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I bet that your game doesn't actually require that many things to dissolve...

Yup

So far I've played a little with the simple rain module (SSH) and the lake module(SteveMcRea) - I can hardly imagine that my effect would consume more CPU power...

edit:
@SSH: haven't seen your update while writing these lines.  Hmm.. so I might really draw the dissolves for the sprites myself. But thanks for this explanation

Generally - if I want to move raw stuff, I have to create a dynamic sprite, put it on an overlay and move that?

Nice workaround,  upside-down-rain would also work (SSH's rain module a little tweaked)

But still, this won't help me on a dissolve and won't teach a thing

Actually I somehow want it both, I just didn't want to bother you with all details

For single objects/characters, it would be really cool to have a dissolve effect, just like on the screenshot:
pixels, which detach from the sprite, rise and fade out.

For the fullscreen effect, imagine an underwater scenery, with bubbles rising to the surface. So the pixels don't get removed but only rise from places where the underlying pixel is black.
And since I don't want to use it underwater, it should give the scene a nice surrealistic look.

But back to technique on how to archive this. Do I get you right: (?)

- take a screenshot
- Draw my pixel on it
- Update the background
- Take a new screenshot
- remove my old pixel
- set a new one with a lower y-coordinate
- update the background and so on?

Would this be quite slow and result in flickering?

Hi there,
first of all, if there's a tutorial about raw drawing in AGS 3.x I'm willing to read it and try again

If you don't know the game, here's a screenshot showing what in a way I'll like to mimic.

courtesy of ign

This is basically the effect, I just want to use it one the whole screen in this way.

Repeatly execute {
- looking for a random pixel on the screen
- check if the pixel is black
- if the pixel is black, move the pixel to the top while fading out
}

What would be the best approach? Putting the pixel on an overlay and move it?
Drawing the pixel on the background and for the movement restoring the screen and drawing the pixel somewhere else? I'm a little lost here  :

Thanks for your help!

Even if I feel a bit hypocritical, posting here again after such a long time... Thanks a lot for this great release. I really really like the 3.x branch of AGS!

maybe just a cosmetic concern, but her neck and face aren't really female. I think the body is a little too slim, to host a boxer's face and neck 

I think of emptying amazon on his other books too 
(worst grammar ever)

Too bad I spent 30 eur (hardcover) on his book and amazon lists it for 8 eur (paperback) -  but well, 22 eur spend for the discovery  :

function hHotspot1_Look()
{
Display(" oh my gosh... an omega Metroid...");
dOmega.Start();
}
....

[parrot]global script, global script, braawk[/parrot]

Seriously, there's only this one function for the whole game. So you'd better keep tracks of the numbers 

[run-script X]

run-script X
Runs global script function "dialog_request", with X passed as the single parameter. This allows you to do more advanced things in a dialog that are not supported as part of the dialog script. The "dialog_request" function should be placed in your game's global script file, as follows:

 function dialog_request (int xvalue) {
   if (xvalue == 1) {
    // your code here
   }
   else if (xvalue == 2) {
    // other code here
   }
 }

What the manual wants to tell you is, that you need the function dialog_request in your GlobalScript.asc.
So just copy and paste this function the end of your game script. and add the code.

In the dialogs, you use these function with run-script, as ghost already told you.


Here's a sample dialog:
@S
Metroid: How works run-script?
Matti: Look it up.
return
@1 // You've chosen: Control you emotions and be nice
run-script 1
stop
@2 // You've chosen: Freak out and hope someone still helps
run-script 2
stop

Here's the sample function

function dialog_request (int xvalue) {
   if (xvalue == 1) {
    // be nice (this is a comment btw.
      cMetroid.Say ("Thank you, I'll look again");
      cMetroid.Looksthingsup();
   }
   else if (xvalue == 2) {
    // not beeing nice
     cMetroid.CapsLock();
     cMetroid.Say ("i just need a script."):
     cMetroid.Kick (eScreenInFront);
     cMetroid.ChangeRoom(6,6,6);
   }
}

