Messages

Hi,

I think I will give it a try. I might make a tutorial for this module.

Question: @artium Can you show me how you used a custom sprite to highlight the hotspots. Can you provide the script?

I will let you know.

Until then...

Happy coding.

Thanks.

Just saw your comment.

To use sprite mode, open HintsHighlight-3.0.0.asc and set the following configuration constants:

Code: ags

#define HINT_SHAPE_TO_USE eHintSprite
...
#define SPRITE_SLOT <the slot of the sprite you want to use>

A new version 3.0.0 was released based on feedback I saw here and there.

You are welcome to see the changlog here: https://github.com/alkhimey/HintsHighlight/releases/tag/v3.0.0

Never played the original but what you attempt to do is quite impressive 

I have some spare time and an interesting idea for a game concept that I would like to explore.

I need help with writing/creative thinking and art.

For art, I need:

• 6 different hats.
• 6 characters, the characters can, but don't have to, be face only drawings.
• A single background.

For writing, I need 6 short stories each having the length of 5-10 sentences .

• I will code the game mechanic.

If you are interested, send me a private message and I will reply with full details of the concept. Don't want to publish spoilers for a non existing game yet 

Did not try it yet, but looks very nice.

I can think of some use cases for this to make console playing more convenient.
I think the main game-play should still be with a manual moving of the cursor using the analog sticks on the controller. Otherwise, the "point and click" part of the adventure game is missing.
But things like navigating menus, complex RPG style UIs, closeup puzzles could really benefit from it.

I have an improvement suggestion. Let the user of the module to selectively enable which interactives should be part of the system. Then it will be possible to use it with characters, inventory, room exit points etc, but leave the puzzles for manual searching. Maybe someone would like decide that for his game, any interactive that was clicked at least once in the game could be quickly reached using the arrows.

Two competition suggestions that I want to suggest:

1. Font design competition. The competition will have a theme of the game. For example "horror game set during the Napoleonic era" and the designers will have to try to make  the font fit the theme. The results of such competition could live on and be used by the community.

2. A puzzle/mini game only competition. We have game pitch, art and writing competitions.  Why not have a competition that would encourage exploration of different puzzle mechanics in an isolated environment.

I played Cave of Avarice a while ago and finally found time to write a review:

Spoiler

The quality of the game is very high.  I enjoyed it very much. The graphics, story and puzzles are excellent.

The introduction was a little to long in my opinion. After a "cinematic" intro you had an in game one as well. Maybe it is me personally but I started to lose patience and was eager to start playing the game already.

The emotional first person intro was very immersive in my opinion.

Using the lantern in cave to reveal only part of it was cool idea. I think that this idea was under utilized. You could hide and object somewhere in the cave and turn it I to an exploration puzzle.

The crocodile puzzle was a good idea as well.

In the idol room I was expecting one of the idol to be different so I checked each one of them

The crack in the wall was a little hidden and took some time to find.

Overall, if someone told me this is a chapter in full featured commercial game, it would not surprise me.
You built the character well and this story could theoretically be expanded into a series of small advanture games or even a whole franchise.

[close]

[A SUSPICIOUS DATE]

A SUSPICIOUS DATE

DOWNLOAD from the AGS Game Page

User Interface
Right Click - Interact
Left Click - Examine
Q - Quit
You can select multiples items in the item list.

Art: Tuathlaith
Writing: Durq
Programming: Artium

Source Code: https://github.com/alkhimey/MAGS-May-19
Design Document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_9XMXT4NHpskqNmfr3Z368IwtnsT4SCy-n_8gLwIrHk/edit?usp=sharing
AGS Game Page: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2347/

We are close to finishing but some polishing is required.

Just to make sure we don't miss the deadline accidentally, when exactly will the submission close? And by exactly I mean GMT time.

I am looking for partners.
See description here:
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57145.msg636605415

[UPDATE]

UPDATE: Hey, we are now a team of two. Programmer and writer. We have an interesting idea for a game and looking for an artist to join us.

Hi, I am looking for partners for developing a game for May's MAGS.

I was thinking of developing something modest in scale and to focus on quality and polishing:

• 1 room (1 background)
• 1-2 characters
• <5 inventory objects
• 1 "closeup puzzle" (pool levers, turn valves, decode encryption etc)
• <10 minutes of game play
• No voice acting
• No music or use a public domain asset
• As basic UI as possible or even use public domain assets

I am not locked on a particular idea. The exact script/theme details could be brainstormed between all the participants.
As I mentioned already, what I do want to get at the end is a really polished product.

What I bring to the table

• I can't start working before 13/05
• I can dedicate 15-20 hours a week after that date.
• I am great with programming can code custom stuff for the project (see my spline and hints modules)
• I can take responsibility on:
  
  
  
  • Writing the code and doing all the in-engine configuration (defining walk behinds, hotspots, properties etc)
  • Integrating all the parts
  • Organizing the work, defining the tasks that needs to be done, building a plan
  • Testing and finding testers
• I have experience with managing projects
• I have experience with doing little hack-a-thon style projects (see list) although never over long distance, so this will be challenging.

