Could use a bit of guidance here on essential tools

[Cloudee1]

So with the recent update of the tools page I am suddenly a bit confused by the number of tools you all have going on. Not that I have a lot showing, but in trying to sort through the tools available web wide.

I understand that some of these tools are pre studio days, what I'm not sure about are which ones work in collaboration with the different studio's and more specifically, which ones are still essential even with an editor... and am I to understand that the original AGI studio is preferred over the QT version?

So I guess my question is this, what are the essential tools for the AGI trade?

... and Lance, when do I get to stick picedit up there? Right now, it's looking like it's going to be the old old one but I would hate to do that with the new one coming along so nicely

[lance.ewing]

The 1.2.1 Java version of PICEDIT is fully functional and has everything that the original DOS version had. Actually it is a rewrite of the old DOS version in Java, made to look virtually identical. The old DOS version only runs in DOSBOX and under that it runs fairly slow. The Java version not only runs on Windows but it runs on the Mac and Linux as well and is a lot faster than the DOS version running under DOSBOX. At the moment I guess it makes sense to put up the 1.2.1 version since that is a final release.

But having said that, some of the 1.3 Milestones are fairly stable and people might want to use those instead. The step tool is broken on 1.3 M6 so I wouldn't recommend that one, but maybe 1.3 M5 is okay for use.

Have you got WinAGI up there? That is another full studio. AGI Studio is missing a picture editor, so some people might prefer WinAGI because it has everything built in. I haven't used it myself though, other than playing with the picture editor to see what features it has.

[MusicallyInspired]

There's also Linux AGI Studio (ironically, there's a port for Windows) which isn't bad. Basically all the functionality of AGI Studio except that it has a picture editor (though not as good or as feature-filled as WinAGI's). There are two versions of AGI Studio, Peter Kelly's original, and Nailhead's version after Peter Kelly abandoned it and put the source out. I'm not sure what the differences are or whose is truly better.

[Collector]

Nailhead's refuses to run on my system unless I create a new profile to run it in. I have not found what causes this. I haven't found any config/ini files/reg entries outside of the program's folder. I have not found WinAGI still available on any website, but have not looked that hard.

[Cloudee1]

I haven't used Nailheads version yet, which is apparantly one that I have listed on the tools page. I am in the middle of making a little tutorial game using the other one that I have listed, the QT version of AGI Studio, it is the window's port of the linux port of agi written by Budin. I agree with Brandon, the pic editor has some issues, especially when it comes to priority colors and moving around the steps of the picture resource. Very sketchy. I'll see how winagi goes later on tonight and also see if I have the same problem you ran into with Nailhead's version Collector.

I had thought that Nailhead's agistudio was winagi, but apparantly not. I just now downloaded it and ironically enough from winagi.com

[Collector]

I think winagi.com was down when I was looking for it. WinAGI seems a fair bit more advanced than AGI Studio, but of course that could only be determined using both enough to determine the strengths and weaknesses of both.

[Cloudee1]

I do know that the QT version and winagi do not play well together

[Collector]

I take it that you mean using both editors on the same game source.

[Cloudee1]

Correct. I had started a game using the QT version and I fought with the picture editors priorities so I wanted to take a peak at the pic in a different editor to see if it was me, scumm, or the editor. Opening the game in winagi however caused all sorts of bad things to happen with the logic though. unfortunately I like the template game that comes with QT over winagi's though, it has less to undo, but QT seems to have more issues, besides the  picture editor it took me an hour to place a view in the right spot (which ended up as the same coordinates I started out using). Either way, lesson of the day don't open a non winagi game with winagi.

[Collector]

Well the source of WinAGI is available. Not sure what it would take to make it more compatible. Even if I were more capable, I am not sure if I would have the patience to go through it for AGI.