Topics

Hi.

I am considering to make a very radical first-person shooter, and wonder which system I should use. It's an contemporary office setting, mostly involving office workers, security, police and military. I'd like an engine with not too much scripting and which I can distribute indepentdently. (A MOD for a commercial product still requires you to buy the product, right?)

Any suggestions?

Autumn. Rain. Melancholy.

Write a tune that suits that mood.

EDIT: Because of the forum breakdown, the tune contest has been extended to November 14.

Perhaps a silly question, but is it possible to have things animating in the background while running a dialog?

Code: ags

SetObjectView(4,5);
ObjectOn(4);
AnimateObject (4, 0, 1, 1);

I want the object (4) to appear, then start animating a loop at a fast paced speed. But when I run this, the object appears but there is no animation. It's either stuck on the first frame or simply retains the object image I selected.

What to do?

I would like to distribute my game on as many different platforms as possible. Windows and DOS seems straightforward, but how do I make a Linux distribution?

I have also pondered distribution for Machintosh computers. Wouldn't it be attainable using some sort of dos emulator with the AGS DOS interpreter? If anyone has experience from this sort of thing, I would appreciate if you shared your experiences.

A silly question: how do I make a character appear in a certain room? I have tried editing the "start in room" setting and

character[ENGINE].room = 42;

What do I do wrong?

In repeatedly execute of a room:

Code: ags

if (GetBackgroundFrame()==4) {
SetBackgroundFrame(-1);
character[ENGINE].room = 42;
}

Despite that the background is animating, and has five frames, this never gets triggered. Could anyone figure out why?

I would like to use character portraits at some points in my game, but failed in my attempts to do so. I have a dialogue where:

Radio: Hello.

I have a character named RADIO with a talking view defined, selected "Sierra Style with background" but no image appear. What could be worng here?

http://www.twin-design.com/agsezine/9/tutorial.cfm

I tried this tutorial, but get a wierd error message when I try to save:

Code: ags

undefined symbol 'SGS_SELECTED_COLOUR'

I have this line in the header

Code: ags

#define SGS_SELECT_COLOUR 63488

Shouldn't that do?

I do not know if this is the right forum to post this, so please move this if it belongs somewhere else.

I am not very happy with the workings of the default inventory in AGS. I have noticed that most users are very confused with it, but I'm not quite sure what to replace it with. I don't want to clutter the screen with a large inventory (like the one in Monkey Island, for instance). Any suggestions for how to make a smooth interface?

I seem to have locked myself up in my latest gaming project... It's the intro scene that worries me. I have the storyline ready, but is not quite sure on how to do it. I have a feeling I should do some serious and advanced animations, but that's not really my strong side.

Does anyone have any good examples of introduction scenes that felt moving and serious in some way?

Is there a way to prevent the player from selecting a lower resolution than the game was intended for? It looks crap in 320x200.

I have a silly problem. I want to move a character, but get a lock-up every time, no matter how I script it. What could be wrong?

I am very curious to know... what are your top three design recommendations? Reply with your own. General or specific. Brief or verbose.

Mine are:

1. Decide what kind of story you want to tell and stick to it. Let that story influence everything you do: graphics, sounds, GUIs etc.

2. Think out of the box. Don't do a (probably not as good as the original) copy of your favorite game. Drop genres. Do something new. Get inspired by books, movies or wierd people on the subway.

3. Have someone correct your language. Everyone always makes embarrasing speling mistakes.

I am kind curious... why are there so many adventure games who are of the corny cartoonish type? It's not that I do not like fun stuff, but it seems that the form (graphical point-and-click) has merged with a genre (funny and absurd cartoons). If I go to an average book store, there are books with stories that are similar to the majority of adventure games but they do not constitute 90 percent of the titles. (Perhaps too much, but you get my point.)

This is of course caused by the history of the game genre, which during it's golden age was made for a target audience of kids, adolecents and young adults. Because these were the kind of people who was buying entertainment software at the time. And guess what kind of stories catered to this kind of audience, a kind that the target audiences parents were likely to buy at christmas as gifts... cartoonish fun.

I get the feeling that there are lots of interesting stories that are left untold. And I also get a feeling that many game makers still are making games for kids, perhaps because they are kids themselves or want to remember how it was back then... Nothing wrong in that, but if you are thinking of making an interactive story... think original. Don't make a game which already has been done, over and over again.

Over and out.

I the unhandled_event function, I want to create a default event when a certain inventory item is used. But how do I know which one the player used?

I have a room where there is an area you can look at, and if you do there is the following interaction:

Code: ags

Look at hotspot
- Game - Display a message (0)
- (?) Conditional - If the player has inventory item (11)
-- Run script [No 1, See below]
-- Game - Display a message (11)
-- Game - Run dialog (17)
-- Run script [No 2, See below]

Script no 1:

Code: ags

Ã,  // script for hotspot1: Look at hotspot
SetBackgroundFrame(1);
Wait(20);Ã,  Ã, 

Script no 2:

Code: ags

Ã,  // script for hotspot1: Look at hotspot
SetBackgroundFrame(0);Ã,  
Wait(20);

I want background frame 1 to appear for the duration of the dialog, then switch back to frame 0. But when I run the game, nothing happens. Why is that?

Every time I fire up the editor and try to run the game, it hangs. The application opens, but then there is nothing. I see the window of the game, but no graphics or anything. After switching back to AGS with alt-tab, then I can at least close it down. Second time and thereafter when I run the game, it works with no problem.

Has anyone had the same problem?

[Facts]

You are the sole survivor of an unknown catastrophe, trapped in an air-raid shelter. Escaping your confinement, you face a delusional reality known only as the Zone â€" a place where your own mind is your enemy. The city is in ruins: explore a dreamy landscape through the eyes of a lone wanderer trying to piece together fragments of the past.

Force majeure II: The Zone is an audio-visual interactive story by Leo Nordwall set in a ruined city where everything seems uncertain. The Zone is experienced from a first-person perspective and is navigated by pointing-and-clicking. Photos, drawings, 3D renderings and live video footage have been integrated into a unique visual experience. The soundtrack is over 70 minutes long and features new tracks in the tradition of electro-acoustic music, ambient and electronica.

While there are plenty of interactive works and games that entertain by providing puzzle solving, action and slapstick humour, the Zone is all about exploring the unknown territories of the mind. If you feel that issues such as philosophy, poetry, metaphysics and art is your cup of tea, the story might interest you. If not, the irreal meanderings of the Zone is best left alone.

Force majeure: The Zone is produced by Leo Nordwall in cooperation with Interacting Arts.


Facts

Play time: 1,5â€"2,5 hours
Number of locations: 75
Soundtrack: Over 70 minutes
Platforms: Windows XP (Mac OS X and Linux ports are underway)

Game web site with screenshots, music and video downloads: http://interactingarts.org/thezone/


Screenshots


First encounter


The Concrete Ziggurat


Our special place


Inside the old laboratory


Answering the phone


Rendezvous


Exploring the ruins


Printer problems


Rendezvous II


A dangerous Zone dweller