if(float_to_int(speed)<40){
     speed=fadd(speed, ints_to_float(0,500));
     }
   move=fdiv(fmul(speed,int_to_float(scale)),int_to_float(100));
   move=float_to_int(move);
     if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].animating==0)AnimateCharacter(GetPlayerCharacter(),0,4,0);
     if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame!=lastframe) character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y+=move;
     lastframe=character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame;
     }
   }else if ((IsKeyPressed(375)!=0)&&(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y) != 0)){
   
   if(float_to_int(speed)<40){
     speed=fadd(speed, ints_to_float(0,500));
     }
   move=fdiv(fmul(speed,int_to_float(scale)),int_to_float(100));
   move=float_to_int(move);
     if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].animating==0)AnimateCharacter(GetPlayerCharacter(),1,4,0);
     if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame!=lastframe) character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x-=move;
     lastframe=character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame;
     Vx=fdiv(speed,fmul(int_to_float(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].animspeed),int_to_float(GetGameSpeed())));
     
     
   }else if ((IsKeyPressed(372)!=0)){
     if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y)== 4){
       if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].animating==0)AnimateCharacter(GetPlayerCharacter(),5,4,0);
       if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame!=lastframe){
         if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y-1)==4){
           character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y-=1;
         }else if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x+1,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y)==4){
           character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x+=1;
         }
       }
     }else if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y)== 5){
       if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].animating==0)AnimateCharacter(GetPlayerCharacter(),7,4,0);
       if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame!=lastframe){
         if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y-1)==5){
           character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y-=1;
         }else if(GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x-1,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y)==5){
           character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x-=1;
         }
       }
         
     }else if((GetWalkableAreaAt(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].x,character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y) != 0)){
   
   if(float_to_int(speed)<40){
     speed=fadd(speed, ints_to_float(0,500));
     }
   move=fdiv(fmul(speed,int_to_float(scale)),int_to_float(100));
   move=float_to_int(move);
     if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].animating==0)AnimateCharacter(GetPlayerCharacter(),3,4,0);
   if(character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame!=lastframe) character[GetPlayerCharacter()].y-=move;
   lastframe=character[GetPlayerCharacter()].frame;
   }
}else{
  ReleaseCharacterView(GetPlayerCharacter());
speed=int_to_float(8 );
}


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Has anyone here used Photomodeler (full or lite version)?Ã,  It seems like it would be a great tool but I'd like to hear from those who have used it before getting myself a digital camera.

Nice tutorial.Ã,  I definitely fall into the camp of the background overachiever and go for broke on every image spending upwards of 8 hours on a background.Ã,  For my next project I'm definitely going to aim a little lower and try something more "sustainable".Ã, 

This is certainly a feature I would use  but one I never expected to be implemented so never bothered to suggest.  I agree that an up/down flip would be a good addition though.

I'm trying to have it both ways in my own game.Ã,  There is a map available but it only allows you to use it if you've already previously walked to the screen you're selecting from the map.

I figure this way the player can choose what they want.Ã,  If they're looking for a realistic immersion into the game environment than all the rooms are connected for exploration but if they just want to get from point A to point B they can use the map screen and bypass many inbetween screens.Ã,  My one concern would be that players would become so used to skipping over certainÃ,  screens that they'd miss important parts of the game that occurred there later.

I'm not sure this is a Bug in AGS but I get strange results when using my Mouse wheel to cycle through the cursor modes.

If my cursor is somewhere in the middle of the screen and I use the wheel, the cursor is "thrown" to the extreme right of the screen when the cursor changes modes.Ã,  However if I use the right click button to change modes, the change occurs at the cursors present location.Ã,  What is stranger is that if I use the mouse wheel after having already used the right mouse button, the "throw" doesn't occur.Ã,  Unless I switch the direction I roll the mousewheel, in which case it resets to throwing my cursor about.

<Edit>I seem to be using an older version of AGS.  Maybe I'll just download the latest version and see if that takes care of it. </Edit>

Thanks to everyone for their interesting comments.

I think I've got a handle on the 2nd inventory now.  Instead of making 2 inventories, I will integrate the stash into the conventional inventory.  I mean that when the player tries to pick up a large item such as a ladder, he will think to himself that he needs someplace to hide it for later use.  Once he finds a good place to store it, he can pick it up in the normal way and it will be accessable through his normal inventory.    I think this satisfies my annoying tendency toward literalism without becoming overly complicated.

SSH brought up several interesting quandaries that I was hoping to deal with as additional obstacles for the player.    I think a lot of these things could be implemented using the conventional inventory system and that all they require is some scripting effort in their interactions.  Good stuff.

I'm still not certain how to manage the idea inventory.  I certainly wouldn't model it after the KIA in Blade Runner as it reduced the interaction of the game by automatically selecting the appropriate clue when needed.  What redruM describes from Discworld seems closer to what I have in mind.    I haven't played this game though, so I'll put forth the question, to redruM or others who have played it: "Was this aspect fun or an annoyance to the player?"

The inventory within the game world sounds like a very neat idea. As I see it though,
the problem you face with that is, if your game is multi-location, you're really going to annoy some players by having to take them back to this location (a garage for example) every time you want to stock up or take out the larger items in it.

To avoid that, you could just skip having to travel back there and just have the second inventory on screen. But at the same time, whats the point? Instead of having two inventories that are ideally doing the same thing - you may aswell just have one inventory.

I agree that it would be annoying for the player to have to return to the screen where everything is being stored.Ã,  When I said that he was retrieving stuff off screen IÃ,  meant that the player would not actually have to go to the room but that it was implicit when using that inventory which could be accessed from anywhere.Ã, 

What's the point?Ã,  Peace of mind that it would be more realistic than storing everything in your jacket, and a few limitiations that might be exploitable for interesting puzzles.Ã,  Maybe that's not a good enough reason.

