Messages

Congratulations, slumber!

or could please anybody help me out with what is the role of the host?

Sure! You have to create a shape, upload it to an image host of your choice and create a new thread. You can look at past coloring balls to get an idea:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=55721.0
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=56096.0
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=55558.0

Nice use of the icons! Good to see the AGS stash in action.

Right-clicking does nothing (although I don't think I'd ever want to make a generalised UI for both PC and mobile, apparently it's important)

Verbcoin currently closes when you move the mouse out of the verbcoin range. Should an X button be added to be able to explicitly close it? Or some other system to close it?

You could use right click as an additional option for closing the verbcoin. This way you can close it without additional mouse movements. An x would just use up additional screen space.

CrimsonWizard in another thread suggested a system where once the verbcoin is opened, the mouse pointer would disappear,

I hate that, don't take my cursor away!

Same here, don't do that!

Those buttons look huge, maybe it's the round solid BG color, as I don't mind the icons.

What about making the background 50% transparent and only the icons and a 1px outline around them solid?

Having the inv in the verbcoin is an idea that never crossed my mind, mostly cause I like having the inventory always visible, but again this is personal preference. I would at least change the inv icon with the talk one, as it's less intuitive to go "backwards"...

In combination with

Left-clicking where there's no interactable makes you walk there

this means you cannot open the inventory when there is currently no hotspot on screen. Or you have to interact with the table/door/bookshelf for being able to combine the batteries and the torch.

I think a settings menu should not be in a verbcoin. You only want stuff there that are relevant to playing the game. An icon at one of the corners should be good enough to access the settings and options menu. Just pick which ever corner is less intrusive for the game (usually a top corner, as on the bottom we tend to have walking areas and stuff.

Agreed.

1st: 11
2nd: 21
3rd: 19

Aaaaand I absolutely love this CB! Great job, AnasAbdin!

Spoiler

France 1 - 2 Belgium
Croatia 2 - 1 England

[close]

I moved the tech discussion to Beginners' Technical Questions board:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=56241.0

Spoiler

Uruguay 2 - 2 France
Brazil 0 - 1 Belgium
Sweden 0 - 1 England
Russia 0 - 1 Croatia

[close]

Thanks for the reminder, Stu!

I usually get my fonts from https://fonts.google.com/
They have very professional fonts that usually include lots of characters and have a good license.

Very nice!

Most importantly: start small! Make a small game, finish it, get feedback, learn. Afterwards, you can start to make your Epic Quest as a much wiser man or woman.

Spoiler

France 0 - 0 Argentina
Uruguay 0 - 1 Portugal
Spain 1 - 0 Russia
Croatia 2 - 0 Denmark
Brazil 1 - 1 Mexico
Belgium 0 - 1 Japan
Sweden 2 - 0 Switzerland
Colombia 0 - 2 England

[close]

Just wild guessing...

While I agree that keyboard shortcuts can be helpful for experienced gamers, IMO a point-and-click UI should also be convenient to use without a keyboard. Actually, I hate it when I have to use a keyboard in adventure games (for example for opening the inventory or typing in passwords). I often play games on the TV while sitting on a sofa.

Anyway, I've added the column "Clicks required for action" and text parser UI:

GUI type	How many interactions?	Intuitive?	Suitable for mobile devices	Covers screen space	Ergonomic	Clicks required for action
Text parser	Infinite	No	(Yes)	Yes	No (switching between typing and mouse)	0
Lucas Arts 9-Verb GUI	9	Yes?	Yes	Yes	No (long distance mouse movements)	2 (1 for default action)
Sierra (right click rotate)	~4	No	No	No	No (several clicks required)	1-4, depending on how it is used by the player
Verbcoin (hold to open)	2-4	No	Yes	Only when active	No (hold)	1
Verbcoin (click to open)	2-4	Yes	Yes	Only when active	Yes	2
BASS (left-right click)	2	No	No	No	Yes	1
Single click	1	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	1

Of course, this is just my personal view. Feel free to post different tables, aspects, etc.

I agree with you cat, except that I think BASS is also very intuitive. But maybe tone it down to halfway intuitive as some users can't be bothered to rightclick on something to hear the hero's thoughts and maybe get a hint this way

I disagree. As we have heard before, not all players realise that a right click even exists. What I meant with intuitive is "can be figured out easily without a readme or tutorial".

Also leftclick with BASS are 2 different interactions, talk or interact, depending if you click an object or a character. also walking, but this is for every guitype.

Except for Sierra, where walk is a separate cursor. But you are right, walk could be considered a different interaction (but I think it would make the table more confusing)

I was playing with a mouse in windows. It wasn't the right clicking itself (as you mention, two click games are no problem) but having to bend my mind to the new system. Call it inflexible if you want I have to admit, I didn't play that long, otherwise my mind probably would have adjusted to the system.
However, the interface was only a minor reason for me to stop playing, more important was the lack of time and not knowing anything all about BSG.

Well, my BSG game uses a verb-coin... but have no idea if I should keep it for the next, improve on it, or drop it for something else, since there's no feedback about it.
- You do no have to hold down for it to pop-up. I use the right click to open it up.

Ok, I'll give you honest feedback: I didn't like having to right click to open it. It was straining because it's not what I'm used to.

- It's "context sensitive". As in it'll only show you coded options. If I only coded "Look" for a Lamp, then only the Look icon will show up. But if I decided to let the player talk to the lamp, then all I needed to do was code the talk interacting and it'll be shown.

I like that part.

I think examples of people quitting games because they don't know how to use verb-coins are probably proof? Some people hate single-click games, but no one has ever stopped playing one because they were confused.

Can we please stop ignoring that there is a difference between those hold-down-to-show and single-click verbcoins?

But Danvzare has a point: we don't have any facts yet. Maybe we should collect what we have?

GUI type	How many interactions?	Intuitive?	Suitable for mobile devices	Covers screen space	Ergonomic
Lucas Arts 9-Verb GUI	9	Yes?	Yes	Yes	No (long distance mouse movements)
Sierra (right click rotate)	~4	No	No	No	No (several clicks required)
Verbcoin (hold to open)	2-4	No	Yes	Only when active	No (hold)
Verbcoin (click to open)	2-4	Yes	Yes	Only when active	Yes
BASS (left-right click)	2	No	No	No	Yes
Single click	1	Yes	Yes	No	Yes

Intuitive means "can be figured out easily without a readme or tutorial"
With ergonomic I mean how convenient is it to use by mouse i.e. multiple clicks, long ways, holding buttons etc.

Day 14. Cat wins the day again with one point from each game. Her tactic of betting against Germany has paid off.

Finally! I was almost at the bottom of the table already

Same here

There is also Space Quest Incinerations and more. Just search for Space Quest in the AGS database.

Click somewhere where no hotspot is? Just the same as with a single click interface. Click on a hotspot -> a verbcoin is opened/an action is performed directly vs. click somewhere else -> walk there. I don't see any difference here.

The big pyramid thing looks more south-american than japanese. Try a google image search for "japanese castle".
The other building and the pagoda look pretty good.