Working with AGS
Oct/090
So I finished the base 4-directional walk cycles for Marvin, and now I’ve started plugging the assets into the main game engine. I’m using Adventure Game Studio to do everything, as I know it’s very powerful and should have everything I need to do this game.
I’ve just now finished all of the mouse cursors you’ll see in the game, and I’ve also put together the main menu.
Giving Marvin some pointers
More updates soon!
Brand New Logo
Jul/090
Brand Spanking New
You’re looking at the very first image of the Marvin Cooper logo on the main menu background. Obviously I have yet to add any menu parts to it, but that can wait for a bit.
In case you haven’t guessed by my production of actual computerised artwork, I have finished all of the planning for the visual aspect of the game. All backgrounds, characters, items and interface designs are done and dusted and I’m really looking forward to translating them into ‘proper’ images.
While I’m not drawing the backgrounds (which I will do first), I’ll be scripting all the dialogue for the game in an object-by-object and character-by-character manner, so there is (hopefully) something unique for every action on every item. The other major point for scripting everything is that it means I can divide off all of an individual character’s lines and send them to be voiced. Of course I have yet to pick anyone to do voices, but I think I’ll take dibs on at least Marvin himself or Dillbury. Perhaps both.
I was thinking a good faux-review snippet would be “An abundance of facial hair!”. There is indeed a good ratio of characters-to-facefuzz, and if that doesn’t draw people in, I don’t know what will.
Like a Speeding Freight Train
Jul/090
In a veritable blitz of creativity, I’ve finished all the character sketches and all 26 inventory items (fixing a few issues with gameplay along the way)!
I’ll be moving onto designing the GUI tomorrow, although I haven’t really given it a great deal of thought up to this point.
I have sketched the backgrounds in ‘widescreen’ proportions, so I’d imagine it is entirely feasible that I can fill up the gaps at the top and bottom of the (1024×768; 4:3 proportions rather than 16:9/16:10) game screen, but the more I think about it the less I want an interface like that of LucasArts classics.
Don’t get me wrong, they are a superb design and they’re easy to get around, but I just much prefer the approach of the great Broken Sword with very thin pictorial bars at the top and bottom of the screen (top for inventory, bottom for interaction methods) that appear and disappear when rolled over.
Of course I don’t for one minute claim that my game will be even approaching the gorgeousness of Revolution’s masterpiece, but I do love the cinematic style that the GUI gives to the game.
In terms of the interaction types that will fill that bottom bar, I like to keep things simple. To that end I will endeavour the keep it down to Look, Use, Talk and Pick Up. That pretty much covers any and all eventualities.
I would post some pictures of the character sketches, but I’m incredibly self conscious that the vast majority of them suck. I can normally draw far better using my PC than on paper, so I hope I can do my mental image justice in the final product.
