Adventure Creator original thread

[coder]

As long as you use different htmls, scenes can be skipped. I've done so with all dating games so far. You could use just one html and change pictures and texts on it.
edit:
If you're interested you can check my code (and use it or parts of it, if you want).
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12298475/scrïpt.rar
I took a different approach. It still needs some finetuning though.

EDIT:
For some strange reason this forum changes the "i" in scrïpt to an ï with two dots on top. So if you want to see it, you need to replace the "ï", with an i. It only does so with the word scrïpt, just my luck for choosing that name.

[Norse Graphics]

There is no file there Coder.

Anyway, I tested this by dragging a box and creating the definitions (writing down statements).

But I was thinking of a tutorial, like a step-by-step of your workflow. Do you start with the -begin.html, copy it and give it a new name, then making connections from the first html into the second? It's a bit confusing, so maybe one with some screenshots would help. And if you do it as one html, but only change pictures and text; what is the workflow and how do you do it?

I do not wish to presume to much and expect you to drop everything in your hand and rush to my aid. It's just a simple request. I'm currently soaking up experience in how to really getting things from the Reality-plugin in DAZ Studio to get good results - somebody even managed to get a good moonlight lit scene that didn't look fake.

So, rendering is what I'm better at than doing the html-stuff. But if I got to the essence, I hope that I would be able to create games from scratch myself. The Rags-game editor is good, but the counter is that it needs the player to download and install something extra to run the game, while the html is already a standard part of the internet browsers people use.

Ok, so far this is what I've discovered using the AdventureCreator:
1.Open up the AC.
2.Load template (it comes with a selected red area).
3.Right-click to do various operations, I chose delete area.
4.Hold down left mousekey and drag a new 'window', it has a name"#".
5.New link is give in "href", and I name the other fields. Check out this picture:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5034819429_638ac1ba12_b.jpg

As you see I chose three options, numbers 1 - 3 are the reference inside this one page, then the named 1A - 3C are the links to the 'next page' (on-click, then go to page with that link), and the last is on-screen name/action. Right?

Then what?

And last time I tried this, I could resize the windows, but I don't remember how, control-left mouse?

[Norse Graphics]

LOL, I discovered how I resized the windows! It was holding down right mousekey and drag... I had a 'duh'moment there...

[tlaero]

coder, I'm trying to find the right balance between simplicity for the artists and game ability. Most of the people making these games aren't programmers, so I've been keeping things simple. If I were to write an adventure game by myself, I'd do it quite a bit differently.

Tlaero

[tlaero]

Norse Graphics,

Here's my workflow.
1) Open AC.
2) Open an html file you want to edit.
3) Use File->Open Foreground Image to pick the picture.
4) Left click and drag on the picture to make a hit target.
5) Left click and drag on a hit target to move it.
6) Right click and drag on a hit target to resize it.

Click on a hit target to set the href, onclick, and tite for that image.

Use hit targets for things your character does (like touching a body part or opening a door).

Use the three table entries for things your character says.

href is the name of the page to go to when that thing is clicked.

onclick is the function to call when the user clicks it. The most common function is varPlus1('happy') to add 1 to the happy variable.

title is what the user sees when he hovers over the hit target.

When you're happy with what you have, hit Ctrl-S to save it. Then I usually change the title a it (ie "shower1.html" becomes "shower2.html") and make changes there. Save it when done, rinse and repeat.

I suggest going through the example like a player would (in the browser) and then looking at the various files in adventure creator to see how they did what they did.

I'm happy to help however I can.

Tlaero

[Norse Graphics]

Okay, I think I've got it now. The example in my previous post with the picture would give both options, text and windows selection. While you could chooses either.

When I open AC and made sure the _style.css is copied into the directory, the image is stretched sideways. Don't know if there's a fix for this, but ingame the stretching doesn't occur. This happens only with the Start.html. It says override with 1000x500 pixels. Clicking on Start.html, however, will show correct size. So, this might only be something with the _style.css itself overriding the parameters. And getting this corrected when the page itself is loaded.

Anyway, I think I understand the flow here, but I wonder how you control what actions are permissible and how you check the happy/anger mode.

I'm doing some multitasking, installing AM's Wolf onto my 3D graphics workstation, while peeking in the various Keeley-files. The easiest thing would be to make a flowchart of the game before and follow it through when creating the HTML's.

Thanks for your help!

Edit. I edited the _style.css file to accept 625x500 sizes, and this fixed the stretching issue. It only happens inside AC, and not the game itself as it'll selfcorrect to proper size, right?

[coder]

@Norse: updated the link, but as said before it's a work in progress and it still needs some finetuning before being truely user friendly.

@tlaero:
The whole gameflow is written in a javascrïpt array. So the gamecreator only has to know that part.

So for example in scene 8 there's first a check if she knows you name, if that's true you'll go to scene 13
otherwise:

You have an image shown, called stairs_001.jpg

Under the image is a text:
"What for?" she asks. Is it your imagination or does she sound a bit more suspicous?

there are 3 possible answers:
1: a drink. -> go to scene 9
2: to work out. -> go to scene 10
3: to get to know eachother. -> go to scene 11

option 2 will make you seem more sportive to her,

This will look something like this.