What I am looking for

• Someone who will take responsibility over the graphics: sprites, UI, backgrounds.
• Someone who will work on the script: create a storyboard graph and write dialogues.

Responsibility does not mean doing all the work. It means leading it.
We will help each other and work together as much as working over the internet can allow.

Requirements

• Any experience in the above fields. Looking for someone who can produce work of reasonable quality.
• Commitment (it is only a couple of weeks long project that you work in the spare time as a hobby)
• Getting things done attitude.
• Psychological ability to cope with cutting half done features in the benefit of the overall quality or finishing the game on time.
• Knowledge of working with git or willingness to learn.

Few questions, posting this public so that it could help other interested programmers to decide.

• How many gestures are you planing, roughly?
• Can you draw few examples of gestures you have in mind?
• Will you be flexible to change some of the gesture if the detection if the final product does not work well with them?
• Do you need a system to introduce new gestures after the initial work is done?

I think this is probably more advanced than my older "AGS Bézier Curves". Or maybe it has a different use. Also I'm too lazy to google up the exact difference between Splines and Bezier, which I always forget. For exhastivity's sake : AGS Bézier Curves link

Hey,

I cant download your module, the download link gives 404.

I think that Bezier curves are more suitable for interactivity, but if you can not see what you are doing in real time, like when setting coordinates in code, then it is quicker to use splines that are passing through the control points.

Documentation and code

Download scm file

This module provides two related functions:

• The ability to draw splines.
  
• The ability to create a spline path that can be used for animations.

It can be used creatively for puzzles, complex movement animations, drawing ropes, drawing roller coaster rails etc.
If you have interesting ideas of what can be done with splines or used it in your project, I would be really happy to hear about it

Hey Artium, I started to manually get the metadata for trying to build an index.

The AGS Module Index

my idea would be having an .scm packed along with an .ini file with metadata in an open repository. These ini files would be globed into a .json index and the search index would be provided by lunr. It's all a rough idea, but if you want to jump in.

Add a feature to import modules directly to your game and that is exactly how I imagined it would look like.

What kind of help do you need?

I noticed that there are many modules in the module's section of the forum. Some can substantially enhance a game with little effort. The problem is that there is no convenient way to "shop" for modules and many users are not aware that something really useful can be in hand's reach.

Many game engines and software in general has plugin managers built in.

If something like this would exist for AGS, it would look like a a in-editor form that pulls a list of modules from the server along with links, version, description, screenshots and maybe even user rating. With a press of button, the selected module will be added into the game itself.

What do you think, could the community benefit from something like this?

Updates to the module are available:

•     Randomized border color. (thanks to Danvzare )
•     Sped up calculation time by only checking every other pixel for a hotspot. (thanks to Danvzare )
•     Addition of border padding.
  
•     Addition of hints for objects and characters.
  
•     Improved README.
  

Additionaly, it is possible now to download an scm file.

did you host your source code online, on github or similar? It would be nice to always adopt that practice nowadays.

Yes I did. It is hosted on Github: https://github.com/alkhimey/HintsHighlight

I was not aware that there is already a module doing this. We have mostly the same functionality but there small differences I can see. It is not really important because this is a project for helping me learn AGS.

Firstly by drastically increasing the speed in which it calculates everything, although now a hotspot has to be at least 2x2 to be detected.

Great idea. Requiring the hotspots to be at least 2x2 is reasonable.
Nevertheless, currently, the overlay is calculated only when a button is pressed, not every cycle and even not while it is held. Therefore there is little requirement for speedup.

Secondly, by making the various rectangles more identifiable from each other.

This is a great addition as well!

I don't know how to use GitHub, hence why I'm putting it here.

I really loved your changes and want to incorporate them. But maybe this is an opportunity for you to learn git, and to make a name for yourself in somebody's else repository. I can send you a link to an interactive git tutorial and to guide how to work with github. PM me if you are interested.

Firstly, it only points out hotspots. What about objects and characters?

That is on my TODO list.

Secondly, you really need to make it pause the game when it's being used, because if you hold in the H key while walking in a scrolling room, the drawn rectangles follow the screen.

Agree, I will add it.

Thirdly, consider changing the default key to the spacebar, since that's usually what most games set this kind of hint thing to.

Agree a well.

[Latest version:]

Documentation and code

Download scm file

Latest version: 3.0.0 (released on 20/05/2025)

Did you ever play an adventure game and got frustrated by not being able to find the next clue of a puzzle?

You try every item and click on every location, but there is no success...

So you open the walk-through and what is written there disappoints you.

It turns out that it was not something clever that you missed, but you did not notice that little pixel sized, not so outstanding, brick at the corner of the screen.

No more frustration for you players!

As part of learning to work with AGS, I developed a module that allows displaying hints.

After the easy integration (simply download and add it into your game), pressing an "SPACE" key (actually this is configurable) will highlight all the enabled hotspots/characters/objects on the screen.



It has several other configurable options that are explained in the "asc" file. Of course you can modify it as you wish, for example making the highlight visual style fit you game's theme.

If you find bugs or have suggestions or improvement requests, feel free to write me