Messages

Hi,
Can someone mark the right colors with numbers from 0 to 15 on the "System (Windows) Color Table" above?
Thanks!

I have the tendency to wrap any function I use a lot with my own version.
f.e.g. I like to add optional volume parameter to the play function.
This way, whenever the usage of this function is changed (like in newer versions) or when I discover a behavior I don't like (like the one you just described) I can easily circumvent it inside my code rather than going to the endless places it is used in.
I suggest you to do the same.

Khris: that's a clever general purpose line of code though [in my case] since it's reset every room enter, it's actually equivalent to SBg(0) no? correct me if I'm wrong.

Gilbet V7000a: kinda what you said! I have originally had the game at 16 bits. The backgrounds never changed, BUT, after changing to 32 bit, if importing an EXTRA (not main) background, it will be corrupt. So the solution (read: workaround) is to revert to 16, import the background, then switch back to 32. I guess it's something to do with the main background saving all kinds of (palette?) information, sharing it with the extra backgrounds, but not updating properly.

Thank you for your help!

Hi,

I have a strange problem.
I have a room with 2 backgrounds, the main and the extra one.
When animating them, the extra one become all corrupted, as if the background is reduced to 4-bit color or something like that.
Then, in the editor it still looks ok,
BUT,
if in the editor I switch it to the main background, then save the room, then close the room editor, then reopen it and switch to the extra background, I can see the same corrupt background there.

The strange thing is that I have another room with extra background animating, and no problem there!

Does anyone has an idea??

All the backgrounds are 16-bit color. The problem happens regardless of the game being set as 16 or 32 bit.

a side question - is there a way to turn off the auto cycling of backgrounds without explicit SetBackground lockings?

TIA

Why Edmundito, do you feel he opened the gate for all hell to break loose in the form of C# scripting? :

Anyone interested in C# scripting, please look at http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=42140.0

Out of curiosity, have you taken a look at this? http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=41465.0

Thanks for the tip Sslax

Hello to all my new friends.

I am very excited from all the unexpected positive and lively response in this thread.
First some delayed response,
Monkey/Clarvalon: using a different (VS, eclipse) editor won’t rob us of AGS, and it’s not limited to text only. We can actually have all the graphics, control, etc… reproduced. In VS for example, you can have custom forms in design mode, which will actually help in a better WYSIWYG experience.

In continuum to Tzachs’s and Clarvalon’s initiatives (and to what other folks do with other languages), please let me introduce you to a cute plugin called Cesium.
It's seems like a preliminary effort to start moving things in the direction of what’s started cooking here
This is basically a plugin which has only one command string ret = CSDo(string cmd)
It accepts a string which includes the name of a C# script file(s), and some other optional parameters and arguments which needs to be passed to the script. It executes the script immediately, and returns anything the script returns converted to string, so you can also serialize structures, etc…
It is automatically good for .NET ver > 2, and does not need any additional SDK’s (it seems).
You DON’T have to redistribute the PluginAPIWrapper.dll with it (it’s internally embedded and extracts itself to a temporary directory when needed)
The plugin itself includes a static CSAux class with some helper functions that can be used in the C# scripts as well (I hope that future versions will also expose all of them automatically to AGS scripts).
The scripts are normal C# scripts that can be written, tested and executed in VS or any other tool you have, and so you can also continue testing the AGS game (even only the .EXE) and debug/change the scripts concurrently.
The life cycle of the C# is only until it finishes execution, but I hope future versions should also have the option to retain or even switch to different contexts. As to “production”, I believe that all scripts can be compiled into one .dll and be called from there.

Attached is an example AGS game and Aloha.CSX C# script (just click the key)

The plugin would like to say thanks to Smiley’s AGS Plugin API for C#, and to Delay’s CSI code.

The plugin would also like to ask CJ to expose the game’s members or at least the managed members to complete a true C# capability, and to ask whoever deals with the editor to maybe allow embedded keywords to use in editor c# scripting, maybe something on the lines of:
#Cesium [param1, param2, …, switches.. etc…]
   Cs_func(param1,…
#End

Parameters for the cmd argument:
(CodeFile)+ (-d DEFINE)* (are Reference)* (-R)? (-q)? (-c)? (-a Arguments)?
(CodeFile)+      One or more C# source code files to execute (*.cs)
(-d DEFINE)*     Zero or more symbols to #define
(are Reference)*  Zero or more assembly files to reference (*.dll)
(-R)?            Optional 'references' switch to include common references
(-q)?            Optional 'quiet' switch to suppress unnecessary output
(-c)?            Optional 'colorless' switch to suppress output coloring
(-a Arguments)?  Zero or more optional arguments for the executing script

