Messages

This is an impressive game.  I really like the dreamy look of it and I appreciate the source code even if I don't understand any of it.

I was just thinking about this game the other day so it's great to hear that progress is being made.  Keep up the good work!  I really dig the new screenshot.

Wow, a TI-83 port that's incredible.

Happy to hear that progress is still being made!  I look forward to the extended demo.

Oh, wow, I've been following the other thread in the "in production" forum so it's exciting to find it here and ready.  Congrats on finishing and getting it out there.  I look forward to playing it!

Just a brief little note here to share a little progress.  I've started a devlog over at itch.io which I will try to keep updated at least irregularly so you can track the progress over there especially if you're already using it.  Plus, if you follow me I can follow you back and check out what you're up to!  I've been bust enough behind the scenes trying to figure everything out without having a ton of tangible progress to share here but rest assured the code is getting messier and messier.  Messy with fun!

https://kolaqueen.itch.io/kola-queen

And as a bonus for reading this new post, I'll treat you to some new character animations.  Everybody is dying to meet Gina "Subpoena" Valentine.  She'll be your new best friend!  Oh, and don't forget Sandy.  You'll have an adventure with her, too.  You meet her at the track when you get involved in the life and times of the racehorse Batty Bill.

Oh my lord, you're right.  All sprites are the same when they're transparent.  I was overthinking for sure.

You need

Code: ags

  Button1.Visible = false;

I think what I'm missing is where to put that code so the button is not visible only when the button is pushed and reappears when the mouse click is released.  Something like:

Code: ags

while (IsButtonPushed == true){
  Button1.Visible = false;
}

So, I've got the a GUI payphone working how I want it to with the exception that I want the pushed buttons to appear pushed.  The background art for the GUI is all of the buttons pushed in and each individual button has its own sprite.  So, to get it to looked pushed I really just need the button to disappear when it's clicked but I can't seem to make this work.  I tried to set PushedImage in the editor to -1 but it doesn't like that.  I tried to set it manually with:

Code: ags

  Button1.PushedGraphic = -1;
  Button2.PushedGraphic = -1;

in game start but that doesn't work either.  I was hoping there was an easy solution that doesn't require me to cutout and line up all the keys again.  Thanks for any help! Here's the GUI code for reference:

Code: ags

function Dial(GUIControl *control, MouseButton button) {
  if (button != eMouseLeft){
    return; // only react to left clicks
  } 
 
  TextBox1.Text = TextBox1.Text.AppendChar(control.ID + 48);  // ascii code for 0: 48, 1: 49, etc
  
  TelephoneNumber++;
  if (TelephoneNumber == 7){
    TelephoneNumber = 0;
    Game.SimulateKeyPress(eKeyReturn);  //enters the textbox contents when it reaches seven digits.
    
    
  }
  
}

Yeah, you would just set a timer to start when you click on it, and then in repeatedly execute you would check to see if the timer has expired and then set gGUI1.Visible to false.

I've fooled around with it a bit more and noticed if he hit his idle animation it would snap him out of it so to speak.  So, if I add his idle animation after the frowning frame it works more or less as I want it to but he won't animate the idle animation here but it will switch him back to the regular dialog.  I'm still not sure why it's doing this.

Code: ags

  cBartender.LockViewFrame(40, 0, 0, eKeepMoving); //frowning frame
  Wait(50);
  cBartender.UnlockView();
  cBartender.LockView(39); //idle view
  cBartender.Animate(0, 5, eOnce, eNoBlock, eForwards);
  cBartender.UnlockView();

This looks super good! Amazing work. Am curious on what you are listening while working

Listening to like what music?  Uh...New Wave mostly.  Big surprise there, I'm sure.  The game also takes place in 1986 which is late for New Wave but close enough.  It's not a documentary!

Code: ags

cBartender.LockViewFrame(40,1,0);
  Wait(60);
  cBartender.UnlockView();
  cBartender.LockView(38);

I want the bartender here to make a frowny face when asked a particular question.  He'll frown all right but he won't return to his regular speech view even after I unlock the view in the dialog.  I've tried locking to his speech view (38) afterward as well but it doesn't seem to work even after I end the dialog and begin a new one.  He'll just keep on frowning forever yet his dialog will play.  I tried it as a one frame animation (well, technically two identical frames) with the same result.  I'm not sure what it is I'm missing here.  Thanks for your attention.

Just thought I'd pop in and drop off a gif of an animation.  I'm working with a freelance artist on a lot of the art so much of what I'm doing is filling in a few in-between frames and making it work in the world.  It's an interesting approach as it takes a lot of the pressure off of me to produce the art and concentrate on the many other things that need attention.  It's slower and there's the expense of course but in the end, I am much happier with the result than I feel like I would be if I were doing the game 100% by myself.  I'm really loving learning AGS, though, and I'm really floored by the whole community here and how good the software is.

Sorry for the poor quality screen recording I'm a busy guy I guess.

Progress is slow but steady.  Getting everything stitched together, writing dialogue, chasing down bugs.  I may even have a demo put together by the end of winter.  It's very exciting to see Chrissy walking around an environment and getting on busses to get out there and sling pop.  I'm having some fun ideas about how to make the adventure really be about the friends you make along the way.  Making friendship a game mechanic is an idea that I like a lot but I'm not completely sure how to actually implement it.  Stay tuned.

Oh, this is a really fascinating idea and a great idea for an adventure game.  I've always been a sucker for the "one crazy night" trope and having the "puzzles" such as they are be social interactions and friendships is a great idea.  I'm working on a similar idea in my own game so I'll be interested to track your progress and watch it as it unfolds.  Thanks for sharing!!

Thanks for all the kind words.  I'll keep you all updated about what Chrissy and Papu are up to.

Moline, Illinois, summer 1986. The stench of the Mississippi River, the sizzle of the parking lot asphalt. You're fresh out of community college, riding the bus around looking for a job and trying to keep your cat fed. Your Uncle Leon, a key player in the local carbonated beverage game, has been offered a chance for exclusive distribution of a brand new soda pop around the Quad Cities area, and you're just the underemployed go-getter to help him out. He needs you to help him convince the five largest pop pushers around to carry this exciting new product, using nothing but your youthful charm, anecdotal knowledge of the beverage industry and ability to make small talk about racehorses with middle-aged men in short-sleeved dress shirts. From the strip malls of Bettendorf to the smoky metal clubs of Davenport, you and your elderly Papu take to the streets with this thrilling task and you’re not taking no for an answer in this full-length adventure game. Will you find hidden treasure? A vast conspiracy to hook children on corn syrup? A grand purpose in life? Probably not, but you might meet a local TV celebrity, run into your cousin at a bar, or even learn to drive a box truck. Look for it in the first quarter of 2021 wherever games are downloaded.

Travel to all five of the Quad Cities and meet new and enthralling new people!
Drink pop!
The first ever graphic adventure game featuring a Class B commercial license at the Department of Motor Vehicles!
Captivating EGA graphics and animations!
Over thirty locations!
Pointing!
Clicking!
Even a text parser!

Jeez, I knew there was a place for it but I sure couldn't find it.  Thanks, I'll add it.

I commissioned some animations for the game I'm working on but I don't think I'm going to use them as I went with a different artist and the style didn't quite match.  They're really not bad and I would hate to see the effort get wasted so maybe you can use them for something.