Messages

Ghost, I keep forgetting to tell you that I love your signature. I've been meaning to tell you that for the longest time

Actually to tell you the truth I have no idea what game that code is for. I've always wondered every time I saw it.

I believe they also like to choose a few 'idiots' for that show once in a while, since it wouldn't be as fun if everyone knew all the answers (it's not jeopardy ).

[Computing Dictionary]

On which planet does the dictionary say developer means programmer RT?

Computing Dictionary

programmer job
(Or "computer programmer", "developer") Someone who writes or debugs computer programs, for a living or for fun. "Analyst/developer" is a common equivalent job title, implying the added role of system analysis. The term may be qualified according to the type of software - "application programmer", "system programmer", etc.

I imagine in duals country they call it a developer. I don't hear it in Canada, but the dictionary surely does.

edit: Or were you being sarcastic Calin?

a better developer.

When does that have to do with making enjoyable games.

He means developer as in a person who's making a game not just scripting one (sure the dictionary states that it means a programmer).  
Developing the whole game from scratch.  Develop: to cause to grow or expand

I do agree that it would be super nice if the blue cup rating could be averaged overall from all the panel members who played and rated.  So if one panel member rated a game 2 cups, and the other rated it 4 cups, it would end up at 3 cups. 
But show the blue cup rating even if only one panel member had rated the game, that way you don't have to wait 2 years for a game to be rated by all members.

It would even be cool if there could be multiple reviews from the panel.

Names would be nice, but I agree with Calin that having the name withheld it can preserve honesty.  The panel members are people we know and people we respect, and vice versa.  To rate your friend's game can be a difficult thing to do. 

It's all a matter of opinion.  For instance, Heed (by ben304) was his weakest game, in my opinion (his review even matched that of McCarthy but his rating didn't).  It wasn't my style of game, graphics were very nice, and music was great to listen to, but the puzzles were very basic and almost non existent.  Yet Heed was still rated the same as his other games (except Shifters Box--which has 4 cups) and I personally don't think Heed deserved the same 3 cup rating.
Whoever rated Heed obviously liked it better than I did, or the rating was impacted by Ben's games overall. 
Same with McCarthy Chronicles, it only deserved 2 cups in the eyes of the rater. 
Ratings will always differ from one person to another.

although the game lacks substance when you remove all the dialogue, which lowers its rating.

Obviously if you remove the dialog and nice voice acting from McCarthy it would be a very basic game which wouldn't deserve much of a rating.  But that goes for almost every game if you remove a single element.  It's a game as a whole.


I also agree with Calin that whoever rated his game, should keep their rating.  It's what they feel the game deserves, who is to argue that?

I didn't expect to see a 2 cup rating. 
After seeing this I actually looked at all the screenshots of every 2 cup games, and out of the few 2 cup games I actually played, I think there were only 2 games I didn't expect to see in there.  This game, and another one.

And to reply to Leon's suggestion.  I have to disagree.  I believe the ratings panel does an exceptional job doing what they do.  I may not agree with this particular rating, but the majority of the ratings, I do agree with.
One reason why I prefer the rating panel over the 'public' rating, is mostly because it's consistent and reliable.  I also like reading the rating panel reviews as well.
I think the rating system should remain as is, with the rating panel deciding the big rating.  You can always appeal if you don't believe your game deserves the rating--perhaps it'll change, or it may actually remain.  No harm in trying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcyZf94iIgI

There are plenty of youtube videos for reference.

I think you have good style, but you're showing way too much walls and floor.
Sometimes people bump the higher res but keep their characters the same small size.

I tried to compress everything together, so everything isn't so zoomed out or gymnasium sized.
edit: by cropping out extra unnecessary walls or floor, or moving that bookshelf foreground element closer.



It's still pretty zoomed out, but much better.

Well if it's a photograph background, it'll already be in jpg, no sense in changing it.
But anything from digitally hand painted or pixel art, would obviously be better as png.

[Enters Room Before Fade-in]

As long as your views are correct the only thing I can see preventing the animate command from working would be because it's not being called.

You should open the room with the room editor.  Click on the Events icon (the lightning bolt) which is on the editing pane on the bottom of the side bar.  Click on the Enters Room Before Fade-in and click the [...] button that is to the right of it.

It will add this to your script:

Code: ags

function room_Load()
{

}

This is where you should place your code if the objects are supposed to animate when the game starts.

