Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

1

Game design / How do pros create a design document?

« on: November 21, 2007, 09:37:22 PM »

Hi,

ok, so I found a subject for my game, I know the graphics type (rendered 3d) and am starting to write the design document.
I have read the Leisure Suit Larry design documents (I didn't find more)

My problem is that I don't really know how to fit the story, the puzzles, the dialogues etc. into one working logical structure.
How do I prevent chaos? how do I add systems like when you enter a location several times and you have different behaviors each time?
How do you actually structure or organize this in your design document? I mean when I program I have UML, classes etc, a visual structure, but in an adventure game?

The method I am using now is to have a sort story synopsis as guidance and then simply start writing the adventure like a story or a walkthrough. Then I intend to give it more flesh and then finally adding the puzzles or minigames or dialogue choices. Of course, if I have a direct idea for a puzzle or minigame while I am typing the story I add a note.

I would be very glad if some of the pros here (or anybody who has actually finished a working design document successfully ) would post their hints&tips or share their knowledge.

BTW I actually use Treepad for my design document. I own the Busines version but there is also a nice free version here.

2

Software and games / Link with nice pdf's about creating adventures and more...

« on: November 18, 2007, 02:10:43 AM »

PDF's about adventure creation and more

This one I like very much...

A documental approach to adventure game development

or get it here A documental approach to adventure game development

Haven read it all, but I wanted to let you know before I go to bed

3

Feature requests, suggestions / Resolution 16:10 and 4:3 handled automatically

« on: November 14, 2007, 01:06:17 AM »

I don't know what the status is but I would like to 'remember' what synchron wrote and already is on the todo list but is still talked about alot here.

<sychron> i would add an option "isWidescreen".
<sychron> to the global properties
<sychron> if it's set to false, the game is handled as normal
<sychron> and the graphics driver will add the bars.
<sychron> you can autodetect widescreen games by looking at the game size
<sychron> and handle them ...
<sychron> 4:3 games on 4:3 screens --> no problem
<sychron> 16:9 games on 16:9 screens: no problem
<sychron> 16:9 games on 4:3 screens: options bars or zoom
<sychron> 4:3 games on 16:9 screens: options "no change" (let the driver do it) or "crop"
<sychron> and ... each scene get's a parameter "allowScrollingOnAspectDifference" or something like that

I would like to add the option to have it as simple fullscreen window, a black background window and the content (game) in the middle. The window could be with an option to display the window bar, etc.

4

Bug reports / SceneEdit: loosing focus

« on: November 10, 2007, 02:33:57 PM »

Hi, I've been able to continue with the tutorial and I have a minor workflow issue.
When I am in the Scene Editor and add the areas, every time I Alt-Tab to the help file and Alt_Tab back the focus on the selected item/layer is lost. Funnily this only happens when I'm on the waypoints layer. In the main Layer this doesn't happen. When I Alt-Tab back from the waypoints layer the focus is on the Free Entities layer.

I have the newest version.

Thanks

5

Software and games / free and very powerful vectorization tool: VectorMagic

« on: November 05, 2007, 07:54:46 PM »

Hi, there is a new and free but very powerful vectorization tool out there.
Check VectorMagic

6

Technical forum / Hi everybody and on I go with a few 'essential' questions :)

« on: November 03, 2007, 08:56:15 PM »

Hi, after looking at several Engines only two remained, Wintermute and Visionaire. I have looked at both of them and tried some of the demos but a few questions remain and I hope you will be able to help me

First of all, is it possible to do a game like the Kaptain Brawe Demo? I like its inventory very much and in Wintermute I always see the inventory bar zipping up and down if the mouse is in the area. It's funny, but all demos I tried all looked pretty alike from the interface and general feeling, is it very difficult achieve let's say a Lucas Arts look?

Is it possible to do a complete 3D adventure? or must it always be a 2d Background? The game Looky the worm seamed all 3D but I'm not sure about the background as it was totally static.

What I like about the Visionaire version to come (3.x) is that it will be multi-platform ready, thus Mac support will be possible. As the conversion rates for Macs are much higher than for windows it would be a really appreciated feature for Wintermute too.