Messages

Probably a stupid question--but how do I get

Spoiler

incense from Harik?

[close]

I'm at the point now where I'm about to need it.

If that's the part where you need it to

Spoiler

destroy an elemental

[close]

I think you need to use the mouth icon on yourself and tell him about the elemental. I can't remember.

Here's my take on the combat (At normal difficulty--I never changed the slider):

I imported my hybrid thief who had most skills maxed out at 100, or close to that. Initially, I could not beat any enemies, or I could barely beat a brigand. After every battle, I would have to rest and regain my health otherwise I could not fight again.

I thought the combat was way too hard until I took the tutorial in the Adventurer's Guild and then learned how to dodge appropriately and use my special moves. For me, the combo-moves changed the combat from too difficult to satisfyingly challenging. After that, all I needed to do was just build up my skills and I was finding myself taking on a pack of 5 or 6 jackals.

I'm currently on day 9-10, and I find the combat appropriately scaled. At the beginning it was hard, but now it's becoming easy, but I wouldn't say too easy. So, I can't complain, and I think AGDI did a good job.

I am in need of a musician for my next (freeware) project. It will be approximately 70-80 rooms long, but only consisting of two distinct locations. These locations are inspired by the video game Portal and the anime Cowboy Bebop.

The story is heavily film-noir and science-fiction based, so expect the music to revolve around that.
If you're wondering about the quality of my work, you can play my previously released games, La Croix Pan or Chatroom.

The game is nearing completion, so I will need a musician soon. If you think you are interested, want more details, or have any questions, please PM me and I will be happy to answer. If you could also provide a sample of your work, that would be great.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

-TheJBurger

EDIT: I have a musician.

[INSANE]

I haven't read the whole thread so I'm not sure if someone suggested this or not, but I did read as far as the criticism of a "Must Play" list.

I'd suggest instead some kind of.. "under-appreciated" list instead? Games you played but don't get the feeling anyone else did. It'd probably be more helpful than a conventional "top games" list.

Da New Guys - hilarious game. I don't know how much buzz it received the first time around, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Where is the sequel
Perils of Poom - It wasn't the best game per se, but it certainly was a good full-length AGS game.
Tiltor - INSANE puzzle game with an amazing sense of style and humor.

Doh, thanks, that fixed it.

I'm trying to make rain splatters on the ground. To do this, I'm putting a DrawImage function in my repeatedly execute that will cycle at random, drawing these rain drops in the area I specify.

Here is my code:

Code: ags

function room_RepExec()
{
  raintimer++;
  if (raintimer == 1) {
    surface = Room.GetDrawingSurfaceForBackground();
    backup = surface.CreateCopy();
    while (doover < 50) { // 20 raindrops
    int y=(165+Random(35)); // 165-200 drawing area.
    int x=Random(320); // whole screen.
    if (Region.GetAtRoomXY(x, y) == region[1] || Region.GetAtRoomXY(x, y) == region[7]) {
    surface.DrawImage(x, y, 303, (50+Random(50)));
    doover++;
      }
     }
    }  
  if (raintimer == 10) {
    surface.DrawSurface(backup);
        surface.Release();
    backup.Release();

    raintimer=0;
    }
}

The problem is, after the rain drops appear once and are removed--as planned--they never re-appear. I'm having trouble figuring out exactly which Draw commands I need to use, as I only remember in the old version I just used RawSaveScreen and RawRestoreScreen, both of which are now obsolete.

I have to admit that this city-maze thing is a pain in the ass and just forces me to quit the game, even with the easy navigation turned on. I guess this approach just isn't my cup of tea.

Sorry to jump to the defense again here, but...

The only times you need to use the city-maze is
1) To get to the moneychangers (at the very beginning), but you already get directions to there, so write them down.
2) To get back to the plaza, which you also get directions to from the moneychanger.
After that, you never need to use the maze again except for side-quests (I may be wrong about this, but you should get directions for those side-quests anyway), and you can get anywhere you want by buying a map and straight clicking to your destination of choice.

But somehow, I can't really get into the *game*. I see its parts and admire them, but compared to the two KQ remakes, the QFG remake seems, well, less dense, less straight. It might be part of the gameplay, but, to be honest, I did expect something more than, after a gorgeous introduction, be dropped into what is basically a huge maze without any idea what to do. It doesn't grab me by the neck with that urgent "find the princess/save the world/get some tea really quick" approach.

This is all a personal oppinion, and I will happily admit that I did never play the original QFG games ALL THE WAY THROUGH. But it's maybe a point to ponder. I still admire the game for the effort and work. But should I pick a favourite of your games, KG2 still is the one I'd pick.

That's pretty much how the original QFG2 is, but it's not all without reason. Without going into too much spoilers, the game is more of a free-roaming do whatever you want to do-type game, and so the main epic storyline doesn't fully kick in until the end.

Admittedly, I also found it a little hard to get into, because I initially thought the learning curve was too steep. I've been playing it a lot more though, after I've gotten used to the new combat system, which is GREAT compared to the old one. The old one only had two moves: attack and doge, and you basically needed to just spam attack until you won the fight. The new one, though challenging at first, incorporates a lot more strategy and thinking.

I've yet to finish it, so I'll hold back the rest of my comments until then.

Use the mouth icon on yourself. You should be able to challenge him from there.

Well, if the mods don't like it, I guess I can get rid of the thread, but maybe you'd prefer if we made it a place specifically for older games that haven't received much discussion recently? I recommended Reactor 09 because I only came across it in a passing mention in the WYGIB thread, and I really enjoyed it, and I never would have found it otherwise.