The third inventory sounds awesome, but something like that would surely be far too complex to create and far to complex for the average adventure player to want to have to work out? I mean, "thoughts" could be an absolutley infinite - how would you make sure the player knew what kind of things to choose, or type into a parser?

Basically, I'm looking for ways to limit a player's trial and error method of combining items together to stumble toward a puzzle solution. I don't want to deal with infinite possibilities and I don't certainly don't want to turn off the average adventure gamer.

Have you ever played Quest for Glory, Quint? QFG has weighted inventory and a chest in the player's inn room to keep extra items and stock. It's a great idea, very realistic.

No, I haven't played it.Ã,  I was pretty sure that I wasn't inventing the wheel with the idea though.Ã,  I'm just trying to learn why these things aren't implemented more.

-- Would your game be purely adventure, or RPG/Adventure?
-- Are you saying that when the character is able to access the 2nd inventory, the game flashes a black screen, or what not, indicating the character went to where the inventory would be to get the item?
-- What items are in your thoughts when you think of silly items?

I've never played an RPG so I'm not sure if there would be some overlapping of genres.
The screen would not flash black.Ã,  The inventory would work exactly as the typical inventory except instances when you'd receive a message saying:Ã,  "You can not return to your stash at the moment." because you were faced with an immediate obstacle.
I'm not sure I understand your third question, but I wouldn't bother dignifying silly thoughts with idea items.Ã,  The items would generally be represented by words, eg. "torch".Ã,  The item could be used to ask the storekeeper if he sells flashlights or to construct a torch from some regular inventory items.

I've always felt that there was something a bit silly about the inventories of adventure games where a player can carry virtually anything.Ã,  Its not bad when a light game pokes fun at the convention but it sort of undermines the serious tone I'm going for in my own game.

Some time ago, I posted regarding a system that would assign inventory items mass so that the player was limited to a maximum weight he could carry.Ã,  That might still be a viable solution but I had another idea that might also be good.

I'd like to create a secondary inventory for larger items, that are stashed by the playercharacter somewhere within the game environment (one of the first game puzzles would be to find a suitable location).Ã,  Ostensibly when the player accesses this inventory, the player character is actually retrieving the item from the stash offscreen.Ã,  For this reason the 2nd inventory would only be accessible when the player has the freedom to retrieve it.

I'd also like to have a 3rd inventory.Ã,  This would be in the form of the player character's brain, storing ideas rather than objects.Ã,  These ideas would be obtained through observations, conversations, etc. and would be used to ask NPCs questions, and specify what it is you're trying to build when you combine object x with object y, etc.Ã,  Should the player get ahead of the player character so that he/she knows the idea without having obtained the idea inventory object, a text parser should be available so the player can type in the idea that he thinks he needs and be awarded the idea object.Ã,  (Is that clear?)

Anyway, GUIs and text parsers are two aspects of AGS that I have not delved into previously, so I wanted to get some feedback about these ideas before I try to implement them.

Thanks.

If you had read deeper, Terran, you would have learned that incest was not against God's laws until after the flood.  It later became a sin due to  the lower atmospheric pressure (a result of the flood) leading to depleted oxygen levels and increased solar radiation that would harm human genes and create the need for a larger gene pool.  God then made incest a sin to protect humans from mutation and it only become culturally immoral as a result of this.

The Giraffe has answers man.  I don't know about the lower atmospheric pressure business but being apathetic as I am I think I'll just accept it.

I actually found the article on the bombadier beetle quite interesting.  It does seem like a rather precarious evolutionary feature.   If evolution takes generations to perfect a trait, how does a trait develop that is potentially dangerous in an imperfect form to the animal carrying it?

I think it would be rather difficult to bash this site, at least in a playful manner.  This site is beyond parody...well maybe DG could make some witty Mr. T reference or say some "OMG!!!LOL!!!THIS SITE IS TEH..."-kinda line.  But other than that, this site is funny all on its own.  I mean I'm really not certain that it already isn't a satire.

My favourite line is from the reseach report on dinosaurs still living in Africa.

"...with only inconclusive results owning to the difficult conditions of the region, dinosaurian wiliness, and God's Will."

Dinosaurian wiliness...how can I can slip that into everyday speech?

A new film is often  referred to as an  "Instant Classic" if it is believed they are likely to still be enjoyed decades from now.  I guess if I take that label with a grain of salt, I shouldn't have any issues with it.

This thread almost feels as if it belongs in a tutorial.  It really demonstrates how subtle tweaks to a characters face affect how the personality of a character is perceived.  

Rincewind's original image looked terrific but it really did not convey the personality of the character that he wanted to achieve.  This version looked meek and a bit homely.

DM's edit was very stylized but maintained the same feel for me.

Loominous's first edit totally revamped her personality, IMHO.  Sudddenly she looked very girl-next-door-ish.  I thought it was excellent but was a bit disappointed because I thought the meeker character had more interesting possibilities.  However, Rincewind wasn't really going for a meek character so Loominous's changes were appropriate.

Rincewind's next version (which I assume is the final version) nicely incorporates Loom's changes while retaining a certain specificity to her.

Plastic's edit takes 10 years off her appearance.  It's a great looking character but it feels like another character altogether.  One I would not suspect was old enough to work as a waitress.

Loom's next edit is...hot.  But she also looks more high maintenance that his first edit.  I think his first version was more approachable.

All in all I'd say every edit has been great at evoking a unique response.