Arenax

Quote: Originally written by Tbg10101: Make a text file of the Registration code and put it onto the disk along with the game, that way you'll have it. Let's see if I can make this a little simpler. When you install the game, it seeds a new key. The key is different every time you install the game. Each key has a different registration code. The code you have on the disk ain't going to work.

Perhaps I'm odd in this--wouldn't be the first time--but I tend to find that I'm always lacking cash. (I have 40 skill points on my mages that I can't spend, heh heh.) I know I could use the editor, but that's lame. In my current game (first non-cheating one in a long time, too), I just beat the slimes and am on my way to Bigail. Does the job market get better after Kriszan?

Quote: If you did kill Sss-Thsss, then you've probably already got a royal token. I didn't my first time. I couldn't figure out at first how to get in, and didn't want to walk to Formello. At this point my party was fairly ripped, so I went in and beat them down. His head was a great Royal Token. Quote: "I didn't think you could pick any of the locks in that area so early in the game. Wierd." Just use the unlock spell then, if you created a custom character, it's not too hard. Pile on the Mage Skill early on. It helps.

Yeah--excellent job. I wish it'd download properly so I could reference it on disk (it acts kinda weird if you DL it), but even without that I can see this being really useful. I might write something later for it, along the lines of the BoA cookbook.

I forsee bannage for such conversation.

Quote: Originally written by Chivlan: I was worrying about, well, "vandalism", as Thur put it, but if it really keeps them automatic back-ups and all sorts of huahuahua can be fixed easily, then yeah, it'd prolly be the best way. I used Wiki on one of my other projects. Very quick, very easy.

Quote: Originally written by Moi, olen Mieshuora.: ..but doesn't Wiki kind of let *anyone* to edit the pages? Yeah. That's the point. Someone sees an error, they fix it. If they're being stupid, the page can revert very easily.

Even if they're on disk, the ones that need a code will generate a new code. You still need to go through the hassle of getting it out of JV. BoE and Nethergate, AFAIK, are the only ones that won't.

Question--why not use Wiki? I'd think that's a little more standard (and certainly easier to update!).

Quote: Originally written by Wham Bam Shizam v 2.0: Arenax, if you don't like Jeff's games, and think he designs them badly, why are you here? I am also curious as to whether you will make a scenario for BoA or not. Just curious. I like his games. BoA is exceptional. I've played every one of his games and bought them all save Geneforge 1/2 and Nethergate. Nethergate is on my Christmas list. My problem is when he uses antiquated code that breaks over half of Windows machines. He's using modern methods for graphics; why not ditch the Windows 3.1 sound code and use something modern, too? I offered even to write it. It's trivial code. EDIT: And yeah, I'm working on a BoA scenario at the moment. It won't get much done till the AvDialogue program is complete, though.

Ah, yes, BoE--from the days when men were real men and women were real men and it didn't matter who you were, you were STILL smelly and unwashed and hated Aceron... ...Uh, 'scuse me. Anyway, like TM said--documentation is your friend.

By confusing the hell out of my sound card, I managed to release BoA's stranglehold on the sound channels. I can't get it to work for the Exile games. Jeff, you get a "Bad Game Desginer, No Twinkie!" award.

Let's hear it for pants!

Status update (though why I'm bothering is beyond me): The port's status is at about 75-80% workable. I had a HD problem that seems to have nuked the most recent version, which was almost releaseable. Thanks to Thuryl for helping me out on something regarding it. I should have a working version by Friday, as I've planned.

I direct you here for the "substantiative" part. 100% functional dialogue editor, and the only thing I felt obligated to do (because it's the one I'd use). Right now, I am knee-deep into code on a project that will not benefit me in the slightest, and people seem to still enjoy jumping on my back. I'm genuinely wondering whether I ought to even continue with this, if the only reaction I'll get is "this sucks" (which, given the stances of most people here, is very likely--since it doesn't fit their preconceived notion of what is necessary). Now I'm sure someone's going to flame me for this--but hey, I long ago stopped caring. Please lock this, mods--it ain't worth it.

I think I know what you're talking about, Alo, but I'm not sure... Consider yourself asked?

I liked those a lot more than the turquoise tiles...

Not really. I'm sick of arguing and being called an elitist for daring to have differing standards and opinions. (Being a Republican here is bad enough.) So I just want to know. I've given up arguing with you, I've agreed even to try writing the program YOU want instead of the one I want. So why are you still getting on my case? I've agreed to disagree, I don't care to argue it, and you still jump on me.