That's very true, but the point Andail made still stands. If you're looking for more AGS games, a similar thread to this one was made here, whence it was also "shot down" in a similar manner. 

I really loved this game. It's a great example of good interactive fiction and how to limit the gameplay correctly in order to increase immersion. Every time in the game that I was about to suggest a feature for it, I already found out that it was already in the game. If I was lost, I could check the local map screen. If I didn't know what to do, I could check the goals interface. If I needed more advice, I could talk to the other characters.

As far as suggestions go:
- The graphics do their job and are adequate for the story at hand... but you could always improve them , and maybe add some more animations.
- You could add a different color (Maybe you did? I didn't notice) for each level of the space station to help distinguish the floors. It gets a little deja-vu over and over as you continue to navigate the ship.
- There were some graphical glitches like non-existant walkbehinds, or follow characters popping in front of doors, but they don't really detract from the overall atmosphere. If you had the willpower (I know I wouldn't) you could try to fix those to improve the atmosphere.
- Some of the scenes (particularly near the beginning) were really text-heavy, considering there was hardly any gameplay yet. I didn't mind it too much, but you might think about adding more puzzles or splitting up the chunks of exposition more.

One thing I didn't like were some rather rude comments like "I don't want to fuck around with that". I would have prefered a politer mess around instead.

- Seconded, especially because I was only trying to open the door. No need to get upset about it, please!

Overall, it was a very enjoyable AGS experience and I really admire all the work you put in to make all the multiple paths and endings. Great job!

How do I get into Bianchi's house?
I went out and returned and the smoking guy is gone. What do I do to enter?

Please give a direct full answer, not hints

Spoiler

Go back to the theatre and interact with the costume rack. You will get a plumber costume. You will now have the dialog option of pretending to be the plumber when you interact with the voicecom.

[close]

Just finished my second play through with the designers commentary. I enjoyed the commentary a lot, but I kind of wished there were more design/story commentaries, rather than voice acting commentaries which seemed to be the predominant topic of choice. I can understand that though, as the major item that separates this case from the previous ones is the introduction of voice actors.

I feel like I'm in the minority here, but I don't think the story was particularly strong, compared to say Case #3. To me, Case #3 really made the Ben Jordan games for me, and though the series has increased its overall polish and value, case 3 still remains my favorite. For me, it was the overall story in that game that makes it superior to the other games.

Spoiler

In case 3 you had mystery, competition, an opposing force working against you, conflict, love interest, a major plot-twist, and a satisfying ending. In case 7 it is more like a standard investigation with not much in terms of anything going on until the very ending where the behind-the-scenes details finally come into place. Not to say that it's bad, but in my opinion it doesn't match up to the overall story/screenplay contained in case 3.

[close]

Just my opinion. 
Still, I enjoyed the game and I look forward to the next case. Nice job!

How do I get into Bianchi's Apartment? I've

Spoiler

been into his office and found the symbol and compared it to the one on the back of the suicide note. I've also questioned (I think) everyone about the order of the knights.

[close]

Here are my comments:

• Graphically and atmospherically, it's really nice. The artwork, animations, and detail is top-notch. All that was missing was some atmospheric SFX. Excellent detail in the backgrounds and characters.
  
  
• Gameplay-wise, I'm not sure what you were going for. The GUI is nice, but many of the options seem redundant. I know you may have wanted to give the player more options than he or she needs, so that the player can figure out the puzzles for themselves, but several verbs weren't used at all or used only once. It was also a little frustrating since you would get generic "I can't do that messages" when using the door, instead of trying to open it, which seemed wrong to me until I remembered there was an open command. The same could apply to the extra inventory items, which I do not like as a personal preference, especially in a game this small.
  
• The dialog was witty enough for me, but borderline arrogant.
  
  
• The puzzles: I'm not a fan of preforming a series of convoluted tasks to accomplish one simple objective* like "Open the door," but you still put a lot of effort into it. So for that, I have to admire all the work you did. I could have done without the pixel-hunts and maybe a bit more player-direction would have been nice. I admit I used the walkthrough, so yes, I am not a real man.
  
  
• Overall, it's very impressive and ranks up in the most-polished AGS games, even though it could use more interaction messages. Nice job!

-


edit: *I'm a hypocrite. Still working on this myself.

Trully amazing, IMO. X10 better than expected, specially considering it was directed by the director of "the incredibles", pixar' s weakest work for me.

Sorry.
Incredible's Director = Brad Bird
Wall-E's director = Andrew Stanton

On topic: I will probably watch it when it gets to DVD.

Oh wow, thanks! I wasn't expecting that but it's surely appreciated!

@Storygamer

Spoiler

Repeatedly tell him you are not a bot.

[close]

[Chatroom]

Chatroom

Originally made for OROW V, Chatroom is an experimental conversation simulator for AGS.

Changes from OROW version:
- Slightly changed both Roger's and Luke's AI
- Added more responses from Luke
- Fixed several bugs, including the game-crashing one
- Minor graphical overhaul

Download Here (4.4 MB) (640x480 @ 16bit)
Game's Database Page

As with most parser games, I know they tend to be frustrating, so thanks to all who tried out this game during OROW. I tried to have it tested as many times as possible, but in the end, I know I won't be able to tackle every response every player tries.

I know the game isn't perfect, so if you find any errors, have any suggestions regarding the AI, or ask any questions to Luke that you think should have a different response, feel free to tell me, and I will try my best to work it out.

Thanks for playing!

Pop up a random Ags Tidbit & Snippet or any other useful bit of code that may help us gamemakers who haven't devoured the entire manual.