Code: Select all

   gameFlow[8]["check"]=doesSheKnowYourName;
        gameFlow[8]["nextScene"][0]=13;

   gameFlow[8]["img"]="stairs_001.jpg";
   gameFlow[8]["text"]=""What for?" she asks. Is it your imagination or does she sound a bit more suspicous?"
   gameFlow[8]["dialogs"][1]="A drink.";
   gameFlow[8]["nextScene"][1]=9;
   gameFlow[8]["dialogs"][2]="to work out.";
   gameFlow[8]["nextScene"][2]=10;
        gameFlow[8]["action"][2]=lookSportive;
   gameFlow[8]["dialogs"][3]="to get to know eachother.";
   gameFlow[8]["nextScene"][3]=11;


That shouldn't be too hard, should it? I would like some feedback from someone who doesn't know much about programming, because it's hard for me to judge how hard or easy that stuff is for others.

general info: my scrïpt isn't ready to use if you don't understand javascrïpt well, because it's still a work in progress.

[tlaero]

Coder, what you're doing is very similar to what ArianeB does. Chaotic tried that for a while and really disliked it. That's why I created AdventureCreator. My main goal was to keep things as similar as possible to what he was doing, while cleaning up his code and fixing his cross-browser problems. It only half worked, though. Chaotic is still doing things by hand with incorrect jscrïpt, but at least Phreaky has picked it up and is doing great things with it.

As for advice from non-programmers, I'm not the right person to help there, sorry.

Tlaero

[tlaero]

Norse, in the override, you can type in any values you want, or use the style. If you're using the style, it should happen the same in both AC and the browser. If you don't have a default style, and you don't type numbers into the override, the images should use the default size. If you type numbers into the override boxes, though, AC will stretch the image to that size. I generally use the styles now, but before I added that feature, I used to make you type the override in manually. I'm not sure whether to leave the ability to override it in, or remove it to cut down on the confusion.

These games have two kinds of files. I'll call them "picture files" and "control files". Picture files let you load pictures and do hit targets on them, etc.

Control files are mostly jscrïpt and don't have pictures. The user never actually sees these files.

This is important, AC only knows how to open Picture files. You should edit the control files in another editor. I've been meaning to open control files in AC, but haven't gotten around to adding that functionality. AC wouldn't really add any value with control files, but at least it wouldn't be as confusing if I made it open them and gave you an edit box to edit them in.

These are the control files.
_begin.html
_functions.js
_game.js
_dumpvars.html
_styles.cs
and all of the files whose names start with "check".

You set variables with the onclick part of the links, and you check them in the "check" control files.

The general idea is that when you want to decide where to go based on a variable, you put a check file in the href field and then have the check file decide where to send you based on some function. Open up any of Keeley's files whose name starts with "check" and you'll see how that works.

The check files are jscrïpt, and pretty much anything is possible there. Frequenty we do something simple like "if you've been there before, go here, otherwise go there" but they can be much more complex. Check out the function "checkIfHappyEnough" in _game.js for an example of a more complicated function.

If you need help writing the functions, just post what you want to happen and I'll give you the code.

As for a flowchart, something I'd like to do with AC is have it map out the whole game and let you see visually what files lead to where. Trouble is, the rest of my life keeps getting in the way of such a big endeavor. (-:

Tlaero

[Norse Graphics]

Ahh, yeah, I saw those files. Didn't do much when I opened them in AC. Understand why they don't.

[tlaero]

I've been thinking of the example as a template for making one of these games. I wonder if I should have a much simpler template, though. Maybe something that has just three editable html files (a start, a check, and a finish). Would that make things easier to understand?

I suppose what I really should do is a very simple example with pictures showing how to create it. A tutorial, as it may be. I'll think about creating something like that.

Tlaero

[Norse Graphics]

A tutorial would be perfect, especially of how to use the check-files. You don't need to make a huge game out of it. Just a start, a selection (say three doors), results from each choice and endings. Then a game creator can make his/her own and just continue 'nesting' (is this the right term?), allowing the player choices that'll affect the outcome. And here the check-files will be handy.

Thanks, tlaero!!

[tlaero]

Check out http://rapidshare.com/files/422789996/template.zip

It's about as simple as they come. All the files that start with _ are ones you can't edit in AdventureCreator (use another editor). Everything else is fair game for AC.

Tlaero

[Squeeky]

tlaero,
I have been following your development with interest and am wondering if Adventure Creator can be made to easily handle sliced images, and whether the concept could significantly lower the overall file size of a game where animation may have a significant role. I understand you have developed this with HTML in mind but I'm also wondering about a spin-off into Flash (like with/similar to Shark's animations).

While some pages certainly warrant a full-sized animated image I feel that potential savings may be made where 'localised' parts of an image are brought into play, eg a facial expression, like a smile or wink.

I would propose either:
a) a full image in which is embedded a trigger point which would then load 8 static gifs and the one important anim. gif
or
b) 9 static gifs are loaded, one has a trigger point which would then cause 8 of the static gifs to be refreshed while the 9th anim. gif is loaded.

See your email (not PM).

[Graen]

Wow really? Why not use style sheets and have one background image, with the animated image overlayed on top of that... or go even simpler and use tables?