29 replies to this topic

[Stroggy]

I don't have much time in the coming two months either, and after that I'm off to the US for about a month.

[Fawfulhasfury]

I can make good artwork, and I'm good with storywriting.

[DeathDude]

Yeah if I could help out, the best thing I could do prob would be story writing, I'm pretty good at thinking ideas off the fly.

[LordHart]

If you need some templates or other resources, then just check out the Skimbleshanks website.

http://www.freewebs.com/skimbleshanks/

Has alot of templates, plugins, graphic packs, fonts and so forth that can be used with AGS. http://12.22.230.41/...me/ig_space.zip is a graphics pack which you can use when making a game, which will cut down production time a fair amount, and all you have to do is include its creator in the credits.

If you need any background art done, I could help out with that. Some examples:


A bar made for a cancelled 'tv' type project I was working on.


Made in SCI Studio


An as yet, unfinished port of the above image to high colour within photoshop.


Made for a different 'tv' type project i'm currently working on.

As you can see, I usually work best with cartoonish graphics, but I can also do more realistic backgrounds if needed. I'm also adept at the AGS coding system, so if you need any help with either coding, writing or background art, then send me and email. lordhart@tdrdesign.net

Quote

Well I was talking about

Quote

...some undifined point in the not so distant future...

, but it seems people are really interested.

OK - I'm still quite busy at the moment, but in about a month's time I start having lots more free time.
I'm especially interested what would everybody do. This whole thing started out with people saying they are learing the AGS, but has anybody mastered it?
We'd also need someone quite (doesn't have to be excelent) good with making the artwork (although I think we can use any kind of pictures as a background, even scaned photos - is that right?).
And most of all we'd need to decide what game we'd be working on. I'm quite certain that some of us had an adventure game in mind...

To clear it up, yes you can use photos, but they usually turn out rather tacky because the system is suited better to graphics akin to that of Sierra or Lucasarts. As long as the images you want to use for a background is a .gif, .pcx, .png or .bmp, then you can use them. .pcx was always the preferred choice of everyones as it offered the best compression up until CJ added the ability to import .gif graphics into the engine.

Whilst I haven't by any means mastered AGS (hell, only two or three guys have really done that), but I know how to do a fair bit. As long as I know what I want, then I can usually think of a way to do it. You could easily learn how to do most things when coding even if you dont know programming, as long as you keep checking on the AGS Help Manual, then you'll get most things done in no time. I'll give an example of how you would have it so you can open a locked door with an inventory item named iKey (give the key in the inventory window the script name of Key):

When interacting with the door:

//does the player have the key, which is inventory item 1?
if ((cEgo.InventoryQuantitiy[iKey.ID] == 0) && (GetGlobalInt(1) == 0)) { //no, he doesn't, keep it shut
  cEgo.Say("Drats, I don't have the key.");
} else if ((cEgo.InventoryQuantitiy[iKey.ID] == 0) && (GetGlobalInt(1) == 1)) //he had the key, and he's used it!
  cEgo.Say("I've already open the door.");
else if (cEgo.InventoryQuantity[iKey.ID] == 1) { //hey, he has the key now, open the door
  cEgo.Say("Hey! I just opened this door!");
  SetGlobalInt(1, 1); //you've used the key, so i'll set this marker to let the game know...
  cEgo.LoseInventory(iKey); //lose the key now that he's used it...
  GiveScore(2); //and here are some points...
}

Simple, right? All it does is checks to see if he has the key or not. If he has used the key and has already opened the door, then it shows a different response instead of saying, "Drats, I don't have the key." If anyone would like, I could write a few short tutorials on different things and put them here on the board.

[Sebatianos]

Great stuff LordHart.

Now so far I've seen two storywriters (DeathDude and myself) and some artists (Stroggy, Void, LordHart) and last but by no means least a guy who is both: Fawfulhasfury.
Sorry Magic - I just don't know into which category I should put you... I guess you'd be one of the programmers.

So here's what I suggest:

- everyone who wants to write a story should do so by the 15th of August (that should give us all enough time). The story should be writen as a script.
- next the story we decide upon should be worked over (I guess people would have suggestions), and this process should be finished by the end of August.
- then the artists should try to create the charactors and scenery (until October 15th).
- these art works should then be modified if necesary (same as scrits) by the end of October.
- last but not least - all should be put together into the game (the programing part). Hopefully the game could be done by the end of the year (half a year for a game... should work out).

So all the writers warm up your keyboards - it's time to type (I suggest an adventure game - dark yet still humorous).
example of a scene:
A guy in the wheel chair is sitting next to the door. Pick up scalpel. Open door. Use scalpel on wheel chair *both wheels are sabotaged*. Ring the bell for lunch *watch the guy in the wheel chair ranting about the tyres and creating a distraction*. Open back window. Climb out the window. Sneak out the sanitarium. Prove to the world you weren't imagening the night crawler (the monster invading childrens daydreams causing mass hysteria).

[Fawfulhasfury]

I'm currently writing a game based on the writings of lovecraft. It was a idea I was toying with for a while. I'll send it in soon.

[LordHart]

Sebatianos, on May 18 2005, 10:23 PM, said:

Now so far I've seen two storywriters (DeathDude and myself) and some artists (Stroggy, Void, LordHart) and last but by no means least a guy who is both: Fawfulhasfury.

I can do either Storywriting or Programming as well if you'd like.

[ThatSino!]

I Am awsome when it comes to story stuff.

[Sebatianos]

LordHart, on May 18 2005, 11:58 PM, said:

I can do either Storywriting or Programming as well if you'd like.

Excelent! Here's a    for you!

[Sean]

I've been replaced!

Just kidding... ill practice some more with AGS give it a few weeks and im sure i'll have most of the basics down and when I do I will help out however i can.

Cya

Magic

[Aureliano]

Damn, I'm being totally ignored. That sucks. Ok, time to write the script. Lalala...

[Mr.Modem]

Maybe I can do some animations. If you give me a character I can animate him/her! I suggest we should use 320x240 256 colors screenmode with LucasArt style graphics

[LordHart]

Actually, a 320x240 resolution is too square for the player to view and becomes quite cumbersome. 320x200 is the more preferred resolution, and is more in line with old adventures. And limiting the game to 256 colours will just prove to be a hinderance, as you can't use many of the standard AGS functions, so it is always best to just use Hi Colour mode.

[Mr.Modem]

Okay fine, I have'nt tried AGS so I don't know about what's best. I will not do 3d rendered animations so if you want that someone else should do it.

[Sean]

I might have to resort to ''other'' means for my characters... I hope it works

Now i got to go to school so ill test it when i get back.