Messages

1

AGI Development Tools / Re: WinAGI Version 2.1.5

« on: February 10, 2021, 11:01:08 AM »

Merci. 

2

AGI Development Tools / Re: WinAGI 2.1.3 & Original Games: Errors and Warnings

« on: February 04, 2021, 03:26:32 AM »

I preferred give you all the feedbacks, even if some warning are not very relevant.

For Space Quest 1 problem about unreadable logic, it is strange: I have several archives of Space Quest CGA (from different sources), all of them have the same game version, but only one of them is correct. Other ones show a problem with these both logic script on WINAGI, AGI STUDIO and QT STUDIO.
In previous WINAGI version, I had the same logic 99&100 problem with other games... but with this last version the problem remains only for some archives of one game (Space Quest 1). So it does not seem to be a big issue... maybe a corrupted archive which is available on many web sites. But the strange thing: all archives of Space Quest 1 work well with NAGI, SCUMM and original interpreter!

Another thing (I don't know where to put it): I didn't upload my point&click remake of KQ1 and BlackCauldron here cause of copyright... I have modified the source code of a copyright game, so I think it is difficult to share it.

3

AGI Development Tools / WinAGI 2.1.3 & Original Games: Errors and Warnings

« on: February 03, 2021, 08:57:23 AM »

I have found some minor warnings and errors using the last WINAGI version (2.1.3) with some games:
Two of them are relevant (Mixed Up Mother Goose and Police Quest 1)

Manhunter SanFrancisco, 3.02    7/26/89
03-févr-21: WARNING: Sound215 was skipped because it's VOL file (MH2VOL.6) is missing.
03-févr-21: WARNING: Sound216 was skipped because it's VOL file (MH2VOL.6) is missing.
Compile!

Mixed Up Mother Goose
WINAGI Crash when clicking on Words Editor icon ! (No Words in this game)
Compile!

Police Quest 1, 2.0G     12/3/87 (AGI STUDIO has no problem and the resource is readable)
View.036, error 513 in preview: can't read past end of resource
Compile!

Space Quest 1, 1.1a 1986-11-1 (ok with other downloads but same version, AGI STUDIO can't read the bad version at all)
Logic.099, Error 688 at position 10 in preview mode:  Unable to decode logic (invalid goto position or if/then block
Logic.100, idem at position 197
=> refuse to compile... certainly a corrupted archive (another one works well)

Space Quest 2, 2.0f (2.0A OK and never contains Logic141 & Picture147)
03-févr-21: WARNING: Logic141 was skipped because it's location (131071) in the VOL file(VOL.0) is invalid.
03-févr-21: WARNING: Picture147 was skipped because it's location (196607) in the VOL file(VOL.0) is invalid.
compile!

4

AGI Development Tools / Re: WinAGI Version 2.1.3 Is Available

« on: February 03, 2021, 03:36:06 AM »

And yes, you do see a  lot of warnings when you decompile/recompile original Sierra games, but those are all there because of bugs or bad coding practices used in the original games. WinAGI is able to do deep analysis of the resources and logic code and exposes those flaws that other AGI tools gloss over or ignore. If you don't like the warnings, you can disable them by setting the error detection level to low. But you miss out on one of the best features of WinAGI (in my opinion) because it will help you find those subtle errors and bugs that are otherwise really hard to detect.

I understand that but I can obtain errors when compiling original games... but certainly cause of bad game version as you explained after in your answer.

I am not sure I understand your comment about message variables. The terms 'message' and 'variable' have distinct meaning in AGI syntax, so 'message variables' isn't a thing (translation error I assume?) I *think* you are referring to a decompiling option to hide inline display of messages as text strings; so when decompiled, you want to see this:

Code: [Select]

  if (said("look"))
    {
    print(m1);
    }
instead of this:

Code: [Select]

  if (said("look"))
    {
    print("You see nothing of interest.");
    }
If that's the case, then you are correct; WinAGI currently doesn't offer that as a decompile option. But it took me less than 10 minutes to add it. Unfortunately, I saw this post literally one minute AFTER I just posted a new version (2.1.4)!!! So I'll have to make another version, including installer, assuming this is the fix you want. If so, I can get that out in the next couple days.

