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[Ask a MonkeyologistThe Game]

Ask a Monkeyologist
The Game

Based on the famous Ask a Monkeyologist Series, this game puts you in the shoes of Doctor Kauff von Diefendorf and his arch enemy Professor Gustav von Schneider as they must work together to figure out... stuff.

Well, not much of an intro, is there? Or...is it??

Well no, not really, they just end up in the middle of a field somewhere and they desperately try to figure out where are they located. During their inquiries, the Monkeyologists discover something sinister which may turn the world upside down! ...not...literally. Just so we're clear on that.

Here are some screenshots:
     

I know people looove statistics, so here we go:



DEMO LAUNCHED!

Let me hear your thoughts, please! Any comment (positive, negative, neutral etc.) will help me enhance the gameplay experience for you awesome people!

Oh, by the way, I'm Andrei aka SilverWolfPet! Nice to meet you all!

Overall statistics for Episode 1 (out of 5 episodes)
UPDATED: 12/OCT/2011

Story: 100%
Music: 60%
Puzzles: 60%
Coding: 23%

But WAIT, there's more!

This thread doesn't come empty-handed!

Until the game is released (or even the DEMO, but that shouldn't take too long), you are cordially invited to get to know the characters!



Season 1 of Ask a Monkeyologist

Season 2 of Ask a Monkeyologist

Special Guest Appearance in a very special Lord of the Rings Parody

How is THAT for an entry, eh?

To be honest, I always wanted to post a thread related to an upcoming game that I'm making... so this is a mini-dream come true!

Aaaand this couldn't have been possible without the talented help of my friends: Jasmin (Animator), Michal (Background Artist), monkey_05_06 (verbcoin module + taught me everything I know on coding), Icedhope (story), Puzzlebox (story and puzzles), Majus (Gustav von Schneider) and Mihai (brother and constant moral support).

You can follow updates on this project and some other awesome works (such as a Brand New SciFi Series) on www.silverwolfpet.com

Let me know what you think! ^.^

[SciFi Series]

Oh, the writing! Yes, I can understand why, heh... the ending was the last thing I wrote on that since I wanted it to tie in the last 6 years of collaboration between friends, as well as the story while taking into account the modifications that I wrote along the way.

I heard people saying that they were blown away by the ending, yet they didn't fully understand why since it was not what they were expecting. Nontheless, everybody had interesting reactions and interpretations. Good to know this goes internationally too, haha!

As for "more", my good man, I am fully working on a brand new SciFi Series.

Feel free to keep up with the details on my site: www.silverwolfpet.com

I dare to say that it is something that will seem familiar, yet nobody did anything like this before. At least, story-wise.

And, in case anyone here is a fan, I'm working on a very nice Doctor Who Tribute (which fans have been asking for a while now). The script is almost finished... all I need are costumes, some sweet locations and a female.

...that sounds way kinkier than expected.
Aaaanyway... I'll soon launch a demo for my upcoming game too! ^.^ So there is "more" to expect.

That particular song is not exactly my type of music... but I would love to hear more When can we expect to hear new songs?

By the way, the quality of the recording was really great (mixing and all that good stuff).
By any chance, would you be interested in a little collaboration? I'm a movie director and, coincidentally, I'm looking for a band to work with on two songs for my upcoming Series. I can only offer promotion and as much advertising as possible ^.^

"Less polished" explanation: During these 4 years, in which we shot different sequences (not in order), I was getting better and better at effects... but the first shots (which seemed less polished in the final version) were, well, not so good as I was just getting started on the whole thing.

Hopefully the important shots (like the climax) were good.

"Not getting all the jokes" explanation: Well... some are injokes (you have to see part 1 to get them) and some are related to our culture. Can't help you there, sorry! I did write explanations in the subtitles whenever I thought it was necessary... but other than that, you just have to let those slide by.

Don't worry... some people from my country didn't get other jokes which were praised by international fans. It's all about hitting a certain balance to make it cool for everyone!

