AGS: Can I Make an RPG with AGS?

[LazyAshen]

Use an NPC character, or create a dummy character for the purpose. (Each character has their own inventory.)

With the newest (beta/RC) version (2.7), you can display NPC inventories, and have multiple character inventories displayed on the same GUI, which makes it easier than it used to be.

[JJJAC55]

Is there any easy way to make as shop, using GUIS instead of a million dialog things

[Kinoko]

You could just create some GUIs for the different options (buy, sell, armour, weapons, whatever you want), with some List Boxes containing the items/options, and have said GUI(s) appear when you talk to the shop keeper.

That's pretty simple ^_^

To be honest, I would never consider using dialogue to create a shop system. GUIs are the way to go. I personally wouldn't use list boxes myself, but I like to be complicated.

[Ishmael]

I've been thinking up a shop usinv GUIs, but I hit a wall with AGS handling two diffrent size inventory windows poorly... Better wait a bit and see then again.

[JJJAC55]

alrighty then - i guess that helps alot.  but can u actually show me the GUI script or at least tell me basically how to do it because im still pretty basic in the language. thanks

[Ishmael]

The idea is that the shopkeeper characters have the items they can sell. Clicking the items on the inventory in the trade GUI runs the buying or selling action, whichever is in question. I have separate, invisible characters for the shopkeepers etc. which I move to the exact same coordinates and room as the player, and before opening the sell or buy GUI I change the player character to that character. When the trade is done, and the GUI is closed, I just return the player character to the original one. It's quite simple and works well, apart from that you can't see the stuff in the players inventory then. Atleast not in 2.62, haven't tried the 2.7 betas...

[JJJAC55]

arg i dont know how to do that either, can you show me specifically how to do it?

[Akumayo]

You want a GUI based shop system huh?

Create a GUI with buttons "Buy" and "Sell"
If "Sell" is clicked open the inventory window.  The player chooses an item, then click on the shopkeeper with the item.  Money is added to the players bank/wallet and inventory item is lost.
If "Buy" is clicked open new GUI with buttons labeled "Item Whatever", "Other Item" and so on.  Player clicks on button and is prompted with a text box "Buy this item?" Player types "Yes" or "No".
If "No" is typed, return to "Buy" "Sell" GUI.
If "Yes" is typed, lose money from Bank/Wallet and gain inventory item.  Return to "Buy" "Sell" GUI.


It doesn't get much simpler unless you use text boxes.

[AGS-beginner]

i understand that it sounds very easy, only, how do you type that into a script?
i used this for the sell button:

if (interface == the name of the GUI) {
  if (button == 2) { // show inventory
   show_inventory_window();

but i think that it doesn't matter if you use a special sell  button or just the inventory,  you just have to let the salesman interact with all the objects that could end up in you inventory (maby long work?)

I don't now how to write a script for the buying.
Can someone please explain that to me?

Thanks,
an AGS-beginner

[TerranRich]

You really need to learn scripting before you even attempt to make an AGS. Check the manual, check the many tutorials available for you from the AGS home page, do everything you can (even learning programming basics about C and C++) to learn about scripting. We won't always provide your script for you.

[Ishmael]

You really need to learn scripting before you even attempt to make an AGS.

Erhm... you gots a little typo there Mr. Rich, methinks...

[Scummbuddy]

well, of course he meant RPG, but it would still hold true for anyone attempting an AGS... 

[Ishmael]

well, of course he meant RPG, but it would still hold true for anyone attempting an AGS...Ã, 

Indeed

[JD]

http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/jjj.dekker/rpg.rar Something me and Chrille made a long time ago. It's an rpg (just a start though) and it's a bit like those old console RPGs. You can walk around, and encounter random monsters and fight them. It just shows it is possible to make it in ags

Played your game. It was addicting. Will you release the source code? Thanks for the cool RPG game.

I don't think I have the source code anymore Chrille might still have it somewhere though.

[TerranRich]

You really need to learn scripting before you even attempt to make an AGS.

Erhm... you gots a little typo there Mr. Rich, methinks...

Heh, so I do. But yeah, I meant an AGS game, of course.

[RickJ]

I am not very familiar with RPGs but I think I tried one recently (God of Thunder or something similar).   Anyway I noticed how this one did room transitions.   If you walk right, for example, when you reach the right edge of the room everything would quickly scroll left until the new room was fully on the screen.  This gives the illusion that it's one continous room.    So I guess  I have 2 questions:

1.  Is this behavior typical of RPG's or did I just get lucky and try out an oddball one?

2.  If AGS supported this kind of room transitions would it be helpful and/or desireable in making RPG type games?

[Gilbert]

2. There're no built-in transitions like that at the moment (notice that some of the Sierra SCI games used scrolling for room transitions), it can be done to some limit, though, is that you can use a large scrolling room, and SetViewPort() for this behaviour (trivial), however, for large scenes or cases where you certainly need DIFFERENT rooms this won't work. As far as I remember, similar thing had been suggested before, however, it's been a VERY long time ago, I remembered one of my first posts in the forum was a suggestion thread including suggestions for more screen transitions (that includes cross-fading and scrolling, seeing that only 256 colour modes were suppported at that time I suggested something like hasing the screen palette to 16 grays for the transitions to work and then fade them back to colour afterwards), which was around AC V1.13 or V1.14, long lost post since it's posted in the last millenium...

[Kinoko]

I wouldn't say it's typical, as such, of RPG games, but some do have it, certainly. The first one that springs to mind is Zelda. I wouldn't use it in my RPG personally, I'm just having normal rooms, not seperating my dungeons into a grid. As Gil said, it's been asked before and I think there are some complicated work-arounds but... more than I'd want to bother with. Some people would probably find it useful.

I'm curious myself as to how commercial games with this feature work it.

[RickJ]

I wouldn't say it's typical, as such, of RPG games ...

Do they then just fade from one room to another or do they do something entirely different?

I'm curious myself as to how commercial games with this feature work it

I'm not sure what you're asking but the way I envision the implementation would something like this:  When the new room is loaded the image of the previous room is retained temporarily.   The previous image is scrolled off the screen and the new image is used to fill the void left as the previous image moves off screen.   

I wouldn't use it in my RPG personally,...

Is it because it's currently not possible and/or other implementation issues or is it because of game aesthetics?  I'm just curious?

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I could also see this as being useful in doing map or driving type things.


I am also curious as to what other difficulties there are in making RPGs with AGS.  Do you have any thoughts about this?

[strazer]

As for the room slide transition, I tried the method you suggest a while ago.