You understand very well... it is exactly that, but badly explained, sorry !
It will be a giant step for the world if you can add again this option... thanks !

Support for delimited comments (/* ... */) was removed intentionally from WinAGI several years ago. There were two reasons for this. First, the original syntax used by Sierra did not have this feature; keeping the syntax as close to the original for nostalgia purposes is something that many in the AGI fan community feel very strongly about. Secondly, removing them greatly simplified the logic coding functions, and also provided huge performance gains when using syntax highlighting in large source files.  It's possible that support for them will be added back in when I move to C#, but most likely not. Time will tell...

So bad you cannot enable this feature as an option (even if this disables the syntax highlighting).
For example my BC and KQ1 remake contain a lot of this kind of comments in source code... not easy to recompile them with WINAGI to correct some bugs.

Your comment about logics, views and sounds not being recognized, if true, certainly is a concern. But as I said, I have never had any issues like that in years of testing with original DOS versions of AGI games.

I encourage you to start another thread that includes the specific issues you are seeing. If you give me details, I may be able to tell you if it really is a bug that needs addressing, or if you are perhaps not using WinAGI correctly.

I will do more tests and send you all the details about problems with target game version.
It seems that many version of the same game exist because I had no errors with another download of Space Quest 1 version for example (!)

Thanks for your work and your passion for old things!

Links for my both Point&Clicks Remakes (in French):
Kinq Quest 1 and The Black Cauldron (somewhere in the list)
I will put this link in the right section after that, but here it make sense in the discussion.


PS: I made point&Click remakes with a specific goal in mind => my son, six year old, was not very excited by reading and I decided to use sierra adventures as a tool for learning purpose. It has worked. And now I will redo the same with his sister in some years. But old games are very good without the text input, so I will continue because I have always lovee Sierra Games.

5

AGI Development Tools / Re: WinAGI Version 2.1.3 Is Available

« on: February 01, 2021, 04:38:44 PM »

I am a brand new member.
I have just installed the last version of WINAGI and have got some problems with it.
I have to say I am not a user of WIN AGI, I prefer the old AGI STUDIO (138b).
Why ?
I am not a creator of new AGI adventure, but I am using these tools to localize famous AGI adventure in French.
In fact not a direct translation, I rewrite the script in a point&click way: Action, Look, Swim, Jump, Use.
I have finished Black Cauldron and King Quest 1 in 2017, started King Quest 2... in stand by since 2017.

And I always had problems with WINAGI to import and compile existent game: ressources not all recognized, many warnings and error, etc.
AGI STUDIO was fastest and more reliable for this purpose.
But I need WIN AGI to export all the logic script with AGI message object in the form mxx for print function instead of plain text. AGI STUDIO generates only plain text.
It was possible to generate scripts with message variables instead of plain text for print function in my old WINAGI version (1.1.22).
But with this new one, I obtain only plain text messages in print function... so bad for translation and logic approach of AGI script !!!
No option for changing this behavior.
Another problem is the management of comments: where is the classic /* ... */ comment... so useful in a rewrite purpose (and in general). The new block of comment is a very strange choice.

And I continue to have many problems for loading some old AGI original games (DOS version only): some script not recognized, or view, or sound...

So bad, because the new WINAGI seems to be far better... with international extended character recognized directly (it works for SCUMM and i have modified NAGI to recognize it), and so many useful features.
But how can I use variable messages (mxx) into print function ? Can we expect the back of classic comments ? And maybe some correction of bugs for a 100% full original games import ?

It is so exciting to see an AGI application alive with a 2021 new version.

My plan: adapt KQ2, KQ3, GoldRush  (maybe other ones) in a french point&click version (I can adapt for english version if somebody are interested by these, and with help of true english fan).