Me as...Gargli?!?! Hahahahaha!!
It's Grilaj! (which, in translation, means "Sewer Grate"

I also played Aragaz (Aragorn) which, in translation, means "stove".
Aaaand I played Dr. Kauff (which you can see more of here: http://talesofmi.net/?cat=17 )

I also was the director, cameraman, gaffer (lights and such), 2D Artist, 3D artist, Image/Artistic director, Script Writer, Background designer, choreographer, video and sound editor, composer,  props designer, costume/make-up artist and special effects guy.
...that's why it took 4 years, haha! ^.^

I am working on the making of right now... if you guys want, I can insert your quotes in "Fans reactions"

Oh and, yeah, Sarmaleman was spot on. The actor was really great and all the scenes with him were a ton of fun to shoot!

Thank you for watching!! It makes me happy to receive feedback (whether it's positive or negative) so, please, send it/show it to your friends!

Parody is one of the best forms of praise!

Couldn't said it better myself.
Thanks for watching, guys! Please let me know what you thought after watching it! What did you like best? What did you dislike?
Also, spread the word, please! Pretty please!

As for a Harry Potter parody... everybody tackled that one. It's much harder to make a Lord of the Rings parody and also be able to stick to the storyline.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have fun with the Harry Potter movies, but others beat me to it and made better parodies.
On the other hand, nobody made a full LOTR Parody... until now.

Just to make things clear, what you are watching now is the Second Part, which focuses on The Two Towers and Return of the King.
The First Part, that features The Fellowship of the Ring, was actually filmed about 4-5 years ago and you can find it here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/silverwolfpet#grid/user/6444D2C0DBFA5848

I just posted the Second Part because it's far superior (joke-wise and effects). If you truly want to get all the little inside jokes, you have to watch the first part...then the second.

Hi!

Uh, I made this:
http://silverwolfpet.com/ammdi-2-online/

Took about 4 years.
Hm, you can see the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efq63ytDrmQ

Let me know what you think, please
Oh and if you like it, would you help me promote it?

Wow, thank you! It did make SOME things easier to understand. I'll come back to this from time to time until I understand it fully.

So far, them game demo is on it's way and it's going swell. I'll keep you posted. I'm just trying to figure out how to GIVE something from Kauff to Gustav. Basically to use inventory item on character. And the search on the forums is disabled, for some reason.

EDIT: Nevermind, found it by myself.

Oops. must've misread it or misinterpret it. I still don't get the difference between Global functions and global script... I mean, why put them there...and what's with the asc stuff? Bah, humbug, nevermind. I'll learn them sooner or later, get to the bottom of this.
Sorry o.o

As for the handler... I just made this (before you told me not to modify anything):

Code: ags

#ifdef Verbcoin_UnhandledEventHandler
  Verbcoin_UnhandledEventHandler(mode, locType, theItem);
  #endif
  #ifndef Verbcoin_UnhandledEventHandler
  // if the macro isn't defined at all, just use some generic defaults instead
  if (mode == eVerbcoinModeInteract)
  {
    player.Say("Hm...");
  }
  else if (mode == eVerbcoinModeLookat)
  {
    player.Say("Hmmm...");
  }
  else if (mode == eVerbcoinModePickup)
  {
    player.Say("Nah...");
  }
  else if (mode == eVerbcoinModeTalkto)
  {
    player.Say("That's just silly.");
  }
  else if (mode == eVerbcoinModeUseinv)
  {
    if (player.ActiveInventory != null)
    {
      if (theItem == null) player.Say("Nope.");
      else player.Say("Not really what I had in mind.");
    }
    else player.Say("Mmno.");
  }
  #endif
}

I also plan on inserting a "if player is Kauff, say this, else say that". Is that okay? Did I mess it up  o.O ?

Ah yes, it was in the verbcoin module. Bingo.

Man, I wish I was as good as you guys at this coding-thing.

o.O



Yup... never thought of looking there actually. Yup...they are there. Heh, we're all gonna laugh about this in 4 to 5 years. Hehe. Heh... heh. 

Uh, speaking of Global stuff, I want to add voices to my characters. Where do I find the default "I can't pick that up" line?
I mean the game must've set up a default line for the character to say in case you forgot to add any script related to an object. Where can I find those?

