Messages

If the current build doesn't crash, it probably wouldn't be of use.

If it's easy to make it crash again on your PC by taking the tweening out, then that could be handy though.

It depends on the computer -- if I take the tweening out on my current PC (the newer one), it doesn't cause any crashing as the crashing no longer exists, with or without the tween.

I think one thing that did crash the game on my old computer, apart from the tween, is also what I mentioned earlier, CTRL-A in Debug mode.

Hmm, that's annoying that it doesn't crash on your friend's computer. If you'd like to upload the game I can try it out and see if it crashes for me, but if not it can be very hard to track these things down.

I used a work-around by Tweening (via the Tween Module) the objects which prevented the crashes, but I think the game also may have crashed under other odd circumstances, such as pressing Ctrl-A in debug mode (to view walkable areas).

I transferred my files over to a newer, faster, PC, and none of the old crashes happen. However, another person tried to play the game on their computer (with the old version) and it still crashed, so I don't think the crashing was unique to my old system, if that makes any sense.

Would uploading the current build (w/ Tween implemented) be of any use?

Come listen to the IndieGames Podcast and hear my monotone voice reveal intimate secrets about GEMINI RUE! http://bit.ly/hFV39W (the part about Gemini Rue starts a little after 48:30)

In other news, a very important announcement regarding GEMINI RUE will be out in the weeks to come, so stay tuned!

J

[game.speech_music_drop]

The functions you mentioned are part of the new audio scripting so perhaps PlayMusic() (which is not) is not affected by them

Maybe... it would take quite a bit of backtracking though to replace all the commands. 

From the AGS Manual:

game.speech_music_drop    

How much to drop music volume when speech is played (default 60).

Yeah, I actually knew about this command from before but thought it was obsolete now in the new versions of AGS.

---

I tried putting in:

Code: ags

game.speech_music_drop=0;

I think it's working for the music so far. Do you know if there's another version of this command for AmbientSound and Sound to not cut out when speech plays? Those are still cutting out I think.

are you using the new audio types for music? or still PlayMusic()?

Mostly PlayMusic().

I think almost all of the audio script commands in the game are the old style, as the new audio types weren't supported when the game was first written.

Could that be causing the problem?

[Game.SetAudioTypeSpeechVolumeDrop()]

When playing speech files in the game, sometimes music and/or sound volume level drops while the speech is playing. I want it to be so that all volume levels remain consistent during any dialog.

I looked this up in the manual and I found Game.SetAudioTypeSpeechVolumeDrop().

static Game.SetAudioTypeSpeechVolumeDrop(AudioType, int volumeReduction)

Changes the VolumeReductionWhileSpeechPlaying of the specified AudioType. This changes the setting, initially set in the Audio Types part of the editor. It specifies how much the volume of clips of this type will be reduced by while speech is playing.
Specify 0 for no volume adjustment, up to 100 which will completely silence these audio clips while speech is playing.

Right now in the function initialize_control_panel() in the global script I have this:

Code: ags

  Game.SetAudioTypeSpeechVolumeDrop(eAudioTypeAmbientSound, 0);
  Game.SetAudioTypeSpeechVolumeDrop(eAudioTypeMusic, 0);
  Game.SetAudioTypeSpeechVolumeDrop(eAudioTypeSound, 0);

But I still hear the volume drop for music & SFX during the game whenever speech is played.

Any thoughts?

"You ought to get your haircut!": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUIu6_eTkjY

[does not crash,]

I tried restarting my computer multiple times, yet the game still crashes. Although I was playing Left 4 Dead 2 earlier and Windows told me I was low on System Memory.

I tried it on a friend's computer and it does not crash, so I guess it is the system's fault. Shouldn't restarting my computer though fix any memory leak issues?

Hmmm, will the game crash if you comment those lines out? The engine may report the incorrect lines sometimes.

I commented those lines out and the game does not crash. But that only works as a temp solution, unfortunately.

---

I noticed that the game is crashing in specifically 4 different rooms when any object is moved.

What those 4 rooms have in common is that they all have a "BOX" object in them -- in the game there exist little "box moving" sequences where the player can interact with a oBox and use the keyboard to move it around.

All 4 rooms have the same Box moving code in the key_press section but some use different graphics for the box, I believe. In those rooms, it seems that any time an object is moved (box or not) the game crashes.

In a later scene where the box is not visible, an object.Move() command is called, and the game does NOT crash. So it seems to be dependent on the BOX being visible somehow?

Just a quick check and may not be of help. Would it be possible that the objects' views containing frames that point to non-existing sprites?

Hmm... don't think so. The objects themselves are not locked to any views. They are just called using the object.Move(); command.

I've been getting crashes from normal playthroughs performing actions that I've done many times before but which have never resulted in crashes.

The crashes seem to recur on incidents of object[].Move(); commands, but I've never changed anything about these lines recently at all.

