Messages

You can download QfG4.5 HERE

(oh, and for QfG4 I'd suggest ebay.com)

google nethack.

Apparently I'm the only one who frequently adds new code below a line containing a closing brace } (because if you press enter from that line, that line gets de-dented regardless of where the { was). Could you please do an option to turn if off anyway?

We've been discussing overloading a bit... would this be workable...
character[EGO].Face (charid)
character[EGO].Face (x, y)

(you can tell from the # of parameters whether it's FaceChar or FaceLoc)
(also if you're doing lots of constants anyway, Face (LEFT) may be useful (although it's easy to code yourself, of course ))

I second redruM's motion.

Also I believe I have pointed this out before, but the automatic alignment of closing braces doesn't work the way it should, and this is rather annoying if you're trying to add code below a line that has a closing brace.

But if you're using global variables, rather than globalints, the quantity is not limited as far as I know. Plus you get to name them:

top of global script:
int my_var;

bottom of global script:
export int my_var;

inside global header:
import int my_var;

Considering that games have been made using AGS that contain over a hundred screens with all required animation and characters to fill them with - I'd say there's no problem!

From topdraw, save as BMP. Or take a screenshot, open MS Paint, paste, and save that as BMP. Import in AGS.
If you're referring to walkbehinds and the like, you may have a bunch of color precision troubles.

And am I correct to assume that ANYWHERE and the other stuff are actually #defined to boolean values? Because personally, I prefer using 1 and 0 (or TRUE and FALSE) to lengthy text strings.

No, they are #defined to various different numerical values. This is because people tend to get the parameters mixed up where there is more than one TRUE/FALSE parameter. It also makes the script more readable:
character[EGO].Animate(3, 5, 1, 1, 0);
vs
character[EGO].Animate(3, 5, 1, BACKWARDS, IN_BACKGROUND);

I can understand that people would find the lower of the two more legible - however it does require that the coder looks up the exact syntax of the possible parameter values every time (especially since most functions use different parameters). So I would really appreciate a 0/1 feature. Maybe using something equivalent to an 'enum' would be the answer? C++ would give a warning like 'conversion from int to enum'.

Unrelated bug report... if you do a DisableCursorMode on the current cursor mode from within the dialog_request function, the cursor mode does indeed change - but the cursor's shape does not.

In this case, you would either need global variables (since the problem is not localized to one room), or the plugin that allows you to turn objects on/off in another room.
I would go with globals.  That's what they're there for.

In the view manager, create a view. Name it something appropriate
From the sprite manager, select all the frames you want.
Right-click on any of them, then select 'assign to view'.
Select the view you just created. Loop 0 for the first animation.
Then in any room, create an object.
In the script editor, under 'enter room (before plugin)', add

Code: ags

SetObjectView (0, THE_VIEW_YOU_JUST_CREATED);
AnimateObject (0, 0, 5, 1);

You could use a music file instead, for this particular ambient sound.

Here's an easy way to go about it...
open MS Paint. You should get a white rectangle that you can edit.
Click 'image', then 'attributes'. This allows you to specify the image's size. For units, select 'pels' (short for pixels). Select 320 by 200.
Save as bmp. Open in Topdraw. Ta dah!

(the tricky part is that some programs use a DPI rating, which technically is also the image's resolution but is not important for AGS - we want a resolution in pixels)

Yes. But I'm afraid that's not going to happen any time soon (or so CJ said in response to suggestion earlier this week). However, you could get away with making the overlapping part of two walkables (or walkbehinds) a third such area, and do some scripting with it.
Have you played KQ3? The first room (with the tricky staircase) and the pier (which you can walk on, fall off and swim under) are all possible in AGS.

You can remove walkbehind areas by using SetWalkBehindBase () to set its baseline to zero.

Snarky -> well, yes. He did cause me to think about certain things. But I'm just trying to get some discussion on the verb matter in general. The point was not to define a smallest set of verbs (that would be one - see Myst). The idea was to see which verbs would be interesting to see on an interface. LucasArts would be a good place to start. Of course there's nothing wrong with the existing Sierra/Lucas styles but it would be interesting to see some variations (and of course there already are some in AGS)

Dragonrose -> good point, DSA is very similar to use. I don't recall talking to your inventory was useful in KQ6 (even if it was fun). In fact I didn't even notice it the first time I played

Hi there!

