Messages

Thank you!

I will test Theora video.

Hi!

Three quick questions:

1. Is video playback possible in the Linux runtime?
2. Is it possible to make web API calls from AGS?
3. Are run-time plugins cross-platform portable?

Thank you! <3

No garbage in import this time!

The second problem persists, and I think I see what the problem is. There was a function called "unhandled_event" in GlobalScript, and the error was dropped because the converter couldn't know if this was a local room function or located in GlobalScript. I think the problem is that these functions are not imported correctly in the GlobalScript header.

Code: ags

 unhandled_event(1,3); //wrong
GlobalScript.unhandled_event(1,3) //correct

I am kind of curious about the space that drops before the incorrect line, perhaps the converter was looking for the function in GlobalScript but for some reason dropped a space when not finding it. Or doing that when not finding it locally?

Another issue is that rooms with interaction variables drop a lot of lines (100 to be precise) with:

Code: ags

int IntVar_ = 0;
int IntVar_ = 0;
int IntVar_ = 0;

{100 lines}

before the correctly defined interaction variables. These are easy to just delete, but of course causes precompilation to fail if not because the variable is already defined. Interestingly, there are exactly 50 lines of code in the converted script:

Code: ags

int IntVar_Global_1 = 0;
export IntVar_Global_1;

{x 25 = 50 lines of variable definitions and export statements}

I get some warnings from dialogue scripts:

Code: ags

narrator: The Zone wanderer freezes and looks straight through me.
narrator: There is brief silence. Nothing is heard. Nothing is said.
narrator: "If properly activated, this object has the power to deconstruct reality itself."
narrator: The voice is cold, almost mechanical.
//return - commented out to prevent error
@1  // option 1
narrator: "I am not. You are the one who must have been looking for such things."

Any good way to show dialogue before options are shown?

Hi, first post in 10 years!

I am looking into doing a modernized remake of a full-length AGS game relased on CD-ROM in 2005. I have read the on-line manual for upgrading, but run into trouble when trying to import the old project.

There are problems, converted room scripts all start with binary garbage, like this:

Code: ags

zisý,s¥mï‚kwH>â,¬­Å'kïwtLÛQ*ò‚mhS7{mº‘ZAÆ'(mNBo¶‘+.p(%ý,Câ€"=Gc(J#`â€"o!TUT5,SfLï[QS$Ûe¼‹\Cxwsÿ6{sºhCAgf÷,zT'ï>7%R1~h·‘5~z%G=â,¬r·Å'm
I(ZR3,hµ“^=Æ'wwXî{mg…hC‚xtSÛR¬‘L2mjM"~`µbCxwsÿö`QˆkLcQT--OQâ€"pLPLJ	,T'G4†ZtN;41pXÙÅ'AqbȠh=tviÿ6{sºhCAgfÿî;.gaHï]WYÿPH›=H!/ZJ,bDgqAb(Q(QQ*ÃœAqbȠh=‚|fQB,q¶Å'f.p(%ý,Câ€"=Gc(J#`â€"

Most converted scripts only consist of this.

Some scripts do get converted, but the converted code doesn't work. For instance, this:



gets converted into this (where hotspot2_a() and unhandled_event(1,3) are non-existing functions):

Code: ags

function hHotspot2_UseInv()
{
if (player.ActiveInventory == inventory[1]) {
hotspot2_a();
}
else {
 unhandled_event(1, 3);
}
}

The project was started in AGS 2.71 (I think) originally. Is there anything that can be done about this other than rewriting all scripts from scratch? Or did I miss something important along the way?

All input and help is appreciated! 

Details on the game: https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/force-majeure-ii-the-zone

I'm happy to annouce that Force Majeure II: The Zone has been included in the permanent collection of the upcoming Swedish computer museum. They have an exhibition on computer game culture and art history touring currently where the game is included.

Datamuseét
http://www.itceum.se/

Blog post + pixx of the exhibit when it was in Stockholm at the Museum of Technology in 2007
http://interactingarts.org/blogs/index.php?title=ga_pa_museum&more=1&c=1b=1&pb=1

Also
http://www.tekniskamuseet.se/1/393.html

One thing that might be interesting (and I sort of regret suggesting it because I'm way too lazy to ever do it) is to have the game creators themselves do a sort of Let's Play of their own game, but do a DVD-style commentary as they go along, talking about making the game, etc.

Force Majeure II: The Zone included a similar design in it's original plans. Unfortunately it had to be dropped in order to meet the publisher's deadline. The idea was to include a second, separate executable with a creator's video commentary featuring me, sitting confortably on cushions, smoking cherry nargila in full Zone oneironaut regalia (as seen in-game).

The interaction would play as a common branched dialogue, with the player selecting lines to say from a list to make an interview. Of course, the options available would depend on progression made in the story, effectively creating a dynamic where exploration unlocks further discussion on certain topics, which could add more depth to the storyline as well as a few explanations of exactly why things are like they are in the zone. (This dialog technique would be similar to the ones used when meeting the white zone wanderer at the Rendez-vous Point which change a lot depending on progression.)

Further radical ideas in this direction was to let these discussions with the oneironaut later bleed into the actual game, such as ghost static voices appearing in radio broadcasts or in the ambiance or by placing manila envelopes addressed to the player in certain locations, containing tapes with commentary, notes, threats, et cetera.

Well. A bit elaborate perhaps, but still intriguing experiments of sorts.

Wooow!