Here's a trick I used at some point. Dunno if it's cool or just plain stupid, but it worked for me faster than any other thing.

I created a GUI with the same dimensions as the game's resolution (minus a pixel or two), I made it clickable and chose an "invisible color" for it (and it's border as well). You know, made it transparent.

That way, I can make things happen in the game and give the player the feeling that he is still in control, even though he cannot click on anything or move any character. Works in a thriller game 

If you add a
mouse.Visible = false;
you got yourself a perfect "cutscene moment" in which the player notices that he can't do anything.

Honestly, I swear, I cannot find the original dialogCounter and dialogCounter2 definitions.
I've searched the scripts manually and using "CTRL+F". Nothing. No idea.

I can't even remember where I read about using such a method (probably on the AGS forum).
Well, as long as they work as they should, I'm happy with it.

As far as the code indentations go... I honestly never thought of using them o.O It didn't occur to me.
I'll try to add some whenever I need help. Otherwise, I'm quite fine... I kind of..tend to...do that. 

Aaaaand my English may be a bit rusty, but I DO know how to spell words, hahaha! Besides, I'll proof read everything before I launch the demo.

Awkward... I will try these solutions (and I think they'd work)...but still, I don't remember defining anything. Awkward awkward.

Oh and the code....readable...yyyyeah, I'm trying to get the hang of it as I go. I never did this before.

In my defense, the Guard has an accent, so "escuuuuse" me for not telling you that.  

... (okay, kidding, it WAS a spelling mistake... it's a new room, I usually correct spelling at the end).

EDIT: Of course, it worked. Thank you. At least I know that, maybe one day, someone as stupid as me might come across this thread and save some time. ^.^

I swear... I'll go nuts over this one.

Short version: I've been using this.

Code: ags

@4
Kauff: &6 Look, a three-headed monkey!
  if (dialogCounter <= 0) {
  if (cGustav.x < cKauff.x) {
  cGustav.FaceLocation(cGustav.x - 1, cGustav.y);
  }
  else {
  cGustav.FaceLocation(cGustav.x + 1, cGustav.y);
  }
  Wait(40);
  cKauff.Say("&7 Ahihi, gotcha!");
  cGustav.FaceCharacter(cKauff);
  cGustav.Say("Oh haha, very funny.");
  dialogCounter++;
  }
  else {
  cGustav.Say("I'm not THAT stupid... this time.");
  }
return

All is well, it's functional. Once a character says that particular line, if the player tries it again, he'll get a different response.

I tried this in another dialogue:

Code: ags

// Dialog script file
@S  // Dialog startup entry point
  if (dialogCounter3 <= 0) {
  cGuard.Say("You do no such thing!");
  cKauff.Say("Excuse me?");
  cGuard.Say("You not escused!");
  dialogCounter3++;
  }
  else {
  cGuard.Say("I see you!");
  cKauff.Say("Uh...Nice to see you too!");
  }

It keeps telling me that dialogCounter3 is an undefined symbol.  >.<

I did NOT define dialogCounter  OR  dialogCounter2  and they work perfectly.
Ok, no worries, I go by the program's moods...

Global script, right on top, first line... I write:

Code: ags

int dialogCounter3 = 0;

Still, same error.
no worries, I try to write the same thing in every single room.
Nothing.

I then try just to define it... tried it everywhere, at the top of the script, careful not to put it anywhere else.

Code: ags

int dialogCounter3;

Nothing. Same error. no matter what I did.

Ok, trying a workaround... let's say... if you start the new dialogue (dialog5, the one which had dialogCounter3) you have to chose a dialog option, right?
what if I use this:

Code: ags

// Dialog script file
@S  // Dialog startup entry point
  if (dDialog5.HasOptionBeenChosen(1)){
  cGuard.Say("You do no such thing!");
  cKauff.Say("Excuse me?");
  cGuard.Say("You not escused!");
  }
  else {
  cGuard.Say("I see you!");
  cKauff.Say("Uh...Nice to see you too!");
  }

In theory, if you first run the dialogue, you get the first greeting from the guard. Then if you click on the first option, this will ensure that your next greeting will be different. Right? Right??