I've been thinking about an aspect interface design, and would like some feedback and discussion on the matter. Just about every point-n-click adventure game I've played has a GUI that resembles Sierra classics (KQ5/6, SQ4/5, QfG3/4, etc), or one that resembles LucasArts classics (DoTT, TSOMI, Maniac), or a variation on the verb coins. For this discussion I'm not really interested in what shape it takes, but rather what verbs are on there.

The classic Sierra interface is rather limited, offering the five options of Walk, Look, Touch, Speak and Use Item. Barring some exotic cases such as Loom, I believe that using these five verbs goes without saying (with the possible exception that Touch can be split up).
Most verb coin interfaces use roughly the same commands.

The LucasArts interface has gone through some evolution. Their first game, Maniac Mansion, uses the following fifteen verbs:

Code: ags

Open Close Read
Push Pull Give
What_is Walk_to Pick_up
Turn_on Turn_off Fix
Unlock Use New_Kid

In Zak McKracken, Unlock and Fix were replaced with Put_on and Take_off; Indy3 and TSOMI refine the list a bit and add the missing Look and Talk verbs. The most often used variation contains
Open Close Look Push Pull Give Talk Use PickUp
and was used in many games from Monkey/2 to FOA, and even kind of adopted by Sierra for Gabriel Knight.

Now there are some verbs that are more interesting than others. However, on playing some interactive fiction (text adventure) games, I realized that they also tend not to use too many verbs. So it seems to me that there aren't that many verbs that actually offer puzzle potential (or immersion) in a game. And there are always verbs that could be simply replaced by 'use item on', if the item has an obvious function. Clearly 'use hammer on nail' requires no explanation.

Useless verbs
From Maniac Mansion, the verbs Fix and Unlock are rather useless. Since 1) you always require an item to perform these actions, and 2) the item in question is obviously meant for this verb (fix staircase with tools, unlock padlock with glowing key), these could be replaced by 'use tools on staircase'.
Zak's put-on and take-off are also pretty obvious, since they only apply to articles of clothing, which could be put-on by using them on the player character (or just using them, as in FoA, since in Lucas games you can't actually click on the player character). The same goes for eating edibles.
In Sierra's Conquest of the Longbow, the 'shoot' icon is rather superfluous since it means to 'use bow on <target>'. However it does add to the atmosphere of the game.
Along the same line, Larry adds the zipper icon. However, the smell and taste icons in space quest games are almost entirely useless and don't add much to the gameplay experience.
It does not seem to be the case that adding more verbs leads to a more difficult game. Judging by the size of the hints-n-tips forum, people can get stuck easily enough with just four or five verbs. Of course there's the hunt-the-verb problem of some old parser games, but that's just poor game design in almost all cases (e.g. the 'reach in hole' puzzle in Enchanter, or Larry 2's infamous 'put airsick bag in hair rejuvenator').

Spellcasting
Several IF games contain magic spells. Now for some games (enchanter trilogy) these could be easily handled by inventory items, since you 'carry' each spell on a scroll or spellbook. So 'frotz bread' could be done in Quest for Glory fashion. However in other classics, there are words that just happen to be spells ('plugh' and 'xyzzy' come to mind). This puzzle is very hard to pull off in a p'n'c game.

Verb redundancy
There is a difference between a graphical interface (Sierra) and one that uses words (LucasArts), because in the latter case, a sentence appears on a command line, and the sentence should make sense. While Sierra can get away with 'use door' to open it and 'use box' to pick it up, LucasArts would require the separate open/close/take commands. However, these do add to an occasional puzzle, where you have to open something that isn't obvious (the radio in MM) or pick up something that doesn't appear to be pick-uppable (the monkey and dog in MI2). I should point out that the latter tends to be frustratingly hard on most players, and I can't think of any circumstances where it was used in an entirely serious game.
In general I would say that Lucas games would not be off worse puzzle-wise if they had no open, close or pick up verbs.

