No-Shirt Developer(s)

[Kawa]

Looking at the opening to King's Quest VI (I've never actually watched the Introduction to that game), I see that the .SEQ files have voice acting? Can .SEQ Files hold audio files or timing for when an audio file should be played? Or is it just some elaborate code that knows when these events should happen in the .SEQ File and plays them to match? I'd love to know!

Didn't I already say that all the audio for the DOS intro is done with regular SCI sound methods?

[CTxCB]

Looking at the opening to King's Quest VI (I've never actually watched the Introduction to that game), I see that the .SEQ files have voice acting? Can .SEQ Files hold audio files or timing for when an audio file should be played? Or is it just some elaborate code that knows when these events should happen in the .SEQ File and plays them to match? I'd love to know!

Didn't I already say that all the audio for the DOS intro is done with regular SCI sound methods?

Can't remember. But I'm wondering how timing would be done on a .SEQ File with with regular SCI sound methods.

[Kawa]

Can't remember. But I'm wondering how timing would be done on a .SEQ File with with regular SCI sound methods.

You don't time it at all.

Like I said, the actual conversation in KQ6's intro, between Valanice and Alexander, is done mostly with regular views and pictures, and the SEQ files for that shot only serve to do the larger animations like Valanice entering and leaving. The other use is for large dramatic moving-camera shots, and the only sound then is background music.

Also, my SEQ file creation tool doesn't work quite right and is very cheap about compressing the frame data.

[CTxCB]

Can't remember. But I'm wondering how timing would be done on a .SEQ File with with regular SCI sound methods.

You don't time it at all.

Like I said, the actual conversation in KQ6's intro, between Valanice and Alexander, is done mostly with regular views and pictures, and the SEQ files for that shot only serve to do the larger animations like Valanice entering and leaving. The other use is for large dramatic moving-camera shots, and the only sound then is background music.

Also, my SEQ file creation tool doesn't work quite right and is very cheap about compressing the frame data.

Well, it seems as though I'll need to do a whole scene as a .SEQ to implement some of the effects I'll need, as they're constant, that or randomly switch between .SEQ(s). It does involve large chunks of animation.

[Kawa]

Or you could sit back and rethink your plans.

I know I have. Heck, I know Al Lowe and Roberta Williams have.

[CTxCB]

Or you could sit back and rethink your plans.

I know I have. Heck, I know Al Lowe and Roberta Williams have.

I'm willing to regarding other areas of the game, but this Intro scene... I'm not sure how I'd rethink it. It fits in with the plot of the game too well to let it go.

[Kawa]

You don't have to rethink it. Phil and I already did that for you. You can do your CCTV thing and have it recognizable as a CCTV thing, even without noise effects. What makes video footage CCTV footage? The grayscales? The particular overlay things like "CAM1 (KITCHEN)"? Just because it has little to no scanlines and no noise at all doesn't mean it can't be instantly recognized as anything but CCTV footage if you have the grayscales and labels.

Practical example: Duke Nukem 3D has security cameras and monitors. If you activate a monitor, you're shown the scene as seen from the cameras linked to that monitor. There's no special effects involved -- no scanlines, no grain, not even a grayscale filter -- but the very fact that there are white corner brackets and a blinking ●REC makes it scream "these are CCTV images". The only real special effect here is that if you step back again, the monitor texture still shows the camera footage.

[CTxCB]

You don't have to rethink it. Phil and I already did that for you. You can do your CCTV thing and have it recognizable as a CCTV thing, even without noise effects. What makes video footage CCTV footage? The grayscales? The particular overlay things like "CAM1 (KITCHEN)"? Just because it has little to no scanlines and no noise at all doesn't mean it can't be instantly recognized as anything but CCTV footage if you have the grayscales and labels.

Practical example: Duke Nukem 3D has security cameras and monitors. If you activate a monitor, you're shown the scene as seen from the cameras linked to that monitor. There's no special effects involved -- no scanlines, no grain, not even a grayscale filter -- but the very fact that there are white corner brackets and a blinking ●REC makes it scream "these are CCTV images". The only real special effect here is that if you step back again, the monitor texture still shows the camera footage.

I'm thinking that I'm going to do it the view way, as in have a 2 to 8-Cel Loop (haven't decided on length) that has noise and static, scanlines, Video Tearing, etc., and then overlay the information, like time, location and such as their own Loop, to allow for little bits of animation on that too. Since there's going to be thunder / lightning, I might alternate between two sets of 2 to 8-Cel Loops, one with additional lighting and the other without. Credits will then be their own Loop in the same view (Credits similar to Laura Bow II: The Dagger of Amon Ra). And hopefully, I'll have one view for the intro scene... Instead of having lots of views, I'm trying to consolidate it into as little as possible.

[Kawa]

... I give up.

[MusicallyInspired]

If you're just wanting to accomplish so much just for the challenge, that's fine. I attempt this on occasion. But you do have to work within the limitations of the engine. There's nothing you can do about that. Be prepared to be frustrated and slam your head against your desk multiple times.

There is a reason KQ6's intro is completely different and more elaborate in Windows compared to DOS. There are things that you just cannot do with the tools you're limited to. If you can figure out a way to do it, all power to you, if not just use AGS. It will do all of this and much more with the greatest of ease.