Messages

1

Everything-Else / Re: Covid anxiety

« on: Yesterday at 11:04:04 PM »

Thanks for responding. Hang in there. I never realized how much I took for granted. I should be much more thankful in my life!

2

SCI Syntax Help / Re: Parser Syntax Problem

« on: March 31, 2020, 03:30:33 PM »

"pry open nose with finger"

aka 'pick / nose' . You could catch that case with some sort of allusion to QfG1

Ah yes! A great way to increase lock picking skills

3

SCI Syntax Help / Re: Parser Syntax Problem

« on: March 31, 2020, 12:50:22 PM »

So, I think I have a reasonable solution.

Set up all the correct statements like before

After them insert:

Code: [Select]

(if(Said('[pry<open]'))
            Print("How would you like to do that?")
        )This will pick up anything with the phrase "pry open" so long as it's not in the list of things that worked in the code above it like "pry open grave with sword."

Sure, it will also trigger for "pry open nose with finger" but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make 

4

SCI Syntax Help / Re: Parser Syntax Problem

« on: March 31, 2020, 09:01:24 AM »

Thanks Kawa. The examples you provided all have direct objects. The parser command I'm trying to account for is a statement with only an implied object, which is why this one is proving difficult for me.

"pry open with shovel" is implying the game knows the "what" that you are trying to "pry open"

In a perfect world, anyone who plays a game like this would know, "of course I need to plug in the object of the 'pry open' action," but in reality, I want to be able to program the game to either a) do what they are implying or b) ask them exactly what they are trying to pry open.

5

Everything-Else / Covid anxiety

« on: March 30, 2020, 11:40:46 PM »

I don't know about all of you guys, but I've been watching and worried about this thing for a while. My wife was low-key upset with me when I said we should get supplies about a week before shortages, but thankfully she did so anyway. She apologized later, of course.

As a teacher at a lap-top school, I'm happy to be in a job that can work from home and get a reliable pay check. Being at home, working, and taking care of 3 small kids is a lot to do, but I do have my side projects, as many of you know here.

Yet, with all that's happening, the projects I have have never felt more hollow to me. In the limited time I have I get excited to work and brainstorm, but reality pulls me down and zaps me of motivation. Creating things has always been something that brings me a personal joy, which is why I stick to it...but I have to admit, it's been difficult lately. Writing is hard, I feel like I'm somehow getting worse at art (which alarms me!), and working on a EGA parser-based game "just because" feels weird when the world is in upheaval.

I don't have any message here. I think I just wanted to vent some frustrations, for my health. Honestly, it feels better.

Any of you dealing with this stuff?

6

SCI Syntax Help / Re: Parser Syntax Problem

« on: March 30, 2020, 11:15:55 PM »

It looks like the problem is the parser is seeing "shovel" as the direct object of "pry open" and therefore not allowing any prepositions (although I have "with" assigned as a "subordination" in the vocab).

Code: [Select]

(if(Said([pry<open]/grave/shovel'))This code works for "pry open grave with shovel" I think because it sees "grave" is the direct object of pry open, allowing me to add "with shovel"

That said, I would really like to give a response for "pry open with shovel" as it is a reasonable thing a person might type. I've tried different syntaxes (syntaces??) and changed the type of word for "with" to try to catch possible work arounds, but am coming up empty.

Gumby, if you're out there, I know you have done a lot of work figuring out the parser...any thoughts?

7

SCI Syntax Help / Parser Syntax Problem

« on: March 30, 2020, 12:48:16 PM »

I'm trying to get the parser to accept "pry open with shovel" but can't seem to get it right.

The best I have is

Code: [Select]

(if(Said('[pry<open]/shovel'))This responds to "pry open shovel" as you might imagine, but I cannot seem to get "with" to work at all.

EDIT: apologies for studio script. BA is an old project, and I'm not interested in converting it all over to sierra script. BA2 on the other hand will not have this issue.

8

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Betrayed Alliance Book One - upcoming v.1.1 Release

« on: March 29, 2020, 02:26:18 PM »

Good News!

I've put in a lot of work to patch and polish the first act of BETRAYED ALLIANCE and the second patch is (generally) FINISHED!

Before I write the installer, I wanted to see if anyone wanted to take it for a quick test run and focus on the following:

- Were there any parser commands that you think should have a custom reply?
- Did you notice any mispellings or out-of-place replies?
- Did you find any remaining bugs?

9

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Betrayed Alliance 2 Development Journal

« on: March 23, 2020, 10:09:28 PM »

"End of the World Party"

Idea: On eve of nation going to war, a wealthy person hosts a nihilistic party involving a "death game"
The 9(?) guests are each given a random hidden card.