Well, no! It's not! It gives you directly the second greeting!


...I need some help here. What am I doing wrong? I really thought I learned the whole dialogCounter thing. I even tried naming it

Code: ags

int myfatbutt;

and when I use it in the dialogue, it STILL says that my fat butt is an undefined symbol!  :'( I'm taking that personally!

Jokes aside, where am I messing up?

How awesome can one person be? o.O Thank you very very much dude!!

One tiny issue...  The lblLocation.Text  had to be replaced with Label1.Text  (for my script).
Also, you made my "Walk to" disappear :p So I changed the script you gave me, by adding an extra "else if"

Code: ags

function room_RepExec()
{
{  Character *cat = Character.GetAtScreenXY(mouse.x, mouse.y);
  if ((player == cKauff) && (player.ActiveInventory == iInvItem1) && (cat == cGustav))
  {
    Verbcoin.ActiveInventoryActionFormat = "%s"; // change the format to use *only* the item name
    Label1.Text = String.Format("Hit %s with %s", Verbcoin.LocationName, Verbcoin.ActionText);
  }
  else if (Verbcoin.ActionText == null) 
  {
    Label1.Text = String.Format("Walk to %s", Verbcoin.LocationName);
  }
  else    
  {
    if (cat != null) Verbcoin.ActiveInventoryActionFormat = "Give %s to";
    else Verbcoin.ActiveInventoryActionFormat = "Use %s with";
    if (Verbcoin.ActionText == null) Label1.Text = Verbcoin.LocationName;
    else Label1.Text = String.Format("%s %s", Verbcoin.ActionText, Verbcoin.LocationName);
  }
}
}

As for the inventory items, my bad, I explained in a bad way what was happening. Main idea is that you also solved the issue here. All is good now. No, actually, all is PERFECT now.

If I ever finish this game, I may have to marry you.

Question:  If I pick up an inventory item from the inventory (let's say the Rock) and want to use it on Gustav... how can I change "Use Rock with Gustav" to "Hit Gustav with Rock" ?

I spent a few days trying to figure this out. The room's repeatedly_execute function seem to solve it partially...but then it messes up the entire room.

Any idea?
I really don't want to be a bother with this and I am giving it my best ^.^

...also, in the inventory panel, it seems that the verbcoin resets itself. How can I change the "Use Rock" to "Eat Rock" having iInvItem1 ? I mean, for the fence, I use object[1].SetActionText bla bla and it works fine... but there isn't any iInvItem1.Set ActionText...is there?

Thanks guys...

I think I'll go with the easier version. No hills 

Still, the answers were useful... I'm naming this thread (solutions inside).

Let's say your character has to walk up a hill.
For comic purposes, you don't want him to be 100% vertical as he climbs that hill. You want him to be perpendicular on the hill's surface.
So, if the hill has an inclination angle of, let's say, 30 degrees... your character should have the same inclination angle.

I've checked the rotation function and it's not exactly what I need (or maybe I didn't quite understand how it works).
Basically, one would need to make all the character frames (from standing to walking, talking etc.) inclined. In just one room.

Any thoughts, please?

Problem...
The three buttons I made... BtnLook, BtnTalk, BtnUse... they changed the initial position of the other buttons (btnKauffLook etc.)
Kauff and Gustav have different positions for those buttons... so if I modify btnLook to make btnKauffLook fit into the right place... btnGustavLook is messed up.

I don't suppose it can let the original buttons as they were, right?

On the other hand, the text-replacing works flawlessly.
Haven't tried it on characters yet, but I can finally "Pick up" rock instead of "Use" rock. :p

EDIT: I handled it! I'm awesome!   I just made the buttons change positions each time the player switches characters!

Thank you again dude! You're brilliant!! I'll let you know if it works on characters too!

Woah!

I should make a copy of the game as it is now, so I don't break something while implementing your code o.O

Thank you so much! I hope I can manage to implement this right.
I'll let you know how it goes. I'll do my best.