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I'm working on a largish game project in XNA right now, and loving it.
AGS script was my first introduction to programming, too.

How long would you say it took to move from AGS into XNA, then?

I'd been looking at XNA a year ago, but decided to put that on hold until I got back to the UK, and more regular access to an Xbox. Sounds like it could be a good direction to head in, though!

He fits with the environment, which is better than most poser-models in game I've seen, but he does look like he's an action-man doll. I think he needs a more "natural" looking standing pose. After all, when have you ever stood like that?

So, I'm looking to branch out and experiment with making games in other systems, perhaps on other platforms. Only downside is, outside of AGS, I've never wholly made any games using another system like C, Lua or even Basic. Sure, I've made levels and models for other games before, but nothing programming-wise.

So, couple of questions:

1) What would you say AGS is most similar too, in terms of its logic? What would I have the least trouble adapting to if I were to move into a format for making games from scratch.

2) What do you think is the best way of learning such a thing? I'm going to have a lot of spare time on my hands, after all.

As always, your help is always much appreciated!

While pondering on the merits of courses of action towards a goal, I decided to try applying it into the next game I make. I've been making plans for other parts, but I just can't for the life of me think of an evil way to acquire eggs. Any ideas?

My pleasure.   



Now I'm stuck...   

Spoiler

When I trance-connect to the sick guy, how do I get rid of all the red infected nodes?   

[close]

Spoiler

You don't have to get rid of *all* of them, just most of them. If there's only one red node, then that will count too. Sometimes, even I get stuck on nightmarish situations of chasing one node around - if you use "scramble", you can randomise it to something that might be more helpful.

[close]

You left your debugging stuff ('I') enabled, by the way.

That was...intentional...I meant to do that... *shifty look*

Glad folks are liking it so far! Now I just have to get down to planning part 4! Or a different game, either way.

[Welcome to the future - welcome to TECHNOBABYLON: PART III]

"It's kind of depressing that this prison cell is both bigger and cleaner than my apartment..."


Having narrowly escaped death at the hands of a bomber, agoraphobic Trance-addict Latha Sesame finds herself being questioned about the incident by the city's law-enforcement body, CEL.

Having managed to track down his blackmailer, CEL agent Doctor Regis finds himself being diverted to conduct a quick interview with a shaken young woman who may have information about a recent bomb attack related to him and his department...

Can Regis keep his story straight long enough to track down those responsible for his current strife? And can he protect this young woman?

Welcome to the future - welcome to TECHNOBABYLON: PART III

Download it from here!




If you've played it before, well, you know what you're getting into!
If you haven't started on Technobabylon, well, get yourself back to part 1!



(And don't forget to rate it on Gamejolt!)

And worst comes to worst, there's always doing pornography as a backup sideline for extra income!

How about a weekly porn game instead? 

YES PLX.

New Leisure Suit Larry! Except not sucking!

Then again, my parents practically raised me on Carry On movies, so innuendo is probably something to have a go at!

And worst comes to worst, there's always doing pornography as a backup sideline for extra income!

I have played so many adventure games i feel like text appears above my head whileI'm speaking, i love all the oldies and some new ones, always on top of my adventure scene...

But funny you mentioned playing any AGS games, i just downloaded 6 days a stranger, ...hope i got that right, very nice and well done game so far, , i prefer the sharper resolution, but all are effective, i see what your saying about the cave and the other background also. This past 3 weeks i have made 36 BG's and have been learning all at once, its my first time drawing on a computer or making a game, So i had to drop the graphics department down in order to keep up with the scripting and learning process.

Is there a way to play my game at full screen now whileI'm still making it, so i can see what it would look like, and of course ill check out other games as well and what they look like at different resolutions.

Im just hitting the learning curve with drawing on a computer, just now noticing the approaches you can take. I also was not  sure if i could import colors without messing up the game until late in the process,.....head shaking......

I appreciate the help, and your right about the cave and other room,  I see now to just change the color a bit to do the outlines....thanks again

I felt the same way when I started with AGS. I thought "Hi-res = better", but I found that "lower-res = easier", and that's what won it first for me. Then I remembered some of the amazing backdrops that the classics of the nineties had, and they were all 320xwhatever. There's less you need to draw, too (lazy)

If you want to run your game at full-screen, just press F7 to compile it, head to the "compiled" folder of your game directory, and then run it from there. You might have to change the settings in WinSetup.exe, though?

Your scenes remind me of the older-style AGS games, I had a bit of a binge of things like Larry Vales and the very old Yahtzee games recently.

I'd totally buy anything close to Technobabylon. Whether it's part 3 or someone goes like "Hey, this is more/as awesome as Technobabylon".

Part 3's definitely going to be free, it's almost finished too! After tidying up and getting the music finished, of course, but I'll just have to keep poking ShiverMeSideways for that.

All of the games that I played and were made by you (TB, Operation: Forklift and 1st Drop) could have easily been commercial. They're all top quality.
So, while you obviously can always improve graphics & programming wise, I think you might give practicing in marketing a go.
It seems to me that your games didn't get very much attention outside the AGS community, while they appeal to a very large audience.

I think the biggest boon (or at least head-inflator) for me about Technobabylon was getting the mention in PC Gamer, but I'm not really sure where to start on publicity, in ways that aren't shamelessly spamming forums. What do other indie folk do for advertising? Come to think of it, the only games I can ever recall seeing being advertised are those lousy browser MMOs.

Maybe I should try and make Technobabylon into a weekly smartphone episodic game!

It IS out.  Has been showing to limited screenings in Canada for a week or so now.

It's getting great reviews at the horror/exploitation forums I frequent.  Alas, I'm in the US and haven't had the chance to see it yet.

Comes out in the UK on the 22nd of July, and in the Netherlands on the 19th of May (! How on Earth do the Dutch get Hobo With a Shotgun first?!)

I just saw the trailer myself - looks like I'll be back in the UK just in time for its opening!

I'd never have thought it was Rutger Hauer as the hobo though, whenever I picture him mentally, he's a whole lot more...athletic. I guess Blade Runner left a big influence!

Sometimes it's important to be stupid enough not to know that something's impossible.

I am so using that as my philosophy.

Well, one of the crazy ideas is to remake Technobabylon in a 3d XNA way, kind of like mixing it with a Heavy-Rain style. As I see though, that's the crazy idea.

If I did eight hours a day on Technobabylon, I could make it a weekly thing, if there's any potential for that!

...and not just playing them, I'm not quite *that* lazy. I've already had a gapyear, thanks.

Well, my year of teaching in Korea is about to finish, and I'll have saved about £5000 from it, which from my budgeting, would last me about a year before I desperately needed to find work again. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to be looking for "proper" graduate work as well, but the way the UK seems to be at the moment, I'll probably end up back in teaching by 2012 again.

So, from May --> Other job, I'm going to be trying to improve my skills a whole lot, whether it's art (which AGS can help me readily make use of) or programming (for which I'll have to learn something else). My ideal goal is to have something commercially available by the time I finish, something fairly decent being *sold*. That'd be nice.

So, has anybody else ever saved up and taken a few months out for some serious game-making?

I apparently don't get this whole "one room" part of one-room games.

Also, beta version finished, the testers should have a link to it in their inboxes!

...Source, ShantyTown, Weekday Warrior, ...

For the record, those two games are effing awesome, and if you've got Steam/HL2 on your computer, you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't play both of those games.

Not doing anything until I see a screenshot.

Merci beaucoup! It works just fine like that. Based on that, I managed to add a couple more bits to take into account looking at the inventory, and using inventory items on each other, and it all seems to be running quite capably!

Once again, many thanks!