Each card has a task:
King of Hearts - Find the declare Queen of Hearts (both win)
Queen of Hearts - Find the declare  King of Hearts (both win)
Ace of Spades - No winning goal
Jack of Spades - Find and declare the Ace of Spades (Ace dies)
Queen of Spades - Find and declare the Jack of Spades (Jack dies.)
Queen of Diamonds - Steal King of Diamond's Card
King of Diamonds - Find the Queen of Hearts (Queen dies)
Queen of Clubs - Find the King of Hearts (Queen dies)
Joker - Knowledge of All Cards, wins if false declaration is made.

Anyone may make declaration at any time. If makes wrong declaration, dies.

Not exactly sure how this will all looks and or play, but I wanted to have a murder mystery part of the game, and it evolved from crime scene investigation to crime scene participation. I'm curious about any ideas, potential problems, and gameplay considerations (like reshuffling after so much time)

10

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Betrayed Alliance 2 Development Journal

« on: March 23, 2020, 10:14:17 AM »

Nice. If you want my suggestion, I say keep the forest monster's clothes red. Really pops out more, and for EGA it can resemble a number of different colours. Almost looks like it could be brown for instance.

What do you think? I'm liking the gray better and I have a couple reasons for it
1. These are gargoyle-like monsters that can turn into and out of stone, and gray tends to work better for that idea.
2. They're supposed to be dead/undead monsters and I think being drained of color (even clothing sells that more)

But you are right about it popping out more...maybe I could use different color clothings...

11

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Betrayed Alliance 2 Development Journal

« on: March 20, 2020, 03:10:25 PM »

Just a quick update:
Progress is being made, albeit very slowly on the follow up (still at about 1% completion rate). I'm split between working on this and finishing the Patch for the first part (which is now almost finished)
I'm still very much in the notebook phase for BA2. But major story points are down. Some puzzle elements and possible features include:

• A scavenger hunt for Magical / Mythical items

- Cloak of invisibility
- Telepathic Pig
- Cursed Frying Pan
- Your suggestions!

• A WWE-style philosophy battle
• Two-playable characters that can be switched at will (first 1/3 of game only)
• Forest monsters with multiple ways to evade/kill

- Traditional Battle Screen
- Have them fight each other
- Have a giant smash them
- Trap them in an area and burn it (gruesome!)
- Your suggestions!

Here's the current mock-up of the forest monster (subject to change...I think I'll make his rags/clothing gray)


While a lot is being planned in the notebook phase, I'm still working on some rooms:
Here's a broken-down bell tower in the forest and cliff overlooking the river separating the North are and South (only the North was playable in the first part)



Feel free to drop some of your thoughts. I'm very open to ideas and puzzle considerations. With only the story aspect generally firmly in place, there's a lot of space for me to go in different directions, but I'm already excited to execute on the ideas I have already.

12

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Betrayed Alliance Book One - upcoming v.1.1 Release

« on: March 06, 2020, 12:53:10 PM »

Current Fix List:
95% fixed - Getting very close to feeling the game is polished up nicely.

Code: [Select]

