[Tessbot]

Well, here is a short demo of the text adventure game I would like to make. Unfortunately, I'm really not good at coming up with decent storylines, so this is just a sort of engine. I'll come up with a better one eventually, unless someone has a really good one they'd like to see. Feel free to point out bugs, glitches, etc.

The file is kind of big because of the music in it. I just went and took them from some other games and some mod archive.

Some screenshots.




(yes, there's a secret option for this screen.)

Spoiler

After you get the option to speak to the other guy, there's a hidden option above it to go to this screen.

Attached File(s)

•  DADVDemo.zip (3.97MB)
  Number of downloads: 87

[Micah]

All those recycled tracks and not one popcorn.mod.

I'm disappointed to say the least.

[djtiesto]

Whoa, nice graphics, I'd like to get my hand on that game...

[Wervyn]

You mean except for popcorn.mod?

Anyway, this is a nice interface, and you've got a particularly good hand for character art and animation. It's a simple engine but well written and looks fairly versatile. I'll take a look at your implementation to see if you're taking advantage of all you should be to do it. Some suggestions off the cuff: consider putting in a keyrelease check for selecting things and menu items, instead of a wait. This is particularly noticeable on Johan's screen (still searching for the secret featured in the second screenshot). Also you may want to take advantage of the mouse for the examine interface. Keep at it, though, it's always nice to see something new.

"Boop boop shadoop."

[Wervyn]

So, followup on that implementation thing: wow, blast from the past. I thought I'd probably be able to give you a few pointers but I wasn't expecting the code to be THIS old-fashioned. Which is not meant as a slight; props to you man, for slogging through all that in hard code, you've more patience than I. Ten years ago you'd be a force to be reckoned with, poised to compete with the interface and animation greats like snigwich or duhreetoh. Now, well, you have so much to learn about working with MZX it gives me tingles. So as a gift for making me feel both old and new, I've whimsically taken it into my head to rewrite this thing for you and make the code twenty times shorter, and scalable. That's the big thing that's going to kill you when you try to use this in a game: the engine you wrote just isn't going to scale, because you've done everything by hand in robotic, and everything you add will have to be done the same way. What you want instead is to separate code from content, as any good software engineer has learned. So I intend to show you how that's done.

"God, it just makes me feel all fuzzy."

[mzxgiant]

Your graphics and MZX ability make my coder side jealous...

I'll be over here sitting on my pile of PHP code that keeps DMZX running >.>

[Tixus]

Those are some cool looking menus and textboxes. And characters. All around, good style.

[Tessbot]

Well, thanks very much for all the suggestions, advice and comments. Unfortunately, it's true I've been sleeping for the last nine years or so in terms of Megazeux, so I'm not quite up to date with all the new stuff just yet. To be honest, I'm fairly sure I went through some of the other MZX games to take a look at how they were programmed and such, so I don't really consider that code particularly new or original.

But if you'd be willing to show me how it's done, I wouldn't mind learning it.

And now the only thing missing that's required for a good game is some original soundtracks and an actual storyline.

This post has been edited by Tessbot: 29 October 2008 - 02:10 PM

[Micah]

Tessbot, on Oct 29 2008, 09:10 AM, said:

And now the only thing missing that's required for a good game is some original soundtracks and an actual storyline.

A tip on the soundtrack, if you're not fond of doing your own music, there are plenty of people around here who are good at it who might be willing to help you out. If all else fails, recycle. Nobody around here cares if you steal songs, as long as they fit : ]

[T-Bone]

I want to check this out before I go on vacation. The screenshots look pretty interesting.

[Kom]

This is very good, I quite like it and i am sure you'll become a great mzxer as time goes on. I normally wouldn't go in and purposefully look at people's code, but with Wervyn's reaction to it i decided to go and look myself. all those char edit's and the like remind me of how i used to make some of my games, hehe.

[weasel]

I could assist with a storyline, possibly. I've always wanted to make a game like this, ever since playing Snatcher about seven years ago.

[Tessbot]

Offers for decent storyline: I accept.

So is someone going to fill me in on how to make my code better?

[Wervyn]

Yeah, I was totally going to do that, and I still am. Just, right after I promised to do so, I got hit with a bunch of life stuff, most notably losing my job. Add that to being a generally unmotivated individual, and yeah, I haven't found a lot of time to work on it. I will get to it, though, I'll try to take some of it step by step in the next week or so.

"Sometimes life just kicks you in the balls."

[weasel]

Okay - I'm mainly throwing this together right in the Fast Reply box, but I figure I can elaborate later, in a proper word processor/text editor or the like (or a Google Docs file where I can share it with you easily). Here's what I've got.

Quote

Winter of 1974, on the United States' Pacific coast, out in the middle of nowhere...

The cozy little rural town of Plain's End, located just about halfway up the mountains. Not a lot goes on in this little place, nor is there a reason to. People are pretty much content with keeping to themselves out here. That is, until an enigmatic ex-college professor decided to set up shop just on the outskirts. When he showed up, he was the only one that ever kept to himself anymore. The rest of the town didn't like it. He seemed out of place, like he didn't care about the town itself so much as the location. Lord only knew what he was doing in that little camper of his.

It only got fishier when the guy disappeared, leaving only the camper and some torn-up notebooks behind. Nobody in town knew what happened, or if they did, they sure weren't letting on about it. Just what was in those notebooks? What was the guy hiding, where did he go, and what - if anything - do the townspeople have to do with it?

They told me there wasn't much use for a private eye in a tiny little place like this. I'm about to prove them wrong.

[Tessbot]

Now I like that. People seem to know how to write stories that sound cool and interesting. I'm just terrible at that.

Don't worry if you don't get around to working on it. I've got exams now, and probably won't have much time to do much until after the 15th anyways.

[T-Bone]

Wervyn, on Nov 29 2008, 06:58 PM, said:

Yeah, I was totally going to do that, and I still am. Just, right after I promised to do so, I got hit with a bunch of life stuff, most notably losing my job. Add that to being a generally unmotivated individual, and yeah, I haven't found a lot of time to work on it. I will get to it, though, I'll try to take some of it step by step in the next week or so.

"Sometimes life just kicks you in the balls."

That sucks!

[weasel]

Tessbot, on Dec 3 2008, 07:49 AM, said:

Now I like that. People seem to know how to write stories that sound cool and interesting. I'm just terrible at that.

Don't worry if you don't get around to working on it. I've got exams now, and probably won't have much time to do much until after the 15th anyways.

Right, I'll see about getting it more fleshed out for you by then, so you'll have something to work with at least.

[T-Bone]

Tried out the demo it looks great! Love the structure keep up the good work!

[CJA]

This guy needs to stick around. I am really liking this; I especially dig your art and design tactics.