...You guys are STILL jumping on me after I've said I'll even take a crack at writing the kind of tool you want? Good God.

Quote: Originally written by Wilfred A. Spurts: Quote: Originally written by Arenaqs: Which is more important: a well-playing scenario or one with a good story? I have to say the former, myself. This is, at best, a self-defeating question. One cannot be much without the other. If you have a completely defunct story, you could have the best gameplay in the world, and you would still end up with a fluke. Same goes for if you have totally horrible gameplay- your story isn't conveyed at all. You need story in Blades, or else things get boring very quickly. Sure--I'm not debating that. But even a serviceable story will carry great gameplay. I also agree that the reverse is true; however, I play for gameplay--puzzles, strategy, etc.--more than for story.

Quote: Originally written by Mortimer: Well I suppose it doesn't really matter if Arenax agrees or not. I hope he isn't our only resource as a add-on designer so hopefully someone else will take it up as a project. Djur and I have outlined a way it MIGHT work in the Lyceum chat. It's intriguing as a programming challenge if nothing else. I might break my rule about not making something I won't use for it, simply as a curiosity as to whether I can do it. I might put it on my list of things to do--after the ones that are useful for everyone, that is, and not just the newbish-types.

Quote: Originally written by Dastal: I am a BoA scenario designer. I also happen to be a senior in high school, and am applying to college. I also happen to be taking a bunch of ultra-advanced courses, some of which are a lot of work, and some of which are relatively less so. I also have a girlfriend, and a bunch of friends, and play sports, and do a bunch of other things which take up some of my time. I also try to get a little sleep here and there as well. (This is all, in fact true about me, but it could just as easily be a lawyer, or a nurse, or a trash collector, or, most relevantly, a college/grad student. Perhaps even more so for a college or grad student.) That gives me a total of, oh, five hours a week, or so, to work on my scenario. Now, I could spend that five hours writing an amazing story, creating cool graphics, thinking up puzzles, or otherwise doing stuff to make my scenario really cool. Alternately, I could spend hours and hours scripting the diaglogue. Incidentally, instead of writing expressive dialogue that immerses you into the story and really makes it good, since programming the dialogue is hard and tedious, I'm going to shorten the dialogue as much as I can since I not only have less time to write it, but I also want to be as sucinct as possible. Since dialogue is so tedius, how much time am I going to be willing to spend on cool puzzles? Yes, I could do all of those things, and not release anything for a year, but I'll be honest, I don't have the motivation for that. So what has just happened? The scenario that could have been amazing has just become a crap scenario. Why? Not because the tool has deprived me of the ability to learn to write code. Oh no! Actually, because I spent so much time cranking out the code since I didn't have the tool that I couldn't devote time to other elements of scenario creation. That, of course, means designing a good scenario requires that you have much more time on your hands than is normal. I find that those kinds of people have much less relevant things to say than bussier people. Oh, and if I did have that kind of time, why would I design a scenario for Blades of Avernum? Why not create my own game, talk with some shareware distribution company, like Ambrosia, and release my own game, and not only make money, but also not have my ideas confined to what is, ultimately, a relatively simplistic engine in the bargain? Dastal: You described my life, minus one detail: I'm a high-school junior. But I also play football and am active in drama. If a scenario is important enough to you, you can make time for it.

Quote: Originally written by Walker, Texas Corpse: The consensus has been the latter for a very long time. It's one of the major points of contention between the community and Vogel. Well, now I get the dubious honor of agreeing with Vogel. I want something that plays well over a good story. A good story is secondary to something that plays well. Why not just make a graphical version of Inform if you want to "tell a story"?

Quote: Originally written by Wilfred A. Spurts: ...or, maybe, the menagerie of other masterpieces that have been made in your absense... (...and there are plenty...) ...Masterpieces tend to make me sleepy.

Quote: Originally written by Walker, Texas Corpse: Um, part of that decision is the decision whether REALbasic is sufficient. You said as much. Quote: Originally written by Arenax: Should I bite the bullet and start figuring out REALbasic in order to port AvScript and AvDialogue to Macintosh? I'd argue that'd be a secondary clause myself (sort of like "use a decent language"), but that's an argument of semantics. I'm too tired to argue at the moment; I'm too busy using my AvDialogue2 beta to make a dialogue script for my scenario.