• Redraw Title Screen
• Add difficulty settings: Easy and Hard
• Hard includes more intricate parser commands
 Make it switchable in the Menubar
• Easy includes ability to skip some puzzles (slide block puzzle)
 Kite and bar
 Slidepuzzle skip
 Roll marble
 Pry open with shovel
 Using well
 Sarcophagus trap plate
 Using explosives
 Light enters the dark room + hint
• Draw new dead thumbnails
• Ogre killing you
• Battle against soldiers
• Ghost killing you
• Bugs eating you
• sarcophagus
• If teleport to WELL room from WELL room, Ego disappears.
• If teleport to well rom from adjacent room, not teleport animation (goes for graveyard as well)
• If top waterspring active in GHOST puzzle, game freezes upon leaving room
• Crystal ball cannot be interacted with
• Wizard Room – Wizard’s windows not colored
• Cliff w/vines. Click on graveyard (word “landscape” repeated twice)
• “Use marble” should work to get boulder down
• “Pry open slab (with shovel)” should work in mausoleum
• Block puzzle (“There seems to be a missing piece”) text should be lowered
• “Ask about secret” doesn’t work for Sammy
• Add animation of picking up marbles at meat seller’s house
• “Look” in Attic doesn’t mention anything about bookshelf
• “Take Quiz” = “not close enough” – no need to walk to quiz.
• “Take Kite” = walk to kite and take it, not “Ur not close enough.”
• “Search body” of dead man in face cave is too verbose. Break it up
• “Search body” for skeleton doesn’t work
• Directions for blow dart unclear
• No message after hitting water button leaves things unclear
• Allow shooting dart at flies – animation of them dodging?
• After shooting water to get rid of flies, perhaps a message?
• Autosave before going into the mausoleum pit.
• Pry open sarcophagus doesn’t work
• “Use crystal ball” doesn’t have a response
• No Pick-up animation in Magic room (heap issue?)
• “go in hole/cave” doesn’t work at pond area
• “It’s definitely a rock” message strangely off center [hermit outside], same with tree
• Cliff area, can’t read sign far away is stupid
• Talking to soldier who patrols the bridge should be easier (you shouldn’t have to be so close)
• “Look at pot” should include bend over animation (heap issue?)
• “Go in mouth/cave” should work. “Crawl in” should work
• No pick up animation in cavern for marble. No mention of what marble obtained.
• Skeleton should no block ego
• “Use dart gun” and “blow dart gun” yields no response (which room?)
• “take paper” doesn’t read paper in sarcophagus cave
• “look at ground” doesn’t mention bar
• Turner on safe should have hint that you can click it
• “item region” doesn’t seem to work on bridge with guard
• Scientist’s house…door doesn’t appear as a door
• Door puzzle – have a wrong solution Print when all pieces are down
• Eat pork/chicken gives no hint
• Bugs eat even after you hit button?
• Add bugs eating you animation
• “activate trap” should work for arrow trap
• Activating trap says “you’re not close enough” – this is dumb
• “You may pass” phrase with goggles doesn’t work when lever picture is active
• Stairwell – walking after defeating armored can be altered by user input – problem
• Saving in the underground is broken (seems to work ok for me)
• Puzzle points in character stats not equal what’s on menu bar
• Librarian could give hints on where to find missing books
• “ask about book” should work for books given by characters
• “Fish” or “go fishing” yield no response
• Music from Leah’s area not turning off when at pond area
• “Ask about woman” to Leah yields useless response
• Front of Castle – some sort of message that it is not the preferred entrance
• Ran out of heap in Sarah’s secret sanctuary
• No hint to ask Bobby about hair (perhaps a list of missing books is posted)
• After digging up ring – there should be a pick-up animation (and a hole left over?)
• No reasonable hint that Bobby has book about hair
• Cave of whispers ghost pathfinding is broken after latest fix / also doesn’t kill you
• Additional room to add suspense would be good
• Animation of Ego Falling over with spirit floating
• Hermit home – right click look on characters just tells you names
• Face cave does not look menacing…bright colors, nothing foreboding about it.
• Cavern of madness, no water waves
• Scientist room
• Explanation of Goggles seems weird “anything from anywhere”
• After getting Goggles, give some hint what player should do next
• No outside door on Dock house
• After giving letter to Deborah, maybe she tries to sell you food
• Add some kind of clue to let player know to move table over plate on ground
• Cannot go back into cave of whisper
• If go back in, no way to get out because loss of darts
• “use ladder” should work with ladders
• “Take IQ test” should work
• Update Menubar pictures
• Animate wind blowing
• draw taking acorn animation
• Redraw rocks on dead-tree picture
• Redraw shelf in magician’s room
• touchup artwork on Tavern Outside
• touchup artwork on Library Outside
• touchup artwork on final prison room
• touchup artwork on soldier attack area
• animate Gyre deflecting darts and ego shooting them
• Player is left directionless after the graveyard part – next stop it to get past the cave troll, but there isn’t much information on how to do this
• Perhaps letter could include clue on how to get past the troll – perhaps just reference meat and the player will have some indication that they need to do something with Debbie.
• Animation of Ogre hitting you into ground
• Squirrel does not stop when you stop
• Add character waiting to leave at the dock. Leaving the palace. Overheard Carmyle’s talking.
• There should be VIEWS when you get a book – it will help them stand out in dialog.
• There is no OPEN SAFE view.
• Wire leading to safe needs to be drawn
 Wire interactions. TAKE, CUT
• “untie blindfold” should work
• Give better explanation of plan with ring
• Make sure all rooms have item region, not just replicated text from it as changes have been made to the region.
• Pick up should be added to all “take” instances.
• “take” anyword should be added to either main script or item region
• Cannot search body in ambush room
• “Examine body” should work in addition to “search body”
• “ask about” anything has no response in prison