The list of common references included by the -R switch (depending on the used .NET ver) is:
System.dll, System.Data.dll, System.Drawing.dll, System.Windows.Forms.dll, System.Xml.dll, PresentationCore.dll, PresentationFramework.dll, WindowsBase.dll, System.Core.dll, System.Xml.Linq.dll and (independently) AGSCesium.dll itself.
Cesium’s return code is (null if it failed to execute the program or whatever value the executed program returned if it executed successfully).ToString()

Examples:
MyCSProgram.csx
ProgWithArgs.csx are System.Xml.dll -a ArgA ArgB -SomeSwitch
ProgUsingDlls.csx -d DEBUG -d TESTING â€"R
String.Format("Aloha.csx -R -a %s", name)
(the last one is the one used in the example AGS game)

I think the .csx extension because future versions can include other special directives and AGS commands.

(p.s. Cesium, I guess because the chemical sign is Cs)

Wow,
Thanks for all the replies and interest.
Well, I was originally thinking of C# (.NET) as the runtime, but "only" using VS as the editor is a superb idea as well.
As to runtime, it can be mono as well, if we don't want to be limited to "evil microsoft".
The editor then can be one of the free popular editors used with mono, I don't know, eclipse maybe? I think it freely supports plugins or so.
But again, yes, it's also the power of existing ultra sophisticated predefined classes in the .NET (or mono) libs, something which being without, seems like almost reinventing the wheel in so many ways with every new AGS extension and plugin out there.
I guess that a comparison to XNA is fair enough, although as I see it XNA puts a lot of stress on being a multiplayer RPG while AGS is basically A.G. - but the borders of course can blur quite easily.

So.. what's the verdict of the 12 monkeys?

Thanks for the reply Khris,
However it's a "new" behavior.. it was working and then *pop*...
Also, I didn't use the keyboard to run it (just pressed the menu items), so...

Do you have any idea regarding the x,y position problem?

Thanks!

Hello to everybody and CJ in particular!
Since my question involves many aspects, I decided to start a new thread.
How about if instead of squeezing more and more functionality out of AGS scripting, we could go the other way around, i.e. have the AGS as a .NET plugin that can be incorporated in VS for example (that's why AGVS). This way, every room can be some sort of a "Form" (or other GUI container) and all the power of C# and .NET for example can be available immediately.
Is it possible, and what, actually prevents you from doing so?

TIA!

no response yet, but another problem suddenly popped up - and maybe they are related in a way?
Theora *vid=open() will always return null if inside the editor. it won't regardless of debug/non-debug mode!
BUT (and it's a big one) - if I compile an EXE, it does load the video.
Anything?
I checked Dx5 and D3D and original DLL and ? and?

Hi there.

Thank you very much for the great plugin.

Could you help me?
I can't make sense of the x,y coords!!
They don't seem to correspond to the room coords, no matter what kind of relativity I choose.

Thanks!

Hello and thank you CJ Puma for creating such a wonderfully amazing thing!

I have some remarks re v3.2, some are stuff which I already noticed in 3.1.2 and some are new stuff that I've seen only in 3.2

3.1.2/3.2:

1. Room edit must be opened at least once for its classes (hotspots, objects, etc...) to appear in script completion
2. New rooms above 300 default back to 300 and have to be changed in their properties
3. Room descriptions not saved with templates (bug or feature?)
4. Continuous scaling is not always predictable in regards to walkable area, for e.g. a |y| shaped walkable area spanning from the bottom to the middle of the room, requires a minimum of 10% to be noticed, while in reality only a 75% is required.
5. No consistency when talking/interacting with hotspots - some will walk to automatically, some not. What's the logic?

3.2:

1. Property window stays with old values even if corresponding tree item is deleted
2. if the document pane is not in a "dirty state", then a double click at the output window on an error with a line number reference, will crash the editor (mostly if fast enough, and sometimes in regular speed).
3. Optional sound parameter cannot be passed now



..and some wishful thinking:

1. ability to access room instances by pointer (and why not?)
2. automatically group type-based scripts (c# collapsing tree or vb separator line style)
3. allow script (programmable code) access to hotsports/objects/walkables/room properties
4. show description on room tabs besides their number
5. make the same transition for room as was done for audio?!
6. update through intermediary pointer (not only as a function parameter)

Thank you very much!
Be well and happy