The Show vs. Give dilemma
While using an item on a hotspot seldom implies more than one meaning, using an item on a character does. Click sword on soldier... am I trying to give him the sword? Show it to him? Ask him about it? Stab him with it?
Luckily the former three can be combined. Showing an item and asking about it tends to be the same (unless the item isn't around, in which case a notebook system like Laura Bow's would be useful). Giving can be included as well... clearly when you give an item to somebody, you show it to him first - and if you don't want your game to have walking dead situations, the player character must be unable to give the item away if he needs it later (or has to be able to get it back).
Stabbing him with the sword is a separate case, and could feasibly require an attack verb. However in most games there is an obvious distinction between 'good' people whom you cannot kill period, and 'evil' people whom you can't do much else with.

Physical actions
Certain actions may be required of the player character that simply cannot be expressed in other ways... for instance, jump/duck (Kq1), or run/sneak (QfG series). These actions tend to be rather seldomly used in puzzles, though (duck and run aren't necessary in either of those games, for instance, and jump is localized to a single locale where it is rather obvious). KQ3 has a puzzle that requires jumping, but logically Gwydion could also have climbed the crate since it isn't that high.
Some physical actions could still be done by adding an item that can be used for precisely that purpose, e.g. lockpicking or digging.

The Hand multifunctionality dilemma
The obvious problem with Sierra's hand cursor is that it does too much, and it isn't always clear whether you're going to open the door or knock on it, or to climb the gate or force it, or to pick up the cat or kick it.
LucasArts's push & pull verbs (which could be combined into one 'move' verb) make for a nice solution, even if they aren't used that often for puzzles (the knife thrower puzzle from FoA does come to mind).
An 'attack' verb would be useful in several cases (and is well-used in Grrrr, for instance).

Placement puzzles
The ability to drop inventory items does make for some interesting cases. In classic IF, there is a restriction on how much you can carry, forcing you to drop things in convenient places (but this could easily lead to dead ends if used carelessly, and people seem a bit spoiled these days with the limitless-pockets effect). But I've seen some good puzzles with item placement in Kyrandia, and the bait-the-dog puzzle in S301.
Of course droppable invitems is tricky to pull off in AGS, so that may stop some people from allowing each item to be dropped everywhere. If you want to save space, the 'get' icon could be changed to 'get/drop', depending on whether you click on the room or on your inventory.

Funky responses
Of course one disadvantage of adding more verbs is the fact that the game should have a decent response to many of them. LucasArts games seem to get a way with a lot of 'I cannot move it' and 'Nice tree', whereas Sierra games are almost expected to have a snappy answer to any look/touch/talk click. Clearly this is a tradeoff, but having too many generic responses does lower the game immersion.

So if I were to extend a Sierra verblist, or change a Lucas one, my first recommendation would be along the lines of
walk look
touch move use-inv
talk attack get/drop
(and Laura's notepad and Larry's zipper added in those games that could use it)
Interestingly enough an 'attack' verb can be extended to inventory items (to break them), and a move icon could shake inventory items.
A very good final addition would be the 'do something appropriate' verb from the Garfield game, which has such nice uses as 'kick odie' and 'save jon'. Also it could feasibly open doors, since I omitted the open/close verbs from my sample above.

Finally I would like to state the obvious case that a LucasArts conversation (with a tree of options) offers more puzzle potential than the Sierra way of clicking the talk icon on an NPC until it stops repeating itself, or the QfG way of giving a list of options where you have to ask about all of them.

A question I'd like to pose, is for examples of other verbs succesfully used in puzzles, in either IF games or parser graphics games (a la the older Sierra) or any verblist/verbcoin games that have a rare verb I have missed.

No, but if you explain your problem we may be able to work around it.

Check the manual. There are some functions with names like SetNormalFont, that can be used to select another font for dialogues. I believe the default is #1. You can of course edit the font files using, say, Radiant Fontedit (plugity plug )

"They say it means death to gaze upon a weaver uncloaked. Of course I never believed that."

Yes, you can put them in any order.
The common way to link rooms is to go the 'room interactions' panel, select 'player walks off top edge' (or right edge, etc) and add a command to 'change room' to another room number.