• Julyn’s text boxes have no colors
• Write “ask about” for Julyn
• Attic – Book on “potions-making” typo
• Add character at the docks
• He has stories about Carmyle brothers
• Have Scientist send you on quest to dock to find package to fix his thingie.
• Put package in dock
• Walking animations for two fighters
• Cursor image moves to “skip” introduction page, but when mouse moves, it jumps back to the different location.
• Walking away from armored opponent allows change in character’s view by pressing up
• Ego and Julyn have incorrect dialog tags after escaping the pit
• Credits do not mention Bjorn Lynn in the music section
• Gyre sees the ring before it’s visually represented on the floor
• Traps Room:
• “take bow” no animation
• “take arrow” when in statue’s possession gives “not close enough” message
• Disarm trap doesn’t have a Print message with it
• WORDS ON FLOOR SECTION
• “read sign” doesn’t work
From Playtesting:
• “Profile Games” changed to “Slattstudio”
• Change intro narrative
• First point for doing nothing
o Point removed has been replaced
• Description of opening room
• Marble pick up can be buggy
• “look at ball” for crystal ball
• Wizard animation to make portal appear
• Better information about what happened before the game (escaped from prison, etc.)
• Bobby could give better hint about monster being repulsed by cooked meat
• Music bug in cave / battle running away from Ogre
• Typo “Soldiers stand guard to Castle” in Entrance to Castle area
• Make sure text is near top on most screens
o Castle Entrance “There is the Traitor…”)
o ll
• climbing animation in cave too high to reach
• “Baron Longaeu” add “Carmyle” also…make it able to read further away
• Pry open with sword/shovel should yield response
• Chess room “Here’s how” missing period
• Library “look at list” bad said Spec
• Click outside map to close it
• Write dialog for new character
• Dock door isn’t working right yet
• Lasers zap to one life…change to second laser killing you
• Squirrel description mentioning it being hungry
• Shakescreen is broken in Squirrel room
• Facecave needs to be redrawn
• Sign about the whispering cave
• No mention of sword on floor when “Look at floor”
o No mention of different colored rock either
• Any way to repeat “copy cat?”
o No mention of squirrel being hungry?
• Walking animation for swordsman
• Light turns out before you reach the bottom
• Change font for note
• alterEgo appears when pulling/digging
• Letters/artwork overlap
• “You lift and the table” typo under mausoleum
• Climbing ladder animation under mausoleum looks strange
• Mausoleum gets dark before pressing button
• Hint button for door puzzle (easy mode)
• Scientist room is empty
• “Now go do some field research” box not colored
• More direct hints about letters from the girl would be best (ask about father and letter should talk about letters)
• Ask about list:
o Princess
o Ogre
o Cave
o Carmyle
• “ask about list” should work in library
• Hints for where books are width should be increased
• “ask about mess/clutter” should yield a response
• “Take letter” response should give hint
o Find / look for letter
o Take letter
• Dock worker sleeping animation update
• “ask about food” yields no response from Debby
• If failed to give name, takes you back to difficulty settings
• Ask about goggles if too far away yields two responses?
• Running away from Ogre crashes music
Episode 4
• No running in first room
• Too much text when beginning a fight
o After moving info on fight, add it to dialog
• Health bar appears 0 when opponent is low on life
• Music termination leaving battles broken
• “jump” in cliff area has no response when too far away
• “take off armor” response is weird
• “ask about troll” has bad said spec [after beating score]
• Sailboat Xtreme perhaps lower top score and/or reduce time of speed round
• Ladder doesn’t flash when Henry says “Here’s a ladder”
Episode 5
• “leave name” at dock yields no response
• Find/take package yields no response
• “Thhings” in dialog with man at dock
• Walking animation for two soldiers is wonky, one hits invisible wall
• “copy cat” mentioned in fight?
• “to safe combination” underground typo
• Add space in note reading underground
• “small pealike object” is redundant
• Text at bottom of screen at scientist outside
• Make text width greater in scientist room
• “ask about portable model” has no response
• Package inventory item
• Add puzzle point when package given to Colin
• Wrong Goggles answers yield no response
• Vertical buttons for buying meat
• “break mirror”
Episode 6
• Mention squirrel being hungry perhaps?
• Climbing animation is wonky
• “Light floods” is repeated twice
• “look tunnel” or “darkness” no reply
• “jump” has no reply
• Click off controls to close them
• Hint to use goggles if on easy mode

13

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Betrayed Alliance Book One - upcoming v.1.1 Release

« on: February 26, 2020, 10:06:47 PM »

Color me impressed, Eric!

That's a ton of work! I only wish the conversion took place after I'd finished patching the game. I have a 8-page document of changes/additions I've made to the game since the most recent version.

I will definitely need to take a look at what you've done. Everything sounds great. I'm still a little fuzzy when it comes to the concept of the flags, but I'm sure with some practice I would get the hang of it.

14

SCI Syntax Help / Re: SCI Audio - how to set up a music on/off toggle

« on: February 17, 2020, 07:01:43 PM »

For what I think you want (changing volume on-the-fly), try using the 'change' command which should allow you to adjust the volume of a currently playing sound file.  This should work:

Code: [Select]

(send snd:
   command("change")
   fileName("music\\snow.sciAudio")
   volume("50")
   init()
)


Ah! Perfect. Now the only issue is the added heap to the rest of the game

15

SCI Syntax Help / Re: SCI Audio - how to set up a music on/off toggle

« on: February 17, 2020, 05:11:46 PM »

Thanks Gumby. By the looks of it, I will have to have the SCIAudio script at all times loaded to have a volume setting.

Also, when you do this change with playx, will that start the song over in order to adjust the volume?