I haven't been here for a while, but I must say: good work on the new RC!

Sorry guys, I won't be coming to Finland this time... I've gotten a job in Taipei between those two months. 

I made a walk animation that is pretty damn good for a first try, if I do say so myself.

Don't tell me it's the one next to your post. 

[Force majeure II: The Zone]

I'd like you to consider Force majeure II: The Zone for the awards.



Best Game The Zone is a very unique game with a vivid feeling of "being there". It has a very comprehensive story, a strong visual style and a full soundtrack. All taken together, the Zone is a full, interactive experience not to be missed.


Best Demo The demo is a short story in it's own right, introducing you to the story and feel of the Zone. The demo to include 3 minutes of introductory video and over 20 minutes of music.

Download demo


Best Gameplay The gameplay in the Zone is not really about what is happening on the screen. There are very few puzzles and very few obstacles in your path to transcendence. The gameplay of the Zone is to figure out what is going on and build your own theory about this new reality, very much like filmmaker David Lynch's works.

A fantastically gripping and intelligent storyline had me glued to my computer for the duration of the game . . . or story, I should say. The Zone most definitely leans more towards an interactive story than an adventure game, as puzzles are kept to a minimum throughout. However, the real puzzle is decoding the reality or better yet the surreality around you. And as a result of such a dense, layered, and well thought out story the lack of logic or inventory puzzles did not bother me in the least.

Best Story The Zone has a very rich story with many characters, ranging from the tragic and depressive, to the mystic and obscure. This is more of an interactive graphical novel than a game, unneeded puzzles have been kept to a minimum, and are only present if needed by the story. What the Zone really is trying to do, is to ask yourself: "What is reality? ... and how do I escape it?"


Best Background Art Instead of conforming to the standard looks invented by intrepid adventure game developers like LucasArts and Sierra, the Zone has a unique style based on the suggestive power of the photography. Much of the story is told through the power of the still image, each frame carefully edited and coloured to suggest a certain feeling.


Best Character Art Five sets of costumes were made for the project, which were then shot on location to make them appear as realistic as possible. Several of these costumes can be seen in the screenshots on the game web site.

See screenshots


Best Animation The Zone features several minutes of video footage and full-screen animations, including a live movie set with two actors performing a six-minute ritual.


Best Music One of the most important parts of the Zone is the soundtrack, which is over 70 minutes long. Sad, broken and subtle tunes in the styles of electronica, electro-acoustic and ambient. This is perhaps the most ambitious soundtrack ever made for an AGS game.


Download free tracks here


Best Use of Sound Aside from the music, the Zone has voice acted radio messages with dynamically generated noise. The Zone is also the first adventure game to feature a twenty minute session of binaural beats, a form of psycho-active sound programming that stimulates certain brain frequencies.


Read some exciting reports from people who have played the Zone


Best Player Character The invisible main character of the story has a very interesting identity and a dramatic past to discover.


Best Non-player character The Zone wanderer appears at the beginning of the story and acts as a guide to the mysteries of the Zone. This person seems to know more about the Zone and about you, than you might think.


Best Dialogue Writing The Zone has plenty of long and complex dialogues that go beyond the simple one-liner jokes of many other adventure games. The people you meet are complex, tender and have many stories to tell.


Best Documentation The Zone has a companion web site that is regularly with technical information, such as troubleshooting guides and updates, and in-depth background information on the story of the Zone as well as the project.

Visit web site
Read entry and reviews in the AGS game database

Does this sound good or I am just making this up? You decide. 

Well, I have also only made one AGS game and one demo for it. I thought that if the game was a novel, the demo should be a short story giving a feel of the whole thing. I starts out same as the full version, but soon heads into another direction.

I recommend that you learn how to master sound also. Not having anyone to help me, it took a year or two of fiddling until I understood that I wasn't really mastering the music I did properly and most of the work I'd done so far was full of noise, crackles and unbalanced samples. So, learn how to handle sounds without destroying it in the process.

Hey, I know about 320x240! 240!!!

Gotya!

How about spelling something out using an alien/ancient/weird phonetic alphabet?

I see. Not someone really important, then.

Tell that guy to get a life and stop hanging around in underground gamer circles, hoping to get some sort of recognition from people who about nothing else than 320x200.

One game I bought mainly for the soundtrack was Silent Hill 2 which has one of the best soundtracks ever. Though I found the game a bit repetitative, the soundtrack actually saved a rather dull gameplay.

The Silent Hill series was a great inspiration for me when making The Zone and I actually spent more time on music and sound than on graphics (excluding video footage). I realised that this was sort of dangerous, because of gamer fixation with graphics, but in retrospect I think it was a good choice be cause it added very much to the emotional aspects of the project.

I wanted some parts to have percussion and have a trashy electro sound - very much like the Fight Club soundtrack only much more twisted. (Some of these attempts can be heard in the demo of The Zone, especially in the intro, the air raid shelter and under the bridge.) These ambitions proved to the hardest to achieve. Looping samples is very seductive, since you lots of music very fast though loops get boring very quickly. I think it turned quite all right, but percussion scares the hell out of me.

(And you're welcome to play "Pick the genre" on my music as well) 

 Who is this Chris character?

I have seen those, but I am not entirely happy with his structure which I think is a bit slack.

I have been sketching on a new adventure game project for the past two-three months and would like to write a exemplary game design document for it. There are many ways these are structured, but do any of you guys know of any good examples that I could use as template or inspiration?