One instance is when the player is trying to open an elevator and the object slides open. The crash happens recurrently in one scene, but when I open the elevator later in the game, it doesn't crash at all:

Code: ags

---------------------------
Illegal exception
---------------------------
An exception 0xC0000005 occurred in ACWIN.EXE at EIP = 0x00423560 ; program pointer is +77, ACI version 3.20.1110, gtags (30,0)

AGS cannot continue, this exception was fatal. Please note down the numbers above, remember what you were doing at the time and post the details on the AGS Technical Forum.

in "room50.asc", line 152


Most versions of Windows allow you to press Ctrl+C now to copy this entire message to the clipboard for easy reporting.

An error file CrashInfo.dmp has been created. You may be asked to upload this file when reporting this problem on the AGS Forums. (code 0)
---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

Code: ags

Line 152: oElevatorRight2.Move(225, 140, -10, eNoBlock, eAnywhere);

Another instance is when a player is moving an object by pressing "A" on the keyboard, and then the game crashes. Again, the code has not been changed in recent memory, yet the game now crashes with the same line.

Code: ags

---------------------------
Illegal exception
---------------------------
An exception 0xC0000005 occurred in ACWIN.EXE at EIP = 0x00423560 ; program pointer is +6, ACI version 3.20.1110, gtags (30,0)

AGS cannot continue, this exception was fatal. Please note down the numbers above, remember what you were doing at the time and post the details on the AGS Technical Forum.

in "room17.asc", line 414


Most versions of Windows allow you to press Ctrl+C now to copy this entire message to the clipboard for easy reporting.

An error file CrashInfo.dmp has been created. You may be asked to upload this file when reporting this problem on the AGS Forums. (code 0)
---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

Code: ags

Line 414:     oBox.Move(oBox.X+1, oBox.Y, 0, eNoBlock, eAnywhere);

It only started happening today and with multiple instances in the code, where there were never any problems before.

Any thoughts?

Hey all,

If you've had any pressing questions about Gemini Rue, now is your chance to ask!

I will be part of an upcoming podcast with 2 other Los Angeles based developers (Matt Gilgenbach, Mark Essen) in correspondence with IndieGames.com.

Link: http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2010/11/podcasting_in_los_angeles_what.html

PCGamer Issue 204 (September 2010) - Gemini Rue preview:
Page 1
Page 2

[film noir.]

Thanks, dudes, and dudettes!

I am considering to focus on a specific film genre for the 4 weeks of the curriculum, and apply that to game design, and so I came up with the genre of film noir.

Does anyone have any suggestions on pertinent films (noir) to analyze? I have put the following down (though not all are strictly film noir):
Citizen Kane (1941), M (1931), Double Indemnity (1944), Touch of Evil (1958).

(I specifically did not put down the following, because I have seen them already: Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, and the Third Man.)

Anyone have other suggestions?

[4 week syllabus for a course curriculum exploring the nature between games and film.]

Hi folks!

I have a pressing problem that I need assistance on, so here is the gist:

Basically, I have the opportunity to design a 4 week syllabus for a course curriculum exploring the nature between games and film.

But what does that mean exactly? That's what I need help with. I need to come up with a series of issues or topics in which I can apply film history and theory to game design to an extent that it would warrant a class curriculum. These issues should contain enough content to explore for at least maybe (4) class meetings, approximately an hour each. Analyzing specific films and applying their principles to game design (or exploring the difference between the two), I think, is the general hope.

If anyone has ideas, I would much appreciate them! And the unofficial due date for this curriculum is a week from today, Friday, Oct 1.

Thanks!
--Josh

Gemini Rue is now an Indie Games Arcade finalist!

http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2010/09/indie_games_arcade_2010_lineup.html

Updated first post as well with Awards & Press links.

Quick update:

PC Gamer Issue 204 (September 2010) has a short preview on Gemini Rue. It's page 42, right after Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Fallout 3: New Vegas, and Dead Space 2. 

As I understand it, currently in AGS, having the player say "..." is translated into a wait() command.

Is it possible to override this and have a player say in-game: "..."?

Very cool game. It really does remind me of a lost LucasArts gem. The way you combine the overarching goal (the Edge), with great direction, backdrops (the City / Docks), and closeups, in addition to solid puzzle design, setup, and distinct character personalities--it really gives it that early 90s charm.

If I could make two minor suggestions:
- I couldn't find the "Docks" exit for the longest time. I had to go into the Hints & Tips thread to see that people were mentioning a completely different location which made me think I had missed something. Only then, I went back into the game after probably playing for ~ 1 hour and found the docks.
- A double-click/skip to destination option would be very nice.

Spoiler

The simple way is just to use the StartCutscene(); option in AGS then you can press ESCAPE to skip to each room.

[close]

Then one tiny, tiny bug:

Spoiler

- In the room where you see the plane from overhead, there is no walkbehind in the bottom left corner, meaning you can walk on top of the box there. This is right where you would go down to the room with the oil tap.

[close]

Excellent work. Good luck on the rest of the game!

Thank you, Matti, Ben, and Dualnames! I appreciate it.