Code: ags

function room_Load()
{
  oLupa.SetView (VLUPA, 0);
  oLupa.Animate(0, eRepeat,  eNoBlock);
}

Also, doing this programming stuff will get super easy once you've done it once or twice.  Especially if you have your previous scripts to fall back to if you can't remember how you did it before.

I wouldn't worry about having a few objects animate.  I imagine 5 frames of the background animating is just about as processor heavy--which wouldn't be much either way unless it's a large background.

Anyway, if you ever did want to animate the background and have certain walkbehinds change, this is what you'd do (untested):

In the Room repeatedly_execute_always

Code: ags

if (GetBackgroundFrame()==0)
{
  SetWalkBehindBase (3,0); //disables walkbehind 3
  SetWalkBehindBase (1,100); //enables walkbehind 1
}
else if (GetBackgroundFrame()==1)
{
  SetWalkBehindBase (1,0); //disables walkbehind 1
  SetWalkBehindBase (2,100); //enables walkbehind 2
}
else if (GetBackgroundFrame()==2)
{
  SetWalkBehindBase (2,0); //disables walkbehind 2
  SetWalkBehindBase (3,100); //enables walkbehind 3
}

This is of course assuming you have 3 background frames (0,1,2).  And assuming you're animating the background in this order. 0, to 1, to 2, back to 0.
It also only changes one walkbehind, you'd have to add the other walkbehinds for each background area.

Which could become a pain in the arse rather quickly.

From what you just said here:

now i'd have to set specific walk behind areas for each background because of these animations because my main character  hast to walk behind an animated object

Makes it sound like you're using animated backgrounds to animate only a small object.  Is that correct?
If the only thing in the room that needs to animate is this object, or a few objects (and not room lighting that glows and whatnot), you're better off using a room object and animating that instead.  Which is the route I take to animate anything.

The only time I would use an animating background would be if nearly the entire background is changing.  Either lighting effects, like a night scene and a day scene, or a fire in the middle of the room that casts ambient light all over the background, or a flickering light.  etc
Otherwise, I use a room object.

Also, with a room object the walkbehind is set by the base of the object (the bottom of the sprite).

Thanks for the descriptions.  Seems a bit over my head since I haven't any reason at all to work with binary/hex/decimal.
I had a feeling bitwise meant it worked with those, just wasn't sure.  What purposes would someone using AGS need these for?  My guess, as you had stated before, would be encryption of sorts, or some type of saving game information possibly?

Boolie, I just played the game and had zero problems leaving the window while in sniping mode.  Just press the X on your keyboard and that's all.  Do not click the X that you see on the screen, that will only fire a bullet and not actually exit.

[press x]

I've never played the game, but If you read Khris' message, you're supposed to press x on the keyboard, not click.
I think I'm going to play this game now just to see what your issue is with this scene.

edit: Boolie, I just played the game and had zero problems leaving the window while in sniping mode.  Just press the X on your keyboard and that's all.  Do not click the X that you see on the screen, that will only fire a bullet and not actually exit.
I take it you don't understand english very well, since you haven't actually answered anyone yet that you're actually pressing the X on your keyboard.  Let us know.

[Script Language Keywords]

I'll have to admit, over 2 years ago when I first started with AGS I also had a problem for about an hour finding out what OR was.  Finding the keywords from the manual: Script Language Keywords or Operators, took me quite a while.  Mostly because I am not a programmer and didn't know that they are called operators.

I believe for me to find out what OR was, I had actually done a search in the technical threads for a sample of script that had an OR operator.

That's the truth folks. lol  

edit: Also, there isn't anywhere in the manual that explains what exactly the bitwise operators do:
<<    >>     &     |     ^
I've always been curious.  Are there any agswiki documents or anything on it?

so you should probably start a thread in the hints'n' tips section of the forum.

You shouldn't start a new 6 Day Assassin thread, Boolie. 
If you search the hints and tips thread you'll see that there are 6 (or possibly even more) threads already.

Besides, the best conman in the world is John Abagnale from Catch Me If You Can, and he doesn't wear a hat much at all.

Well at least I'm not the only one who thought that, since trilby isn't a conman whatsoever. If he were a conman he would have told the people trapped in the mansion with him a different story.

Not really, but the idea reminds me of Catch Me If You Can.  Where he is a check fraud conman caught by the FBI, then later released from jail so he could work for the FBI.

I thought the graphics are most excellent, but from the comments it sounds like there were some issues with the game-play itself.  Either way, I'm curious to see how the game plays.