Messages

Dorcan:  Thanks for the example.  This is one of the areas of AGS I have experimented with the least.  This will help when I need to get into it.

Cheers

It makes it easy to make multiple, simultaneous character and object animations....

Neole:  It's open source script.   Anyone can downloade it and include it in their own creations.  

Scorp:  I'm working on  specifications for the base engine and for extensions that support the autonomous character control system I have been discussing with Juncmodule.  I plan top begin implementation next wednesday.

Oh! and the Load and Save thread idea is cool.  With that you would be able to select personality profiles for your characters.  Let the player do it or automatically like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

 

I'm in!  

Ok.  aeNAME, aeLoop() it is.

I had a look at your global.txt.  Cool.  I need to look more, maybe try it when I find some time.   I will use this method for character movements.  I would also like to add the generic math functions to BlueGui.  I also found your sting array stuff on another thread, very good stuff.  Thanks for everything.

I have added DoCase() and DoRandomCase() functions.  See my previous post or the text document.

 

[Execution Control Functions]

In this thread the functions that comprise the animation engine will be discussed in detail.  This discussion is being conducted here for the benefit of the community and to allow opportunities for making input in the process.  A design spec as well as other documents are available in plain text form from the urls below.

• Animation Engine Spec (3-8-03)
  
• Autonomous Character Spec  (3-8-03)
  
• Global Script (not available yet)
  
• Script Header (not available yet)
  
• TerranRich's Original Thread
  
• Scorp's string array solution
  
• Junc's AI thread

Checkout Juncmodule's disscussion of AI/Mood system.  

Execution Control Functions
Here are the functions curently defined that control the execution of animation engine threads.  

  // Start and stop execution of the specified thread
  AeRun(thread)
  AePause(thread)
  AeStop(thread)
  AeToggle(thread)

  // Debug GUI - Next and previous line in the specified thread,
  // Similar to single step function in traditional debugers
  AeNext(thread)
  AePrev(thread)

  // Debug GUI - Switch gui to another thread
  AeNextThread()
  AePrevThread()
  AeGotoThread(thread)

  // Get current execution state of specified thread
  AeState(thread)

Thread Creation, Branching, and Looping
These functions can be nested upto aeNMAX levels deep.  aeNMAX is a constant and can be set to any number of desoired levels.

What convention should be used to name constants?  Use aeNAME, AENAME, AE_NAME or some other variation?

  // Create thread, threads are bounded by these functions
  aeInit(thread)
     :
  aeEnd()

  // Expressions
  // An expresion consists of two values and one of the
  // following operators: (eq, ne, gt, lt, ge, le, and, or)

  // Conditional branching
  aeIf(value1, operator, value2);
     :
  aeIfElse();
     :
  aeElse();
     :
  aeEnd();

  // Conditional looping
  aeWhile(value1, operator, value2);
     :
  aeEnd();

  // Unconditional looping - loop fixed number of times
  aeLoop(value); or aeRepeat(value);
     :
  aeEnd();

which name is preferrable aeRepeat() or aeLoop()? aeRepeat is currently implemented to repeat the entire thread and simply jumps back to the beginning the specified number of times.   What should I do about this?

  // Unconditional branching
  aeDoCase(case);  
     :                        
  aeCase(case);      
     :
  aeDefaultCase();
     :
  aeEnd();

Statements immediately following the DoCase() will always be executed.  When the first Case() is encountered a jump to the specified case will occur.

  // Unconditional branching
  aeDoRandomCase(case, random);  
     :                        
  aeCase(case);      
     :
  aeDefaultCase();
     :
  aeEnd();

Similiar to DoCase() except actual case is calculated by case=case+Random(random).

Ok so let's review these first, then we will go on to the next group.  Let me know what you think, questions comments, suggestions, pitfalls, etc..  

Snake, That looks absolutely superb!  

Ok, as long as squinky is going to show himself I may as well also.  

I knew a guy once who completed a game and never released a beta and his balls  fell off.  And if that doesn't motivate you squinky then you are a sissy....   : 8)

I finished the demo and it's way cool.  So now when are you going to have a beta ready for us?   We are waiting on you, so get to work.  D)

Hey Squinky,

Is there a Fry-2 walk through?  

I knew you were kidding, but I still want to make one  :.   Besides anyone who loves globalints can't be all bad...LoLing.  

What's an "energy level" adaptor?  

I made a little timer application with AGS 2.53 and 800x600 resolution.  I am going to use it to time speeches but it could be easily applied to other things.  It's listed on the games page or you can get it from http://www.agsforums.com/games.php?category=3. You can get the source from the website, just goto the games page and follow the links.  (650k)

AJA:  Great work!! I'm really impressed.  I have a couple of comments and a few minor critiques listed below.  They are farily trivial compared with what you have accomplished so far.

1.  Thanks for including the thre SaveAs, and Open featurs to the file menu.  I can really use these,  without them there is not a very good way of transfering   code from one game to another.

2.  The GameMemo thing is really nice.  However, the project thing is confusing and not really necessary.  Just have a preferences thing where you specify a directory relative to where main game directory, where the memo files can be found.  When the user clicks on GameMemo show a list of files in the specified directory.

3.  When I first unpacked everything I opened the editor from file manager, couldn't resist.  I remember you saying not to do that a long time ago, but, I got a bunch of exception type errors (really ugly stff).  There are a couple of other thing that would be better.  If you can detect if the editor was activated by AGS or not then you could either display a message and quit or branch off to a shell of sorts that would make your editor work correctly,

4.  Line numbers in the left hand column would be cool.  Sorry, I don't mean to be asking too much.


AJA thanks for all the hard work.  it is greatly appreciated.

Chris,  I just browsed through the web tutorial.  I think the illustrations are very informative and useful.  Do you plan on having a table of contents or index?  That way if someone read the tutorial once or twice, started using ags and then got stuck on something, they be able to easily find the part of the tutorial they need to read again.  Just a thought.  Great job so far, as always .

It is a scripted Sierra style GUI that come with source code, a tutorial, and a pile of features.  I creted this for the basis of the game I am working on and decided to share my script with everyone.  

Download the tutorial (6mb) , compile and run it. Everything is explained and demonstrated in the tutorial.  Then edit the source to see how it is scripted.  

A new version of BlueGui has been released.  It is now compatiable with AGS 2.5.  The file sizes have been reduced and a number of other minor refinements have been made.   Complete with source code, documentation, and sprite package. Enjoy!!

http://bluegui.netfirms.com

Consider making a category for games or apps that come with source code.