Something like that will do  

Or CJ could just add support for the PhoneHomeCheckLicence("licenceserver.agscommercialgames.com") function 

lol, or he convinces Steve Jobs to add AGS to the iTunes DRM family 

Now as I'm writing this - ags on the iphone...just... wow *drools*

Not to mention that offering tools that break copy protections isn't that easy anymore. So even if those tools would exist, the majority won't have a chance to optain it. Well at least you won't find it on Download.com or brothersoft

I definately agree! The lighting give the atmosphere a huge push. And the filename even got my name
I usually work on a seperate layer and use brush/eraser. But working on a layermask by just hitting "x" to swap the colors is really more convinient. Thanks for that.

By the way, I've just realized, that I hardly gave you anytime to comment on the last step. Sorry for that.
Well, "temporary finished" would make a better topic

Good point

So the only options would be "wine" or a nice guy who's porting the engine.
But not all nice guys have this amazing endurance, that you have (is AC/AGS already 10 years old?)... thus would wine be an option?

@ Yeah, this plug-in is a real time saver.
And by the way, I've read your tutorial about ten times and I'm amazed myself how good it worked for me 


I've fixed the fence's lighting and also corrected this blurry edge on the far left window. Apart from that, I feel pretty finished.

Thanks for all your help and feedback, guys!

Maybe I should point it out a little more.

1st case: a developer who doesn't care if their files get decoded
They share their generated key, so the engine can decode the game.

It still won't be an easy task, to build a decryption tool.

2nd case: commercial developers, who have to avoid that their files getting decoded
They don't share a key, use the typical compile process (engine + build-in key) but loose the benefit from platform independency. So the key isn't public and built into an exe and therefore safe. Or might it still be possible to extract a key from there on?

So the point is, you know, how the Engine decodes the files and runs the game, but it doesn't help you because you don't have the key.

The only other possibility for commerical devs, wanting ScummVM AND their secret kept, would be some key server stuff and that's definately not very popular.

I've just read this thread about ags, scummvm and so on. The main reason for not going opensource with the engine was, that it will ruin the business modell of the commercial devs.

But has this idea been discussed before: How about encryption ?
You could generate a key for your game and if you want it on Scumm VM, share the key so the engine can decode it.
And if you want it safe, just spread a compiled version with the key built in.

So the secret ingredient wouldn't be whole source code anymore.
Could this work?

Followed you advices on the windows:


Better or too blurry?

1. Secret of Monkey Island
2. Broken Sword 2
3. Colonels Bequest

I know, these are all really old titles, but they had the biggest impact on me. As of today I still like playing adventure games, but if I had to buy a game, that would properbly a retro game from here (like those from Wadget eye).
So no, I havent played Zak&Wiki nor have I tried Jack Keane  8)

edit:
Reasons for chosing this three games:
1+3) graphics+atmosphere+soundtrack: I still have the soundtracks in my head. Apart from the athmosphere, Colonels Bequest was incredibly hard and somehow unfair. but it was just so great, acting in the middle of an 20s crime novel. With intrigues murder and social relationships between the actors.

2) I'm not really sure, why I've chosen this. Maybe because I can remember it very well and have the feeling that it was entertaining.

Okies, then I'll put some more effort on the windows. Curtains and sections are good ideas - although I've already sections. Looked as bad as the bricks 
btw. I've just seen, that the shadows of the tree and the fence are leading in the wrong direction, compared to the house. I'm gonna fix that too.

I'm currently using SSHs and apparently your version - though I had to change 3 or 5 lines, but not a big deal.  The only real drawback is that it uses global INTs to trigger stuff out of a conversation.
And because it still works, I've been to lazy to implement a replacement.

But still thanks for sharing. If yours can trigger events out of a converstion, I might try.